Lin Xi took the notebook, and just as she was about to return to the classroom with Gao Lan, they ran into Zhong Xiu and Zhai Yong coming up the stairs from the other side, accompanied by a group of boys. Zhong Xiu was quietly surrounded by them, conspicuously out of place.
Thanks to Zhong Xiu, the game ended faster than usual, and Class 1 quickly won. Everyone was discussing animatedly, mostly encouraging Zhong Xiu to watch more games on the field.
The moment Zhong Xiu saw Lin Xi, she reflexively walked towards her. Zhai Yong subconsciously followed her, which resulted in the entire group heading over.
Gao Lan reacted quickly, patting Lin Xi’s shoulder, subtly reminding her that she was holding Zhai Yong’s notebook.
But Lin Xi was still thinking about what Gao Lan had said about liking someone. Moreover, she didn’t feel guilty about holding Zhai Yong’s notebook, so she completely ignored Gao Lan’s warning.
“Why are you on the second floor?” Zhong Xiu walked up and stood in front of her, not noticing the notebook in her hand.
Ye Shuwen was the first to spot it. Her pupils dilated for a moment, followed by panic. She wanted to run forward to stop Zhai Yong, but it was already too late.
“Lin Xi, why is my notebook in your hand?” Zhai Yong’s eyes instantly ignited. He snatched the notebook from her hand, flipped through a few pages, and confirmed it was his.
Only then did Lin Xi realize that some misunderstanding had occurred. She turned to look at Gao Lan, who just covered her forehead and remained silent.
“You took my notes?” Zhai Yong grabbed her collar. Although he wasn’t as tall as her, the Beta was not backing down.
“Is there some misunderstanding?” Zhong Xiu was also surprised to see the notebook in Lin Xi’s hand, but her first thought wasn’t that Lin Xi had taken Zhai Yong’s notebook. She was more inclined to think Lin Xi had found it somewhere.
“Caught red-handed, what misunderstanding could there be?” Zhai Yong’s emotions flared up. His prominent Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, indicating danger. “Tell me, why did you steal my notes?”
“Zhai Yong, let go of her first,” Zhong Xiu’s hand rested on his hand gripping Lin Xi’s collar, without much consideration. Subconsciously, she was afraid Zhai Yong might hurt her.
The girl’s hand was cooler. Zhai Yong froze for a moment.
Before he could process anything different, Lin Xi took Zhong Xiu’s hand and lowered it. She held Zhong Xiu with one hand and placed the other on Zhai Yong’s wrist. “I didn’t take your notes. Believe it or not.”
“You took my property and you’re still acting so arrogant? Lin Xi, do you think I won’t fight you?” Zhai Yong didn’t believe a word of her explanation.
What kind of study prodigy garbage! Alphas are all sanctimonious hypocrites, stealing things and still pretending to be noble, not even daring to admit it. Who are you trying to fool?
“Why would I take your notes? Do I need them?” Lin Xi gave a calm explanation.
“Lin Xi,” Zhong Xiu had a slight headache. Lin Xi was used to talking like this, and Zhong Xiu knew she didn’t mean to provoke him, but Zhai Yong didn’t know that. This was pouring oil on the fire.
Sure enough, these words stung Zhai Yong’s most sensitive nerve. The Beta didn’t care about anything and immediately launched into a fight. Lin Xi was caught off guard and was punched.
This is unacceptable. Being punched for the first time, the Alpha also got angry, and her eyes turned cold.
With a push, she sent the charging Zhai Yong back several meters. He nearly fell to the ground but was caught by several classmates behind him. The Beta was intimidated by her strength and hesitated to counterattack immediately, but she wasn’t planning to stop, rotating her wrists just like before P.E. class.
“Stop it, Lin Xi,” Zhong Xiu quickly grabbed her. Zhai Yong had five or six people on his side, and she would definitely be at a disadvantage alone.
“Stop fighting! Blowing this up is bad for everyone, and you’ll get disciplined,” Gao Lan stepped out to separate the two, mainly blocking the few enraged Betas behind Zhai Yong.
If a fight really broke out, she would definitely help Lin Xi.
Ye Shuwen stood behind, saying nothing. With Gao Lan here, she knew the matter wouldn’t be exposed. She secretly hoped Zhai Yong would realize that Zhong Xiu cared more about Lin Xi than him.
