More than half a month had passed since the start of the school year, and Xue Qing had been reviewing with single-minded devotion, neglecting both sleep and food.
His goal was to challenge Song Yitang, wanting to verify whether it was he who fell short or if Song Yitang was just lucky.
He had worked so hard and had not slacked off for a moment at home, all to get into the top 10, to prove himself.
Although Song Yitang was surprised, she still nodded in agreement.
The two arranged to meet on Sunday afternoon, which was tomorrow afternoon.
Sunday afternoon was a half-holiday, and for the past two weeks, Song Yitang had spent it in the library, so they agreed to meet there.
It wasn't until Xue Qing pulled out the handwritten test that Song Yitang realized, Xue Qing had been planning this all along.
The test started at 1 p.m. and ended at 5 p.m. It covered four subjects, omitting Chinese to save time, which was the most time-consuming.
After Song Yitang finished checking, she looked at the clock on the wall, there were still half an hour to go until 5 p.m.
She set her own paper aside, waiting patiently for Xue Qing to finish.
When Xue Qing saw that Song Yitang had stopped writing, pressure came crashing down on him, and his forehead was damp with a fine layer of sweat.
Then, the clock's hands pointed to five.
"Time's up," Song Yitang reminded Xue Qing aloud.
Immediately, Xue Qing stopped writing, and when he saw that he hadn't finished several questions, his heart sank, already guessing the outcome.
"I lost..." The light in the boy's eyes dimmed instantly, and he slumped like an eggplant hit by frost, utterly dispirited.
Song Yitang took the answers Xue Qing had prepared and started to check them one by one.
Worried that he might not be able to hold back tears, she spoke up first to comfort him, "I haven't started grading yet."
The test was quickly graded, and without any suspense, Song Yitang won.
Xue Qing went from being unwilling to accept defeat to genuinely admiring her. He rested his hands against his forehead, gazed down at the paper in silence, and looked as if he was questioning his life.
He asked, "I really want to know how you managed to improve so fast?"
"There's an educated youth in the village, who studies very well..."
Li Qianjin was once again used by Song Yitang as a shield.
"That... don't lose heart."
In Song Yitang's memory, Xue Qing ultimately got into a second-tier university, which was already an achievement surpassing many others.
She felt all sorts of emotions swirling inside her, never having thought she would be able to overpower the top students and become one herself.
Song Yitang pointed out the problems he had gotten wrong, changing Xue Qing's conventional approach to solving them.
Xue Qing had an epiphany and kept asking Song Yitang to explain a few more problems.
In the end, she lent Xue Qing her practice materials for a while.
Upon receiving the materials, Xue Qing treated them like treasures, nearly kneeling to thank Song Yitang.
But Song Yitang also made a condition, that no one else should know about the existence of these practice materials, as she didn't want too many people aware of them.
The revolutionary friendship between the two deepened gradually, and they often arranged to study together on Sundays.
Although Xue Qing was consistently outperformed by Song Yitang, he never tired of it because, in this process, the gap between him and Song Yitang was gradually closing.
This meant that he was making progress.
Song Yitang herself also realized that her grades had hit a plateau, and it was difficult to improve further.
[Accumulate five hundred test papers to unlock the ability to enter and exit the "Meditative State" space.]
She had been worried about the system not issuing a new task for a while, and in an instant, she thought her wish was granted.
However, five hundred papers... That number was just too much!
"Song Yitang, Old Wang is looking for you!" called someone who had just returned from the office to Song Yitang in their class.
"Okay!"
Song Yitang was summoned to the office, where several people were already standing inside.
All eyes fell on Song Yitang, and the math teacher, Wang Lei, seeing that everyone was present, began discussing the matter at hand.
"Our two schools will have a competition next week. We've called you here to ask if you're interested in participating."
"..."
With studies being so intense now, no one wanted to waste time on a competition, and absolutely no one responded.
"The prize money is three hundred yuan."
Song Yitang's eyes lit up at the mention of money, "I'm signing up!"
