36: Chapter 36: The Joint Exam Begins 36: Chapter 36: The Joint Exam Begins Liu Lingxiu looked through the window.
She had done so many times but still hadn’t seen a trace of Ye Qiu.
However, Ye Qiu had promised her last night, and she believed he wouldn’t lie to her.
Liu Lingxiu heard the sound of a bike bell outside the window and saw Ye Qiu approaching, so she rushed out of the room.
When she saw Ye Qiu stop his bike, Liu Lingxiu asked, “Ye Qiu, did you have breakfast?”
My sister made it for me.”
Liu Lingxiu went inside to grab her materials, then told her mom, Zhang Yuehong, that she was leaving.
Watching her daughter and Ye Qiu being quite close, Zhang Yuehong looked a bit worried.
After all, her daughter was about to take the college entrance exam.
If the two were in a romantic relationship, would it affect her studies and the exam?
Zhang Yuehong thought that even if Ye Qiu had cured Liu Lingxiu’s illness, she still needed to talk to her when she returned.
Liu Lingxiu hopped onto the back seat of Ye Qiu’s bike, and Ye Qiu rode towards Jiangbei No.
On the way, Liu Lingxiu initially held onto the bike’s rear frame or handle, but gradually, she wrapped her arms around Ye Qiu’s waist.
Ye Qiu just glanced at her and said nothing.
Half an hour later, Ye Qiu arrived at the gate of Jiangbei No.
3 Middle School and stopped the bike.
Liu Lingxiu, a bit shy, hopped off the bike.
They walked together, pushing the bike inside.
Even so, passing boys and girls noticed the scene, with the ‘useless’ Ye Qiu, and the ‘mute’ Liu Lingxiu walking together.
The students thought the two were a perfect match.
Ye Qiu parked his bike under the teaching building and locked it, recalling how the tire was deliberately punctured yesterday.
He decided to watch it more carefully today.
When they arrived in the classroom, they found that the other classmates were already there.
The class monitor Zhang Wei, who had taken a leave of absence yesterday, also arrived early.
Everyone knew that Zhang Wei liked Su Luoluo and wanted to pursue her.
However, Su Luoluo had always been uninterested in Zhang Wei.
As Ye Qiu and Liu Lingxiu entered the classroom through the front door, Su Luoluo naturally saw them.
Yesterday afternoon, she had seen Ye Qiu giving Liu Lingxiu a ride on his bike while she sat in a car.
Originally, Su Luoluo thought that she and Ye Qiu were from different worlds and slowly lost interest.
But when she returned to the Su Family, she suddenly realized that Ye Qiu, who used to be the ‘useless’ one, was no longer interested in her but instead focused on Liu Lingxiu, the mute girl.
This made her feel uncomfortable.
Now, seeing the two of them entering together, her clever mind guessed they might have come together.
Yesterday afternoon, they had organized their desks for today’s joint exam.
They couldn’t mess it up today, and in an hour, they would be taking the Chinese test.
Ye Qiu didn’t sit at his seat but went to the back table to chat with Zhu Zhiming and Li Shen.
Seeing Ye Qiu sitting next to him, Li Shen asked, “Ye Qiu, have you shifted your attention towards Liu Lingxiu?”
The two knew that Ye Qiu and Su Luoluo were not suitable, so they thought no matter how hard Ye Qiu tried, he would never be with Su Luoluo.
It was better for him to choose another girl with an ordinary family background and average grades as his girlfriend.
But they didn’t expect Ye Qiu to turn his attention to Liu Lingxiu.
Liu Lingxiu was beautiful and had excellent grades, but her family background was ordinary.
The two believed it was normal for Ye Qiu to pursue Liu Lingxiu, but Liu Lingxiu was mute, and they thought Ye Qiu and Liu Lingxiu were still unsuitable.
Moreover, they felt Ye Qiu’s parents wouldn’t approve of him being with Liu Lingxiu.
“Lingxiu is my friend.”
The two smiled but didn’t believe it was that simple.
Liu Lingxiu returned to her seat and noticed that her classmates still looked at her the same way.
She knew that in the class, only Ye Qiu truly cared about her.
But now, Liu Lingxiu knew she was no longer the mute girl; she was a normal person.
She occasionally glanced at Ye Qiu, who was chatting at the back.
She recalled the bet Ye Qiu made with her yesterday, thinking he either joked or had some strategy to excel in the joint exam.
But Liu Lingxiu still thought Ye Qiu was more likely joking.
As the seats for the joint exam were randomized and arranged by student number, there was no way for Ye Qiu to sit with Su Luoluo and cheat.
Even if Su Luoluo agreed to let Ye Qiu copy her answers, with them separated and monitored by teachers from another school, Ye Qiu couldn’t cheat.
As for bringing books to cheat, Liu Lingxiu knew that even if the invigilating teacher generously allowed it, it wouldn’t help much.
Liu Lingxiu didn’t know why Ye Qiu made that bet with her but found herself more curious now.
Su Luoluo occasionally glanced at Ye Qiu.
She felt Ye Qiu had changed a lot, yet also remained the same.
Zhang Wei’s eyes naturally glanced at Su Luoluo now and then, but Su Luoluo acted as if she didn’t see him.
As for Zhang Wei himself, although his family wasn’t as wealthy as Su Luoluo’s, he was considered a second-generation rich kid in the class.
Handsome and a top student, he was favored by the homeroom teacher and many girls.
Naturally, he wouldn’t regard Ye Qiu, the useless and incompetent student, in a favorable light.
He had heard that Su Luoluo had taken the initiative to chat with Ye Qiu yesterday, but Ye Qiu ignored her.
In Zhang Wei’s view, it must have been because Ye Qiu saved Su Luoluo’s life in a car accident.
But Zhang Wei thought he couldn’t do what Ye Qiu did because there were more beautiful girls in the world than just Su Luoluo.
At 8:45 a.m., Ye Qiu and his classmates sat according to their student numbers.
As the numbers were arranged alphabetically, Ye Qiu was seated at the back.
Su Luoluo and Zhang Wei were also at the back but in different groups and far apart.
Liu Lingxiu was seated in the middle, almost in her usual spot.
As they sat according to their student numbers, two teachers, one male and one female from another school, entered.
They carried the exam papers and answer sheets for the joint exam.
“Students, your homeroom teacher must have told you about the importance of this joint exam.
I won’t repeat those words.
I just hope you think quietly and do your own work quietly during the exam.
Talking and cheating are prohibited.
If anyone cheats, I will report your names to the school.”
The invigilating female teacher sternly addressed the students.
Of course, this joint exam was a preliminary test of their abilities, as the college entrance exam would be stricter.
If anyone started cheating now, the results wouldn’t be helpful as they wouldn’t be able to cheat during the actual college entrance exam.