In the living room, Lin Jie and his classmates were all studying very hard.

"Jie, which university are you planning to apply to?"

"Peking University."

The three of them were stunned. This was clearly the first time Lin Jie had discussed this with them.

Apart from Lin Jie, the other three had roughly the same grades. But the little chubby guy came from a well-off family that had already figured out a backup plan for him. If he didn't get into his desired university, he could just study abroad! The parents of the other two were determined to send their sons to university, no matter how they performed. The more one learns, the broader their horizons become, and the more they change as a person. More than once, the two of them had envied the comfortable family circumstances of the little chubby guy and Lin Jie. Even if they bombed their exams, they still had a fallback.

"Jie, what about your second choice?"

Without looking up, Lin Jie said, "Peking University."

One of them asked, "Don't tell me your third choice is also Peking University."

Lin Jie nodded.

The trio felt a mix of complicated emotions. Lin Jie was basically burning his bridges.

"Why does it have to be Peking University?"

Lin Jie thought for a moment. "I had never really thought about which university to apply to before. But after starting senior year… I suddenly wanted to go there."

"Huh?"

Lin Jie couldn't describe the longing. "I can't really explain the feeling, but the desire to get into Peking University just became incredibly strong."

He glanced toward the kitchen at Lin Feng's silhouette.

Perhaps it's because I have such an excellent brother. That's why I want to excel, too.

The three of them suddenly felt that the gap between them and Lin Jie was as vast as a chasm.

"Jie, I might not even get into a first-tier university…"

"Our grades are all pretty much the same, sigh…"

Lin Jie comforted them, "What's there to be afraid of? There's still a month until the college entrance exam. If we risk it all and grind for one month, there might be hope."

The three asked uncertainly, "Really? You're aiming for Peking University, and I also want to go to a university in Jingcheng."

Lin Jie was full of confidence. "Of course, it's true. Human potential is limitless. As long as we believe, we can definitely do it. Plus, your fundamentals are solid. Just do more practice problems, dig deeper into the concepts, and you'll be fine! Don't doubt yourselves. Set your sights on one school, don't sweat the rest, and just get it done. Instead of sitting here doubting yourselves, you'd be better off thinking about how to improve."

Lin Jie's words greatly moved the three of them.

"Jie, if you don't get into Peking University—and I'm just asking what if—what will you do?"

Lin Jie replied, "Will I fail to get in? I have this mysterious confidence that I'll get into Peking University."

Although it sounded somewhat shameless, he genuinely believed it.

"I've left myself no other options; I have to get into Peking University." After a pause, he added, "If I don't get in, the worst that can happen is I repeat the year and try again."

His gaze swept over their faces. "What's there to be scared of? All this worrying is useless. You're better off just calming down and studying."

The three took a deep breath.

"Alright, my first choice is Peking University, and my second choice is Jingcheng Affiliated University."

"Me too."

"Count me in."

Given their current grades, even getting into Jingcheng Affiliated University was a challenge, let alone Peking University.

One of them said, "Why don't we become sworn brothers?"

The other three exclaimed in surprise. They were all getting rather sentimental late at night.

Lin Feng watched from the side, his mind suddenly drifting back to his own high school days.

The boy who had made the suggestion continued, "I hope we can always be good brothers and good friends! We'll share our fortunes and face our difficulties together. Even after graduation, let's not forget each other and always keep in touch! What do you say? Are you in?"

Lin Jie laughed. "Do we have to be so cheesy?"

The one who suggested it felt his idea was a bit cringeworthy as well. "We've been together since our first year of high school. I hope we can stay together in the future!"

"Cut the nonsense. Are you in or not? Just say the word."

The other three glanced at each other, and when they saw Lin Feng, they all felt a bit embarrassed.

Lin Feng smiled. "Go ahead, just pretend I'm not here. But I hope that in the future, you'll all remember the words you say today."