"I'm signing up!"
"I'm signing up!"
"Me too!"
Instantly, everyone spoke in unison, their voices so loud that they startled Wang Lei.
Many people couldn't save up three hundred yuan in half a lifetime, but they could easily obtain it just by entering the competition.
"However, we need an internal selection; only three people can participate, and the prize money will be split equally among them."
"Any objections?"
The unanimous answer came, "No!"
Upon leaving the office, Song Yitang felt light on her feet, breezy as she walked, humming a tune as she returned to the classroom.
When Xue Qing heard the news, he was very happy for Song Yitang, organizing an early celebration, shoving all sorts of tonics and nutritional products his family gave him at Song Yitang.
"My grandpa is a famous miracle doctor; these are medicine pills he made."
"You should take them to replenish your energy and blood. I've noticed you've gotten a lot paler recently, not as rosy as before."
"This is milk powder my mom got someone to buy, claiming it makes you smarter; take it and drink plenty."
"..."
Song Yitang was at a loss and didn't know how to explain to Xue Qing, a single-minded guy, that she used to be the one with a deficiency in energy and blood, and now she had just become paler!
Song Yitang learned that Xue Qing's family had generations of practitioners in Chinese medicine, and his ancestors were Imperial Physicians in the palace. His grandfather was particularly skilled but regretfully, Xue Qing had no real interest in Chinese medicine.
Seeing that all the youngsters in the family were turning to Western medicine, the old man became quite aggravated, so two years ago, he abruptly left home in search of a fated apprentice.
Chinese medicine? Song Yitang was indeed interested; she could really tell that Xue Qing was not cut out for medical studies.
By now, Xue Qing had completely turned into Song Yitang's little admirer. Whoever dared to speak ill of Song Yitang, he would immediately retort and defend her honor.
Rumors about the two of them were rampant, but they didn't affect the individuals concerned in the slightest.
There were those in the class who had a crush on Xue Qing and couldn't understand why someone from a good family with excellent grades would take a liking to Song Yitang; after all, she was just good at studying.
But as soon as the monthly test scores came out, everyone's mockery was silenced, and they understood why Xue Qing held Song Yitang in such high regard.
With a beaming smile, class advisor Mou Guangrong held the ranking list, radiating a triumphant spring breeze, unable to hide his joy.
He announced with a smile that Xue Qing ranked tenth in the grade for this monthly test, Song Yitang third.
Song Yitang felt genuinely happy for Xue Qing from the bottom of her heart; he was someone she'd seen who never slacked off in his studies due to a privileged family background.
This news exploded like a bomb in Class 3, and as soon as the class was over, everyone rushed to surround Song Yitang.
Everyone knew how much Xue Qing dreamed of breaking into the top 10 of the grade.
Xue Qing chased everyone away, remaining immensely grateful to Song Yitang. As he spoke, his voice began to choke up, and then two streams of clear tears fell.
"Without you, there wouldn't be a today for me, I'm really so thankful to you, boss."
Boss?
Since when had she become his boss?
"Do you know what it feels like to climb from the ranks of the dozens to the top 10?!" Xue Qing asked emotionally, clutching Song Yitang's shoulders tightly.
"I know..."
Song Yitang was taken aback by Xue Qing's action, her gaze slightly vacant.
How could she not understand? She herself had climbed from the very bottom to the current second place in the entire grade.
"From now on, you're my boss, and if anyone dares to oppose you, I'll be the first to take them down!"
After speaking, he glared fiercely at the silent Su Meimei.
Su Meimei rolled her eyes, seething with jealousy inside.
Song Yitang, feeling extremely awkward, could only pull out a tissue to offer him for wiping away his tears.
Why was this grown man crying all of a sudden?
Not only was Song Yitang surprised, but the entire class, witnessing Xue Qing's tears, was stunned.
Was this still the same aloof class president from before? Why did it seem like he was crying like a wronged little wife?
The others might not have understood Xue Qing before, but at this moment, they looked at Song Yitang with admiration.