Exam is Coming

The stalker was apprehended, and after the interrogation, the two revealed all the details to the police without hesitation—so much so that Gu Manman was also arrested that very night. She wasn’t an accomplice, just an online acquaintance of theirs, but she had incited one of the stalkers to harass her cousin.

She even called her cousin a "worthless bitch" who wouldn’t dare report it to the police.

But inciting a crime was no small matter, and Gu Manman naturally had to take responsibility for her actions.

"What does this have to do with me? I was just talking trash! And now I’m getting arrested for it?"

"I demand to see your superior! Are you out of your minds?!"

On the night of her arrest, Gu Manman’s wails of despair echoed throughout the entire neighborhood, shrill enough to rival the cries of a hog at slaughter. It took several officers to restrain her.

As for why the other stalker decided to commit another offense right after his partner was caught—

According to his own words:

"She was just too stacked."

Absurdity needs no logic in life.

……

Later, Ye Shuang asked An Shiyu how she managed to reach North Mountain in just ten minutes. The latter had a rather creative explanation.

"How did you drive there so fast?"

"Look, you just tap here to teleport, and boom—done." Inside the school clinic, An Shiyu pulled out a video game, demonstrating by teleporting her character.

With a quick transition, the character instantly appeared in a town thousands of miles away.

An Shiyu said, "See? Easy peasy."

"Do I look like an idiot to you? What does a game’s teleport have to do with reality?!" Ye Shuang retorted.

"Tch, caught me, huh?" An Shiyu averted her gaze.

"You really expect me to believe that?!"

"Ah… fine, since I can’t hide it from you anymore…" An Shiyu sighed dramatically, then said with utmost seriousness,

"This world is actually a virtual game, and all of you are just lines of code."

Ye Shuang froze, recalling his own system, and for a moment, he actually considered the possibility.

"Huh? You actually bought that?" An Shiyu blinked in surprise. "Wow, you’re way too gullible."

Thunk!

"You hit me?!"

Realizing An Shiyu was just dodging the question, Ye Shuang eyed her suspiciously but decided not to press further. Getting anything straight out of her was like pulling teeth.

That afternoon, Gao Qiao returned to the school clinic with good news.

"Wanqing has woken up, and I’ve explained everything to her. She never blamed me from the start…" Gao Qiao said. "Though recovering enough to walk again will take time, I’ll stay by her side no matter what."

"That’s great to hear. But you’re still just a student, and that girl doesn’t have her parents’ support…" Ye Shuang pointed out the harsh reality—hospital stays and rehab weren’t cheap. Given how her parents had acted before, they might not even cover the medical bills.

It was better to plan ahead.

"I know. My allowance should cover things for now," Gao Qiao said. "And my dad bought me a Ferrari for my birthday this year. If money gets tight, I’ll just sell it."

"No matter what, I won’t abandon Wanqing again."

Gao Qiao’s voice was firm.

Ye Shuang: "…"

Oh.

Well, guess there’s nothing to worry about then.

At least this matter was finally settled.

"…"

Ye Shuang glanced at the clock in the upper-right corner.

Probably.

……

Time flew, and before anyone knew it, the end-of-term promotion exams had arrived—

"Zzzzzzz…"

The cicadas were louder than ever, and the lush branches outside the classroom did little to shield students from the scorching sun. The summer wind this year felt like it could wrinkle the entire coastal city, leaving many in the classroom restless, chewing on their pens without writing a single word.

"It’s so hot…" Tang Keke muttered in her short sleeves, complaining about the lack of air conditioning in the exam room.

"Even my backpack’s sweating." Too embarrassed to pull out a handkerchief and wipe it down, she sighed and forced her attention back to the test—every word and symbol on the paper was familiar, but strung together, they might as well have been hieroglyphics.

Keke was tempted to turn in a blank sheet and strut out like a boss, but she couldn’t. This exam determined whether she’d advance to fourth grade. Handing in a blank paper would earn her a "special" home-cooked meal: stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork—aka, a beating from both parents.

"Why’s it so hard this year? Past exams weren’t this brutal." Tang Keke grumbled, having reviewed previous years’ papers with no trouble.

She glanced around the room. Bai Yuyou happened to be in the same testing hall, seated diagonally across from her. The girl sat perfectly upright, her usually loose waist-length hair tied into a neat ponytail, leaving only a cool, composed silhouette.

From the moment the exam began, Bai Yuyou’s pen hadn’t stopped moving, scratching steadily across the paper—each stroke proof of her effort.

She didn’t care about grades or promotions. To her, doing well meant one thing:

It would prove Ye Shuang’s teaching wasn’t wasted.

It would earn his praise.

And that was enough for Bai Yuyou.

"No looking around." A voice cut through the silence.

Seated at the teacher’s desk was Ye Shuang, the proctor for this exam. With one teacher away for a wedding, he’d stepped in as a substitute.

Adjusting his non-prescription gold-rimmed glasses, Ye Shuang noticed Tang Keke’s struggle.

A glance at the spare test paper confirmed this year’s questions were tougher, but they weren’t impossible—just required some creative thinking.

"After all that tutoring, you’d better at least pass…" Ye Shuang thought, watching Tang Keke’s pitiful expression. Bai Yuyou, on the other hand, was no concern at all. At her current level, ranking in the top 20 would be a breeze.

His gaze then drifted to the far corner of the room, where a short-haired girl was playing a Nintendo Switch.

With headphones on.

Ye Shuang wasn’t even surprised by An Shiyu’s antics. They’d already had this exchange earlier—

"No gaming during the exam."

"Fine, I’ll turn in my paper early then."

"Early submissions aren’t allowed."

"Ugh, so annoying. If I’ve finished and can’t leave, what’s the harm in playing? If you’re worried about cheating, just let me turn it in early."

"…"

Ye Shuang opted to turn a blind eye. He wasn’t a real teacher anyway.

Less interaction with that fish meant a longer life.