Zhou Tingzhao didn’t need an alarm clock to wake up. His biological clock had been trained over many years to wake him precisely when needed.

This building had seen some years. Thin, twisted black lines had torn several small openings in the ceiling. Unusually, Zhou Tingzhao didn’t immediately get up, staring at these small cracks, lost in thought or perhaps deep in contemplation.

After a night’s rest, his chaotic thoughts had finally become relatively clear.

Since he was still here after waking up, it further confirmed one of his theories—the so-called “return to the past.” With his body still in its high school state, it seemed that only his soul, or rather his consciousness, had traversed back.

In the existing scientific framework, time travel requires either near-light-speed travel or passage through mysterious black holes or wormholes. However, none of these had been proven in practice. What was happening now seemed to defy logic, yet was undeniably real before him.

Everyone and everything around him was almost exactly as he remembered, including the cracks in the ceiling, with only one exception: her and what had happened last night.

Her personality was somewhat different. In his memory, she had been cold and distant in high school, later becoming seductive. Her high-handed princess-like temperament had remained consistent.

But last night’s Sang Ru seemed to have set aside her usual airs. She maintained both sensuality and cuteness. During ordinary conversation, she showed both affection for him and a coquettish manner. He even caught traces of her expressing concern, and more significantly, she had turned back for him last night for the first time.

In his usual memories, he had never received any of this. Except when he was with her as a friend with benefits, legitimately possessing her for moments during their intimacy, only then would he see her soft side.

Now, with such variables, Zhou Tingzhao suddenly formed a new hypothesis.

He had been with her before coming here. So, could it be that she had also come…

Perhaps from the cold wind last night, Sang Ru sneezed several times in succession. Then a similar sound came from beside her. She turned her head to see Zhou Tingzhao covering his mouth with his fist.

Li Chenfei happened to come over looking for Sang Ru. Seeing this, she gestured between them with her finger: “What’s going on with you two? Both catching a cold overnight?”

Sang Ru pushed her finger down: “I was affected by the wind.”

Li Chenfei’s gaze drifted toward Zhou Tingzhao with a deeply mysterious expression of gossip interest. Sang Ru also looked at him.

Zhou Tingzhao said, “I was running.”

“Oh!” Li Chenfei said meaningfully, “So you both got cold last night!”

Zhou Tingzhao didn’t show any of the expected reactions to being teased. Sang Ru made a show of patting Li Chenfei’s hand: “Quickly, what do you need?”

“Nothing much,” Li Chenfei laughed a couple of times, trying to curry favor: “Could I see your math test sheet that was assigned yesterday? I’m not sure about a few answers.”

Sang Ru agreed and started looking through her homework pile from last night, searching for the test sheet. As she searched, her movements suddenly paused. She turned back: “Was there a math test last night?”

Li Chenfei:?

“Oh no, I forgot!”

Just then, the class bell suddenly rang. Old Zheng, with test papers tucked under his arm and a thermos in hand, walked in right on the bell.

Before quickly slipping back to her seat, Li Chenfei left with: “I’ll pass you the answers later! Cover for yourself and good luck!”

Old Zheng sometimes got lazy and would have them exchange papers with their desk mates to grade while he lectured. This time was no different.

Sang Ru pulled out the blank test sheet and sighed coolly.

She had returned too late last night and completely forgotten about this.

Just as she was about to turn to Zhou Tingzhao for help, Sang Ru noticed he was looking down at his test paper.

Looking again, she saw it was equally blank.

Sang Ru: …

“You didn’t write it either?”

Zhou Tingzhao glanced at her, then back at the test paper, saying in a deep voice: “Apparently not.”

Old Zheng’s robust voice reached the last row: “Has everyone exchanged papers?”

Sang Ru clicked her tongue: “It seems there’s no need for us to exchange.”

Zhou Tingzhao made a nasal sound of agreement, then picked up his pen and filled in the answers for the first two questions.

So he had just looked at it for a moment and figured out the answers?

Impressive!

Sang Ru quickly picked up her pen to follow suit, starting to seriously examine the questions for a last-minute remedy.

Too focused on answering, neither noticed that Old Zheng had already walked to their section.

Looking at the test paper in his hand, Old Zheng casually asked: “Class representative, tell us, what’s the answer to question four?”

Sang Ru was concentrating so intently on her calculations that she didn’t hear.

Old Zheng: “Sang Ru?”

“Ah!” Sang Ru jumped up from her chair.

Old Zheng narrowed his eyes and strolled closer. Looking down, he saw the top half of the test sheet filled with answers, while the bottom part was blocked by Sang Ru’s hand.

“Move your hand,” Old Zheng said. Seeing the test sheet after Sang Ru slowly moved her hand away, he laughed and teased: “Oh, didn’t write it, huh?”

Before Sang Ru could speak, Zhou Tingzhao suddenly stood up: “Report, that’s mine.”

Sang Ru turned to look at him in surprise. Zhou Tingzhao stood perfectly straight, his gaze calmly fixed on the blackboard at the front of the classroom.

These kids were quite clever. Sang Ru had been calculating so intently, and he claimed it was his?

Old Zheng: “Let me see the one in your hand.”

Zhou Tingzhao obediently handed it over, showing no signs of nervousness.

Old Zheng looked and indeed saw Sang Ru’s name written at the top, with the front page filled in. He made a gesture to return it, then suddenly pulled back his hand and flipped the test paper over.

The back was also empty!

“Both of you, go to the office and finish this before coming back!”

–

A scene of the straight-A student couple getting caught.

After time traveling, besides thought it was a dream.

Baby: I’ve time-traveled!

Zhou: According to scientific theory…