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Yu Xiaowen saw Xi Dinglan catching up with Wang Sasa and felt a pang of anxiety, worried that Wang Sasa might say something inappropriate. She quickly stepped forward to pull Xi Dinglan back and advised, “Forget it, it’s not worth making a fuss. It’s just that I’m not good enough for Wei Qi…”

Seeing her friend’s mood lift, Xi Dinglan instinctively began to comfort Yu Xiaowen, saying, “What nonsense are you talking about? There’s no such thing as not being good enough in a relationship. Even if there’s a mistake, it’s Wang Shasha and…” Suddenly realizing that Yu Xiaowen was actually dating Wei Qi, Xi Dinglan stopped herself from saying his name.

Yu Xiaowen forced a smile and said nothing. The two of them, holding hands, returned to the classroom. As soon as they entered, they were stopped by a familiar, oily voice.

“Xi Dinglan!”

Xi Dinglan grimaced in disgust at the sound. Turning around, she saw it was indeed the person she had expected.

Han Zhiyuan, notorious for his behavior, had started bothering students from other classes and even other grades since he couldn’t get any attention from the girls in his own class. Unlike Wei Qi, who went from one girl to another, Han Zhiyuan followed the principle of “casting a wide net and selecting the best,” pursuing several girls at once. Xi Dinglan was one of the unlucky ones.

“I told you before not to come here again, didn’t I?” Xi Dinglan snapped, but Han Zhiyuan was unfazed and grinned as he asked, “What’s wrong? Are you in a bad mood today?”

Xi Dinglan was taken aback by his unexpected sensitivity and realized that he was in the same class as Wang Sasa. She couldn’t be bothered to even show her displeasure. “Please don’t disturb me.”

Han Zhiyuan said, “Is it about Wang Shasha?”

Xi Dinglan froze, her face stiffening. “What did you say?”

Han Zhiyuan laughed and said, “Don’t you know how much attention she and Wei Qi get at school? Everyone knows about their little issues. Which of Wei Qi’s girlfriends hasn’t had trouble with Wang Shasha?”

Xi Dinglan genuinely didn’t know this, as she usually avoided participating in class gossip and considered herself different from those rich kids who got in through family connections. After Yu Xiaowen transferred, she had finally found a friend she could talk to.

Han Zhiyuan continued, “If you’re thinking of causing trouble with her, I’d advise you to save your effort.”

Xi Dinglan had not originally planned to continue bothering Wang Sasa, but Han Zhiyuan’s comment made her feel uneasy. She retorted, “What, are you afraid of her too?”

Han Zhiyuan was someone who cared about his image. He forced a smile and said, “How could that be? Who do you think I am? Afraid of her!?”

Xi Dinglan knew Han Zhiyuan was just talking big and rolled her eyes, ignoring him.

After Han Zhiyuan returned to the classroom, he pondered for a while and decided he couldn’t let his potential girlfriend think less of him. He turned his attention to Wang Sasa, who was pretending to read a book, and smirked. Everyone knew Wang Sasa hated studying, and after a month of pretending, with the monthly exam approaching, he wondered how long she could keep up the act.

Han Zhiyuan was convinced that Wang Sasa was as clueless as he was. He suspected she was cheating, given her perfect scores on quizzes. After all, her grandfather was one of the school’s board members; what couldn’t he do? But the monthly exam was different, much more rigorous than the quizzes. He doubted Wang Sasa could cheat in such an environment!

Noticing Han Zhiyuan’s gaze, Wang Sasa put down her book and nonchalantly glanced at him. “Do you need something?”

Han Zhiyuan was momentarily stunned. He had originally planned to back down but suddenly remembered his potential girlfriend and steeled himself. “Wang Shasha, you must have been cheating all this time, right?”

Han Zhiyuan decided to make a point, but he only dared to be petty. Given Wang Sasa’s abnormal exam results this past month and her previous poor performance, he was more convinced she must have been cheating. While he didn’t know why Wang Sasa was cheating, it didn’t stop him from exposing her true nature!

Wang Sasa and Han Zhiyuan were not too far apart, but not close either. Her earlier remark had already drawn the attention of nearby students, and now Han Zhiyuan’s words drew even more curious glances.

Wang Sasa raised an eyebrow. Her efforts over the past month were evident, but Han Zhiyuan refused to acknowledge her as a genius. Wang Sasa felt a bit helpless but realized that since she had moved from being a bottom-tier student to a top one, Han Zhiyuan’s discomfort was understandable.

However, understanding didn’t mean Wang Sasa had to accept Han Zhiyuan’s slanders. She decided to propose a challenge. “How about we compare our scores on the monthly exam?”

Han Zhiyuan was surprised. “…..Compare scores on the monthly exam?”

Wang Sasa replied, “Are you scared?”

Han Zhiyuan eyed her warily. “How do we compare?”

