My Mother-in-Law and I Became the Internet’s Hottest Power Couple

The end-of-April performance review passed, followed by the graduation thesis defense in early May. Jiang Lan's defense went relatively smoothly. Although her advisor asked quite a few questions, she managed to answer all of them. After the defense, Jiang Lan went straight to find Lu Yicheng, whose defense was scheduled for two days later. He was still reviewing his thesis at the time.

She had graduated early.

"Pig, pig, pig! I graduated first!" Jiang Lan circled Lu Yicheng excitedly as they stepped out of the academic building.

The sky seemed bluer, the grass greener, and even Lu Yicheng looked more pleasing to her eyes.

Lu Yicheng: "Congratulations on graduating. Sigh, I still have my defense to get through."

Though confident, Lu Yicheng knew he couldn’t let his guard down. The final stretch demanded focus—could finishing a defense really make someone this happy? Jiang Lan looked like she was floating on air.

Of course she was happy. This was something she had worried about for over half a year.

Graduating, finding work, and earning money—it was her first step into the real world.

Jiang Lan could leave campus anytime now.

In a couple of days, Xie Yunzhen and Jiang Baoguo would come to move her dorm belongings back home. All that remained was the graduation photo session and the commencement ceremony.

Jiang Lan hugged Lu Yicheng. "Hey, you’ll graduate soon too. Once your defense is over, let’s go eat something delicious—or even take a short trip somewhere."

She then asked, "Oh, by the way, can I come watch your defense?"

At Qinghua University, thesis defenses were open to the public, allowing both classmates and students from other departments to attend—partly to ensure fairness and transparency.

Jiang Lan hadn’t let Lu Yicheng attend hers; having him in the audience would have made her nervous. But she wanted to see him during his defense.

Lu Yicheng looked down at her. "Of course you can. But now I’ll have to double-check my slides."

And pick out a proper outfit for the occasion.

He had thought his presentation was already flawless, but with Jiang Lan coming to watch, he wanted to make sure everything was perfect.

Lu Yicheng: "Having you there will make me nervous too. So don’t smile at me during the defense, and definitely don’t tease me from the audience."

As if Jiang Lan would act inappropriately. She just wanted to see Lu Yicheng in action.

He’d probably look really handsome up there. She could snap a few photos.

"Don’t worry, who’d smile at you? You wish." Now that graduation was off her shoulders, Jiang Lan was in high spirits—she’d agree to anything Lu Yicheng said.

May 6th, the day of the Computer Science thesis defenses at Qinghua University.

Each student had ten minutes: a brief self-introduction, a presentation of their slides, and then questions from the advisors.

The panel leader was the department chair, joined by eight other professors.

The advisors arrived early, seated in the front rows. Most were older, occasionally leaning in to discuss among themselves. The atmosphere was fairly relaxed.

Lu Yicheng was the first in his group to defend. Ranked first in his major for four years, he had completed numerous projects, competed in many contests, and won plenty of awards.

Nearly every professor in the Computer Science department knew him.

Some faculty even said that if Lu Yicheng wanted to pursue a master’s degree, he could easily secure a spot at Qinghua.

A Ph.D. afterward, then a teaching position—that wouldn’t be a bad path.

But Lu Yicheng had no interest in further studies. He had already joined Lu Yuan and planned to start working right away. During the spring recruitment season, he had even interviewed several Computer Science graduate students from Qinghua.

The pride of the department chair—truly exceptional.

Today, Lu Yicheng wore a formal suit and tie, looking sharp and polished. He was responsible for managing the presentation slides, with all the group’s files compiled into one folder.

The class monitor nudged him and whispered, "Your girlfriend’s here, by the way."

Jiang Lan sat in the last row, dressed in a floral-print dress, her hair in two braids, and wearing light makeup—sweet and radiant, every bit the campus belle.

Lu Yicheng glanced up at her and smiled. "Yeah, she came to watch."

The monitor felt a pang of envy. The gap between people was just too wide. Not only did he not have a girlfriend, but after graduation, he planned to continue his studies—a master’s at Qinghua, and then maybe join Lu Yuan after that.

