Chapter 37: Reflect.

Chapter 37: Reflect.

The mid-term exams were far more formal than the previous quizzes. Students from the entire grade were shuffled and placed in different classrooms, with about twenty students in each, serving as the examination rooms.

In Ye Licheng's exam room, there were only three or four classmates from his class. Yu Yang and Gu Sheng were allocated to the second building of the teaching complex; they weren't even in the same building.

After finishing the English exam in the morning, Ye Licheng skipped lunch and took out the error workbook prepared by Xie Chu, hoping to review during the lunch break.

Halfway through his review, footsteps approached. A shadow loomed over, "What a coincidence, you're in this exam room too?"

A girl in a plaid pinafore dress with loose, flowing hair had joy in her eyes. She occasionally adjusted the hair behind her ears that had become messy from sleep.

Ye Licheng showed no particular emotion upon seeing her. He politely greeted her and then resumed his reading.

Wei Zhiqing took the seat in front of Ye Licheng and asked, "Brother Ye, have you had lunch? Care to join me?"

Considering that everyone had just finished their papers and were still in the examination room, it was obvious no one had eaten. Ye Licheng shook his head, "I'm busy, I won't eat."

Despite cramming two months of chemistry under Xie Chu's guidance, his last-minute studying habits persisted. He realized he hadn’t reviewed many topics in-depth, and the urge to grasp every last bit of knowledge was strong.

Hearing this, Wei Zhiqing didn't move. Seeing the opportunity, she couldn't let it go. Leaning over to Ye Licheng's desk, she cautiously asked, "May I borrow your formula summaries? I can't remember some signs and I didn't bring my book."

While Ye Licheng continued browsing his mistakes, he casually pulled out a notebook from the folder and handed it over. It was filled with formulas he'd handwritten, which he'd learned thoroughly under Xie Chu's supervision over the past two months.

Wei Zhiqing took the beautifully bound handwritten notebook, her face lighting up with gratitude. "Thank you, Brother Ye. Do you still need this?" Knowing it was someone else's seat, she hesitated, "If you're done, I'll go back to my place and read it slowly..."

Ye Licheng gave her a meaningful glance and waved his hand.

"I've memorized it all. If you need to make some notes, better do it quickly. There's no one in the classroom right now."

Wei Zhiqing: "......"

Yu Yang often played pranks during exams. Once, after an exam where Ye Licheng had left his desk, Yu Yang scribbled all over it with pencil, filling it with formulas and equations.

Moreover, Ye Licheng was familiar with Wei Zhiqing's past performance. Back in the U.S., she embodied the rebellious teenager stereotype—skipping classes, dating around, and even running away from home. Xu Xu would spend hours on the phone handling complaints from Wei's mother, her old friend. Over time, Ye Licheng had come to know about Wei Zhiqing's antics.

She's a genuine, naive sweetheart.

As the old saying goes, stressing out students cramming for exams is akin to committing murder. Though he held no special feelings for Wei Zhiqing, he wouldn't go as far as sabotaging her.

Unfortunately,

Ye Licheng soon realized that one should be cautious when helping such innocent souls.

With three exams in one day, English in the morning and Physics and Chemistry in the afternoon, Ye Licheng massaged his overwhelmed brain after finishing. He had packed up, but strangely, the invigilator hadn't announced the end of the exam.

Shortly after, two individuals, resembling teachers in white shirts, appeared at the classroom door.

"Which one of you is Wei Zhiqing from Class 2-1?"

A girl from the fifth row raised her head.

Yu Yang and Gu Sheng had finished their exams earlier and were loitering in the hallway, waiting for Ye Licheng. Gu Sheng, observing the scene inside, chuckled, "What a coincidence, Wei is here too? How's Ye doing?"

Before he could continue, another teacher called out,

"Who is Ye Licheng here?"

A drowsy Ye Licheng jolted, looking forward in confusion. An invigilator was holding a mobile phone, squinting and calling out his name.

