Chapter 32

After Ye Wanxian finished asking, she probably felt a bit embarrassed asking a boy so directly, saying, "Auntie can't keep things to herself. Xianxian, this child, hides too many things, I can't help it either."

"Understood," Zhou Siyue said, indicating his understanding.

"Did your school have extra classes today?"

Zhou Siyue glanced at her, pondered for a moment, and responded quickly. One hand was still in his pocket, the other gently rubbed the tip of his nose with his fingertips, saying, "Yes, we had extra math classes. Both of us took them together."

Ye Wanxian let out a long 'oh', "Then you probably don't know much about Xianxian's affairs, do you?"

"Not really."

Ye Wanxian sighed, "Alright, then Auntie won't bother you anymore. Hurry home. Thank you for bringing Xianxian back."

Zhou Siyue maintained his politeness from beginning to end. Among his peers, he liked to joke and banter, but towards elders, no matter how incomprehensible they were, he always showed his due respect. He bid farewell to Ye Wanxian, saying, "You're too kind."

Ye Wanxian stood under the tree, watching Zhou Siyue leave. The boy's swaying figure disappeared at the end of the alley, and only then did she sigh and enter the house.

Ding Juncong was staring intently at Tom and Jerry on TV, occasionally bursting into hearty laughter. She glanced at Ding Xian's tightly closed door, ultimately said nothing more, walked over and turned off the TV, and sternly told Ding Juncong, "Go do your homework."

Ding Juncong refused, rolling on the sofa and loudly complaining, "I'm almost done watching..."

Ye Wanxian, uncharacteristically, didn't indulge him. She pulled out the TV plug and pointed at the door, "Are you going or not?"

Seeing that she was truly about to get angry, Ding Juncong was quite astute. He stood up with a resentful face and went to put on his shoes.

Ye Wanxian's voice came from behind him again, "While you're at it, go to your sister's room and see if she's asleep. If not, ask her if she wants something to eat."

Ding Juncong ran to Ding Xian's door and knocked loudly, creating a racket. Ye Wanxian pulled him away, "Forget it, I'll do it myself. You go back to your room."

Ye Wanxian twisted the doorknob twice but couldn't open it, knowing it was locked from the inside. She was well aware that her daughter was always stubborn. Because Ding Xian had always been obedient, Ye Wanxian had invested little energy in her and had always felt that this daughter didn't need her to worry. Today's incident had truly frightened her. Just at the door, she had confirmed with Zhou Siyue that the school had extra classes today. Now, coming back to her senses, she realized her reaction today was a bit over the top.

She also realized that adolescents needed guidance.

"Open the door."

Ding Xian lay face down on the bed, her head buried in the pillow. Without lifting her head, she shouted, "I'm asleep!"

"You open it first, I want to say a few words to you."

Ye Wanxian was also very persistent. Ding Xian knew that if she didn't open the door, her mother wouldn't leave. Tonight, she'd probably have to stay by her door.

As soon as the door opened.

Ding Xian lowered her head, "Please speak."

"How much did you pay for your haircut today?"

"Five yuan."

"The money I gave you was for food and books, not for you to get a haircut and do other messy things. Also, next time you want a haircut, tell me in advance, and I'll deduct it from your food allowance."

Ding Xian suddenly understood that the reason she still felt attached to this family came from Ye Wanxian's occasional tenderness, like now.

It wasn't that they hadn't argued before. When Ding Xian was younger and ignorant, she often angered Ye Wanxian by vying for attention with her brother. After each argument, Ye Wanxian would improve a little compared to before.

"Can you see the blackboard clearly lately?"

Ding Xian shook her head.

"Do your homework tonight, tomorrow I'll take you to get glasses, and buy you some clothes while we're at it. It's been so long, you keep wearing the same few outfits, aren't you afraid of others laughing at you?"

Every time they argued, it seemed like they became a little closer than before.

Ding Xian wanted to say 'no need, the clothes are enough,' but Ye Wanxian no longer paid attention to her and entered her room. Her first rebellion in life thus died down without a fight—

Monday, classes resumed as usual, and midterm results were posted.

