Chapter 38  : The First Monthly Exam

The next day.

Yao Tang finished her classes early and went to fetch a parcel from the security guard. It had come via express delivery, and took the form of an ordinary box. She opened up the package by a trash bin near the gates and took out its contents — a heap of test papers and summarized chapter reviews.

There were no watermarks on any of the sheets. By all accounts, they appeared to be ordinary test papers.

Yao Tang took them back to the classroom.

Lin Xin had been in the middle of reciting classical Chinese when she saw her friend walk in with a bunch of papers and reference books. She was surprised at first, but her expression turned to one of helplessness. “I’m afraid this last-minute cramming won’t do you any good, sis.”

Yao Tang calmly deposited the papers under her desk before turning to?Lin Xin. “Switch places with?Meng Yang?and go sit with?Shen Huan.”

Lin Xin instantly teared up. “Sister Tang, are abandoning me? Please tell me what I did wrong.”

Yao Tang sighed and looked at the other girl in the eye. “It’s only temporary. You can come back after the monthly exam is over.”

Realizing that it wasn’t a permanent arrangement, Lin Xin?agreed readily. “Oh, I see. Okay, then. I’ll go over to?Shen Huan’s desk now.”

The change in the seating plan was noticeable, but Xi Yan?said nothing about it.

In the days that followed, Yao Tang?remained as carefree as ever. She did turn serious during class, but once the bell rang, she would plug her earphones in and sleep on her desk. Occasionally, she would pull out a set of test for?Meng Yang?to practice on.

The boy did everything Yao Tang?told him, and would obediently take on the task.

Sometimes, she would take out a review pamphlet for Lin Xin?to read through in the morning.

More often than not, the topics and questions confounded Lin Xin, and she would leave the space meant for the solutions blank. When she went over it the next day, however, she would always find a step-by-step explanation on how to solve the problem. The details were so concise that she understood the process almost immediately.

Lin Xin sneaked a glance at Yao Tang, who was napping beside her, then stared back at the test in her hands. Try as she might, she couldn’t fully grasp what was going on.

…

Finally, the day of the first monthly exam of this semester arrived.

The school attached great importance to this test, so each class was understandably filled with a sense of urgency and immense pressure.

The night before the big day, Lin Xin?took care in preparing 2B pencils, several pens, and a ruler for?Yao Tang. When she woke up in the morning, she made sure to check that everything was still in order.

It was the weekend, so the lower-class students weren’t obligated to come to school.

As it was, only the third years flocked back to campus at this early hour.

For the most part, they were nervous about the exam, but all they could seem to talk about was the bet between Class 1 and Class 12.

“Class 12 is going to lose, of course. I mean, think about it. Those idiots won’t amount to anything for the rest of their lives. They just aren’t equipped for success.”

“Oh, for sure. There’s no doubt Class 1 will win. Why did they even make a bet in the first place? So pointless.”

“That’s right. It would be fun to see the look on their faces when they lose the bet, though.”

Various conversations were filled with similar sentiments as the students trudged from the school gates to their respective classrooms.

Lin Xin was walking among the crowd, and her face flushed with outrage from everything she heard.

She couldn’t argue with them, though, since they weren’t exactly wrong. Even she had to admit that her grades weren’t up to par.

…

Just before the exam started, Xi Yan?called?Yao Tang?over to a quiet corner.

She looked at the girl and admired her calm strength in the face of such a dangerous prospect. “Yao Tang,” she said gently. “Don’t sleep during today’s exam, okay? Whatever happens, you need to focus on your answer sheet.”

Lately, the girl seemed to have taken the classes seriously. She submitted her homework on time, too.

Although Yao Tang’s handwriting was terrible, she had still made an effort in accomplishing her assignments. As long as she worked hard,?Xi Yan?believed that the girl’s grades would improve, if only a little.

Yao Tang raised her slightly bloodshot eyes to look at her homeroom teacher. After staring blankly for a while, she gave her a casual nod.

Xi Yan took a deep breath and patted her shoulder. “Okay, don’t stress over the exam and just do your best. No matter what?Luo Hua?does later, he wouldn’t dare to cross any line. At most, I might just lose face, but that won’t be much of a problem.”

Yao Tang’s eyes flickered as she considered Xi Yan’s patience and generosity. “I understand.”

Xi Yan visibly relaxed. “Well then, you can return to your seat. Good luck!”

…

The students were scrambled and clustered into the rooms according to their grades. As expected, the last two classrooms were mostly filled by students from Class 12.

The moment Luo Hua?walked through the door with the exam papers, the students let out a collective gasp.

Meng Yang scowled. “What the hell? Why is the old pervert here? Didn’t they say that our proctor is the form teacher of Class 9?”

Xiao Pang shrank back into his seat as he stared at Luo Hua, who was glaring back at them. “Fuck me,” he mumbled through gritted teeth. “There’s no way we can cheat with that old guy around. What should we do, Brother Meng?”

Meng Yang’s face darkened.

Soon enough, another female teacher walked into the room. Rumors had it that she was Luo Hua’s lover, so they had probably connived to create this unexpected set-up.

Luo Hua swept his gaze across the entire classroom and chortled. “You’re all surprised, aren’t you? Unfortunately for you, I will be your invigilator for today.”

No one said a word. If anything, they all shifted so that they didn’t have to look at Luo Hua’s face at all.

Insulted by their reaction, he slammed the papers on the table and put his hands on his waist. “Listen well! If anyone is brave enough to cheat under my watch, you’d best believe that I will put it on your records. I’ll make sure your misdeed haunts you no matter which university you apply to in the future!”

Yao Tang leaned forward on her desk as she deftly spun a pen through her fingertips. She stared at Luo Hua with a wicked glint in her eyes, and the corners of her mouth curved upward ever so slightly.

And then the bell rang, and the teachers began to distribute the exam papers.