The midterm exams arrived unexpectedly.
After two long days of exams and a brief weekend, Monday came—the day the results were announced.
Yao Zuizui, upholding the fine tradition of her original self Chen Xiaoxiao, once again secured the top spot in the entire grade.
The class study monitor, Li Xin, remained in second place, forever the runner-up.
As for Ji Zican, however, he surprised everyone.
He ended up ranking second from the bottom in the class.
Whether the last-place student was absent due to illness and scored zero in all subjects or not didn’t matter.
In any case, Young Master Ji had achieved his first breakthrough in life—moving from last place to second from the bottom.
“Young Master Ji, congratulations!”
“Young Master Ji, impressive!”
“Young Master Ji, keep it up!”
All day long, Ji Zican heard nothing but these “congratulatory” remarks.
His face darkened with each word, nearly turning as black as the bottom of a pot. Yet, he had no outlet for his frustration.
The only thing he could do was bully Chen Xiaoxiao a few more times. But Chen Xiaoxiao remained soft and pliant like a dumpling, letting him push her around without any reaction.
When he got home, his parents, thrilled to hear he had ranked second from the bottom, were overjoyed.
They took him out to eat, bought him new clothes, and even rewarded him with a bank card loaded with a five-digit sum.
Under normal circumstances, such rewards would have had him jumping for joy, running circles around their villa in excitement.
But today, he was in a foul mood.
He went to bed early, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
From the moment he learned his rank, one thought dominated his mind:
He was second from the bottom, but Chen Xiaoxiao was first.
They couldn’t sit together anymore.
He was unhappy.
He was furious.
He didn’t understand why he felt this way, but he was seething.
He wanted to sit with Chen Xiaoxiao, not with that Li Xin.
He spent the entire day pondering the reason.
In the end, he concluded that it was probably because Chen Xiaoxiao’s shampoo and body wash smelled nice.
Sitting next to her was refreshing—even the breeze carried her scent, and his dreams were sweeter when he slept beside her.
Swap her out for some rough, smelly guy as his deskmate?
No way!
After deciding to either threaten or bribe the actual last-place student or Li Xin into switching seats the next day, Ji Zican finally fell asleep peacefully.
He had a wonderful dream.
In it, Chen Xiaoxiao remained his deskmate—from high school all the way to university.
Every day, he rested his head on her soft arm or thigh, surrounded by her delicate fragrance and floating dust, painting a beautiful scene.
She bent over her homework, revealing a slender, fair neck, with loose strands of hair gently framing her face. Her delicate hand moved the pen across the paper with a soothing sound, while her other hand occasionally reached over to ruffle his hair.
So perfect.
When Ji Zican woke up in the morning, he sat on his bed in a daze.
The sensation from his dream had faded, but suddenly, he wanted to know—what did it really feel like to have his hair ruffled?
Though he entertained the thought, he couldn’t bring himself to actually ask Chen Xiaoxiao to do it.
This unsatisfied desire left him scowling all the way to school.
Yao Zuizui found his simmering, explosive expression amusing.
Who had managed to light this young master’s fuse this time?
But at least she wouldn’t have to sit with him anymore.
No more suffering under his torment.
Finally, she could have a new deskmate.
Yao Zuizui had been holding back from teasing or flirting with Ji Zican.
Because he was still just a high school student.
To her, he was just a kid.
Taking advantage of a child? She wasn’t that shameless.
Besides, puppy love could affect academic performance.
She needed to maintain her character’s image—always ranking first in exams.
So Yao Zuizui’s plan was to focus on her studies first and deal with romance after getting into university.
Little did she know, Ji Zican was quietly working through a series of complicated psychological processes to flirt with himself on her behalf…
Yao Zuizui had just sat down and hadn’t even finished organizing her new desk when the movement beside her caught her attention.
She glanced to the side—who else could it be but Ji Zican?
He was sprawled casually in the seat next to hers, tapping the desk idly.
Yao Zuizui gave him a brief look before ignoring him and focusing on arranging her books.
“Um… this is my seat…” A timid, mosquito-like voice spoke up, lacking confidence.
It was the boy who had been sick before.
Timid and meek by nature, his recent illness had left him looking even more fragile.
Ji Zican pretended not to hear, digging at his ear. “What? Speak louder.”
“According to the seating chart the teacher gave… this is my seat.” The last-place student spoke politely but took a step back under Ji Zican’s fierce glare.
“Let me ask you again—whose seat is this? If you answer wrong, meet me at the school gate after class! If you answer right, I’ll treat you to a feast!” Ji Zican smirked, his eyes burning with suppressed anger.
Was this idiot really that clueless?
