Chapter 140 Unexpected Visitors

The same thing played out in Principal Wang Huairu's office at Yuqing High.

Wang Huairu picked up his cup of water and took a sip. In front of him stood three students: two boys and one girl. The three had something in common—they all wore glasses.

"This is the situation," Wang Huairu began, "you three are the most outstanding students in Yuqing's senior year. So, for this joint exam, you must give your all and show Zhenhua the strength of Yuqing, understood?"

"Understood!"

The three nodded, their expressions full of confidence.

...

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

To clear the venue for the joint exam, Zhenhua had arranged for the first and second-year students to have a holiday. The third-year students finished their exams and got a break on the weekend. This was a huge surprise for the third-year students.

It had been a semester and a half, and this was their first weekend off...

Friday, 6:00 AM.

The sun slowly rose from the east, the earth was still, and when the first ray of light pierced through the thin mist, a warm morning arrived.

Ye Fan loved morning runs. The morning, free from the noise, calmed his heart and mind.

After running around the neighborhood for half an hour, he returned home, took a cold shower, and began preparing lunch.

Just as he walked into the kitchen, Ye Fan realized something and muttered, "Today's the exam; Xiao Xi will probably go to the cafeteria for lunch."

Once he figured that out, he gave up on making lunch. Looking at the time—it was only 7:00 AM—he went to the living room and picked up a book from the couch to skim through.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang.

"They're here."

Ye Fan looked puzzled.

Who could be visiting him so early?

He walked to the door, opened it, and froze when he saw the person standing outside.

There stood a girl wearing a plain white sweatshirt. The loose-fitting clothes made her seem even more petite. Her clear, bright eyes curved into crescent shapes, exuding a gentle aura. Her long hair, usually flowing down her shoulders, was tied into a low ponytail, a rare sight. Her serene, elegant appearance was tinged with a touch of warmth, and the dimples on both cheeks added to her charm. A soft smile from her could melt everything.

It was Ning Xi.

Ye Fan rubbed his eyes in disbelief. "Xiao, Xiao Xi?"

"Mm-hmm."

Ning Xi blinked her eyes and smiled sweetly. "Aren't you going to welcome me?"

"No, no, no, please come in."

Ye Fan rubbed his hands together and quickly moved aside. He hadn't expected Ning Xi to come looking for him so early in the morning. After the shock, a feeling of joy followed.

Ning Xi's eyes glimmered with amusement. After entering, she sat down on the couch.

Ye Fan closed the door and turned back to meet her gaze. He smiled gently and asked, "Xiao Xi, why did you come looking for me so early?"

"When I first saw you, I thought I was dreaming," Ning Xi replied, taking off her backpack and placing the test she'd worked on last night on the coffee table. "Ye teacher, could you explain this question to me? I'm having trouble with the last big question on this test."

Her voice was soft and sweet as she explained, "Today is the joint exam with Yuqing. I'm afraid I'll encounter a similar question during the exam, so I came to consult with you. I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"Of course not."

Ye Fan shook his head, turned on the living room light, and walked over to sit beside Ning Xi. The faint fragrance in the air calmed him, and as he noticed Ning Xi's hair tied in a low ponytail, he squinted slightly. "Xiao Xi, why did you tie your hair up?"

"I…" Ning Xi hesitated, her face flushing slightly. "It's… nothing important. Let's talk about the question first."

Ye Fan's gaze flickered, but he didn't ask further.

The girl was shy, and he had a good idea of why.

Ye Fan picked up the test and skimmed through it. Eventually, his eyes landed on the last math question. He lowered his voice and said, "Stretch out your hand."

"Hmm?"

Ning Xi looked confused, not understanding Ye Fan's meaning.

"Stretch out your hand?"

Seeing the change in Ning Xi's expression, Ye Fan chuckled and said, "What are you thinking? I meant for you to hold the test paper closer to me. You're so far away, how am I supposed to explain it?"

"…Oh."

Ning Xi's cheeks flushed, and she quickly suppressed the various thoughts racing through her mind. She grabbed the corner of the test paper with her right hand.

Ye Fan leaned forward, almost pressing up against her. Their heads were so close, and before Ning Xi could pull away, Ye Fan spoke first, "Don't pull away. Listen carefully. I'll only explain it once. Whether you can understand it depends on you."

Ning Xi tried her best to ignore the warmth spreading through her face. She forced herself not to move away.

In the angle where she couldn't see, Ye Fan's lips curled up, and a triumphant smile flashed across his eyes.

