From now on, we'll eat, drink, and use everything from your dad (Thanks for the gift 9/32)

The moment the bell rang for the end of evening self-study, Chen Zhi felt as if he had been granted a royal pardon.

He haphazardly stuffed his books into his backpack.

"I'm off."

Throwing down these two words, Chen Zhi slung his backpack over his shoulder and bolted out the back door of the classroom as if he were fleeing for his life.

Pei Ningxue sat in her seat, watching a certain someone's fleeing silhouette, and let out a barely audible, cold scoff.

Run?

The monk can run, but he can't take the temple with him.

The hallway was surging with a crowd of students who had just finished class.

Chen Zhi walked against the flow of people toward Class 7 of the tenth grade. The night breeze blew against his face, slightly dispersing the flushed heat he had just felt in the classroom.

By the time he reached the door of Class 7, the number of people in the hallway had already dwindled by more than half.

At a glance, Chen Zhi spotted the figure standing by the door.

Lin Wanwan, wearing a backpack covered in various cute charms, was currently leaning against the hallway railing all by herself, head down, staring blankly at the tips of her toes.

She looked just like a devoted wife turned to stone while waiting for her husband's return.

Chen Zhi stopped in his tracks and watched her from a distance.

For some reason, a strong sense of guilt welled up inside him.

The thrill he felt just moments ago while copping a feel of Pei Ningxue's legs was perfectly matched by the guilty conscience he felt now seeing Lin Wanwan like this.

Chen Zhi felt like a total bastard who had cheated on his virtuous wife outside, only to return home acting like nothing happened to eat a hot meal.

"Ahem."

Chen Zhi adjusted his expression, suppressed the messy emotions from earlier, and walked over with a relaxed smile.

"What are you counting down there? Is there money on the ground to pick up?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Lin Wanwan snapped her head up.

Those almond eyes that were originally dim and lifeless suddenly lit up the moment she saw Chen Zhi.

"Chen Zhi!"

She called out and threw herself into his arms.

Before Chen Zhi could even steady himself, a soft body crashed into his embrace.

Lin Wanwan wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and buried her head deep into his school uniform jacket, rubbing against his chest like a wronged little kitten.

Chen Zhi's body stiffened for a second.

Crap.

At this distance...

But he didn't dare push her away. He could only raise his hand and gently pat her back, his tone carrying a mix of doting affection and helplessness.

"What's wrong now, my young lady? Who upset you? Tell me, I'll go let the air out of their tires for you."

Lin Wanwan didn't speak, but her arms around him tightened even more.

After a good while, a muffled mumble came from his chest.

"High school science... is so hard."

So that was it.

Chen Zhi breathed a sigh of relief.

He had thought someone bullied her, or she had heard some rumors about him and Pei Ningxue.

Chen Zhi looked down at the girl in his arms.

Although he couldn't see her expression clearly, he could tell from her aggrieved tone that the recent midterm exams had likely dealt her a heavy blow.

The truth was, Lin Wanwan wasn't stupid; it was just that her talent points were completely absent in math, physics, and chemistry.

In middle school, she could barely keep up through rote memorization, but in high school, the difficulty of science subjects increased exponentially. It was hard to bridge the talent gap with hard work alone.

Coupled with the immense pressure she had put on herself to get into the same high school as Chen Zhi, it was perfectly normal for her to have a mental breakdown upon seeing her report card.

"Is that all?"

Chen Zhi rubbed her fluffy head, messing up her hair. "If it's too hard, then just don't study it."

Lin Wanwan looked up from his embrace, revealing a miserable little face. Her eyes were red, clearly showing that she had been secretly crying.

"But... what will I do in the future if I don't study science? Everyone says science majors have an easier time finding jobs, and liberal arts majors will just end up starving."

"Who said that? Tell them to come find me, I'll teach them a lesson."

Chen Zhi chuckled, reaching out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"There are no absolute good or bad things in this world, only what suits you best. If you're not good at science, study liberal arts. Why stubbornly hang yourself on the crooked tree of science?"

"Really?"

Lin Wanwan sniffled, looking at Chen Zhi with her big, teary eyes, as if seeking some kind of validation.

"Of course it's true."

Chen Zhi continued to earnestly bluff her, "Besides, your family is so well-off, why bother competing with them? Even if you don't get into college, we can just leech off your dad in the future. We'll have food and drink sorted for the rest of our lives."

Lin Wanwan was amused by him, breaking into a smile through her tears, and lightly punched him.

"You're so shameless!"

"So," Chen Zhi grabbed her hand and said earnestly, "stop fighting a losing battle against those formulas and theorems. When we divide into different tracks in our sophomore year, choose liberal arts. You can take the art entrance exam and become a big star in the future. Wouldn't that be great?"

"But..." Lin Wanwan still hesitated, muttering softly, "If my grades are bad, will you think I'm stupid?"

That was her biggest worry.

Chen Zhi was currently ranked first in their grade, the school's universally acknowledged academic god, and the girls around him were all incredibly outstanding.

Pei Ningxue was second in the grade, and Li Zhiyi was eighth.

Only she was hovering somewhere outside the top few hundred.

This massive gap made her feel deeply inferior and insecure.

Looking at her anxious and insecure appearance, Chen Zhi's heart melted completely.

This silly girl.

"How could I?"

Chen Zhi bent down so his eyes were level with hers, his gaze exceptionally focused.

"Lin Wanwan, listen to me carefully."

"You don't need to rank first in the grade, nor do you need to understand those messy functions and derivatives."

"You just need to be in charge of being cute and pretty."

"Leave boring and tedious things like studying to a vulgar person like me."

Lin Wanwan's face instantly turned red all the way to her ears. The little bit of melancholy from earlier vanished into thin air, and her heart felt like it had been filled with a large jar of honey, bubbling with sweetness.

"Hehe~"

She giggled foolishly, the previous gloom swept away entirely, and buried her head back into Chen Zhi's chest.

"Chen Zhi, you're the best."

"Of course, just look at who I am."

Chen Zhi raised an eyebrow smugly, secretly breathing a sigh of relief in his heart.

He had finally coaxed her back into a good mood.

Just as Chen Zhi thought the alarm was lifted and was preparing to take his childhood sweetheart home for a late-night snack.

Lin Wanwan suddenly shifted in his arms.

With her nose pressed against Chen Zhi's chest, she gently sniffed twice.

"Sniff, sniff—"

The originally warm and sweet atmosphere suddenly froze at this moment.

Chen Zhi's body instantly tensed up, and his heart violently skipped a beat.

An ominous premonition enveloped his entire body.

He saw Lin Wanwan slowly lift her head. The smile on her face gradually faded, her brows furrowed slightly, and her eyes revealed a trace of confusion and alertness.

"Chen Zhi..."

"W-what's wrong?"

Chen Zhi tried his best to make his voice sound calm, but only he knew that cold sweat was already trickling down his back.

Lin Wanwan leaned closer to his collar and sniffed carefully again.

The scent was very faint; if one didn't sniff closely, it would be impossible to detect.

But once caught, it seemed exceptionally abrupt.

It didn't smell like the laundry detergent Chen Zhi normally used.

Rather, it was a floral fragrance with a faint hint of sweetness.

Even though Lin Wanwan was usually quite carefree, her intuition in matters like this was terrifyingly sharp.

She looked up, her large, clear eyes staring straight at Chen Zhi.

The playful affection and reliance in her tone from just a moment ago had completely vanished.

"Chen Zhi."

"Hmm?"

"On you..."

Lin Wanwan pointed at his cuff and tilted her head, her voice so soft it was almost eerie.

"Why is there the scent of another woman?"