It's more comfortable to work on than some of the newer, more intense exam papers.

It was the end of December, and New Year's Day was imminent.

The sky had been gloomy lately. The clouds rolled by quickly overhead, and the wind looked fierce.

This kind of weather was perfect for sleeping in the classroom.

But Shen Nian wasn't sleepy at all. In the mornings, he was in his prime, both physically and mentally, and his study efficiency was at its peak.

However, it was obvious that there wasn't much new knowledge left to absorb at the high school level.

Shen Nian rubbed his chin. On his desk lay a physics college entrance exam paper from twenty years ago. He had found it online and printed out a few copies to fill out for fun when he had nothing else to do.

Surprisingly, there were question types he hadn't seen before.

Was this what they meant by "the older the vintage, the better the flavor"?

He suddenly understood a little better why some people preferred mature women over young girls.

This saucy little exam paper actually had such charm; before he knew it, his pen had filled its tight little answer spaces with ink.

It felt more comfortable to work on than some of the younger, newer papers.

Come to think of it, was this considered an old question type or a new one?

Although he hadn't encountered this specific type of question before, Shen Nian didn't find it difficult. After glancing at it a couple of times, he had pretty much determined his problem-solving approach.

"In the blink of an eye, New Year's is almost here. Time flies..."

Xia Yanchun stood by the window, holding down the curtain as she watched Shen Nian write his exam paper, making a casual remark.

"Isn't that a good thing? The sooner the College Entrance Exam comes, the better," Shen Nian said, putting down his pen and leaning back in his chair with a nonchalant air.

"How should I put it... I feel like no matter how much I study now, I won't improve much. But if I don't study, I feel guilty and scared that others will overtake me..."

Ma Mingfan turned around to join the fun. "Knowing that you high-scorers have these worries too puts my mind at ease."

"Normal people would have these worries," Xia Yanchun muttered softly.

Ma Mingfan nodded. "True enough."

"I don't," Shen Nian said, wagging his finger. "Until I take first place, I absolutely won't have those kinds of thoughts. Though, I estimate I'll have them very soon."

"You're dreaming. You, get first place? As if."

"Let's bet on it! We have to bet!"

"I'm not betting. Go write your exam paper," Xia Yanchun huffed. Did he think surpassing her was that easy?

For the final exam, she was going to beat Shen Nian by ten points!

***

Lunch break.

Xia Yanchun didn't have much of an appetite, so she didn't go to the cafeteria with the group. Once everyone had left, she asked Shen Nian for two small bread rolls to pad her stomach.

The weather had been getting colder recently. The forecast showed it would only be five or six degrees Celsius on New Year's Day.

Even now, at seven or eight degrees, Xia Yanchun was sniffing from the cold, occasionally taking sips of the ginger water Shen Nian had brewed to warm herself up.

A bite of bread, a sip of ginger water. Xia Yanchun sat with her feet together, a sweet expression on her small face.

It was the end of the month, her period had arrived, and she wondered what kind of hard life she had been living before this.

"If only you had come to me in tenth or eleventh grade to be 'World's Number One Besties,' how great that would have been," she said with righteous confidence, lifting her rounded chin.

If they had decided to be 'World's Number One Besties' early on, things would definitely be very, very good by now.

"What's brought this on?" Shen Nian didn't quite follow. He shifted his chair into the aisle, squeezing into her space.

"Nothing, nothing."

"Speaking half a sentence and hiding the rest? I hope your pen runs out of ink halfway through your exam."

"That harsh?"

"I have to be harsh with you. By the way, what brand do you use? I use Aihao. One segment is stronger than six. It has high-grade drop resistance; drop it ten times and the ink still flows."

"Who asked you?"

Xia Yanchun butted his forehead with hers. So he was doing commercials now?

Her hair was frizzy and playfully drilled into Shen Nian's collar, tickling him and making him chuckle lightly.

The back door hadn't been closed tightly and blew open with a gust of wind. Xia Yanchun immediately sat up straight, her heart fluttering with panic, terrified that a teacher on duty might see them.

She bounced over to close the door properly, then returned grinning, offering the small bread roll in her palm.

Shen Nian took a huge bite, then drank water from Xia Yanchun's cup.

"You just finished lunch and you can still eat. You really are a bottomless pit," Xia Yanchun poked his nose, complaining that he was a bit oily, and quickly wiped her finger on his clothes.

"It's because you eat too little, that's why you can't beat me."

Xia Yanchun puffed up her cheeks angrily. "When do you plan to pay me back my money?"

"Let me kiss you once and I'll pay back a hundred first. I'll pay the rest slowly," Shen Nian grinned.

"...Here comes the guy who acts like a lord while owing money."

They had agreed she would collect interest, then that calling her "Big Sister" would waive the interest. Now, forget the interest—Shen Nian wasn't even paying back the principal.

Although she had never really intended to charge him interest, she wanted to hear Shen Nian call her "Sister."

He wouldn't pay the money, and he wouldn't say anything sweet. It was obvious he wasn't under enough pressure. She had to apply some pressure on Shen Nian.

It had been so long, and this was the first time Xia Yanchun had rushed him to pay her back. Shen Nian's fingers brushed over Xia Yanchun's tender cheek as he asked curiously, "Do you need to spend money?"

"No, I just find you annoying."

"Then I'm definitely not paying you back."

"I'll tell Auntie. Don't you cry when I do."

"Fine, fine, fine. I'll pay you back, okay?"

Xia Yanchun raised a finger. "Principal plus interest... rounding up, you owe me eight thousand."

"Wow, 666. That's faster than robbing a bank."

"Call me 'Sister' and you only have to pay the principal. You should be secretly rejoicing that you have such a good sister like me."

"If you want to hear 'Sister,' just say so."

"T-Then say it," Xia Yanchun's face turned pink. She had clearly said so directly several times already.

Shen Nian pressed his forehead against hers. He didn't kiss her, but simply nuzzled against her in an even more intimate manner.

"You say you like me, and I'll say it."

"Hmph, y-you say it first, then I'll say it."

"Sis, your turn." Shen Nian held her slightly cold little hand.

Xia Yanchun had thought Shen Nian would stall for a while. Hearing that "Sis," her mood began to turn subtle.

It felt great to hear it, but now it was her turn.

Xia Yanchun blinked her almond eyes and pretended to yawn. "I'm a little sleepy, Shen Nian..."

"With the effort you're putting into faking sleep, you could have said it ten times already."

"...Mm."

Xia Yanchun made soft whining noises, bumping his forehead with hers repeatedly.

It got to the point where Shen Nian briefly thought Xia Yanchun wanted to use a kiss to replace the word "like."

He wouldn't have minded that at all.

"Stinky little brother..." Xia Yanchun pulled away slightly. She met his gaze for half a second before quietly shifting her eyes away, her lips parting gently.

"Like..."

"Me?" Shen Nian grinned.

Xia Yanchun nodded her small head lightly. A lock of hair fell, hiding her earlobe which was flushed with shyness.

Shen Nian's face felt a bit hot.

She actually said it.

Hello, marriage!