A few seconds of silence.

The sound of a needle dropping to the ground could practically be heard.

After a while, the exam proctor’s hurried, panicked shouting could be heard throughout the entire examination room.

“——Xie Ci, all of you stop right now!”

Xie Ci lost his temper on the spot, scaring silly some people who had no idea what was going on. However, in the eyes of certain female students, that appearance was both handsome and badass.

As the commotion escalated, even the grade dean rushed over, and the two troublemakers were pulled out of the examination room.

The exam proctor closed the door, paced back and forth on patrol, and urged: “Stop looking, stop looking, focus on your exam.”

However, after such an incident, everyone was distracted and had no mind to work on the test papers. Moreover, from outside, the dean’s reprimanding voice could be heard from time to time, faint but audible:

“I’m telling you both, what kind of behavior is fighting in an examination room!”

“And you, Xie Ci, you tell me yourself—which teacher in our school doesn’t know you? You’re such a grown person and you still don’t know how to restrain yourself!”

……

The voices outside disappeared, and the multimedia classroom gradually returned to quiet.

The hand Xu You held her pen with was trembling slightly. She forced herself to calm down, her eyes fixed on the scratch paper without blinking, emptying her mind to calculate the answer to the second-to-last physics problem.

Ball A, potential difference, potential energy, charged particle…

Professional terms and data, one by one, deduced step by step in her mind.

The scratch paper was filled with calculation processes, the black ink pen’s writing spreading across it.

Song Yifan and Li Jieyi had handed in their papers early and left the examination room, off to do who knows what.

The seat in front of her remained empty; Xie Ci never came back.

Not until the bell rang signaling the end of the second exam.

Xu You packed up her things, hugging her schoolbag and preparing to get up and leave.

At the doorway, she hesitated for a moment. Then she turned back and took out the jacket that person had stuffed in the desk drawer.

After eating dinner in the cafeteria, Xu You returned to the dormitory carrying a pile of things.

In the dorm room, only Li Lingfang and Liao Yuemin were discussing test questions; Chen Xiao wasn’t there.

“You’re back, Youyou! How did your afternoon exam go?”

After finishing the comprehensive science exam, everyone’s mood was much more relaxed. Li Lingfang put down her pen and asked Xu You: “Did you finish the test paper? I felt the time was so tight, I didn’t even have time to check my work.”

Liao Yuemin on the side chimed in, comforting her: “In our exam room today, after the test many people were also complaining about not having enough time. Don’t worry, don’t worry.”

Xu You took off her schoolbag and set it aside, nodding at them. “I also wrote very rushed, it’s okay.”

In fact, she had finished the entire test paper with twenty minutes to spare.

She spent all the remaining time spacing out.

After reviewing with her books for a while, Xu You’s mind kept dwelling on the afternoon’s incident.

Her thoughts were inexplicably restless, and she kept getting distracted. She really couldn’t focus anymore, so she took out her pajamas from the wardrobe to take a shower.

After washing up and coming out, she casually grabbed a book from the desk, climbed onto her bed and turned on the lamp, preparing to dry her hair and go to sleep.

Chen Xiao slept in the bed across from Xu You’s. She was still chatting with friends on her phone when she caught a glimpse of Xu You also getting into bed, and remarked in surprise: “A’Chai, why are you going to sleep so early today?”

Xu You knelt on the bed patting her pillow, hummed softly in acknowledgment, and answered: “I’m a bit tired today.”

“What’s wrong? You look like you have something on your mind.”

Chen Xiao thought she was in a bad mood because she did poorly on the exam. She rolled over, propping her chin with her hand and swaying her feet. “It’s just one exam, don’t take it too much to heart.”

“Mm…”

Xu You was still thinking about how to return the jacket to Xie Ci tomorrow when she heard Chen Xiao ask:

“Today in your exam room, did someone get into a fight? It seems like it caused quite a commotion?”

Liao Yuemin, who was soaking her feet below, looked up, though not too surprised: “Ah? Is it true? I think I also heard others mention it just now.”

Chen Xiao’s gossip was always the fastest to know. She nodded and continued excitedly: “It seems like Xie Ci beat up Fu Yishun from our class.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, there must have been some past grievance between them.”