Many bonds, with the passage of time, fade away until people become strangers. He could see that these three friends of his little brother were all decent kids with good character. It wouldn't be a bad thing if they could become true lifelong friends.

Using the excuse of going upstairs to check on the children, Lin Feng left them to themselves.

Once he was gone, the awkward atmosphere vanished.

"Are you in or not? Hurry up. If not, I'm going back to studying."

The other three considered it for a second.

"Let's do it! Let's become sworn brothers!"

Lin Jie stood up. "I'll get a bottle of beer from the fridge, and the four of us will share it."

He poured beer into four bowls, and the four of them stood by the window.

"I, Lin Jie."

"I, Yang Zheng."

"I, Meng Liang."

"I, Chen Miaomiao."

In unison, the four of them declared, "Today, we become sworn brothers, to share in fortune and face hardships together."

After speaking, the other three drained their bowls in one gulp.

Once he finished drinking, Meng Liang, who had the lowest tolerance, slumped onto the table. "Damn, thinking about it now, it's kind of embarrassing."

Yang Zheng, the one who had suggested it, chuckled. "Should we establish our seniority?"

In the end, they ranked themselves by their birth months. The oldest turned out to be the chubby Chen Miaomiao, who was born in January. Next came Yang Zheng as the second brother, Meng Liang as the third, and the youngest was Lin Jie.

Yang Zheng couldn't help but laugh. "What a coincidence! Your dad is also the youngest among the Lin Family brothers. You're the youngest among your family's kids, too. And now, with us, you're still the youngest!"

Once their seniority was established, they began to make study plans.

Lin Jie declared, "The four of us brothers must, no matter what, get into a university in Jingcheng! Peking University would be the best!"

The three others chorused their agreement.

Lin Jie had the best grades, so he took charge of creating the study plan. The four of them started a study group chat. Any question they couldn't solve or anything new they learned, they would share it in the group for everyone.

Lin Feng had actually been sitting at the top of the stairs the whole time, listening to their conversation. He couldn't help but get lost in reminiscence, and by the time he snapped out of it, it was already late. He went to the kitchen and dissolved the remaining half of the Dragon Phoenix Rejuvenation Pill in water for Lin Jie. He then took out another pill and dissolved it in water for the other three students. This was the only thing he could do for them.

"Come on, I've prepared some milk tea for you all."

"This is Lin Jie's, this is Yang Zheng's, this is Chen Miaomiao's, and this is Meng Liang's."

Yang Zheng had a cheerful personality, Chen Miaomiao was shy, and Meng Liang was more reserved.

Yang Zheng was the first to speak. "Thanks, Big Bro."

"Thanks, Big Bro."

"Thanks, Big Bro."

"You guys can stay over tonight. I'll give your families a call to let them know."

All three spoke in unison, "Thanks, Big Bro, but we'll call them ourselves. We don't want to trouble you."

"Yeah, Big Bro, you should go get some sleep."

Lin Feng smiled faintly. "Drink the milk tea before it gets cold."

After finishing their drinks, they dutifully went to the kitchen to wash their cups.

"Studying is important, but so is your health. You all should get some rest soon."

"Okay, Big Bro."

Watching Lin Feng go upstairs, the three of them let out a sigh of relief.

Yang Zheng pondered for a moment and said, "Jie, why do I get the feeling that your Big Bro is so stern…"

Meng Liang rolled his eyes at him. "That's what you call having an unspoken authority, okay?"

A warm smile bloomed on Chen Miaomiao's face. "But he's a really good person. He cares a lot about us."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Alright, let's continue!"

Lin Feng returned to his room, wrapping his arms around Zhang Yuxi as he got ready for bed.

[DING!]

[For taking the baby to early education and fulfilling a father's responsibilities!]

[Reward: "Elementary Handicraft" Skill!]

[Elementary Handicraft: With this skill, the host's abilities in drawing, crafting, assembly, and other skills will greatly improve!]

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