Chapter 24
Chapter 24: Handsome Men Don’t Fall from the Sky
The spring exam results were posted on the outer wall of the Ministry of Rites exam compound.
At dawn’s first gray light, the wall was already surrounded by examinees packed shoulder to shoulder. And it wasn’t only students—wealthy households in the capital sent people too, even official families. Noble ladies sat in carriages at a distance, watching like they were at a show.
After all, the tradition of snatching a son-in-law under the results board had been popular for years.
Jiang Jiang followed Jiang Chao Sheng with the flow of people toward the wall. It was her first time seeing a crowd like this.
“Today is even livelier than the Shang Si Festival,” she sighed.
Jiang Chao Sheng didn’t answer. His face was tighter than usual, and he looked like he’d swallowed a stone.
He was nervous. Really nervous.
Ten years of cold study—success or failure came down to this.
Jiang Jiang let out a quiet breath. Her brother hadn’t had it easy. And honestly… even if he passed, that didn’t mean he’d become an official.
And even if he became an official, that didn’t mean Gu Yan Qing would notice him.
So her resolve wobbled.
She had never been someone with grand ambition. Her biggest wish used to be simple: a house of her own, a home of her own.
Maybe she simply couldn’t understand Jiang Chao Sheng’s lofty dreams.
A good man aimed far.
“Brother.” Before she noticed, Jiang Jiang’s small hand had already grabbed his larger one.
His palm was hot—and damp with sweat.
Yep. He was shaking inside.
“You’ll succeed,” Jiang Jiang said, looking up at him, sincere and steady.
Jiang Chao Sheng glanced at her, then tightened his grip. “Of course I will. So… your entire savings are about to become mine.”
Jiang Jiang: [I shouldn’t have expected anything from a scholar.]
The closer they got, the thicker the crowd became, bodies pressing in from every direction.
Jiang Chao Sheng simply used his taller frame to shield Jiang Jiang against his chest, guiding her forward one careful step at a time.
They bickered constantly, but when it counted, he guarded his little sister like she was treasure.
The spring morning was chilly, but the crush of people still made Jiang Jiang sweat.
Too many.
She kept imagining someone falling, then another, then—
A stampede. Meat paste.
Instinctively, she tucked herself deeper into Jiang Chao Sheng’s arms.
[Safety +1. +1. +1…]
“Dong! Dong! Dong!” The name drum sounded from within the Ministry of Rites, and the chaos outside the wall snapped into silence.
From far away, Jiang Jiang saw officials in red robes carry out a scroll.
Several men worked together, slowly unrolling it and carefully pasting the list onto the high wall.
This year: ranks four through ninety.
The moment the list went up, silence shattered.
Shouts, wails, curses, laughter—joy and despair colliding into one roaring wave.
Jiang Jiang was too short to see. She jabbed Jiang Chao Sheng’s arm. “Brother, go look! I’ll… I’ll wait behind!”
“No.” Jiang Chao Sheng shook his head. “There are too many people.”
Leaving her alone at the inn was one thing. Leaving her alone here, in this mess? No chance.
“Then I’ll wait under that tree!” Jiang Jiang pointed to an old tree farther off. It was less crowded there, with only a few noble ladies and their maids watching for entertainment.
Jiang Chao Sheng hesitated.
“Go!” Jiang Jiang shoved him. “Don’t you want to see your name the instant it appears?”
“Be careful,” he warned, and then he disappeared into the crowd.
Almost immediately, the tide of bodies split them apart.
Even the fan meets from her past life hadn’t been this packed.
Jiang Jiang fought against the flow toward the old tree. She tried to keep her footing, but the crowd shoved her left and right until she staggered.
“Bei Jun Prefecture Wang Chuan! Where is Wang Chuan? Fourth place! He’s fourth in this year’s spring exam!”
Cheers exploded from the Bei Jun Prefecture students.
Fourth in the nation.
Only the exam champion, runner-up, and third-place laureate ranked above him. Fourth was already a real contender for top scholar in the palace exam.
Bei Jun Prefecture was remote and had few students. This was probably their best result in years.
Wang Chuan… Jiang Jiang didn’t remember him from the original plot.
She was trying to recall who the top scholar had been when—
An overly excited student slammed into her shoulder.
Oh, come on.
Jiang Jiang lurched, heart jumping into her throat. If she went down here, she’d be trampled into something unrecognizable.
“Miss, careful.” A warm male voice brushed her ear.
A strong hand caught her.
Jiang Jiang looked up.
Spring sunlight was bright, but it still couldn’t compare to his eyes—dark as ink, dazzling in a way that didn’t seem fair.
Oh no.
For a split second, Jiang Jiang forgot how to breathe.
Were the fortune points she’d added yesterday… all being cashed out right now?
“Miss?” he asked again, still gentle.
“Th-thank you, young master.” Jiang Jiang forced herself to blink, then immediately felt embarrassed at how fast she’d frozen.
Her self-control was usually solid. The problem was that this man was unreal.
Even in a washed-faded scholar robe, he carried an almost otherworldly aura.
Was this even a person?
This was a straight-up male god.
“Are you alone?” he asked, concern softening his voice.
“I’m waiting for my brother.” Jiang Jiang answered, already edging away.
A face like this, showing up at the spring exam board—plot character. Guaranteed.
And in a romance story, the prettier the man, the more important he was.
Danger.
“Are you going that way? I’ll walk you,” he offered. “It’s not safe for you alone.”
Jiang Jiang eyed him warily.
Was he just that kind… or was he running a trap?
“N-no, I’m fine.” She turned and hurried off.
Handsome men didn’t fall from the sky.
And if one did, it was either a snare… or a pit.
From where he stood, Gu Yan Qing watched her disappear, his lips curving slightly.
That little girl had sharp instincts.