Lu Guifan’s seemingly casual “Not difficult” had unsurprisingly put tremendous pressure on the rest of the examinees.

Especially Ye Jiaming. At that moment, he was stuck on the last big problem. He had just realized he’d made a miscalculation and was desperately trying to figure out where he went wrong with only ten minutes left. All he could do was watch as Lu Guifan casually pocketed his pink pen and strolled out of the exam room as if he were taking a walk.

Lu Guifan walked downstairs. The campus was very quiet now, as if the whole world was left with only him.

He went down two floors and arrived outside Jiang Ruotang’s exam room window.

Being tall by nature, Lu Guifan could lean casually against the hallway wall and see Jiang Ruotang, who was seated in the third-to-last room, in the third-to-last seat.

That guy’s brows were furrowed tightly, sighing and looking frustrated—obviously stuck on a problem he couldn’t solve.

Silly. If you don’t know how to do it, give up and double-check the ones you’ve already done.

Maybe this time the math was really too hard. Many students in Jiang Ruotang’s room had already given up, adopting either the “dead pigs aren’t afraid of boiling water” attitude or the “barefoot ones fear no shoes” spirit. Some were staring off into space with their heads propped up; others had laid their heads on their desks to sleep. There was even someone who had written A, B, C, D in the four directions of their scratch paper and was spinning their pen like a compass to randomly decide answers.

These reactions were the true slice-of-life moments that Lu Guifan, who was always in the first exam room, had long since ignored.

The only one still seriously working was Jiang Ruotang.

Looks like Jiang Ruotang really meant it when he said he wanted to get into the Capital Academy of Fine Arts.

But that admission score… No, he wasn’t stupid at all. As long as he buckled down and got serious, he could make it.

Lu Guifan wondered if that art competition award would give him any bonus points for the art entrance exams.

When the bell signaling the end of the exam rang, the students in the room looked as if they had just woken from a long dream.

Some rushed to hand in their papers; some smiled brightly. Only Jiang Ruotang frowned deeply and exhaled through his chin.

One after another, the students left the classroom. When they saw Lu Guifan leaning against the corridor wall, they couldn’t help but be stunned.

“Who’s that? Since when did our school have such a handsome guy… Which class is he from?”

“Is he waiting for someone?”

“Yeah, looks like he’s waiting for someone? If he’s waiting for a girl, isn’t this way too blatant?”

“Hahaha, he’s gonna get a ‘Breaking up Young Lovers’ warning from the Dean for sure!”

Jiang Ruotang came out, followed closely by Xie Jin from the next class, who was pestering him about the answers.

“You chose C for question three, but I chose D. I think you got it wrong! And question six—you picked B, but I calculated it carefully and it should be C… And why is the answer to the big calculation question square root of three? I got nine!”

Jiang Ruotang took a deep breath. “We were both in the third-to-last exam room, and your rank is one place higher than mine! Sis, I think you should trust yourself more!”

The moment Xie Jin looked up and saw Lu Guifan, she nearly lost her soul. She grabbed Jiang Ruotang hard. “Bro, am I seeing things? Who the hell is that handsome guy standing outside our exam room? He’s exactly my type!”

Jiang Ruotang was stunned too. He hadn’t expected Lu Guifan to wait for him outside the exam room.

And there he was, hands in his pockets, leaning against the corridor, sunlight falling on his shoulders, the breeze lifting his slightly long bangs. If this were a frame in Director Jiang’s movie, it would kill the audience with atmosphere.

“Class… Class monitor? What are you doing here?”

“Didn’t you tell me to wait for you after the exam?” Lu Guifan turned his face slightly, looking at Jiang Ruotang.

At that moment, Lu Guifan’s thoughts seemed to return from a blank state to the real world. Along with the faint tenderness at the corners of his eyes, Jiang Ruotang unconsciously clenched his fist in his pocket.

Damn it, compared to the class monitor, Bai Yingchuan is nothing!

Xie Jin suddenly came to her senses and widened her eyes. “Wait… Jiang Ruotang, did you just call him Class Monitor? You mean that Lu Guifan—the top student who always wears black-rimmed glasses and looks gloomy enough to play a criminal mastermind in Criminal Minds?!”

“What the hell, Criminal Minds villain my ass!” Jiang Ruotang really wanted to cover her mouth.

How was Lu Guifan anything like a villain?

Thankfully, Lu Guifan didn’t mind. He calmly walked up to Jiang Ruotang. “Do you think you’re bad at studying?”

“Huh? Compared to you, probably the whole school is bad at studying.” Jiang Ruotang scratched the back of his head.

“But for question three, you picked C. Question six—you picked B. And the first big calculation problem’s answer is indeed square root of three.” Lu Guifan looked him in the eye as he spoke.

Jiang Ruotang hadn’t expected that their casual chatter about answers had actually been overheard by Lu Guifan.

“Ahhh—if Lu Guifan says it, it must be the standard answer! I’m doomed; 150 points in math, I probably only got 45 again!” Xie Jin dramatically acted out what it meant to “ascend to heaven on the spot.”

