Of course, Qin Jing knew that people were allowed to have secrets from each other despite being close, but she couldn’t help feeling resentful.
What made matters worse was that Yao Tangpretended not to see her distress and didn’t even bother to coax her.
“I won’t be attending the remedial lessons in the next few days,” Qin Jinggrumbled. “I’m tired, I want to rest. You can letMeng Yangand the others pick up the slack.”
She purposely said this to annoy Yao Tang.
To her surprise, Yao Tangonly raised an eyebrow and said, “I was just about to tell you that I’ll be taking a few days off. There’s something I need to do, so I can’t do the online lessons with you guys. We can all catch up at a later date.”
What?
Did that mean that Yao Tangwouldn’t be at school for a while?
Then what was the point of being mad at her in the first place?
“Where are you going?” Qin Jingasked.
They were in their third year of high school. Unless it was something urgent or life-changing, no student would willingly take a leave of absence during this time.
Time was going by fast as it was. If anyone took a break from school now, they would definitely struggle to keep up with the lessons.
But Yao Tang was different. If she took a leave, it was as good as giving everyone in Class 20 a respite from the grueling lessons. It should be seen as a blessing.
Qin Jing had been crabby earlier, which was why she said those words.
After hearing that Yao Tangwould be gone for some time, however, she no longer felt good about herself. There was no point in sulking now.
“Is it something important?”
“Yes,” Yao Tangnodded. “I’m going to take the exam.”
“What exam?” Qin Jingpondered for a moment and slapped her forehead when it finally occurred to her.
“Oh, I remember! You participated in the preliminary round of the Math Olympiad. So, you’re going to Beijing for the final competition, right? I almost forgot all about it.”
Qin Jing shook her head ruefully. Top students were on a whole other level, all right.
Even though her academic results weren’t bad, she was still far behind Yao Tang.
“How many days will you be gone? It’s going to take more than a day, right?”
“Yes. One day for the exam, and two days for the travel.”
“That makes it three days, then.”
Yao Tang had been gone these last few days, too.
Qin Jing didn’t usually stick close to her, but she still felt rather empty whenYao Tangwasn’t around. It was almost as though she lost her backbone.
What Yao Tangsaid next upset her even more.
“Not three days. Five.”
Qin Jing’s eyes widened. “You’re going to take advantage of this trip to skip classes and laze around, aren’t you? I didn’t expect you to be so carefree!”
Although, she had to admit that Yao Tanghad been holding online remedial classes every day for weeks now.
Perhaps she wanted to take a break as well. In that case, Qin JingthoughtYao Tang’s actions were reasonable enough.
“I’m afraid that Lin Xinand the others would be dismayed when they find out about this.”
Yao Tang glanced at her. “You can’t miss out on your test papers while I’m gone, or I’ll give you an additional set when I come back and set a five-day quota for you.”
Qin Jing gaped at her in disbelief.
Was this girl truly her friend?
Was she even human?
She had been taking it easy after their last monthly exams, and now, Yao Tangwas planning to give her a separate bunch of tests?
Qin Jing turned on her seat to look atYao Tang.
“Sister Tang, have you forgotten? The monthly exams have just ended. We should all take a break for a while, we deserve it. There’s no need to study so hard. You can’t trick me this time.”
She spoke with unwavering determination.
“Does that mean that you don’t care about maintaining your place in the class rankings?” Yao Tangasked softly. “With those exchange students around, I don’t think you would even make the top ten unless you work really hard.”
‘Ha! So be it!’ Qin Jingdeclared in her mind.
She wanted to say it out loud, but couldn’t bring herself to in the end.
Qin Jing thought about her options. She did feel wonderful when she was able to answer an exam question with confidence.
“All right, fine,” she sighed. “Just give me the exam papers. I’ve been through a lot already, anyway. A few more tests shouldn’t hurt.”
“That’s the spirit,” Yao Tangpraised jokingly.
Qin Jing noted the lack of sincerity in her tone and narrowed her eyes.
She suddenly felt exhausted.
“Well, your competition is still more important. Take your time arranging those papers for me. Deal with your own matters first.”