At the start of the new semester, the school’s competition preparations began in full swing.
Aside from Wednesday classes, there would also be one extra class on the weekend, still on a voluntary basis.
After school started, Zhou Xiu was busy studying and could only help out at the stall on weekends. She helped Zhou Cheng set up the stall, then hurried off to school for class. Unfortunately, she ran into the morning rush hour and ended up half an hour late.
Zhou Xiu quietly slipped in through the back of the large lecture room. The classroom was packed full, and unexpectedly, many new faces had come to listen to the lesson today.
With the competition approaching, the Grade Two maths department had organised competition prep classes. As long as students had signed up for the competition, they could attend Old Wang’s lessons.
Zhou Xiu chose a seat in the last row.
Xie Cheng and Xi Shaoyuan always arrived late, so the seats closest to the back door had become their fixed places.
Xie Cheng and Xi Shaoyuan, who were writing questions, glanced at her and then looked away.
Zhou Xiu sat down in the empty seat beside Xi Shaoyuan. A while later, Xi Shaoyuan stood up and went to the bathroom.
When he came back, Zhou Xiu noticed that Xi Shaoyuan had gone around to the other side and sat beside Xie Cheng instead.
Xie Cheng, who was still writing, and the boys sitting next to him reluctantly shifted several seats over to make room for Xi Shaoyuan.
Zhou Xiu pressed her lips together.
The eldest young master of the Xi family was avoiding her as much as ever.
She turned her gaze back to the classroom and swept her eyes around. Everyone in the classroom was working on test papers.
Xie Cheng’s phone vibrated.
He unlocked it and saw a new message lying quietly on the screen:
“Give it to Zhou Xiu.”
After reading the message, he lowered his head and, sure enough, saw a blank test paper in his desk drawer. Xie Cheng shifted his gaze to the left.
Xi Shaoyuan had stopped writing and was resting with his eyes closed.
Xie Cheng casually handed the paper to Zhou Xiu.
“It’s extra. You can do it.”
Zhou Xiu accepted the paper gratefully.
The moment she received the paper, Old Wang on the platform suddenly called on someone to answer a question.
“Zhou Xiu, please explain the solving steps for these three major questions to us.”
Old Wang was a teacher with very strong principles. He disliked lateness and truancy very much. The last student who arrived late had been called to his office and lectured for ten minutes. When they came out, they had an extra booklet of test papers in their hands.
The circle of top students around Zhou Xiu, who knew she had arrived late, all looked at her with pity.
Xi Shaoyuan and Xie Cheng also noticed the commotion and glanced at Zhou Xiu.
The two boys exchanged a look. Xi Shaoyuan secretly kicked Xie Cheng under the desk, and only then did Xie Cheng reluctantly stop writing. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he was just about to speak.
Zhou Xiu shook her head helplessly and whispered, “It’s fine.”
She lifted her head and looked at Old Wang, whose face was dark with anger, then quickly stood up with her paper in hand and began reading the question.
In the wide lecture hall, Zhou Xiu’s clear, articulate voice rang out.
Zhang Qi and Xu Haobo, who were also sitting in the back row, heard Zhou Xiu read the question once and both turned their heads in surprise to look at her.
They did not know that Zhou Xiu had arrived late and had happened to be caught red-handed by Old Wang. They only found it a little strange to hear Zhou Xiu reading out the question like this.
Soon, Zhou Xiu finished reading the stem of the problem and began reading out the solving steps, sentence by sentence.
Xie Cheng watched Zhou Xiu read the solving steps from a blank test paper. At that moment, he unexpectedly raised an eyebrow.
A faint ripple finally appeared in his calm eyes.
On the platform, Old Wang picked up a piece of chalk and wrote down what she said. Zhou Xiu read one sentence, and he wrote one sentence. Gradually, the top students sensitively noticed that the anger on Old Wang’s face was slowly disappearing.
Only after Zhou Xiu had finished reading out the solving process for all three major questions did Old Wang let her sit down.
The final number left Zhou Xiu’s mouth, and the top students around her were all stunned, looking at one another in disbelief.
Such a miraculous scene had actually… happened right under their noses?
Some students even stood up to sneak a glance at the answers on Xie Cheng’s paper, only to find that they were exactly the same as what Zhou Xiu had reported.