Couldn’t he tell that Ji Zican wanted to sit with Chen Xiaoxiao?
“This… this…” The boy stammered.
“This is Ji Zican’s seat. Yours is over there.” Yao Zuizui couldn’t take it anymore. She set down her book and pointed to the empty seat next to Li Xin.
Saving a life was better than building a seven-story pagoda.
This kid had just recovered from illness—if Ji Zican had him beaten up, he’d lose another layer of skin.
Ji Zican nodded in satisfaction, the dangerous glint in his eyes fading.
Chen Xiaoxiao knew what was up.
Obedient, sensible—he liked that.
He’d grudgingly give her an extra half a point.
Having successfully reclaimed his seat, Ji Zican was in a much better mood.
The anger that had been simmering inside him dissipated significantly.
He resumed his favorite activity of the past half-semester—watching Chen Xiaoxiao do her homework.
This had surpassed his former favorite pastime (sleeping) to claim the top spot.
Of course, he didn’t stare openly.
He pretended to sleep, tilting his head toward Chen Xiaoxiao.
When she wasn’t paying attention, he’d crack his eyes open just enough to admire her profile.
He couldn’t explain why he liked watching her.
Was Chen Xiaoxiao pretty? Absolutely. But not so stunning that he’d want to stare at her all day, more than he loved sleeping.
Yet he couldn’t help it.
Her soft cheeks, bathed in sunlight, revealed tiny, adorable peach fuzz, making him want to take a bite.
Her delicate earlobes, almost translucent with a faint pink hue, tempted him to pinch them.
Her eyes made him imagine how she’d look crying—it’d probably be amusing.
Her nose made him wonder when he’d last seen her sneeze.
Chen Xiaoxiao was like a treasure chest with its lid pried open, filled with endless secrets and wonders.
He was hopelessly drawn in, desperate to uncover them all.
Even the teachers were at a loss when it came to Ji Zican’s behavior.
This was a private school, and 80% of its shares were owned by Ji Zican’s father.
Though Ji Zican was unruly, he knew his limits.
As long as no one provoked him, he wouldn’t disrupt others’ studies.
The teachers didn’t know what to do with him.
All they could say was, “Ji Zican, as long as you’re happy.”
As for poor Chen Xiaoxiao, trapped under Ji Zican’s predatory gaze, the teachers could only sigh and pray for her…
===
Not long after the midterms came the sports festival.
Perhaps to ease the tension from exams and prepare students for the second half of the semester, the school had arranged a three-day event.
The homeroom teacher wore a benevolent “look how good the school is to you” expression as she announced the details.
“Class, to encourage participation, the school requires every student to sign up for at least one event! After class, go register with the sports committee! Spots are limited—first come, first served!” The teacher spoke animatedly, as if this were some grand privilege.
Once class ended, students swarmed the sports committee’s desk like a flock of birds.
Li Xin leaned over from the aisle, his tongue stumbling. “Chen Xiaoxiao, what event are you signing up for?”
“Whatever.” Yao Zuizui closed her book, indifferent.
Truthfully, the original Chen Xiaoxiao wasn’t particularly athletic, but to stay in character, Yao Zuizui maintained her aloof demeanor.
Just like how she endured Ji Zican’s bullying.
If it were up to her, she’d have slapped him silly long ago.
Who dared bully Yao Zuizui? Did they not know which page the word “death” was on in the dictionary?
But to preserve her character’s image, she had to grit her teeth and endure…
Most students had already signed up, and the sports committee began tallying the list. “Anyone else? If you don’t register now, I’ll assign you randomly!”
“Me, me, I’m coming!” The last few stragglers rushed over.
Yao Zuizui shrugged. The good events were probably taken, so she’d let the committee pick for her.
But when the sports committee announced the final list during the last self-study period, Yao Zuizui couldn’t help but press her lips together.
They’d signed her up for the most dreaded event—the 3000-meter run.
Three thousand meters… That was brutal.
Ji Zican, who had been stealing glances at her, caught the fleeting look of distress in her eyes.
He lifted his head from his desk and smirked. “Three thousand meters? Someone’s gonna cry while running, huh?”
Yao Zuizui ignored him, pursed her lips, and returned to her homework.
She was one step away from solving this math problem.
Ji Zican’s mood darkened as he studied her profile—the delicate curve of her jaw, her smooth forehead, flawless skin, and the faint sheen of sweat on her nose from the heat.
Her youthful beauty only stoked the fire of his anger.
Chen Xiaoxiao, just you wait!
When you’re running those 3000 meters, even if you collapse or drop dead, I won’t lift a finger to help you!
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