"Quiet! Quiet!" The proctor shouted, stopping the crowd's rustling chatter. "I'm handing out the exam papers now! Everyone, one last check to make sure your phones are turned off, and all paper materials near you must be handed in!"

Xu Zhinan checked again that her phone was off and put it back in her schoolbag.

Sitting next to Lin Qingye on such an occasion made her feel very uncomfortable. Fortunately, the proctor quickly handed out the exam papers, and everyone quieted down, temporarily shifting their attention away from them.

The modern history teacher knew about the attendance rate for this class, so the exam he prepared was quite lenient.

40 points of multiple-choice questions, and 60 points of subjective questions.

Xu Zhinan gave it a quick glance. Most of the questions weren't difficult, and there were also many general knowledge questions.

The multiple-choice questions went by quickly. After finishing, Xu Zhinan looked up at the proctor and stealthily nudged her answer sheet a little in Zhao Qian's direction.

As she pulled her gaze back, she unconsciously glanced at Lin Qingye on her other side.

His hands were beautiful, long and slender. He was propping his head up with one hand, looking languid with drooping eyelids. After looking at a question for a moment, he wrote down a big "A".

It was impossible to tell if he had guessed or actually worked it out.

If he failed this class again, he would have to delay his graduation.

Xu Zhinan was one of the hosts for this year's senior graduation gala. Pingchuan University's art department was outstanding, and the gala featured many original performances by the graduating students.

Originally, the faculty wanted Lin Qingye to perform, as he was their most representative student. However, with his grades not yet out, it was uncertain if he could even graduate on time.

On the gala program list that Xu Zhinan had received, the word "tentative" was specially marked next to Lin Qingye's slot.

Thinking of the program list, Xu Zhinan remembered something she had forgotten.

Ruan Yuanyuan had asked her for the program list earlier, but she hadn't given it to her yet.

As her mind drifted to other matters, Lin Qingye had already lifted his gaze and was looking over at her.

Their eyes met.

The examination hall was silent.

Xu Zhinan's mind went blank for a moment, and she forgot to look away.

Lin Qingye, however, was relaxed. His face held a mix of amusement and teasing as he steadily met her gaze, his expression unchanging.

Until the proctor slammed his hand on a desk and shouted sharply, "What are you doing! Do you even know what an exam is! You don't listen in class, but you're certainly eager to communicate during the exam!"

Xu Zhinan instantly snapped her head forward, lowered it, and didn't move.

In reality, quite a few people were cheating stealthily, and the proctor wasn't talking about them.

A laugh, neither loud nor soft, sounded from beside her.

It rumbled from deep in his throat, magnetic and raspy, inexplicably stirring one's heart.

Xu Zhinan felt as if that laugh was aimed directly at her, making her feel pins and needles on her back. Her face flushed completely red, and she used her hair to hide her profile, forcing herself to calm down and focus on the questions again.

With half an hour still to go, many people began to turn in their exam papers one after another.

For this modern history class, those who had seriously reviewed were writing furiously to jot down all the key points for scoring, while those who had crammed at the last minute simply scribbled a few things and turned their papers in early.

Xu Zhinan was one of the former; Zhao Qian and Lin Qingye were among the latter.

She had been distracted by Lin Qingye earlier, and only after she was the only one left in her row could she truly focus meticulously on the exam.

"Five minutes left. Students who aren't finished, please hurry," the proctor reminded them.

After checking her paper, Xu Zhinan packed her things, handed in the exam, and walked out of the examination hall.

As soon as she turned her phone on, a missed call notification popped up.

It was from Gu Congwang.

Xu Zhinan held her schoolbag in one hand, her water bottle in the other, and her phone between two fingers.

She tightened the cap on her water bottle, put it in her bag, and slung it over her shoulder. Just as she was about to call him back, Gu Congwang happened to call again.

She swiped to answer, but before she could say "hello," a hand grabbed her wrist. Caught completely off guard, she was yanked into the adjacent empty classroom.

It wasn't an empty classroom.

Someone was there.

Lin Qingye.

He was the one who had pulled her in.

The light blue curtains in the classroom were drawn, casting the entire room in a bluish hue under the sunlight.

Xu Zhinan opened her mouth, about to speak, when she remembered that she had just answered Gu Congwang's call. He was shouting from the other end of the line, "Hello, hello? Ah Nan, can you hear me?"

Lin Qingye sneered, effortlessly plucking the phone from her hand and glancing at the caller ID.

"Give it back to me," Xu Zhinan said in a low voice, reaching for it.

Lin Qingye raised his arm high above his head.

Xu Zhinan jumped a few times but still couldn't reach it, tumbling against him instead. He took advantage of the situation, lightly wrapping an arm around her slender waist.

He then took the opportunity to sit back down in a chair, pulling her down to sit on his lap.

Still in a classroom, Xu Zhinan's entire spine went rigid in an instant.

The position was awkward. Lin Qingye's long arm circled around her, trapping her arms as well. Then he placed the phone on the desk in front of him.

