Evening self-study period.
Li Guangyuan gave each person a copy of the class materials.
“This is the course content for the next three days, so please look through it yourselves first.”
After getting the materials and flipping through them, many students secretly cried bitterly.
“So much in three days?!”
“Can we even finish this in time?”
“There are so many questions at the back…”
Li Guangyuan smiled and said, “These materials will be tested three days later in the evening self-study period, and your results for that test will be counted towards your final marks.”
Once these words came out, the room suddenly quieted down.
Many students immediately focused on studying the materials.
Ye Ci had also received her own copy.
She only flipped through two pages of the new material before she put it aside and looked at the paper she had previously been studying.
Although Li Guangyuan had already gone through it, Ye Ci had not finished studying it.
Li Guangyuan had skipped some topics, and he had only given the final answer without the steps for some other questions.
Ye Ci looked at the paper and felt an oncoming headache.
Li Guangyuan looked at her and saw that Ye Ci was still studying the previous paper, so he could guess her current situation.
He secretly shook his head.
Based on Ye Ci’s current progress, she would never be able to keep up.
Not to mention, she was already the worst-performing student in the earlier test.
After some thought, Li Guangyuan walked to Ning Li and gently knocked on her desk. He lowered his voice and said, “Ning Li, where’s your test paper from this morning? Could you lend it to Ye Ci?”
Ning Li glanced to the front.
Ye Ci had been in her seat since the afternoon class had ended.
She had not asked anyone for their papers as a reference.
Although Li Guangyuan had doubts about Ye Ci’s grades, everything was still undecided and Ye Ci was still a student in the winter camp, so he still had a duty to take care of her.
Ning Li nodded and handed her paper to him.
Li Guangyuan admired Ning Li even more for this.
He had seen many smart students, but not everyone would be willing to share their papers with others, especially in this training where everyone was considered a rival.
Li Guangyuan had heard that someone had asked Ning Li for her paper as a reference this afternoon, and she had lent it to them.
This was a very rare attitude in this competitive environment.
…
Ye Ci was staring at her own paper in a daze when she suddenly felt something next to her.
She was stunned and saw another person’s paper.
The handwriting was neat, tidy, and beautiful.
“This is Ning Li’s. You should refer to it,” Li Guangyuan said.
Ye Ci instantly understood what was going on. Her lips were slightly pursed.
“Thank you, Mr. Li.”
Li Guangyuan shook his head and turned to go to the podium.
Ye Ci once again looked at the paper.
Name: Ning Li.
Total score: 150.
The full score that was written in bright red ink and Ning Li’s name stung Ye Ci’s eyes to the core.
The two papers next to each other created a stark contrast.
There had never been a moment that so frankly and blatantly showed the large gap between them.
…
Ning Li sat in the last row, casually looking over the new materials.
She looked ahead.
Li Guangyuan had left after handing her paper to Ye Ci.
Although Ning Li could only see Ye Ci’s back, she could still see her stiffness.
A few people next to Ning Li also seemed to have noticed this and looked at Ye Ci with various different expressions.
Ye Ci only lowered her head and transcribed the solutions.
Ning Li had one hand on her cheek as she raised her eyebrows slightly and turned another page.
Without tutoring and exhaustively explaining the solutions step by step to Ye Ci like she had done in her previous life, Ning Li had a lot more free time.
Ning Li glanced at the wall and inadvertently saw a familiar name.
She was startled and focused her gaze.
Someone had written a sentence on the white wall with a ballpoint pen.
[I like someone called Lu Huaiyu.]
The handwriting was neat and straight, and it was easy to tell that it had been written by a girl.
There was also a date underneath, but it had not been signed.
It had been written a few years ago.
Further below, there were a few other sentences as well.
[I like him too!]
[Me too.]
[Me too!!]
[I like him too…]
The handwriting for all of them was different, with different thicknesses, colors, and strokes, so they were obviously written by different people.
However, they were all saying the same thing.
Ning Li stared at it for a while before she withdrew her gaze.
Her thoughts drifted a little far away and she spun the pen between her fingers unconsciously.
At one point, she stopped spinning the pen. The tip of her pen landed on the paper as she wrote one letter.
I.
Ning Li paused, looked at the letter, then turned the page.
A moment later, she flipped back to that page and folded down a small corner on that page.
…
It was 10:00 pm when the evening study period ended.
Li Guangyuan returned everyone’s phone and left.
The students packed up their things and went back to the dorms.
Cao Jingxuan came next to Ye Ci and handed over a bag.
“Ye Ci, I noticed that you haven’t eaten dinner, so I brought you some bread and cookies. Please have some!”
Cao Jingxuan sounded as if she did not have any prejudice against Ye Ci for having the worst score in the test today. She was still generous and friendly.
Ye Ci smiled at her. “Jingxuan, thank you, but I don’t have an appetite…”
“You still have to eat though! Our course is very intense, so you need some food for your brain.”
Cao Jingxuan insisted on giving it to Ye Ci.
Ye Ci could not refuse, so she had to take it.
“Thanks.”
However, just as Ye Ci touched the bag, a mocking voice came from the side.
“She probably doesn’t have much use for her brain though, right?”
Ye Ci’s expression stiffened and she was incredibly embarrassed.
She did not know if she should still accept the bag with the snacks or throw it away.
Cao Jingxuan looked at the girl who spoke and frowned slightly. “We’re all classmates. Why do you have to say such harsh things?”
The girl who spoke mockingly was sitting next to Ye Ci.
She was ranked 15th. She was not the best, but she was still much better than Ye Ci.
Obviously, she looked down on Ye Ci.
“I’m just telling the truth, am I not?” The girl shrugged. “She didn’t write three-quarters of that paper, which means she didn’t use her brain at all, so food probably won’t do her brain any good.”
“You…”
Cao Jingxuan was about to retort when she was pulled back by Ye Ci.
Ye Ci lowered her head and her lips were pale.
“Forget it. Let’s go back.”
Before, Ye Ci would not have endured this, but she no longer had the confidence after going through that paper that was now in her backpack.
After all, this was not Yunzhou.
Cao Jingxuan turned to the girl and said, “Anyone can fail an exam. Can you guarantee that you’ll do well every time?”
That girl laughed. “Even if I don’t do well, at least I know that I won’t get 41 out of 150 marks!”
Dead silence.
There were still quite a lot of people around them that looked over, but no one said anything.
Ye Ci whispered.
“Let’s go.” She then lowered her head and hurriedly left.
Cao Jingxuan looked behind her and saw Ning Li packing her backpack as if she had not even noticed the situation over here.
She turned around and followed after Ye Ci.
When they got to the stairs, Cao Jingxuan could not help but ask, “Ye Ci, isn’t Ning Li your sister? Why is she just watching silently when someone else bullied you?”
