Song Fu didn’t notice Zhu Chenxi’s headache. She was discussing with the System what to do next. ‘In this situation, should I notice the female lead’s secret crush?’
The System’s mechanical voice was filled with confusion too. [You have to notice it even if you don’t want to, otherwise the plot can’t continue. Or just pretend you noticed and follow the plot.]
‘Fine.’ Song Fu agreed reluctantly.
Zhu Chenxi caught a complex gaze full of disappointment that he wasn’t living up to expectations, which made her feel even more that her behavior had been inappropriate. As compensation, she picked up the camera and suggested proactively, “How about I take a photo of you two? I’m pretty good at photography.”
“Sure.” Before Song Fu could speak, Ci Ye agreed outright. He plopped a baseball cap from who-knows-where onto Song Fu’s head and flashed a bright, flamboyant smile at the lens.
With a click, Song Fu’s deskmate was left with nothing but utter speechlessness. Never mind why Song Fu was taking a photo with Ci Ye—to say nothing of that, wasn’t she, a living person standing right there, invisible? If they were taking one, it should be her and Song Fu!
“We want one too.”
Lu Qunwen raised his hand, too rushed to process the complicated situation. “Add me in.”
The group photo of the four was later developed and posted on the Photo Wall in one corner of the classroom. The duo photo of Song Fu and Ci Ye wasn’t. At the time, Ci Ye had volunteered to handle posting the photos. There were quite a few from the sports festival, and the Photo Wall had limited space, so they needed to select… Ci Ye kept that one for himself, placing it on the bedside table in his bedroom next to the little nightlight.
“Zhu Chenxi, after the monthly exam ends, where do you want to sit?” After two weekly tests, the classmates had a good sense of the new transfer student’s strength and wanted to gauge in advance how the seating changes might shake out.
Their class did rearrange seats every month by the rules, but it was just on paper. Everyone’s scores were relatively stable, and seats had become fixed. For example, Song Fu had always sat in the same spot. Real adjustments usually just swapped four or five people. But now with Zhu Chenxi joining, it was completely different.
“Me?” Zhu Chenxi hesitated, glancing sidelong at the red head nearby. “Haven’t decided.”
Her original plan when transferring was to stay desk neighbors with Ci Ye and help him improve. But with him having an ambiguous interest—or even girlfriend—she might just cause trouble by pushing that.
What if it led to some awkward misunderstandings…
Zhu Chenxi’s pen tip scribbled a messy black line on her paper, representing her inner conflict. “Maybe… with Song Fu?”
…
“What?!” The most shocked by this news was Song Fu’s current deskmate. She grabbed Song Fu’s arm. “How could that be.”
She didn’t even ask why Zhu Chenxi wanted to sit with Song Fu—that was perfectly reasonable; it’d be weirder if she didn’t. This spot was highly contested. “But if she gets first place, she’ll pick first and can’t choose her desk neighbor, right?”
As soon as she said it, her deskmate sucked in a cold breath, realizing her slip. “I didn’t mean you’d lose to her on the monthly exam.”
Song Fu frowned, blinking in total confusion—not at her deskmate’s words, but at the idea that Zhu Chenxi wanted to sit with her. Why?
As the most shocked person in the world, she couldn’t figure out why the female lead wasn’t following the plot.
This was supposed to be a sweet, ambiguous segment in the plot. After the male lead heroically saved the female lead, she gradually developed feelings for him. She came to Class A to make up for it—or help him—so when classmates asked about seating, she unhesitatingly said she wanted to stay with Ci Ye.
Ci Ye and the other classmates were surprised. Then, at the female lead’s suggestion, the homeroom teacher implemented study groups, deepening the leads’ bond… And afterward, the villainess chose to become the male lead’s nominal fiancée.
Song Fu sorted out the threads in her mind and turned to look at the culprit behind her confusion and bewilderment—
Zhu Chenxi was talking with Ci Ye, and their relationship didn’t seem bad at all.
It was time again to clean the classroom before exams—this was Zhu Chenxi’s first monthly exam since transferring, and it required a more thorough cleanup than the weekly ones. Things couldn’t just stay piled at the front and back of the classroom; they had to be moved to the racks outside, properly labeled. There were always people who lost books or notes after exams.
“Song Fu.”
Song Fu was in the hallway, squatting and sticking colored tape on her book spines. Hearing someone call her name, she looked up to see Lu Qunwen from Class B next door. “Hm?”
Lu Qunwen squatted down beside her, ears red as he looked at the sky, the ground—anywhere but her. “After the monthly exam, we get three days off, right? And that knowledge competition is coming up soon. I wanted to ask if you have plans. Want to go to the library with me?” He spoke quickly, like rehearsed lines, then fell silent waiting for her reply.