Outwardly, they remained unmoved, but inwardly, tears were already streaming down their faces.
Why did they have to receive this kind of crushing blow at such close range?
They looked at themselves, having spent over half an hour barely finishing the second major question, and felt their intelligence being insulted.
They even suspected that Zhou Xiu had seen the standard answers in advance and memorised them. Otherwise, how could she do something so almost demonic?
During this winter break, Zhou Xiu’s improvement had been… far too rapid, hadn’t it?
Old Wang finally gave a satisfied huff and said sternly, “Zhou Xiu, come up and take a booklet of test papers home to complete.”
Zhang Qi and Xu Haobo’s brows gradually furrowed. They kept feeling that the atmosphere between Old Wang and Zhou Xiu was a little strange. Why did it seem like Old Wang was targeting Zhou Xiu?
Only when Zhou Xiu put down her paper did sharp-eyed Zhang Qi discover that the paper in Zhou Xiu’s hand was actually completely blank.
Clean and untouched. Nothing had been written on it.
Zhang Qi was suddenly frightened and quickly turned his head back.
…
When Zhou Xiu went up to the platform to collect the test booklet as the teacher had instructed, a small stir passed through the class.
This lesson was the first maths competition class of the semester, so many students had never seen Zhou Xiu before.
When Zhou Xiu accepted the papers from Old Wang, the whole class’s gaze froze for a moment.
In their line of sight, a slender girl had walked up to the platform to collect the papers. She was wearing a black-and-white school uniform. Her hair was smooth and soft like honey, and her brows and eyes were delicate and beautiful, like distant mountains veiled in misty rain. She had an aura full of spirit.
Although she was wearing the school uniform even on the weekend, that terribly plain uniform was unexpectedly worn by her with a youthful charm.
“This is… Zhou Xiu?” Qi Yaguang asked, clicking her tongue in surprise.
This was indeed the Zhou Xiu she knew. The nose was the same nose, the outline was the same outline. Nothing had changed.
Lu Lingshan looked away. “Mm.”
The boys could not help rubbing their eyes. Only then did the people from Winner Class remember what Zhang Qi had said a few days ago. Zhou Xiu really had gradually become prettier.
The boys from Rocket Class were the most shocked. The boys were stunned by her looks and whispered among themselves, “It would be great if Zhou Xiu came to Rocket Class.”
“She actually… looks pretty good?”
As soon as the words fell, those boys were smacked in the face with test papers by the other girls.
Xie Cheng finished writing ten major questions, twirled the gel pen in his hand, and asked Xi Shaoyuan, “Not chasing?”
He said lightly, “Their eyes are all glued to her.”
Xi Shaoyuan rested with his eyes closed, gently turning his head to the other side. His voice was thick with fatigue.
“Not chasing.”
…
Zhou Xiu returned to her seat with the maths test papers.
Normally, if Zhou Xiu received Old Wang’s test papers, she would definitely be very happy. But right now, there was only half a month left before the biology competition. Zhou Xiu did not have that much time to do maths papers.
After school, Old Wang specially reminded Zhou Xiu, “Finish them by next week and hand them to me. Don’t be late again next time.”
Zhou Xiu nodded. Only then did Old Wang leave in satisfaction.
She glanced at the watch on her wrist, then simply opened the test papers and started writing, making use of the time. Zhong Simiao invited Zhou Xiu to eat and asked her, “You’re still not leaving?”
Zhou Xiu raised her head and said, “I’ll go later. I want to finish the papers before I leave.”
What Zhong Simiao understood by “finish the papers” was finishing one test paper. After hearing Zhou Xiu’s words, she invited someone else to eat and left the classroom.
But Xi Shaoyuan understood. He stopped in his tracks.
Xie Cheng had packed his schoolbag and was about to leave when he realised Xi Shaoyuan had not left.
Not only did Xi Shaoyuan not leave, he sat back down in his seat and pulled Xie Cheng back as well.
Xie Cheng glanced at Zhou Xiu’s figure and understood. He sat back down, propped one hand beside his ear, and twirled his pen.
The top students sitting around Zhou Xiu all froze at the sight. Their movements of packing their bags stiffened, and the feet they had been moving toward the classroom door felt as though they had been filled with lead.
