Xu Ling also didn’t want to come to school. Just the thought of that day’s incident spreading throughout the entire school made him feel suffocated.
No matter how much he cried and pleaded, Xu Qunzhi refused to agree to his transfer.
After the man went home that day, he went crazy, throwing things and hitting people. He sternly told Xu Ling, “You want to transfer? Let me clean up your mess? Deal with the trouble you caused yourself. Just focus on your studies!”
Xu Ling had never seen Xu Qunzhi treat him like this, despite being father and son. The sudden change in attitude left Xu Ling feeling cold.
During the week, he reluctantly went with his mother to Huang Li’s place to return things without saying a word. However, before leaving, the old man’s gaze made Xu Ling shudder.
Now, without his belongings and the past pretense, he wished to become invisible at school, hoping nobody would notice him.
However, being unnoticed was impossible. Those who had supported him in Class 7 now avoided him like he was a plague.
Almost in tears, Xu Ling was overwhelmed.
Soon, Ye Xunran also entered the classroom, sat beside him, took out his textbook, and remained silent throughout.
Xu Ling clenched his hands, struggling to endure the unbearable emotions.
Fortunately, in this most agonizing moment, Teacher Liu suddenly entered the classroom, saying, “Xu Ling, come to my office.”
Xu Ling quickly stood up, lowered his head, and followed her swiftly.
In the office, Teacher Liu sighed and asked, “How was this week?”
How could it be good?
Suppressing his emotions, Xu Ling whispered, “Teacher Liu, I know I was wrong. I won’t make the same mistake again.”
Seeing him like this, Teacher Liu didn’t bring up the past. She asked softly, “Is your dad still angry after going back that day?”
Xu Ling nodded slightly.
Teacher Liu felt helpless. Despite being Xu Ling’s father, there wasn’t much she could do. She said, “Don’t think too much. Avoid making the same mistake. Focus on your studies in school. If you have any difficulties or things you can’t understand, you can talk to me.”
Considering the impact of the incident, she knew Xu Ling must be struggling.
Xu Ling continued to nod, biting his lip.
After a moment, Teacher Liu added, “You’re in your senior year now. Your studies are crucial. By the way, you haven’t seen your monthly exam results this time, have you?”
Xu Ling suddenly had a bad premonition. His previous grades had been relatively stable, hovering around the top two hundred in the grade. On good days, he made it to the top one hundred and five, while on bad days, he teetered around the edge of two hundred.
Nervously, he asked, “What’s my rank this time?”
Teacher Liu handed him a few papers, sighing, “It’s dropped quite a bit from the end of last semester, 206th.”
Xu Ling was astonished!
He had fallen beyond the two hundred mark!
He admitted he hadn’t studied well during the summer break, but he never expected to drop to over two hundred at the beginning of the semester. If his dad found out, would he get another beating?!
Cold sweat dripped from Xu Ling; he quickly checked his papers. His scores in math and physics were particularly poor, and even the subjects he was usually good at, like Chinese and English, had lower scores this time.
Just then, another student entered the office.
Xu Ling noticed with lingering fear that it was Xu Yin. He shrank his neck, and Xu Yin glanced at him before heading towards the math teacher.
A sudden realization struck Xu Ling. He whispered to Teacher Liu, “What’s Xu Yin’s rank this time?”
Since Xu Yin’s previous scores were almost at the bottom, as long as he covered for him, maybe his dad wouldn’t get too angry?
“…” Teacher Liu looked at him with a complex expression and said, “159.”
Xu Ling: “???”
He dumbly stared at Teacher Liu.
Helplessly, Teacher Liu said, “Xu Yin has made significant progress. This time his overall ranking is 159. Xu Ling, you really need to work harder.”
Xu Ling felt as if struck by lightning!
When Xu Yin returned to the classroom, front-row classmates turned to him and whispered, “Hey, do you know Xu Ling came to school?”
“I just met him in the office,” Xu Yin said calmly.
“Isn’t his dad afraid he’ll lose it if he doesn’t let him transfer?” a classmate exclaimed.
Xu Yin smiled.
Wasn’t Xu Qunzhi that kind of person?
Even though he seemed to favor Xu Ling on the surface, his true love was always himself. Xu Ling embarrassed him, so how could he be in the mood to take care of Xu Ling’s feelings?
However, Xu Yin had nothing to do with what happened in the Xu family. On weekends, he had just reorganized the review plans for several subjects.
Xu Yin had good memory and understanding, but relying solely on these for science subjects was not enough. Sometimes, some problem-solving strategies needed external guidance.