Song Fu didn’t stop taping. “Sure, just contact me then.”
Lu Qunwen let out a breath of relief and grinned. “Alright, I’m off. Don’t forget for this exam—let’s keep pushing together.”
“Mm, got it.” Song Fu smiled.
“Hey~” Full of teasing, classmates in the hallway exchanged knowing looks. From their reactions and words, they caught a whiff of pink romantic bubbles—especially Song Fu’s deskmate, whose grin stretched to the back of her head.
“There’s this really funny comedy movie out lately. Want to catch it together?”
Song Fu had to remind them, “We’re going to the library.”
“Uh-huh, got it~”
Song Fu figured from the tone they hadn’t gotten it at all.
Whatever. Once monthly exam results came out and she became Ci Ye’s fiancée, this wind-catching-shadow-chasing stuff wouldn’t matter. Right now, the priority was smoothly finishing the monthly exam!
For her first weekly exam after transferring, Zhu Chenxi had deliberately gotten questions wrong to take second. But the second time, she had genuinely beaten Song Fu. For this more official monthly exam, she still had to compete with the female lead!
[Host, do you really care about not getting first?] The System watched its host clench her fist in self-motivation and voiced the question.
‘If my first came from you giving me answers, I wouldn’t care at all. But it didn’t—it’s from my hard work. Comparing isn’t wrong, right?’ Song Fu puffed her cheeks. And even if she beat the female lead, she’d alter the answers anyway.
The monthly exam was at least official—nobody said it outright, but everyone cared a bit deep down. Those totally unbothered were probably all in the last exam room.
Proctoring the last room was a breeze: it was where each class’s bottom scorers gathered. Even if you let them cheat wide open, they’d probably be too lazy to flip open textbooks. Just for discipline, you had to watch for sleepers.
“You think the school-wide first and second dating is the same as us getting caught dating?” A boy with dyed yellow hair leaned on his desk, pondering seriously.
Another boy burst out laughing. “No way it’s the same. Their kind of dating is different from ours. Library dates? Those two little darlings from Class A and Class B together—if it doesn’t affect studies, their homeroom teachers might even say they make a good match.”
Ci Ye heard the whole conversation. He paused to process, then realized they meant Song Fu and that annoying Lu Qunwen.
The last room was full of bottom-feeders who didn’t track top rankings, so they didn’t know the school-wide first spot was unstable anymore. They discussed in all seriousness how two top students might date.
“They probably don’t even know how to kiss, right?”
“What’re you saying?” Ci Ye kicked the desk the boy leaned on. His thin eyelids drooped, near-black pupils icy cold, posture fully looking down.
The chatting boy felt a chill from those dark eyes, thinking he’d stolen someone’s spot. He forced a smile and backed off, only to get pressed. “Happy spouting nonsense, huh?”
Ci Ye enunciated each word.
…
This minor conflict ended only when the teacher arrived—a scuffle Song Fu never heard about. But Zhu Chenxi, in the same last room due to no prior monthly exam scores, witnessed the whole thing. She was even the one who yelled, “Teacher’s here.”
While checking for missing or blank pages on test papers, Zhu Chenxi mulled over these tangled relationships.
Were Song Fu and Ci Ye actually dating?
Or was her other half over in the next class?
Holiday after the monthly exam ended.
Song Fu got up early. She’d just finished watering the plants on the balcony when guests arrived at home.
Even Mother Song was surprised. “Little Ye up so early today? Eaten breakfast? Want some?”
Faced with the question, Ci Ye could only mumble, “I don’t sleep in every day.” His gaze fell on Song Fu beside him, sipping porridge.
Song Fu wore a grass-green dress down to her calves, paired with a sun-protective top. It made her already fair skin even more dazzling. Her light brown hair was braided then clipped up at the back, thick lashes lowered. She looked serene and pretty… but Song Fu was always pretty; this wasn’t elaborate.
Ci Ye concluded and quirked his lips slightly. “After breakfast, wanna go play with me?”
“Play what?”
“Racing. There’s a match soon.”
Song Fu rejected flatly, “I have plans at the library. Not going. And you—better not either.” Lest he crash again and end up in the hospital.
“Already planned, and you still ask…” Ci Ye muttered.
Song Fu finished her last spoonful of porridge. “Find something less dangerous to do, okay?”
“Got it.” Ci Ye agreed obediently, though it sounded listless. In a blink, he perked up again. “Can I go to the library with you then?”
Song Fu didn’t even think. “No.”