Chapter 20

"So confident?" Yi Tianyu was shocked.

Xuejiao ignored him and continued reading.

Yi Tianyu banged his head on the desk, flipped open his book, and muttered after a moment, "Ugh, what even is this?"

Xuejiao stopped writing, put her pen down, and said, "I'll help you with your studying."

"What?" Yi Tianyu was stunned.

He stared at her as if he had just heard something unbelievable. His mouth opened slightly. "You said you'll help me study?"

"Yes," Xuejiao nodded, her attitude serious.

Yi Tianyu stammered, "But—but—I don't know anything! The exam is in just two days…"

"You don't need to aim for high marks. Let's just improve a little," Xuejiao replied, tilting her head slightly, her eyes observing him carefully.

"Uh… yeah, okay…"

"Then let's start," she said firmly.

"Wait, what? I—uh—won't I slow you down?" Yi Tianyu asked, still trying to process the situation.

Xuejiao shook her head. "Even two days can be useful. Helping you review is also a form of studying for me."

Two days weren't enough to make a massive difference for the college entrance exam, but for a midterm in senior year, two days could cover a lot of material. The content of half a semester wasn't overwhelming, and with focused effort on key points, it was possible to make significant progress.

Xuejiao always kept her word. Since Yi Tianyu had helped her last time, she decided she needed to repay him. She saw this midterm exam as an opportunity to do so.

Xuejiao made the decision unilaterally.

"Let's start with math," she said. "I remember you almost passed math last time. Your foundation isn't bad, and you're smart. Look here—this page. The teacher spent an entire class on this example. The third and eighth questions in the exercises and these three problems in the workbook are all based on this type of question. I think it's very likely to appear on the test. Pay attention to this..."

As Xuejiao explained, she spoke fluently and confidently, pulling out one book after another and marking them with her pencil.

Yi Tianyu stared at her, his heart pounding.

"Hey, do you understand?" Xuejiao asked, looking at him.

"Y-yeah, I get it… I understand," Yi Tianyu replied, stumbling over his words.

He couldn't understand why Xuejiao was helping him. Although his monthly test scores last time weren't great, he at least passed all his subjects. He wasn't completely hopeless.

Xuejiao's initiative to tutor him felt like a sudden shock. Wasn't she always laser-focused on her studies?

Yi Tianyu, who usually ignored homework, suddenly found himself engaged. Though he didn't understand why, he felt inexplicably happy—happier than when he scored a win in basketball.

For the first time, Yi Tianyu didn't doze off in class. Instead, he carefully studied the key points Xuejiao had highlighted for him.

"Remember to stay up an extra half hour tonight," Xuejiao told him after their evening self-study session. "Write down these physics formulas and work through these two basic problems."

"Okay…" Yi Tianyu replied obediently.

He didn't know why he was so compliant. Even if he performed poorly on the exam, his father would just scold him and deduct some pocket money—nothing serious. He'd never taken tutoring seriously before and had always ignored the tutors his father hired for him.

But when Xuejiao explained things to him, he listened. And when she assigned homework, he completed it.

At the Yi family home that night, Yi's mother burst into the room, alarmed. "Old Yi! Old Yi!"

Yi Dafa, half-asleep, groaned in annoyance. "What is it? I just fell asleep! I'm so tired!"

Ignoring him, Yi's mother yanked the quilt off. "It's our son! Something big happened!"

Yi Dafa sat up instantly, his voice raised in panic. "What's wrong with that brat this time?"

Yi's mother quickly covered his mouth. "Shh! Keep your voice down! Our son is studying!"

"What?" Yi Dafa stared at her, dumbfounded.

Moments later, the two stood at the door to Yi Tianyu's room, peeking inside.

"Is he really studying?" Yi Dafa whispered, still in disbelief.

Yi's mother nodded furiously. "Yes! When I brought in his snack earlier, I saw it with my own eyes—he's reading a physics book!"

Yi Dafa's eyes widened in astonishment. "Are you sure that's our son?"

"Of course! If it weren't, I'd change him!" Yi's mother hissed.

"Not some extracurricular book, right?" Yi Dafa asked skeptically.

"No!" Yi's mother slapped his arm. "Stop doubting it. Now let's leave him alone to study."

The two parents tiptoed away quietly, not wanting to disrupt their son's newfound diligence.

Tuesday, in the classroom.

"Brother Yu, let's go play basketball! Huzi and the others already grabbed the court!" Xi Junyang leaned in and whispered to Yi Tianyu.

Although Yin Fang hadn't explicitly banned basketball, she'd made it clear she didn't want them wasting time. As a result, even Yi Tianyu and Xi Junyang, notorious for slacking off, had been discreet about playing.

Yi Tianyu hesitated for a moment before pushing Xi Junyang's hand off his shoulder. "Go play by yourself. Don't bother me."

Xi Junyang was stunned. "Brother Yu, are you studying?"

"Don't distract me!" Yi Tianyu snapped irritably.

"Are you serious?" Xi Junyang's jaw dropped. "What's gotten into you? Did your parents cut off your allowance?"

"Shut up and leave!" Yi Tianyu barked.

At that moment, Xuejiao returned to the classroom after dinner. She wore her school uniform, her hair tied up in a neat bun. Even without makeup, her face looked stunning.

"Monitor, I just saw Teacher Yin. She might…" Xuejiao trailed off with a smile, watching Xi Junyang's reaction.

"Ah! I'll head back to my seat now!" Xi Junyang exclaimed, bolting away.

Xuejiao sat down at her desk and pulled out her pencil. She leaned toward Yi Tianyu. "This example question was on the test last month. The teacher said the error rate was high, so it might show up again. Look at this—Coulomb's law is also a possibility…"

Her voice was calm and slightly cold, yet soothing.

Yi Tianyu's heart raced. His earlier irritation faded, replaced by a strange mix of calm and nervousness. He forgot about basketball entirely.

At this moment, he didn't care about playing. All he wanted was to understand Coulomb's law.

By Wednesday night, the desks had been rearranged into examination rows. Class 1 and Class 2 students shared the room. Xuejiao and Yi Tianyu stored their books in the cabinets at the back of the room.

As they packed up, Yi Tianyu casually asked, "Which exam room are you in?"

"Room 13," Xuejiao replied.

"Oh… I'm in Room 30-something…" Yi Tianyu muttered, pretending to be indifferent.

"It'll go better this time," Xuejiao said softly.

"Yeah, I think so," Yi Tianyu agreed. "Thanks for all your help. I'll do my best this time—I won't let your effort go to waste."

Xuejiao smiled faintly, her calm confidence unwavering. "Good. Let's both do well this time."

Yi Tianyu's heart skipped a beat. Her smile reminded him of a childhood memory—the breathtaking sight of peach blossoms on a mountain, so beautiful it left a lasting impression.

Gu Shiyun entered the classroom just as Xuejiao walked out. Their eyes met briefly as Gu Shiyun nodded politely, her demeanor cool and confident. She took her seat near the window—the second seat in the row—befitting her rank as second in the grade.

Xuejiao glanced at her, feeling the quiet pride radiating from her.

Gu Shiyun's self-assurance wasn't like Cheng Mingjiao's immaturity. It was a subtle, natural arrogance that made others feel small in comparison.

Xuejiao paused at the door and turned back. Her gaze lingered on Gu Shiyun for a moment before moving on to the empty seat ahead.

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