Chapter 29

A man even puts hair gel on for you before going out, what the hell are you still dawdling for?

——Little Monster's Diary

The midterm exam seating arrangement was based on the results of the diagnostic test. Zhou Siyue and Ding Xian were seated one table apart, with him in front. Ding Xian inexplicably felt at ease. During each exam, halfway through, she would unconsciously look up at the boy in front of her. He had shed his usual casual demeanor in the classroom, focusing intently on his paper the entire time, his spine slightly curved.

When Ding Xian couldn't write an answer or hit a mental block, she would look up at him and ponder how he would approach the problem. However, the more she thought, the more off-track she got. Several exams ended before she could finish writing, and at the very last minute, she was still frantically filling in the answer sheet.

When she finally finished filling in the answer sheet, drenched in sweat, the exam bell rang precisely. The feeling of surviving a disaster made her secretly hold her breath. She handed in her paper, then sat back in her seat, letting out a long sigh of relief. Looking up, she saw a certain someone turning to look at her with a relaxed and amused expression.

The two left the exam room, and Zhou Siyue saw through her at a glance: "Didn't have time to finish?"

She nodded dejectedly: "I wasn't sure about many questions, had no confidence, and didn't even manage to finish the last long problem."

The corridor was full of students who had just finished their exams, rushing out of the classrooms and surging towards the cafeteria. He was tall, standing out in the crowd. Just as he was about to say something to Ding Xian, a familiar boy from another class called out to him from behind: "Siyue, what's the answer to the last sub-question of the final big problem!"

Ding Xian's heart tightened. She hadn't even solved the first sub-question and absolutely didn't want to hear such cruel answers. She couldn't help but hug the books in her arms tighter and quicken her pace. However, it was rush hour, and no matter how fast she went, she was still pushed along slowly by a group of boys. The boys were all rushing to the cafeteria to grab seats, completely lacking in gentlemanly conduct. They didn't care if it was a boy or a girl, they just pushed their way through. Ding Xian was jostled around, feeling like she was about to fall apart.

Seeing this, Zhou Siyue reached out and pulled her closer to him. He turned back and shouted to the boy who asked the question: "Didn't finish it."

Ding Xian looked up at him in surprise.

Zhou Siyue smiled at her, "What's wrong?"

Ding Xian whispered, "I clearly... saw you writing."

"After the exam, I don't want to check answers," he let go of her, put his hand back in his pocket, and casually brushed it off. "Let's go, I'll take you out for lunch to compensate."

"Huh? Aren't we eating at the cafeteria?"

Zhou Siyue: "Do you want to go to the cafeteria to listen to the answers?"

She was right. Every corner of the cafeteria was probably now filled with "What did you choose for the third one?", "No way, I remember the teacher saying it was B in class?", "I even reviewed the monotonic interval of that composite function before the exam, and I still got it wrong!", "What's wrong with Yang Weitao, only giving questions that I don't know?", "It's alright, they're all basic questions, the teacher taught them in class. Only the last big problem was a bit hard, I just couldn't solve the last sub-question."

As Ding Xian and Zhou Siyue just sat down in a restaurant opposite the school, Kong Shadi and Song Ziqi walked in right after.

Kong Shadi boisterously rushed over and hugged Ding Xian, putting on their usual act of long-lost reunion and mutual flattery in front of the two boys.

"You brat, it's only been a short while, and you've gotten prettier again."

Ding Xian appreciated it, hugged her back, and sighed, "You too, you've gotten prettier again."

After speaking, the two girls hugged each other, giggling.

The two boys were already used to it and didn't find it strange. Song Ziqi habitually rolled his eyes. Zhou Siyue sat in his chair, one hand in his pocket, the other lightly tapping the table with a loosely made fist. The girls turned around, looking at him with common indignation. The boy ignored them, lifting his chin slightly towards the menu on the wall, his voice clear and cool: "What do you want to eat?"

Kong Shadi sat next to Song Ziqi and picked up the menu to look through it, "Is Young Master Zhou treating today?"

Song Ziqi was also very interested in taking advantage of Zhou Siyue. He leaned over to look at the menu with Kong Shadi, "Don't be polite with him, order something expensive. This kid won a lot of prize money in a competition last time."