After thinking for a moment, Xu Yin nudged Yan Ningchuan with his elbow and whispered, “I found some problems myself. Can you help me with the ones I don’t understand tonight?”
“When haven’t I helped you?” Yan Ningchuan’s voice was low, overshadowed by the entire class’s reading.
Xu Yin glanced at him, and Yan Ningchuan chuckled.
After a moment, Yan Ningchuan suddenly whispered, “If helping you improves your mid-term results, will there be a reward?”
Perhaps, for the first time, he said something he had never said even to his parents. After saying it, his ears turned red, but his face remained serious.
Hearing this, Xu Yin became interested, smirking, “What reward do you want?”
Yan Ningchuan didn’t say anything but looked at Xu Yin with a reserved expression, hinting at something.
Leaning closer, Xu Yin whispered, “Do you want a gift, or something else?”
This obvious teasing made the usually serious Yan Ningchuan unable to resist. His gaze flickered, and the redness spread from his ears to his neck.
Trying to hold back, he cleared his throat and said seriously, “I don’t want you to spend money.”
Xu Yin couldn’t help but chuckle, “I know, don’t worry.”
Did Xu Yin not understand Yan Ningchuan’s thoughts? How gentle this person was, Xu Yin knew very well.
He smiled, softly said with a warm breath brushing Yan Ningchuan’s ear, “I won’t spend much money. I’ll make the gift myself. You can look forward to it.”
Though not “something else,” Yan Ningchuan’s lips already curled up.
Gently, he said, “If I can successfully improve, I also have a gift for you.”
This encouraging learning approach wasn’t bad at all, and Xu Yin was looking forward to it. In a good mood, he even added, “If I perform well, there might be additional rewards, you know.”
Hearing this, Yan Ningchuan immediately sat up straighter, looking much more spirited.
Xu Yin burst into laughter, pinched Yan Ningchuan’s ear, and said, “You’re really cute.”
Yan Ningchuan gave a slightly disapproving look.
Xu Yin was proactive and executed plans as scheduled. Meanwhile, whether influenced by some unknown “additional rewards” or not, Yan Ningchuan also joined the Spartan lifestyle.
This left Lin Jia and Wang Feifei bewildered; their dear brother Yan transformed into an iron man with Xu Yin! Waking up every day to recite texts, discussing problems on the way to breakfast and the teaching building, reciting during morning self-study, doing homework after class, and diving straight into the review and additional problem-solving routine during evening self-study!
Not only that, Yan Ningchuan even started jogging, doing push-ups, and squats every day with Xu Yin???
For Yan Ningchuan,
Every time he saw Xu Yin exercising, he felt a bit restless.
And the class president’s way of dealing with that inexplicable restlessness was… to follow suit and release energy.
Visibly, their muscles started growing slowly. Yan Ningchuan already had muscles, but under the strong consolidation, his muscle contours became even more defined. Xu Yin, on the other hand, began shaping his body preliminarily, looking more and more attractive!
The extent of their efforts left the whole class in awe.
Some students who were originally focused on studying, seeing the motivation, were stimulated and started their Spartan routines. Even those idle rich kids, feeling the sudden tension, began to feel uneasy. What happened? Why is everyone suddenly so tense? Although they don’t like studying and prefer to play, if people around them are really working hard to this extent, they would also feel embarrassed, wouldn’t they?
So, led by Lin Jia, a group of idle rich kids… also started studying!
Suddenly, Class 12 became the most hardworking class in the entire grade, surprising the teachers. Ironically, quite a few people in Class 12 did have some learning talent. Once they started studying seriously, the rate of improvement was enough to make many mid-level students jealous.
In the teachers’ office, they marveled at Class 12, but Class 7 seemed a bit dejected.
The atmosphere in Class 7 has been particularly strange lately. They weren’t as active in class as before, and there was even less conversation after class. If you asked why, it was all because of one person.
A curly-haired boy had just returned from the office, still full of the praises the teachers gave to Class 12. Seeing that the people in the class were different from usual—either sleeping or huddled together whispering, seemingly uninterested in studying—he couldn’t help but feel a bit disheartened.
He sat at his desk, took out the paper, and began contemplating a math problem.
He had gone to the office just now, but the math teacher wasn’t there, so he didn’t get a chance to ask.
Should he ask others…? Well, the current class atmosphere made him feel a bit helpless.
Biting his pen cap, he kept writing on the scratch paper.
Suddenly, a cold voice sounded behind him, “This step is wrong.”
The little curly-haired boy was startled, looked up, and saw Xu Ling standing behind him.
