"Alright, everyone can leave now," the proctor announced, and Lu Chuan was the first to walk out of the examination room.
"Lu Chuan!" someone called out behind him. He recognized the voice; it was Liu Meina.
Ignoring her, Lu Chuan continued walking forward, but Liu Meina caught up and stood in front of him, asking with a smile, "How did you do on the exam?"
"Fine," Lu Chuan replied curtly, trying to sidestep her and leave.
"There's a math exam in the afternoon. Do you have any predictions about what topics might be tested?" Liu Meina persisted. "I heard you're always able to guess the exam focus before each test."
Lu Chuan felt like she was a sticky piece of gum that he couldn't shake off. Just as he was about to lose his patience, Ye Ziming appeared from behind and interjected, "Predictions? I have some. Do you want to hear them, class representative?"
He winked at Lu Chuan, who seized the opportunity to make his escape.
Liu Ruyan finished collecting the exam papers and slowly packed up her things. Suddenly, the classroom erupted in noise, and everyone's gaze turned toward the doorway.
"Isn't that Lu Chuan? What's he doing here?"
"Could he be looking for someone? But who would he be looking for here?"
"Are you kidding? It's obviously Liu Ruyan."
As expected, Lu Chuan knocked on the classroom door and called out to Liu Ruyan in the last row, "Liu Ruyan, hurry up!"
His gaze shifted to the seat in front of him, and his eyebrows furrowed slightly when he saw Fang Yu's face.
Liu Ruyan walked up to Lu Chuan with her stationery and water bottle, asking, "What are you doing here?"
"Just passing by," Lu Chuan replied.
"Passing by? I don't remember the first examination room being on this side of the corridor. You're not even going back to our classroom this way," Liu Ruyan said, sometimes a bit oblivious to Lu Chuan's intentions.
"Why are you so full of questions?" Lu Chuan sighed, changing the subject. "So, how did you find the exam in this classroom?"
"It was a bit noisy at first, but I got used to it. Oh, and speaking of which, do you know Fang Yu? What kind of person is he?" Liu Ruyan asked, remembering Fang Yu's blank exam paper.
Lu Chuan felt a twinge of alertness at the mention of another boy's name. "Why are you asking about him? Did he say something to you?"
Liu Ruyan shook her head. "No, it's just that I'm curious. He didn't write anything for the essay. I strongly suspect he intentionally wants to get the lowest score every time."
"So what if he does? Maybe he's just not getting along with his family or something, and he doesn't want to study," Lu Chuan said dismissively. "Anyway, I'm warning you to stay away from him."
Liu Ruyan snorted. "Who are you to tell me what to do?"
"Because Uncle Xie and Aunt Shen have temporarily entrusted me with your guardianship at school," Lu Chuan said, feeling a sudden sense of importance.
As they walked and chatted, ignoring the curious gazes around them, they were used to being in the spotlight.
"Ruyan, you're finally back!" An Ran waved her meal card and called out from the classroom doorway. "Let's go eat. I'm starving."
"Just a minute, I need to put my things down," Liu Ruyan replied.
The group of academic standouts gathered in the cafeteria again. During lunch, Lu Chuan suddenly remembered a potential exam topic and mentioned it, earning him a round of praise from his friends after the math exam.
"Lu Chuan, thanks to you, I think I can improve my math score by ten points this time," An Ran said gratefully.
"Man, you're a genius. The knowledge point you mentioned during lunch was exactly what I needed to solve the last problem," Ye Ziming exclaimed, offering Lu Chuan a cold cola he had just bought from the shop. "Here, this is for you."
Lu Chuan glanced at the drink and raised an eyebrow. "Is this it? A math score of 140+ is only worth a bottle of soda?"
"Of course not. I'll treat you to a meal," Ye Ziming said, putting his arm