This humble Taoist priest wants to take the college entrance exam.

Chapter 137 Class Monitor, You Still Haven't Thanked Me
September 29th.

The next two days will be the monthly exam.

Just like the college entrance examination schedule, the first subject this morning is Chinese, the next subject is Mathematics, the next subject is Science, and the next subject is English.

The Chinese exam started at 9:00 AM and lasted until 11:30 AM.

Before the exam started, everyone studied in the classroom as usual.

Because of the monthly exam, we don't need to do the morning exercises for the next two days.

In fact, yesterday's broadcast exercise was the last broadcast exercise that Yunqi No.1 Middle School will do. After the holiday next month, the broadcast exercise will be replaced by Baduanjin.

Chen Shi'an will no longer need to participate in morning exercises in his own class. At Teacher Wan's suggestion and Principal Lin's invitation, he will be required to go to the podium every time he participates in morning exercises to lead the practice of Baduanjin (Eight Pieces of Brocade).

During the exam period, the dismissal time may vary, but the class time remains the same.

Chen Shi'an arrived at the classroom at 6:27 as usual.

Lin Mengqiu was already seated in her seat.

Last night, after arranging the chairs according to the exam room requirements, there was an aisle between the two desks.

"Good morning, squad leader."

"morning."

Chen Shi'an walked to his desk and glanced at Lin Mengqiu, who was looking at his review materials.

It was the first time Lin Mengqiu had sat so far away from him, and she felt quite uncomfortable, as if the space beside her was empty...

As always, a bottle of milk appeared on Chen Shi'an's desktop.

Actually, it was the same bottle Lin Mengqiu gave him last night, but Chen Shi'an clearly remembered putting the milk in the table, and now it was refreshed on the desktop.

"Squad leader, did you take out my milk?"

"……be mine."

"Oh, thank you for the milk, class monitor."

"..."

Out of the corner of her eye, Lin Mengqiu saw Chen Shi'an put down the cup of soy milk in his hand and pick up the milk to drink as usual. Only then did she look away and stop looking at him.

"~~~"

The table, which was turned upside down, was a bit cramped for Chen Shi'an, who was tall and had long legs, so he turned the table back and planned to turn it back during the exam.

From now until 8:30 when you go to the exam venue, it is your free time to study.

The students were talking, reviewing, giving each other practice questions, and playing around. In particular, the first group of students sitting outside the classroom hadn't returned to their seats by the time class was scheduled to start. Instead, they were standing on the balcony with their books, and it was unclear whether they were reading or talking under the cover of their books.

Compared to other subjects, Chinese is the easiest exam. It all depends on how solid your foundation is. Last-minute cramming is only effective for students who can't even memorize the material.

In Class 5, even though the Chinese exam is just around the corner, not many students are reviewing Chinese before the exam. Most are reviewing subjects like science. They only take out their Chinese review materials to refresh their memory when they are about to enter the exam room.

Lin Mengqiu wasn't reviewing her Chinese at the moment.

Chen Shi'an had no intention of reviewing Chinese.

After putting down his bag, he went to the back of the classroom, took out a math book from the pile of books on the floor, and continued studying the high school math courses he hadn't finished.

"~~~"

As if sensing something, Chen Shi'an turned his head to look, but Lin Mengqiu withdrew her gaze.

The period leading up to the exam disrupted the usual discipline. Although they were students in the top class, they were still teenagers who were prone to playing. Under the pretext of studying together, many students started sharing desks.

For example, Zheng Yining and Xie Mengxuan, who sat at the front of the class, had already set up their desks according to the exam requirements last night, but now Xie Mengxuan, who was sitting against the wall, had moved her desk over to Zheng Yining's side so the two girls could study together.

"How come you two are sitting at the same desk again?" Chen Shi'an asked curiously.

“Studying together will help us focus better. We can put the table back later. Chen Shi’an, do you want to share a table with us?”

Just as Chen Shi'an was about to say yes, he looked up and noticed Lin Mengqiu's gaze.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Shi'an lifted his own table and placed it next to Lin Mengqiu's table, so the two of them were sitting at the same table again.

“…What are you doing!?”

Lin Mengqiu lowered her voice, blushed slightly, and glared at him.

When Chen Shi'an carried the table over, many classmates looked over.

If everyone else were sitting together like the other boys and girls, it wouldn't be so bad. But as the only boy-girl pair sitting together in the class, with most people sitting alone, Chen Shi'an carried the table over in full view of everyone...

How dare you!

Everyone else is trying to avoid me, and we're not even deskmates anymore, why would you want to share a table with me?
Joy mixed with shame and guilt, the class monitor's toes were tightly clenched in her white sneakers!

"Let's share a table like them, class monitor. Didn't you want to share a table with me?"

"...Who wants that!"

“Then, squad leader, you’ve been staring at me the whole time.”

"……I don't."

"Okay, then I'll move back."

Lin Mengqiu was convinced by him.

Moving back and forth like this, wouldn't others think she was driving him away?
Don't you care at all what other people think of you?!
Just as Chen Shi'an was about to carry the table back, a small hand still holding a pen pressed down on his desk with great force, and the skin of the fingertips that touched the desk turned slightly white.

"Ok?"

"...Stop moving things around, it's disturbing other people's studies!"

"alright."

Chen Shi'an plopped down and locked her inside as usual.

Lin Mengqiu was forced to accept this reluctantly...

It was the same as usual, but at this moment there was a more ambiguous atmosphere.

After all, in such a seating arrangement, whoever shares a table with whom is undoubtedly a sign of a good relationship.

Lin Mengqiu didn't bother to check on the other students' reactions; anyway, no one dared to spread rumors or gossip in front of her... Out of sight, out of mind.

"By the way, class monitor."

