After the sports meet ended, the seniors quickly gathered their minds and entered an intense period of review. If their homeroom teacher hadn't told them during class that day, "Review properly, and don't slack off. We'll have the next monthly exam as soon as you return from the National Day holiday," they probably would still have thought the exam was far away.
After resting for two and a half days following the sports meet, Ding Yebai returned to his usual state of studying.
Just as Yang Zhi had said before, she had gone out of town to study and wouldn't be around that week. The following week was the National Day holiday, and there were no makeup classes, so he wouldn't be able to see her for nearly half a month.
Ding Yebai didn't think much about it. At this crucial time for overtaking others on the bend, he didn't dare think too much.
He only wanted to use this period to raise his English score a little higher and see whether he could push it to 125.
If he scored 125...would Sister Yang Zhi be happy?
Thinking this, he couldn't help the corners of his mouth from lifting.
Lu Shuai and Li Pingqiu turned around and saw him like this, unable to help feeling curious.
Lu Shuai nudged Li Pingqiu's shoulder with his elbow and said, "Hey, what do you think he's thinking about?"
Li Pingqiu smiled with curved eyes. "Judging by that smile, I'd say he's thinking about a girl he likes."
Lu Shuai said, "Seriously? You're kidding, right? Even if a sow climbed a tree, he couldn't possibly have someone he likes."
The female classmate sitting beside them, who had been sleeping with her head on the desk, was woken by the two men's noise. She sat up, wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth, and said with a lifeless expression, "You two are so noisy."
Lu Shuai scratched his head and gave an awkward laugh. "Ahaha, sorry, sorry."
The girl rolled her eyes at him. "Seriously..."
Li Pingqiu continued smiling gently and apologized. "Sorry, we woke you up."
"Ah, it's fine, it's fine. You're fine. Your voice isn't loud." The girl immediately fixed her bangs and put on a ladylike appearance.
Lu Shuai: "..."
Wasn't this double standard a little too obvious?!
Ding Yebai spun his pen as he looked at the test paper and thought. He couldn't hear the conversation among the three people around him at all. Instead, the rustling rain drew his attention more.
He turned his head and gazed into the distance.
"It's raining again..."
For some inexplicable reason, whenever it rained, he thought of Sister Yang Zhi.
He always felt that the "spring rain of Jiangnan" in Apricot Blossom Spring Rain Jiangnan suited her particularly well.
Every conversation with her was comfortable. She was understanding, considerate, and thoughtful, making people feel as though they were bathed in a spring breeze.
Mm...
"Bang!!!"
Ding Yebai suddenly thumped his forehead, then shook his head and buried himself in his problems.
Lu Shuai and Li Pingqiu, sitting in front of him, witnessed everything. The two exchanged glances.
"Is he crazy?"
"Possibly. The pressure of studying in senior year is too great. Of course, it could also be something else. After all, someone who can get full marks in math and the comprehensive science exam might have completely different brain circuits from us."
"Mm, you make a good point!!!"
Elsewhere
Yang Zhi took the school's vehicle to Qishi Senior High School for a study exchange.
She would sit at the back and listen to the veteran teachers there give their lessons.
As it happened, Ding Yuerong worked there, so Yang Zhi took the opportunity to stay at her good friend's home.
That night, she sat on the bedroom bed. Wearing a white casual T-shirt that reached her thighs, with her long black hair draped over her shoulders and silver, thin-framed glasses on her face, she held a book and leaned against the headboard to read.
Ding Yuerong brought her a glass of milk and placed it on the table before sitting down beside her.
"What are you reading?"
"Just looking over the textbook."
"You came here to..."
"Study. Mainly to listen to the veteran teachers' lessons. But I still have to teach a few classes in the end."
"Then those students will be blessed with a feast for their eyes. After all, you're a little too beautiful for a teacher. Looking at that face of yours, will they really still have the mind to listen to class?"
"Haha... Do you think they're all like you, Senior Sister?"
As she spoke, Yang Zhi pointed at her own face with a finger.
"A supreme appearance supremacist."
"You really are..."
As Ding Yuerong spoke, she moved closer to Yang Zhi and unconsciously sniffed with her nose. "What brand of perfume are you wearing? It smells so good."
