"Xu."
The moment Tang Youxin left, someone sidled up beside Xia Xu, calling out to him and giving him a big thumbs-up.
It was his deskmate, Ma Bing. He had also been assigned to take the exam in their own classroom, though his exam seat had been moved to the very front.
"Hehe, Xu, can we talk about something?"
Ma Bing came over and sat backward in the seat in front of Xia Xu, wearing the shamelessly ingratiating look of someone asking for a favor.
"Tell me what it is first."
Xia Xu chuckled.
As his deskmate, Ma Bing was the person Xia Xu knew best in class after Tang Youxin. He was willing to help him out a little. It wasn't as though anything major would come up at school anyway.
Given the circumstances, it would probably just involve giving him some exam answers.
The reality wasn't far off, except that it was the other way around.
"Xu, how did you get so close to Tang Youxin? Can you teach me a trick or two?"
Ma Bing waggled his eyebrows. "Teach me your pickup technique, and I'll pass you the answers later. How about it? I've already arranged it with a top student from the class next door. He'll text me the answers once he's finished."
"Get out of here. Do I look like someone who needs to copy answers?"
Only then did Xia Xu understand why Ma Bing had approached him. He waved a hand dismissively, looking disgusted. "I told you, I've been controlling my scores to hide my abilities. I'm actually the true Academic God of No. 3 Middle School. This time, I'm going to show my real skills and blow everyone away."
"Pfft. You said that last time too, but the moment I asked you to