Wang Sasa thought for a moment. “We’ll compare the total scores. The loser has to be the winner’s lackey for a month.”

Han Zhiyuan instinctively imagined himself being bossed around and hesitated. “Well…”

Wang Sasa spread her hands. “So, you admit I didn’t cheat?”

Han Zhiyuan: “….”

Wang Sasa pressed on, “If you still have doubts, remember, your previous scores were fifty points higher than mine. Yet you still doubt me?”

Indeed, Wang Sasa was once the lowest-ranking student in the class, or even the whole grade!

Being a lackey for a month didn’t seem too bad, and he might even win!

Han Zhiyuan, feeling impulsive, agreed, “Alright, let’s do it!”

Seeing Han Zhiyuan fall into her trap, Wang Sasa smiled and turned to see Tan Yixuan watching her with an inscrutable expression. “You…”

Wang Sasa twirled a strand of her hair and smiled. “What? Have you realized I’m particularly clever and full of ideas?”

Tan Yixuan responded curtly, “Boring.”

Wang Sasa suddenly remembered that Tan Yixuan’s academic performance was quite good and decided to use this ‘competition’ as an opportunity to persuade Tan Yixuan to help her with some difficult problems, hoping to strengthen their relationship. She chose a few challenging questions and asked Tan Yixuan for help.

Tan Yixuan glanced at the questions. She believed Wang Sasa could solve them but chose to remain silent and not expose her.

After asking a few questions, Wang Sasa stopped when she felt she had gotten enough. It was fine not to understand one or two problems, but not understanding all of them would reveal her true level. This would contradict the image she had been building for herself. After finishing her homework, Wang Sasa read her book quietly and, after school, quickly packed up and left.

Wang Sasa was a day student, while Tan Yixuan was a boarder.

Wang Sasa decided to handle the paperwork for boarding this week. Transitioning from a day student to a boarder required informing the original owner’s parents. When she got home and hesitated about calling her parents, the doorbell rang. Opening the door, she found a well-dressed middle-aged couple.

Mother Wang was a strikingly beautiful woman, appearing elegant and reserved. However, upon seeing her daughter, she embraced Wang Sasa and affectionately said, “Darling, have you missed your mom?”

Feeling a bit awkward being embraced by a stranger, Wang Sasa was unsure.

Seeing her daughter’s expression, Mother Wang looked briefly disappointed.

Father Wang stepped in to ease the situation, “Stop talking at the door. Let’s go inside.”

Wang Sasa quickly freed herself from her mother’s embrace and walked into the living room.

Once they were seated, Wang Sasa didn’t wait for them to speak and directly mentioned her intention to board.

Just as she finished speaking, a melodious piano tune suddenly played. Looking down, she saw it was a call from Wei Qi.

The ringtone was a custom one, recorded from when the original owner visited Wei Qi’s home during middle school. Wang’s parents knew this well, so they prepared for their daughter to answer the call. However, Wang Sasa glanced at the screen, immediately rejected the call, and rolled her eyes, saying, “It’s nothing, just a scam call.”

Father Wang: “…”

Mother Wang: “…”

Father Wang and Mother Wang were taken aback. Had their daughter changed her ways or been somehow affected? How could she hang up on Wei Qi’s call? Before they could speak, the phone rang again. This time, the ringtone was different, clearly from someone else. Wang Sasa glanced at the phone again, her expression suddenly focused, and her smile appeared as she answered, “Tan Yixuan, I’m at home. What’s up?”

Who exactly is this Tan Yixuan?

Father Wang and Mother Wang exchanged glances, both thinking this question.

They listened to their daughter on the phone, appearing indifferent, but secretly tuned in.

Wang Sasa, oblivious, was taken aback when she heard Tan Yixuan’s soft yet indifferent voice asking if she had taken her Chinese workbook.

Wang Sasa replied, “Hold on a moment, let me check my bag.”

She went to her study, opened her bag, and indeed found Tan Yixuan’s workbook inside. It must have been accidentally put into her bag when she asked about the homework at lunch. Wang Sasa wasn’t doing it on purpose, so she was quite surprised to receive Tan Yixuan’s call. She said, “Don’t worry, I’ll take a taxi and deliver it to you.”

Tan Yixuan frowned and refused, “Forget it, I’ll just come early tomorrow to make up for it.” Tan Yixuan didn’t want to trouble Wang Sasa and, more importantly, wanted to maintain some distance from her. Lately, she had been paying too much attention to Wang Sasa, which wasn’t good for her.

Wang Sasa wasn’t about to waste such a good opportunity.

Sometimes, making friends requires a bit of persistence.

Although she wasn’t sure why Tan Yixuan was angry earlier, Wang Sasa guessed it was likely due to the troubles caused by the original owner. She decided to seize the moment and make her move. She said, “That won’t do, just wait a bit.” Before Tan Yixuan could respond, she hung up.

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