“Zhai Yong, this is my fault. The biggest mistake is that I didn’t properly keep your notebook. I’m sorry. Can you please stop fighting?”
Faced with Zhong Xiu’s attempt to de-escalate, Zhai Yong glared at the Alpha who was ready to fight behind her. He took the notebook and stomped up the stairs back to the classroom with his angry classmates.
…
Lin Xi was dragged into the infirmary by Zhong Xiu.
“Ice for half an hour to bring down the swelling first,” the doctor handed the ice pack to Zhong Xiu and left to prepare medication.
“Turn around, let me see,” Zhong Xiu saw that the left corner of her mouth was starting to swell and felt a little distressed.
Lin Xi turned her face expressionlessly, her eyes looking a bit fierce.
“Are you mad at me?” Zhong Xiu held the ice pack to her mouth. “They had so many people.”
“Not afraid.”
The tone suggested she still wanted to fight them. Zhong Xiu could only placate her. “I’m afraid, even if you aren’t. Is that okay?”
She had Zhai Yong’s notebook in her hand, refused to explain its origin, and spoke so bluntly. Zhai Yong was technically in the right.
After a while, Lin Xi took the ice pack from her and applied it to her mouth herself, her voice carrying an almost imperceptible hint of grievance. “I didn’t take his notes.”
The voice was soft, yet it stubbornly drilled into Zhong Xiu’s ear, along with the faint tone. It felt a little itchy, a little wanting to scratch.
“I know you didn’t take the notes,” Zhong Xiu rubbed her frozen red hands. “Can you tell me what happened now?”
“I swore to Gao Lan. I can’t say.”
“Swore…”
Zhong Xiu thought for a moment. Related to Gao Lan, and someone who could make Gao Lan absolutely refuse to speak.
“Ye Shuwen took it?”
This wasn’t something Lin Xi had said. Zhong Xiu guessed it herself. Lin Xi nodded.
It was Ye Shuwen. Zhong Xiu really hadn’t considered this connection, nor had she expected Ye Shuwen to care so much about Zhai Yong, even taking his notebook…
Does she like him that much?
“She didn’t mean to. We had an argument that day, and she probably just felt I hadn’t told her about it,” Gao Lan squatted on the stairs, holding her schoolbag. “I’m sorry, Zhong Xiu.”
She had been dragged by Yu Tian to the steps of the sixth-floor rooftop. Students often came up here to study, but now, because the sun was directly overhead, no one was here.
“Are you the one who should be saying sorry?” Seeing her like this, Zhong Xiu didn’t know what to say.
“Just don’t tell Zhai Yong about this.”
“I see you’ll give your life to that Beta eventually,” Yu Tian took a sip of water, crushed the empty bottle, and threw it into the trash can. He had been scolding Gao Lan for a full hour. “Tell me, you, a cool Alpha, what is it about her that makes you simp so hard, huh?”
“You think you’re a Bodhisattva, even helping her pursue Zhai Yong? Pursue my ass!”
Yu Tian said this pointing directly at her head. Normally, he wouldn’t dare do this. It was only on the issue of Ye Shuwen that Gao Lan allowed him such liberties.
“Gao Lan, actually, do you remember that day Zhai Yong lent me the notes? Ye Shuwen came up to find you then. Are you sure she didn’t know about it?” Zhong Xiu remembered Ye Shuwen’s eyes fixed on them that day because Zhai Yong was standing by the window.
“I don’t remember.” Gao Lan lowered her head, her shadow shrinking into a ball on the ground, clearly avoiding the issue.
“Then how did she know Zhai Yong lent the notes to Zhong Xiu unless she secretly went through Zhong Xiu’s desk?” Yu Tian’s intelligence finally kicked in.
“Maybe I accidentally let it slip.”
The three fell silent. It seemed no one could wake a person who was pretending to sleep.
“Do you plan to continue like this?” Lin Xi’s mouth was still a little swollen, as if she were secretly hiding a small steamed bun in her cheek.
“I don’t know. Maybe it will be better after the college entrance exam.” Gao Lan’s arms hung down, her fingers unconsciously drawing circles on the hot concrete floor.
“Hey, you’re not planning to apply to the same university as her, are you?” Yu Tian’s alarm went off when he heard her. “Don’t mess around with your future. Your scores can get you into a much better school.”