These tech giants were the dream workplaces every graduate fought to get into.

By the time he became a programmer, Lu Yicheng would probably already be Lu Yuan’s chairman.

Who wouldn’t envy Lu Yicheng?

Most girls admired Jiang Lan—they thought she was amazing. But among guys, Lu Yicheng was the one who inspired envy.

The monitor patted Lu Yicheng’s shoulder. "Good luck, man."

At exactly 8:00 AM, the defense began.

Lu Yicheng opened his slides. His presentation was clean and concise—the first page displayed his thesis title, with Qinghua’s emblem in the top-left corner and his name and advisor’s name in the bottom-right.

No flashy distractions, just clarity—enough to hold attention.

The department chair adjusted his glasses, listening intently.

"Good morning, professors. I am Lu Yicheng, from the Class of 2017, School of Information Science and Engineering, Computer Science major. My thesis is titled 'Cross-Resolution-Based Face Recognition.' I will now present my research in four parts..." Standing beside the projector, Lu Yicheng exuded the vigor unique to youth.

Young and driven, in the Computer Science department, Lu Yicheng was undeniably the best.

The kind who left everyone else far behind.

Jiang Lan sat in the last row, her phone recording the scene. Lu Yicheng looked incredibly handsome and charismatic, the kind of presence that made it impossible to look away. Who wouldn’t like a good-looking guy, especially one who excelled academically and carried himself with such effortless grace?

But why did Lu Yicheng show no trace of nervousness? He handled everything with such ease. The professors seated below nodded approvingly throughout.

University coursework covered only the basics—just a fraction of what the field entailed. Lu Yicheng, however, operated at a graduate level. Having already published papers during his undergrad, it was no surprise his advisor was more than satisfied.

Lu Yicheng wasn’t usually nervous in these situations. He’d been through countless similar occasions, even leading meetings at his company attended by industry leaders. But the moment Jiang Lan showed up, his composure wavered.

He didn’t dare glance toward the back row, keeping his eyes fixed on the smiling faces of his professors instead.

Once his PowerPoint presentation ended and the professors asked a few questions, it was time for the next presenter. Lu Yicheng closed his slides and took a seat beside Jiang Lan in the last row.

With others still presenting, talking wasn’t an option. Instead, he typed a message in his phone’s memo app and nudged it toward Jiang Lan.

The memo read:

[How did I do just now?]

Jiang Lan took the phone, paused, then slid it back after a moment.

Lu Yicheng looked down.

[Oh~ you were seriously dazzling!]

[I’m asking seriously. Give me a proper answer.]

Jiang Lan lowered her head, and after a while, new words appeared on the memo:

[Your arguments were well-structured, your tone humble yet confident, the paper’s framework was solid, and your slides were outstanding—especially the suit. Absolutely killer. And whoever tied your tie nailed it. Perfect fit.]

Lu Yicheng ducked his head, pressing his lips together to suppress a smile. She really didn’t have to go that far.

[Fair enough.]

Jiang Lan couldn’t be bothered to indulge him. Compliment his looks, and he dismissed it. Praise him thoroughly, and suddenly he wanted a "serious" evaluation?

But given that his brain was probably still in defense mode, she let it slide. Once this was over, graduation awaited.

They stayed to listen to a few more presentations—mainly because Lu Yicheng insisted. He wanted Jiang Lan to see how others compared, so she’d realize just how much better he was.

Lu Yicheng could be such a child sometimes.

He, of course, considered himself perfectly mature. As they left the lecture hall, he asked Jiang Lan when they should take their graduation trip.

She smacked his head lightly. "What are you thinking? We haven’t even had the graduation ceremony or taken our cap-and-gown photos, and you’re already planning a trip. Don’t you have work?"

Lu Yicheng didn’t see the harm in thinking ahead. Besides, Jiang Lan had brought it up just two days ago. The graduation ceremony was in early June, and their photos would be taken around the same time—when their academic robes would look their best.

They still had a whole month.

Typical double standards.