As Xu Ling met his gaze, he turned his head slightly and said softly, “Sorry, it’s your third step that’s wrong. If this part is wrong, the rest will be completely wrong…”
After saying this, he felt uneasy and wanted to leave. The little curly-haired boy hesitated for a moment and called out, “Um, Xu Ling.”
Xu Ling stopped, biting his lip as he looked at him.
The little curly-haired boy felt a bit awkward, but during this period, Xu Ling had become quieter, almost like a transparent person in the class, focused only on his studies.
However, the fact was… he seemed to be the only one seriously studying in the class recently. Even Ye Xunran, who was first in the class and second in the grade, didn’t seem as dedicated lately!
He had been pondering this math problem for a long time. He didn’t know which step was wrong, causing the final result to differ from the correct answer.
He scratched his head, feeling embarrassed, “How did you do this step?”
Xu Ling paused, walked over, picked up the pen, and started explaining on the scratch paper. The little curly-haired boy listened attentively, nodding frequently.
Some people around cast their eyes over.
Even Ye Xunran, who was chatting with others, looked over.
The classmate in front of Ye Xunran noticed his gaze, lowered his voice, and said, “Hey, don’t look.”
Ye Xunran pursed his lips.
“You used to be closest to him. If you get too close now, people might think you’re also gay!”
Ye Xunran frowned.
On the other side, after explaining, Xu Ling successfully cleared the confusion for the little curly-haired boy, who exclaimed, “I got it, I got it! Thank you, Xu Ling!”
Xu Ling smiled, noticed the gazes around, and then restrained his smile, lowering his head.
The little curly-haired boy, of course, also noticed and felt a bit awkward.
After hesitating, he couldn’t help but ask, “Xu Ling, do you really… like guys?”
Xu Ling stiffened.
The little curly-haired boy knew Xu Ling had lied, framed Xu Yin, and even avoided Xu Ling when he was interacting with society. However, as someone focused on academics, and with Xu Ling’s guidance helping him understand previously unclear problems, his thoughts about Xu Ling had changed a bit.
Xu Ling is really serious about studying, and he seemed so solid while explaining each step.
Is he really that bad and malicious?
Maybe it’s not as exaggerated as he imagined.
Ah, being treated coldly by classmates is quite pitiful when you think about it.
While the little curly-haired boy was conflicted in his mind, Xu Ling stood upright.
After a moment of silence, he said, “I do like men.”
His voice wasn’t loud or soft.
But in an instant, the whole class quieted down.
Xu Ling whispered, “There’s nothing to deny.”
After saying that, he walked away.
Instantly, discussions erupted in the class.
The sudden openness from Xu Ling stunned the little curly-haired boy!
Not far away, Ye Xunran’s heart also trembled. He looked at Xu Ling’s departing figure, feeling a bit dazed.
As he recalled Xu Ling’s expression just now, the image of Xu Yin involuntarily surfaced in his mind, causing internal struggles.
Meanwhile, in the front row.
Qu Yi sneered, “Is liking guys the main point? The main point is that he deceived us for so long!”
Lin Ye said, “Big brother is rarely clear-headed.”
Qu Yi: “…”
He resisted the urge to smack his younger brother, took a glance at the many classmates who seemed shocked by Xu Ling, and rolled his eyes.
Outside the classroom, Xu Ling paid attention to the reactions behind him and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed like taking this step was the right move!
Thinking of Xu Yin, he clenched his teeth inwardly.
After the midterm results were sent home, he didn’t dare go home that entire weekend!
In the midterms, he must make a comeback!
Time passed quickly, and before the National Day, the school held a sports meeting, though the seniors, including the third-year students, couldn’t participate.
During the National Day, Xu Yin visited Yan Ningchuan’s house as planned.
Yan Ningchuan’s parents had evidently been informed in advance about Xu Yin’s family situation. They faced Xu Yin with a bit of pity, but due to their busy work schedules, they didn’t take any holidays. Therefore, during the National Day, there were almost only Xu Yin and Yan Ningchuan at home.
This arrangement increased their efficiency in studying. Almost every day, from waking up to sleeping, they sat side by side at their desks studying.
Sometimes, when Xu Yin was memorizing words and inadvertently dozed off, he would wake up to find himself covered with a jacket, and Yan Ningchuan still sitting quietly, organizing notes.
When he woke up, Yan Ningchuan would pause, prop his chin with his hand, and gaze at him tenderly.
Xu Yin would smile, take a deep breath, and get up to continue the struggle.
