CH 66.1

Make Eyes At Each Other (1)

At the beginning of October, the midterm exams came right on schedule.

While the regular monthly exams weren’t very formal, the midterms were much more strict. Not only were the exam times set following the college entrance examination, but the questions were also much more complicated than in the monthly exams, with many subjects having devilishly significant questions at the end glaring like a tiger watching its prey*.

*T/N: Glaring like a tiger watching its prey (idiom): to keep a vigilant eye on; to eye covetously.

According to the teachers’ statement, this was done to increase their grades, give a brutal hit to their pride, raise their self-vigilance, and keep them on their toes!

First thing in the morning, every student brought their exam kit and walked into the classroom.

And the seating arrangements would be different from how they usually were.

The students would sit in their former seating during the regular small exam and the supervision would be relaxed. However, in the case of the big exams, where the results were ranked and parents would be informed, the supervision was much stricter.

For the first line of business, the seating would be changed around.

In Class 9’s classroom, the students waited nervously for the invigilator teacher.

Ruan Qingmu poked Fang Li in front.

Fang Li looked back. Sure enough, his eyelids were slightly swollen and his eyes were a little bloodshot.

Ruan Qingmu said solemnly, “Don’t think about it. Do well in the exam.”

Fang Li whispered an “mm” and mechanically spun the pen in his hand. Ruan Qingmu looked at him and sighed in his heart.

The students in front were discussing in whispers, “I’m telling you guys. I had a divination yesterday, which was a sign from the top*. This time, the invigilator for our class won’t be one of the three famous catchers.”

*T/N:  上上签: the best result in drawing lots (Chinese folk custom and one of the forms of divination). This phrase means good luck and for everything to go smoothly.

“There’s still one left.” Huang Ya spoke glibly. “What if the cold-blooded forensic teacher wants to make a little invigilator fee and also come to supervise?”

“Are you mental? Have you ever seen him supervising?”

One of the four famous catchers in the school wasn’t a teacher. He was Dr. Gong, specializing in catching fake patients, and was even more ruthless as an invigilator.

As they spoke of this, two invigilator teachers’ figures stood at the doorway. One of them was a female political teacher from the neighboring class while the other had a tall stature, with cold eyes under golden-rimmed glasses and long hair tied back, standing behind the female teacher.

The female teacher was gentle. “A teacher is on sick leave and there aren’t enough invigilator teachers, so Dr. Gong will step in temporarily.”

Everyone let out a scream in unison, “Ah!”

Someone turned around and made a middle finger at Huang Ya, flustered and exasperated. “Your crow’s beak*!”

*T/N: A crow’s beak: boring person who constantly caws about disasters.

The cold Comrade Dr. Gong looked below coldly. “Why? Am I not welcome?”

Some students below hurried to say with a bitter face, “No. Hello, teacher! Love you~~~.”

The female teacher stood in front. “According to the lottery just drawn by the teaching department, Class 1 and Class 9 will exchange classrooms. Everyone with an odd number seat can stand up immediately and go to the same seat in Class 1.”

Dr. Gong with a stern face said, “Hurry up and get lost quickly.”

All the chosen students with odd numbers stood up in clamors, took their stationery, and ran away in fright.

Luckily, these students didn’t need to suffer such torment in their former class. The remaining ones were truly unlucky for their eight lifetimes.

In the corridor, other classes had also received the same command to change classrooms. All the people exchanging rooms rushed out like small fish caught in a net when they were driven to the sea, looking for their seats everywhere.

Ruan Qingmu involuntarily sat upright.

Ah. Would half of Class 1’s people come to sit in here?

Soon, most of Class 1 arrived. A familiar figure unhurriedly stood at the doorway at the back of the crowd.

“Wah –” The girls in front excitedly screamed in whispers. It was the first student in the grade, Qin Yuan!

Qin Yuan held a stationary pouch in his hand and calmly raised his eyes, looking at the back of Class 9.

His gaze met Ruan Qingmu’s across the distance amidst all the clamor.

Then, he walked to the seat beside Ruan Qingmu with a light stride and sat down.

Ruan Qingmu was stunned for a while before reacting to Qin Yuan sitting next to him.

He honestly didn’t sit randomly. Qin Yuan had actively sat on the last row in his own Class 1 because of his tall height and good vision. In the new classroom, as it so happened, he sat right to Ruan Qingmu who was in the last row.

Ruan Qingmu tilted his head and looked at him, finally couldn’t help but cough lightly once.

The serious-looking top student placed down his stationery and suddenly moved his body, taking out a can of milk from his bag and silently putting it on Ruan Qingmu’s desk.

Ruan Qingmu looked at the milk on his desk and happily inserted the straw, taking a sip.

When he raised his eyes again, he smilingly glanced sideways at Qin Yuan.

His skin was already extremely pale and a drop of milk fell from the corner of his crimson lips. For a moment, it was impossible to tell whether his complexion was white or if the milk was whiter.

Qin Yuan stared at the corner of his mouth and somehow couldn’t move his gaze away.

Ruan Qingmu looked at his dazed expression and couldn’t help stretching his hand, waving it. “Hey?”

Qin Yuan suddenly returned to his senses and glanced at Ruan Qingmu’s face with a trace of doubt in his eyes. He pointed at the rims of Ruan Qingmu’s eye, raising his brows. “???”

Usually, his lips were red and his teeth were white. Why did he have such noticeable dark circles under his eyes today?

Ruan Qingmu smiled and shook his head, silently mouthing. “It’s nothing.”