"Fine, no trip. But, sweetheart, what about interning? You won’t start your job until August. That’s over two months of boredom at home. Why not come to work with me?" The idea of commuting together, day in and day out, sounded perfect to him.

It’d feel like married life.

And in just over five months, he planned to propose.

Jiang Lan shook her head. "No way. Who in their right mind would willingly dive into work life early? You have no choice."

Right now, all she wanted was to have fun. She’d spend the next month enjoying her freedom alone, then, once Yu Wanqiu finished her college entrance exams, the two of them would have their own adventures.

As for Lu Yicheng? With his position came responsibilities.

"Just focus on work, Piggy. I’ll visit you often."

Lu Yicheng stared at her for two full seconds. "Dummy."

An absolute dummy. How could she be so clueless? If she had even the slightest inkling about his proposal plans, he wouldn’t feel so... torn.

Half of him wanted her to know. The other half was terrified she’d find out.

Jiang Lan huffed. "Oh, so when you can’t win an argument, you resort to insults? Fine, you’re the genius, the unparalleled big-brain. Serves you right for landing such a gorgeous, brilliant girlfriend."

She was still basking in her own praise when suddenly, Lu Yicheng knelt down on one knee.

It was May, and the weather had warmed. Qinghua University’s campus brimmed with life—slender willow branches swaying overhead, fiery-red crabapple blossoms in the distance, wild ducks gliding across the artificial lake. Time seemed to slow for Jiang Lan.

For a heartbeat, she thought he was proposing.

But Lu Yicheng only retied her loosened shoelace.

He stood back up. "Still saying you’re not a dummy? Can’t even keep your laces tied."

Jiang Lan was still frozen. "...Excuse me? I can tie my own shoes. Like yours have never come undone before. How else would you take them off?"

He’d nearly given her a heart attack.

Lu Yicheng took her hand as they walked off campus. If he had proposed just then, he would’ve held one of her hands while pulling out the ring with the other.

If she said yes, he’d slide the wedding band onto her finger. If not, he’d try again another day.

Will you marry me?

Will you marry me? Be my wife, and let me be your husband.

He’d rehearsed those words in his mind a thousand times.

Lu Yicheng said, "You're still blaming me? Fine, I’ll untie it for you, and you can do it again."

"Please, just shut up, or I won’t be able to stop myself from hitting you."

Qinghua University’s graduation ceremony was scheduled for June 10th.

After the ceremony, graduates could collect their diplomas and leave campus.

Having gathered from all corners of the country, they would now scatter to pursue their own paths, no longer bound by shared direction.

Jiang Lan thought the timing was perfect. The national college entrance exams (Gaokao) fell on the 7th and 8th, meaning Yu Wanqiu could finish her exams and attend Jiang Lan’s graduation ceremony.

As the weather grew hotter, Yu Wanqiu’s mind settled into calm determination.

This was her all-or-nothing moment. If she failed this year, she could try again next year.

She had already made up her mind—even if she were photographed taking the Gaokao, it wouldn’t matter. Even if she didn’t make the cut, it was fine. Qinghua University wasn’t her only option.

Take the exams first, then apply to universities. She wanted to go to college, but it didn’t have to be Qinghua.

Yu Wanqiu actually quite liked subjects like math and economics. If she studied economics in university, she wouldn’t need a financial advisor later.

She wasn’t afraid of criticism. After all, she’d once scored a mere seven points on a test. If anyone wanted to mock her, they’d have to score a seven first.

In the final month, Yu Wanqiu went through three rounds of revision.

She took the third mock exam from Jinhua No.1 High School, which Xie Yunzhen had given her, and scored 698 points.

Her English was nearly perfect, math deducted ten points, science subjects twenty, and Chinese a little over twenty.

Lu Shuangchen kept saying it was an excellent score. "Better than our son. If Lu Yicheng took the Gaokao again, he wouldn’t even get this much."

Yu Wanqiu: "...I wasn’t trying to compete with him. Alright, you can leave now. I need to study."

To avoid losing touch, please remember our backup domain:

These days, there were very few problems Yu Wanqiu couldn’t solve on her own. She didn’t need Lu Shuangchen’s help anymore.

