I was born and listened to my neighbor's older sister talk about her family of origin.

After Lao Zhao left, only the rustling of turning pages and writing remained in the classroom.

Lin Xinghe sat in a wheelchair, with a physics simulation paper spread out on the table.

She was biting the pen, her brows furrowed, her right leg in a cast, and her sitting posture was very uncomfortable.

This morning, unusually, she didn't ask Jiang Ye to fetch water.

Jiang Ye fell asleep on the table, then opened his eyes and turned to look at the corridor.

Lin Xinghe is struggling with the last big question.

The draft paper was covered with force analysis diagrams. The pen tip poked into the paper, and with too much force, it left a black mark.

"You missed one thing in the first step of the force analysis."

Jiang Ye walked over, glanced at it, and then reached out and pointed his fingerbone at a pressure point on the test paper.

Lin Xinghe abruptly slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch it! I'm not finished yet!"

She glared at him.

Jiang Ye withdrew his hand and rested his chin on one hand.

"What's this? Is the young lady cramming at the last minute too? Trying so hard to get into the top class?"

Lin Xinghe glanced at him and gripped the pen tightly.

With your grades, getting into the top class is a sure thing!

At that time.......

They won't be in the same class anymore then.

Although... it doesn't matter if we're not in the same class, but...

But she just felt uncomfortable, no matter how she thought about it, she just couldn't get used to it.

It's better to be in the same class.

She knew her current grades; getting into the top class would be too difficult.

So she wanted to work hard.

Lin Xinghe took a deep breath: "Isn't it a student's duty to study hard? Why ask that?"

Jiang Ye seemed to have noticed something, a smile curving his lips as he patted her shoulder.

"Don't worry, I know you'll miss your ever-present male servant."

"Even if I go to the top class, I will still come down to take care of you on time. It's just a short distance between the upstairs and downstairs, I can run fast."

Lin Xinghe bit the pen and stared at him for two seconds.

"I think you just don't want me to boss you around, do you?"

Jiang Ye's composure crumbled instantly.

"No way, you're overthinking it."

As he said this, his gaze drifted to the left for 0.3 seconds.

Lin Xinghe captured it with precision.

She gave a cold laugh, turned her head away from him, and began writing on the draft paper with her pen.

The force was so great that it almost pierced through the paper.

Humph.

Even if it's just to keep using this dog, she's determined to get into this top class.

-

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The monthly exam arrived as scheduled.

The exam consists of eight subjects: Chinese, Mathematics, English, Physics, Chemistry, Politics, History, and Geography, and is completed in two days.

The examination was held in a lecture hall, and Lin Xinghe, who was in a wheelchair, was given a special position in the front row.

Jiang Ye was three rows behind her at an angle.

The moment the bell rang to signal the end of the exam, he saw Lin Xinghe put down her pen, raise her chin, and look calm.

He doesn't look like he failed the exam.

But they didn't see Lin Xinghe silently crumple the paper in her hand.

Why was this monthly exam so difficult?!

The following weekend, Jiang Ye met with Isabella as usual to handle two overseas fund transfers for Deep Blue Investment.

Monday arrived.

The results of the first monthly exam are out.

Before morning self-study even started, Zhao Lijun walked into Class 6 with a folder in his hand, his face as complex as a postmodern abstract painting.

He stood on the podium and first took a sip of tea from his thermos.

"The results are out."

The whole class fell silent.

Zhao Lijun opened the folder and glanced at the last row.

He had prepared a speech that would last the entire weekend.

The core arguments are threefold: First, attitude determines everything; second, middle school entrance exam scores do not represent high school scores; and third, Jiang Ye, wake up and stop sleeping.

He then glanced down at the grade ranking list.

Jiang Ye is first in his grade.

Total score: 731.

The maximum score is 750.

Zhao Lijun's lips twitched, and he turned the page over.

My prepared 3,000-word speech is now useless.

"cough."

He cleared his throat and decided to skip this part.

"According to school regulations, the top 30 students in the grade in the monthly exam will be transferred to the elite class. Four students in our class have met the standard."

"Eno."

In the last row, Jiang Ye was resting with his eyes closed on the table when he heard this, he slightly raised his eyelids.

"Zhou Ye, Wang Zijun, He Wei."

The three people whose names were called packed their things, their faces beaming with barely suppressed excitement.

Zhao Lijun closed the folder and said in a businesslike tone, "You four, pack your things and report to the top class on the fourth floor."

He glanced at Jiang Ye, then swallowed the words that were about to come out.

Forget it.

He managed to get first place in the grade, what else can he say?

This score is impossible to achieve even with cheating.

But I just couldn't swallow this insult.

So Zhao Lijun added, "Jiang Ye, when you get to the top class, you need to get rid of your habit of sleeping in class."

"Okay, Teacher Zhao."

Jiang Ye stood up, his attitude sincere.

