Seen

Xia Yanchun picked up her water bottle and unscrewed the lid, a puff of steam immediately wafting out.

She took a small sip. The warm brown sugar and ginger water began to dispel the chill from within, making her whole body feel soft and languid.

Once they got outside, Shen Nian wrapped an arm around the petite Xia Yanchun, nuzzling his nose and lips against her cheek and hair, inhaling the scent of the young girl.

Xia Yanchun didn't resist, only shrinking her neck when his tickling became too much. "That's enough..."

"Hehe."

...

After breakfast, they drove to school.

Students who arrived early had already moved their desks into position.

From the start of the semester until now, time had flown by, and they had reached the first mock exams. Once these were over, the college entrance exam would truly be just around the corner.

Shen Nian put down his backpack and, feeling too leisurely to bother reviewing, crooked a finger at Xia Yanchun.

"What?" Xia Yanchun shot him a glance.

"Are you going to review?"

"Mhm, gonna read a bit before the test."

"Come sit over here. The exam's starting soon anyway."

"......"

Xia Yanchun hesitated.

It wasn't like she'd never sat with Shen Nian during evening self-study before. Back then, things between them were less ambiguous, and sitting together felt clear-cut. But now, after having kissed and even slept together, she felt somewhat guilty.

She was terrified others might notice something, leading to rumors flying everywhere in a couple of days about Shen Nian liking her, or her liking Shen Nian.

Although, although...

Xia Yanchun thought back to that noon when Shen Nian said he liked her, feeling her breath grow a little warm.

Although Shen Nian did like her...

But she had never said she liked Shen Nian. Rivals were supposed to be at odds. If Shen Nian liked her, then she had to dislike Shen Nian. Right, right.

Xia Yanchun nodded to herself. Maybe they could talk about liking or not liking once she actually became the best in the world!

"Hurry up, let's quiz each other on English vocabulary or ancient poetry."

"Fine."

Class hadn't started yet. About half the class was present, with many students still trickling in from outside.

Xia Yanchun grabbed two printed handouts, pulled out the empty chair next to Shen Nian, and sat down. His suggestion to quiz each other on vocabulary or poetry had conveniently given her an excuse to sit beside him.

It was pretty normal for classmates to test each other, right? Shen Nian didn't have a deskmate anyway, so the class monitor had to trouble herself with helping him.

It was a little chilly by the window. Xia Yanchun straightened her back, her cloth shoes scraping against the horizontal bar under the desk with a grating sound. Casually, she said,

"Is there anything you haven't memorized? Chinese or English, either is fine."

"Three years' worth of texts and English vocabulary? That's child's play. I only needed two months to master it all."

"Then why didn't you memorize them in your first and second year?"

"Uh... I thought it was boring back then. Now that the college entrance exam is close, of course I have to show my true skills."

Ma Mingfan, who had just walked in from outside holding two boiled eggs, nearly fainted upon hearing Shen Nian's words.

"Hey, Monitor, what are you doing over here?" Ma Mingfan sat down at his desk and curiously turned to look.

"Shen Nian asked me to come quiz him on vocabulary," Xia Yanchun said with a light laugh. "Want me to quiz you too later? Ancient poetry is also fine."

"Ah, well, haha."

"You haven't memorized them, have you? It's the first mock exam already, and you're still not buckling down. The dictation section is worth six points."

"It's not that I'm not memorizing, but rather that I'm memorizing... gradually, slowly, optimally, with a plan, letting those with the ability memorize first..."

Shen Nian propped his chin on his hand, amused. "Having a formula sure makes problem-solving fast, huh."

"Ahem, you're talking too much there, Shen Nian."

It wasn't that Ma Mingfan hadn't memorized anything at all; he was just slow and hadn't covered everything.

As a master procrastinator, he was betting that this first mock exam would only test what he had memorized. If he lost the bet, he'd watch that "Candy Super Sweet" video ten times. If he won, he'd reward himself by strengthening his willpower—watching it twenty times.

Ma Mingfan also noticed Xia Yanchun's pink water bottle. With no books on the desks, her bottle and Shen Nian's were both placed conspicuously on the table, hard to miss.

