Chapter 64: In the Same Examination Room

Eleven sat in the car, idly scrolling through her phone, chatting absentmindedly with the group.
[Eleven: Can you believe our boss spent an entire day and night at some girl's place, and this morning he had me go buy steamed buns for him.]
[Ten: What's going on?]
[One: Is the boss dating someone?]
[Ten: Eleven, hurry up and explain.]
[Twelve: Am I the only one who wants to see pictures?]
[Eleven: But it seems like that girl doesn't like the boss.]
[Two: Damn! With the boss's looks, she doesn't like him?]
[Two: If I were a girl, I'd make a move myself!]
**
After the National Day holiday, Class Three was lifeless; when anyone spoke, it was only—
"Class rep, have you finished the math homework? Let me copy!"
"Who has done the English cloze?"
"What's the answer to the last physics multiple-choice?"
"Wait one minute, my essay will be eight hundred words soon."
…
"Huan, I finished your test papers." Chu Yu turned around, smiling.
"Thank you." Nie Huan rarely showed a smile.
"Between us, there's no need for thanks." As she spoke, Chu Yu's gaze fell upon Shen Qing's desk.
What did he see!
The papers were actually filled in!
"Qing, you finally did your homework?" It had been a month since school started, and aside from seeing her write her name, Chu Yu had never seen her pick up a pen.
"Someone else did it." Shen Qing leaned back in her chair, her fingers occasionally tapping her phone screen.
Chu Yu took the test papers for a look—beautiful handwriting, elegant semi-cursive. No one in their class wrote so beautifully.
Nie Huan glanced at it too, her eyes darkening, "He wrote it?"
She had called Shen Qing once during the holiday, and a man had answered, his voice sounding like Gu Ting.
"Yes," Shen Qing nodded.
Chu Yu was baffled—who was this "he"?
Judging by Huan's expression, it seemed serious.
"Hand in your papers, hand in your papers!" Yao Panpan walked from the podium to the back, noticing that most of Shen Qing's subject papers were still unfinished.
"Oh! Qing, you haven't finished yet? I'll help you fill some in." Yao Panpan started dividing the papers among the nearby students, asking them to help complete them.
"Hey, the difference in handwriting is so obvious…" Chu Yu wanted to stop them, but the group was already scribbling away.
"Forget it." Chu Yu sighed, picked up his pen, and started writing too.
Shen Qing looked up—on one test paper, at least five different handwritings.
"This…?" Nie Huan glanced at the messy test paper, the corner of her mouth twitching.
*
The first monthly exam soon began.
In the girls' restroom, several girls were chatting by the sinks.
"Did you go to Star Plaza to watch the National Day celebration?"
"I did. The opening act was Min'er from Class One singing, right? She sounded amazing!"
"I thought her singing was just average—nowhere near the diva's level."
"Diva? Which one?"
"An Ning, of course. Once you hear her songs, you'll realize no one compares. Min'er only covered her song, and An Ning's fans on Weibo went crazy."
"Min'er must have paid for online hype. With that singing, people are calling her 'Little An Ning'?"
"The Yu family is rich enough; paying for a bit of hype is nothing."
"Alright, alright, let's go after washing. Careful, walls have ears."
"I didn't say anything—who's going to tear my mouth apart?"
The girls chatted and laughed as they left the restroom.
After a long while, a cubicle door opened from within, and out stepped a girl in a white dress.
Her complexion was poor, lips bloodless and pale, her right hand clenched tightly, fingernails digging into her palm.
Who knows how long she stood there; finally, she took a lipstick from her small bag and carefully applied it in front of the mirror.
"Min'er, the exam is about to start—hurry into the exam room."
Zhang Xuehua rushed into the restroom, bumping into the girl as she came out.
Min'er flashed her a sweet smile, "Thank you, teacher."
Zhang Xuehua was pleased, patting her shoulder, "Good luck on the test."
At No. 1 High, exam seating was arranged according to the previous test's ranking.
As a transfer student, Shen Qing's seat was based on her usual weekly scores.
The moment Min'er entered the exam room, she spotted Shen Qing slumped over the last row.