The two of them stared at the handwriting on the note, silently struggling against it, but to no avail.
Li Guoqing laughed sarcastically, saying in a mocking tone: "Weren't you chatting happily just now? Why don't you read it out loud?"
He tapped his knuckles on the crumpled note, signaling them to begin.
Su Lian's expression was cold, maintaining a low pressure. He thought to himself that it was all because of this idiot who had to pass notes at this moment.
He suspected that Chi Wang might possess some special skill that triggered a 100% social death scenario every day.
After a long silence, some nosy onlookers started to make a fuss:
"Let us hear it too, let's see if the big shot's note is different from ours."
"Don't wait anymore, what's there that we can't share?"
"Hurry up, hesitation leads to defeat!"
Feeling that there was no way to avoid this situation, it was better to get it over with quickly rather than resist.
Chi Wang cleared his throat lightly and calmly read from the note: "If I improve by two hundred, no, one hundred places in this month's exam, shouldn't I get a reward, Teacher Su?"
Su Lian was forced to continue, in an AI-like tone: "I won't call you Brother Chi again, don't even think about it."
Both of them maintained equally cold and emotionless expressions, adding a peculiar sense of humor to the situation.
Liu Youyou let out a sudden yelp. Chi Wang actually called him "Teacher Su" in private, how sweet!
"Won't call again" - if you think about it carefully, it means he had called him that more than once before!
There was so much sweetness, forcefully stuffed into her mouth all at once, making her teeth ache.
Realizing she had overreacted, she quickly covered her mouth, pretending to look at the scenery outside the window, while internally screaming like a chicken that had already run around the Earth three times.
If it weren't for Old Li being present, she would have immediately taken out her phone to share the latest breaking news from the frontlines of gossip with her fan club sisters.
Meanwhile, at the scene of sugar consumption, it continued.
"Can I expect something else then?" Chi Wang slowly continued.
"Question mark," Su Lian looked up, with an honest face, "That's what's written here, a question mark."
Li Guoqing was quite exasperated and impatiently said: "Continue."
Chi Wang: "Ellipsis, think about it some more."
Su Lian: "Period."
The people around them laughed: "Are you two having an encrypted military conversation? Why is it all punctuation marks?"
Indeed, except for the first two sentences, there was hardly any substantial content on the note.
Chi Wang read the last part word by word: "Well then, just these three words, it's not finished, that's when you confiscated it."
The spectators were scratching their heads in confusion. How could it end just as it was getting to the point? Is that all?
Su Lian said with a straight face: "That's really all there is, nothing else. I was urging Chi Wang to improve in this exam."
"That's right, teacher. Isn't mutual help between desk mates and encouragement-based education what you've always advocated? I'm so eager because I want to review well tonight for the sake of the reward. What did I do wrong?" Chi Wang spoke eloquently, making sense without any flaws.
Gu Anjiu added fuel to the fire, fanning the flames: "I'm touched. To be so positively motivated on the eve of the monthly exam, teacher, isn't this the unwavering spirit of our Third High School students? Aren't you moved?"
Lin Yan chimed in lazily: "Your attempt to pretend to be handsome and help smooth things over looks really pathetic."
Li Guoqing was about to be driven mad by these troublesome kids: "Stop making a fuss. I'll let you off the hook today, but if I catch you again, you'll be in for it."
He turned and walked towards the classroom door: "What are you all looking at? Have you finished reviewing all four subjects for tomorrow?"
At the mention of exams, everyone fell silent, putting away their playful expressions and starting to flip through their books again. The previous commotion passed like the chirping of cicadas, leaving only the quietness of serious revision.
Chi Wang was about to continue the previous topic when he was silenced by a cold glare from his deskmate, leaving him speechless.
Su Lian said coldly: "Look at your book, don't talk to me."
Passing a little note seemed to have angered him again. What to do? Today probably wasn't a good day for pursuing someone.
For the next two full hours, Su Lian refused to speak to him again, only frantically solving problems without saying a word.
When the bell for the end of evening self-study rang, Chi Wang turned his head to look and was amazed to see that Su Lian had already gone through several mock test papers.
At this speed, Teacher Su probably wasn't human, but a god.
Everyone noisily headed out. Su Lian slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked straight out. Chi Wang quickly followed, complaining: "You didn't wait for me."
"Don't feel like dealing with you," Su Lian said expressionlessly, staring straight ahead without giving even a glance.