After the National Day, students returned to school, ushering in the midterm exams.
Working hard until now, Xu Yin felt that he had almost gained confidence. Of course, not because he had gained confidence, he would slack off. Just to adjust his state, two days before the exam, he played two basketball games with Lin Jia and the others.
Meanwhile, there was a great change in Class 7.
They actually began to make an effort again, dispelling the gloomy atmosphere from before.
Even more miraculously, because of Xu Ling’s sincere confession and diligent studying after washing off the old demeanor, he gradually reintegrated into the class. This time, he led the entire class to take studying seriously again.
In the office, after Xu Ling asked the biology teacher a question and left, the biology teacher couldn’t help but sigh, “Although the incident before caused a bit of a scene, Xu Ling’s attitude towards studying is still serious. Compared to that, Xu Yin and the others are still a bit playful.”
“Just played two basketball games, at most it’s called balancing work and rest,” the math teacher disagreed. “You don’t know that Xu Yin has been working hard since the beginning of this semester, completely different from the time in the second year. And he improved a lot in the first monthly exam. The atmosphere in Class 12 has completely changed since the first monthly exam. The learning atmosphere is excellent.”
This biology teacher didn’t teach Class 12 and wasn’t very familiar with them.
Although she had heard that Class 12 had become very diligent, she still shook her head and said, “Xu Ling’s previous grades were always stable in the top two hundred, and Xu Yin only made it into the top two hundred once from the second year until now. Moreover, the first monthly exam wasn’t that difficult, but the midterm is different. As for the two classes, you don’t know, those boys in Class 7 are complaining. Recently, as soon as they come out of the dormitory, they hold books and recite texts. They are all exhausted.”
The math teacher thought, ‘You probably haven’t seen those boys from Class 12 still solving problems while taking a leak. You also don’t know that, before being influenced by his family issues, Xu Yin’s academic ranking has always been better than Xu Ling’s!’
But he didn’t say anything; anyway, let’s just see how the midterm exams turn out.
At noon, Xu Yin and Yan Ningchuan went to the cafeteria for lunch.
Lin Jia, for some unknown reason, hasn’t been the carefree Lin family young master since the entire class’s study atmosphere stimulated him. He stumbled while holding a book and began to study. Before the exams, he even started feeling uneasy, and basketball couldn’t relax him.
Afraid he might forget what he memorized tomorrow, he brought his Chinese textbook even while eating.
After finishing their meal, Xu Ling walked confidently. Since he started studying hard and actively helped a few classmates who loved studying, he once again became surrounded by classmates whenever he entered or left.
After helping the little curly-haired boy with difficult problems a few times, the little curly-haired boy became even more of his admirer.
Now seeing Lin Jia like this, everyone knew Lin Jia was just playing around without putting effort into studying.
The little curly-haired boy adjusted his glasses, frowned, and said, “He was playing basketball before, and now he’s holding a book while eating. What a pose.”
When Lin Jia heard this, he raised his head aggressively, “Huh!?”
The little curly-haired boy was startled, muttering, “I didn’t say anything.”
Xu Ling patted his shoulder and said, “People who study know when it’s time to study and when it’s not suitable.”
The little curly-haired boy nodded approvingly.
Xu Ling smiled, glanced at Xu Yin and the others again, and was immediately scared off by Xu Yin’s seemingly smiling yet expressionless gaze and Yan Ningchuan’s stern stare. He turned around quickly, cleared his throat, and walked briskly out of the cafeteria.
After going out, Xu Ling lamented his reflexive timidity.
The little curly-haired boy murmured, “I heard the teachers say before that they work hard, but can they work as hard as we do now?”
They both study until 12:30 every night, even walking with textbooks!
Those young masters like Lin Jia can’t reach this level with their easy lives!
The little curly-haired boy, who valued grades highly, was quite displeased with the 12th class’s attitude of trying to surpass them.
When Class 12 was working hard while their class wasn’t focused on studying, he felt quite down.
But now that Class 7 has rallied, he has gained confidence again, and he once again looks down on those lazy students in Class 12.
Why bother pretending to work hard when they’re so rich? Just enjoy life!
He thought with disdain.
In the cafeteria,
Lin Jia complained, chanting, “I stayed up until 2 o’clock every day during the National Day. Now, after just playing two basketball games, I feel guilty. Even when squatting in the restroom, I want to hold an English book. You guys have really tortured me!”
Xu Yin and Yan Ningchuan glanced at him.
Xu Yin: “Shut up and eat.”
Yan Ningchuan: “Study seriously.”
Lin Jia: I’m bitter in my heart.
