WG - 39

Chi Zhiyu didn’t respond to the question. She looked at his outfit and asked instead, “What are you doing here?”

Standing opposite them, Xie Ye gave a casual “Ah,” and said, “Watching you two take photos.”

“......” Chi Zhiyu turned to the girl and smiled politely. “Sorry.”

The girl got the hint and nodded. “It’s fine. Sorry for disturbing you.”

With that, she tactfully walked away.

“Hmm?” Xie Ye tilted his head slightly, speaking with his usual careless tone. “Not taking the photo anymore?”

Chi Zhiyu offered, “If you want to take one, I can call her back for you.”

Xie Ye tugged at his lips but didn’t answer.

Jiang Jinxu, observing his expression, chuckled. “Xie Ye, you showed up at just the right time.”

“Yeah,” Xie Ye replied lazily. “A second later and the photo would’ve been done.”

“......”

Chi Zhiyu ignored them and walked ahead to meet up with Wu Xuan.

Wu Xuan had just changed and came out. When she saw Chi Zhiyu coming, she quickly grabbed her hand and started talking about her exam. “Oh my god, I was so nervous when the teachers started asking questions.”

Chi Zhiyu asked, “Did you manage to answer them?”

“Of course! I wasn’t that nervous.” Wu Xuan followed her down the steps. “The questions weren’t hard—just basics. I’m telling you, I was totally—”

She turned and caught sight of Xie Ye’s side profile, blinking in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

This time, Xie Ye finally spoke. “Had something to do.”

“Something to do?” Chi Zhiyu blinked. Thinking about how his gaming club was nearby, she didn’t press further.

Xie Ye clearly wasn’t in the mood to explain, and asked directly, “We leaving or not?”

Chi Zhiyu nodded and turned to ask the other two, “That should be it, right? You guys didn’t leave anything behind?”

Jiang Jinxu shook his head. “Not me. Wu Xuan?”

“I just came out. Let’s go, let’s go.” Wu Xuan looped her arm through Chi Zhiyu’s and started walking forward. The two guys naturally followed behind.

Ruowu’s exam building wasn’t far from the school gate. The four of them weren’t in a rush and walked slowly.

There were a lot of students coming and going, many of whom glanced at the group—but most of the attention was on the two boys walking behind: Xie Ye and Jiang Jinxu.

After all, girls still cared more about the good-looking guys.

Walking in front, Wu Xuan would occasionally turn her head to glance at the two behind them. The distance between them wasn’t exactly far, but it wasn’t close either—there was definitely enough space to fit another person.

And they were completely silent the entire time. Not a single word exchanged.

Wu Xuan found Xie Ye’s sudden appearance a little off. She turned to Chi Zhiyu and asked in a low voice, “Did you know Xie Ye was coming?”

“No idea,” Chi Zhiyu shook her head.

Wu Xuan blinked. “Didn’t he say he had something to do? He didn’t tell you?”

“No, I called him earlier, and he didn’t mention it.”

“Wait—you guys called?” Wu Xuan’s eyes widened. “When?”

“While I was waiting for you,” Chi Zhiyu pointed at her.

Wu Xuan paused, then suddenly asked, “So he knew you’d already finished the test?”

Chi Zhiyu nodded. “I think so.”

After answering, she naturally started to think of other possibilities.

The two of them exchanged a glance. Chi Zhiyu, seeing the knowing look in Wu Xuan’s eyes, quickly spoke up, “He probably just finished his stuff and stopped by to pick me up. Don’t overthink it.”

Wu Xuan turned her gaze away and nodded. “Mm, that’s possible. But still...”

She dragged out her words and glanced behind her. “Who knows if he actually had anything to do at all?”

Chi Zhiyu paused, trying to keep her composure. “Why do you always think like this? What if it’s not that?”

“Then it’s fine too,” Wu Xuan said. “He came to pick you up either way.”

“…”

It was easy for her to say.

She was the one throwing out all these wild speculations but didn’t have to take any responsibility for them. Just talking nonsense for fun.

Chi Zhiyu felt a headache coming on, but she couldn’t help letting her thoughts wander anyway.

Came specifically to pick her up?

Did he?

