The bell for class rang. Having been thoroughly intimidated by the Class 17 homeroom teacher before, Zhu Yaya didn't dare linger and hurried away. When she left, Yan Heng was still sprawled across his desk, fast asleep.
Yan Heng’s daily workload was so heavy that, over time, it was bound to take a toll on his health.
Zhu Yaya’s brow furrowed slightly in concern.
Following the trend of other schools, Scott High School suddenly announced that there would be a placement exam on the second day of the new term. This unexpected move caught everyone off guard and sent the majority of the students into a panic.
Xu Baoying, who hadn't even finished her holiday homework, was crying rivers of tears. "Yaya, what am I going to do? I have this lifelong habit where I never bring my homework or textbooks when I go out to play. I did my research beforehand, and Scott never used to have placement exams! Why the sudden change this year? Ahhh! I’m doomed, I’m totally doomed!"
Zhu Yaya was perhaps the calmest student in the class, her expression serene. "It's just a placement exam. Isn't it something anyone with a brain can handle? You just have to put in a little effort."
Xu Baoying’s eyes turned red with fury as she shot a death glare at Zhu Yaya for her provocative remark.
Zhu Yaya gave a small shudder and slowly put some distance between herself and Xu Baoying.
No matter how much Xu Baoying wailed, the placement exam arrived as scheduled.
Xu Baoying wore the expression of someone headed for the gallows.
She told Zhu Yaya, "For this exam, I’ve prayed to God, Jesus, the Buddha, the Goddess of Mercy, and Allah. I even forwarded those lucky koi memes. I should... probably... maybe... be able to pass, right?"
Zhu Yaya was speechless. If you had time for all that, why didn't you just spend it studying?
During every session of the placement exam, Zhu Yaya was the first student in the tenth grade to walk out of the examination hall.
Every time she finished, she would head to the small garden below the teaching building and sit on a bench. And every time, she would see Yan Heng there. They sat side-by-side on that long bench.
Yan Heng must have been truly exhausted lately. During every break, he would lean back on the bench with his eyes closed. His head would bob up and down like a chicken pecking at grain. Occasionally, he would jerk awake, look at Zhu Yaya sitting next to him with a dazed expression, and then, overcome by drowsiness again, his head would start nodding once more.
Usually, Yan Heng carried an air of "I’m a badass, don’t mess with me," appearing cold and aloof. It was rare to see him like this.
It was... ahem, it was actually quite cute.
Watching Yan Heng "go fishing" as his head bobbed, Zhu Yaya couldn't help but stifle a giggle.
Eventually, seeing his head nodding so much, Zhu Yaya couldn't bear it anymore. She cautiously shifted her shoulder toward him and, with one hand, gently guided his wandering head to rest upon it.
Yan Heng’s head rested obediently on her shoulder, no longer bobbing like a pecking chicken.
Zhu Yaya stole a glance at him from the corner of her eye. Seeing that his eyes were still tightly shut, she let out a silent sigh of relief. Her nervousness faded, replaced by an indescribable sweetness in her heart.
She looked toward the nearby bare branches, noticing the faint, almost imperceptible hints of green beginning to sprout.
Spring was almost here...
Because of this, she failed to notice that the tips of Yan Heng's ears, as he leaned against her shoulder, had turned a deep shade of crimson.
It wasn't until the next exam was about to begin that Zhu Yaya finally woke him up.
During the final exam, Zhu Yaya noticed a few discrepancies in the paper’s final, most challenging question. After checking her calculations several times, she concluded that the problem itself was flawed. She then proceeded to fill her answer sheet with her detailed reasoning, writing it all out in an expansive, confident flow.
