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

Chapter 167 The Cunning Ice Spirit! You just wait!

After the two started doing their homework together, the room became quiet, with only the rustling sound of their writing remaining.

Lin Mengqiu gave Chen Shi'an a math test paper.

In terms of math learning progress, Chen Shi'an is still a bit behind the class. This math test is similar to a monthly exam, and there are still some questions he can't answer.

This was the first time in her life that Lin Mengqiu had done her homework at home with her classmates.

She was working on a Chinese language test, and occasionally her pen would pause as she secretly glanced at Chen Shi'an's profile.

He was intently working on math problems on a piece of scrap paper, and the occasional furrowing of his brow reminded Lin Mengqiu of him doing math tests during monthly exams.

"You can ask me if you don't understand something," Lin Mengqiu said softly.

"Okay. Let me finish the test first." Chen Shi'an didn't even look up; he was completely absorbed by the questions on the test.

Lin Mengqiu straightened her lips, deciding to ignore him.

But she couldn't help but lean slightly to his side, as if checking his questions.

Chen Shi'an turned his head, and their eyes met.

"Class monitor, have you finished your Chinese test?"

"Ah."

"So fast."

"I did some before."

"Oh... why is the class monitor looking at me like that?"

"...I'll look at your question."

"Has the class monitor finished all the other homework?"

"Ah."

"Looks like I've kept the class monitor from doing math."

"...Hurry up and do it, I'll just watch you do it."

Chen Shi'an blinked and finally moved the problem that had stumped her in front of her.

"Class monitor, how do you do this problem?"

"~~~"

Lin Mengqiu didn't say anything, but simply picked up a pen and reached out to write and calculate on his draft paper.

When Chen Shi'an encountered a step he didn't quite understand, he would ask her a question, and she would lower her head, look at the draft paper, and explain it quietly.

At this moment, the noise of the world seemed to be shut out of the room, leaving only the desk, the two of them breathing, and the soft yet joyful emotions slowly swelling in her chest.

For the first time, Lin Mengqiu realized that doing homework at home during the holidays could actually be a happy thing.

The problems Chen Shi'an couldn't solve were mostly things he hadn't learned yet. When he encountered problems he could solve, Lin Mengqiu wouldn't teach him.

She got up from her seat, took two steps back, and sat on her bed.

Chen Shi'an turned around and glanced at her.

"Squad leader, are you going to sleep?"

"No, I'll rest for a while."

"Then I'll go out."

"...No need, just hurry up and do your thing."

"alright."

Chen Shi'an looked away and continued working on the test paper.

Lin Mengqiu relaxed.

She took off her slippers, climbed barefoot onto the bed, trying not to make a sound, slowly crawled to the headboard, and then sat down.

Looking at him from behind like this is very comfortable and feels perfectly aboveboard.

The girl's little feet wiggled, and she couldn't help but pull the blanket over her legs. Then she took out the big rabbit and hugged it to her chest.

Secretly, she took out her phone, opened the camera, and pointed the lens at Chen Shi'an, who was doing his homework in her room.

The camera is positioned low, with her quilt and bed in the foreground, followed by Chen Shi'an, who is wearing a martial arts uniform and doing her homework.

Lin Mengqiu's heart pounded faster.

She opened her WeChat Moments.

Just as he was about to send it to someone for their enjoyment, Chen Shi'an's WeChat call rang.

Lin Mengqiu paused, remaining silent but pricking up her ears—

Chen Shi'an picked up the phone on the table; it was a call from Wen Zhixia.

"Hey hey hey? Taoist priest, are you home? I'm coming over to find you!"

The room was quiet, and even without a speakerphone, Lin Mengqiu, who was concentrating, could clearly hear Wen Zhixia's voice.

"Hmm? Little Cicada is back?"

"Yes, I came back after lunch. I just arrived. Are you home?"

"I'm not home."

"...Where are you?"

"At the class monitor's house."

It was obvious that there was a pause in the reply from the other end.

Lin Mengqiu's feet wiggled even more happily inside the blanket.

"...What were you doing at her house?"

"Nothing much, we just did our homework together after dinner when we had nothing else to do."

"Oh, is she next to you?"

"Ah."

"Okay, then you guys do your homework. Finish it quickly and come over here. I brought you lots of things."

"what?"

"I bought so many local specialties and things during my road trip!"

"Okay, thanks, Xiaozhi."

"Bye-Bye."

"Bye-Bye."

The two hung up the phone, and Chen Shi'an continued working on his math test.

Lin Mengqiu behind her pursed her lips.

Ah.

He sounds so nonchalant, but he's probably already furious!
You just got back and you're already rushing to Chen Shi'an's house. Can't you be a little more reserved like me?

Lin Mengqiu continued posting the WeChat Moments she had just finished.

Click to select [Visible only to Zhizhi].

Click to post. The girl's pretty face flushed with excitement. And you know what... posting this on social media is both embarrassing and addictive.

……

Meanwhile, Wen Zhixia, who had just put down her luggage, refreshed her feed and saw this new photo.

She knew that the ice spirit had deliberately released this.

