Monthly Exam Day, early morning.
After the rain, the sunny sky was clear. The white clouds seemed to have just groomed their fur, quietly curled up in the heavens.
Jiang Ning rode his bike with Xue Yuantong behind him.
"My mom boiled some corn. It's really sweet. Have one."
Xue Yuantong carried two exam bags, with two more bags of corn in her other hand.
"Thank Aunt Gu for me," Jiang Ning said.
Xue Yuantong said, "The one you should thank is me. I'm the one who asked Mom to cook it."
"Thank you, Xue Yuantong."
"Mm, good that you know."
"Jiang Ning, after the exam at noon, I'll come find you at the classroom door. Don't sneak off." Xue Yuantong was taking her exam in Class 10, on a different floor from Jiang Ning.
"Don't worry. I'll wait for you."
Xue Yuantong did not know exactly how good Jiang Ning's grades were, but there was no need to think about it—he was definitely far worse than her. That meant they would probably have a hard time ending up in the same exam room next time. So she asked, "Do you want the answers? I can bring you cheat notes."
"How would you bring them?" Jiang Ning was surprised. He had not realized Xue Yuantong knew how to cheat.
"Oh, during the exam, we agree on a time, then leave the room together and meet outside. I'll give you the cheat notes."
Back in middle school, there had been some rather "streetwise" girls in her class who would ask her for answers before exams. To avoid trouble, Xue Yuantong would usually deliver them cheat notes.
Xue Yuantong had not actually liked doing that, but if she refused, something bad might happen, such as being bullied.
As a result, she had