Chu Yi couldn't go back to the classroom because there were still exam candidates inside. After some contemplation, he realized that he needed to improve his essay writing skills for the Chinese exam in the afternoon. Therefore, he decided to go to the school library to borrow a book of essays.
The lady in charge of the library was peacefully dozing off at her desk near the entrance, and Chu Yi didn't want to disturb her, so he tiptoed inside. He found a book titled "100 Full Marks Essays for the College Entrance Examination" on the bookshelf and began to read it attentively at a small table by the window.
Chu Yi had a very strong memory now. Anything he read carefully would be imprinted clearly in his mind and not easily forgotten.
He flipped through the book page by page, one essay, two essays, five essays, ten essays, spending an hour to finish the entire book, with each essay leaving a deep impression in his mind. Chu Yi felt confident that he would be able to handle the Chinese exam in the afternoon as this book covered essays on various topics and could serve as a good reference.
After reading the essay book, he still had half an hour left before the exam ended. Feeling a bit tired, he got up and left the library, taking a relaxing walk by the small lake on the school campus.
However, as soon as he arrived at the lakeside, he noticed that he wasn't the only one there. There was a figure in a long white skirt crouching by the emerald green water. It was the school's second-ranked student, Zhao Yu.
Zhao Yu was feeding small turtles, tearing pieces of a two-yuan bread from the school's snack shop and tossing them into the water. Several palm-sized turtles were floating on the water, vying for the bread crumbs.
"Feeding the turtles?" Chu Yi asked curiously. "Are you fattening them up for soup?"
Suddenly, Zhao Yu stood up and fiercely kicked Chu Yi.
"I'm not really going to make soup!" Zhao Yu glared at Chu Yi. "These little turtles are my friends, I just want to feed them!"
Chu Yi cried out in pain and quickly apologized, "Okay, okay, I was wrong! The little turtles are so cute, they definitely shouldn't be made into soup!"
Zhao Yu continued to feed the small turtles while Chu Yi felt that there was no point in staying here any longer. Although Zhao Yu was beautiful and kind, they weren't close and didn't have much to talk about. So he decided to leave.
Before he could turn around, Zhao Yu spoke again, "Chu Yi, what was the result of the last question in the math problem, the next-to-last one?"
Chu Yi was taken aback. Was she asking him to compare answers? It had been a long time since he had discussed answers with his classmates. After every exam, the top students in the class would argue relentlessly over the answers to fill-in-the-blank questions, and Chu Yi always found himself far from the correct answer. He understood that arguing with them would only make himself more miserable, so each time he would bury his head in his desk, covering his ears with his hands to avoid hearing those heart-wrenching answers.
But now, he seemed to have returned to the ranks of the top students, and comparing answers had become interesting once again.
"I calculated the result to be 681," Chu Yi replied.
Suddenly, Zhao Yu threw the whole piece of bread she was holding out, causing the small turtles to scramble and crowd together to grab the food.
"Oh no, I made a mistake," Zhao Yu said dejectedly.
"It might not be your mistake," Chu Yi comforted her. "My math skills are terrible; it could be my mistake."
But Zhao Yu shook her head and said something that surprised Chu Yi greatly: "I know you're better than me. It's highly likely that I made the mistake."
Chu Yi scratched his head, somewhat surprised. He didn't expect the second-ranked student in the school to hold such a high opinion of him.
"The math class representative in your class was my elementary and middle school classmate," Zhao Yu explained. "She told me about the two questions the principal gave you. When I tried them, it took me twenty minutes and half an hour to solve them, respectively."
Chu Yi immediately understood. So, Zhao Yu had tried the questions given by the principal to him, which explained everything.
"Why have you deliberately performed poorly for three years?" Zhao Yu stood up and looked at Chu Yi curiously. "You obviously have the ability, but you intentionally do poorly in exams. What's the purpose of doing this?"
Chu Yi thought for a moment and decided to put on airs.
"To temper my character," Chu Yi said seriously.
"Temper your character?" Zhao Yu looked puzzled.
"Humility leads to progress, arrogance leads to decline. Failure is the mother of success. Adversity makes people stronger," Chu Yi started preaching, reciting a long series of inspirational quotes. "I want to be someone who remains humble in victory and undaunted in defeat. Victory comes too easily for me, but I've experienced too little failure. So, I deliberately perform poorly to taste the bitterness of constant failure, to temper my character, and remind myself to continue learning."
"Awesome!" Zhao Yu said in amazement.
"I have a few math problems in my error book that I don't understand. Can you teach me?" Suddenly, Zhao Yu asked.
Chu Yi was taken aback. The second-ranked student was asking him to explain problems?
"I can, but I may not know all of them," Chu Yi nodded.
