Chapter 72

Chapter 72 Final Exam

Wang Sinan nodded, somewhat moved. “That boss was really nice to me, wasn’t he? That girl has had it tough too. I heard the original boss was a troublemaker who got arrested in a gang fight, then his wife divorced him and even left their child with him. Rumor has it the child lived with the grandmother, but before the boss could get out, the grandmother passed away. The girl was shuffled between various relatives’ homes, living kind of like a dependent. She became quite introverted and rarely spoke. Later, when the boss got out, he took his daughter back and opened a barbecue joint. Business was booming, and life improved, but after so many years apart, father and daughter barely talked. It wasn’t until this incident happened, when the teacher contacted the parents, that the boss learned his daughter was being bullied. After hearing the whole story, he was really grateful to us.”

Chen Ciyi came back after taking the call. Wang Sinan was discussing the matter with Xu Yannuo. Seeing Chen Ciyi, Xu Yannuo suddenly felt a little guilty. The last time she had asked him, he hadn’t answered, and now she was turning to ask his friend about it. No matter how she looked at it, it seemed like she either didn’t trust him or was prying into someone else’s privacy.

But Chen Ciyi’s expression didn’t show any change, nor any obvious displeasure. Still, Xu Yannuo whispered an apology just in case. After all, with her deskmate’s acting skills rivaling an Oscar-winning actor, he might already be upset internally—just saving face for her in front of the crowd and not making a scene.

Chen Ciyi paused, looking at Xu Yannuo. “Apologize for what?”

“Earlier, I couldn’t resist asking about the barbecue shop owner again…” She hesitated, glancing at Chen Ciyi. “Last time I asked you, but you didn’t answer, and I…” still wanted to know.

Chen Ciyi immediately recalled that she had indeed asked him before, but he had dodged the topic. He smiled, cutting off her guilty rambling. “It wasn’t intentional. The barbecue shop was crowded, and most of the diners nearby were students from No. 2 High. Talking about the owner would’ve brought up his daughter, which wouldn’t have been good for her reputation. She’s already introverted, with few friends. Back when she was bullied, no one even stood up for her. We happened to see it that time, but I doubt it was the only instance. So I changed the subject that day, thinking it’s better not to stir up unnecessary trouble for her—what’s past is past.”

After saying this, he looked at Xu Yannuo, “You don’t need to ask others for anything in the future.” Then, the corners of his lips lifted as he leaned in a little closer, “You can ask me privately.”

Across from them, Wang Sinan and Zhang Zhao watched the two of them chatting as if no one else was around, and their usually talkative leader explaining things to a girl—and a girl of all people—leaving them both slightly stunned and unable to snap out of it.

Being talkative and explaining things in detail was not Chen Ciyi’s style, especially when it came to a girl!

It wasn’t until Chen Ciyi finished speaking with Xu Yannuo and turned to look at the two across from him that he frowned slightly, “What are you two looking at?”

They immediately averted their gaze and resumed eating and drinking as if nothing had happened. The scene just now was too spectacular—was it something you could watch without paying for a VIP membership? No, clearly not. Neither of them wanted to pay, and even less did they want to get beaten up. All they wanted was to play dumb.

After lunch, with nothing much to do in the afternoon, Xu Yannuo went back to class, while Chen Ciyi, Wang Sinan, and Zhang Zhao called Qi Yang to join them at the gym to play ball.

There’s less than half a month left until the final exams, and the previously lazy atmosphere in the class has started to change after the teacher repeatedly emphasized during lessons that a parent-teacher meeting would be held after the exams. More classmates are staying in the classroom during breaks, fewer are chatting or reading magazines during evening self-study sessions, and the noisy classroom environment that used to erupt whenever the teacher was absent has improved. Everyone is adopting the attitude that “a last-minute effort still counts,” working hard to ensure a happy summer vacation—one without beatings, extra tutoring, being grounded, or deductions from their allowance.

Chen Ciyi put down the workbook in his hand and looked at Xu Yannuo, who was still engrossed in a magazine. “Hey, desk mate.”

Xu Yannuo grunted in response, “Put it down!”

Chen Ciyi clicked his tongue. “Can’t you act more like a girl?”

“No, I’m your Brother Nuo.”

“Brother,” Chen Ci gestured towards the students in the front row who were studying hard even after class and not going out, and asked curiously, “Were they like this before the winter break exams too?”

Xu Yannuo glanced at the Korean drama illustrations and plot summaries in the magazine while sparing a moment to reply, “Winter break is even worse, especially with the New Year celebrations. Getting nagged by relatives is way more annoying.” Just as he finished reading that section, Xu Yannuo lifted his head from the magazine and looked at Chen Ciyi, “Why even ask? Didn’t your second high school do the same?”

“Not really. Actually, No. 2 High has always been like this—there’s no difference as exams approach. Everyone just sits there studying even after class, except for a very few who dash out as soon as class ends. It’s always been that way, exam or not.”

The final exams lasted two days in total. On the last day after the final subject ended, we returned to the classroom to rearrange the desks and chairs to their original positions, cleaned up the classroom, and then had our vacation while waiting for the parent-teacher meeting.

While heading back to the classroom, some students started comparing answers. Before they could finish comparing, it was already a mix of joy for some and sorrow for others. Xu Yannuo and Chen Ciyi remained calm and unaffected, without any particular thoughts. There were no special circumstances, and their grades wouldn’t change much either. They could already start planning their holiday activities.

Two days later, the results came out. The report cards had already been sent to the class group chat in advance by Sister Hua, giving everyone a heads-up. Those who needed to improve their behavior could start making amends at home to seek leniency, while those expecting rewards could also start thinking about what they wanted. The parent-teacher meeting was scheduled for the afternoon of the third day.

Once again, Chen Ciyi unsurprisingly topped the grade, crushing the second-place student with a significantly higher score. Xu Yannuo also performed decently, maintaining her usual above-average but unremarkable position—neither outstanding enough to draw praise nor poor enough to warrant criticism. Though, this was largely due to the generally low performance of others.

Soon after, the official holiday began. Xu Yannuo continued her part-time job as a training partner. When she wasn’t busy, she worked on her holiday assignments and occasionally previewed the next semester’s coursework. The rest of the time, while Cheng Yun was at work, she holed up in an internet café playing games. She didn’t even want to go home when Cheng Yun was there, let alone when she wasn’t.

During the entire vacation, she hardly stayed in touch with Chen Ciyi, as if the inseparable companionship of the past month had been nothing but a fleeting illusion, vanishing at the slightest disturbance—or as if it had never happened at all. Yet Xu Yannuo was so busy throughout the break that she didn’t even think of Chen Ciyi once.

As the start of the semester approached, Chen Ci gave her a phone call.