And then there was what he’d said before—

“Then I just won’t leave.”

“The bus is here! Let’s go!”

Wu Xuan’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts. Chi Zhiyu snapped back to reality and looked toward the bus stop. A bus was slowly approaching from behind.

Chi Zhiyu quickly walked to the platform as the bus pulled up and slowed to a stop in front of her.

With a soft mechanical hiss, the doors opened inward.

Before she could step up, Xie Ye beat her to it, taking a long stride onto the bus. He tapped the fare machine and said to the driver, “The person behind me’s paying.”

Then he glanced sideways at her, lifting an eyebrow. “Don’t forget.”

“…”

She really was just his lackey, wasn’t she?

Chi Zhiyu resigned herself and stepped onto the bus. She swiped her card twice and looked toward where he was already seated in the back by the open window. The seat next to him was empty.

She thought for a moment, then walked over and sat down.

Wu Xuan, who had gotten on behind her, saw the seating arrangement and didn’t object. But too lazy to walk all the way to the back, she took a nearby front-row seat after swiping her card—and even pulled Jiang Jinxu to sit with her.

“Jiang, there’s a seat here. Let’s sit here.”

Jiang Jinxu looked toward the back at the two sitting side by side. He paused for a moment, then nodded. “Okay.”

The bus started moving.

Chi Zhiyu checked the time and, thinking of what had just happened, turned to ask, “When I called you earlier, didn’t you say you were playing a game?”

“Mm,” Xie Ye responded nonchalantly.

Chi Zhiyu pointed out the inconsistency. “Then how did you get here so fast?”

“Oh.” As if realizing what she was implying, Xie Ye lazily pulled out his phone and waved it in front of her. “Playing a game.”

“…Don’t tell me you were playing a match-3 game or something?”

Xie Ye: “What else?”

“…”

Chi Zhiyu was stumped, speechless for a moment.

Looking at the arrogant and smug expression on his face, like it was the most natural thing in the world, she really wanted to knock him upside the head.

Fine.

Her bad for misunderstanding.

“What?” Xie Ye leaned his arm against the window, tilting his head to look at her with a raised brow. “Can’t I play mobile games now?”

Technically, there was nothing wrong with that.

No one said games had to be played on a computer.

“No, I just didn’t expect you to be bored enough to play something like match-3.” Chi Zhiyu gave him a side-eye.

Xie Ye: “Oh, then you’ve just been living under a rock.”

“…”

Wow.

“And,” Xie Ye added in a casually indifferent tone, “you were too busy taking pictures with Jiang Jinxu to remember anything else, weren’t you?”

“When was I busy taking pictures with him?” Chi Zhiyu frowned. “If you hadn’t shown up, I was planning to turn it down anyway.”

Xie Ye curved his lips, lounging as he said lazily, “Sure, sure. Guess it’s my fault then.”

Chi Zhiyu didn’t bother arguing over something so pointless and changed the subject. “So, did you go to the club this afternoon?”

At that, Xie Ye glanced at her, answering lazily, “Who told you I went to the club?”

“Huh?” Chi Zhiyu was slightly confused. “Didn’t you say you had something to do?”

Xie Ye gave a casual “mm.” “I did, but not at the club.”

Chi Zhiyu blinked and, suppressing the guesses in her mind, slowly asked, “Then… what was it?”

Xie Ye lowered his gaze to look at her, didn’t answer, and instead asked back, “What do you think?”

“Huh?” Chi Zhiyu didn’t avoid his gaze, her expression calm. “What do I think? How would I know?”

Xie Ye stared at her without replying, his gaze focused and straightforward.

It felt like he was contemplating something.

But under his eyes, she had a strange feeling—like he could see right through her.

Her heart began to race.

Thump.

Thump.

Cold wind blew in from outside the window, dispersing the stale air inside the bus, but it brushed against her face—making her feel chilled.

Chi Zhiyu’s fingertips curled slightly as she was about to say something to break the tension.

But then Xie Ye suddenly spoke up and asked, “How did your exam go?”

“?”

Chi Zhiyu was stunned for a moment, not understanding why the topic had suddenly shifted. “What?”

