Oh no! I've only been a freshman and I've already been targeted by a mean upperclassman.

The rain stopped.

Yan Xi released Li Chen's hand and started the engine. The Porsche drove out of the parking lot and merged into the main road.

The car's heater was on, and the condensation on the windows was slowly dissipating. The navigation system showed that we were still thirty-eight minutes away from school.

Li Chen's phone vibrated for the fourth time.

He took it out and glanced at it.

Group 302.

[Wang Qiang: Where are you?! Did you elope with your sister-in-law again?!]

[Chen Mo: Based on statistical regression of his travel patterns last Saturday, he should currently be in the "return phase of a date," with an estimated arrival time between 4:20 PM and 4:50 PM.]

[Zhao Zixuan: Speak like a human being.]

Chen Mo: I'll be back soon.

[Wang Qiang: Li Chen, you come out here and say something!!! Do you even know there are only two weeks left until the final exams?! I haven't even looked at Chapter 3 of Calculus!!!]

Li Chen typed three words.

[Li Chen: On the way.]

Send it out.

two seconds.

[Wang Qiang: Is your sister-in-law home?]

[Li Chen: Driving.]

[Wang Qiang: Then tell your sister-in-law if you can return you to us during the final exams? Just for two weeks. Return you when you're done.]

Li Chen locked the screen.

Yan Xi's gaze never left the road ahead.

"What did they say?"

Wang Qiang asked if he could borrow me back during the final exams.

Yan Xi tapped the top of the steering wheel with her right index finger.

"borrow?"

"His exact words."

"return."

He said he would return it after using it.

Yan Xi changed lanes and overtook a white SUV in front of her. The movement was swift and decisive.

When are the final exams?

"Two weeks later."

"Your subject."

"Advanced Mathematics, Linear Algebra, Physics, C Programming, and Marxist Philosophy."

Yan Xi's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"Five subjects?"

"Six subjects. And one more: physical education."

"No need to review for physical education."

"Um."

Are you confident about the other five subjects?

Li Chen leaned back in his chair.

Calculus and linear algebra are basic skills for him, C programming is a breeze, and while Marxist philosophy requires memorization, memory isn't an issue. He tends to lose focus a lot during the electromagnetism section of physics and needs to catch up on his notes.

"It's not a big problem."

Yan Xi didn't respond.

Six seconds passed.

"You used L'Hôpital's rule for question 7 on your last advanced calculus assignment."

Li Chen's fingers stopped.

He did use L'Hopital.

Because directly substituting the values ​​into the equation would result in a zero-to-zero indeterminate form, L'Hôpital's method is the fastest solution.

The problem was—he did that assignment in the cafeteria, and Yan Xi was sitting across from him eating porridge. He remembered that she was looking at her phone the whole time.

"Did you look at my homework?"

"You write with a lot of force. L'Hôpital's L is written especially large. I can see it clearly even when I'm sitting opposite you, upside down."

Li Chen recalled the gesture he used to write the letter L.

I did use a bit too much force.

Because that problem was very troublesome, I calculated it twice in a row.

"Can you understand it if you read it backwards?"

I won first prize in the provincial high school math competition.

Li Chen turned to look at her.

Yan Xi's profile was calm.

She wasn't showing off. She was stating a fact, as naturally as saying the weather was nice today.

"You didn't mention it."

"You didn't ask."

Li Chen leaned back in his chair.

He mentally reassessed Yan Xi's knowledge base. An architecture prodigy, her research reports were more detailed than those of graduate students, she was proficient in both CAD and hand-drawing, and now she had added a provincial first prize in a math competition.

Have you reviewed your material?

Yan Xi shifted gears.

"I have two course papers, a design defense, and a student council year-end summary next week."

"and you--"

Don't worry about the exam.

She didn't change her tone when she said that, but Li Chen understood the underlying meaning.

She was telling him not to worry about her studies.

The Porsche turned into the fork in Linjiang Avenue. The iron fence at the east gate of the school was 300 meters away.

Yan Xi slowed down.

What's your roommate's level in advanced mathematics?

"Wang Qiang is on the verge of failing. Zhao Zixuan is cramming. Chen Mo doesn't need our help."

"Didn't Wang Qiang read Chapter 3?"

"He said it himself. But he's always exaggerated. It should have been read over, but not completely."

Yan Xi parked the car in a temporary parking space outside the East Gate. She engaged the handbrake.

She didn't turn off the engine.

"Help him fix it."

Li Chen tilted his head.

Yan Xi's gaze fell on the windshield.

"You're capable of helping him pass. Don't let him fail."

Li Chen looked at her for three seconds.

She wasn't concerned about Wang Qiang's grades. What she cared about was that Wang Qiang was her roommate, someone she respected.

"it is good."

Yan Xi glanced at him at that moment.

"And you? Is there anything I need to say?"

"What?"

"Advanced Mathematics. Linear Algebra. You said you were daydreaming in Physics and Electromagnetism class."

Li Chen's lips twitched.

How did you know I was daydreaming?

"Your Physics class is the first period on Wednesday afternoon, so your nap time on Wednesday is 20 minutes longer than on other weekdays."

"Taking a nap for too long can cause a decrease in concentration during the first 20 minutes."

"Electromagnetism is in Chapters 3 through 5, which corresponds to the three weeks when you started taking extended naps."

Li Chen froze for two seconds.

This isn't deduction. This is surveillance.

"You even know how long I take a nap?"

"You send a message saying 'going to sleep' before your afternoon nap every day, and 'wake up' after you wake up. The timestamps are recorded very clearly."

Li Chen glanced down at his phone.

He does have this habit.

He would report to Yan Xi before and after his afternoon nap every day. He thought she would just glance at it and move on.

She wrote it all down.

Accurate to the minute.

"You have a form."

Yan Xi did not deny it.

"Excel. Automatically calculates the mean and standard deviation."

The car was silent for four seconds.

Li Chen slowly exhaled.

"Yan Xi".

"Um."

"What would someone at your level be called in an intelligence agency?"

"Call her your girlfriend."

After she finished speaking, she reached for the bottle of room temperature mineral water on the center console, unscrewed it, and took a sip.

Li Chen opened the car door.

A cold wind blew in.

"I'll organize my physics notes tonight and send them to you. Mark any parts you're unsure about."

Yan Xi handed him the mineral water bottle.

"Have a sip before you leave. It's cold."

Li Chen took it. The bottle was still warm from her touch. He took a sip, screwed the cap back on, and put it back on the center console.

"Change your wet clothes when you get back."

"Waterproof jacket."

"Your inner layer isn't waterproof. You're sweating. I can smell it."

Li Chen lowered his head and sniffed himself.

I did break out in a sweat.

But he didn't think it was heavy...

"Go back and change."

"it is good."

He got out of the car. He closed the door.

I bent down and looked at her through the car window.

Yan Xi's hands rested on the steering wheel.

Her low ponytail hung over her left shoulder, and the tip of the phoenix hairpin reflected a faint light behind her ear.

"Message me when you get to your dorm room."

"Um."

"Take a picture and send it to me after you change your clothes."

Li Chen raised an eyebrow.

"Inspect the goods?"

"I've confirmed you changed. You said you changed last time, but you showed up at the cafeteria wearing the same thing. The coffee stains on the cuffs are still there."

He spilled a drop of coffee on his sleeve at seven in the morning, and he forgot to wipe it off.

"……knew."

The Porsche started moving and smoothly drove away from the roadside.

Li Chen stood at the east gate, watching the car's taillights disappear around the corner.