She had just hung up the phone with the Taoist priest when she posted it on her WeChat Moments. What else could this be but intentional!
But somehow, I just couldn't resist checking what she posted...

The photo probably shows the Ice Spirit's room, and a Taoist priest is doing his homework in front of him, but the angle of the photo is from the bed... What kind of homework did you do on the bed?!
Before she could figure out how Lin Mengqiu ended up in bed, another new post popped up after she refreshed her WeChat Moments.

The photo appears to be of a gift, packaged in a wooden box. The contents of the box are unknown, but the caption clearly states: "The first time in my life I've received such a special gift."

Someone who never posts on WeChat Moments posted three times in one day—why don't you just livestream the whole thing?!

The little cicada puffed up its cheeks, looking as angry as a little frog.

You cunning ice spirit! Just you wait!

……

Chen Shi'an, focused on his homework, was unaware that the two troublesome girls were having a fight in a corner he didn't know about.

After finishing the test, I checked the time and it was already past four o'clock.

"Squad leader, I'll head back now if there's nothing else."

Chen Shi'an got up, put away the completed test paper. He didn't have a backpack, so he folded the test paper into a small square and put it in his pocket. He also helped Lin Mengqiu move the dining chair that she had just brought into the room back outside.

"...My dad said we'd have dinner together tonight."

"No, I have to go to evening self-study. I haven't changed my clothes or packed my bag. I'd better go home to eat."

"..."

Lin Mengqiu wanted to persuade him to stay, but she wasn't as good at sweet-talking as some other people. After Chen Shi'an refused, her face turned red, and she stammered for a long time without being able to say a decent word to persuade him to stay.

Heaven knows how that annoying cicada managed to convince Chen Shi'an to stay at her house for one night.

"Then wait a moment."

Lin Mengqiu gave up and quickly went to another room to give Chen Shi'an the local specialties she had brought back from her previous trip to the South China Sea.

It's a huge bag of stuff, containing dried seafood, dried tropical fruits, coconut powder, coconut sugar, coconut oil, and other items.

"for you."

"so much!"

Chen Shi'an opened the bag and looked at it. "You don't need so much. Class monitor, you should take some back. I can't finish it all."

"for you."

"...Okay, thank you, class monitor."

Don't be late for evening self-study.

"Okay, I'll leave first."

Chen Shi'an carried the large bag of souvenirs and local specialties downstairs.

He tied it securely to the back seat of the bike with a rope, took out his phone to send a message to Wen Zhixia, and then rode towards her house.

With a bicycle, getting around became much easier. Five minutes later, Chen Shi'an arrived at the building where Wen Zhixia lived.

The girl ran downstairs carrying a large bag of things.

"Humph."

When they met, he didn't call her 'Taoist priest' as before, but instead let out a slightly resentful hum.

Chen Shi'an was taken aback and asked curiously, "What's wrong with Wen Xiaozhu?"

You're the pig!

"Then what are you humming about?"

"You wouldn't come on our road trip!"

"Then we have to go back to the mountains."

"And then he disappeared!"

"Forehead……"

Chen Shi'an skipped over that topic, his gaze falling on the girl's hair, and asked with a smile:
"Did Little Cicada get a haircut?"

"how do you know……"

"It's obvious at a glance."

Wen Zhixia usually has shoulder-length medium-short hair. She did get her hair cut yesterday, but the length didn't change much. She just trimmed it a little, cutting off some of the overly long bangs and giving the ends a soft inward curl, making her look playful and youthful.

Girls always hope that the people they care about will also care about them, even if it's just the slightest change.

Wen Zhixia was very happy to hear Chen Shi'an say that.

"You noticed that too? When I came back, my aunt and the others didn't notice."

"Hmm, it should be that they cut a little here, a little here, and a little here... right?"

Chen Shi'an reached out his hand, but didn't touch her; he simply gestured at the corresponding spot on her hair.

The girl hesitated for a moment, put her hands behind her back, and dared not move her body, afraid that her face might accidentally brush against his outstretched hand.

Even though they didn't touch, the wind from when he reached out, along with the warmth of his hand, still made the girl's cheeks slightly flushed, and she felt inexplicably itchy.

The locations Chen Shi'an described were absolutely accurate, even more so than she remembered them herself.

"looks good?"

"good-looking."

"Liar."

"real."

"laugh……"

Wen Zhixia felt a sweet warmth in her heart.

Suddenly, she couldn't hold back any longer. Like a well-behaved puppy being petted on the head and playing around, she opened her mouth wide and tried to bite Chen Shi'an's arm.

Chen Shi'an swiftly withdrew his hand, only realizing later that the girl's cunning eyes meant she had made a fake biting motion.

"Wen Xiaogou, what are you doing?"

"Hmph, I'll bite you to death!"

After Wen Zhixia finished speaking, she turned around and ran upstairs.

As she closed the door, half of her body nimbly squeezed out through the crack.

"Come pick me up from evening self-study later."

"it is good."

"Bye-Bye!"

She closed the door and ran upstairs.

(There's a monthly ticket event in the book club; you can participate before voting to get some freebies.)

(End of this chapter)