"...Keep your voice down."

"Have you finished washing the clothes I gave you to wash last time? When are you going to return them to me?" "...Keep your voice down!"

"?"

Chen Shi'an was stunned. He had already spoken very softly, okay? How could the class monitor have such good hearing?

Indeed, these words struck Lin Mengqiu like a thunderbolt.

The girl glared at Chen Shi'an, then quickly looked around at her classmates. Seeing that no one seemed to hear her, she lowered her voice to reply.

I'll give it to you tomorrow.

"Did you accept the bet and wash it by hand?"

"……Yes."

Lin Mengqiu gritted her teeth and gripped the pen tightly in her hand.

Chen Shi'an dared not say anything more, otherwise he suspected that the pen would point outwards and poke him...

Other families who share a table study together, chatting and laughing.

Chen Shi'an and Lin Mengqiu, who shared a table, quietly studied on their own.

At seven o'clock, Teacher Liang came into the classroom to check on things.

Teacher Liang was used to seeing students randomly sharing tables before exams. As long as they were studying, that was fine. But if boys and girls took the opportunity to share tables and try to have a puppy love affair, he would definitely... Just as he was thinking this, he saw Lin Mengqiu and Chen Shi'an sitting together.

Um... Shi'an and Mengqiu were classmates!
It's good to learn from each other!
……

Time flies before the exam; before I knew it, it was already 8:20.

Many students in the classroom began packing up their things, rearranging their desks, and preparing to go to the examination room in the science building.

Lin Mengqiu closed her review materials, took out her thermos, and put in a packet of stomach-soothing tea that Chen Shi'an had given her.

It has to be said that the stomach-soothing tea that Chen Shi'an gave her is really effective. For the past half month, her old stomach pain has not recurred. However, she still follows Chen Shi'an's advice and takes good care of her stomach on a regular basis.

"I need to go fetch water."

Lin Mengqiu spoke up.

Chen Shi'an, who was focused on studying math, finally snapped out of his reverie, checked the time, closed his math book, and stood up to make room for Lin Mengqiu.

When Lin Mengqiu returned after fetching water, Chen Shi'an also returned after putting away his books at the back of the classroom.

"Did you buy the 2B pencils I asked you to?" Lin Mengqiu asked, holding a warm water bottle in both hands.

"Yes, I bought it. The answer sheet options need to be filled in with a pencil, right?"

"Check your pencils, don't buy the wrong ones."

"That probably won't happen."

Chen Shi'an took out two 2B pencils he bought at the bookstore from his schoolbag. The pencils had green painted bodies and wooden leads.

He hadn't sharpened his pencil yet, so while he was at it, he took out a knife from his backpack, used a piece of scrap paper to catch the wood shavings on the table, and started sharpening his pencil.

Most of the students in the class use mechanical pencils.

When Chen Shi'an bought pencils at the bookstore, the owner also recommended them to him, but Chen Shi'an felt that these wooden pencils were more comfortable to hold.

Lin Mengqiu, like him, used ordinary wooden pencils. This was a habit she had since she started drawing. She almost never used mechanical pencils. She enjoyed the process of slowly sharpening pencils with a pencil sharpener. Watching the shavings curl out even and beautiful patterns from the blade made her feel very relieved.

Seeing Chen Shi'an sharpening a pencil with a knife, the girl offered to help:

"I have a pencil sharpener, do you want it?"

"It's okay, I can just use a knife to shave it."

"..."

It must be said that Chen Shi'an is very skilled at sharpening pencils.

Whether it was the sharpness of his knife or the softness of the wood, he shaved away without any hesitation or awkwardness. As the blade slid diagonally across the pen, the wood shavings curled along the blade, some with pale yellow wood grain, others with bits of pencil lead dust, making a soft rustling sound as they landed on the draft paper on the table.

Lin Mengqiu never imagined that one day she would be so engrossed in watching someone sharpen a pencil.

Watching Chen Shi-an sharpen a pencil is actually more stress-relieving than when she sharpens one herself with a pencil sharpener.

Lin Mengqiu herself had tried sharpening pencils with a knife, but the results were terrible, like they were chewed by a dog...

Looking at the pencils sharpened by Chen Shi'an, the blade is even and tight, and the lead is surrounded by a perfectly placed protective layer of wood. This prevents the tip from breaking easily and allows a small point of gray-black to show, like the beak of a fledgling bird that has just pecked its shell, exuding a neat and elegant charm.

After sharpening the pencil, Chen Shi'an casually took the pencil and lightly drew a clean and clear line on the draft paper.

Lin Mengqiu was stunned. What kind of human-shaped pencil sharpener was that?!
After I win the ball against him, I'll ask Chen Shi'an to sharpen my pencils for me every time I draw.

Chen Shi'an looked up, and Lin Mengqiu looked away.

After hesitating for a moment, the girl couldn't resist taking a new pencil out of her pencil case.

A pen was handed to him, and she, not one to ask for favors, stammered, "..."
"Could you peel one for me?"

"Class monitor, don't you have a pencil sharpener?"

"Well... forget it."

Lin Mengqiu blushed slightly and was about to put the pencil away when he caught it.

Chen Shi'an didn't say anything, but quietly and carefully sharpened her pencil.

After a while, he finally handed the sharpened pencil to Lin Mengqiu.

"Give."

"~~~~~~"

The pencil still retained the warmth of his hand that had held it.

Lin Mengqiu held the pencil he had helped sharpen and suddenly found even pencils quite appealing.

When I looked up again, Chen Shi'an was already carrying his bag, with the unfinished soy milk and milk in his hand, ready to go to the examination hall.

"Squad leader, you haven't thanked me yet."

"Thank you."

You're welcome, good luck on your exam.

"……The same to you."

(End of this chapter)