Chapter 35

The six-day break passed in a blink.
Yan Xiao returned to school with fresh notes, a dazzling 950 points, and the memory of brilliant fireworks on New Year’s night, satisfied and recharged for the final sprint toward the college entrance exam.
To keep graduating seniors from slacking off after the holiday, the monthly exams weren’t postponed or canceled. Classes resumed at full intensity, and soon everyone was back in their high-pressure rhythm.
With her point total climbing ever closer to a thousand, and with the memory of Qiu Li studying so hard he’d fallen sick, Yan Xiao felt both pressure and motivation.
So what if she wasn’t “born a genius”?
She’d prove that hard work could still beat fate. The thrill of outworking a so-called prodigy was nearly as satisfying as her mission points.
Fueled by both determination and competition, she worked even harder than before the break.
On the first day back, Zhou Hang had come to school eager to chat with his two close friends and share the little gifts he’d brought them for New Year.
But when he peeked into Class 2 and saw Yan Xiao already buried in her books, laser-focused on review exercises, he froze.
He didn’t even dare say hello. Quietly, he left the gift on the corner of her desk and slipped out.
On his way back to his own class, still wide-eyed with shock (and a bit of confusion), he decided he had to ask the “academic god” himself, well, former god, since Yan Xiao had beaten him last time, what on earth had happened.
But when he reached the classroom door, he looked up and saw Qiu Li… with his head down.
Sleeping.
Zhou Hang stopped dead. Then his jaw dropped.
Sleeping?
The school’s number-one genius, sleeping in class?!
Oh, no.
Did he not care about his rank anymore?
Did he want to lose to both of them?!
Fueled by disbelief and righteous fury, Zhou Hang stormed over, slammed his fist on Qiu Li’s towering stack of practice books, and bellowed, “Don’t sleep! Yan Xiao’s studying her butt off right now, and you’re napping? If you keep this up, not only will she beat you again, I might beat you too! Then you won’t even be second, you’ll be third! Third place! Can you live with that shame?!”
But before he could finish, Qiu Li’s head snapped up.
His cold, sharp gaze sliced through Zhou Hang mid-sentence, freezing him in place.
Expression dark, Qiu Li pulled out his earbuds, and in a voice like ice, said only two words: “Are you crazy?”
Zhou Hang blinked, looked down, and saw the English listening track still playing on Qiu Li’s phone screen.
He swallowed hard, forcing out a dry laugh. “H-heh…s-so you were, uh, listening practice?”
Qiu Li didn’t bother to answer. He just turned back to his work, slipping his earbuds back in.
Zhou Hang: “…”
He stood there awkwardly scratching his head, feeling the weight of everyone’s stares. “Ha…haha, just kidding! We were joking! Carry on, everyone, back to studying!”
The rest of the class: “…” Yeah, sure. We all saw your near-death experience, buddy.
Still, curiosity faded fast, everyone had too much to do. Soon, heads were back down, pages flipping again.
Zhou Hang lingered, watching Qiu Li ignore him completely. After a few uneasy seconds, he leaned in cautiously.
“Hey, genius…” he whispered.
Qiu Li took off his earphones, face expressionless. “If it’s nothing important,” he said flatly, “I’ll use you to stretch my muscles today.”
Zhou Hang: “……”
Holy crap! Why did he suddenly sound so terrifying, like some mob boss or something?!
But the panic lasted only a moment. He told himself, Relax, it’s just Qiu Li. You know what he’s like.
Anyway, at least Qiu Li was talking to him, that meant he wasn’t mad. Zhou Hang smiled and asked, “Did Xiao-xiao… get hit with some kind of shock over break or something?”
At once, Qiu Li’s blank expression sharpened. “What do you mean by that?”
He frowned and started to get up, clearly intending to go check on her, but Zhou Hang hurriedly blocked his way. “She’s fine, don’t panic! That’s not what I meant!”
Qiu Li wasn’t listening, he just wanted to see for himself.
Zhou Hang was nearly in tears trying to stop him. “No, listen! I just went to drop off her New Year’s gift and saw her studying like her life depended on it. Class ended and she didn’t even take a break! I swear she’s already switched out like ten different sets of papers. She’s that intense! She wasn’t even this crazy before the holiday, so I was wondering, did something happen over New Year’s? Otherwise, why’s she like this all of a sudden?”