Although Yu Tian and Gao Lan often joked around and didn’t seem serious, their grades were actually good. While not as outstanding as Lin Xi’s, getting into a key university was easy for them. Ye Shuwen’s average score hovered slightly below the first-tier university cutoff.
“Or are you planning to take the exam for Ye Shuwen, help her get into the same school as Zhai Yong, and rekindle their romance, Bodhisattva Gao?”
Gao Lan remained silent.
“No, I can’t let her continue like this. I have to tell Zhai Yong about this,” Yu Tian rushed off, and Zhong Xiu followed.
Gao Lan tried to follow, but Lin Xi grabbed her.
“You can’t let him tell! You promised me!” Gao Lan’s eyes were a little red, glaring at Lin Xi.
“Calm down,” Lin Xi pressed her down onto the steps in the shade and sat beside her, watching Yu Tian run. “Zhai Yong might not believe it.”
Gao Lan wasn’t the only one pretending to be asleep.
“Ye Shuwen?” Zhai Yong remembered the girl. They were classmates in junior high, and Ye Shuwen appeared at the basketball court almost every noon. All the Beta boys who played basketball knew her. “Why would she take my notes?”
“That’s none of your business. All you need to know is that she’s the one who took your notes,” although Yu Tian was emotional, he didn’t reveal that Ye Shuwen liked him.
The fact that Ye Shuwen liked Zhai Yong was hers to reveal; no one else had the right to say it.
The premise is that she doesn’t use Gao Lan.
“Class Monitor, the notes really weren’t taken by Lin Xi.”
Zhong Xiu didn’t expect that this sentence would anger Zhai Yong again.
“Stop defending Lin Xi,” Zhai Yong impatiently waved his hand. “She’s an Alpha who can’t own up to what she did and blames it on another Beta girl. I only believe what I saw with my own eyes.”
“…”
Yu Tian leaned in, wanting to say something more, but Zhong Xiu pulled him away.
“Why is he so unreasonable?”
“He just doesn’t want to believe it,” Zhong Xiu shook her head. She understood.
Ever since Lin Xi said, “I don’t need to take his notes,” the matter was probably sealed. Whether Lin Xi took it or not, to him, Lin Xi took it.
The notebook incident, fueled by the angry publicity of the eyewitness Betas, was known to all. The Beta boys believed Lin Xi took Zhai Yong’s notes, while the Alphas all agreed with Lin Xi—there was no need.
Thus, the already tense relationship between Alphas and Betas was further strained. The atmosphere in Class 1 had been somewhat gloomy recently. In this gloomy atmosphere, the second monthly exam arrived.
…
As usual, the examination rooms were divided based on test scores. Each room was split into science and liberal arts sections, with seats ranked from front to back. Lin Xi and Zhong Xiu were separated by seven or eight examination rooms, across two floors.
“Strive to be in the same exam room as me soon,” Lin Xi took a pencil and an eraser from her. Zhong Xiu always prepared two sets of these supplies for exams.
“In this lifetime, perhaps,” Zhong Xiu sighed.
“Within this year,” Lin Xi nudged her shoulder.
Zhai Yong was in the same exam room as Lin Xi.
Coincidentally, they were not far apart. Lin Xi’s gaze landed on Zhai Yong’s desk, where that bottle of Nongfu Spring was placed.
Out of the countless Nongfu Spring bottles in the world, Lin Xi was certain this was the one she had given Zhong Xiu that day.
Is it hygienic to keep it there? It’s not a reusable item.
As if some medium had transmitted a signal, Zhai Yong also suddenly looked up. His gaze sharpened instantly when he saw Lin Xi.
It was a declaration of war—I will definitely surpass you this time!
Lin Xi ignored him, taking out her writing instruments from her schoolbag, including the fountain pen Zhong Xiu had given her.
Zhai Yong clenched his fists.
A moment later, Shen Zhiqiu walked past the podium holding scratch paper and greeted Lin Xi.
They were all in the first exam room. Lin Xi watched her walk to the second row on the liberal arts side, which was a little strange. Shen Zhiqiu usually sat in the same row as her. The first row on that side was still empty.
Just five minutes before the exam, a girl walked in from the end of the corridor, calmly taking the empty seat. A blend of aloofness and capriciousness harmonized perfectly on her.