Kong Shadi: "Let's start with a few braised pork hocks with rock sugar."

Song Ziqi snatched the order pad: "Shredded pork with Peking sauce..."

"Can you not have some gentlemanly manners, Song Ziqi?" Kong Shadi grumbled discontentedly.

Ding Xian sat down next to Zhou Siyue, glanced at the menu opposite, a little stunned by the prices, and couldn't help but say: "Let's just eat something simple... we still have exams this afternoon."

Song Ziqi raised his head from the menu, clicked his tongue twice, and blurted out without thinking: "She hasn't even married into the family yet, and she's already thinking about how to save you money?"

Their eyes unconsciously met, both trying to read each other's emotions. When they realized it, they quickly looked away. Ding Xian lowered her head, the roots of her ears were red. Zhou Siyue, who hadn't spoken until then, suddenly kicked Song Ziqi opposite him, and cursed with a faint smile: "If you keep talking nonsense, go back to the cafeteria to eat."

At that sensitive age, mentions of marriage were heart-stirring words. What's more, the person was the boy she liked more than anything. Her heart began to pound like a startled deer again. The two girls exchanged glances, then shyly lowered their heads, wishing they could dig a hole and crawl into it.

The meal was finished awkwardly.

For the next day and a half of exams, Zhou Siyue was very considerate of her feelings. No matter who asked for answers, he would only say he wasn't sure.

Perhaps he might be unsure about other subjects, but when it came to math, Ding Xian absolutely didn't believe him.

After the last biology exam, Ding Xian was completely exhausted, lying on the table gasping for air like a dog just pulled from the water. Zhou Siyue came over and patted her head, "Let's go."

There were quite a few girls in this exam room who eyed Zhou Siyue covetously. Just during one chemistry exam, Ding Xian noticed several girls secretly glancing his way. While going to the restroom, two girls were also discussing: 'The one next to you is Zhou Siyue, really? He's that handsome?'

When Zhou Siyue came over and patted her, several girls instinctively looked in her direction.

Ding Xian inexplicably felt a surge of... pride.

She quickly packed her stationery and followed him pitter-patter behind him. During this process, she couldn't help but lift her head slightly, pretending to be a swan.

In the corridor back to the classroom.

Ding Xian tentatively asked: "A few girls in the exam room were secretly peeking at you just now, didn't you notice?"

Zhou Siyue looked down at her in surprise, "Good thing I covered myself well."

"..."

'I swear, I'm too lazy to talk to you.'

The intense midterm exams were finally over, and the next two days were a time to let loose.

Ding Xian and Kong Shadi planned to get haircuts on Saturday morning. Ding Xian got up early, reported to Ye Wanxian, and went to meet Kong Shadi. Kong Shadi, familiar with the place, took her to a hair salon she frequented, and skillfully found a famous "designer" for her.

Before long, the designer, with three streaks of yellow hair on his head and scissors tucked into his back pocket, came out and familiarly greeted Kong Shadi, "No class today?"

Ding Xian suddenly felt that this whole thing seemed unreliable. Her heart trembled, and her eyes were slightly shaking as she looked at the designer in front of her, having second thoughts: "Sha... Sha... Shadi, I think... maybe we should forget it."

Kong Shadi pressed her down onto the chair, ignoring her soft protests, and turned decisively to Designer No. 9, saying: "You just cut as you see fit. Give her face-framing blunt bangs. Isn't it popular this year to have it blunt in the middle and a few strands on the sides?"

She even vividly gestured with her own hair to the designer.

Designer No. 9 looked Ding Xian up and down in the mirror and disapproved: "Just blunt bangs are enough. Her face is small, no need to cover the sides, otherwise, it will look too heavy."

"Alright then."

Hand up, knife down, a "snip-snip" and two streaks of black hair fell before her eyes. Ding Xian was so scared she quickly closed her eyes, then, still uneasy, instructed again: "Master, please be gentle."

An hour later.

Ding Xian opened her eyes, a bit dumbfounded. Staring at the mirror, she woke up Kong Shadi, who was almost asleep waiting beside her, "Shadi!!!"

Kong Shadi woke up with a start, and at a glance, saw Ding Xian's bangs that were so short they barely covered her eyebrows, "Holy crap, cut it so short? Ah Chang, what's wrong with you?!"

