Chapter 163 Already Known

Xie Mingming wandered around and finally stopped at the entrance of Class Three. The students inside were busy with self-study. He sneaked over to the back door and took a quiet peek. Shen Qing was hunched over her desk, holding a pen as if she were doing her homework.

What a diligent child!

Xie Mingming felt a tightness in his chest, making it a bit hard to breathe.

"Old Xie, what's wrong with you?" Yao Panpan came out of the restroom and saw Xie Mingming standing dazed by the back door of the classroom.

"Nothing, just feeling heavy-hearted."

"Uh, do you feel a tightness in your chest, like you can't catch your breath?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

Yao Panpan twitched the corner of her mouth, pointed at the padded jacket Xie Mingming was wearing, and whispered, "Old Xie, you might want to loosen the top button."

"..." Xie Mingming was stunned for a moment. He looked down and realized it did seem a bit too tight.

Yao Panpan slipped into the classroom through the back door. Xie Mingming expressionlessly unbuttoned the first button of his padded jacket, and instantly he felt relieved.

He walked into the classroom and stood beside Shen Qing. The girl was lowering her head to draw some square-shaped object. It wasn't finished yet, so it was impossible to tell what it was, but one thing was certain—she was definitely not studying...

"Shen Qing," Xie Mingming called out to her.

Shen Qing raised her head, put the drawing paper away, and slipped it into her desk drawer. "Yes?"

"Step outside for a moment. There's something I need to talk to you about." Xie Mingming avoided her eyes and walked out of the classroom as soon as he finished speaking.

Shen Qing pushed back her stool, stood up, and followed him out.

The wind outside was fierce, blowing against her face with a chilly, ice-needle-like sensation, mirroring Xie Mingming's current mood.

"What's wrong?" Seeing Xie Mingming's solemn expression, Shen Qing noticed he looked very downcast.

"Shen Qing, you're a smart child."

Shen Qing curved her lips into a smile. "I know."

Xie Mingming paused. Looking at the girl's bright and radiant face, a fresh wave of bitterness welled up inside him. But other people didn't know that!

"Shen Qing, there's something... regarding this joint examination..."

"Yeah, I know." Shen Qing tucked her hands into her pockets and leaned half of her body against the wall.

Xie Mingming froze. "You already know?" He hadn't even told her yet.

"Director Yan told me." Shen Qing had received the news from Director Yan early on.

Xie Mingming was stunned once again. "Then am I the last one to know?"

Shen Qing glanced at him sideways and then nodded. "Pretty much."

Xie Mingming felt a strong sense of being isolated.

"No matter what, Shen Qing, you must do your best on the exam, you hear me? Teachers know that you're smart and capable. You have talents in sports, art, and other areas, and I believe this college entrance examination won't be able to stump you either."

"Mm."

"Shen Qing, the teachers haven't given up on you, and you mustn't give up on yourself either. You need to take this joint examination seriously. There's still one semester left before the college entrance exams. As long as you want to learn, you can definitely catch up! Before the final outcome is decided, you and I are both dark horses!"

Shen Qing narrowed her eyes. "Okay."

Xie Mingming nodded. "Alright, go on inside. Do a few more practice problems; you might just run into one on the test."

Shen Qing nodded and walked back into the classroom.

Nie Huan turned her head to look at her. "What was that about?"

Shen Qing pulled the unfinished drawing from her drawer and picked up a black pencil. "Nothing, just telling me to take the exam seriously."

Nie Huan gave an "oh" and turned her head back to mind her own business.

Students participating in the joint examination took their tests at their own school, but the discipline was extremely strict. Before entering the examination hall, everyone even underwent a body search using metal detectors.

Shen Qing sat in the very last row of the classroom, bringing only a single black neutral-ink pen for the exam.

"Shen Qing, where is your pencil?" one of the proctors couldn't help asking.

"Didn't bring one." Shen Qing settled into her seat, propping her chin up with one hand, her gaze drifting off into nowhere.

The proctor was momentarily stunned, thinking to himself that this kid must have given up and decided to throw caution to the wind.

As soon as the exam bell rang, the proctor distributed the test papers. Throughout the examination, the proctor's gaze kept lingering on Shen Qing. First, because she was pleasing to the eye, and second, because he wanted to see what score Shen Qing would manage to get this time.

At first, Shen Qing wrote quite diligently, lowering her head and scribbling away rapidly. When she reached the essay portion, the proctor walked over and took a glance: her handwriting was sloppy and untamed, the characters flying across the page like dragons and phoenixes. At first glance, one might have mistaken her for drawing protective talismans.

The proctor cast a hasty glance and quickly looked away. That kind of handwriting was enough to make one's scalp tingle.