[High as hell.]

Before the big awkward event, the fourth mock exam arrived.

The fourth mock was held in mid-December, serving as the final major simulation before winter break. The teachers at No. 1 High School believed it necessary to give students a strong wake-up call, reminding them they were still far from perfect, so they wouldn’t let their guard down during the holidays but instead continue studying like crazy.

Their goal was achieved.

The difficulty of the fourth mock skyrocketed, causing the average scores to plummet by several dozen points. The number of students scoring above 700 also dropped sharply—only nine remained.

First place: Hou Zihao, 716 points.

Second place: Yan Lin, 712 points.

Third place: Zhou Leqi, 709 points.

...

Hou Zihao hadn’t been in first place for a while.

He had consistently ranked first throughout his sophomore year without fail. Since entering senior year and encountering Zhou Leqi, he had always ranked second. During the third mock, he even collapsed to 13th. Now, after all this time, he finally returned to the top spot. Honestly, he felt somewhat out of place.

In theory, he should have been happy about this, but in reality, he wasn’t at all. Instead, he was worried that Zhou Leqi’s emotions might be affected.

Although third place was still quite good, he feared she might dwell on it too much.

Thus, when the results were released, Ge Ao was forced to leave his seat during the break, which was promptly occupied by Hou Zihao. Poor Ge Ao could only watch helplessly as Hou Zihao comforted his girlfriend from his seat, while he himself had to sit with Yan Lin at the back.

“Look at Monkey acting all whipped,” Ge Ao complained bitterly to Yan Lin in a low voice. “What’s the point of being first? He can’t even hold his head high. He just knows how to bully me. Why doesn’t he try bullying his girlfriend?”

He spoke with indignation.

But Yan Lin had no interest in gossiping with Ge Ao. He was already frustrated with his own exam results. After enduring Ge Ao’s endless complaints, Yan Lin finally snapped, saying, “If you have something to say, go tell him directly. What’s the use of telling me?”

This left Ge Ao feeling wronged.

He didn’t dare disturb Yan Lin anymore, weak, pitiful, and helpless, but his mouth was still running nonstop. He began quietly complaining about Yan Lin again: “It’s just that his ‘top scorer experience card’ expired. Is he really that angry? If he’s不服, he should challenge Monkey. If he can’t, he shouldn’t take it out on me...”

At this moment, Hou Zihao sitting in the front row paid no attention to the little commotion at the back. He was slightly anxious, watching Zhou Leqi silently look over her test paper. After a long silence, he cautiously asked, “...Are you okay?”

Zhou Leqi ignored him, still focused on reviewing her mistakes. After a while, she furrowed her brows.

Seeing her frown made Hou Zihao feel as if his lifespan was being shortened. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly leaned closer, saying, “You just didn’t perform well this time. It’s because your body hasn’t fully recovered yet. Next time, once you’re completely back to normal, even combined, Yan Lin and I won’t be able to beat you.”

Flattery overload.

Zhou Leqi was speechless. She looked up at him with a faint smile and asked, “Do you really think I’m so petty?”

Hou Zihao was taken aback, then quickly replied, “...No, no, absolutely not.”

Zhou Leqi pouted, gently pushed him, and said with sincere eyes, “I’m really not upset. Exams are like this—sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down. You haven’t done anything wrong, so there’s no need to feel guilty toward me.”

Her tone was calm, yet still exuded grace and magnanimity.

This was the demeanor of truly outstanding individuals, unaffected by changing circumstances.

Hou Zihao’s heart stirred slightly. That indescribable flutter he had felt two years ago when he first heard her voice in the classroom crept back into his heart. He smiled and relaxed, saying, “Sorry, I was being petty.”

She gave him a faint smile and shook her head.

Unlike the harmony between Zhou Leqi and Hou Zihao, the relationship between Yan Lin and Mi Lan had recently become chaotic.

There was no other reason—it was all due to Mi Lan’s sharp drop in grades, falling to 179th place among liberal arts students. Yet, she acted as if she didn’t care at all, saying, “Oh well, if I bombed the exam, so be it. I already broke into the top 30 last time, which is enough to qualify as your girlfriend. What happens afterward doesn’t matter.”

Yan Lin: “…………………………”

He was utterly speechless.

Sometimes, Yan Lin really couldn’t understand Mi Lan. If you said she wasn’t smart, she could significantly improve her grades in a short time. If you said she was smart, most of the time, she seemed clueless. If you said she lacked perseverance, she could be incredibly determined when studying hard. If you said she had perseverance, her efforts often seemed fleeting, usually driven by some irrational goals...

...Which left Yan Lin utterly perplexed.

During the break, they stood together by the window in the hallway. Yan Lin flipped through Mi Lan’s test papers one by one—the scores were getting lower and lower, making the veins on his temples throb.

Mi Lan sensed he was about to get angry and felt a bit uneasy. She quietly explained beside him, “I, I was careless this time. I’ll definitely do better next time, and the college entrance exam will definitely not be like this...”