"Still angry."
"..."
"Smile."
"..."
"Cheer up, say goodbye to all your troubles."
"... Do you want me to attend your memorial service this time next year?"
It seemed he hadn't been able to cheer him up. It looked like next time he'd need to buy a reference book on how to comfort people and study it. Chi Wang pulled his school uniform closer and quietly walked alongside him for a while.
In the end, he couldn't resist and recklessly opened his mouth again: "We haven't finished discussing the reward content."
Su Lian let out an "oh" and quickened his pace: "If you mention the note again, I'll give you the cold shoulder for three days."
Chi Wang stuck close to him, shoulder to shoulder, tilting his head to look at him, staring at his ice-cold expression, and suddenly laughed: "There wasn't anything inappropriate written on the note, what are you angry about?"
"Reading a note in public is embarrassing enough, thank you," Su Lian looked back at him. "You drag me into the water and still want a reward? How presumptuous can you be?"
He hadn't realized before that Su Lian was so quick-witted; perhaps he just found it troublesome to speak most of the time.
Chi Wang lowered his head and smiled: "Well, I was embarrassed too. Who knew we'd get caught from the start?"
Su Lian pursed his lips. That was true.
Seeing his expression soften, Chi Wang continued: "For a perennial bottom-ten student like me, improving by a hundred places is very difficult. Don't I deserve a reward?"
Thinking of how hard Chi Wang had been studying these past few days, Su Lian's heart softened, and his expression eased a bit: "As long as it's not too outrageous, I'll agree."
Ah, Teacher Su, truly tough on the outside but soft on the inside.
Chi Wang thought for a moment, secretly harboring his own intentions, and casually said: "The weekend when the results come out, you accompany me."
Su Lian: "?"
Did you just graduate from kindergarten? How old are you to still need someone to accompany you?
He glanced at him, confused: "Accompany you to do what? I won't participate in anything against the rules, and I don't touch gambling or drugs."
"What kind of person do you think I am? It's nothing bad, just agree," Chi Wang said with a slight smile, standing in the wind with an expectant look on his face.
It seemed he could never refuse. Su Lian thought for a few seconds, then nodded slightly: "Alright."
His mood suddenly improved. Chi Wang looked up at the night sky, feeling that tonight's evening was truly beautiful.
But while the scenery was nice, there were always those who didn't appreciate the mood and caused trouble, annoying others.
Gu Anjiu tugged at Lin Yan's sleeve, dramatically swinging it back and forth, sarcastically saying from the side: "Oh my, you accompany me, you should accompany me every day."
He was kicked away, and Lin Yan brushed himself off in disgust: "Don't be gross."
After fooling around for a while, they returned to the deadly 404 room to begin their grueling last night of revision.
Su Lian took out the question types he had circled during evening self-study, dropping several books on the desk: "These marked ones are the question types I've guessed corresponding to tomorrow's integrated science exam knowledge points. Finish looking through these tonight and you can rest."
Gu Anjiu grinned, very flatteringly: "Teacher Su is awesome, but it's a bit much. My pig brain probably won't remember even after looking at it."
"Remember as much as you can," Chi Wang casually picked up a textbook and hit him on the head with it. "Hurry up and look."
Well, after understanding the intention, Lord Wang had indeed quickly switched sides.
After quickly flipping through a few pages, Gu Anjiu's round face collapsed onto the desk, his round eyes revealing the helplessness and despair of impending doomsday.
"Damn, there are too many biology questions. I thought I wouldn't have to memorize after choosing the science track, but it seems I haven't escaped this fate."
Su Lian couldn't be bothered to explain and grabbed him by the back of the neck to make him sit up straight: "Stop complaining, hurry up and memorize."
They had to study, but they couldn't ruin their eyesight either. They had to balance learning and health.
Lin Yan looked at a pile of notes, also feeling a bit lost: "How can such a tiny cell have so many knowledge points? It's killing me."
"Actually, this... this isn't difficult," Song Jiaci pulled out a piece of scratch paper and started drawing while explaining.
"Look, this is the extracellular fluid where the cell lives..."
"Then there's the body... fluid... blood... plasma... tissue fluid... lymph..."
"They're all connected, just remember the diagram and... and you'll be fine."
Looking at the childish handwriting, Lin Yan softly praised: "I understand now. You're amazing."
Song Jiaci didn't say anything, just gave him a faint smile.
