Gu Muxue frowned. Xue Rui was taking advantage of her. She’d wanted to bite him but held back.

’The college entrance exam is tomorrow. I’ll let him off the hook for now.’

Xue Rui wanted to reach out his other hand and pinch her other cheek, but an angry glare suddenly stabbed him, and he instinctively pulled his hand back.

’Give him an inch and he’ll take a mile! He actually wanted to pinch with both hands?’ Gu Muxue fumed internally.

Xue Rui gave an awkward laugh. He felt like he was petting a cute kitten that could leap up and scratch him at any moment, which made him a little nervous.

’Are Gu Muxue’s cheeks even softer than Lin Ruoxi’s?’

’Maybe it’s just an illusion. I can almost never pinch Gu Muxue’s cheeks, so maybe I’m just paying more attention today?’

’As for Lin Ruoxi, I can pinch that little girl’s face anytime...’

Gu Muxue was fuming. She took a deep breath, puffing up her cheeks like a little pufferfish, and flicked Xue Rui’s fingers away from the cheek he was pinching.

The girl tilted her head up and glared at him. ’You’ve been pinching for half a minute already. How much longer do you plan on going?’

She had been patient enough. She hadn’t gotten angry at Xue Rui all day, neither pinching nor biting him.

When Xue Rui saw his fingers flicked away like that, he thought the girl was just too clever.

But her fuming, puffed-up look was utterly adorable, with her cheeks puffed up perfectly round.

Xue Rui reached out and flicked one, making a dull THUMP.

As a result, Gu Muxue instantly blew her top.

"You! Go look yourself. We’re not in the same classroom." Gu Muxue shot Xue Rui a harsh glare, quickened her pace to walk ahead, but her eyes kept stealing glances back at him.

After she’d gone a little distance, she suddenly felt a sense of anxiety and uncertainty. ’What if he doesn’t come after me?’

’Should I go back?’

’No way!’

However, Gu Muxue didn’t even realize that her pace had slowed down again...

Xue Rui held back a laugh. ’This girl never says what she means. Who’s she waiting for, dawdling like that?’

He took a few quick steps to catch up. "I have a bad memory. I might get lost later."

"Then just follow me obediently."

Gu Muxue said with a beaming smile, her hands clasped behind her back. She swayed as she walked forward, completely lacking her usual "young miss" air.

In reality, their exchange didn’t make much sense.

The high school campus wasn’t that big to begin with, and the academic building was in a very obvious location. How could anyone possibly get lost?

They both knew what was going on. One was making an excuse to follow, and the other was making an excuse not to push him away.

The only thing left was to break through that last paper-thin barrier between them.

When they reached Xue Rui’s exam room, Gu Muxue looked at his admission ticket, considered it for a moment, and then glanced inside.

The exam classroom was closed, but students could see the seats inside through the windows.

The desks in the classroom were neatly arranged, all turned backward, with the drawers facing the podium...

"Second column, second-to-last row." The girl pointed to a seat in the classroom.

Xue Rui nodded.

’As long as I find the right exam room, that’s enough. It’s not like anyone could sit in the wrong seat, right?’

Chatting, the two made their way to a classroom on the first floor.

Many poplar trees were planted in front of the academic building here, and Gu Muxue was surprised to find that some of them had names carved into them.

There were boys’ names and girls’ names, and some looked like they had been carved very recently.

It seemed to be the work of young couples.

Gu Muxue stared for a long while before coming to a conclusion. "Looks like they were carved with a compass."

She found it very strange. Why didn’t the trees at No. 2 High have so many carvings? She asked, "Do all good students do this?"

Xue Rui glanced around and came to his own conclusion. He smiled and explained to Gu Muxue:

"It’s not an issue of student quality, but a difference in the ’cost’ of carving..."

This high school mostly had parasol trees and poplars, whose bark is smooth and soft. You could carve into them with just about any tool.

Once one person did it, it would trigger a "broken windows effect," causing many other students to follow suit and carve words.

Even the usually well-behaved students, faced with the freedom of graduation season—who doesn’t have a rebellious impulse now and then?

In any case, the carvings were made close to graduation, so the school wouldn’t bother to investigate.

But No. 2 High was different. Its campus was full of trees like ginkgos, with thick, rough bark that was hard and uneven, making it difficult to carve with tools from a pencil case. You’d need something much sturdier.

Often, just raising the barrier to entry a little bit is enough to filter out 90 percent of people.

Moreover, Director Wang has a short temper and is brutally direct. When faced with students who’ve given up on themselves, he’d even threaten them with their graduation files to enforce discipline, taking care of the remaining ten percent...

Although Director Wang’s threats were mostly just talk, you have to admit, such simple and crude methods are often the most effective...

Gu Muxue sat to the side, listening quietly. Besides studying, Xue Rui seemed to know a little bit about everything.

"I get it now." Gu Muxue nodded with a smile.

Actually, for the past two years, Xue Rui had often called her "Teacher Muxue."

But in reality, she had also learned many things she didn’t know from Xue Rui.

Of course, she would never call him "Teacher Xue Rui." That would only make him push his luck.

"Do you want to carve something?" Xue Rui asked with a smile.

Gu Muxue froze. It was mostly couples who carved their names on trees. And now Xue Rui was asking her if she wanted to?

’Carve both of our names?’

"No," Gu Muxue said, shaking her head. ’What’s the point of carving our names on it? That’s so classless.’

After saying that, she felt like it sounded as if she were rejecting Xue Rui, so she quickly added, "Even plants and trees have feelings."

