January 23, clear, 6-13°C. Final exams at Yunqi No. 1 High School.
The rising temperatures over the past few days had made the atmosphere of final exams feel even stronger.
It was still a little cold this early in the morning, though.
As with every major exam, each classroom had been rearranged according to exam requirements. Chen Shi'an and Lin Meng Qiu, who sat in the first column, had moved their desks out into the corridor too.
When Chen Shi'an arrived in the corridor with his soy milk, Lin Meng Qiu was already sitting in her seat.
Before the sun rose, the air was cold. The girl had curled herself into a little ball, her feet resting on the chair's crossbar and her hands tucked into her heat pack. Only when she occasionally needed to turn a page did she quickly pull a little hand out.
"Morning, Class Monitor."
"...Morning."
Lin Meng Qiu looked up at him. While Chen Shi'an was putting down his backpack, she quickly pulled her little hands out of the heat pack, took out the bottle of milk she had tucked in her uniform pocket and deliberately pulled up against her chest to keep warm, and set it on his desk.
By the time Chen Shi'an turned to look at her, the girl was quietly reading her book again, as though nothing had happened.
Pop.
The soft sound of a straw piercing the milk bottle was followed by Chen Shi'an's contented smack of the lips after a big sip of warm milk.
"Thanks for the milk, Class Monitor."
"~~~"
Chen Shi'an had sat down and shifted a little closer to Lin Meng Qiu, shielding her from the cold wind sweeping through the corridor.
Feeling their arms lightly touching, the girl's body, a little stiff from the