Lu Shuangchen felt her behavior was like "killing the donkey after it’s done grinding"—except he wasn’t a donkey. Maybe more like "burning bridges after crossing the river."

"Fine, I’ll go prepare your midnight snack then."

Lu Shuangchen’s cooking skills had improved significantly. If he quit his job, he could probably open a restaurant.

Yu Wanqiu had developed a love for barbecue—something she’d never touched before, she now enjoyed immensely.

Lu Shuangchen thought the ones outside were unhealthy, so he made them at home.

He’d cut the beef and lamb into small pieces, marinate them with scallions, ginger, and garlic, then skewer them on bamboo sticks.

They’d slow-roast on the grill.

The barbecue seasoning recipe was something Lu Shuangchen had his assistant buy, and it tasted pretty good.

On June 7th, the weather in City B was overcast, with a cool summer breeze.

It seemed like every year during Gaokao, the weather turned pleasantly cool. Lu Shuangchen, his son, and Jiang Lan escorted Yu Wanqiu to the exam site.

Jiang Lan double-checked Yu Wanqiu’s backpack. "Admission ticket, ID card, scanner pen, eraser, black pen... water bottle... everything’s here. Alright, go on in. Keep an eye on the time, and don’t overthink it."

Yu Wanqiu nodded. Just as she was about to enter the school, she ran back and hugged Jiang Lan. "You aced your interview and graduated smoothly. Let me borrow some of your luck—rub, rub, rub!"

She laughed nervously. "Wait for me to come out... no, wait, that sounds like I’m going to prison... Wait for me to return victorious!"

Jiang Lan patted her back. "You’re already amazing. Just having the courage to make this decision sets you apart from everyone else. Teacher Yu, even my mom says you’ll pass. And she’s a homeroom teacher, you know."

Jiang Lan went home. Xie Yunzhen, who taught senior high students, often used Yu Wanqiu as an example in class.

Of course, she never mentioned names—just talked about someone she knew who’d already been working but decided to take the Gaokao last year, scoring 698 on the third mock exam.

"If someone with a successful career can work this hard, why can’t you?"

Xie Yunzhen believed Yu Wanqiu would pass. There was a tenacity in her that most people lacked.

Plus, adults had better self-discipline. The Gaokao shouldn’t be a problem.

As for whether she’d get into Qinghua—that was harder to say.

Every year during Gaokao, news outlets covered the Chinese essay prompts. There were also celebrity candidates—child stars choosing film academies, their exams followed by media.

Most Gaokao takers were 17 or 18 years old, with a few retakers and an even smaller number of adult candidates.

However, the adult Gaokao was slightly easier than the standard one.

Aside from exam topics and celebrity candidates, another trending topic brushed against Gaokao this year:

[Lanzhou Noodles Sends Off Exam Taker No. 39]

[Entertainment Gossip: The annual Gaokao season is here! Lanzhou Noodles and the Lu family personally escort a candidate. Let’s all soak up some of the top student’s luck for golden success! [Photo]]

The photo showed the Lu family—father and son—along with Jiang Lan and Yu Wanqiu at the gates of Jinhua No.1 High School. It wasn’t clear who they were sending off.

Online commenters speculated it might be a younger sibling or cousin close to Jiang Lan and Yu Wanqiu, turning 18 this year and taking the Gaokao.

After all, the Lu family was known for academic excellence: Lu Shuangchen held a Ph.D. from a prestigious foreign university, Lu Yicheng and Jiang Lan graduated from Qinghua. Though Yu Wanqiu hadn’t attended university, her Gaokao scores were high. With such a family backing the candidate, surely they’d achieve outstanding results.

Fans were particularly excited today, browsing through the national college entrance exam essay prompts while waiting for news about the Lu family’s relatives. Given the Lu family’s genes, the child was bound to be exceptionally good-looking.

But there was no news until the very last day. After the English exam, someone finally posted on Weibo.