Zhao Lijun felt that he was obviously just giving a perfunctory answer, and after holding it in for a long time, he could only sigh in the end.

Why didn't he have such a good brain when he was in high school?

Jiang Ye began tidying up the things on the table.

Lei Dapeng, standing next to him, had red eyes and was crying with snot and tears streaming down his face.

"Old Jiang, are you really leaving?"

"It's not like we're going to jail, it's just going up one floor."

"But who's going to go to the cafeteria with me to fight for food? Who's going to save me a seat?!"

"Don't you still have Wang Haonian?"

"With Haozi's appetite, he can't even get any food himself!" Lei Dapeng slammed his fist on the table.

Jiang Ye stuffed his pencil case into his backpack and patted Lei Dapeng on the shoulder: "Alright, stop crying. We'll still eat lunch together."

He slung his backpack over his shoulder and his gaze swept naturally across the middle of the classroom.

Lin Xinghe sat in her wheelchair, flipping through her textbook without even lifting her head.

It was as if they didn't care at all whether he left or not.

But Jiang Ye noticed that her hand, which was turning the pages, lingered on one page for too long.

He didn't say much, turned around and walked out of Class 6 classroom.

-

The top class is on the fourth floor.

The homeroom teacher's surname is Han. He is in his early thirties, wears frameless glasses, and speaks crisply and concisely.

Jiang Ye was seated in the second-to-last row by the window.

The atmosphere in the classroom was completely different from that in Class 6.

No one was chatting, no one was playing on their phones, and even the sound of turning pages was perfectly synchronized.

It was as quiet as a library.

This also means that no one will ask him to fetch water, buy snacks, or pick green peppers anymore.

Jiang Ye shoved the book into the desk drawer, put his hands behind his head, and let out a long sigh.

Finally, I don't have to be bossed around by Lin Xinghe anymore, so I can rest for a while longer.

In the following days, Jiang Ye's life became much quieter.

Class, sleep, get out of class over.

However, he did not completely abandon Lin Xinghe, and would still carry her up and down the stairs from the third floor.

Twice a day, morning and evening, they would appear on time at the third-floor stairwell, squat down, carry people up or down the stairs.

Lin Xinghe has been very quiet these past few days and hasn't said anything about him going to the elite class.

But for someone like Lin Xinghe, silence is the real anomaly.

Jiang Ye had a feeling that she was brewing some big move.

-

Thursday afternoon.

The top students are having a math class.

Teacher Han was writing the solution to a challenging function problem on the blackboard, the chalk making a clicking sound.

There was a sudden knock on the classroom door.

Teacher Han put down the chalk and went to open the door.

They found the grade head standing outside the door.

Behind the grade head was a girl with a high ponytail.

She was wearing a baggy school uniform, the cast on her right leg had been removed and replaced with a lightweight brace, and she was leaning on a silver cane with her left hand, her back ramrod straight.

Teacher Han asked in confusion, "This is...?"

"Teacher Han, this is Lin Xinghe, a student who transferred from Class 6 of the first year of high school."

The grade head handed over a class transfer notice.

"You're in the top class today."

The students in the top class all craned their necks to look towards the door.

Jiang Ye leaned back in his chair, stopping the twirling of his pen.

He stared at the figure leaning on a cane at the door, with only one thought in his mind.

no......

How did she get into the top class?

Lin Xinghe walked into the classroom with crutches, her eyes scanning the seats.

When her gaze swept over Jiang Ye, she slightly raised her chin and curled her lips into a very shallow smile, with the smugness of a cat catching a mouse.

Teacher Han glanced at Lin Xinghe and confirmed that this student's name was definitely not on the last monthly exam.

That means they paid money to get in.

This is an unwritten rule in many schools, and Teacher Han is used to it.

It would be abnormal if there weren't a few students who got in without paying money each year.

"Alright, so you're Lin Xinghe, welcome."

Teacher Han glanced around the classroom, preparing to find a seat for Lin Xinghe.

A group of boys in the class became somewhat agitated.

If such a pretty girl could sit next to me, my entire high school years would be worthwhile!

Teacher Han: "There aren't many seats left... The second to last row by the window, the one next to Jiang Ye, you can sit there for now."

Lin Xinghe walked over step by step, leaning on her cane.

She paused as she passed Jiang Ye.

"Eno."

Her voice wasn't loud; only two people could hear it.

"Fill my water bottle after class, with lukewarm water, not too hot or too cold."

After saying that, a smug smile crept onto her lips as she pulled out a chair and sat down.

He leaned his cane against the table, opened his textbook, and didn't even lift his eyelids again.

Jiang Ye looked at the pink thermos that had appeared on the table.

There was a three-second silence.

He turned his head to look out the window.

The view from the fourth floor is indeed better than that from the third floor.

You can see a more distant skyline and have a wider field of vision.

But for some reason, the sky seemed to have lost its blue hue.

A very soft sound came from the side.

It was Lin Xinghe who was smiling.