Gu Anjiu felt a pang in his heart and leaned in close: "Little monkey, can you explain it to me too?"
"You think my explanation wasn't detailed enough?" Su Lian spoke coldly, his death glare already activated.
Sensing the killing intent again, Gu Anjiu frantically tried to signal Chi Wang with his eyes: "That's not what I meant, I just thought the little monkey explained it vividly, no, I mean... I... I was just saying..."
But Chi Wang couldn't be bothered to pay attention, abandoning his friend to his fate while immersing himself in the practice problems.
Teacher Su's handwriting is so nice, Teacher Su's steps are so clear, even Teacher Su's check marks have such personality, Teacher Su is simply perfect.
Su Lian tapped the chubby boy on the forehead: "Don't disturb his review."
Gu Anjiu was speechless, shaking his head desolately inside. He was bound to die from the sickly sweet smell of love in Room 404 sooner or later.
His eyes darted around as an idea came to him: "Brother Lian, want to make a bet?"
Su Lian frowned, a bit irritated: "What scheme are you cooking up now?"
"If, and I mean if, 80% of the questions on tomorrow's test are covered in the notes, you win. Otherwise, I win."
"...I'm guessing the questions, not writing them, bro."
"Then how about 60%?"
"Tell me what happens if you lose first."
"If I win, the evening curfew is lifted from now on, and you stop monitoring our review and exams."
"If I lose, I promise to do whatever you say, plus I'll make sure Wang doesn't cause trouble after 11 PM and help you keep an eye on him."
Gu Anjiu was calculating carefully - endure for a moment of peace and quiet, and he'd be free to run wild later.
Guessing 60% of the questions correctly seemed almost impossible.
To his surprise, Su Lian nodded decisively: "Alright."
Song Jiaci flipped through the review materials and spoke leisurely: "Lit-little Ninth Brother, I have a feeling you're go-going to lose."
"Oh, really?" Gu Anjiu scratched his head. Were biology questions that easy to guess? Surely not.
Chi Wang kept his head down looking at problems and said quietly: "Betting against Teacher Su is like asking for death, and you even dragged me into it. How loyal of you."
Gu Anjiu chuckled: "I helped you out today, so you help me out too."
"Help him with what?" Su Lian sniffed out something suspicious.
"Nothing." Chi Wang pushed the chubby boy's head down onto the desk. "You talk too much."
Several hours passed, and everyone had barely managed to memorize the problems. Yawning constantly, the sleepy group returned to their dorms.
Chi Wang wasn't in a hurry to sleep. He grabbed Su Lian and peppered him with more questions about various concepts, seemingly thirsting for knowledge, just short of hanging his head from the ceiling and stabbing his thigh with an awl to stay awake.
Even the usually unflappable Su Lian was surprised: "What exactly do you want me to do with you, studying so hard?"
Chi Wang said nothing, his gaze falling on Su Lian's downcast eyelashes.
He thought the slightly bowed head looked very nice, the voice sounded good too, those hands holding the pen were so soft, and the lips explaining the problems were such a pale color...
His mind started to wander dangerously, and he dared not think further.
Su Lian: "I'm asking you."
"What I want is a secret." Chi Wang's expression revealed nothing, he just lowered his head and smiled. "I'll recite a few more English essays. If you're tired, you can sleep in my bed. Everyone else is asleep, going back would wake them up."
This was true, but he had hidden a bit of selfish desire in there too.
Not picking up on all the twists and turns, Su Lian blinked his slightly dry eyes and obediently turned around, slowly climbing into bed: "Mm, you should rest early too."
After two consecutive days of sleeping past his biological clock, Su Lian's head hit the pillow and he passed out.
Thinking of the reward, Chi Wang felt motivated for the first time, forcing himself to stay awake and flip through all the example problems.
When tired, he wanted to smoke to stay alert, but looking back at the person lying in bed, he gave up on that idea.
At 4 AM, Chi Wang yawned and stood up. He stood on the balcony for a while letting the wind blow away some of his drowsiness.
In the past, staying up late to study was unthinkable.
He hadn't known Su Lian for very long, but imperceptibly, it had changed him in many ways.
Before it was forced, now he was gradually starting to enjoy it.
Chi Wang turned and went back into the room, carefully changing into pajamas and lying down on the small bed. Facing the sleeping profile, he softly said goodnight.
