Chapter 36

The review days passed in a blur, intense and fast-paced. Before long, it was time for the monthly exam, followed right after by the mock college entrance exam.
Between the pressure of study and the thrill of testing, nothing stirred the students of Yanwen Academy quite like the battle between Number One and Number Two.
In the latest round of exams, monthly and mock, Yan Xiao and Qiu Li had each taken first place once, bringing their quiet rivalry completely into the open.
Not just in Yanwen; even students from other schools had heard about it.
Yan Xiao of Yanwen was competing head-to-head with Qiu Li, and the fight was fierce.
When she claimed first place again, even Qiu Li’s devoted fanboys and fangirls had to admit she deserved it. It wasn’t luck.
Amidst the relentless studying, the rivalry became the school’s favorite form of entertainment.
Soon, whispers spread and bets were placed.
Who would take the top spot this time?
What started as a small joke among a few classmates snowballed until half the senior grade was secretly wagering snacks and milk tea on the outcome.
That afternoon in the cafeteria, Yan Xiao was waiting for her seafood noodles. Zhou Hang glanced at Qiu Li, who was standing in line to get the noodles for her, then slid quietly into the seat beside her.
Lowering his voice, he muttered, “Xiao-xiao, about next week’s second mock exam, do you think you’ll, uh, surpass… him?”
He didn’t dare say Qiu Li’s name outright, just jerked his chin in that direction.
Yan Xiao looked from Qiu Li to Zhou Hang’s expectant face and said dryly, “You’re not even competing. Why are you so worried?”
Zhou Hang’s expression collapsed. “How can you attack my personhood like that?!”
She laughed. “How is that an attack?”
He stammered for a bit, then puffed his chest. “I am working hard! I’m steadily third now! Who knows, maybe one day I’ll hit second!”
Yan Xiao smiled dismissively. “Then ask me again when that day comes.”
Zhou Hang: “…”
He realized, painfully, that the rarefied air up there among first and second place simply wasn’t meant for mortals like him.
Still, he wasn’t ready to give up. “Just give me a hint,” he begged. “So I can mentally prepare.”
She frowned. “Prepare for what? How about focusing on keeping your third place first? He Chengcheng’s about to catch up, you’ve seen how hard she’s working lately.”
Zhou Hang clenched his fists. “I’ll get second someday!”
Yan Xiao blinked at him. “Sure. Good luck.”
The encouragement stung worse than an insult. She’d not only refused to share anything, she’d crushed his dignity in the process.
But he still wasn’t done. “Come on, tell me a little at least…” he wheedled.
Yan Xiao turned her head. “And why should I?”
Zhou Hang grinned guiltily. “Because I made a bet with Xu Qiao. We’re betting on who’ll take first place in the second mock. Loser treats the winner to breakfast for a week, and daily milk tea. It’s about honor! Just give me a tiny spoiler and I’ll buy you milk tea for a week!”
Yan Xiao stared at him, speechless. “You guys have way too much free time.”
He chuckled nervously. “It’s just for fun! Gotta relax a little while studying, right? Help me out, I’ll be forever grateful-”
Before he could finish, someone kicked the leg of his chair.
Zhou Hang turned, ready to glare, but when he met Qiu Li’s cool gaze, he instantly wilted.
Without a word, he scooted to the opposite side of the table.
Setting the seafood noodles down in front of Yan Xiao, Qiu Li ate calmly for a moment before lazily asking, “What are you betting on?”
Yan Xiao opened her mouth, but Zhou Hang was already winking at her frantically.
She sighed inwardly, then looked down and kept eating.
The noodles were especially springy today, and the broth was rich. She picked up a shrimp and dropped it into Qiu Li’s bowl.
Zhou Hang stared at the shrimp enviously, licking his lips. “N-no bet,” he blurted out. “We were just saying, uh, wondering if the lunch lady might give us a few extra shrimp today, haha…”
Qiu Li looked up, and Zhou Hang immediately shrank back again.
No way was he telling the truth. If Qiu Li found out he was part of a bet about him, and had tried to get insider info from Yan Xiao, he’d be a dead man.
Since Qiu Li clearly wasn’t that interested anyway, he let it drop.
Watching the two of them eat happily together while his stomach growled, Zhou Hang finally groaned, “Why is my food taking so long?”
“There’s a lot of orders,” Yan Xiao said without looking up. “You insisted on braised pork rice even after the lady said it takes forever. You made your choice, so live with it.”
Zhou Hang bit his tongue. He wanted to argue but didn’t dare, especially since he’d just been lying through his teeth. In the end, he muttered weakly, “Right, the road I chose…I’ll crawl to the end of it.”
Qiu Li and Yan Xiao turned their heads at the same time, eyes meeting for a moment, identical looks on their faces: Why is he so dramatic?
That synchronized reaction, thinking the same thing in the same instant, made them both laugh.
Zhou Hang suddenly felt like the loneliest man alive. It wasn’t that he couldn’t climb higher, no, it was that the world of first and second place simply had no room for him.
By the time they finished eating, his pork rice still wasn’t ready.
Embarrassed, he waved them off and stayed behind alone, sadly poking at his food when it finally arrived.