If they didn’t leave, they were so hungry.
If they did leave, damn it, what right did they have to leave? The academic gods were all staying behind to write test papers.
Why did there have to be this kind of… smart and hardworking student? Were they even leaving ordinary people a way to survive?
After an intense psychological struggle, several students stayed behind and took out the maths papers in their bags to write.
So they simply started working on the same type of test booklet Old Wang had given Zhou Xiu. As Old Wang’s students, who didn’t have a few test booklets?
Especially those who were often late.
Zhou Xiu went to the cafeteria for lunch halfway through and returned to the classroom punctually half an hour later.
She took out her phone and opened the livestream backend she had not logged into for several days. She discovered that a lot of tips had piled up inside, though most of them came from the system.
“YH” was firmly hanging at the top of the tipping ranking, having tipped 4,298 RMB in one week.
After deducting the half taken by the platform, the amount Zhou Xiu would receive was exactly the system reward she had earned that week.
Aside from that, Zhou Xiu also received a 666 RMB tip from the fan “Work Hard to Enter National Gold.” Only then did Zhou Xiu remember that she had once drawn a biological analysis diagram for this fan. These bits and pieces of income were unexpected wealth for Zhou Xiu.
Zhou Xiu’s livestream was dull and boring, but there were still a few scattered real fans leaving comments:
“Watching the streamer write test papers is seriously addictive. The streamer must be a very hardworking student!”
“Another day waiting for the big boss to livestream.”
“Studying is something where you can see the rewards. Streamer, keep going!”
Zhou Xiu switched her phone to silent mode and started a livestream of herself writing papers. However, this time she was writing maths competition papers, so it would probably be even more boring than writing biology.
After Zhou Xiu started the livestream, she ignored it.
The school still rang bells according to the usual schedule on weekends. Apart from going out to move around during breaks, Zhou Xiu used all class time to write maths papers.
By lunchtime, only a few of the students who had stayed behind to write papers remained. Aside from Zhou Xiu, Xie Cheng, and Xi Shaoyuan, there were only two other top students still persisting in the classroom.
Xie Cheng could not withstand his sleepiness. As he wrote, he fell asleep sprawled over the desk.
The spring chill was still sharp, and the temperature was not high. Xie Cheng was only wearing a thin sweater, so he could easily catch a cold.
After Zhou Xiu finished a paper, she glanced at Xie Cheng, who was sleeping soundly beside her, and said to the boy behind her, “Help put his coat over him.”
On the other side, Xi Shaoyuan, who was reading, heard Zhou Xiu’s words. The hand holding his book stiffened slightly.
The boy who had unexpectedly been spoken to picked up Xie Cheng’s unused coat from the chair in a daze and draped it over him.
Only after he finished did he suddenly come back to himself and complain, “Zhou Xiu is right beside him. Why didn’t she just put the coat on him herself?”
Another girl rolled her eyes speechlessly. “Didn’t you see Zhou Xiu is writing a paper? Tsk, you’re complaining about such a tiny thing?”
Were the hands of an academic genius meant for doing such trivial tasks? The hands of an academic genius were obviously meant for writing test papers…
They wrote until the sun set in the afternoon. Even the last two top students had left by then, having already finished two test papers.
Before leaving, they glanced at Zhou Xiu, then withdrew their frightened gazes and looked at each other.
Zhou Xiu had already finished six test papers.
Although the papers Old Wang had given were of ordinary difficulty and not truly competition-level, even a sparrow, though small, had all its organs. To finish them still required a great deal of thought.
In the evening.
Lu Lingshan came to school for maths tutoring. The teacher she had found was a special-grade teacher from the Grade Three department. When she passed by the lecture room, she stopped and glanced inside.
Xi Shaoyuan was aimlessly flipping through a book.
Xie Cheng had a coat draped over him and was sleeping with his head turned to the side on the desk.
Zhou Xiu sat several seats away, on the other side of Xie Cheng, her back straight as she wrote her test paper.
The afternoon sunlight spilled into the classroom. The scene was unexpectedly harmonious and painfully dazzling.
She took out her phone, found an angle, and cut Xi Shaoyuan out of the frame.