Xie Ye blinked and looked away, casually closing the window that had been letting in the cold wind. “Do you think you’ll get in?”

Chi Zhiyu thought for a second. “I should be able to. There wasn’t anything too tricky.”

She glanced at him, puzzled. “Why are you asking about this all of a sudden?”

Xie Ye only gave a faint “Oh,” his tone lazy. “Just popped into my head.”

“…”

“Just popped into your head? Who are you trying to fool?” Chi Zhiyu didn’t buy it.

Xie Ye lowered his eyes to look at her and, as if amused, curved his lips silently. “Alright, you’re sharp.”

“…” Chi Zhiyu choked.

That was definitely sarcastic.

“No, seriously—what exactly did you come here for?” Chi Zhiyu wasn’t letting him change the subject and pressed again. “Tell me first.”

Xie Ye stared at her, then suddenly chuckled. “Chi Zhiyu, you’re already sitting on the bus—what do you think I came for?”

“?”

“To kindly come pick you up,” Xie Ye said, glancing at his phone, his tone nonchalant. “Made me wait half an hour, and then you wanted to go take pictures with Jiang Jinxu. You’ve got some nerve.”

Chi Zhiyu frowned and reflexively corrected him. “I already told you, I wasn’t going to take pictures with him. Don’t make things up.”

Only after she said it did she realize what he meant earlier. She suddenly looked up. “You came to pick me up?”

Xie Ye didn’t repeat himself. “If your ears are broken, go see a doctor.”

That was as good as confirmation.

Chi Zhiyu looked at him slouched in the seat, looking tired and indifferent, like it wasn’t a big deal. She blinked, unable to stop her lips from curving upward. “Why did you come pick me up out of the blue?”

Xie Ye raised a brow. “Didn’t I say?”

“?”

Before she could respond, Xie Ye glanced at her. “To watch you take pictures with Jiang Jinxu.”

“…”

—

Xie Ye might have some sort of vendetta against taking photos.

Chi Zhiyu figured that out, but she also realized he had definitely come specifically to pick her up.

Specifically.

And the reason obviously wasn’t that nonsense about photos.

But Chi Zhiyu was satisfied—at least this time, she hadn’t been imagining things.

…

Ruowu’s school entrance exam had two stages: a preliminary and a final round.

Students who passed the first round had to attend the second round at the end of February. If they passed that as well, they would qualify for admission.

But ultimately, whether they were accepted still depended on their regular college entrance exam scores.

Chi Zhiyu and Jiang Jinxu both ranked first in the male and female classical dance categories respectively in both rounds. Wu Xuan’s ranking was a bit lower, so she had to rely on her academic scores to make it.

“How high do you need to score to get in?” Li Taoran asked curiously as Wu Xuan analyzed their chances.

Wu Xuan sighed. “At least 560.”

“Damn, that high?” Li Taoran was shocked.

Wu Xuan replied, “Duh. You think our dance program will just take anyone scoring in the 300s or 400s?”

Li Taoran scratched his nose. “That’s… kind of what I thought.”

“Shut up.” Su Le smacked him on the head, then looked at Wu Xuan. “There’s not much time left—it’s already March. How’s your studying going?”

“Meh,” Wu Xuan said. “If I perform normally, it should be fine. But I’m scared I’ll choke at the last minute.”

“Choke what?” Li Taoran clicked his tongue. “How can so many people choke? Look at little Chi lately—her physics scores have skyrocketed.”

Chi Zhiyu was slumped on the desk, weakly waving her hand. “You guys don’t understand my suffering.”

After the results from the second mock exam came out, Bai Li saw that her physics had improved by 30 points, hovering around 70 to 80. She was reasonably satisfied.

Chi Zhiyu thought Bai Li would finally let up on the physics, but once she realized that Xie Ye had been helping effectively, she kept having him tutor her.

Still, the sessions remained twice a week.

The new goal: scoring above 90.

Now that the art school exams were over, Bai Li focused entirely on her academics. Every day, she monitored her studying and assignments. Even weekends were packed—taking her to the dance studio, insisting she couldn’t slack off and had to maintain her form.

Day after day.

Chi Zhiyu felt like she might be the next to lose her mind.