He whispered in her ear, "Xu Zhinan."

Lin Qingye rarely called her by her full name.

He was wild and arrogant, nonchalant about the affection many had for him, yet he could also effortlessly be intimate in just the right way. For instance, he had always called her "Ah Nan."

"I'm discovering you're getting quite bold these days," he said leisurely.

Xu Zhinan's face was bright red, and even her neck felt hot. She struggled hard a few times but couldn't break free.

To make matters worse, the phone call was still connected, sitting right there on the desk. Gu Congwang's voice could be faintly heard, "Xu Zhinan! What are you doing! What is that noise over there?"

Xu Zhinan's head was buzzing, but she still had to keep her voice down. "Lin Qingye, let go of me first."

"Oh," he chuckled, the corners of his lips hooking up into a roguish smirk. "Not even calling me Brother anymore, huh?"

...

Xu Zhinan couldn't stand it. "Can you please be reasonable?"

Pinning her with one hand, he tapped the desk with the index finger of his other. His question was blunt and overly confident: "Who is this person?"

"My friend."

The moment the words left Xu Zhinan's mouth, he gave a soft, disdainful sneer, completely dismissive.

The school bell rang throughout the building. Xu Zhinan reflexively tried to stand up but was pulled back down, sitting on his lap with her back to him.

Immediately after, a weight settled on her shoulder as Lin Qingye rested his chin there.

"There's no class in this room this period. I locked the door just now," he said, his voice a bit deep.

But people could still see inside through the door and windows.

The more Xu Zhinan thought about it, the more anxious she became.

It was strange. Lin Qingye was clearly the one in control of their relationship, yet she was the one always terrified of being seen.

Perhaps the one in the superior position could afford to be more casual and free.

Gu Congwang had obviously heard that something was wrong. He didn't hang up and was still shouting, "What the hell are you up to? What is that person next to you saying? Don't tell me you're being harassed. Where are you right now?"

Xu Zhinan tried hard to pull her hand free. "Just let me say one thing to him."

Lin Qingye leaned back languidly, tilting his head. "Your voice is so quiet. What did you say?"

...

Xu Zhinan had no choice but to lean back with him, turn her head, and repeat herself into his ear.

Lin Qingye chuckled and finally released his grip.

Xu Zhinan immediately grabbed the phone and held it to her ear. "Hello?"

It took Gu Congwang a few seconds to react. He paused for a moment before cursing under his breath, "What was going on just now? Why did I hear some idiot guy's voice?"

"...It's nothing. I just ran into a guy on the way."

Worried that he would figure something out and tell her mother, Xu Zhinan casually told a lie.

Lin Qingye clicked his tongue and then raised a hand to her neck and kneaded it.

After hunching over the exam paper for so long, coupled with the occupational hazard of being a tattoo artist, the squeeze on Xu Zhinan's neck made her gasp from the soreness with a hiss.

Gu Congwang heard her. "What is it now?"

His use of the word "now" made it clear he hadn't believed her previous excuse at all.

Lin Qingye reached out, took her phone again, and hung up.

This time, Xu Zhinan was genuinely annoyed with him. Her fine brows knitted together, and she turned her head to question him, only to have her chin seized.

He lowered his head and kissed her.

In that instant, she forgot what she had wanted to say.

Liking someone was just this strange.

They had clearly parted on bad terms at his apartment, clearly hadn't spoken in days, and she was clearly fuming from his teasing just a moment ago. And yet, right now, Xu Zhinan found that she had no temper left at all.

He was the source of her sadness, but he was also the source of her joy.

"Which classroom is it! Class started several minutes ago!"

"Area C, Area C! We're in the wrong area."

Suddenly, voices sounded from the hallway outside.

Xu Zhinan snapped out of her daze and tried to hide again, but Lin Qingye hooked an arm under her knees, shifting her to sit sideways on his lap. He then gripped her chin more firmly, tilting her face up.

The footsteps outside drew near and then faded away.

With his lips still against hers, Lin Qingye let out a muffled laugh. Only then did he straighten up, his smiling eyes taking in her crimson face.

The phone rang again. It was Gu Congwang.

Needless to say, having been hung up on, Young Master Gu was surely about to fly into a rage.

Lin Qingye's gaze shifted from her face back to the phone. Afraid he would act recklessly again, Xu Zhinan quickly snatched the phone and held it behind her back.

The movement inadvertently caused her to stick out her chest.

Xu Zhinan's face was indeed innocent, pretty and delicate, without a trace of gloom—soft and gentle. But her figure was nothing to scoff at either; it was just that she usually didn't wear clothes that showed it off, so it wasn't very noticeable.

But Lin Qingye knew very well.

He watched her movement, lifted her chin with his index finger, and said nonchalantly, "Every single day, the suitors never stop, do they?"

The author has something to say:

Classroom play (not really)

Lin Qingye is also top-tier when it comes to being jealous.