Chen Xiao rolled over again and yawned.

At this moment, Li Lingfang, who hadn’t said much, suddenly spoke up: “Could it be because of Qiu Qingqing…”

“What does it have to do with Qiu Qingqing?” Liao Yuemin didn’t understand.

“Didn’t they say Fu Yishun has liked her for a long time…”

“Didn’t Xie Ci and Qiu Qingqing break up ages ago?”

“Maybe there are lingering feelings?”

“Since ancient times, handsome guys’ hearts can never be held onto.” Li Lingfang couldn’t help but comment.

Chen Xiao, like an emotional expert, began analyzing eloquently: “I think, girls like Qiu Qingqing—so beautiful and with such good grades—might really become the true love of guys like Xie Ci, and then they’ll develop according to the torturous romance novel plot lines, and finally have a happy ending.”

“The problem is,” Liao Yuemin said oddly, “Qiu Qingqing has so many people pursuing her, she doesn’t necessarily think much of Xie Ci. Actually, there are quite a few handsome guys in our grade.”

Chen Xiao laughed through her nose. She looked at Liao Yuemin and asked: “Are you serious?”

No one spoke.

Only Chen Xiao’s voice remained in the dorm room: “According to what my best friend said, Xie Ci’s family is in real estate, and his dad even donated a building to our school…”

…

The roommates’ idle chat continued.

Xu You leaned back against her pillow, silently turning another page of the book in her hands.

The discussion topic by her ears had already shifted from Xie Ci fighting to who his past girlfriends were, how rich his family was—these kinds of gossip tidbits.

Her thoughts drifted somewhat.

Before her eyes appeared Xie Ci’s face, always lazy with a mischievously bad smile, and she also recalled things she’d heard from others.

Sigh…

This person…

—

The two days of monthly exams flew by in a flash.

After that comprehensive science exam, neither Fu Yishun nor Xie Ci appeared again.

The final English exam in the afternoon.

Before the exam started, Xu You took out her eraser and 2B pencils one by one and arranged them on the desk.

Li Jieyi sat beside her, restless, and struck up a conversation with her again: “Little sister, I’m still counting on you for this last exam.”

Xu You glanced at him and nodded.

Seeing Xu You nod, he seemed somewhat impatient, practically leaning over: “Hey, after the exam I’ll treat you to a meal, sister! I really owe you this time!”

Xu You calmly moved aside a bit and waved her hand. “No need.”

She thought for a moment, then still asked: “Do you know where Xie Ci went? Why isn’t he taking the exam?”

Li Jieyi’s right hand played with his phone. Hearing this, he made a sound of acknowledgment and answered nonchalantly: “Probably doesn’t want to take it.”

“Then he… is he okay?” Xu You’s voice was soft.

Li Jieyi raised an eyebrow, his eyes looking at her. “What could happen to him?”

Xu You was taken aback at these words, sat up straight, and shook her head.

Li Jieyi asked the same question again.

Xu You heard his laugh carrying some implication: “No matter who has problems, it won’t be A’Ci’s turn to have problems.”

This English test paper was surprisingly simple.

Xu You finished the entire test in less than an hour. After handing in her paper and leaving the exam room, there were still very few people on campus.

She wandered around for a while, then returned to the classroom.

There were only a few people in the classroom.

Including her, only four people.

Xu You sat down at her seat and organized and categorized the test papers from the two days of exams.

After finishing the organizing, she felt a bit thirsty and picked up the water cup on her desk.

For some reason, the cup lid was particularly tight this time. She tried two or three times, but it always got stuck and wouldn’t unscrew.

Xu You bit her lower lip, her fair oval face scrunched up. She placed her hands at her chest, bent over and prepared to try once more.

Suddenly she sensed someone standing beside her.

Before she could react, the water cup in her hands was snatched from above her head.

Xu You turned her head and saw Xie Ci leaning against the desk behind her.

He smiled lazily, and with a forceful twist of his hand, unscrewed the water cup.

She was completely dazed, stammering out a thank you.

Xie Ci’s lips curved into a smile as he set the water cup aside. He bent down with his head tilted, his hand propping against the chair, leaning forward slightly to scrutinize her eyes: “Li Jieyi told me you were very concerned about me?”