As Evan walked past the third row, his steps suddenly stopped.
"Hello, I'm Evan. It's a pleasure to meet you," came his clean, slightly magnetic voice, pleasant to the ears.
Nia Xi, her head lowered, appeared calm on the outside, but her heart was racing inside.
He's not talking to me…
Yeah, definitely not!
The girl began mentally reassuring herself.
"Nia, what are you spacing out for?"
Romy nudged her playfully, raising an eyebrow. "A handsome guy just greeted you, shouldn't you respond?"
"…Really?"
What good is a friend like this?
"Is it Nia, right?"
Evan smiled faintly. "Such a lovely name, I'm Evan ."
This time, Nia realized she couldn't avoid it. He had called her by name, and ignoring it would be rude. She shot Romy a look before raising her delicate face. Her eyes were bright and clear, like stars in the sky.
"Hello, I'm Nia."
Her voice was soft and sweet, sending a warm feeling through Evan.
Without saying anything more, Evan nodded gently, then took a seat in the empty space behind them.
A long road ahead.
There was no rush; he would take his time. He didn't want to startle this little rabbit.
"Wow, he's sitting behind us!"
Romy whispered excitedly, leaning toward Nia's ear. "Nia, are we walking into some kind of romance story? This guy is perfect! Can you imagine having him around all the time?"
"Cut it out."
Nia didn't bother answering Romy and shifted her focus to her physics test.
Physics was her weak subject, and she had been trying to catch up for the upcoming monthly exam in over a week.
However, the last problem on the test left her at a loss.
She had been stuck on it since last night and still had no idea how to solve it.
The bell rang, and their teacher, Ms. Tina Young, cleared her throat.
"Class, take out your English textbooks…"
...
"Ding-ling!"
A collective sigh of relief echoed through the room.
The study atmosphere in their senior year was incredibly intense, especially at Zenith Academy. It was almost like hell itself.
For the entire lesson, Evan couldn't take his eyes off Nia's back, his mind drifting to the past.
In his previous life, when he first founded his company, he had gone to the talent market to recruit staff.
Initially, he had only been looking for a receptionist, but unexpectedly, he found Nia, a top graduate from Qingda University.
That was the beginning of their connection.
Once the homeroom teacher left, Romy, familiar with the situation, turned to Evan.
"Evan, I'm Romy. Where did you transfer from?"
"Hamilton"
"That far?"
Romy raised her eyebrows in surprise. "How did you end up at Wellington Academy?"
"And to be able to transfer to Zenith … that's really rare!" She leaned in closer, lowering her voice. "Tell me the truth, did you pull some strings?"
Evan: …
I guess this is the kind of "straightforward" friend Nia was talking about in her last life.
"You're quite the conversationalist, aren't you?"
Nia couldn't listen any longer and gently poked Romy. "Is that something you should be asking?"
She then turned to Evan with an apologetic smile.
Romy quickly realized it was inappropriate, offering an awkward laugh.
"Just making small talk!"
"Evan, don't mind me. Romy's like that. She doesn't mean anything by it."
Nia's baby-faced expression showed a hint of helplessness.
"It's alright, it's not a sensitive topic,"
Evan replied, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"The reason I transferred to Zenith was because I passed their entrance exam."
Hearing this, Romy became even more curious.
"What kind of exam?"
Evan simply smiled and said nothing.
Nia, however, looked thoughtful.
She hadn't heard of any transfer students being accepted by Zenith Academy.
Evan was the first person she'd ever known to transfer in.
When she heard "entrance exam," she began to suspect that Zenith Academy might accept transfer students, but the exam was so difficult that no one had ever passed before.
Out of curiosity, Nia asked cautiously,
"Evan, would you mind sharing what the exam was like?"
"Of course,"
Evan responded without hesitation.
For Nia, there was no word like "no" in his vocabulary—whether in this life or the last.
...
Romy blinked in surprise at Evan's willingness to share.
Who am I?
Where am I?
Is there really such a big gap between people?
Not noticing Romy's astonished look, Evan casually took out four test papers from his bag and placed them on the table.
He smiled at Nia, his grin clean and bright, like the sun.
"The exam content was very simple. It's these four papers."
Nia froze for a moment before quickly glancing at the papers.
Her mouth opened slightly in disbelief.
Full marks!
Full marks!
Full marks!
And full marks again?!
Math, English, and Science, all full marks?
This… this is insane!
Evan waved his hand in front of her face.
"Nia, what's on your mind?"
"Zenith doesn't reject transfer students. As long as you score over 730 on the entrance exam, you're in."
"Wha—?!"
Romy gasped, her eyes wide with shock, barely noticing Evan's familiar nickname for Nia.
However, Nia noticed, and a faint blush spread across her face.
Nini?
He's calling me "Nini"?
We've just met!
She furrowed her brows, replying politely,
"I didn't expect you to be such a genius, Evan. Looks like I won't have to bother the teachers with any difficult problems anymore."
"Of course, anytime."
Noticing the slight awkwardness in Nia's tone, Evan's smile widened.
"If you ever need anything, I'll always be here. Your concerns are my priority."
Of course, he didn't say that last part aloud.
This was, after all, the first time she was meeting him.
"Ugh, enough already,"
Romy muttered under her breath, glancing between Evan and Nia.
"Too cheesy, I've got goosebumps."
Her voice wasn't loud, but both Evan and Nia heard it clearly.
Nia shot Romy a look.
"Say it again."
"It was just a joke, just a joke…"
"Not again."
Her tone was soft but left no room for refusal.
"Fine, fine, Miss Nia."
Romy rolled her eyes.
With Nia, she had no room to argue.
As for Evan, he smiled slightly, aware of the situation.
He was working hard to keep his feelings in check.
Patience was key.
After all…
This time, he wasn't going to let her slip away.