You Know and Still Ask

The warning bell for the exam rang, and the teaching building instantly became packed with people.

Shen Nian hadn't gone back to the classroom since earlier, staying outside with Chen Dong and the others to chill in the cold wind. But now, Chen Dong and Ma Mingfan also had to return to the classroom to get their stationery and head to their exam rooms.

It's definitely better to be assigned to your own classroom.

"Shen Nian!" Chen Qiuyu, holding her pencil case, popped up from somewhere. Seeing Shen Nian, she looked a bit happy, her whole face brightening up.

"What's up with this."

"I got 120 on the math mock exam this time! I'll treat you to a big meal this weekend!"

"So confident, huh? Alright, alright, go for it. Don't let me down, okay?"

Shen Nian had a feeling of hoping his 'daughter' would succeed, which left Chen Qiuyu utterly confused.

I thought 'once a teacher, always a father' was just a joke, but you really want to be my dad?

She felt she shouldn't have started talking to Shen Nian.

But she had actual business with him.

When a person doesn't have much hope for something, they start believing in more mystical things.

"Quick, quick, say something nice so I can soak up some of your top-student aura."

Shen Nian was taken aback, then chuckled lightly.

"Let me point you to a brighter path. How about this: go find a girl in our class who's less than 160 cm tall, looks kind of silly, doesn't dare to speak loudly, has decent grades, sits in the back row, often eats candy, and has the surname Li. Ask her to wish you good luck. That should be more effective, guaranteed to be mystical."

"...You're not talking about Li Shiyan, are you?"

"Hey, you said that yourself. I didn't name anyone. You wouldn't want anyone else to know you think a classmate is silly, right?"

"!"

There was even a combo move? Chen Qiuyu was scared speechless.

Shen Nian didn't take it too seriously. He actually quite liked the petite, silly girls. They looked fun and were suitable for a light kick when he had nothing better to do.

As students from their own class left, students from other classes arrived. Shen Nian stayed outside blowing in the wind for a bit longer before entering the classroom.

The score distribution for math is easy to guess. If the basic questions are simple, then the advanced questions later will be very hard. Conversely, if the basic questions are on the harder side, the advanced questions will be relatively simpler.

Usually, for a difficult exam paper, it's the latter scenario—basic questions are tricky, pulling the average score down a lot.

But this doesn't really affect students from schools like theirs. Except for those with a weak subject like Chen Qiuyu, the vast majority of students can reliably get the basic points.

Shen Nian only needed one look at the final, hardest problem to gauge the difficulty. For this mock exam, the math was on the easier side.

It seemed getting 110 wouldn't be too hard for Chen Qiuyu.

Shen Nian sped through it in an hour and a half.

You could hand in the paper 30 minutes early, but not many people did. Those who took the mock exam seriously would check their work a bit longer. Shen Nian stayed because he was waiting for Haki Chun.

Haki Chun seemed to prefer sitting until the very end. One could only say there's a reason she could rank first in the grade.

When the exam time ended and the invigilator collected all the papers, Shen Nian finally patted his pants and stood up.

Xia Yanchun snapped her pen cap on. Suddenly, a pen rolled clattering to her feet. She blinked and picked it up for the owner.

"Sorry, sorry, thank you..." The boy who dropped the pen, upon seeing Xia Yanchun, began to speak unnaturally.

Mom, I'm in love!

"Mhm, it's fine." Xia Yanchun smiled, then stood up with a soft 'heave-ho'. She glanced at Shen Nian, then trotted over to him with a sparkle in her step. "Food, food."

"Eat out?"

"Ah, if we go out, you're paying."

"Deal."

The boy who dropped his pen watched as the two, backpacks slung over their shoulders, left the classroom together, saying nothing.

Mom, I'm heartbroken!

On the campus path, the afternoon clouds were a bit thinner, sunlight spilling everywhere. The wind carried a hint of warmth.

Xia Yanchun wrapped herself up a little tighter and looked up at Shen Nian. "Shen Nian, I want to go back home for a bit."

"Huh?" Shen Nian was surprised. "What's up?"

"It's that time of the month..."

Xia Yanchun didn't want to say too much. A girl's period wasn't a big deal, but it could be really inconvenient sometimes.

Girls living in the dorms sometimes had to ask for a short leave to go back to their rooms to deal with it.

Now that Shen Nian had bought a car, it was really convenient for her.

"Oh, then I'll take you back after we eat?"

"Mhm, mhm... I might not come for evening self-study tonight. I'll just ask the homeroom teacher for leave later."

"You hemorrhaging or something?"

"You dummy." Xia Yanchun explained, "During exam periods, there are no teachers lecturing during evening self-study. It's all self-study anyway. What's the difference between studying at home and at school? At home, I can even lie in bed and read."

Shen Nian pinched the girl's soft cheek. "Up to you. If you take leave, I'll take leave too. I won't come either."

"Why wouldn't you come? Is it your time of the month too?"

"What nonsense are you spouting? I also think evening self-study isn't very useful. Can't I study at home?"

"You clearly just don't want to come because you see I'm planning to take leave." Xia Yanchun mercilessly exposed him. "You, you, what are you pretending for in front of me?"

"I'm afraid you'll dislike me if I don't pretend."

"I already dislike you a lot right now."

"Dammit, then why are you still talking nonsense? One punch and I'll turn you into a cream puff."

Shen Nian made a fist and pushed it against Xia Yanchun's face, making her neck tilt sideways. The whole situation was just awkward and cringey.

How does this guy manage to be a jerk during a moment that should be ambiguous?

Does he not consider the feelings of the person he's being ambiguous with? Besides the elder sister figure who's been used to this idiot Shen Nian since childhood, who else could keep a straight face through this?

She was tired of saying "Sister Chun has a strong presence."

Xia Yanchun went through the leave request process on her phone, then had to tell her mom and send a text to Su Kexi for approval.

Shen Nian wasn't in a hurry. He held the girl's hand and led her along. They packed three boxed meals at a restaurant, then had to walk back a short distance to school to get the car.

When they reached the school gate, Xia Yanchun belatedly pulled her hand back.

Her palm was warm. Shen Nian had been holding her hand, fingers interlaced, all the way.

How is this any different from dating...

Xia Yanchun felt warm all over. She climbed onto the back of Shen Nian's scooter, holding onto his shoulders. Once they were moving, she wrapped her arms around his waist from a slight distance. Because their clothes were thick, she could lightly lean against his back without it being a big deal.

"Later, after showering, should I come to your place to study together, or you come to mine?"

"Why not just study on our own?"

"I want to be with you." Shen Nian stated bluntly. Since Xia Yanchun didn't like it when he pretended, he wouldn't even act anymore.

"Ew." Xia Yanchun breathed warm air near his ear. "You're taking leave too, actually because you want to hang out with me, right?"

"Haki Chun, you really... you know and still ask."

Xia Yanchun's eyes curved into smiles. She straightened up a bit, resting her chin lightly on Shen Nian's shoulder, watching the clouds drift. "Do you really like me that much?"

"I do. It's directly proportional to how much you hate me."

"Shen Nian, I hate you to death!"

"...Damn, isn't there even a little bit of liking?"

"I'm not telling you."

"If you don't say it, it means there is."

"You don't get to decide that!"

Yanxi reminds you: Due to Tomato's request for over 3 million daily visits causing excessive server pressure, it is now recommended that you use sources from other big players.