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In response to Zhuang Zi’ang’s question, Su Yudie didn’t answer directly.
She opened her beautiful almond-shaped eyes wide and stared into Zhuang Zi’ang’s eyes. “Come on, admit it; do you have a secret you’re hiding from me too?”
Zhuang Zi’ang felt a jolt of surprise and quickly averted his gaze.
Indeed, he had a monumental secret that he couldn’t share with Xiao Yudie.
He had no future.
Zhuang Zi’ang’s guilty expression made Su Yudie giggle uncontrollably.
“What are you afraid of? I’m not forcing you to say anything. Everyone has secrets; if you don’t want to share, then you don’t have to!”
Zhuang Zi’ang lifted his eyes and smiled, feeling relieved and grateful toward Xiao Yudie.
That’s right—everyone has secrets, and it’s not necessary to disclose them.
If she didn’t want to talk, he wouldn’t pressure her.
When she was ready to share, she would naturally tell him.
Even if “Su Yudie” was a false name, she was a real person, standing right before him.
That was enough as long as they cherished each other and enjoyed the moment.
The two continued to eat ice cream, chatting about random topics.
Xiao Yudie chattered away, sharing silly jokes she had come across somewhere.
True to her style, she would laugh so hard halfway through a joke that she could hardly catch her breath.
Zhuang Zi’ang quietly watched her, unable to help the smile that crept onto his lips.
This girl was mostly so optimistic and cheerful as if she had no worries.
Yet, she was also deeply emotional, crying for the death of a stray cat as if it were the end of the world, making one feel pity for her.
Being with her always allowed Zhuang Zi’ang to temporarily forget the pains of life.
She was like honey, but also like poison.
Suddenly, a few boys gathered around and sat down by the flowerbed.
“Zhuang Zi’ang, with exams coming up, how can you still be here enjoying ice cream with a girl?”
The speaker was Deng Haijun, from Class 15, who had consistently ranked first in academics.
Alongside him were top students from various classes.
However, because of Zhuang Zi’ang’s extraordinary presence, they could only alternate in taking the second spot in their exams.
Zhuang Zi’ang was like that overconfident character in a game, standing atop a mountain and shouting down.
“Keep it up, everyone! Aim for second place; good luck to you all!”
In the internal school exams, each was eager to surpass Zhuang Zi’ang and experience the feeling of being number one.
When they represented the school in competitions, they often worked as teammates, cooperating under Zhuang Zi’ang’s leadership to bring glory to their school.
Thus, their relationship had a mix of rivalry and camaraderie.
“Haijun, I heard you want to rank first in the grade?” Zhuang Zi’ang teased intentionally.
“Of course! Who among us doesn’t want to be number one?” Deng Haijun replied crossly.
Before every exam, they would be gearing up, determined to take Zhuang Zi’ang down a notch.
But when the results were announced, they all felt like defeated roosters.
This guy was just too extraordinary.
Zhuang Zi’ang thought for a moment and smiled, “Since we have a good relationship, how about I help you guys out this time and skip the exam tomorrow?”
“Skip the exam? You can really do that?” Deng Haijun was surprised.
“I’ve been a bit distracted lately and don’t want to take the exam,” Zhuang Zi’ang teased deliberately.
The top students exchanged glances, their expressions complex.
“With that tone, it sounds like you’re doing us a favor.”
“I want to defeat you fairly, not let you run away from the battle.”
“Honestly, I’ve never believed you are unbeatable. Before graduation, I’m definitely going to win against you at least once.”
…
There was a sense of mutual respect among these top students.
Recently, they had also heard that Zhuang Zi’ang seemed to be having some issues and had been absent from classes frequently.
So they made a point to come find him, hoping to motivate him to get back on track for a fair competition.
Su Yudie, who had been listening in, interjected, “Zhuang Zi’ang, are your grades really that good?”
Zhuang Zi’ang chuckled, “Actually, they’re not that great; I’m just benefiting from my peers’ presence.”
Deng Haijun and the others exchanged awkward glances. “Who do you think you’re talking about?”
Hitting someone is fine, but slapping their face?
Su Yudie gave Zhuang Zi’ang a playful tap on the shoulder. “Why would you skip the exam? You should study hard and crush them all!”
“Who are you to say that? Such big talk,” Deng Haijun shot a glance at Su Yudie.
As a top student, he was somewhat neurotic and couldn’t see past beauty; in his eyes, girls were just obstacles on the path of study.
Even someone as pretty as Su Yudie was merely a distraction.
Zhuang Zi’ang hanging out with girls clearly indicated he had gone astray.
In the past, Zhuang Zi’ang had been quite modest.
Every time he ranked first, he would tell them it was luck and encourage them to keep trying.
But now, it was time to liberate his true self.
He looked at Su Yudie. “Do you really want me to get first place?”
She nodded, “Of course.”
“If I get first place, can you promise me one thing?”
“If it’s not too excessive, I can consider it.”
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Zi’ang’s eyes gradually sharpened.
A smile crept onto his lips.
He stood up and glanced at Deng Haijun and the others sitting by the flowerbed.
“To be blunt, in my opinion, all of you here are nothing but a bunch of nonsense!”
His voice was strong and assertive, radiating confidence.
Upon hearing that, Xiao Yudie couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Deng Haijun and the others turned red in the face, wishing they could go over and tear Zhuang Zi’ang apart.
“Damn, you’re starting to look down on us!”
“I can’t let you off without pinning you down and rubbing your face in the ground; that won’t ease my anger!”
“Where’s my forty-meter-long knife? I’ll chop you up!”
…
Seeing their indignant expressions, Zhuang Zi’ang couldn’t help but laugh.
He patted Deng Haijun on the shoulder. “Aren’t you guys looking for a fair competition? I won’t go easy on you.”
Deng Haijun punched him lightly, “Don’t laugh too soon; I’ve been burning the midnight oil every day this month.”
Just then, the class bell rang.
Zhuang Zi’ang and Su Yudie headed upstairs, parting ways at the corner of the second floor.
“Big dummy, good luck!” she called out.
“You too,” he replied.
Deng Haijun and the others followed behind, hearing Su Yudie’s playful nickname for Zhuang Zi’ang, and fell silent again.
If he’s a big dummy, then what does that make us?
The last class of the afternoon ended, and because they needed to arrange the exam rooms, school let out a bit later than usual.
When Zhuang Zi’ang checked the time, it was already past 6:10.
He couldn’t help but text Xiao Yudie: “Have you gotten on the bus?”
Xiao Yudie quickly replied, “Yep, see you tomorrow.”
With nothing else to do, Zhuang Zi’ang decided to familiarize himself with the exam rooms.
Each classroom had 30 seats, and the names and student IDs of the examinees were posted in the upper right corner of the desks.
The school arranged the exam seating based on the strokes of the students’ surnames, so the students seated in front of and behind Zhuang Zi’ang also had the surname Zhuang.
Zhuang Zi’ang counted; “Zhuang” has six strokes, while “Su” has seven.
Su Yudie’s exam room should be relatively close to his.
He went to look in the back classrooms and quickly found the exam room for students with the surname Su.
After confirming from start to finish several times, he realized there was not a single student named Su Yudie.
Zhuang Zi’ang stood in the exam room, stunned for several minutes.
Since meeting Su Yudie, scenes from their time together replayed in his mind.
The inconsistencies piled up more and more.
Xiao Yudie, what exactly are you hiding from me?