Why did you make me reincarnate?

Xu Chaoyang's plan to boycott the exam only went as far as the middle of the corridor before he was forced into the political education office of the No. 1 Middle School by security guards.

As soon as I entered, I saw a middle-aged man with a very receding hairline and an unfriendly expression.

"Principal Chen, the students of Yulan have truly broadened my horizons."

The Mediterranean-sounding voice was sarcastic: "This is such an important exchange of exam venues, with both schools using the same exam questions, and you students just leave like that? What do you think the exam venue is? A vegetable market?"

The man immediately started accusing Xu Chaoyang, extending the blame to the entire Yulan family. Xu Chaoyang instantly understood that this wasn't an attempt to interrogate him; it was clearly a pretext to target Old Chen.

He now owes Old Chen a favor.

"Director Wang, calm down, the child might not be feeling well..." Old Chen sat on the sofa and smiled apologetically.

"Uncomfortable?" Wang Xiang sneered, his brilliant mind gleaming. "I think it's a matter of character. A student like this would have been expelled long ago at our No. 1 High School. But Yulan is a private school, so the student body is diverse, which I can understand. But shouldn't basic exam discipline still be upheld?"

Upon hearing this, Old Chen's face flushed red, and he opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word.

Seeing Old Chen's embarrassed look, Xu Chaoyang felt a little guilty. After all, it was his fault that Old Chen had been ridiculed.

Just as Xu Chaoyang was thinking about how to regain his face, there was a commotion at the door, and the security guard brought in another person.

Turning my head, I saw that it was the girl from the classroom earlier.

She remained as serene as ever, clutching the novel she had just been reading, and showed no sign of panic as she entered the Political Education Office.

Wang Xiang turned his head and saw her; his expression instantly became quite interesting.

Just like the face-changing act in Sichuan opera, one second he's glaring at someone, and the next he's forcing a smile, even his bald head seems a bit more amiable.

"Shen Ju? Shouldn't you be at the Yulan Examination Hall right now...? What are you doing here?" Wang Xiang quickly went to greet him, his polite attitude making Xu Chaoyang wonder if he had misheard.

The girl looked up at him, didn't say anything, and looked a little embarrassed.

It's obvious they haven't thought of what to say yet, or maybe they haven't thought of anything at all.

But Wang Xiang nodded repeatedly, "I know, you must be studying in the classroom. With your grades, there's really no need for you to take the mock exam. The security guard must have made a mistake. Go back and continue studying, it's okay."

Xu Chaoyang: "?"

So, it's my problem that's a matter of manners, and she's the one who made a mistake?

Wang Xiang was talking to himself, intending to just muddle through, but Old Chen was not about to agree. He quickly realized what was going on and straightened his back a bit.

"Director Wang, I remember Shen Ju was on the exchange list too, right?" Old Chen asked leisurely. "At No. 1 High School, what's the punishment for a strike? Expulsion?"

Wang Xiang's face stiffened, and he gave a dry laugh: "Shen Ju's situation is special..."

"How is it special?" Old Chen pressed on, "Is it because of good grades, or because of...?"

"Principal Chen!" Wang Xiang hurriedly interrupted, "Let's consider this a misunderstanding. Both students can go home, okay?"

Xu Chaoyang watched the show with great interest.

Interesting. Who is this girl who can make the head of the teaching department at No. 1 High School so timid?

Shen Ju...surname Shen...

Xu Chaoyang's mind went blank.

No wonder he felt a sense of familiarity when he first met the girl. The two had indeed crossed paths in their previous lives, but that was a long time later, and he had mainly interacted with Shen Ju's father.

Shen Zhiyi, the governor of the Central Bank of Vancouver, was soon transferred to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange as the chairman of the board of supervisors. He was a figure at the top of the financial market. In his previous life, he had made a fortune of nine figures by the age of forty. In the eyes of ordinary people, he was a successful person. However, at Shen Zhiyi's level, he only got the opportunity to hand over his business card once, and that was only because the two of them were from the same hometown.

As for the wealthy Shen Ju, she was only briefly glimpsed at that financial exchange meeting.

I never expected to run into you here, especially in this way.

Xu Chaoyang was deep in thought, unaware that Shen Ju was also observing him.

When their eyes met, he noticed a hint of resentment in the girl's eyes, as if she were saying, "It's all your fault."

Xu Chaoyang glared back without any politeness.

Although it was indeed my fault that you got arrested, your decision to skip the exam was also wrong. You can't blame me alone, can you?

Shen Ju was stunned by that blatant gaze; she had never seen a boy like that before.

From childhood to adulthood, everyone treated her with utmost care, either trying to please her or avoiding her. No one dared to glare back at her so confidently.

She didn't speak, but her eyelashes fluttered slightly, and her gaze towards Xu Chaoyang held a hint of curiosity.

"Alright, alright, everyone go back now." Wang Xiang just wanted to get rid of this big shot as soon as possible.

Taking the opportunity, Old Chen stood up and nodded to Wang Xiang: "Director Wang, we'll be going now. By the way, our students at Yulan are indeed quite varied, but the rate of students admitted to key universities this year should be okay. I'll send you the data later, and we can exchange ideas more."

Wang Xiang's face turned green.

Xu Chaoyang followed behind, thinking to himself that Old Chen's counterattack was brilliant. He usually seemed honest and simple, but he really had some skills when it mattered.

The two entered the corridor, and Old Chen deliberately slowed his pace. "Xu Chaoyang, what's wrong with you today? Are you really not feeling well?"

Xu Chaoyang didn't have a good explanation at the moment, so he could only say perfunctorily, "No, I just don't want to take the exam anymore."

"Don't want to take the exam anymore?" Old Chen frowned. "Your grades have always been consistently above the top-tier university admission line. This mock exam is very important; it'll give us a sense of your situation. Is something wrong?"

Xu Chaoyang looked up at the blue sky, avoiding eye contact with Lao Chen to prevent him from noticing anything amiss.

As a result, things backfired. Old Chen stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly turned around and peered into the administration office through the glass.

Shen Ju sat quietly on the sofa, with Wang Xiang's tea in front of her, still steaming.

After glancing at Shen Ju's exquisite features, Old Chen suddenly lowered his voice: "Is it because of classmate Shen?"

Xu Chaoyang was taken aback: "Huh?"

Old Chen had a knowing look on his face, like, "You two didn't plan this out, did you?"

Xu Chaoyang was speechless. What was all this about?

He tried his best to explain, "Principal Chen, you've misunderstood. This is the first time I've met her."

Old Chen clearly didn't believe it. "Okay, if it wasn't because of her, then you must have a reason for causing this mess today."

Xu Chaoyang opened his mouth, but found that he really couldn't explain it.

I can't exactly say that I'm a reborn, forty-year-old man who doesn't want to do high school problems, can I?

Seeing that Xu Chaoyang remained silent, Old Chen became even more certain that he had guessed correctly. He sighed and said, "You know, adolescence. I've been there too, but this is a crucial time. You need to be clear-headed. You can think about dating after the college entrance exam..."

Xu Chaoyang gave up on explaining. Fine, whatever makes you happy.

Just then, I heard soft footsteps behind me.

Shen Ju walked out of the teaching office and overheard Old Chen's last few words. She paused and looked at Xu Chaoyang.

Did this boy skip the exam because of himself?

But she didn't know the other person at all.