Ding Xian ranked fifteenth in her class and forty-fifth overall; Zhou Siyue ranked fifth in his class and tenth overall.

Compared to their enrollment, both of their scores had steadily improved, especially Zhou Siyue's, which was a significant improvement. This greatly comforted Liu Jiang, who even singled him out for praise during the performance analysis in morning self-study.

"Zhou Siyue has performed exceptionally well in these past few exams. He manages to revise while also being busy with the math competition. You should all learn from him." Liu Jiang changed his tone, glancing at He Xingwen in the first row, and didn't continue with the rest of his words.

"They're praising me, not you. What are you gloating about over there?"

Zhou Siyue glanced at the secretly amused Ding Xian, shook his head, and continued writing on his paper.

Ding Xian tilted her head and chuckled, "We're like grasshoppers tied to the same rope now. When they praise you, I share in the glory!"

Zhou Siyue looked up from his paper, cast her a glance, scoffed, and lowered his head again, casually drawing on the paper as he said, "I must've had eight lifetimes of bad luck to be stuck with you."

Ding Xian ignored him. Instead, she leaned closer to his ear and whispered, "Hey, He Xingwen only got sixth this time. Aren't you secretly thrilled?"

Zhou Siyue didn't even lift an eyelid, "I'd be even happier if you got sixth."

Boys aren't as meticulous as girls, and someone like Zhou Siyue bothered even less with such calculations. He had never really considered anyone an opponent.

Ding Xian clicked her tongue, "As someone from another district, I don't expect to be in the top ten. If I can stay in the top twenty of the Elite Class, everything will be fine."

Zhou Siyue: "Ambitious."

After that, following seven or eight cold fronts, Beijing's weather turned completely cold, with biting winds making people shiver on the streets. At the end of the month, the first snow of the year arrived, and students at Third High School also reduced their outdoor activities, all holed up in classrooms doing problems. Zhou Siyue's competition had entered the second round, while the rest of the students were preparing for their final exams, and the class atmosphere gradually became solemn.

Ding Xian could also feel Zhou Siyue's tension. All the extracurricular books on his desk were gone, replaced entirely by Olympiad math problems and practice tests.

Now that they were busy, they barely spoke a few words a day. Let alone chatting, sometimes Zhou Siyue would get so engrossed in solving problems that he'd forget to refill his water. When he wanted to drink, he'd raise his hand, find it empty, and then annoyedly scratch his hair.

The girl was observant, and Ding Xian noticed all this. During class breaks, she would casually refill his water bottle and put it back. Zhou Siyue remained oblivious, only realizing there was water in his cup when he drank it.

After a few seconds of thought, he suddenly turned and looked at Ding Xian for a long time. The child was currently hunched over her desk, scratching her head in frustration as she tried to solve a simple algebra problem. Only then did he realize he hadn't paid attention to her for a long time. He pulled her paper over, placed it in the middle, and quietly explained the solution to her.

"I can solve it myself," Ding Xian tried to pull it back, but he held it firmly with his thick, long arm. Zhou Siyue continued writing, ignoring her, and said as he wrote, "I haven't had time to look after you lately. If you don't understand something, just ask. Don't be shy. Anyway, besides me, no one else knows you're stupid."

He spoke with a venomous tongue, and Ding Xian gnashed her teeth in anger at him, yet at the same time, she was helplessly fond of him.

However, Ding Xian didn't dare to ask him anymore. His time was tight, so how could she distract him with her own matters? That day, she had just returned from the teacher's office when she encountered Liu Xiaofeng, who happened to be there to ask a question. Originally, the two had no interaction except for that one sports day.

Coincidentally, Ding Xian also didn't understand that particular problem, so she took the opportunity to listen in. On the way back, they even discussed it further, finding that their levels were similar and they got along quite well. Moreover, Liu Xiaofeng was honest and good-natured, didn't like to talk back, and was patient when explaining problems.

Thus, they inexplicably became study buddies.

