Chapter 67

Chapter 67 The next day was the day of the exam. The morning was dedicated to the Chinese language exam, and the examination hall was arranged according to the students' grades from the previous year. The first examination hall was located on the ground floor, conveniently close. There was still some time before the formal start of the exam, but the examination hall was already almost full. The classroom was silent, and the atmosphere was solemn. "Is there anything you've forgotten to bring?" At the back of the room, Xí Níng stood in front of Kǒng Niàn Xī's desk for a moment, and lightly tapped her stationery bag with her fingertips, murmuring softly. "Didn't you already check once before leaving the classroom?" Kǒng Niàn Xī sat in her chair and looked up at Xí Níng, swaying her sleeve absentmindedly. With a box of sweet milk in one hand, she bit the straw with her snow-white teeth and squinted her eyes, emitting a faint sparkle. Xí Níng glanced over and noticed a smudge of milk on the corner of her lips, so she instinctively reached out and gently wiped it off her cheek with her thumb. Taking a sip of the sweet milk, Kǒng Niàn Xī narrowed her almond-shaped eyes, very pleased with Xí Níng's "service," leaned towards her side, and rubbed her face against the fabric. "Huh, do you have abs? Let me see…" As Kǒng Niàn Xī continued to rub against Xí Níng's clothes, she put the milk down and reached out to touch the bottom of her clothes, but Xí Níng caught her wrist. Xí Níng released her with a sigh, "Concentrate on the exam later." Being pushed back by Xí Níng holding her wrist, Kǒng Niàn Xī pouted and stuck out her tongue in frustration, then smiled and said, "Are you still not confident in my Chinese scores? How about… dare to compare our scores for this exam?" Kǒng Niàn Xī's Chinese scores were almost always the top in her year. From the first year to the second year of high school, no one could surpass her nearly perfect scores. Xí Níng casually reminded her, paused for a moment, and couldn't help but laugh, "Is there a bet?" "Of course." Kǒng Niàn Xī had already made a plan in her mind. Amused by her, Xí Níng followed up, "What's the bet?" "Well… let me think about it." Kǒng Niàn Xī thoughtfully touched her chin and smiled, motioning for Xí Níng to lean closer. Then, she leaned forward and blew gently into her ear, whispering, "…How about sleeping with me for a night?" "…" Xí Níng was already used to Kǒng Niàn Xī's little tricks during her so-called honeymoon period. Pinching her slightly ticklish and blushing ear, she turned her head to glance at Kǒng Niàn Xī and said slowly, "Just sleep for a night?" The implication in her words was obvious. Facing Xí Níng's indifferent gaze, Kǒng Niàn Xī felt a subtle response inside her as her heart skipped a beat involuntarily. Kǒng Niàn Xī slightly opened her lips, but just as she was about to speak, the exam prompt bell suddenly rang outside. While Xí Níng casually turned around, her earlobes had a touch of a faint pink blush, as she said softly, "Focus on the exam." She returned to her seat. Just as she relaxed after sitting down, Xí Níng was poked in the back. Turning around, she found Sū Yù Qī sitting behind her, looking at her meaningfully, with a sly smile on her lips. "…" Sū Yù Qī’s gaze made Xí Níng uncomfortable. She turned her head and cleared her throat. Having overheard the gossip from Tián Jiā Bǎo, Sū Yù Qī had inadvertently seen the "intimate" interaction between the two of them last night. Although she was surprised, she could tell the closeness of their relationship with a little bit of thinking. But for the time being, she did not dwell on it, as not everyone was like... that person. Still, she teased with a smile, "I can't help but feel that something's off about you recently." Xí Níng shifted her gaze elsewhere, "What's off?" Sū Yù Qī squinted at her, "It's almost written all over your face. Don't you know you look just like, you know, someone?" When she noticed Xí Níng looking at her, Sū Yù Qī smirked, her voice drooping with sinister banter, "Acting all awkward after getting caught sneaking around…" "…" Xí Níng remained silent, watching her. After a few self-amusing chuckles, Sū Yù Qī also stopped. However, to her surprise, Xí Níng put on a very serious expression and earnestly said, "The term 'sneaking around' is not entirely accurate, but… it's not wrong, as you thought." "Ha-ha-ha, I told you… huh?" Sū Yù Qī was caught off guard by the joke. Xí Níng had planned to confess after the exam, but since Sū Yù Qī asked, she had no choice but to say it in advance. A hint of something different flashed in her eyes and Xí Níng said in a nonchalant tone, "I'm not single anymore." The casual tone made the seemingly mundane statement as shocking as a hailstorm on a sunny day. There was something eerie about it, especially with the lightly upturned tone, giving the whole situation an uncanny vibe. Sū Yù Qī had known Xí Níng for a year or two and had seen her go from being frequently confessed to and receiving love letters, to freezing everyone out with an icy and indifferent demeanor. She had scoffed at the idea of love in the past, so suddenly claiming she was no longer single was a significant turnaround. Sū Yù Qī widened her eyes, with an array of exclamation points rolling around in her mind. Her pen dropped on the table with a tap. “Tap, tap.” At that moment, the footsteps of the invigilator echoed from the doorway. Xí Níng casually turned around, leaving Sū Yù Qī, who had just received this earth-shattering