"After school, let's go to the milk tea shop near the school gate. I'll bring my error book," Zhao Yu suggested.
"Okay," Chu Yi agreed. The milk tea shop near the school gate also sold fried chicken burgers. It would be nice to have lunch there and help Zhao Yu with the problems at the same time.
The bell signaling the end of the exam echoed across the campus, indicating that the school gatekeeper had probably opened the gate by now. The end of school came earlier than usual after exams, allowing students to leave the school right away.
Zhao Yu stood up and said, "I'll go to the classroom to get my error book. I'll see you at the milk tea shop later." Chu Yi nodded and said, "I'll go save us a table." The milk tea shop near the school gate was quite large, with almost a hundred seats lined up, giving it a fast-food restaurant vibe. As Chu Yi walked into the shop, most of the seats were already taken, so he chose a corner seat by the window and waited.
The air in the shop was filled with the tempting aroma of fried chicken, milk tea, fruit tea, and snacks. Students trickled into the shop and ordered either two hamburgers or a cup of fruit tea, chatting in groups of three to five while enjoying the sweet scent of the food. The shop's delicious food and moderate prices made it a popular choice for many well-off students as a place for lunch or dinner, conveniently located between KFC and McDonald's.
Chu Yi had been to this shop once before, but at that time, he couldn't fully enjoy it due to his financial constraints. Now, after earning some income through live streaming, he could finally revisit the shop and fully indulge himself.
At the table next to Chu Yi sat four athletes, all orderly ordering fruit tea and chicken rolls, eating and chatting. Due to the close distance, Chu Yi could hear their conversation clearly.
"Come on, let's play a round! This season is ending soon, let's push for that diamond rank," a flat-haired teenager said as he pulled out his phone.
"I'm not playing anymore, my phone screen is shattered," the short-haired guy awkwardly took out his phone from his pocket, the screen fractured like a spider web.
"Wow, you really smashed it! Are you using your phone as a brick?" the stud earring guy asked in amazement.
"No, I saw Zhao Yu on the way to school and wanted to take a picture. But when I took out my phone, she glanced at me, and I got so nervous that I shook and dropped it," the short-haired guy scratched his head, embarrassed as he smiled. "And that's how it broke."
"Did you manage to take the picture?" another short-haired guy curiously asked.
"I only got a picture of her back," the guy with the broken phone shyly chuckled.
"Hurry, show us a few pictures!"
"Stop messing around, these are pictures of my girlfriend. Why would I show them to you?"
"Don't make things up, does Zhao Yu even know you?"
"Not yet… but she will in the future! After we graduate, I'll confess to her!"
"Come on, do you dare to confess? She just gave you a glance, and you dropped your phone."
The athletes teased each other, creating a light-hearted atmosphere. From their conversation, it was evident that they shared an intimate relationship. Chu Yi listened in amazement; could it be true that the athlete with the broken phone was secretly in love with Zhao Yu?
The athletes continued their banter:
"I wonder what kind of guys Zhao Yu likes."
"If she likes muscular guys, that'd be great. Look at my physique, am I like Schwarzenegger? I can definitely make her feel secure!"
"You don't understand, you've built too much muscle. Your chest is bigger than hers, you're too rugged. Nowadays, girls like tall guys, with my 1.91-meter height, I reckon I have a chance!"
"All of you forget it; next time I meet her, I'll confess boldly and passionately pursue her. She won't be able to resist. A few years later, I'll marry Zhao Yu, and I'll invite you to the wedding, no need for gifts!"
Chu Yi was dumbfounded. He initially thought that only the athlete with the broken phone had feelings for Zhao Yu. But now, it seemed that all four athletes harbored feelings for her.
Chu Yi was surprised. He had heard that Zhao Yu was the campus goddess, beautiful, excellent, with a gentle and serene temperament, seemingly the ideal image of first love for everyone. However, Chu Yi had always thought it was just teasing among classmates. It wasn't until now, during a short break at the milk tea shop, that he discovered there were four admirers sitting next to him. It seemed that Zhao Yu was indeed the highly acclaimed campus goddess.
As they chatted, the door of the milk tea shop opened, and Zhao Yu walked in, wearing a white dress. In the sunlight, she looked like an elegant cloud. Her eyes scanned the shop and landed on Chu Yi's seat by the window. She flashed a smile, then gracefully walked over and sat across from Chu Yi.
"What would you like to eat? I'll treat you," Zhao Yu offered.
"And then, 'crack!'" A crisp sound pierced the tranquility. It turned out to be the phone at the neighboring table, falling to the ground.
The short-haired guy, whose phone screen resembled a spider web, was holding his phone and absentmindedly witnessed Zhao Yu walking towards a male student and sitting opposite him, offering to treat him. He was suddenly dazed, and his phone once again slipped from his hands...