"Why are you calling me? Did something happen to Xiao Yi?" Her words conveyed concern, but her tone was still cold and distant.

She was used to looking down on everyone.

Li Mei grew annoyed listening to her. ’So what if you have a little money!’

’You just got lucky being born into a good family and marrying well!’

After grumbling to herself for a moment, she put on a smile and said, "Mrs. Shen, Shen Yi has been doing very well. His grades are good, and he’s fine. It’s just..."

Li Mei proceeded to tell an embellished version of the incident at the guesthouse, making sure to frame Qin Jiao as the instigator.

Sure enough, as soon as she finished, the woman on the other end of the line flew into a rage.

"I’ll be in Ping’an Town tomorrow!"

Li Mei hung up, satisfied.

’That wretched girl, Qin Jiao, is definitely in for it now!’ Having taken her revenge on one student, Li Mei started secretly plotting against the next...

**

The first monthly exam of their senior year was just around the corner. After finishing a practice math test, Qin Jiao gave a long stretch and turned her head, noticing the person beside her was drawing something.

Qin Jiao suddenly remembered—Shen Yi liked to draw.

He was actually quite talented. He had taken lessons as a child and had very solid fundamentals.

But because of that childhood kidnapping, where his friend had died right before his eyes... Back when the incident happened, Shen Yi had been on his way to a drawing class with that very friend.

The death had been an accident, but it made the already withdrawn Shen Yi even stranger.

The Shen Family had taken him to see a psychologist, who said he had both autistic tendencies and bipolar disorder. Fortunately, both were in the early stages, so he wasn’t a danger to others or himself. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Even so, the diagnosis terrified the Shen Family.

They sought out famous doctors everywhere to treat Shen Yi, but with little success. Later, when Mr. Du’s health began to fail, Shen Yi suggested moving to be by his grandfather’s side. Du Liya, who was also worried about her father, agreed.

In reality, they had run out of better options.

But from that point on, Shen Yi never drew again.

But now, Qin Jiao saw him holding a pencil, sketching in a white notebook, and she felt a sudden, complex mix of emotions.

’He’s actually a very pitiable person, isn’t he?’

Perhaps sensing her gaze, Shen Yi stiffened. He pressed his hand down on the notebook and angled it away, ultimately using his own body to block her view.

He didn’t want her to see what he was drawing.

Qin Jiao: "..."

’Hmph. So stingy.’

’It’s not like I wanted to look anyway!’

When class ended and Qin Jiao stood up to leave, Shen Yi looked up at her and moved his arm. On the paper was a portrait sketch.

A girl with a ponytail and beautiful eyes that seemed to hold countless stories... It was Qin Jiao.

Shen Yi let out a soft sigh. ’I’d almost forgotten how much I love to draw.’ Even though he was living his life over again, the memory of what happened in his childhood still filled him with a lingering fear.

But just now, seeing Qin Jiao’s focused expression in profile as she studied, he had felt a sudden impulse and picked up his pencil to sketch her.

Once he’d started, he found he couldn’t stop.

Shen Yi glanced at the girl on the paper again and frowned slightly, not quite satisfied.

Life as a senior was incredibly intense. With the countdown on the side of the blackboard decreasing by one each day, it was hard not to feel the pressure.

Even though the semester had just begun, every student had already shed the laziness of summer vacation and was studying with complete focus.

They were racing against the clock.

Their first mock exam of senior year was also fast approaching.