"Is this your notebook?" To Ye Licheng's surprise, Wei Zhiqing, though not academically inclined, turned out to be an honest student who willingly turned in a blank paper.

She clearly lacked experience in cheating.

Experienced tricksters like Yu Yang and Gu Sheng knew how to adapt to different exams, understanding the art of cheating. Unlike the lax management of minor quizzes, Jia City No.1 High School always took major exams seriously. Surveillance cameras were always on, with dedicated invigilators monitoring the screens.

Thus, any notes were subtly written on the lower middle part of the desk with a pencil, covered first with one's arm, then the exam paper.

But novice Wei Zhiqing clearly lacked such cunning.

After finally getting Ye Licheng's notebook, she felt too bad about her performance in the chemistry exam and decided to make a cheat sheet. This would also give her an excuse to chat with him when returning the notebook.

Thus, Wei Zhiqing took a series of photos on her phone, storing them as cheat sheets in her drawer and occasionally referring to them.

Although surveillance cameras were often merely for show and not actually active, as luck would have it, during these mid-term exams, a surprise inspection of key national high schools took place. The previously decorative cameras in the corner came alive.

The invigilator in the monitoring room quickly noticed the beautiful girl with long hair who checked her drawer every ten minutes.

Although the photos containing only a few formulas had nothing to do with Ye Licheng, in her glee, Wei Zhiqing inadvertently photographed the notebook's cover, which bore Ye Licheng's name.

Consequently, the invigilator included Ye Licheng in the disciplinary action, stressing the importance of academic integrity.

The proceedings in Exam Room 10 dragged on for an additional half-hour. Eventually, after Wei Zhiqing received a minor penalty for cheating, the papers were collected.

As Ye Licheng, with a dark expression, emerged holding his notebook, Yu Yang was already laughing hysterically, "If it weren't for Wei, I'd suspect some mischievous spirit was out to get you."

"Now I see why you're uninterested in her. She's, well, all beauty and no brains."

Gu Sheng, descending the stairs still chuckling, commented, "Our class monitor is truly clever, making you constantly call him 'Dad'. Turns out, you like someone who can handle you..."

Not to mention, Gu Sheng, who shared a desk with Ye Licheng, heard him address Xie Chu as "Dad" multiple times over WeChat the past week, doing so every time he asked a question.

Completely at Xie Chu's mercy.

Ye Licheng subtly lifted his chin, a smug smile hinting as if the one being praised for cleverness wasn't Xie Chu but himself. He retorted,

"Nonsense. I'm just humoring him."

Exam Room 14 was almost empty, with only Xie Chu and Ji Feifei seated at opposite ends. Ji Feifei passed over a piece of scratch paper, saying,

"Ah, my memory fails me again. I've forgotten how to prove this darn pentagon."

With only Math and Chinese exams left tomorrow, and since Ji Feifei and Xie Chu were in the same exam room, Ji Feifei sought clarity to avoid the infamous "Schrödinger's uncertainty" on his math paper.

Xie Chu took a pen, nodded, and said, "Let me walk you through the proof."

"Thanks, Dad Chu," Ji Feifei acknowledged playfully.

As Xie Chu sketched a pentagon, Ji Feifei idly scrolled through his phone. Barely half an hour post-exam, their group chat was already flooded with voice messages.

Ever since Xie Chu was added to the chat, Ji Feifei no longer needed to be discreet. Too lazy to hold the phone, he placed it on the table, tapping on the notification, and began playing the messages one by one.

"Did you hear? Someone was caught cheating in Exam Room Ten."

"Who's the brave soul? Daring to cheat with surveillance cameras on?"

"Unconfirmed gossip, but word is it was Big Sister Wei. Even dragged Ye Licheng into it. Both got a good scolding."

"What's up with Big Sister Wei? Wasn't she content being our quiet afternoon tea angel?"

