Chen Shi'an left the classroom carrying the books Wen Zhixia had lent him.
Like Class Five, the students in the first group of every other class had moved their desks into the corridor, making the once-spacious passage suddenly feel crowded.
Books filled the passage, and students bustled in and out of the classrooms, giving it rather the feel of a big cleanup before the New Year.
Perhaps because the holidays would begin once the exams were over, most people showed little sign of nerves or pressure. Instead, they looked lively and excited.
Chen Shi'an waited in the ground-floor corridor for a while before that familiar figure came jogging down the stairs.
Usually, Wen Zhixia would be completely drained after evening self-study, but today she looked full of energy. As she ran, both her ample chest in front and her heavy backpack behind swayed with her.
October was almost here, and the mornings and evenings were noticeably cooler. Wen Zhixia had started wearing a long-sleeved school jacket in the mornings too, but she wasn't cold right now, and her backpack was full of books. She had knotted the sleeves of the jacket around her waist, a look that was surprisingly youthful and energetic.
"Taoist! You're so quick!"
"Not really."
"Didn't you have to set up the exam room?"
"I did."
"You've improved, Taoist. You're actually bringing that many books home to study?"
"These are all yours. I'm carrying them back to return them to you."
"Huh?"
The two chatted as they strolled along.
At some point, Wen Zhixia had started walking very close to him on these nighttime walks home. Even though the school paths were wide, she always insisted on coming right up beside Chen Shi'an, so their shoulders kept bumping as they walked.
Wen Zhixia reached out a small