The designer, named Ah Chang, said, "Too long and it covers the eyes. Isn't this the authentic 'sister cut'?"

But it was indeed a bit too short. Ding Xian felt that now she could just carry a hoe and go work the fields. She turned her head and expressionlessly asked Kong Shadi: "Can I complain?"

Ah Chang quickly said: "No, sis, I'll trim it for you again, it really looks good."

Kong Shadi forced a laugh, "Actually, after looking at it for a while, it's really alright. It's just that the first glance might not be very... adaptable."

Ding Xian: "Hmm, then do you have any way to make Zhou Siyue skip the first glance and adapt directly?"

'Come on, tell me, I'm listening.'

"How about we buy a wig?"

"Or, I'll just buy Zhou Siyue a blindfold."

"Let's break off our friendship."

...

The billiards place was downstairs from a famous internet cafe in Yansan District. When Ding Xian and Kong Shadi arrived, Zhou Siyue and Song Ziqi were already leaning against the wall, chatting. Several students from other schools, smoking in their campus uniforms, stood nearby. One of the boys had an extreme buzz cut, was tall and slender, with features as sharp as if carved, and a somewhat cold face. He was wearing a blue and white school uniform with "Eighteenth High School" printed on his chest, as if afraid others wouldn't know which school he was from. A group of boys of similar age chatted animatedly, pushing and laughing.

'He really makes friends with all sorts of people.'

This internet cafe often had students sneaking in to use the internet on weekends. There weren't many students from Third High School, only a few occasionally, but most were from Eighteenth High School, and all of them brazenly strolled around in their school uniforms in front of the internet cafe manager.

Kong Shadi linked arms with Ding Xian as they walked over. Ding Xian pulled up the hood on her back, covering most of her face, and shrank beside her as they approached.

"Cough, cough."

The girl's clear cough interrupted the boys' animated chat. They all looked over. Ding Xian didn't even dare to lift her head.

Seeing this, the boys from Eighteenth High School understood and couldn't help but tease, "Coming out to play in pairs?" Someone glanced at Kong Shadi, and then at Ding Xian, half-hidden under the brim, and clicked his tongue twice, "The quality of Third High School students has been good these years."

Song Ziqi kicked towards that boy's groin, "What are you talking about!"

"Where are you kicking? Don't break it."

Several boys grinned mischievously, uttering some crude jokes. It was just boys joking around; they didn't take it seriously. Ding Xian and Kong Shadi, however, were so awkward they didn't know where to look.

'So, he also jokes like this in private?'

'I thought he didn't understand anything like this.'

But seeing the faint smile that wasn't quite a smile on his lips, her heart seemed to beat faster.

Zhou Siyue just listened occasionally, never actively joining in such discussions, always brushing them off. Although he knew these boys meant no harm, he knew when to stop; some things become annoying when overdone.

He glanced at Ding Xian, pulled her away from Kong Shadi, and languidly said, "Let's go."

He didn't engage further with that group, taking them upstairs to play billiards.

The entrance to the billiards hall was a bit dark. Ding Xian secretly glanced sideways at him, only then realizing that he was just wearing a white T-shirt, loose black sweatpants, and a black baseball jacket over it, open with the zipper undone.

He actually had a faint, elegant scent of hair gel, more than usual.

Ding Xian suddenly chuckled.

Zhou Siyue noticed. Before entering the door, he glanced at her, "What are you laughing at?"

Ding Xian shook her head. Perhaps, facing him, she had felt inferior and awkward countless times, but at this moment, she let it all go.

'What does it mean when a man even puts on hair gel for you before going out?!'

Strangely, there weren't many people in the billiards hall on Saturday afternoon, only two or three tables were occupied, the rest were empty. Zhou Siyue went to the front desk to open a table with the boss. While waiting, he saw Ding Xian leaning against the counter, still laughing triumphantly as she looked at him. Zhou Siyue was inexplicably irritated and snatched off her hood.

"Why are you wearing a hat indoors in broad daylight?"

Ding Xian's laughter came to an abrupt halt——

This time, it was his turn. The boy in the baseball jacket, one hand in his pocket, half-leaning against the counter, was laughing so hard he was bent double.

"Alright, Pot Lid."