She had that distinctive aura of a high-achieving girl.
But unlike Shen Zhiqiu, the girl was at least 175 cm tall, far exceeding the average height for Omegas.
That must be Xia Mu.
Lin Xi felt a sudden palpitation, the kind she couldn’t control, purely a sensory reaction between pheromones. The person was a top-tier Omega.
Her pheromone was thyme. The matching degree with rosemary—99.9%. Lin Xi knew, without testing, that this Omega’s pheromones matched hers extremely well.
There seemed to be a special magnetic field between them, bypassing all the other students in the classroom.
However, when her gaze lingered on Xia Mu, Xia Mu didn’t look back. She seemed oblivious to this attraction.
Lin Xi forced herself to look away.
“A top-tier Omega, my god, the first time seeing one in person,” the Alphas in the science exam room, except for Yu Tian who secretly opened the window, hadn’t seen Xia Mu in person last time. Now, they were all eager.
The new student was incredibly beautiful: small face, big eyes, delicate lips, and long, straight black hair, looking like a princess stepping out of a painting.
Shen Zhiqiu, sitting behind her, looked slightly overshadowed when they appeared in the same frame.
“That’s the transfer student who scored full marks in Math and English. Is that even a human brain?”
“How can an Omega score so well in math? I heard the teacher say she didn’t use the standard high school method for the derivative problem last time.” The Alpha in the back row stared suspiciously at the slightly slender figure.
“Yeah, I remember too. Maybe the liberal arts math is just simple.”
The proctor hadn’t arrived yet, and everyone was secretly discussing the new student—some were amazed, others suspicious. Generally, aloof people didn’t care about these discussions, like Lin Xi, so everyone spoke a little more freely.
Lin Xi noticed that the Omega side was quiet. No one was discussing her, and hardly anyone looked up at the Omega in the front. They were all uniformly looking down, reviewing their materials.
They were too obedient. Logically, gossip-loving Omegas should have a stronger reaction than Alphas.
“I heard she used connections to skip a grade and transfer to our school. She must be rich.”
“The monthly exam papers are set by the school teachers. Who knows what’s going on.”
Perhaps because they hadn’t managed to talk to the Omega, the Alphas in the back grew louder.
“If you have an issue with me, say it to my face.”
No one expected the new student to be so bold. She pushed her chair back, stood up, walked to the two Alphas who had been questioning her, and lifted her chin.
“If you’re unconvinced, come and challenge me.”
She practically dared them, stopping just short of putting her foot on an Alpha’s chair.
The two Alphas were completely overwhelmed by her presence, stunned for a long time, unable to say a single word.
“Arrogant, too arrogant!” Yu Tian vividly recounted the scene to Zhong Xiu. “My DNA is reacting. She’s so cool.”
“Oh,” Zhong Xiu, despite the explosive news, was utterly uninterested and slumped listlessly on her desk.
“What’s wrong?” Lin Xi asked her.
While undercurrents stirred in the first exam room, Zhong Xiu’s exam room wasn’t much calmer, mainly because the person sitting behind her was Ye Shuwen.
Ye Shuwen was either moving her chair to make a piercing noise or dropping things, causing the proctor to focus on the two of them even before the exam started.
Ye Shuwen’s performance was balanced across subjects, and her grades were consistently in the middle-to-upper range. They were usually not far apart, but this time, they happened to be sitting front and back.
Zhong Xiu was a peculiar case, having abysmal physics scores but the trump card of Chinese (Language Arts) to fall back on, and her English and Math were decent. Relatively speaking, their scores were neck and neck, which made Ye Shuwen dislike her even more.
Even after the notebook incident, Zhai Yong still seemed to like her. Ye Shuwen overheard them discussing during basketball practice yesterday that Zhai Yong might be preparing to confess to Zhong Xiu.
The first subject was Chinese, and Zhong Xiu’s bad feeling was quickly confirmed.
Because Ye Shuwen kept dropping things, always conveniently right by her feet, the proctor stood directly next to them, openly scrutinizing them.
Chinese, unlike Math and Science, heavily depends on mindset and mood. Her train of thought was constantly interrupted, combined with the distracting, judgmental gaze of the teacher. Zhong Xiu’s mind went blank. She usually finished the objective section with fifty minutes left, but this time, only thirty minutes remained, and she hadn’t touched the essay.