The next day, the midterms officially began.
Early in the morning, students went straight to the exam rooms instead of having morning self-study.
Yan Ningchuan was still in Exam Room 1. Walking towards Class 1, Xu Yin waved, “I’m in Exam Room 4.”
“Okay,” Yan Ningchuan stopped and said with a serious face, “You need to get into the top 100.”
Thinking of their agreement, Xu Yin chuckled. This guy always remembered that matter.
Before Xu Yin could reply, Yan Ningchuan looked behind him, squinting slightly.
Xu Yin raised his eyebrows, turned his head, and saw Ye Xunran.
Ah… He’s the second in the grade and naturally in Exam Room 1.
As soon as Ye Xunran saw Xu Yin, his expression became complicated.
He moved his lips and said, “Xu Yin…”
Since the incident with Xu Ling, the two of them hadn’t had a chance to talk properly.
Ye Xunran didn’t dare to find Xu Yin. On the one hand, it was because of shame, and on the other hand, it was because of some… inexplicable feelings.
At this moment, Xu Yin was right in front of him. Ye Xunran didn’t know why, but his head heated up, “Can we talk after the exam?”
Yan Ningchuan’s eyes darkened.
Ye Xunran’s heart was pounding rapidly; exams had never made him so nervous before.
He suddenly remembered Xu Ling’s words, “I like men.” His throat couldn’t help but feel dry.
Facing the sunlight, the boy in front of him stared at him. His eyes were so beautiful, and Ye Xunran even felt a bit dazed.
And the next moment, the boy’s eyes curved.
He spoke, saying, “Well… but after the exam, Yan Ningchuan and I have something to do.”
Ye Xunran suddenly snapped back to reality.
He stared blankly, “What?”
Xu Yin didn’t repeat it a second time, smiling, “So, sorry.”
He gave Yan Ningchuan a look, and the latter raised his lips again, whispering, “Study well.”
Xu Yin raised his hand, pinched his chin, “Look forward to my gift.” His goal was the top fifty.
Yan Ningchuan: “…”
He blushed expressionlessly!
Ye Xunran was stunned. He looked at Xu Yin’s back, who turned and left, then looked at Yan Ningchuan, who walked into the classroom swaying like he was contemplating something with a blushing face. In that instant, he realized something, and his face turned pale.
No wonder…
No wonder he always felt the atmosphere between Xu Yin and Yan Ningchuan was annoying.
No wonder he felt uncomfortable…
But it was he who lost the original Xu Yin, who relied on him and acted spoiled with him, wasn’t it?
Ye Xunran stood still, his heart choked for a moment.
At this moment, a gentle voice sounded behind him, “Xunran?”
Ye Xunran trembled, turned around, and saw that Xu Ling probably passed by and called him when he saw him standing at the door of Class 1 without moving.
Seeing Ye Xunran looking over, Xu Ling seemed a bit awkward but still cared, “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine…” Ye Xunran turned his head embarrassedly.
“Okay, then,” Xu Ling sighed with disappointment, “you should do well in the exam and strive for the first place.”
Ye Xunran’s heart eased a bit.
He turned around again, and Xu Ling had silently walked away.
Ye Xunran looked at Xu Ling’s back, his expression changing.
Silently, he walked to the seat behind Yan Ningchuan and sat down. Thoughts about Xu Yin and Xu Ling flooded his mind, making his thoughts a bit chaotic.
What kept flashing in his mind was Xu Yin’s resolute figure and Xu Ling’s disappointed face.
Xu Yin and Xu Ling arrived at Exam Room 4 one after another, ignoring each other.
Xu Ling was still thinking about Ye Xunran’s expression just now. He was trying to figure out if the force he applied a moment ago was enough. When Xu Yin sat in the front row seat in the exam room, Xu Ling stiffened.
The exam room and seats were arranged according to rankings. This time, Xu Yin sat by the door, and he sat in the corner diagonally opposite.
His mood worsened, and he walked over with a dark face. As he sat down, the students around them started gossiping, looking at the two of them.
Suppressing his anger, Xu Ling pretended not to hear, calmly took out his stationery, and then opened his Chinese book as if he were reading the text.
After Xu Yin sat down, he propped his chin on his hand, gazing into space with an empty mind.
The students in the same exam room sneaks glances at the two of them, wondering what the results would be after this mid-term exam.
At exactly nine o’clock, the bell rang, and the teacher entered the classroom, distributing the question papers for the first round of the Chinese exam.
Once the papers were distributed, the second bell rang, and all the students began to answer the questions.