Using the angle, she took a photo that made it look as though Xie Cheng was sitting intimately beside Zhou Xiu while sleeping.
The afternoon sunlight, like shattered mercury, fell on the girl’s body and into her hair. The boy beside her revealed a handsome, delicate face, his sleeping expression deep and unguarded.
…
When evening came, Xie Cheng woke up. He lazily yawned, narrowed his eyes, and discovered that Xi Shaoyuan had already finished reading an entire book.
Zhou Xiu had finished six test papers, with four still left.
Xie Cheng also took out a test paper and glanced at Xi Shaoyuan, who showed no intention of leaving.
He tapped the table top and said to Zhou Xiu, “Finish them before nine.”
Zhou Xiu raised her head in surprise and loosened her stiff hand. Then she nodded.
Xie Cheng went to the bathroom. When he came back, he sat down beside Xi Shaoyuan and pushed him into his original seat.
And so, Xi Shaoyuan ended up sitting beside Zhou Xiu.
Xie Cheng lightly spun his pen, and the tip began moving smoothly across the page. He returned to his former energetic and focused state.
Xi Shaoyuan looked at Xie Cheng with a dark expression.
At this moment, on his left was Zhou Xiu, who was seriously working on questions, and on his right was Xie Cheng, immovable as a mountain. He was silent for a moment, accepted reality, and took out a test paper to write.
Even though Xi Shaoyuan tried his hardest to control himself while writing, his gaze still inevitably fell on Zhou Xiu.
He allowed himself to look for one minute. Only one minute.
The clock ticked on. The second hand completed one full circle. He greedily finished looking, then turned his head and quietly began writing his paper.
At dinnertime, the Xi family’s housekeeper delivered three piping-hot meals to the school.
He said kindly to Zhou Xiu, “Xiu Xiu, eat. When Aunt Niu heard you were here too, she made this especially. Young Master, Young Master Cheng, don’t rush to write. Eat first.”
Xie Cheng leisurely finished dinner, then energetically began doing the same set of papers as Zhou Xiu.
At eight in the evening, Xi Shaoyuan finished his paper and fell asleep leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed.
At nine-thirty, Zhou Xiu finally finished the papers. She stretched, and just as she turned around, she bumped into the person beside her.
Her shoulder suddenly sank. Xi Shaoyuan had tilted his head and leaned onto Zhou Xiu’s shoulder.
His warm breath spilled onto Zhou Xiu’s neck. The boy’s long eyelashes were close enough to touch, and the tear mole at the corner of his eye gleamed clearly.
Meanwhile, Xie Cheng was already sitting on the other side, completely absorbed in writing his paper.
Expressionless, Zhou Xiu pushed Xi Shaoyuan away with one hand and quickly packed up her test papers, draft paper, and pen.
Before Xi Shaoyuan could wake up and speak, Zhou Xiu stood up with her schoolbag and said, “You leaned over by yourself. Don’t say nonsense.”
Xi Shaoyuan opened his eyes hazily and instantly sobered up. He stood up and gave a vague “Mm.”
That one sound contained so much frustration and regret that even Zhou Xiu could hear it.
Zhou Xiu: “…”
Xie Cheng raised his head and asked, “Finished? Then let’s go back.”
Zhou Xiu turned off the livestream on her phone, carried her schoolbag, left the classroom, and went downstairs.
Behind her, Xie Cheng slowly packed his things and said to Xi Shaoyuan, “Why bother?”
He repeated the question, “Not chasing?”
Xi Shaoyuan was too lazy to answer him.
Xie Cheng looked at the moonlight and said, “I like girls who are clear about their goals and smart the most.”
“If you don’t chase her, I will.”
Xi Shaoyuan stopped walking. After a while, he said calmly, “You won’t catch her.”
…
Zhou Xiu was preparing to walk to the subway station. Just as she took out her travel card, she noticed a Phaeton following behind her.
Xie Cheng rolled down the car window and called out to Zhou Xiu, “Zhou Xiu, we’ll send you home. Get in.”
Zhou Xiu glanced over and shook her head. “No, thank you.”
Xie Cheng watched that slender figure quickly disappear into the crowd rushing for the subway, vanishing from sight.
Beside him, Xi Shaoyuan could not help curling his lips.
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