"A classmate from Exam Room Ten said it was Ye Licheng's chemistry notes. She got caught using them as cheat sheets."

"... Big Sister really, such a waste of beauty. No wonder her pursuit's been fruitless for so long. Utterly foolish."

"Isn't he nursing a broken heart? Now's the perfect time to make a move. Look, Big Sister even borrowed his chemistry notes."

"There's seizing an opportunity, and then there's misjudgment. Big Sister, you've gone too far."

"Maybe I should give it a shot too, like borrowing notes, then knocking on his door late at night to return them and perhaps confessing my feelings, playing the ambitious lover?"

"Wu Suoyi, straighten your curly hair before you go. Don't scare my idol."

"Buzz off."

The chatter, tinged with a static buzz, continued to play. Xie Chu's head was lowered, but his pen never touched the paper.

The pentagon's edges seemed to grow legs, wobbling all over.

What was once orderly became chaotic, evoking irritation and distress.

It seems that now, to everyone else, Ye Licheng's face practically screamed "single and available."

Absolutely worth pursuing.

Even though it was him who first confessed to Xie Chu, he now showed no signs of wanting a relationship, attracting even more admirers, while Xie Chu...

Seemingly had no right to say anything.

Lost in thought, a frown slowly creased Xie Chu's forehead.

By the time Ji Feifei finished climbing the stairs and went through the usual post-exam lamentations, Xie Chu's gaze finally moved away from the phone screen.

He eyed the draft paper he had just handed to Xie Chu, still blank.

Xie Chu wore a look of deep contemplation.

Ji Feifei blinked in surprise, then, after a brief pause, slapped his thigh,

"Damn, I told you that pentagon proof is freaking tricky. Even you forgot it, it's not that my brain's malfunctioning."

Author's note: At noon tomorrow, I'll give a bow in gratitude to the angels who cast dominant votes or provided nutrient solutions for me.

A special thanks to the angel who cast a mine: Cha Cha Cha, for one.

Grateful to the angels who provided nutrient solutions:

Jing Yuan, 1 bottle.

I truly appreciate everyone's support. I'll keep working hard! Some people die, but they aren't completely gone...

After what felt like an endless unconsciousness, Shi Yu abruptly sat up from the bed.

He took deep breaths, inhaling fresh air, his chest trembling with each intake.

Confusion, bewilderment – a flood of emotions rushed over him.

Where is this?

Shi Yu instinctively looked around, only to become more lost.

A single dorm room?

Even if he had been rescued, he should be in a hospital room right now.

And his body... How could there not be a single injury?

With puzzlement, Shi Yu's gaze quickly swept across the room, finally settling on a mirror by the bed.

The reflection showed his current appearance, looking around seventeen or eighteen, and quite handsome.

His former self was a dashing young man in his twenties, already well-established in his career.

But now, no matter how he looked, he seemed to be of high school age...

This transformation left Shi Yu stunned for a long time.

Please don't tell me the surgery was a "success"...

With both body and face changed, this isn't a question of surgery anymore, but rather of magic.

He had completely transformed into another person!

Could it be... he had time-traveled?

Apart from that poorly feng shui-placed mirror by the bed, Shi Yu also spotted three books nearby.

Picking one up, the title rendered him silent.

"Beginner's Guide to Creature Care"

"Postnatal Care for Pet Beasts"

"Evaluation Guide for Different Beast-Eared Girls"

Shi Yu:

The first two book titles seem normal, but what's the deal with the last one?

"Ahem."

Shi Yu's gaze turned serious, and he reached out, but his arm suddenly stiffened.

Just as he was about to flip open the third book to see what on earth it was, a sharp pain struck his brain, and a flood of memories rushed in.

Icefield City.

Pet Beast Breeding Base.

Intern Beast Keeper. [Website closing soon. Download the AiYue app to continue reading the brilliant tales by Master ZhiZhi. Beware, the beautiful Omega can deceive.]

Beast Tamer?