"To solve a problem, you must first read the question carefully. Look at the second element given in this question, the coordinates of X and Y…"

Happy moments are always short, and warmth is the same.

Before they knew it, the time had already reached 7:40.

Ye Fan put the test paper away and placed it in Ning Xi's backpack. Seeing her still bent over, working through the problem, he reminded her, "It's time to go to school."

"Mm."

Ning Xi nodded slightly and looked up at Ye Fan. "Thank you, I think I've almost got it."

"Should be."

Ye Fan picked up Ning Xi's backpack, walked to the door to change his shoes, and Ning Xi obediently followed behind.

They walked downstairs side by side—

The soft morning light spread across the earth, telling the tale of early summer's elegance.

Upon reaching the school, according to yesterday's arrangement, the two arrived at Class 2's classroom. They walked in one after the other, immediately catching the attention of many.

The boys were sour, and so were the girls...

As they passed by Luo Yumeng and Su Ke, Ning Xi was called over by the two girls. Seeing Ye Fan stop with her, she quietly said, "You go to your seat first."

"Okay."

Ye Fan nodded, quickly scanning the two girls before stepping toward his seat.

Ning Xi sighed in relief, meeting the strange gazes of the two girls, her heart feeling a little guilty. She looked away and asked softly, "Why are you two looking at me like that?"

Luo Yumeng said, "You go to your seat first."

Su Ke added, "Right."

The two girls mimicked Ning Xi and Ye Fan's tone earlier, their eyes burning with gossip.

"Stop it!"

Ning Xi's face flushed slightly, and her charming appearance instantly attracted the gazes of many boys. Feeling these gazes, her brows furrowed. She turned slightly, showing them her back, and quietly asked, "Is there something going on or not?"

"If there's nothing, I'm going back to my seat. I still have a question to ask Ye Fan…"

"Tsk, tsk!"

Luo Yumeng rolled her eyes and said with a half-smile, "Xiao Xi, you really can't talk for three sentences without mentioning Ye Fan. I admit, Ye Fan is handsome, has a good personality, and excels academically; but you're not bad either. You're practically a goddess, so you should hold yourself to goddess standards. You can't just be easily 'conquered' like this!"

"I agree."

Su Ke, ever the drama lover, giggled and added, "But it looks like he's already conquered you. Didn't you see? You're already going to school together."

Luo Yumeng nodded seriously and chimed in, "Exactly, things are progressing a bit too quickly. Even we, your two close friends, didn't know about it. Not to mention, at least your secret-keeping skills are impressive, Miss Ning!"

The two girls teased in perfect sync, making it seem even more convincing.

Ning Xi stomped her foot and clenched her teeth in frustration, "You two troublemakers have nothing better to do, huh? Ye Fan and I are just good friends, nothing more!"

"Oooh, you're really getting flustered now."

Luo Yumeng hid behind Su Ke, "Xiao Xi, we didn't say you and Ye Fan are together. If you're innocent, then no one will accuse you. But with this attitude, you're just making it more suspicious…"

"Enough!"

Ning Xi shot Luo Yumeng a glare and swiped her hand at Su Ke's head, "Su Ke, you've been corrupted by Luo Yumeng. Get back to studying for the exam."

With that, she turned and walked away.

Su Ke: "…"

Clearly, Luo Yumeng was the mastermind, and she was just an accomplice.

Yet, why was she always the one who got hurt?

Unfair!

Back at her seat, Ning Xi had just put down her backpack when she noticed Ye Fan staring at her nonstop. Her face flushed with warmth. "What… What are you looking at me for?"

Ye Fan smiled casually and replied, "I'm preparing for the exam."

"What do you mean?" Ning Xi asked, confused.

"Looking at beautiful things makes your mood better. If I look at you more, I'll be in a good mood. When my mood is good, the exam will be a piece of cake."

"…"

Ning Xi was no match for Ye Fan's twisted logic. She clicked her tongue in annoyance and turned her head to look out the window.

Ye Fan poked Ning Xi's arm and whispered, "Xiao Xi, you should look at me more. I guarantee you'll be in a good mood."

Ning Xi froze for a few seconds before realizing the implication. Embarrassed and angry, she kicked Ye Fan under the table and said, "Can you… be a little more serious?"

"I am serious."

"…"

Ning Xi facepalmed and silently took out a piece of scratch paper to work through the math problem Ye Fan had explained earlier. Meanwhile, in her mind, she kept repeating a phrase.

Not listening, not listening, the turtle recites scriptures…

__________

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