Disregarding the curious glances from the crowd, Xiao Yi confidently ascended toward the front row, a grin gracing his features. In his grasp, he held a small paper packet containing a special-effect cold capsule. This situation initially had no connection to him, but suddenly, his eyes gleamed. He had taken one of the two cold capsules earlier that morning, leaving one remaining. It presented a perfect opportunity to use Xiao Zihan as a test subject, to gauge the efficacy of the pill on another person! If this medication proved effective against colds, a significant fortune awaited him in the future! Even the teacher, known colloquially as the 'Extinction Nun,' observed Xiao Yi with a flicker of surprise, pondering if he had stumbled upon some revelation. She was, after all, aware of the private pronouncements of the boys regarding Xiao Zihan's appearance. Ordinarily, the boys would go to great lengths to avoid her company. Thus, amidst the astonished gazes of both the teacher and his classmates, Xiao Yi naturally gravitated towards Xiao Zihan's desk, extending the paper packet to her. "Here, this medicine works quite effectively. I took one myself this morning," he stated. Xiao Yi wasn't fabricating; the medicine had indeed proven beneficial, and he had consumed one earlier that day. Suddenly presented with a delicate, fair hand before her, Xiao Zihan, who had been cradling her mouth with her head bowed, was momentarily taken aback. Then, with a shy inclination of her head, she subtly glanced at the tall, handsome young man before her, her cheeks instantly flushing crimson. After a brief period of hesitation, she repeatedly shook her head, softly expressing her thanks and that it was unnecessary, before quickly lowering her head once more as if a thought had just occurred to her. Yet, with that very movement of her head, her long hair, which had been obscuring her face, swept to the sides, revealing her features completely in an instant. Although she swiftly lowered her head again, it was sufficient for Xiao Yi, who had inadvertently caught a glimpse, to be utterly astounded! Due to her earlier coughing fit, Xiao Zihan had removed her outdated and worn glasses, placing them on her desk. Because of this, her face was fully exposed to Xiao Yi's view. Her skin, like flawless porcelain, her face, delicate and lovely as a blooming lotus, radiated a hint of shyness amidst her bewilderment—a beauty of an indescribable, stunning caliber. "I-I-I, damn it! Am I hallucinating? Is this the so-called ugly girl? Have all the guys in the class lost their sight, or is there a fundamental flaw in my perception of beauty?" From her vantage point, the head teacher couldn't discern Xiao Yi's expression and directly addressed the situation: "Since Xiao Yi has medicine, you should take it first, Xiao Xiao. Alright, Xiao Yi, hurry back and prepare for your exam." The teacher's words jolted Xiao Yi back to the present reality. He gently placed the paper packet containing the capsule on Xiao Zihan's desk, cast a lingering look at her lowered head, and then returned to his seat. "Boss, you're truly remarkable, not picky in the slightest, are you!" As he resumed his seat, his closest confidant, Li Huiqun, offered a thumbs-up, unable to suppress a sigh of admiration. However, Xiao Yi was in no state to acknowledge his friend's comment; his mind was completely occupied by the breathtaking image of Xiao Zihan's face. It was no exaggeration to assert that Xiao Zihan and the current reigning beauty of the third middle school were not even comparable. Xiao Yi was convinced that if Xiao Zihan were to shed her baggy school uniform for an elegant dress and discard those dated glasses, she would surpass even the most renowned A-list actresses in beauty! While Xiao Yi remained lost in a daze at his desk, his gaze fixed upon that subtly self-conscious figure, Xiao Zihan had already put her glasses back on and was carefully retrieving the capsule. After a moment of contemplation, she seemed to reach a decision, retrieved her old, paint-chipped water bottle, and proceeded to swallow the pill. Witnessing this, the teacher, affectionately dubbed the 'Extinction Nun,' couldn't help but let out a sigh. She mused about the girl's resilience in the face of hardship, harboring a fervent hope for her bright future, yet privately wishing she wouldn't set her sights on someone like Xiao Yi. Upon swallowing the pill, Xiao Zihan experienced an immediate sense of mental clarity. The scratchiness in her throat vanished instantly. However, having been raised with the firm belief that hot water was the sole remedy for colds, she merely surmised that this cold medicine was a rare and exceptionally potent one. "I truly was deceived by this girl's facade all this time; who would have ever imagined that a Golden Phoenix was residing right beside me!" The innate appreciation for beauty resides within everyone, and at his current stage of development, Xiao Yi was on the cusp of romantic awakening. Consequently, he possessed an intense sense of possessiveness towards beautiful things—a sentiment that could very well be termed love at first sight. At this juncture, Xiao Yi had utterly lost all focus on the examination. More than ten minutes into the test, and this young man hadn't even managed to write down his name. A powerful urge to protect surged within his heart, prompting him to ponder how he could strategically claim this hidden Snow Lotus before anyone else could lay claim to it! Yet, after a brief internal reflection, a sense of impatience washed over him. If only he had recognized this sooner, it would have been ideal. However, the path ahead was long; there was no need for undue haste.
With merely a week remaining before the college entrance examinations, and considering Xiao Zihan’s academic prowess, she was certain to surpass the admission threshold of any institution nationwide!
Upon observing his completely blank examination paper...
"No, I absolutely must attend university as well! I need to achieve outstanding results! And then, I will apply to the same university as Xiao Zihan!"
Gazing at Xiao Zihan's retreating figure, a profound sense of protectiveness welled up within Xiao Yi, as he resolved to set a personal objective.
Clenching his jaw, he fixated on the test before him. "Achieving a perfect score begins with the paper right in front of me!"
Nevertheless, in the very next moment, Xiao Yi found himself unable to suppress a sigh.
Sigh! While every single character on this English exam paper was familiar, attempting to string them together yielded no comprehension whatsoever...
Suddenly, his eyes illuminated, and a wave of exhilaration washed over his heart:
"Ah, that's right, how could I possibly forget about the system! I am now an individual blessed with a system; how could achieving excellent grades possibly be a challenge?"
With this realization, Xiao Yi was imbued with an indomitable spirit and began devising strategies to leverage the system for a high scoring performance!
However, no matter how intensely he pondered, no viable ideas emerged from his mind.
Truly, was it even feasible to decompose and reconstruct the examination paper during the actual test? Even if such a feat were possible, this decomposition and recreation ability was limited to once per day, and the examinations entailed multiple subjects each day.
He grappled with these perplexing thoughts for nearly two full hours, and concerning the test paper presented to him, aside from inscribing his name during one of Extinction Nun's perambulations, it remained an entirely unblemished expanse of white.
There was not even the customary drawing of lots for questions, nor the simplistic act of transcribing answers from the reading comprehension section into the essay portion.
Ding-ling-ling~
As a bell chimed, signifying the conclusion of this particular examination, and watching his pristine, blank test paper being collected, Xiao Yi maintained a stoic expression. He remained seated, his brow furrowed, even as Li Huiqun approached to extend an invitation to the restroom, an invitation that was met with an impatient wave of his hand.
At this juncture, it could be said that he possessed a magnificent system at his disposal yet remained utterly bewildered regarding the means to elevate his scores!
And precisely as he was lost in this state of dismal contemplation, he suddenly perceived a figure materializing before him, an occurrence that caused him to furrow his brows:
"Damn it, Li Huiqun, can't you handle your own bathroom needs! You're utterly useless, always dragging the old... uh... not you, Xiao Zihan, what is it? Is there something you require?"
[To be continued...]