In the campus convenience store, Qiu Li grabbed a cup of fresh-cut fruit and two bottles of yogurt.
As he paid, he asked casually, “What’s Zhou Hang scheming this time?”
Yan Xiao took the strawberry yogurt he handed her, sipping as she smiled but didn’t answer.
Seeing her so amused, Qiu Li’s own smile softened. Carrying the fruit, he walked out beside her. “You look happy,” he said. “Guess I’ll let Zhou Hang off this time.”
“Mm-hm!” Yan Xiao nodded, then turned around to face him, walking backward with a grin. “If you’re really curious, you can ask him yourself. I promise you’ll be very surprised.”
Under the bright sunlight, Qiu Li raised an eyebrow, the light catching in his dark eyes like scattered stars. His lips curved slightly. “Doesn’t sound like it’s anything good.”
“It is good!” Yan Xiao said seriously, though her eyes sparkled with mischief. “Of course it’s good.”
(Good for me, anyway. Can’t wait to see your face later.)
Seeing her expression, the corner of Qiu Li’s mouth lifted higher, a trace of fondness softening his gaze. “All right,” he said with a smile. “If you say it’s good, then it must be. I’ll ask him when we get back.”
Yan Xiao was practically glowing with happiness.
She could already see Zhou Hang’s tragic future, probably beaten into the ground by Qiu Li.
The more she pictured it, the funnier it got. She couldn’t wipe the grin off her face.
Just as she was about to tease Qiu Li into guessing what it was about, two younger girls came running and laughing in their direction.
Yan Xiao, still walking backward and focused entirely on Qiu Li’s reaction, didn’t notice them at all. She was seconds away from colliding,
There was a shout, the rush of footsteps, and before she could even process it, Qiu Li’s expression changed. A hand grabbed her wrist, pulling her sharply forward, and she crashed into his chest.
“Careful!”
The low voice rumbled above her, and whether it was because he was too close or something else entirely, the word “careful” buzzed against her ear like static, soft, electric, and oddly tingling.
The two younger girls froze in panic, realizing who they’d almost run into.
Senior Qiu Li.
Senior Yan Xiao.
Their faces went pale. They stammered apology after apology.
Qiu Li’s tone stayed calm, and since Yan Xiao wasn’t hurt, he simply nodded for them to go.
It wasn’t until the two girls had run off that Yan Xiao finally snapped out of her daze.
“Did it scare you?” Qiu Li asked, frowning slightly when she just stood there, head lowered, silent.
“Ah?” Yan Xiao jerked her head up, and because everything had happened so suddenly, her nerves were still jumpy. She accidentally squeezed the yogurt in her hand.
It sprayed right into Qiu Li’s face.
Qiu Li: “…”
Yan Xiao: “…”
His brows slowly drew together. His expression turned complicated, somewhere between disbelief and resignation.
For one tense second she stared at him, then burst out laughing.
But when she saw his helpless face, she quickly tried to hold it back, murmuring “Sorry, sorry!” while fumbling in her pocket for tissues.
She dabbed at his face, shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.
Qiu Li blinked, looking both exasperated and indulgent. “If you want to laugh,” he said, sighing softly, “then laugh.”
“Hahahaha, I’m sorry, I swear it wasn’t on purpose, hahaha…”
Since he’d given permission, she didn’t bother holding it in anymore, laughing as she wiped his face.
After the New Year, Qiu Li had grown again, now about one meter eighty-six. Yan Xiao had grown too, but at only one sixty-three, the difference was still huge. She had to stand on tiptoe to reach his face.
He’d thought about bending down to make it easier for her, but then he saw her tiptoeing, one hand gripping his arm for balance, focused and earnest, and decided not to move at all.
[Ding! 953 points!]
Yan Xiao, still wiping his face: “…”
If I squeeze the yogurt again, will it give me more points?

Author’s Note:
Yan Xiao: Standing on tiptoe brings you closer to the sunlight!
Young Master Li: So I’m the sunlight now? [shy.jpg] (#^.^#)