Chapter Thirty-Two: Some Rejoice, Others Grieve

"Hey, how did you do on the exam, Boss Xiao?" As soon as Xiao Lin stepped into the dorm, he heard Yuan Weiye calling out to him. This guy had sharp eyes.

"It was all right," Xiao Lin replied. Hearing this, Yuan Weiye darted over, blocking his path. "All right? Then tell me, what did you choose for the first question? And the third?"

"A and D," Xiao Lin answered truthfully.

"Hahaha, and you call that all right? You got both wrong! The correct answers are B and C—the ones I picked!" Yuan Weiye announced smugly. Xiao Lin looked at his infuriating expression and retorted with a hint of annoyance, "Fine, you got them right."

"Actually, you're mistaken. Xiao Lin's answers are correct," Lin Xudong said as he entered the dorm, having overheard their conversation.

"What? No way!" Yuan Weiye practically jumped up. If Lin Xudong said it was wrong, then it must be wrong.

"Getting the first one wrong is one thing, but the third question was a freebie! I really don't know how you read the question," Wang Tao chimed in.

Rolling his eyes in frustration, Yuan Weiye grumbled, "I was thinking about Meng Ranran..."

Everyone burst into laughter.

As they laughed at Yuan Weiye, Xu Tong hurried in, immediately grabbing Xiao Lin and asking, "Did you hit Sun Feifei?"

Xiao Lin, puzzled, replied with a question, "Who is Sun Feifei?"

Xu Tong described Sun Feifei's appearance. After listening, Xiao Lin chuckled softly, "That's right."

"What, you really did hit him?" Xu Tong sighed when Xiao Lin admitted it. "Xiao Lin, Sun Feifei knows a lot of people outside of school. He’s narrow-minded and always seeks revenge. After this, he’ll definitely come after you. You’d better be careful."

Wang Tao nodded, adding, "Xu Tong's right. Sun Feifei's nothing but a thug."

But Xiao Lin remained nonchalant. "If soldiers come, I’ll send generals; if water floods, I’ll build a dam. What’s there to be afraid of? He’s not some monster." Xu Tong wanted to say more, but Xiao Lin waved him off and climbed into bed to sleep.

Xu Tong shook his head helplessly—Xiao Lin never took anything to heart. Yuan Weiye sidled up and asked, "Why did Xiao Lin hit Sun Feifei?"

"They say Sun Feifei bullied Wang Yuqing, so Xiao Lin stepped in. I heard he gave Sun Feifei such a beating that he could barely crawl off the ground."

"No wonder—it was a knight’s rage for a fair maiden!" Lin Xudong remarked.

Sun Feifei was feeling thoroughly miserable at that moment. He lay in a hospital bed receiving an IV, his face swollen and wrapped in gauze. Just then, his big brother called. Before he could even complain, his brother scolded him harshly, saying Gao Zheng had found out about the incident and was planning to deal with him. His brother told him to go apologize to Gao Zheng that evening, and how he would be punished depended entirely on Gao Zheng’s mood.

Thinking of Gao Zheng’s methods sent a chill down Sun Feifei’s spine. Admittedly, this was all his fault, but now he blamed everything on Xiao Lin.

"Xiao Lin, this isn’t over between us," Sun Feifei cursed inwardly.

In the girls' dormitory, Tan Linlin sat with one leg crossed over the other, tapping a lollipop on the table. With a stern face, she declared, "Court is in session!"

"Mighty!" chorused the two girls standing behind her, each brandishing a broom like a bailiff.

Wang Yuqing, sitting before them, couldn’t help but laugh through her tears. "Linlin, what are you all up to?"

"Don’t try to cozy up to the judge. Just answer the question honestly," Tan Linlin replied.

"Seriously, what question? What did I do?" Wang Yuqing looked innocent.

"We want to know why Xiao Lin fought for you," Tan Linlin pressed.

"Yes, tell us the details," another girl urged, curiosity shining in her eyes.

"Come on, I’ve told you already. Sun Feifei messed with my chair and made me fall. Xiao Lin stood up for me," Wang Yuqing explained.

"Maybe Xiao Lin did go a bit overboard," she added in a small voice.

"For a boy to fight for a girl—sisters, what does this mean?" Tan Linlin suddenly called out with feigned mystery.

"It means he likes our Yuqing, of course!" the two girls replied, laughing.

Hearing their teasing, Wang Yuqing’s cheeks flushed crimson. She protested, "That’s impossible, you’re overthinking it," but inside, her heart was sweet as honey.

"Oh my, our beautiful Yuqing is blushing!" Laughter and teasing filled the dormitory.

Although Wang Yuqing and Tan Linlin didn’t live on campus, they often came to the girls' dorm to rest at noon.

That afternoon’s exams were math and physics. As Xiao Lin headed to the exam room, he ran into Wang Yuqing, whose cheeks were still faintly pink. He thought she was still shaken from Sun Feifei’s bullying and asked her with concern if she was all right. This only made Wang Yuqing blush even deeper.

How could Xiao Lin know that her embarrassment came from Tan Linlin and the others’ teasing? They had filled her head with stories about romance, insisting Xiao Lin must like her. So now, whenever she saw him, she remembered their words and grew shy.

They entered the exam room together, where the same two teachers were supervising. The seat behind Wang Yuqing was empty—Sun Feifei was still in the hospital. The male teacher didn’t even ask about his absence, simply marking him as missing. Xu Chunmin inquired once, but since no one knew where he was, she didn’t press further. She had no interest in keeping track of failing students.

With Sun Feifei gone, the exam room was much quieter. Except for one student who brazenly tried to cheat and was caught by Xu Chunmin—cementing her reputation as the “Grim Reaper of the Exam Room”—the thirty-fifth exam room completed the first day’s tests smoothly.

The next day would be English and chemistry. Once these were over, the students could go home for two days before returning to class. Not only did the school need to free up rooms for the juniors and sophomores, but the teachers also wanted students to rest, since exams were exhausting. Going home to a good meal meant they’d return with energy. In this respect, Innovation High was truly considerate.

Time spun on, days turning quietly. With the final bell for the chemistry exam, the second round of mock exams came to an end. Students poured out of the exam rooms in various moods—some with heads hung low, disappointed by their performance; others cursing the teachers who set the papers; some elated with their results; and a few with calm expressions, their composure unshaken. After every exam, it was always the same—some rejoiced, others despaired.

Xiao Lin and Wang Yuqing packed up their things, chatting as they made their way back to class. No teacher would let students go home without assigning homework. After exams, everyone returned to their own classroom to wait for the teacher’s instructions.

As soon as they entered, they were greeted by the lively hum of conversation. The whole classroom buzzed with students discussing answers.

"Hey, Xiao Lin, how did you do? We’re all waiting for you to treat us to KTV!" Xu Tong called out with a grin as soon as Xiao Lin entered.

Xiao Lin looked at them and raised his middle finger in response.

"We’ll see next week—maybe you’ll be the ones treating me!"