It took about twenty minutes by car to get to Ye Ziming's house. As they neared, An Ran sent a WeChat message to Liu Ruoyan to ask where she was. Since she had just gotten off the bus, she was waiting at the bus stop for them to enter together.
"Ruoyan, Luchuan, you're here! Let's go inside quickly." An Ran had been bombarded with messages from Ye Ziming because Luchuan was ignoring everyone.
The neighborhood security guard wouldn't let them in until they called Ye Ziming. An Ran had heard that Ye Ziming was from a wealthy family, but she didn't expect his neighborhood to be so impressive.
The entire community was filled with villas, except for a few rows of western-style houses. Ye Ziming's home was a three-story detached villa. At that moment, he was standing at the front entrance with his family's Old English Sheepdog, waiting for them.
"Woof, woof…" The Old English Sheepdog seemed to sense that its owner was waiting for someone and barked at them from a distance.
Liu Ruoyan and An Ran waved at Ye Ziming from afar and then ran over.
Why is he suddenly so enthusiastic? Ye Ziming wondered, but he responded warmly.
"Wow, is this your dog?"
"How cute! What's its name?"
The first thing they did after running over was to pet the dog. Oh, they were interested in the dog, not him. He'd misunderstood.
"His name is Huī Huī, and he's three and a half years old. Isn't he cute?"
Ye Ziming had to admit that Huī Huī was indeed popular. Fluffy and chubby, he looked adorably foolish. He was well-groomed, with smooth, shiny fur and a spiky ponytail. Every time they walked him, he attracted many admiring glances from girls and children. He had even starred in a dog food commercial and was a neighborhood star.
Huī Huī seemed to really like Liu Ruoyan and An Ran, eagerly sniffing them and wagging his tail joyfully. It made sense since they were both beautiful, and all creatures are drawn to beauty.
However, it seemed Huī Huī liked Luchuan even more. As soon as Luchuan approached, Huī Huī dashed over and started circling him, almost causing Ye Ziming to stumble.
"Hey, this isn't right. Opposites attract, but you liking Luchuan so much isn't okay."
Ye Ziming was quite displeased and quickly pulled Huī Huī back to his side. It was one thing if everyone liked Luchuan, but his own dog shouldn't be like that.
Luchuan squatted down and petted Huī Huī on the head. "Huī Huī, you're much cuter than your owner."
The group laughed and entered the yard, which was filled with various flowers. Huī Huī's house was surrounded by a garden.
"Wow, Huī Huī's garden house is so cool! It's even better than where I live," Liu Ruoyan exclaimed.
Further ahead was a double swing, and Liu Ruoyan pulled An Ran to sit on it. "And there's a swing! We won't have to compete with other kids for it."
"Liu Ruoyan, can you stop acting so amazed? If you like it, I can get you a place like this later," though Luchuan didn't actually say that last part.
Once inside the house, Huī Huī immediately ran to his favorite blanket and lay down. Ye Ziming gave everyone a tour of the house. It was clean and tidy, with large windows, and the décor was simple and unpretentious rather than luxurious.
Liu Ruoyan, An Ran, and Ye Ziming could chat endlessly when together, but only Luchuan remained focused, remembering that they were there to study.
"Now that we've seen the rooms, shouldn't we start studying?" he asked.
"Ah!" Liu Ruoyan glanced at the clock—it was almost ten o'clock.
The four quickly sat down at the dining table. Liu Ruoyan and An Ran sat on one side, while Luchuan and Ye Ziming sat on the other.
Since they had a mock exam next week, there was no homework for the weekend; instead, they were encouraged to study freely.
This year's seniors were dealing with the new college entrance examination policy, which allowed students to choose their own subject combinations, in addition to the core subjects of Chinese, Mathematics, and English.
Yizhong divided classes based on selected subjects, and Liu Ruoyan's class was known as the "Top Students Class," with a traditional science combination: Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.
"Let's each take the subject we're best at; it'll make studying more efficient. I'm best at Chinese and Biology, and my weakest subject is Physics," An Ran suggested.
"I'm best at English and Chemistry, and my weakest is Mathematics," Liu Ruoyan said, wincing at the thought of Mathematics.
"Coincidentally, An Ran, I'm the opposite of you. I'm great at Physics but not so good at Chinese."
After Ye Ziming spoke, the three of them looked at Luchuan.
"I can't answer that question because I'm good at all subjects," Luchuan said, shrugging casually.
Is this guy too full of himself? The three of them rolled their eyes in their minds but couldn't refute him. After all, Luchuan was a top student who had been in the top three throughout high school. More specifically, he had always been first since they were divided into classes.
"Then it's settled. Ruoyan will handle English, I'll handle Chinese, Ye Ziming will handle Physics, and as for Luchuan, the more capable you are, the more you'll handle. How about that?" An Ran said with a smile.
"Sure, let's get started then. Go, go, go!"
"How about we start with Mathematics while our minds are still clear?" Liu Ruoyan suggested, handing Luchuan the Mathematics book.
Luchuan took the Mathematics book and began flipping through it rapidly, marking key points. A minute later, he closed the book and tossed it to the three of them, saying coolly, "If you can understand all the key points I've marked, scoring over 140 is a piece of cake."
"Really?" Liu Ruoyan looked at the book as if she had found a treasure, her eyes sparkling. "Can I trust you, my competitor?"
"Competitor? Are you really going to compare yourself to Luchuan?" Ye Ziming was surprised to see someone view Luchuan as a competitor for the first time.
"Why not? Is there a problem?"
Luchuan shot her a glare and reached to take back the book. "Liu Ruoyan, you're insulting my character."
"No, no, don't be so petty, top student Luchuan. A product of top student Luchuan must be excellent," Liu Ruoyan quickly reassured him, hugging the book protectively.
The three quickly noted down the key points and reviewed their weak areas. During this time, Luchuan wrote something on a piece of paper.
"Here's something else," Luchuan placed the paper in the center of the table. "These are five questions I've created based on difficult and frequently tested points. You can try solving them."
Liu Ruoyan glanced at the questions and felt like she had been doused with a bucket of cold water from head to toe, thinking Luchuan might have done this on purpose since all the questions were on topics she struggled with.