She would probably not finish. Zhong Xiu didn’t give up. A blank essay meant minus sixty points; writing something would at least get some partial credit.
When the bell rang, she was still on the concluding paragraph, forced to stop writing.
As the papers were collected, she saw that the person behind her had filled out the entire paper. Zhong Xiu gave her a cold look, and Ye Shuwen returned an innocent expression.
For the general population, Chinese was considered an easy-to-pad subject. Having memorized many essay templates, it didn’t take much time, giving Ye Shuwen plenty of free time to bother her.
“Wait for it during the science exam,” Zhong Xiu took her exam bag and walked off.
“Wait for what?” Lin Xi asked her.
Affecting someone’s exam, how childish. In a college entrance exam, she’d be kicked out of the room.
“I don’t know, just wait and see,” Zhong Xiu was in a thoroughly bad mood. On one hand, she knew her score probably wouldn’t be high, and she would have to explain to Old Yu why she didn’t finish the essay.
On the other hand, she wanted to be closer to Lin Xi next time, even if it was just one exam room closer.
She had spent a lot of effort on physics this time, and she didn’t know if it had paid off. Her Chinese score was much worse than usual. She felt a bit unconfident.
“Hmm, do you want to buy a box of pens? We can start training now to ensure every single one lands on her paper,” Lin Xi threw a crumpled piece of paper into the air, which landed right in front of her.
“What? I’m not wasting pens. That’s too stupid,” Zhong Xiu opened the paper ball. Inside was a milk candy, her favorite flavor.
“Then what should she wait for?”
“Wait to be crushed by me in the science exam,” Zhong Xiu started to smile as she said it. “So, how about that arrogant new student today?”
She asked about her after all. Lin Xi inexplicably felt a little guilty when Zhong Xiu asked about the Omega. “What about her?”
“Of course, how did she test?” Assuming she hadn’t noticed the abnormality, Zhong Xiu good-naturedly finished her question.
People with high scores like them could usually tell the status and outcome of someone else’s exam with a glance. Every time Zhong Xiu took a small test, Lin Xi knew exactly where she had messed up without even asking.
“I can’t tell for Chinese. Math should be fine. As the teacher said, a full score is highly likely,” Lin Xi recalled the scene in the exam room. Xia Mu worked very smoothly, without any pause from start to finish.
After the papers were collected, she even glanced at the scratch paper the other had left behind. The rough work was tidier than the notes written by many Alphas. Although it was a liberal arts exam, she had listed multiple methods for geometry, sequences, and derivatives in the problem-solving section.
Lin Xi could at least confirm that this was definitely not temporary showmanship but a habit cultivated over many years.
To earn her approval, that Omega must be really good. But didn’t she realize that her attention to the Omega was truly special? Zhong Xiu lowered her head, sorting the messy scratch papers and questionnaires on her desk.
If they weren’t sitting so close, like their desk-mate relationship, being so clearly aware of the other person’s exam status could only mean that she had been paying attention to the other person.
“That’s so interesting. I’d like to see her scratch paper too.”
Lin Xi’s scratch paper was similar, which might be a common trait of high achievers: rigorous, clear, and realistic.
“Shen Zhiqiu took it.”
“Why would she take Xia Mu’s scratch paper?”
Could she be planning to thoroughly study the new student’s problem-solving methods and habits? Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Zhong Xiu was very interested in this new top-tier Omega.
“I don’t know.” Lin Xi felt a strange sense of discomfort when Zhong Xiu said she wanted to see the Omega’s scratch paper.
“Yu Tian, did you secretly take a picture?” Zhong Xiu poked Yu Tian’s back with her pen.
“Mine isn’t secretly taking a picture; it’s archiving beautiful moments, OK?” Yu Tian corrected her, then shook his head. “I didn’t dare to take one.”
“There’s an Omega you don’t dare to photograph?”
“I’m afraid she’ll snap my phone in half,” Yu Tian chuckled. “How about we go to the liberal arts class to see her after class later? What do you say?”
“Sounds good,” Zhong Xiu checked her watch. Class would end in less than ten minutes.
“Finish these few problems first. They might be on the exam tomorrow.”
Lin Xi’s tone was somewhat flat, interrupting their conversation.