Wu Xuan, knowing her intense schedule under Bai Li, patted her sympathetically. “You really do have it rough.”

Chi Zhiyu sighed and turned to look at the empty seat beside her. “Where did he go?”

Su Le explained, “Oh, while you were napping, the homeroom teacher called Xie Ye to the office.”

“Zhang Guojun called Xie Ye to the office?” Chi Zhiyu was surprised. “Why?”

Did the school find out he was trying to go pro in esports? Were they going to lecture him about wasting his potential?

She quickly looked around for Lin Jie.

“Relax, it’s nothing bad,” Li Taoran said first. “Our teacher said Ruoda’s early admission list just came down—they’re asking students if they want the offer.”

Hearing that, Chi Zhiyu finally spotted Lin Jie in the classroom and breathed a sigh of relief.

Xie Ye had strong grades in every science subject. Even back in junior high, teachers had him entering competitions. When he got to high school, Chen Fuqing treated him like a treasure and kept pushing him toward national-level physics contests. He even attended Ruoda’s summer camp during the summer of their second year.

So if Xie Ye got the recommendation, no one would be surprised.

Wu Xuan raised an eyebrow. “So if Xie Ye gets the early admission, he won’t have to take the college entrance exam?”

“Of course,” Li Taoran clicked his tongue. “If I got an early admission, forget the college entrance exam—I wouldn’t even come to school anymore, okay?”

Chi Zhiyu paused. “You wouldn’t?”

“Yeah. If you’ve already been guaranteed admission, what’s the point of coming to school?” Li Taoran blinked at her.

“…” Chi Zhiyu lowered her gaze to the desk in front of her, which Bai Li had piled high with books.

The weight felt suffocating.

“Good thing you’re not getting early admission,” Su Le scoffed at Li Taoran. “Right, Chi-meimei?”

Lost in thought, Chi Zhiyu didn’t respond.

Wu Xuan turned to look at her and called gently, “Ah-Yu.”

Chi Zhiyu immediately lifted her head. “Huh?”

Wu Xuan gave her a puzzled look. “What’s up? You didn’t respond when I called. Still tired?”

“No.” Chi Zhiyu gave a small smile. “I was just staring at all this homework, thinking about how I’m supposed to finish it.”

“How else? Just power through,” Li Taoran said. “Oh right, Chi-meimei, you better start getting used to life without Xie Ye sitting next to you. If he really stops coming to class, you’ll be all alone here.”

At that, Chi Zhiyu’s gaze faltered slightly.

“Oh yeah,” Wu Xuan frowned and looked at her. “Didn’t your mom say you’re only allowed to meet Xie Ye on weekends for physics lessons?”

“For real?”

Su Le had just asked when the bell rang. Li Taoran and Wu Xuan said goodbye and slipped out the back door to return to their own class.

Chi Zhiyu stayed in her seat quietly for a while, until she suddenly heard the chair next to her being pulled out.

She turned and saw Xie Ye. Her eyes flickered, and she asked in a low voice, “Did Zhang Guojun call you to talk about the early admission?”

Xie Ye pulled out the textbook from his drawer. “Yeah.”

Chi Zhiyu blinked. “You agreed?”

Xie Ye lifted his eyes slightly and replied casually, “More or less.”

So that was a yes.

Chi Zhiyu thought of what Li Taoran had said earlier and pressed her lips together.

A sense of unease began creeping up.

She looked at him, hesitated for a few seconds, and then asked, “So… does that mean you won’t be coming to school anymore? Or taking the college entrance exam?”

Hearing the slight drop in her voice, Xie Ye looked up and caught her expression. “Who told you that?”

Chi Zhiyu looked at him and softly said, “Li Taoran said if you get early admission, you won’t come back.”

You’d leave me behind.

There was a pause.

Xie Ye met her eyes and gave a faint smirk. “You believe everything people say?”

Chi Zhiyu said nothing, still watching him.

“What are you always overthinking?” Xie Ye grabbed the books off her desk with one hand and looked at her.

“…”

“Did you sleep yourself stupid?” Xie Ye’s voice came light and lazy, but there was a hint of coaxing in it. “You haven’t even taken your college entrance exam yet. Why would I leave?”