Wan Da didn't even give them a chance to speak, repeating over and over, "Please wake up," as he ran back to his seat.

Xie Yu stood at the door, feeling a bit conflicted: "...We're very awake."

He Chao maintained the same posture as before, hooking his arm around Xie Yu's neck. Wan Da's behavior had left him stunned. "...We really are awake," he said.

After He Chao spoke, he shouted at Wan Da's back, "Don't doubt us, it's just a perfect score."

This statement not only caused Wan Da to collapse, but also made Liu Cunhao want to slap them both in the face with his English vocabulary book. "What do you mean, 'don't doubt us'? There's no trust between us! If you can get a perfect score, I'll eat my midterm exam!"

"..."

The morning bell rang, and the noisy voices of each class gradually quieted down.

The English teacher walked out of the office with her textbook in hand and saw two people standing at the entrance of Class 3 from halfway down the hallway. "What are you two doing standing at the door? Hurry up and go back to your seats. Don't you know it's time for class?"

Xie Yu let out a sigh and didn't bother to dwell on the topic any longer. He walked to the back row and dragged a chair out.

"Class 3 has a great learning atmosphere today," the English teacher felt the unusual vibe as soon as she entered the classroom. She leaned over the computer to adjust the listening files. "You're studying vocabulary so seriously. Do you feel the pressure of the mid-term exam?"

The English teacher turned up the volume and continued, "You don't have to be so nervous. Approach this mid-term exam with a calm mind and adjust your attitude..."

She wouldn't imagine that the students in Class 3 were only competing with Class 4 next door, determined to win them.

Xie Yu followed along and completed a set of listening comprehension questions.

In order to catch the bus, he had woken up at five in the morning. After listening to just two questions, he began to feel drowsy. Eventually, he slumped over the desk, his fingers barely holding onto the pen as he wrote increasingly sloppy English letters.

He Chao turned his head and saw the little friend with half-closed eyes, looking tired and sleepy. Xie Yu was quick to finish the questions. Before the teacher could even finish asking a question, he had already accurately marked the answer.

As Xie Yu scribbled away, he pondered to himself. He knew he had given himself some leeway since starting school, occasionally solving a tricky problem halfway through and surprising his teachers: "Look at this question, didn't you come up with this line of thinking? If only you had studied the formulas better, you wouldn't have gotten stuck at the beginning..."

But to his surprise, these carefully crafted little surprises left no impression on his classmates or teachers.

"Do you have any extra pens?" He Chao asked.

"What about your own pen?"

"I'm used to...not bringing it."

After pretending for so long, the consequence of being too skilled at his act was that Xie Yu searched through his desk but couldn't find a second pen, still as poor as ever.

The two of them sat in silence, staring at each other for a while: "..."

Xie Yu withdrew his gaze and poked the shoulder of the person in front of him with his pen, wanting to ask if there were any spare pens. However, this brother, who usually treated them with utmost respect, seemed to have a bit of an attitude today.

Although they had been sitting in front and back for such a long time, these two people in the front row still had an inexplicable sense of awe towards the back row. At first, it was because they were intimidated by the reputation of the school big shots, but later it was because they were afraid of these two people's stickiness with each other.

Enough was enough, no more.

After poking him, Xie Yu's front row brother didn't even turn his head and said, "Bro, don't disturb me while I'm doing the listening exercise. It's a critical moment for our class's survival, and I can't be distracted."

Xie Yu pressed his forehead and completely lost hope in these people.

The English teacher was surprisingly pleased with the chaotic learning environment of Class 3. As they packed up their things and prepared to leave, the teacher smiled and said, "Whether you're possessed or not, I hope Class 3 can continue to maintain this state..."

During the entire break, the classroom of Class 3 was quiet except for some students whispering and discussing the topics.

Several students were lined up in front of the desk of the Class 3 study representative, seeking help like they were visiting a doctor.

Xue Xisheng calmly adjusted his glasses and helped Wan Da solve a three-dimensional geometry problem with a pen in his hand. He then said, "Next."

Xu Qingqing respectfully approached and placed her chemistry workbook on Xue Xisheng's desk, saying, "Teacher Xue, on page 68, question three, could you please give me some guidance?"

As they waited in line, Luo Wenqiang stood behind Xu Qingqing and used the time to memorize a few more math formulas.

Xie Yu's idea was simple: since no one would believe them anyway, there was no point in wasting words. They could just let their exam scores do the talking.

However, He Chao refused to give up. He looked particularly relaxed, with his legs crossed and a carefree expression on his face. He raised his hand and called out to Luo Wenqiang, "Hey, sports committee rep."

Luo Wenqiang looked up and asked, "Huh?"

"If there's a question you don't know," He Chao said, "I can teach you."

Luo Wenqiang thought it was something else and was caught off guard. He felt like he couldn't breathe for a moment.