Yang Zhi said, "How could I possibly spray on perfume this late at night?"
Ding Yuerong said, "Then if that's your natural scent, that's too much. It's so alluring. Hasn't my little brother ever leaned close to smell it?"
"He...probably not..." Yang Zhi looked at Ding Yuerong as though she were a female lecher.
"Oh, right." Ding Yuerong suddenly thought of something and asked Yang Zhi seriously, "By the way, Xiaozhi, how is my younger brother?"
"Huh????"
Yang Zhi's pupils instantly widened as she looked at Ding Yuerong in disbelief.
"S-Senior Sister, y-you...why are you suddenly asking that?"
She had even become so nervous that she stammered...
Ding Yuerong was the one who was even more puzzled. Was there anything about this question worth thinking over???
Yang Zhi abruptly turned her face away. She still maintained a calm expression, looking every bit the intellectual woman.
"I'm only treating him like a little brother! What are you thinking, Senior Sister?"
"Of course you treat him like a little brother! If you didn't, would you treat him like a little sister?"
"? Weren't you asking how I viewed Ding Yebai?"
"I was asking how his English grades had been lately!!!"
"Whew!" Yang Zhi let out a sigh of relief. "You didn't make yourself clear. I thought..."
"What else was there to clarify?! By the way, what did you think it was!!!" Ding Yuerong truly couldn't understand what was going on in Yang Zhi's head.
"Ahem, ahem! Your younger brother's English is improving steadily. Don't be too anxious. Give him some time." Yang Zhi smiled faintly.
Ding Yuerong said, "Mm... I'm reassured leaving him to you. After all, you do have genuine ability. But if you're doing it for free...isn't that still too much of an imposition?"
"What imposition?" Yang Zhi looked at Ding Yuerong. "Senior Sister, you take care of Grandma without asking for a single penny. I'm the one who feels you're being imposed upon too much."
Ding Yuerong said, "I'm doing it willingly. Helping a friend in times of hardship is only natural. And you, Yang Zhi, are my best friend. It's only right... Besides, once money gets mixed into a friendship, it changes the nature of things..."
Her voice grew lower and lower, and she looked so pitiful that Yang Zhi couldn't resist reaching out to stroke her head. Her voice carried a hint of indulgence as she said, "Yes, yes~ Senior Sister is my best friend too."
Ding Yuerong said, "Then you..."
Yang Zhi said, "Senior Sister, you know how important Grandma is to me. And when I was in such a difficult situation, you were the only person willing to take care of her. This isn't something that's simply a matter of course. I'll never forget this kindness for the rest of my life. I may never be able to repay it completely."
"Don't start with that. You don't need to repay me. You keep saying this, making it sound as though I'm morally blackmailing you." Ding Yuerong deliberately joked.
Yang Zhi lowered her hand from Ding Yuerong's head, then took her hand and clasped it tightly. "It's a fact that I owe Senior Sister a favor, and repaying kindness is my principle. So, Senior Sister, after I finish tutoring Ding Yebai, just let me know if there's anything else you need my help with."
Looking at Yang Zhi's face, Ding Yuerong felt that she couldn't bring herself to sound even the slightest bit harsh.
"How long do you plan to tutor my little brother?"
"Until his grades genuinely improve and stabilize."
"Is that so?"
"It won't be much longer. After all, Ding Yebai is very smart and talented, and he's also motivated and hardworking. I think he should be able to reach his ideal score by the end of the year."
Ding Yuerong nodded. "Mm... Oh my, chatting with you has taken us to ten-thirty already. I won't disturb you anymore. I'm going to bed. You should sleep early too!"
"Mm."
Yang Zhi smiled gracefully.
She picked up her phone to set an alarm, but saw a WeChat message from Ding Yebai.
Thanks to Xiangjian Molù for the 3,000 Origin Point Coins, Wo Shi Xiao E for the 500 Origin Point Coins, algernon for the 100 Origin Point Coins, Qi Mingzi Yongyuan Hui Chongfu for the 800 Origin Point Coins, and Ai Shang Yingying De Di Ji Nian for the 100 Origin Point Coins.
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