They weren't matching couple items, but the liquid inside was the same color. Something was definitely up.

Damn, I thought these two were acting suspicious last time. Now they're not even pretending. Seriously.

How infuriating!

Ma Mingfan wisely turned back around. Rather than listening to these two chat, it was better to cram some unmemorized ancient poetry at the last minute. What if it showed up on the exam?

Last-minute cramming was the real cost-effective strategy.

Li Shiyan also arrived in the classroom. Seeing the usually aloof Xia Yanchun sitting over by Shen Nian, she curiously craned her neck to look.

They had always been close, so sitting together didn't seem too strange.

Li Shiyan had asked Xia Yanchun about her bet with Shen Nian last night. She had thought it might be something like the loser getting bullied really badly, but it turned out to just be calling the winner "big brother" or "big sister." What a letdown.

Although, in the end, there hadn't been a clear winner anyway.

Still, such fierce rivalry ending in a draw was precisely the kind of thing that could turn someone into a shipper.

"Alright, I'll test you on ancient poetry. If you can't continue the line, you have to call me 'big sister' on your own," Xia Yanchun whispered into Shen Nian's ear amidst the classroom chatter.

Shen Nian raised an eyebrow and leaned close to her ear as well.

"One line each. If I can't continue, I'll call you 'big sister' once. If you can't continue, you have to let me kiss you a hundred times, and every night you must willingly send one photo of your legs. It has to show both thighs and calves, shot from a forty-five-degree downward angle. You can use a little skin-whitening filter, but don't overdo it."

"??"

Was that fair?

One "big sister" versus a hundred kisses? And what was with that long list of requirements afterwards?!

He even specified the shooting angle and editing instructions. Why not just say if she loses, they get married on the spot and have a baby?

Sometimes, when people are utterly speechless, they just have to laugh. Xia Yanchun felt like she had died of exasperation.

"Be serious. Do you want to bet or not? If not, forget it," she murmured softly.

"Bet, bet, bet. Let's go with yesterday's terms."

"Me first!" Xia Yanchun immediately grabbed the ancient poetry handout. "'In this dreary autumn, I'm often sad as a stranger.'"

"'A lifelong cripple, I now alone mount this terrace. Hardship, bitterness and frustration have frosted my hair. Poor and ill, I have to give up my cup of ale.'"

"Mmm... Your turn."

"'Under the moonlit sea the mermaid sheds tears.' What comes next?"

"'In sunlit Lantian their essence in jade appears. Such feeling cannot be recalled again; It seemed lost even when it was felt then.'"

"......"

Shen Nian wasn't worried at all, having long since memorized everything required.

They quizzed each other on several more lines without a clear outcome. When the class bell rang, they had to put the quizzing aside. Morning self-study required quiet, especially with an exam coming up soon.

Even in the best high school in the province, some students slept in class, but most were quietly reading. In that atmosphere, Xia Yanchun couldn't keep talking to Shen Nian.

She lifted the edge of the curtain a little, looking through the window at the withered leaves being tossed everywhere by the wind. Down below, junior students were cleaning their assigned areas.

Sitting over by Shen Nian was nice. No wonder he always sat alone in the corner.

Her shoulder was suddenly poked by Shen Nian. Xia Yanchun turned her head to see him smiling at her, placing an Alpenliebe lollipop in her palm.

Xia Yanchun gave a soft hum, unwrapped it, and put the candy in her mouth. It was sweet.

Lately, Shen Nian had really been taking good care of her.

Xia Yanchun was feeling quite pleased with herself and was about to continue reading classical poetry when Shen Nian suddenly leaned over. He placed his index and middle fingers on the desk, making them walk like a pair of legs over to her side, then lifted one 'leg' to tap the nail against her little finger.

Xia Yanchun was startled and quickly hid her hand.

How bold of you, Shen Nian! This wasn't the classroom during a lunch break with just the two of them!

Xia Yanchun furrowed her brow slightly. She couldn't very well scold him or swat at him, so she intended to shoot him a fierce glare. But as she looked up, she met the large, dark eyes of Li Shiyan from the next desk over.

!

Was... was she seen?

·

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