【Jinhua Little Fish: Wuwuwu, it’s finally over! This year’s college entrance exam is unforgettable for me. I only realized after leaving the exam hall that my idol was sitting right behind me. During the last subject, English, I thought the person behind me looked familiar, but I couldn’t turn around during the exam. After the exam, I found out it was Yu Wanqiu the whole time! She even smiled and greeted me as we left the exam hall. Wuwuwu, Teacher Yu must have done well, right? I wonder which university she’s applying to. Hope I can catch some of her luck!】

【!!!???】

【I suspect this is fake, but it’s so bizarre—who would make up such a story?】

【Is this for real???】

【Totally caught off guard… Thought Yu Wanqiu was here to send someone off for the exam, but turns out she was taking it herself!】

【I reread this several times before confirming it was Yu Wanqiu taking the exam.】

【Not just someone with the same name, right? Oh my god.】

【??? She’s 47 this year, and she’s taking the college entrance exam????】

【To each their own interests and pursuits. Teacher Yu scored really high back in her day but dropped out after two months of university. Maybe she wants to fulfill her dream now.】

【But… can she even pass? It’s been so long since she studied. Does she still remember high school material?】

【Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if she fails?】

【It’s not like just showing up guarantees a pass. High school students work incredibly hard.】

【Probably just a publicity stunt.】

【Little swallows wear flowery clothes, coming here every spring. The swallow says, “None of your damn business!”】

【None of your damn business!】

【A publicity stunt? How is this a stunt?】

【I find it really inspiring. Even if she doesn’t pass, it’s still a meaningful experience. Why would anyone call it embarrassing?】

【So many people don’t do well on the exam—are they all embarrassing?】

【What’s embarrassing about not passing? For the record, Yu Wanqiu scored 742 in her college entrance exam back then. Wonder how high the critics scored.】

【This is amazing! After the exam, she’ll be Jiang Lan’s junior!】

【So impressive!】

【The exams are over, freedom at last! I just got home and found out Teacher Yu took the exam!】

【Junior? My ship is sailing again.】

【I heard Jiang Lan joined the National Symphony Orchestra. These two are just incredible.】

【The OP is so lucky to share an exam hall with Teacher Yu!】

【Jinhua ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‍Little Fish: [lol] I only realized after the exam. Good thing I was focused during the test, or I’d have been too excited to concentrate.】

【Hope the OP gets into their dream university, and hope Teacher Yu does too!】

Soon, the hashtag #YuWanqiuTakesCollegeEntranceExam trended at No. 1 on Weibo.

At 47 years old, taking the college entrance exam—regardless of the outcome, it’s worthy of respect. Xia Jing received countless media calls requesting interviews with Yu Wanqiu.

She could already guess the questions: Why take the exam? Are you confident? What’s your dream university?

With a little sensationalism, they’d have their front-page headlines.

Xia Jing turned down all interview requests. If the scores turned out high, interviews could wait. If not, there was no need.

Truthfully, Yu Wanqiu felt she had done fairly well.

As soon as the exams ended, the official answer keys were released online. While her memory was still fresh, Yu Wanqiu estimated her scores on the way to dinner.

English had just finished, so she started with that.

“There was one listening question I didn’t catch clearly, but I guessed right! Not sure about the essay score, but your mom usually checks my essays, and I lose no more than 3 points. Should be around 145.”

English was her strongest subject, and she performed consistently.

Next, she moved on to math—her weakest subject. But this year’s exam covered question types she had practiced.

With Lu Shuangchen’s help and tutoring from Jinhua No.1 High School’s top teachers, Yu Wanqiu felt she had done decently.

Going through each question, she estimated her math score to be in the 100s.

A breakthrough for her.

For the science section, she estimated around 270. Some questions were hazy, so she deducted points conservatively. In Chinese, aside from the essay and reading comprehension, she got everything right. Her total estimate: 710.

Jiang Lan watched eagerly. “Teacher Yu, what’s the score?”

Lu Yicheng was driving, while Lu Shuangchen turned from the passenger seat. Yu Wanqiu said, “Hmm, I estimated 710. I’ll call your mom later to see how accurate this is.”

Jiang Lan gasped. “That’s so high!”