“Let’s go.” Lu Guifan turned and walked ahead.

Jiang Ruotang quickly followed, lowering his voice. “I really got those three questions right? You’re not lying to get revenge on Xie Jin for calling you a Criminal Minds villain, right?”

“First, you really got those three questions right. Congratulations, you’ve secured 24 points out of 150.”

“Wow, I’m genuinely touched.”

“Second, if I were a villain from Criminal Minds, the case probably wouldn’t be solved even by the finale.”

“You’re so full of yourself.”

“Third, if I were that villain, the first thing I’d do is take you out.”

“Huh? Why?” Jiang Ruotang asked, confused.

“Because you touched my eyes.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m a pervert.”

Watching Lu Guifan’s figure walking ahead, Jiang Ruotang put his hands on his waist and laughed softly.

Wasn’t this exactly the high school life he’d dreamed of?

——Getting close to Lu Guifan, getting to know Lu Guifan, being able to talk and joke with him like friends.

“Then I must be a pervert too.”

“Hmm?” Lu Guifan turned his head to look at him. “How are you a pervert?”

“Not telling you.” Jiang Ruotang smirked and walked past Lu Guifan proudly.

Anyway, people always die. Rather than wasting away sick in bed like in my previous life, I’d rather die at your hands.

Jiang Ruotang deliberately texted Xiao Gao to come pick him up later.

That way he could walk with Lu Guifan to the glasses store.

Though they hardly talked while walking, this quiet stroll still filled Jiang Ruotang with a peaceful happiness.

When they passed the gate of No. 14 High School, Jiang Ruotang caught a delicious, mouthwatering smell.

“Scallion and egg pancake! Monitor, wait for me—I want that!”

Lu Guifan watched Jiang Ruotang run off excitedly and slowly followed.

The pancake stand was run by a middle-aged couple—the husband handling the dough and eggs, the wife making and seasoning the pancakes.

It was after class time, but most students weren’t interested in scallion and egg pancakes. They gathered around the other stalls buying grilled sausages or skewers.

Only Jiang Ruotang stood in front of the tricycle cart, grinning. “Boss, scallion and egg pancake—I want two eggs in it!”

The boss paused when he saw the two of them, then smiled, probably thankful for the business Jiang Ruotang brought. “I remember you! You stopped by the other night and bought one of our pancakes. Here, uncle will toss in a free sausage! Thanks for supporting us!”

“Thanks, uncle! You’re so kind!” Jiang Ruotang grinned.

After a while, the boss’s wife wrapped the egg and scallions into the pancake, quickly pinching the seam closed as she said, “Careful, don’t bite into it right away—it’s hot.”

“Thank you! Boss lady, you’re beautiful and kind!”

Anyone else saying that would sound greasy, but Jiang Ruotang said it with such natural sincerity.

The boss’s wife blushed a little from the praise.

“Oh stop… How am I beautiful? You really do have a sweet mouth.”

“Really! You can doubt anything else, but never doubt my taste.” Jiang Ruotang glanced sideways at Lu Guifan, gently bumping him with his elbow, smiling brightly. “Right, Monitor?”

Lu Guifan rarely smiled, but this time his lips curved into a pleasant arc. Maybe Jiang Ruotang’s down-to-earth warmth made him feel no distance at all. He nodded lightly. “Yes, beautiful and kind.”

Jiang Ruotang waited with eager anticipation. His compliments weren’t empty words—the boss’s wife really did have soft, gentle features, and the way she lowered her head and focused on her work reminded Jiang Ruotang of that Xu Zhimo poem. He leaned slightly toward Lu Guifan.

For some reason, Lu Guifan bent down and tilted his ear toward him. Jiang Ruotang whispered softly:

“‘The most tender moment is when she lowers her head, like a water lily shy in the cool breeze.’”

Lu Guifan froze for a second, glancing sideways. “Why are you suddenly quoting Xu Zhimo’s Sayonara?”

Jiang Ruotang whispered, “Don’t you think the boss lady is especially pretty?”

“But that poem praises young girls.”

“Haven’t you heard? ‘Men are boys until they die.’ Of course women are always young girls too.”

“Why didn’t you say it louder to please them?”

“I was afraid the boss would think I’m a creep and hit me with the spatula.”

Lu Guifan lowered his eyes and smiled faintly where Jiang Ruotang couldn’t see.

Who could ever misunderstand Jiang Ruotang? With those bright eyes and such pure, unguarded words praising the beauty around him.

In Jiang Ruotang’s world, beauty was simply beauty—never divided into high or low, noble or humble.

At that moment, a piece of chopped chive fell into the oil pan. Sizzle—oil spattered sharply. Jiang Ruotang was leaning in too close, his eyes wide open. Lu Guifan’s heart suddenly clenched, as if he saw sharp spikes piercing fragile glass, shattering all the beauty.

His hand moved faster than his brain, reaching out to cover Jiang Ruotang’s eyes and pulling him back.

But the boss was quicker, covering the pan with the lid just in time.