Chapter 30

Yan Xiao was snapped out of her thoughts by a deafening shriek.
She clapped her hands over her ears and shot Zhou Hang a look of pure disgust.
“You really dragged the top student off his throne! That’s insane!”
He was genuinely stunned, so much that all he could say was “Holy sht”* on repeat, until Yan Xiao nearly rolled her eyes into the back of her head.
“Hey, wait up!”
Seeing her turn to leave, Zhou Hang immediately shut up and chased after her, eyes bright with curiosity. “Where are you going? Tell me your secret, I wanna be number one too!”
He’d gotten third place this time.
Even though his score was still twenty or thirty points behind the top two, this was the closest he’d ever come. For once, “First Place” wasn’t exclusively Qiu Li’s. The magic had been broken.
He was starting to believe he could do it too!
Yan Xiao didn’t even glance at him. “Keep dreaming. Not happening. Give up.”
Her words hit him square in the ego. Before he could sulk, she had already sped up, heading straight toward Qiu Li.
But of course, with those long legs of his, Qiu Li was already half a building away. Yan Xiao had to half-jog to catch up.
“W–wait up!”
She finally managed to grab the hem of his uniform jacket, panting. “Why are you walking so fast? I can’t even catch, my, breath”
Caught off guard, Qiu Li turned around.
The first thing he saw was her hand, small, clenched tightly around his sleeve, knuckles white from how hard she was holding on.
His brows twitched, and his gaze softened as it landed on her flushed face. “What’s the rush?”
The cold winter air had caught in her throat, and she coughed a few times before muttering, “You’re the one walking too fast…”
Qiu Li shifted slightly, angling his body to block the wind for her.
“I need to ask you something.” She lifted her head again, eyes serious.
“Go ahead,” he said, voice low.
“When I got first place, when I beat you, did it make you mad?”
His brows rose a little, eyes dark and curious.
Yan Xiao pressed on, looking anxious. “Well? Are you mad or not?”
He’d just been about to shake his head when he paused, lashes flickering, and countered smoothly, “Do you want me to be mad or not?”
“Of course mad!” she burst out. “If I were you, if I’d been number one forever, and someone suddenly beat me, especially someone who borrows my notes and asks me questions all the time, I’d be pissed!”
The corner of his lips curved faintly. “Then I’m mad.”
Yan Xiao: “…”
He looked at her, eyes bright with amusement. “You told me to be, didn’t you?”
Her brows drew together, lips flattening into a pout. “Liar.”
“?”
If you’re really mad, she thought, why didn’t my system points go up?
If he wasn’t angry, why didn’t she get any value for it?
Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You went easy on me, didn’t you?”
He’d probably gotten tired of her constantly pestering him, so he’d thrown her a win, let her have her little moment of glory to shut her up. Knowing Qiu Li’s scheming nature, that was entirely possible.
Qiu Li’s eyelid twitched slightly, but his face stayed composed. “I didn’t.”
Yan Xiao looked at him doubtfully.
It had been more than a year since her points last increased, and at this point she wasn’t sure if the system was broken, or if he really had pulled his punches.
But fine. She could test it.
Yan Xiao waved him closer with a little flick of her fingers.
Qiu Li didn’t understand what she was up to, but leaned forward slightly, curious.
Yan Xiao hesitated for a moment. But she was desperate.
She’d worked hard the entire semester, poured in every ounce of effort, and still hadn’t gained a single point. If this went on, she’d really end up as cannon fodder.
At this point, there was nothing left to lose.
Making up her mind, she stopped hesitating, raised her free hand, and, swish, swish, rubbed Qiu Li’s head twice in lightning-fast succession.
Qiu Li: “…”
The instant her hand landed on his hair, his entire body went rigid.
Seeing the look on his face, Yan Xiao immediately released his sleeve and tried to bolt.
But before she could even turn, a hand clamped around her wrist.
“Where are you going?”
His voice was low and rough, a little hoarse, enough to make her heart skip a beat and her stomach tighten in alarm.
Qiu Li hated physical contact. Hated it.
Especially people touching his head.
Yan Xiao had always known that. That’s why she’d never dared to risk it before.
After all, for someone so proud and temperamental, a head pat was basically an act of war. She’d always feared that if she tried, he’d retaliate and wipe her off the map.
But desperate times called for desperate measures.
The numbers weren’t moving no matter what she did.
She was already doomed either way, so she might as well gamble big.
Her move had been swift and precise, but now, with his deep voice rumbling above her and that hand tightening around her wrist, her confidence wavered.
“I, I’m going back to class to, um…do my homework”
Inside, she was screaming: Why isn’t it going up?!
Qiu Li narrowed his eyes.
Yan Xiao: “……”
Panic rising, she struggled, trying to wrench her hand free, but his grip didn’t budge.
Just as she was about to grab his hand and pry it off,
[Ding! 866 points!]
Yan Xiao: “…”
The long-lost sound sent a jolt of joy through her, but also frustration. Only six points?! She’d just poked the tiger’s tail! That was worth more than six!
[Ding! 886 points!]
Yan Xiao: “Eh?”
Her eyes widened.
Six points, then twenty more?!
Wait, was the system delayed in counting the exam results?
So…six points for the test, twenty for touching his head?
When the realization hit, Yan Xiao’s expression turned from shock to horror.
Just one head pat got me twenty points?!
If she did it a few more times, wouldn’t that mean, she could max out the score?!
The greater the temptation, the harder it was to resist.
Yan Xiao stopped struggling.
She bit her lip, eyes fixed on the top of Qiu Li’s head, her mind screaming: I’m gonna rub you bald if that’s what it takes!
She jumped up, trying to reach for his hair again, but before she could land a hit, his hand came down and pressed her head firmly in place.
Qiu Li’s smile deepened, his voice low and amused. “What are you trying to do this time?”
Pinned in place by the height difference and his hand, Yan Xiao didn’t even care about the indignity of being literally held down. She didn’t care that his tone carried that infuriating calm dominance either,
She just wanted to touch his head again and rack up points as fast as possible!
“Let go of me!” she demanded, tugging at his arm with both hands, trying to lift his hand off her head. Then she started kicking his leg. “Let go! You’re being too much!”
Zhou Hang, who’d just caught up, watched the scene for a moment, mouth twitching. “Why don’t you just duck?” he offered helpfully. “If you squat, he can’t reach.”
He looked from one to the other, the top two students in the entire grade, currently wrestling like toddlers, and nearly laughed out loud. So childish!
Yan Xiao: “…”
Qiu Li: “…”
In the end, she didn’t squat. Qiu Li let go first, though not before shooting Zhou Hang a sharp, knife-like glance.
Zhou Hang froze mid-grin, heart skipping a beat.
What? What did he say wrong this time? He was just telling the truth!
Honestly, he thought, it’s Qiu Li’s fault for treating her like a kid all the time. They’re seniors in high school, for crying out loud!
While he was still trying to make sense of it, the two of them had already walked off.
Qiu Li strolled ahead with his hands in his pockets, taking his time toward the school gate.
Yan Xiao clung to his arm, hopping alongside, trying over and over to pat his head. But thanks to the height difference, and Qiu Li’s perfectly timed dodges, she never managed to hit her mark.
The two of them kept walking, bickering, laughing, the picture of playful chaos.
Zhou Hang watched for a bit, thought about following, then decided against it.
Too childish.
He wasn’t getting involved in that.

Author’s Note:
Zhou Hang: Childishness is contagious. I need to stay away from you two.
Qiu Li: Should I be thanking you for that?
Zhou Hang: ???