Daniel felt listless after the Chinese exam.
The moment he entered the examination room, he felt like a favored child of God, with Hao Ming and people he knew in front, behind, and to the sides.
He had been discussing whose answers to copy for each subject, but as soon as the proctor entered, a bucket of cold water was poured over him from head to toe, leaving him feeling utterly dispirited.
His luck was really something; he managed to get the school's female ogre as a proctor with a probability of 1/30.
Throughout the entire exam, he didn't dare to move, not even daring to turn his neck, and the examination room was so quiet that the only sound was the rustling of papers.
As soon as he thought about looking around, he met the gaze of the female ogre and shrank back, intimidated.
Forget copying; he didn't even dare to move his neck casually.
The last exam on Friday was English.
The proctor noticed that many students started filling in the answer sheet without listening to the audio and somewhat inexplicably said, "The audio hasn't started yet; why are you filling in the answer sheet now?"
Someone below replied, "Even if we listen, we won't understand, so it's better to choose the answers in advance."
"Alright."
After the audio listening, as the proctor walked around, she saw a boy carving an eraser and said, "Are you preparing to roll dice?"
The boy replied, "If I roll a one, it's A; two is B; three is C; and four is D."
"What if you roll a five or six?"
"Then I'll reward myself with another try."
"..."
She also saw Aria fiddling with a small note and couldn't help but remind her, "This student, your cheat sheet is a bit too obvious, isn't it?"
Aria grinned at the proctor and said, "It's not a cheat sheet, teacher." She showed the words on the paper and said, "I'm drawing lots."
The proctor was silent for a moment, then gave her a thumbs-up.
After finishing the exam, Aria started using a small mirror to look at William behind her, and she couldn't help but smile at the sight of the boy's profile.
Below, a group of students woke up from their naps, making one think it was a lunch break, and the proctor was too lazy to remind them how much time was left.
The bell rang.
The last exam was over.
The broadcast notified everyone to return to their classes for a short meeting before leaving.
Ellie walked to her books, glanced at the pile of books next to her, flipped through one to check the name, confirmed they were William's, and remembered that he had helped her move books in the morning, so she decided to help him move his books back.
She took a few steps with the books in her arms when suddenly someone gently tapped her head. Looking up, she met William's gaze.
"Why are you carrying so many at once?" William took the books from her hands.
Ellie followed him somewhat dazedly and said, "Aren't you carrying just as many?"
William glanced at her slender arms and said nothing.
But Ellie felt, for some reason, underestimated.
Many in the class had already started discussing answers.
One question yielded three different answers, and asking a fourth person produced yet another different answer.
After moving their things, Mr. Johnson prepared for a brief meeting.
"No need to discuss answers after the exam; enjoy a pleasant weekend, and leave the rest for this Sunday."
Most of the class was still preoccupied with what Mr. Thompson had said earlier.
"What about Mr. Thompson?"
Mr. Johnson smiled and said, "I've applied to the school, and there should be a result next week; students, be patient."
Mr. Thompson had not come to class this week, claiming he was unwell. Whether he was genuinely unwell or just didn't want to come to class, everyone was clear, but no one exposed it.
Seeing Mr. Johnson's indifferent demeanor, Daniel wished he could grow eight heads and rush into the top ten of the school, then force Mr. Thompson to apologize to Mr. Johnson.
Of course, these were just dreams.
After saying this, Mr. Thompson said, "Alright, I won't say much. I wish you all a pleasant weekend."
Watching Ellie stuff books into her bag one by one, William asked, "Are you bringing so many books home after the exam?"
Ellie made a sound of affirmation, then obediently said, "To read at home."
William was silent for a moment, then said, "Alright."
————
Landon waited in the bookstore all afternoon but did not see the girl he had seen last time.
He looked at his watch, preparing to wait a bit longer.
When he looked up again, he saw the girl again.
She was still wearing a blue and white school uniform, a color that didn't look good, but on her, it was inexplicably harmonious. She was very thin and fair, with eyes that seemed to speak, watery and clear like a deer in the forest, a small and straight nose, and rosy lips. Even without makeup, she was stunning.
He saw her look around, seemingly unable to find a seat, and then she headed towards the bookshelf.
Ellie had finished the book she bought last time.
She circled around and stopped in front of a bookshelf with mystery and detective novels, many of which she had already read.
She looked up and saw a book on the top shelf that caught her attention.
She stood on tiptoe but couldn't reach it and was about to ask a staff member for help when a pair of hands reached down and got it for her.
Landon took the book and handed it to her.
Ellie took the book from him, smiled at him, and said, "Thank you."
The girl's smile was very sweet and obedient.
Landon was dazzled by her smile as he watched her leave with the book, feeling a bit disappointed. He thought that since they had only met in a hurry last time, she probably didn't remember him.
Ellie took the book and casually found a spot to lean against the bookshelf to read. Her reading speed was not fast; sometimes she liked to ponder a sentence many times over.
Landon sat not far from her, staring at her for a while, holding a book just like hers.
Ellie read for a while, glanced at the sky outside, and left with her book and backpack.
Landon looked up, and the spot was empty again.
Today, she only said one sentence to him.
Her smile was really beautiful.
He had never believed in love at first sight before.
Now he suddenly believed again.
If he could meet her next week, he must ask for her name.