The engagement party at The Zenith was a masterpiece of architectural plating and high-speed data streams. But as the "August Trio" basked in the glow of the proposal, a strange tension began to hum through the air.
Zhang Wei was moving through the kitchen like a whirlwind. Since his own birthday—November 11th—was the "Single's Day" of the group, he had a superstitious streak about keeping everyone together.
"Mei Ling, stop eating the garnish," Wei barked, though his eyes were smiling. "Jia Yi, help Lin Chen move the digital display. We're about to sync the legacy files for the toast."
Mei Ling (Nov 16th) stuck her tongue out, while Jia Yi (Nov 4th) effortlessly hoisted a crate of champagne. Lin Chen (Dec 24th) was tucked in a corner, his tablet glowing as he sketched the seven of us. We were a cycle of dates: a cluster in August, a storm in November, and a quiet finale in December.
"Xiao Xing," Su Lan whispered, pulling me toward the server closet. She looked unusually pale. "I was doing a routine scrub of the old Shenghua Academy cloud before we archived it for the wedding. I found a 'Shadow File' hidden in the 2018 directory."
"A shadow file?" I frowned. "From our graduation year?"
"It's encrypted with a 128-bit key that only opens on November 11th, 16th, and 4th," she said, her fingers trembling. "The November birthdays. The 'Guardians' of the group. Zhang Wei, Mei Ling, and Jia Yi... they've been hiding something from us for six years."
The 98.2% Anomaly
I felt a chill that had nothing to do with the server room's AC. I grabbed the tablet. "Open it, Lan. Override the date lock. Use my biometric."
"I already did," Su Lan breathed. "Look at the raw score data for the Math Finals."
I stared at the screen. My breath hitched.
In the official records, both Li Yan and I had scored 98.2%.
But in the raw data, the internal tally for Li Yan was 99.8%.
"He... he didn't tie with me," I whispered, the room spinning. "He won. He was the sole topper."
"Look at the 'Modification Log,'" Su Lan pointed to a small line of code at the bottom.
Change Log: Score reduced by 1.6%.
Authorized by: President L.Y.
Reason: Equilibrium.
"He gave up his rank," I gasped, tears blurring my vision. "He hacked the school system six years ago to make sure we were tied. To make sure I didn't feel like I lost to him."
"It gets worse," Su Lan said, her voice dropping. "Zhang Wei, Mei Ling, and Jia Yi found out that night. That's why they were so quiet at the boba shop. They promised Li Yan they'd never tell you, because he didn't want your victory to feel like a 'gift' from him."
The Confrontation
I burst out of the server room, the engagement ring on my finger feeling like a heavy, golden weight. The party was in full swing. Li Yan was standing by the window, talking to a group of investors, looking every bit the "Tech Prince."
"LI YAN!" I shouted.
The music cut out. The "Group of Seven" froze. Zhang Wei dropped a tray of appetizers.
"Xiao Xing?" Li Yan turned, his expression shifting from corporate calm to immediate concern. "What's wrong? Your heart rate is—"
"1.6 percent," I said, walking right into his space. I held up the tablet. "Why did you do it? Why did you lie to me for six years?"
Li Yan's face went completely still. He looked at the tablet, then at Su Lan, who looked away, and finally at the three "November Guardians"—Wei, Mei Ling, and Jia Yi—who all looked like they wanted to vanish into the floorboards.
"Xiao Xing, it wasn't a lie," Li Yan said, his voice dropping into that deep, protective baritone. "It was an optimization."
"Optimization? You cheated yourself out of the top rank!" I shoved the tablet into his chest. "I spent six years thinking I was your equal, and all this time, you were just... letting me win?"
"I wasn't 'letting' you win," Li Yan roared, his composure finally breaking. He stepped closer, his shadow looming over me. "I was making sure you didn't leave. My logic told me that if I was #1 and you were #2, you'd spend your whole life trying to beat me instead of being with me. I didn't want a rival anymore, Xing. I wanted a partner."
"He did it for us, Xing," Zhang Wei stepped forward, his voice heavy with the secret he'd kept since his own 18th birthday. "We saw him in the computer lab at 3 AM the night before graduation. He was crying, Xing. The 'Robot' was actually crying because he was terrified that his own brilliance would drive you away."
I looked at Li Yan. The boy who was too smart for his own good. The boy who had sabotaged his own future just to stay in my orbit.
"You're an idiot," I whispered, a tear finally falling. "The smartest idiot in all of China."
"I know," he murmured, reaching out to wipe my cheek. "But according to my calculations... even with the 1.6% deduction, my love for you is still off the charts."