710 points—with that score, she could definitely get into Qinghua University. Plus, Yu Wanqiu had bonus points as a Beijing resident.

Jiang Lan was even happier than if she had scored that high herself. 710—what a dream!

“Teacher Yu, you’re incredible! Oh my god, even if you lent me an extra brain, I couldn’t score that high.” She stared at the score estimation sheet. “Let me keep this as a memento. Wow, junior—just wait for September enrollment!”

Yu Wanqiu chuckled, "Who's your junior? Besides, by the time I start school, you'll have already graduated."

With the weight off her shoulders, Yu Wanqiu felt lighter than ever.

There were so many times she wanted to give up, but in the end, she persevered.

She was eagerly looking forward to her long-delayed university life.

If she had to film while attending university, she might need to take leave, but university courses were more flexible than those at No. 3 High School. She could take time off as long as she passed the final exams.

Yu Wanqiu tried to act cool for two seconds before breaking into a grin. "Once the college entrance exam scores come out, I’ll give an interview. Let the netizens see that Lu Yicheng’s academic excellence isn’t just inherited from his dad—it’s from me!"

Lu Yicheng’s lips twitched, while Lu Shuangcheng in the passenger seat coughed and nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes."

Yu Wanqiu declared, "Exactly! Today, we’re having roast duck! I’m sick of eating barbecue every night."

She had been eating Lu Shuangcheng’s home-cooked meals every evening and was practically fed up. She craved roast duck, Hunan cuisine, something spicy.

She also missed Jiang Lan’s instant noodles, fire noodles, and even stinky rice noodles.

Yu Wanqiu turned to Jiang Lan. "Call your mom and tell her you’ll be staying with me tonight to estimate your exam scores—no need to go home."

Jiang Lan thought to herself, Most people skip going home to sneak out with their boyfriends or go on dates.

But she was different.

She’d be spending the night chatting with her best friend.

Jiang Lan agreed, "Sure. My mom’s too busy to keep an eye on me anyway. It’s been months since we’ve had a proper 'girls' night.'"

Xie Yunzhen had been swamped lately. She’d been teaching senior-year classes for years, and with the college entrance exams underway, her students were her top priority. She’d been busy counseling them.

Meanwhile, Jiang Lan had been at home for the past month, practicing piano and gaming with no one to supervise her.

Staying over at Yu Wanqiu’s sounded perfect—tomorrow, they could sleep in while Lu Yicheng and Lu Shuangcheng had to go to work.

Could anything be better?

Jiang Lan was all in.

Forty minutes later, the car pulled up in front of a famous roast duck restaurant in the city.

The place had a great atmosphere, and the four of them booked a private room.

They ordered a whole duck, thirty thin pancakes, shredded pork in sweet bean sauce, some side dishes, and spicy and sour shredded potatoes.

After the duck was carved, the remaining bones were used to make a rich, fragrant soup.

The duck skin was crispy, the top layer dipped in sugar—absolutely delicious.

The pancakes were paper-thin, wrapped around tender duck meat, crisp cucumber strips, and fresh scallions. Each roll was gone in two bites.

Yu Wanqiu currently weighed 91 pounds. Despite eating like this every night, she hadn’t gained an ounce—the stress of the exams burned too many calories.

Jiang Lan, on the other hand, had put on some weight, but skipping one meal wouldn’t make her slim down.

So she ate without restraint.

Jiang Lan finished a pancake roll and raised her glass. "First toast—to Yu Laoshi’s successful college entrance exams! May she smoothly become my junior at Qinghua University!"

Lu Yicheng raised his glass too. "Mhm, and mine as well."

Lu Shuangcheng chuckled. He and Lu Yicheng were drinking baijiu—just a couple of celebratory sips.

He didn’t have a daughter, but this felt pretty close.

Tutoring Yu Wanqiu, cooking for her, and soon preparing a graduation banquet for her teachers—wasn’t this just like raising a daughter?

The banquet would be small—just Xie Yunzhen and a few teachers from Jinhua No. 1 High School.