-
Still in the first exam room, Su Lian sat in his chair, quietly waiting for the exam bell to ring.
Same scene, same time, his wrist was grabbed again by the boy from the day before: "Today is the comprehensive science exam, can I come touch your holy light? I've been dreaming of getting 300 points."
Su Lian: "..."
Classmate, even Kuang Heng who bored a hole to steal light wasn't as persistent as you.
Three seconds later, his kindness ran out: "Can you let go now?"
"Thank you, study god. I'm deeply grateful for your great kindness." The boy carefully withdrew his hand, palms pressed together.
This strange pre-exam ritual seemed to stimulate everyone. Suddenly several unfamiliar faces crowded around, all reaching out their arms wanting to touch the study god for a perfect score.
In this situation, Su Lian felt like a monkey being gawked at in a zoo, with everyone's hands coming up to pat him. It was extremely annoying.
Last time one got 7th place and another 8th. The boy who hated studying happened to be sitting in the seat behind.
After being quiet for a day, he finally couldn't hold back his sarcastic remarks: "It's no use touching him, he's got special abilities."
He emphasized his words heavily, as if hinting at cheating, but no one paid attention.
Su Lian suppressed his temper and waited until the exam bell rang. As the crowd dispersed, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
However, the moment he saw the biology test paper, he preemptively tolled the death knell for Gu Anjiu.
With just these few key points, it was almost complete coverage, leaving nothing out.
After finishing the comprehensive science exam, the first thing he did was rush to the bathroom to wash his hands inside and out.
Gu Anjiu knew he had lost the bet badly and hid from everyone all day, not daring to show his face.
The exam period passed by in the blink of an eye, and the tense monthly exams quietly came to an end.
After several days without proper rest, Su Lian hurried back to the dorm after evening self-study, wanting to get to bed early and catch up on sleep.
He had just changed into his pajamas when someone knocked on the dormitory door, calling out: "Su Lian, someone's looking for you downstairs."
"Okay, thanks." Su Lian glanced at the time. For someone to come to the dorm after 10 PM, it must be urgent.
He casually threw on a jacket, slipped on some slippers, and went downstairs.
Gu Anjiu overheard the commotion and quickly darted to Room 404 to report: "Wang, looks like someone came to find Brother Lian. Do you want to go check it out?"
Chi Wang turned around, somewhat puzzled: "Who would be looking for him so late?"
"I don't know, they didn't say a name." Gu Anjiu scratched his head, looking a bit worried. "I hope nothing's wrong."
Chi Wang walked to the small balcony and looked down, which happened to face the dormitory building's main entrance.
Su Lian was standing under a streetlight, the top of his head haloed by a small circle of light. Next to him stood a boy wearing the Eighth High School uniform. The two were talking with their heads lowered.
The boy tugged at Su Lian's sleeve, flashing a very ingratiating smile. Su Lian slowly shook his head, his expression looking rather serious.
"Who is that guy?" Chi Wang furrowed his brow. All that pulling and tugging was inappropriate.
Using the light, Gu Anjiu raised his hand to take a photo and mobilized his vast brotherhood network: "He's from Eighth High. I'll ask around and see if anyone knows him."
Chi Wang pressed his lips tightly together. It was the middle of the night - he felt this person couldn't have good intentions.
Wait a minute. Eighth High... Su Lian had said he had no friends, but he did have an ex. Could it be a guy?
For a moment, he didn't know whether to be shocked that Su Lian might be gay like him, or suspicious that an ex-boyfriend had shown up in the middle of the night seemingly asking to get back together.
His heart suddenly tightened. Chi Wang gripped the railing with both hands, his fingertips turning white, his whole body radiating an barely suppressed aura of hostility.
Still in a daze, Gu Anjiu tapped his arm: "Call me the gossip master, thank you."
"Just spit it out." Chi Wang impatiently spoke, his gaze locked firmly on the scene below. They still hadn't finished talking - what on earth were they discussing?
Gu Anjiu spilled everything in one breath: "I found out. That guy is also a delinquent school bully named Chi Chenfeng. Oh my god, he couldn't be here for revenge, could he?"
"What's the character for his surname?"
"Same as yours."
Whether it was revenge or pursuing love remained unclear. Chi Wang stood rooted to the spot, his expression cold. He felt that all the times Su Lian had called him "Brother Chi" in the past were now grating on his ears.
What a coincidence that they had the same surname Chi?