"Teacher Muxue, you’re as kind as you are beautiful. I was actually thinking the same thing," Xue Rui praised.

Gu Muxue suppressed a smile. ’Xue Rui is always like this,’ she thought. ’If I had chosen to carve something, he probably would have found some twisted logic to justify it.’

After the exams, she would be going to Jiangnan soon.

She had wanted to get her driver’s license with Xue Rui, but the birthday on her ID card showed she wasn’t old enough.

The girl propped up her chin, watching the bustling students upstairs. ’Have so many years really passed in the blink of an eye?’ she wondered.

She had been classmates with Xue Rui for over a decade.

’What about after university? We’ll most likely be at different schools, so we won’t be classmates.’

’What kind of relationship will we have then? Old classmates?’

...

「Third floor of the exam building.」

"Teacher, please don’t be mad at Xue Rui, okay?" Lin Ruoxi said meekly.

Just now, Xue Rui had told her to say it, so she said it.

But she knew saying it wouldn’t be good for Xue Rui, and she wanted to apologize to Director Wang on his behalf...

"It’s fine, it was just a joke," Director Wang said with a laugh.

Lin Ruoxi had just caused him considerable embarrassment, but the girl’s voice was soft and sweet, and she had a dazed look. There wasn’t a hint of mockery in her tone, so everyone just thought Lin Ruoxi was making a joke.

Besides, Xue Rui had quickly found a way to smooth things over, saying it was a sign of being responsible toward students and loyal to the school...

The crucial part was, the principal had heard it too.

"Where do you want to go to school after the exam?" Director Wang asked.

He had been driving Lin Ruoxi to and from school for a long time, and she had even invited him up for a meal once. His interest was no longer just in the girl’s academic talent; he now genuinely cared for her.

"I... I don’t actually want to go to Qingbei. I want to go to the same school as Xue Rui," Lin Ruoxi mumbled.

The little girl really wanted to tell Xue Rui this.

But... Xue Rui hadn’t told her to. She was afraid he wouldn’t agree.

As she thought about this, the little girl’s expression grew sadder and sadder.

Director Wang wasn’t surprised at all. He nodded and said, "Mm, that’s good."

Lin Ruoxi, on the other hand, was a little stunned. She had always thought everyone around her was expecting her to go to Qingbei; every teacher said so.

But... Director Wang was actually different?

"It’s best if you stick with that kid," Director Wang said, his hands behind his back.

This girl had a superior intellect but zero emotional intelligence. She would be at a disadvantage no matter where she went. Only by staying next to someone trustworthy would she be safe.

Top-tier universities weren’t suitable for Lin Ruoxi. Wherever there are people, there’s a social battlefield, and survival there depends on understanding the nuances of human relationships.

But Lin Ruoxi knew none of that. She could actually repeat the exact word "lackey" without any filter...

He felt that if this girl was lucky, she’d spend her whole life in a lab. If she was unlucky, there could be huge problems...

Xue Rui wasn’t very proper, but Director Wang knew his background well. Lin Ruoxi desperately needed someone like him by her side.

Lin Ruoxi’s beautiful eyes widened slightly. ’So Director Wang thinks so too?’

The thought that someone agreed with her lifted the little girl’s spirits considerably. She took a chocolate pie from her schoolbag and handed it to Director Wang.

Director Wang chuckled and accepted the chocolate pie.

"Then I’ll ask Xue Rui if I can control my score," Lin Ruoxi said thoughtfully.

Director Wang immediately broke out in a sweat. He lowered his voice, "My dear girl, just secure the provincial top score first. Once you do that, can’t you go wherever you want?"

Lin Ruoxi said meekly, "But... getting a high score is so troublesome..."

She then recalled the group of people who wanted to "abduct" her, and a sudden fear gripped her.

As long as she scored a little worse, she could hide herself away and not be discovered by others. She had always done this in the past.

Her grandma had also said that one shouldn’t stand out too much.

So, as long as she gave up first place, everything would be fine.

Director Wang patted his chest and assured her, "You just perform as you normally do. Someone will take care of the trouble."

The top science scorer would be hounded by all sorts of media and fought over by the admissions offices of every top university...

But who wouldn’t want that kind of treatment?

That was something to brag about for a lifetime!

And Lin Ruoxi actually described it as "troublesome"?

The gap between people was just that vast. Other students were afraid of scoring too low, but Lin Ruoxi was worried about scoring too high...

At Lin Ruoxi’s usual level, as long as she performed normally, she could break the province’s top scorer record that had stood for years...

She didn’t need Qingbei to add to her halo; a genius of her caliber came with her own.

In any case, the school had already fended off plenty of "flies" behind the scenes.

He could even imagine that he probably wouldn’t get any peace this summer.

If you wanted to bask in the glory of having the top science scorer, you had to pay a price...

...

The time for checking the exam venues was brief; it was just a quick look around the room to get one’s bearings.

So, everyone quickly reassembled at the school gate.

"Everyone, please hand in your admission tickets and ID cards. You can get them from the teachers when we gather tomorrow morning. Go home and rest well today. Don’t study anymore..." Xue Xiaying rattled off a long list of instructions.

"See you tomorrow morning." Gu Muxue waved to Xue Rui and got into a black sedan.

Xue Rui shook his head. He’d just had the strangest feeling of familiarity, a sense of déjà vu...

’Déjà vu? The hippocampus effect?’

’I must have seen this scene before...’ Xue Rui muttered to himself.

’It would be great if I could have this kind of foresight during the college entrance exam tomorrow.’