news, in a state of shock. As the bell signaling the end of the exam rang, Sū Yù Qī frantically completed her essay before turning in her paper. She then grabbed Xí Níng, who had been calmly waiting to turn in her paper, and asked reproachfully, "I was so distracted throughout the entire exam. Tell me, how did you suddenly stop being single? Was it really Kǒng Niàn Xī?" As Xí Níng was caught off guard by Sū Yù Qī holding her by the shoulder and leaning back, she calmly continued to pack her stationery bag and smiled, "You've probably been busy recently and didn't notice." This was her tacit acknowledgment. Sū Yù Qī was still bewildered, but… "?" Sū Yù Qī asked, "Where was I busy recently?" Glancing back at her, Xí Níng thought for a moment and said, “How’s your relationship with your stepsister now?” “…” At the mention of this, Sū Yù Qī paused, her expression noticeably complicated. “Bāo Bao, let’s go~” Kǒng Niàn Xī walked over from the back row at this moment, circled her arms around Xí Níng's neck, and pulled her into her embrace. Left alone, Sū Yù Qī watched as Xí Níng fell into Kǒng Niàn Xī's arms and was even kissed on the face. An outsider had been caught off guard by their flaunted affection. “…” After the final exam on Friday, when Tián Jiā Bǎo gave his usual remarks and announced the end of the school day, the classroom erupted as everyone rushed out to meet their friends. The physics teacher called Xí Níng to the office before she left. The physics teacher would be taking a few days off next week and had asked for Xí Níng’s help to arrange the homework. By the time she left the office, most of the students had already left the classroom, and Kǒng Niàn Xī was leaning on the railing of the corridor, talking on the phone with her earphones, then she smiled and greeted Xí Níng as she approached, "Let’s go back to the dorm first and change into our regular clothes. I’m taking you out tonight.” Xí Níng was perplexed, “Where to?” She had previously agreed to visit Kǒng Niàn Xī's place over the weekend but they hadn’t specified going out tonight. Kǒng Niàn Xī replied, "To meet a close senior of mine who has already graduated. She's back this week and is currently at the school gate." Xí Níng paused but didn’t inquire further. When she arrived at the dorm, she changed out of her school uniform and followed Kǒng Niàn Xī to the school gate. "She's the friend I've known for the longest time. We met at the art studio when we were kids, so we have a very good relationship." On the way, Kǒng Niàn Xī held Xí Níng's hand and talked about her close senior. Listening attentively, Xí Níng asked, "Art studio?" Kǒng Niàn Xī confirmed and said, "Nobody took care of me when I was a child, so after school, I was sent to a cram school run by my mother's friend. It had a lot of interest-based classes, and I particularly liked dancing and drawing, so I learned a lot there." After speaking, she blinked and stretched out her hand to take Xí Níng’s student card, saying with a smile, "Take out your student card." Xí Níng fetched her student card from her pocket and handed it to her. Kǒng Niàn Xī flipped it over to the back where the sticker was placed. She raised her lips, saying, "Don't think this is an ordinary sticker from the streets. I personally drew it and had it made by a manufacturer. It's a couple sticker exclusive to us." Xí Níng was taken aback; she hadn't realized that the seemingly inconspicuous sticker held such heartfelt meaning. Taking her student card in her hand, she felt the palpable weight of the plastic material that she had taken for granted countless times. "After my senior graduated, the art studio changed its direction, and I stopped going." Kǒng Niàn Xī turned her head and looked straight at Xí Níng, "But she's just a good friend." Xí Níng smiled and whispered, "Oh." "Just 'oh'?" Kǒng Niàn Xī raised her eyebrows discontentedly, then indicated her intentions, "Don't you have any other thoughts?" Seeing through her intention to tease her, Kǒng Niàn Xī squinted her eyes and poked her with her elbow, “Silly, at a time like this, shouldn't you be jealous of your girlfriend?" Xí Níng couldn’t help but laugh, but still played along, “Alright, how about…” She gazed into Kǒng Niàn Xī's eyes for a few seconds, then turned her face slightly and said softly, "I don't mind how many good friends you have, but please don't emphasize it in front of me, because I'm not sure if this uncomfortable feeling is jealousy." "…" Kǒng Niàn Xī's lips moved, her heart beating faster for a moment. She cleared her throat with a cough and forced composure, "R-Right… You're quite talented at sweet talk. Have you used it on someone else before?" Sweet talk? Xí Níng really thought for a moment and said, "I've only said such words to you." Resting against her, Kǒng Niàn Xī nuzzled her chin on Xí Níng's shoulder, "Then from now on, you can only speak like that to me." As they left the school gate, a white Land Rover was parked on the side of the road with a glamorous woman leaning against the front of the car. Her straight, glossy black hair draped down, her tall figure exuding elegance, and she had a hint of red lipstick as she held a slim ladylike cigarette. Seeing them approach, she got up, stubbed out the cigarette in the nearby bin, and greeted them. "Su Su, dear." Kǒng Niàn Xī went over to greet her. The glamorous woman warmly hugged Kǒng Niàn Xī, exchanged pleasantries, and then turned to look curiously at Xí Níng beside her. She smiled, "Hello there, you must be Nían Nían's girlfriend~"