Brother! This is the adoption certificate. I don't want your sister-in-law!

Su Xiao watched as Xu Niannian carefully put the 100 yuan into her pocket and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He leaned back in his chair, looked up at the ceiling for a while, but his eyes never left the person next to him.

She was writing notes with her head down, her ears slightly perked up, clearly listening, but she just wouldn't look up at him.

Su Xiao clicked her tongue inwardly.

Su Xiao did want to chat with her deskmate, but she was currently too focused on her studies.

He was so serious that he felt that saying anything at this moment, even just a few words, would be disturbing her.

Su Xiao swallowed the words that were about to come out, touched her nose, looked away, and casually opened the chemistry textbook in front of her.

Forget it, I'll just focus on my studies.

He wanted to review the key points.

After all, I'm someone who's been reborn. Even if my previous life was terrible, I should still have some basic knowledge, right?

I turned to the ionic equation in the textbook.

He stared at it for about ten seconds, his mind going completely blank.

Okay, I've completely forgotten about it.

He turned to the next page.

Redox reaction.

Electron transfer.

Gaining electrons, losing electrons, oxidation state changes...

He stared at the arrows and plus/minus signs, his vision blurring, and his head began to throb.

Turn to the next page.

Balance.

He read one line, then another, and then another, before silently closing the textbook.

Okay, I've forgotten all that knowledge.

No, he didn't even take it.

Su Xiao took a deep breath, turned her head to look at Xu Niannian, and said in a lower voice than usual, "Um... Xu Niannian, Teacher Xu."

Xu Niannian paused her pen for a moment, but did not look up. However, she looked somewhat nervous, her body tense.

"Can you teach me?"

Su Xiao pointed to the closed textbook in front of her, her tone carrying a rare hint of embarrassment, "I don't quite understand it."

Xu Niannian looked up at him, then quickly looked down again.

But she didn't shake her head.

She hesitated for a moment, then moved her textbook closer to him, pointed to an example problem, and said in a voice barely audible, "You...you look at this first..."

Su Xiao leaned closer to take a look.

She spoke very earnestly, and although her voice was soft, she pronounced every word clearly.

First look at the reactants, then separate the ions, and then cross out the identical ones on both sides.

As he listened, his gaze shifted from the textbook to her profile.

She lowered her head, two lovely blushes on her cheeks, and slowly and softly recited the steps as her lips moved.

Then Su Xiao discovered a very heartbreaking truth.

I was listening very carefully, but I still couldn't understand it.

"Did you... understand?"

Xu Niannian looked up at him and asked, her eyes filled with a hint of expectation.

Su Xiao was silent for two seconds, then honestly shook her head: "I don't understand, please explain it again."

Xu Niannian's ears turned red, then she lowered her head and repeated the story.

This time he spoke even slower, almost breaking it down into individual words.

Su Xiao listened attentively.

I really tried my best!

He stared at the ion symbols, at the arrows she drew, and followed her steps one by one.

He seemed to understand something when he got to the third step, but got stuck again when he got to the fourth step.

I still don't have a foundation...

He rubbed his temples and let out a long sigh: "Forget it, I'll look at the ones before that and solidify my foundation first."

Fang Yu, sitting in the back row, had been craning his neck to look for quite some time.

He lay on the table, chin resting on the back of his hand, watching the whole thing with a look of amazement.

Seeing Su Xiao close his textbook, he finally couldn't hold back and said half-jokingly, "Brother Su, you've finally decided to study?"

Su Xiao slammed her chemistry textbook on the table: "What's wrong? Is it not allowed?"

"Sure," Fang Yu scratched his head, his voice brimming with barely suppressed laughter, "but isn't it a bit late to start learning now? Midterms are almost here."

Su Xiao paused for a moment, then leaned back in her chair, put her hands behind her head, and said in a nonchalant tone, "Well, there's nothing I can do. I can't learn it. It seems I'll have to go out and work. In that case, No. 1 High School will lose an insignificant student, but the world of part-time workers will welcome a rising star."

Upon hearing this, Fang Yu knew he was joking and couldn't help but say, "Working? Brother Su, if you make any money, remember to give some to your brother! I haven't had any money for internet access lately!"

Su Xiao curled her lip: "Go to hell, I don't even have any money myself."

Fang Yu chuckled and shrank back.

Su Xiao didn't say anything more and continued to read the book attentively.

Working? Working is impossible, I'll never work in my life.

Xu Niannian quietly pricked up her ears to listen, pursed her lips, and stared intently at the words on the notebook with her big eyes, writing each stroke carefully.

……

The school bell finally rang, and the whole class cheered.

Su Xiao stood up and slung her schoolbag over her shoulder.

His coat was still on Xu Niannian's body, but he didn't plan to take it back now.

He glanced at Xu Niannian.

She kept her head down and didn't look at him.

"I'm leaving. Just return the clothes to me later," Su Xiao said to her, then turned and walked towards the door.

Su Xiao was wondering where to find Su Wan Ning after school.

But suddenly, he couldn't walk anymore.

Someone grabbed his clothes.

Su Xiao looked down and saw that hand.

It's very white and very fine.

Su Xiao turned around in shock, and under his gaze, Xu Niannian stood up.

She handed over something with her other hand—the brand-new notebook from before.

"You..." Su Xiao was stunned.

She kept her head down and spoke very softly, almost drowned out by the noise in the classroom.

But she still said it, each word as if she had used all her strength.

"Why don't you just focus on your studies... instead of working..."

Su Xiao was stunned.

He looked at the brand-new notebook.

The paper was covered with notes, with key points written in black ink, important points marked in red ink, and diagrams drawn in blue ink.

Those notes were neat and tidy, each stroke carefully written, with every word marked with a horizontal line.

He suddenly understood.

The notes she just took were for him.

This new notebook is also for him.

She probably never spoke to a boy first, and never looked anyone in the eye.

But she stood up, grabbed his clothes, and handed him the notebook.

What she handed over was not a notebook.

It was courage she had been saving for a very long time.