During the break between classes, Ye Lingtao asked Shen Weiyue to go to the restroom with him.
Shen Weiyue refused. That guy just wanted to gossip and ask all sorts of questions.
Seeing him remain seated, Zhao Qingyan also stayed in place, continuing to study.
The two seemed to be playing a game of statues—whoever moved first would lose.
After another class, Zhao Qingyan finally couldn’t hold it anymore. By the time the bell rang, her face was flushed red. She stood up and said, “Hey.”
“?”
“Move.”
“…”
Shen Weiyue leaned forward slightly. Zhao Qingyan quickly slipped past him and hurried out of the classroom.
Looks like she really had to go.
A faint sense of victory rose in Shen Weiyue’s heart. His eighteen-year-old self still carried that youthful competitiveness.
When Zhao Qingyan returned, her walk had regained its usual cold composure.
She wore the blue-and-white school uniform. The loose pants concealed her long legs, yet her slim waist still showed, stirring endless imagination among the boys.
“What are you looking at? I said don’t stare at me and smile!”
“Are you crazy? I’m looking at the blackboard. You’re blocking my view.”
Zhao Qingyan let out a cold laugh and returned to her seat.
The next two classes were math. Han Changming walked in with test papers tucked under his arm and immediately noticed Shen Weiyue sitting upright in the front row beside Zhao Qingyan, looking energetic.
The old demon nodded in satisfaction.
This monkey had finally gotten serious.
“Shen Weiyue, help distribute the papers. We’ll go over mistakes and reinforce key points.”
Soon, Shen Weiyue had his own paper—the one with a score of 109. He spread it on the desk and studied it with a serious expression.
Damn, is this really my level?
How could I even get this question wrong?
And this multiple-choice question—if I had been more careful, I could’ve scored at least 120.
Zhao Qingyan glanced at him from the corner of her eye. Seeing his furrowed brows and the glaring red “109,” she felt like she had regained some ground.
Han Changming began explaining the questions one by one. Shen Weiyue listened attentively, even jotting down key points carefully in the blank spaces of his paper.
Zhao Qingyan noticed his handwriting—it was surprisingly good. Very different from the neat writing on the answer sheet. This one was bold, flowing, and carried a free, confident style.
That must be the habit of someone used to signing documents.
The two classes passed quickly. After finishing the key explanations, Han Changming left time for questions.
Shen Weiyue took his paper to the front desk and asked several questions, but there was one he still couldn’t fully understand even as the class ended.
A crowd had gathered around Han Changming, and he had to rush to teach another class. There was no time for repeated explanations.
Shen Weiyue scratched his head, sighed softly, and folded that particular question for later.
He glanced out the window to rest his eyes.
Zhao Qingyan assumed he was about to ask her for help. She deliberately flipped her paper to the first page, revealing the bold red “150.”
Look at this. Perfect score.
She didn’t look at him, thinking that when he asked, she would retort, Didn’t you say you wouldn’t disturb me? Already breaking your promise?
She waited for a few seconds.
But he didn’t speak.
Zhao Qingyan felt anxious. Ask me! Just ask me! If you ask, I’ll have a reason to shut you down.
Shen Weiyue withdrew his gaze, rubbed his eyes, and felt much better.
Alright, time for the next class.
The last class of the morning was English, also focused on reviewing test papers.
As soon as Teacher Liang Yuting walked in, she drew the attention of all the boys. At twenty-five or twenty-six, she was at the peak of her beauty.
Her voice was gentle, her smile infectious. Shen Weiyue felt like every wrong answer he had made in English was a sin.
English itself was straightforward—memorize words, practice writing.
He had no questions.
Some of those guys deliberately asked questions just to get close to Teacher Liang and enjoy her presence.
Others were even worse—sneaking glances from behind when she bent over to explain something, their faces flushed with excitement as their minds wandered.
Unfortunately, good moments never lasted long.
The English class passed in a flash, and soon it was lunchtime.
Ye Lingtao clung to Shen Weiyue, and the two went to the cafeteria to eat a simple meal of potato stew with bones in clear soup. Then they hurried to rest.
Shen Weiyue had been very sleepy lately. Worried that snoring might disturb others, he chose not to return to the classroom. Instead, he lay down on a stone bench in the grove and made do with a nap.
He only returned to the classroom in the afternoon.
This made Zhao Qingyan quite satisfied.
A disappearing Shen Weiyue was a good Shen Weiyue. With him sitting beside her, she didn’t even dare scratch an itch—maintaining the image of a campus belle required effort.
The afternoon continued with teachers explaining problems.
Shen Weiyue didn’t speak to her at all. He listened attentively, writing down key and difficult questions as usual to ask the teachers later.
Zhao Qingyan noticed that he wrote a lot during biology class and couldn’t understand it. Wasn’t this subject the easiest?
Most of it was just memorization. How could someone score only 41?
Unless he was a donkey.
A stupid donkey.
During evening self-study, she casually placed her math paper at the boundary between their desks, strongly hinting for him to ask her for help.
Shen Weiyue ignored it completely. He focused on cramming biology and even wrote an English essay.
When self-study ended, he rushed out of the classroom without looking back, ignoring Ye Lingtao even when he shouted himself hoarse.
…
When Zhao Qingyan returned home, her father Zhao Weiming noticed her gloomy expression and asked what was wrong.
“Dad, can you talk to Teacher Han? I still want to sit alone.”
“Oh, that. I think Teacher Han’s arrangement makes sense. He’s experienced, and even though I’m the principal, it’s not appropriate for me to interfere with his teaching plans.”
“Aren’t you worried that sitting with a boy will affect my studies?”
“Hahaha, I know your personality well. There’s no one in this school you’d be interested in. I’m completely confident in your dedication—you won’t get into a relationship.”
“You’re that confident? What if?”
“There is no ‘what if.’ If there really were, I’d admire that boy first… then break his legs!”
Zhao Weiming laughed as he joked. Seeing his daughter still pouting, he sighed and said gently, “I know you too well, and that’s exactly why I worry. Your standards are so high that you barely have any friends. Having no one to share life’s ups and downs with isn’t a good thing.”
“Teacher Han said your desk mate isn’t very sociable, but aren’t you the same? You don’t like interacting with people you think are slow, and you feel repeating things is a waste of time. But most people in this world are ordinary.”
“My dear, you need to learn to blend in, to be more tolerant. Otherwise, living so coldly will only make you tired and lonely in the future.”
Zhao Qingyan responded impatiently, clearly not taking his words to heart.
After he finished his speech, she simply asked, “Can I sit alone?”
Zhao Weiming smiled and shook his head. “Listen to Teacher Han.”
“…”
Without another word, the beloved daughter turned and went back to her room.