Chapter 54: Squelch—Squelch—Snap—[Third Update]

"Yeah, you're right, hehe, I went too far. Sorry about that."
Tan Le scratched his head, and even on his coal-black face, a hint of blush could be seen.
He stole another greedy glance at the girl's delicate, downcast face before returning to his seat.
At that moment, Su Miaomiao entered the classroom, a file folder in her arms. She wore a short dress, her shapely legs wrapped in black stockings.
The moment she stepped in, all eyes were drawn to her. A beautiful and elegant teacher always drew attention, and her status as a teacher only added a special filter to her allure.
What’s more, Su Miaomiao was young and single.
She didn’t rush to the podium but first glanced at Zheng Yifeng, who was sleeping on the very first desk, and walked over to him.
"Zheng Yifeng, time to wake up~"
She tapped the desk lightly, her voice sweet as honey. She spoke this way to every student, not out of affectation but simply because that was her natural tone.
Zheng Yifeng, who usually was impossible to wake, opened his eyes just in time. His handsome, narrow phoenix eyes blinked open to see a gentle, pretty face very close to his own.
Su Miaomiao leaned over, smiling at him. "You can't possibly be sleepy during the exam, right?"
Zheng Yifeng didn’t answer; he sat up, rubbing his eyes, looking a little awkward.
Only then did Su Miaomiao walk to the podium and address the class. "The exam is about to begin. Collect your belongings and put them on the podium or out in the hallway."
Bai Qingxia took out her schoolbag and was about to stand up when a hand took it from her. Before she could thank him, Lu Yuanqiu strode to the podium carrying two schoolbags—one blue, one pink. He set the blue one down first, then placed the pink one on top.
After returning to his seat, Bai Qingxia leaned forward and whispered, "Thank you."
"Huh? What for?" Lu Yuanqiu glanced back at her in surprise.
Bai Qingxia said nothing, but she glanced earnestly at the podium, at the blue bag holding the pink one in its embrace.
The curtains swayed gently by the windows, and the quiet scene seemed to freeze time.
"First, the answer sheets."
After writing the exam start and end times on the blackboard, Su Miaomiao showed everyone the sealed file folder and then ripped it open, handing out stacks of crisp, white answer sheets.
Once the answer sheets were distributed, the test papers followed.
Lu Yuanqiu studied the papers on his desk and exhaled softly.
He hadn’t experienced this in over a decade.
In the past, he had never cared about any exam, but today, seeing the test paper, he was uncharacteristically nervous.
He filled out his name, class, and candidate number, then pored over the questions, determined to get as familiar as possible with them before the starting whistle blew—a single extra question could make all the difference!
He had once taken a Chinese exam seriously, and his biggest problem had been time; by the time he got to the essay, only half an hour was left.
This time, he was resolved to use every minute of the two and a half hours wisely.
The whistle sounded from below the teaching building!
As it faded—
In the first exam room, the rustling of pens filled the air. Zhong Jincheng, sitting at the front, reached for his pen as if for a weapon, scribbling answers at lightning speed. The atmosphere was tense, every second counted.

---

In the last exam room:
"Ah—"
Someone yawned loudly. Then, silence fell.
Su Miaomiao sat on the podium, surveying the students below. Some were daydreaming, some stared out the window, others lay slumped over their desks.
It seemed less like an exam and more like a prison sentence.
At last, a sound came from a corner!
Su Miaomiao, sensing hope at last, looked over in amazement.
The only person in the room actually writing! Even faster than Bai Qingxia!
It was that man—Lu Yuanqiu!
He was writing!
Lu Yuanqiu, face alight with excitement, quickly scribbled down the answer to the first question. Right or wrong, he’d saved himself some time.
But then Su Miaomiao spoke up, "You there, second to last row, second to last column—why have you been staring at Lu Yuanqiu and not taking the test?"
Bai Qingxia looked up and saw that the stern-looking student was indeed still staring fixedly at Lu Yuanqiu.
Looking back, he’d been staring at Lu Yuanqiu since the start, not blinking once.
Lu Yuanqiu seemed oblivious, completely absorbed in his exam.
Mao Sheng ignored Su Miaomiao and continued to glare at Lu Yuanqiu.
He'd never lost an 800-meter race…
But this time he’d lost—utterly and completely.
All because of the man in front of him, who was now enthusiastically scribbling answers!
Mao Sheng was determined to see just when Lu Yuanqiu would dare to look at him.
If Lu Yuanqiu refused, he would keep up his intimidating stare for the entire exam!
The people in this exam room were all so strange… Su Miaomiao thought to herself, but she let it go. Liu Wei had warned her, when watching over the last exam room, to play blind and let things be.
Just then, Su Miaomiao glanced toward the door and caught sight of Zheng Yifeng, who was lying on his desk staring at her blankly. As soon as he caught her gaze, he hurriedly turned his head away.
Before long, Zheng Yifeng’s snoring sounded.
Su Miaomiao sighed in resignation—he’d fallen asleep again.
Lu Yuanqiu was deep in his test when, suddenly—
"Pfft—zzzzz—"
Lu Yuanqiu paused, raising his head quietly.
No way, man, was the first fart of 2010 always this early?
It was only time for the classical poetry fill-in-the-blank; did you really need to rack your brains for that?
Were you composing your own poem or something?

---

The boy in front, Tan Le, scratched his rear with his left hand and scribbled furiously with his right.
A foul smell quickly drifted from the front, and Lu Yuanqiu wrinkled his brow. Not daring to lose focus, he pinched his nose with one hand and kept writing with the other.
Not even the Emperor himself could break my concentration today!
I must pass Chinese!
In the last row, Bai Qingxia, wearing nose plugs, looked up. The moment she heard the farting from the front, she suddenly understood the significance of the nose plugs Lu Yuanqiu had given her.
For an instant, she remembered the boy’s self-sacrificing expression as he handed over the only two nose plugs.
She wasn’t moved—she just wanted to laugh.
The girl stifled a smile in the back row.
About an hour passed.
Lu Yuanqiu was clutching his desk, trembling like a man possessed. He’d gone pale, veins bulging on his forehead—he looked as if he couldn’t take much more.
In front of him, Tan Le was producing rhythmic beatbox sounds.
"Pfft—pfft—pop—"
"Pfft—pfft—pop—"
"Pfft—pfft—pop—"
Lu Yuanqiu’s right hand, gripping his black pen, was shaking uncontrollably. He took a deep breath, glanced at Tan Le’s back, and clenched his teeth.
I get it, I really do, Tan Le…
I know the reading comprehension is tough, your brain is running on overdrive.
But why is it so intense this time?
Are you trying to prove yourself?
But…
Don’t you realize that all this thinking never actually helps you at all?
If it did, would you still be second to last in the year for three years straight?!
I’m beginning to think your influence is the reason I can’t shake off the curse of last place!
I beg you, stop thinking, Tan Le!!
For once, I’m taking this seriously.
I really want to pass Chinese this time!
Watching Lu Yuanqiu’s desperate trembling, Bai Qingxia frowned slightly, arms folded. She was starting to worry about him.