Ye Ci turned to Ning Li for a quick glance.
Ning Li had placed her pencil case on top of the paper above some books.
Compared to other people’s desks, which were filled with books, Ning Li’s desk was clean and tidy.
On her desk were mostly textbooks. She barely had extra study materials and definitely no notes. The only extra papers were the mock test papers she had gotten that day.
She would finish all the mock test papers the day she received them and had never procrastinated until the next day.
Of course, the definition of ‘finishing’ was different in Ning Li’s case.
She rarely did papers with basic questions and would only do selected questions if the paper was a little too difficult. If the teacher did not require her to show the steps, she would just write the answer.
The teachers doted on her a lot, so they tended to shut their eyes at her answering method.
After all, the placement of the monthly test was still on display at the notice board downstairs.
Ye Ci hesitated for a while and eventually took the paper out from her desk.
…
A minute before the class ended, Ning Li finished answering the last question, and she then put the cap back onto her pen.
“59, 58, 57,…”
Lin Zhouyang was staring at his watch. One of his legs was already stepping out of his seat and his eyes were staring at the door as though he was trying to spring out like a leopard.
Ren Qian kicked his chair. “What are you doing?”
“There’s sweet and sour pork ribs today at the cafeteria! If you are late, you won’t get any!” Lin Zhouyang said in an annoyed tone.
“I didn’t get any last week! This week, the sweet and sour pork ribs are mine!”
“Can your brain think of something else for once?” Ren Qian rolled his eyes and sighed.
“You know nothing! The stall’s sweet and sour pork ribs are the best I have ever eaten! On the contrary, you and Brother Pei don’t even look forward to having a good meal. Something must be wrong with your brains!” Lin Zhouyang did not see anything wrong with his anticipation.
Ren Qian nodded. “Good idea. I would like you to help me and Brother Pei raise our standards, so can you please get two sets of sweet and sour pork ribs for us later?”
Lin Zhouyang was shocked and confused.
“I think he’s right,” He Xiaochen said softly.
“Ning Li, have you tried it before? It’s really delicious.”
He Xiaochen usually skipped the rush hour during lunch just to save time, so since she was praising the sweet and sour pork ribs, it must be something else.
“Hey! Lin Zhouyang, can you get me one set as well?”
Lin Zhouyang glanced at He Xiaochen bitterly. The girl reminded him of his lousy English scores, so he sourly signed an ‘OK’ with his hand.
He Xiaochen looked at Ning Li. “Ning Li, do you want to have lunch together?”
Ning Li kept the papers away. “I have to send the papers back to Mr. Zhou. You guys go ahead.”
“Come on. It won’t take long. We can just ask Lin Zhouyang to get another set!”
It was just another set of meals, so whether it was two sets, three, or even four extra sets, it did not matter.
He Xiaochen looked at Ning Li with utmost enthusiasm.
A quick thought later, she agreed. “Okay.”
He Xiaochen quickly glanced at Lin Zhouyang. “One more set for Ning Li!”
Lin Zhouyang was more confused than ever. Somehow, he felt like he had become the class coolie.
Ring!
Before Lin Zhouyang could say a word, he reflexively dashed out of the classroom the moment he heard the bell.
“Here I come! Sweet and sour pork ribs!”
Everyone else was silenced by his passion for the dish.
He Xiaochen looked pleased. “It seems like we will be having sweet and sour pork ribs today.”
Ning Li took out another book while holding the papers in her hand.
It was then that Pei Song got up. “You can give me your papers. I’m going to the teacher’s office, and I’ll be passing by the Physics department.”
Ning Li shook her head. She pointed at the book that she had taken out. “It’s okay. I still have to return this book.”
Because she had gotten the book from Zhou Fei, it would be better for her to return it herself.
Pei Song glanced over at the cover of the book. He had seen the book on Zhou Fei’s table before. It was an original version in English and was about astrophysics.
Ning Li also had a glance at Pei Song’s papers. He seemed to have finished them as well. In his other hand was a survey statistics paper, which he had to deliver to the teacher’s office.
Pei Song pulled the zip of his jersey up and said, “Then, let’s go together.”
…
The moment the bell rang, the whole academic building was filled with students shuffling around.
Ning Li was walking with Pei Song, and their combined presence caught a lot of attention.
The two of them had earned the first and the second place respectively in the monthly test, and coupled with their astounding looks, it was difficult for them to lay low. They turned heads wherever they went.
In the corner, Duan Xu and several of his friends saw the couple from afar, and one of his friends jostled him with his elbow. “Hey, Duan Xu, isn’t that Ning Li? Why is she with Pei Song?”
“How would I know? Wait, what does it have to do with me?” Duan Xu said.
His friends looked at him with ridiculing gazes.
“I thought you liked Ning Li. But Pei Song is really a great guy. He’s only 6 points behind Ning Li. You, on the other hand, are like heaven and earth compared to her. I suggest you give up.”
Duan Xu slapped the guy jokingly. “What are you talking about?! Ms. Genius there is my lifesaver! How can I think of her like that?”
“Really? That’s what everyone is talking about—”
Duan Xu said bitterly, “Wait, what is with you guys? She’s the top genius of our school! She’s way out of my league!”
His friends looked at one another puzzledly before one of them said, “Yeah, she’s out of your league, but you can still hope!”
Duan Xu jumped on the guy. “Shut up! Or I’ll shut you up myself!”
…
In the Physics department, other than Zhou Fei, two other Physics teachers were present as well.
However, the two teachers were marking papers and going through the students’ homework whilst Zhou Fei was playing games on his phone.
“Mr. Zhou.”
Zhou Fei looked up excitedly when he heard his name called.
“Hey! Ning Li, Pei Song, why are you guys here together?”
He saw the papers in their hands and immediately knew why they had come. “Huh? You guys are done? Okay, put the papers down. I’ll look at them later.”
Then, Pei Song put the paper down and walked away.
“Mr. Zhou, I’m done reading this book.” Ning Li passed him the book.
Zhou Fei’s fingers were dancing on the screen of his phone, and he had a side glance at the book. He said in sheer disgust, “No, no! I don’t want it!”
Ning Li’s hand froze halfway. The book had not even touched the table when things became awkward for her. “You really don’t want it back?”
“I really, really don’t want it!”
The book reminded Zhou Fei of Lu Huaiyu and how the man had tortured and insulted his intellect. Therefore, the book was an eyesore and also a pain in the heart for him.
He waved at Ning Li. “This belongs to Lu Huaiyu. Just give it back to him when you see him.”
Ning Li kept the book. “Okay, I’ll…be going then.”
Suddenly, Zhou Fei thought of something. “Oh, regarding the question about the ferrofluid I gave you in class the other day, he did it for you, am I right?”
Pei Song, who was at the exit of the office, paused and froze all of a sudden.
Ning Li’s voice confirmed it behind his back.
“Yeah.”
“I knew it!” Zhou Fei grunted.
“Aside from my prestigious first place, which he snatched away from me during our school days, he’s trying to snatch my student now? That b*stard!” How very low of him!
“Ning Li, you’d better stop asking him to help you with your homework, get it?”
Those who did not know might assume Zhou Fei was incapable of teaching his own student.
Ning Li finally understood why Zhou Fei had been behaving strangely recently. She held her laughter back and said, “Mr. Zhou, it was just a coincidence. I was with my second brother the other day, and he simply did it for me.”
Zhou Fei got angrier. “So, you skipped my class because of him?”
Pei Song then walked out of the office.
