Chapter Sixteen: Is This a Surprise?

Time always circles around us, slipping quietly away before we even realize it. Yet we seldom cherish it, and when we finally wish to, all we can do is softly hum, “Where has the time gone?”

On Monday morning, the students in Class One were in no mood for their studies. Instead, they chatted with friends about their weekend adventures.

“I went back to my hometown to visit my grandmother. I haven’t been back since I started high school. Sigh, she’s gotten old.”

“I stayed home and had a good, long sleep. Waking up naturally is such a wonderful feeling!”

“Haha! I went traveling with my mom and we went wild for two whole days. It was awesome!”

Tan Linlin was animatedly recounting to Wang Yuqing all the delicious foods she’d tasted at the food street over the weekend. Seeing Tan Linlin’s exuberance, Wang Yuqing couldn’t help but smile inwardly, suddenly noticing that Tan Linlin’s belly seemed even rounder than before.

“Hey, Xu Tong, where did you go this weekend?” Wang Tao called out to Xu Tong.

“Of course I went to the movies! And with a girl, too!” Xu Tong replied smugly.

“Damn, Xu Tong, you’re something else!” Yuan Weiye shot Xu Tong a middle finger.

“What are you all doing? Is this classroom a marketplace?” Just as the discussion reached its peak, a stern voice instantly shattered their excitement. Everyone looked up to discover that the homeroom teacher had appeared in the classroom at some point. His mustache quivered with rage, and his face looked as withered as dried winter melon skin.

“This is rebellion—I swear, you’re all rebelling! It’s only Monday morning and you’re already making a racket in the classroom. Do you even look like students? Do you know the mock exam is in two weeks? If you don’t seize the time to study now, what will you do when the exam comes? And if any of you fall behind in the exam, just see how I’ll deal with you!”

“All right, class begins now.”

At the mention of the mock exam in two weeks, the room fell silent. Everyone grabbed their books and flipped pages rapidly, eyes glued to the teacher, fearful of missing a single word. As the saying goes: tests are a teacher’s magic weapon, and grades are a student’s lifeblood. There’s some truth to it.

Xiao Lin, sitting in the back, also took out his book and began to listen attentively. The teacher, noticing that Xiao Lin wasn’t dozing off for once, thought perhaps his lesson was especially captivating today—even the notorious inattentive Xiao Lin was paying heed.

At this thought, the teacher’s mustache twitched, this time with excitement. Little did he know, though, Xiao Lin had his own reasons for listening—certainly not because of the teacher, but because of Wang Yuqing.

The day before yesterday, when he’d walked Wang Yuqing home, she had said to him before heading upstairs, “Xiao Lin, from now on you have to study hard. Do it for me, at least. And I’ll have a surprise for you on Monday.”

Xiao Lin was quite confused—what did it mean to study hard for her? But he was definitely curious about the surprise she’d mentioned. He wanted to find out what surprise this playful, unpredictable girl could bring him. So today, he made an effort to listen in class.

As the bell rang, Wang Yuqing stood up and followed the homeroom teacher to the office.

“Yuqing, what brings you here?” The teacher greeted her kindly.

“Teacher, it’s about what I brought up last time. I want to sit with Xiao Lin,” Wang Yuqing said directly.

Hearing this request again, the teacher gave a wry smile. What on earth was so special about Xiao Lin that Wang Yuqing was so insistent on sitting with him?

“Yuqing, anything else, I’ll help you with, but not this. Not letting you sit with Xiao Lin is for your own good,” he advised earnestly.

“Teacher, are you willing to make a bet with me?” Wang Yuqing suddenly asked, a mischievous glint in her eye.

“What kind of bet?” The teacher was caught off guard.

“If Xiao Lin can make it into the class’s top ten in the mock exam two weeks from now, you have to agree to let me sit with him,” she said seriously. “If I lose, I’ll do as you say and won’t ask again.”

The teacher chuckled. “That’s impossible. If Xiao Lin makes it into the top ten, the sun might as well rise in the west. Yuqing, you’re bound to lose this bet.”

“Then, if I lose, I’ll listen to you. But if you lose, you have to agree. Deal?”

“All right, you’ve got a deal.” It seemed a guaranteed win—how could he refuse?

“Okay, then I’ll go switch seats now!” Wang Yuqing flashed a conspiratorial smile and turned to leave.

“Wait—what? Change seats? You haven’t won yet!” The teacher was flustered.

“Hehe, Teacher, I can’t afford to lose the bet, so I need to prepare. If I sit next to Xiao Lin, I can supervise his studies! If I lose, I’ll move back. Thank you, Teacher! I’m off now.” With a playful grin, she spun out of the office.

The teacher was left speechless. “This child is truly clever,” he muttered, shaking his head in resignation.

Wang Yuqing, humming a cheerful tune, skipped back to her seat and began packing her books.

Tan Linlin, noticing her delight, asked suspiciously, “Where did you go? Did you meet a prince charming? Why are you so happy?”

With a proud tilt of her chin, Wang Yuqing replied, “It’s a secret. And by the way, I’m officially letting you know—I’m changing seats! Come, give me a hug, let’s say goodbye!”

She gave Tan Linlin a light hug, patting her back.

“Changing seats? Where are you going? Why? Did I do something wrong?” Tan Linlin’s chubby, round face was filled with confusion.

“Oh, it’s nothing! I asked the teacher myself, it has nothing to do with you. I’m just moving seats, that’s all,” Wang Yuqing said, sticking out her little pink tongue and grinning mischievously.

Tan Linlin was still trying to process what had happened. She watched Wang Yuqing carefully place her books into her adorable bunny backpack, cheeks flushed and tiny beads of sweat forming—she was clearly excited. Tan Linlin couldn’t help but mumble, “What’s going on, what’s going on?”

“Here, these snacks are for you,” Wang Yuqing said, pushing a pile of treats from her desk toward Tan Linlin.

“Uh… so… where are you moving to?” Tan Linlin stammered, eyeing the snacks.

Wang Yuqing wrinkled her little nose, leaned close to Tan Linlin’s ear, and whispered a few words.

“What? You’re moving to the back to sit with Xiao Lin? Are you serious?” Tan Linlin exclaimed, her big eyes wide with astonishment, mouth agape.

Instantly, the noisy classroom fell silent. All eyes turned to Wang Yuqing. Seeing everyone staring, her already pink cheeks flushed even redder, like a ripening apple. Embarrassed, she lowered her head.

At that moment, Xiao Lin also looked up from his desk, his handsome face full of shock. Was this the surprise Wang Yuqing had mentioned? Was this really a surprise?

All Xiao Lin felt was disbelief, not a trace of joy—his heart was filled with astonishment.