Until, Zhou Siyue found Liu Xiaofeng's homework book on Ding Xian's desk.

He suddenly remembered what Ding Xian's mother had said that day.

'For some reason, he felt a bit agitated.'

That afternoon, Ding Xian and Liu Xiaofeng returned from asking questions in the office. As soon as they sat down, Zhou Siyue slammed his pen down, stood up, and left.

Ding Xian inexplicably looked at the boy's slightly sulky retreating figure.

Zhou Siyue and Jiang Chen played basketball in the indoor court for the entire lunch break. For the first time ever, since childhood, Jiang Chen saw him throw the ball down.

The brothers had grown up together, and Zhou Siyue was considered the most mature among them. He was exceptionally tolerant in his conduct and dealings with others, and Jiang Chen had never seen him get angry over anything. This sudden outburst stunned Jiang Chen, who somewhat bewilderedly bounced the ball and asked, "What's wrong with you? Did the second round not go well?"

Zhou Siyue didn't speak. He snatched the ball from Jiang Chen's hand, dribbled it across the court, and then silently executed a beautiful and fluid three-step layup, without saying a single word throughout. Only then did Jiang Chen realize that the problem seemed to be a bit serious.

"What's going on with you?"

Zhou Siyue dropped the ball, bent over with his hands on his knees, panting. His chest heaved violently with his breaths, and beads of sweat poured down his forehead and neck, soaking the boy's slender back.

He grabbed the front of his T-shirt, wiped his cheek, completely unconcerned, and shook his head, "Nothing."

"We grew up together in split pants," Jiang Chen scoffed. "Can't I tell if you're happy or not?"

Jiang Chen, like his father, was good at managing relationships, able to be brothers with anyone. He was even better at observing subtle expressions, very perceptive in his dealings, and quite the go-getter.

"In a bad mood? Who pissed you off?"

Zhou Siyue made a final shot; the ball rolled into the basket, then he turned and left.

"I'm leaving."

Jiang Chen bounced the ball, shaking his head behind him.

After lunch break, the classroom was noisy. Ding Xian, who had just woken up, opened her hazy eyes and saw Zhou Siyue, hands in his pockets, just sitting down. "Where did you go at noon?"

"To play."

He answered concisely, then ignored her, lowered his head, pulled out a paper, and began writing.

"Oh, the Chinese test papers were just handed out. I collected yours for you."

"Thanks."

He didn't lift his head, his tone businesslike.

After all this time, when had he not teased her in a flippant manner? Sometimes, when he was in a good mood, he'd even pat her head and call her 'good girl.' He had never snapped at her like this. Ding Xian was inexplicably deflated, she stared at him suspiciously for two seconds, then looked away and obediently hunched over to look at her own paper.

For several days in a row, Zhou Siyue didn't speak to her proactively.

Ding Xian wanted to talk but didn't know how to start, so they had this inexplicable silent treatment for several days.

Kong Shadi's analysis of the situation was that he was probably too nervous before the exam.

'That feeling of injustice in Ding Xian's heart,' "If he's too nervous, why is he taking it out on me? Do you know what he said this morning? He said I was meddling. Was I meddling? I was doing it for him..."

Kong Shadi hugged her comfortingly, "Forget about it. If he ignores you, you ignore him too. Who isn't a little princess? Don't worry, I'll definitely stand by you. If you fall out with him, I won't say a single word to him either."

This loyal girl always stood by Ding Xian without hesitation when she needed comfort most, saying heartwarming words and coaxing her.

Kong Shadi really did keep her word.

During this period, no matter what Zhou Siyue said to her, she pretended not to hear. Although Zhou Siyue didn't have many chances to talk to her, after a few attempts, even Song Ziqi noticed something was up.

"Did you upset her?"

Zhou Siyue shrugged indifferently.

However, it was still Ding Xian who felt the ache.

"Forget it, you should talk to him. I can't stand it when others ignore him."

"You have no backbone!"

Kong Shadi poked her head repeatedly, wearing an expression of disappointment.