When he finished his ramble, Qiu Li’s expression hadn’t softened. In fact, his brows knitted even tighter.
“I’ll go take a look.” He brushed Zhou Hang aside and strode toward Class 2.
Zhou Hang: “…”
He stood there for two seconds, then stomped his foot and chased after him.
What was going on?!
Were both of his friends turning into study maniacs now?!
Qiu Li reached Class 2 quickly, but didn’t walk in. Instead, he stood by the window, looking in.
Yan Xiao was fine, just completely absorbed in her work, so focused she hadn’t even noticed him.
After watching her quietly for a moment, he turned and left.
Zhou Hang, who had witnessed the whole thing without daring to speak: “…”
What even was that? He came rushing over like it was urgent, took one look, then left? What kind of melodramatic idol drama moment was that?!
Of course, all that complaining stayed in his head, no way was he saying it out loud.
He caught up again and finally couldn’t hold it in. “What’s going on with you? Why didn’t you go in? And, hey, this isn’t the way back to class!”
Qiu Li walked into the campus convenience store and bought a carton of chocolate milk.
After paying, he finally threw Zhou Hang a glance. “She’s not ‘shocked.’ She just wants to get better, become more outstanding.”
Zhou Hang’s face twisted. “She’s not already outstanding enough?”
She’s ranked first! What more did she want?
Qiu Li looked at him coolly. “You wouldn’t understand.”
Zhou Hang: “…”
I’m being insulted. I have proof. But I’m too scared to say anything about it.
Sulking, he trailed behind Qiu Li as they headed back toward Class 2.
By now, the break was nearly over and most of the students were back. Everyone was used to seeing Qiu Li stop by their class to look for Yan Xiao, but that didn’t stop a few girls, some sneaky, some bold, from watching him openly.
Qiu Li didn’t notice a single one of them.
He went straight to Yan Xiao’s desk, set the chocolate milk on the corner, and walked away without a word.
Zhou Hang: “…”
So what exactly did I follow you here for? I trailed after you for an entire break, was I just a decorative background prop?!
Wait.
Suddenly an idea struck him. His eyes lit up. “Hey, number one, how about I become your sidekick? You can carry me to greatness!”
Qiu Li gave him a look that could curdle milk. “You’re too stupid.”
Zhou Hang: “…”
Still unwilling to give up, he leaned in again after the bell rang. “Seriously though, what’s up with Xiao-xiao? Is it okay for her to be pushing herself like this?”
Qiu Li’s hand, mid-page-turn, paused. After a moment, he said calmly, “She probably just wants to keep beating me.”
He didn’t add the rest aloud, And go to the same university as me.
Zhou Hang stared at him, horrified. Xiao-xiao’s ambition is terrifying!
He’d wanted to tell Qiu Li, Then you’d better work harder, healthy competition makes everyone better!
But before he could speak, he noticed the faint smile tugging at Qiu Li’s lips, that quiet, contented curve, and thought, never mind, he’s already enjoying this way too much.
The teacher entered then, and Zhou Hang, frustrated, shuffled back to his seat.
The physics teacher’s voice snapped Qiu Li’s mind back to the present.
He looked up at the countdown to the college entrance exam on the blackboard, then down at his test paper, thinking,
She’s working that hard. I have to keep up. I have to stay right beside her.

Upstairs, in Class 2,
The bell and the teacher’s voice pulled Yan Xiao out of her trance. She blinked, then noticed the chocolate milk sitting at the edge of her desk.
She froze for a second, then smiled.
Someone had left it there without saying a word. Other than Qiu Li, who else could it be?
While the teacher was still chatting about non-exam topics, she grabbed the drink, poked in a straw, and took a few sips.
[Ding! 951 points!]
Yan Xiao: “…”
Her smile vanished instantly.
She glared at the carton in her hand and took a defiant gulp.
Just you wait, she thought darkly. This time, in the monthly exam, I’ll make you kneel and call me Daddy!

Author’s Note:
Young Master Li: If you really want me to call you that… I don’t mind. (#^.^#)