Liu Ru Yan was still on the phone when An Ran's car arrived at the station.
"Lu Da's campus heartthrob," An Ran suddenly turned around and said to Lu Chuan with a squint before jumping into the car, "It seems you really like Ru Yan. I'm counting on you."
Lu Chuan didn't respond but watched as the car gradually disappeared, a subtle smile appearing on his lips.
"Ding-dong～" Liu Ru Yan had just finished her shower and settled into bed when her phone rang.
She opened the message, which came from the "Senior Class 3's Four Major Beauties" WeChat group. The name was chosen by Ye Zi Ming, who felt that being a beauty was more fulfilling than being a top student.
"An Ran": Good luck to everyone for tomorrow's exams!
"Ye Da Handsome Guy": Thanks, Xiao Ran Ran! Also, best of luck to Liu Ru Yan—hope you surpass Lu Chuan and win first place!
Liu Ru Yan replied: Haha, good night everyone, and good luck!
Only Lu Chuan had not responded. Maybe he had already gone to sleep, Liu Ru Yan thought, so she turned off her phone and prepared to sleep.
"Ding-dong～" Just as she closed her eyes, her phone rang again. Liu Ru Yan sat up, turned on her phone, and checked.
It was a private message from Lu Chuan: Good luck tomorrow! (smiley face)
The screen illuminated Liu Ru Yan's face, and her lips curved into a smile mirroring the one on the phone.
At the First High School, exams were arranged according to students' rankings. Naturally, Lu Chuan was seated at the first desk in the first examination room, while Liu Ru Yan, as a new transfer student with a history of zero in grades, was placed at the last desk in the last examination room. The once inseparable pair was now separated, with one at the forefront and the other at the tail end.
The pure science exams were spread over three days: the first day included Chinese and Mathematics; the second day covered English and Physics; the third day was for Chemistry and Biology, with the remaining time allocated to self-study.
After the morning self-study session, everyone left their classroom to prepare for their respective exam rooms. In the first examination room, there were 30 students in total, with one-third from Class 3, including Ye Zi Ming, An Ran, Liu Mei Na, and the class leader Xu Yi Feng, among others.
Girls from other classes eagerly anticipated exam week because it was the only time they could experience what it felt like to be in the same class as Lu Chuan. If they were lucky, they might even get to speak to him.
When Lu Chuan entered the classroom, it certainly caused a stir.
"He's here, Lu Chuan's here."
"He looks so handsome even in a plain gray T-shirt."
"Another first seat. That desk is probably going to be claimed now."
Speaking of the desk, before Lu Chuan arrived, there was already a bottle of drink placed on it with a note attached, written in elegant handwriting: Good luck with the exam.
Amidst the murmurs and whispers, Lu Chuan walked to his seat, glanced at the drink, and put it back. After the invigilator entered the room, Lu Chuan went to the podium and said, "Teacher, please have some water."
The invigilator was a man in his middle age with a slightly balding head. He examined the drink and, after wiping his forehead with a tissue, said slowly, "Some girls, instead of focusing on their studies, spend their time serving tea and water. Next time, please put more effort into your studies, okay?"
The classroom erupted in laughter and gossip. In a corner, a girl quietly lowered her head, blushing.
"Hmph, overestimating herself," Liu Mei Na sneered, took out her small mirror, and adjusted her hair. In the sunlight, her hair was a chestnut color. The school prohibited hair dyeing, but she insisted that her hair was naturally light-colored. Who could say if that was true?
Meanwhile, Liu Ru Yan's arrival at the last examination room also sparked some discussion.
"I heard Liu Ru Yan is quite good at studying. I wonder if there's a chance to copy from her later."
"She's really pretty, with such fair and flawless skin."
"Well, if Lu Da treats her differently, she can't be an ordinary person."
Liu Ru Yan pretended not to hear any of this and found her seat through the crowd. Her seat was in the farthest corner of the exam room, behind the student ranked last in the year. She was satisfied with this position; it was low-key enough.
The student ranked last was often as notable as the top student, and by coincidence, this person was an old acquaintance.
"Hi, Ru Yan～" Fang Yu called out loudly when he saw Liu Ru Yan approaching. He was sitting straight and looked clean and fresh, though someone who didn't know him might never guess he was a top student struggler.
"Ugh, it's him again," Liu Ru Yan thought, "Why is he calling me? Are we that close?"
Ignoring him, Liu Ru Yan went straight to her seat and sat down.
"Hey, why are you ignoring me?" Fang Yu turned around and asked as soon as Liu Ru Yan sat down.
"If you want to borrow answers later, don't even think about it. I don't cheat," Liu Ru Yan replied. Sometimes, she was a bit self-righteous, similar to Lu Chuan.
Fang Yu laughed, "When did I say I wanted to copy from you? I don't cheat, okay?!"
Indeed, if he were to cheat, he wouldn't always be at the bottom of the class.
"Ding-ding-ding～" With the bell ringing, the exam officially began. During the first half of the exam, the classroom was filled with the sounds of flipping papers and the scratching of pens on paper. As time passed, the two exam rooms began to exhibit very different scenes.
Lu Chuan finished his paper more than half an hour early and, unable to submit it ahead of time, lay down on his desk for a nap. Most other students did the same, remaining quiet after finishing their exams.
In Liu Ru Yan's exam room, however, the noise gradually increased. Apart from a few students determined to excel, the rest engaged in whispering, humming, or playing with their pens. Liu Ru Yan sighed; her essay wasn't finished, and the noise was getting on her nerves.
"Can you all be a little quieter during the exam?" Fang Yu suddenly shouted, startling everyone in the room, including the invigilator.
Regulars in this exam room found it strange. Wasn't Fang Yu once part of the noise-makers? Could it be that he was disturbed because he was trying to sleep?
Nevertheless, his shout proved effective. The classroom quickly quieted down, including for the remaining exams.
When the end-of-exam bell rang, the last person in each row had to collect the papers. When Liu Ru Yan collected Fang Yu's paper, she noticed that the essay page was completely blank, meaning he hadn't written anything for the essay.
Liu Ru Yan found this a bit strange; even writing a few words would ensure some points. She wondered if he was too lazy to write or intentionally left it blank.