As he tried to catch his breath, He Chao added, "If you don't believe me, give me the question and I'll solve it for you."

Luo Wenqiang: "..."

Xie Yu tugged at He Chao's sleeve, sensing that Luo Wenqiang would have some kind of reaction, and warned, "Forget it."

He Chao whispered, "I think I can still try to save this."

Xie Yu replied, "...If you keep talking, I'm not sure who's the one who needs to be saved."

Luo Wenqiang did feel like he needed an ambulance right now.

His mind exploded like a bomb, one after another: What the hell are you doing?!

Get lost!

Ah!

Finally, Luo Wenqiang took a deep breath and politely declined, "Brother Chao, you see, my time is very precious right now. I can't waste a single second. Do you understand what I mean?"

He Chao said, "Why don't you trust me, Qiangqiang? Can't we give each other a chance?"

In response, Luo Wenqiang decisively turned and walked away.

As Luo Wenqiang walked away, his steps were unsteady and he seemed lost in a dream: Who am I? Where am I?

Luo Wenqiang's reaction was too intense, and the scene was vivid. Xie Yu couldn't help but laugh and let go of He Chao's sleeve, leaning to the side.

"..." He Chao ran his hand through his hair, no longer having the urge to "save" Luo Wenqiang. He didn't know what to say. "Is it really that hard for them to learn to trust?"

Xie Yu said, "Brother, I think you should learn to let go."

Next to the blackboard in Class 3, there was a countdown to the midterm exam, making the whole class even more nervous.

Old Tang had wanted to advise them to put down their textbooks and go for a walk several times. "Work and rest should be balanced. Even in studying, you need to take breaks. You guys are so focused on studying that you don't even want to attend physical education classes. Why go so far?"

However, the students in Class 3 had willpower as strong as steel, and no matter how much Old Tang tried to persuade them, he couldn't change their minds.

On the day of the mid-term exam, aside from the announcement from the Mad Dog on the loudspeaker to "arrange the seating in the exam room and go to your designated room in half an hour," the only sound was the dragging of chairs and tables.

After two weeks of intense studying, everyone in Class 3 looked exhausted.

Liu Cunhao wiped away the "1" on the blackboard with a cloth, and then solemnly wrote a "0" behind the countdown.

"Everyone, hold steady," Liu Cunhao's eyes were circled with dark circles from staying up late for two weeks, although tired, his eyes shone with determination, "we can win."

Xie Yu dragged the chairs and tables, feeling that their situation was not like a desperate battle, but more like passengers on a broken boat about to be engulfed by a flood, frantically paddling before their inevitable demise.

......

Although Xie Yu and He Chao had shown some improvement in the previous two exams, they still couldn't escape the fate of going to the last exam room.

The hallway was packed with people, all rushing to change exam rooms, making it impossible to move.

"Last time you said you'll get first place," He Chao stopped at the staircase for half a minute and glanced at Xie Yu. "Let's compete?"

For the first Chinese exam, Xie Yu brought two pens and nothing else, not even an eraser. He didn't even consider the possibility of making mistakes on the answer sheet.

"Sure," Xie Yu replied before lowering his head to check his phone. When he looked up again, Liang Hui and a few others had just walked out of the restroom.

Liang Hui had dyed his hair at some point, and a few strands of red stood out prominently at the corners of his temples. He reeked of smoke and had a dull look in his eyes, with his hands casually stuffed in his pockets.

The broadcast speakers kept repeating a few reminders.

Two groups of people looked at each other, but in the end, no one paid attention to anyone else.

"Please go to your designated exam room. Please go to your designated exam room. The exam will begin in ten minutes. Please be on time."

"The first exam subject is Chinese."

"There are still ten minutes left until the exam begins."

This mid-term exam was jointly created by several high schools in City A, and the difficulty level was higher than in previous years.

Even before the exam began, some underachieving students had already gathered and fallen asleep. When the invigilator entered the classroom, some were even snoring loudly.

The slow and prolonged snores suddenly made the invigilator stop in his tracks.

The invigilator was a stranger, and he clearly had some opinions about this exam room. As he counted the exam papers, he frowned and glanced at the students below the stage, muttering to himself, "..."

In the room, there were all sorts of students, including a few bold ones who thought they could hide and play with their phones.

They were the epitome of being out of place and having poor grades in this exam room.

As the tense exam bell rang, the invigilator handed out the test papers group by group, passing them from the front to the back.

The snoring guy was finally awakened by the bell, wiping his mouth and reluctantly opening his eyes.

There was absolutely no exam atmosphere in this exam room that could make people nervous.

However, Xie Yu felt a bit dry in his throat.

As soon as he received the test paper, he pressed it against his elbow and started writing his name, while passing the remaining papers to the back with his other hand.

He had only written two strokes of the character "Xie" when He Chao reached out and took the test paper from Xie Yu's hand.