Yu Wanqiu hadn’t told her parents about taking the exams. She’d wait until the results came out.

Yu Wanqiu shot Lu Yicheng a look. "Don’t get cheeky. I’ll drink to Jiang Lan’s toast, but I’m hardly your junior."

Lu Yicheng was used to it. But if his mom attended Qinghua University, she would be his junior—that was undeniable.

As the two women ate, Lu Yicheng and Lu Shuangcheng busied themselves rolling pancakes, placing the neatly wrapped bundles onto their plates.

Midway through the meal, Yu Wanqiu’s phone rang. She thought it might be Xia Jing, but the screen showed Zhang Tian’s name.

Zhang Tian sounded stunned. "You actually took the college entrance exams? Is this real, or is someone spreading fake news?"

He couldn’t wrap his head around it. Why would Yu Wanqiu, an award-winning actress, need to take the exams? Was she planning to leave the entertainment industry for academia?

No wonder she’d been silent for months—she’d been preparing for the exams!

Yu Wanqiu replied casually, "Yes, I took them. I thought campus life seemed nice, so I spent over half a year preparing."

Zhang Tian thought, So that’s why you turned down my variety show for months—you were busy studying.

Was solving math problems more fun than filming a show? Most people in the entertainment industry didn’t have high academic qualifications, and Yu Wanqiu was already one of the more educated ones. Taking the exams at her age—wasn’t that just a whim?

But this was Yu Wanqiu’s personal choice. If even her family didn’t object, who was he to comment?

He kept those thoughts to himself.

Still, the more he thought about it, the more it gnawed at him. He’d asked Yu Wanqiu repeatedly about joining the third season of his show, only for her to keep putting him off.

Months without a word, and it turned out she wasn’t filming a movie—she was hitting the books.

Zhang Tian said, "Well… congratulations in advance on your results. So after the exams, will you be working, or just preparing for school? That’s great. Jiang Lan’s graduated too, right? Has she found a job yet?"

If Jiang Lan wasn’t getting married after graduation, she must be job-hunting.

Yu Wanqiu smiled. "Director Zhang, are you asking if we’ll join your third season?"

Zhang Tian didn’t think he had been that obvious, so how had Yu Wanqiu guessed so easily?

"Cough... Well, I was actually asking about this."

Yu Wanqiu replied, "I’ll have to check with Jiang Lan. She’s starting her job in August."

There definitely wouldn’t be much time left for a variety show.

A show like this is just the cherry on top—if neither of them had solid work projects, or if Jiang Lan hadn’t secured a job yet, they wouldn’t have considered participating.

Yu Wanqiu’s reasoning was similar to Shen Xingyao’s back then. They’d only think about these things if they had the bandwidth.

Now that she had finished her college entrance exams and Jiang Lan had graduated, everything was going smoothly. Besides, Jiang Lan hadn’t even had her graduation trip yet.

If they joined the show, it could double as one.

Zhang Tian sensed there might be a chance. "Alright, alright, you discuss it with Jiang Lan. Get back to me when you can."

He still needed to call Chen Shuyun to ask how Little Xuan had done on his exams.

Now there was another event to plan—Yu Wanqiu’s college acceptance celebration. He definitely had to attend.

After hanging up, Yu Wanqiu raised an eyebrow at Jiang Lan. "Zhang Tian asked if we’d join Season 3."

Lu Yicheng listened intently. "Season 3? A dating show?"

Jiang Lan laughed. "What dating show? It’s definitely Mother-in-Law Is Coming Season 3."

Yu Wanqiu, fresh out of her exams, wasn’t keen on taking on work right now.

She had joined Season 2 partly to unwind and partly because of Lu Yicheng. If Jiang Lan went, she’d consider Season 3.

Jiang Lan thought for a moment. "Let’s do it. We can treat it like a graduation trip—just hanging out and having fun every day."

She assumed Season 3 would be just like Season 2: casual daily life, fun and games, going wherever they pleased.

In that case, why not?

Lu Yicheng muttered under his breath, "Zhang Tian’s no good at this. He only knows one trick—seriously, not up to par."