She rattled on, but Yan Lin’s gaze became increasingly stern. Mi Lan grew timid, her voice getting softer and softer until the last sentence about the college entrance exam was almost inaudible.

Yan Lin took a deep breath to steady his emotions, closed Mi Lan’s test papers, and stopped looking at them. Hands in his pockets, leaning against the window, he looked down at Mi Lan and said, “I’m too lazy to lecture you on grand principles. You know what’s going on. Let me say something specific.”

He paused, his expression particularly serious: “Before the college entrance exam, if you fall out of the top 50 even once, our previous agreement is void.”

Mi Lan: ????????

“What nonsense? How can it just be void?” She exploded upon hearing this, utterly incredulous. “That’s not what we agreed!”

Yan Lin was more reasonable, saying, “That’s because I never expected someone to jump from 200 to 30, then plummet back to 170.”

Mi Lan choked, suddenly realizing how absurd she was, and began to feel embarrassed.

However, embarrassment aside, she absolutely wouldn’t allow the cooked duck to fly away. She jumped up, ready to argue her case, even prepared to have a big fight with Yan Lin. But before she could speak, Yan Lin beat her to it, his expression very serious.

“I’m definitely going to Beijing for college. What about you?” He looked at her, no trace of jest in his eyes. “If we have a long-distance relationship, do you think it can last?”

This question left Mi Lan both stunned and delighted.

Stunned because she had never thought about the future.

She was someone who didn’t think ahead, living day by day without planning for the so-called future. She hadn’t even considered which university to attend or what major to choose, only thinking about what to do and talk about with Yan Lin after class. But now, Yan Lin’s words made her suddenly realize she needed to start thinking about the future, at least considering college-related matters...

Delighted because she suddenly realized Yan Lin was serious.

She had always thought he was just reluctantly dating her because she pressured him too much. But now, he was actively considering the future, even mentioning “lasting”... Could it be that he had already decided to stay with her for the long haul?

Mi Lan was ecstatic.

Ecstatic beyond belief.

“Alright, let’s do it!” She became spirited and confident. “Top 50, right? I’ve already hit 29 before. Top 50 is child’s play—just watch me. I’ll definitely make it to Beijing and stick to you every day. There won’t be any long-distance relationship!”

Mi Lan was thoroughly brainwashed by Yan Lin, and this brainwashing was extremely effective. From that day on, she automatically entered a frenzied study mode, requiring no external motivation. Even the chocolate ice from the convenience store lost its appeal to her—studying, only studying, were the two most beautiful words in life, the only surefire investment in the world.

Luo Siyu, also in Class 43, observed all these changes in Mi Lan and had very complex feelings about them.

She originally thought she and Mi Lan were similar: disliking studying, loving to dress up, wanting to date.

But Mi Lan seemed much stronger than her. She could push herself to study hard, force herself to do things she didn’t particularly enjoy, and achieve remarkable results.

This made Luo Siyu jealous, and even more so, she envied that Mi Lan had won Yan Lin.

Luo Siyu didn’t like Yan Lin, but they had been classmates in junior high. Back then, she knew how cold and difficult Yan Lin was to pursue. She thought it impossible for anyone to win him over, yet Mi Lan managed to do so. Moreover, Mi Lan was improving alongside Yan Lin.

This jealousy was killing her.

She actually wanted to improve herself too, but she felt unlucky, not having met an excellent boy to guide her forward—if Hou Zihao treated her the way Yan Lin treated Mi Lan, she was sure she could make rapid progress in her studies.

But lately, Hou Zihao had been very cold toward her...

Ever since he and Zhou Leqi disappeared from school for a few days, he had become distant when seeing her... Before, he would at least be polite, but now, not even that. She had approached him twice to borrow notes, but he told her he hadn’t been taking any recently. When she suggested treating him to a meal to ask about studying, he said he was busy and told her to ask someone else...

Why had he suddenly become so heartless toward her?

It must be Zhou Leqi! She must have been badmouthing her behind her back!

Damn!

How dare that greedy, evil woman not die!

Luo Siyu was filled with resentment, but she was powerless to change her current situation. Her grades were still dead last in the entire grade, far behind even the second-to-last student. Her art skills were mediocre at best, making it a pipe dream to get into top art schools like CAFA or CAA.

So what should she do?

Would Zhou Lei be willing to spend money sending her abroad to study art?

She didn’t know... and she felt pessimistic about it.

She doubted Zhou Lei would be willing to spend so much money on her. On one hand, she wasn’t his biological daughter, so he had no real affection for her. On the other hand, she had vaguely sensed some issues between Gao Xiang and Zhou Lei, creating subtle tension in their relationship...

Unclear.

Because of this, Luo Siyu felt her recent life was a tangled mess. She was irritable, sad, and felt suffocated. What once seemed like paradise to her—No. 1 High School—had turned into a terrifying cage. She desperately hoped someone would appear out of nowhere, reach out to pull her out of the mud, and save her from continuing to sink in loss and fear.

And her luck seemed quite good.

By January... that person appeared.