Chapter 41: The Midterm Exams Begin

The next morning, the temperature had dropped to single digits. A north wind howled through the buildings and trees, emitting a mournful whistling sound.

Lu You woke up in his room. It was pitch black, just as it had been when he first lay down.

He fished out a set of thermal underwear from his closet, put on a sweater, followed by his full winter school uniform, and finally threw on a short black down jacket. Lu You would have preferred a long one, but his height didn't quite carry it well; he felt he looked even shorter in it, so he decided to wait until he had a growth spurt.

He sauntered into the dining room for breakfast. Only Ms. Shen was there to keep him company. His father and younger sister hadn't woken up yet, and Xiaobao was still curled up sleeping in its cat bed.

Ms. Shen placed a small, elegant bag beside him. Lu You glanced at it and asked, "What's this? Looks quite fancy."

"Hand cream. One for you, one for your little girlfriend."

"Huh?" Lu You looked up at Ms. Shen. "You know about that already?"

"Is that hard to figure out?" Ms. Shen peeled an egg with measured movements. "As soon as those rumors started, someone called to snitch."

"People call to report on studying together?" Lu You suddenly felt that some high school teachers were far too idle.

"I don't know what they were thinking, but I know exactly what you're thinking." Ms. Shen’s face clearly read, "I know you better than that."

Lu You didn't bother denying it. After all, he did have feelings for her; there was no point in being stubborn. Liking someone wasn't a bad thing, and since they hadn't crossed any lines, there was no need to be secretive.

He pulled a rectangular box, white with hints of orange, out of the bag, examined it, and asked, "Citrus-scented hand cream? Does Dad like this scent?"

"No, why would I buy these? People send them every year, more than I can ever use. I just give them to my colleagues and students."

Lu You could read the English on the packaging, but he didn't recognize the brand. He was generally unfamiliar with cosmetics or skincare labels; Ms. Shen handled all that for him, and he just used what he was given.

"I'm full, I'm heading to school." Lu You stuffed the small bag into his backpack and stood up to leave.

"Remember to use it, don't get frostbite."

"Got it!"

Lu You reached the underground garage, grabbed his father's motorcycle helmet and windproof gloves, and put them on. He caught a glimpse of himself in a small mirror—he looked a bit bulky. It was ugly, perhaps, but it was sturdy, and he was sure no cold air would get through.

Lu You was very satisfied. He wasn't the type to sacrifice warmth for style; his own comfort was paramount.

He hopped on his e-bike and rode along the road. He could feel the biting cold wind hitting him, but not a single gust penetrated his layers. His sense of security was absolute.

Lu You parked the bike, took off his helmet and gloves, placed them in the front basket, and walked toward the teaching building alone. As for Li Yu, after suffering through ten minutes of cold yesterday morning, he had decided to have someone drive him to school in a car during the winter and only ride the e-bike in the evenings.

As he walked, reciting the mandatory texts from the past half-semester to prepare for his upcoming Chinese exam, he suddenly felt someone tug at the hem of his jacket.

Lu You turned around and saw Tang Wan. She was wearing a white down jacket, a white hat, a white scarf, and white gloves; she looked just like a snowman. Her soft black hair peeked out from both sides of her face, covering her ears, the tips falling just past her shoulders. Her mouth and forehead were bundled up tightly, leaving only her small, delicate nose, slender arched eyebrows, and bright, shimmering eyes exposed.

Seeing Tang Wan looking so vibrant and full of life, Lu You’s mood lifted.

"Good morning, Lu You." Tang Wan’s eyes and tone were full of delight.

"Good morning," Lu You replied with a smile.

Tang Wan walked to his side, and the two headed forward together.

"Oh, right, my mom has something for you." Lu You opened his backpack zipper as he spoke.

Tang Wan froze, asking in confusion, "Your mom? How does she know me?"

"There were rumors a while ago, and a teacher who knows my mom reported it to her. That's how she found out about you."

Tang Wan felt instantly uneasy, her voice trembling slightly. "Does your mother... have any thoughts or opinions about me?"

Lu You took out the small bag, pulled out one tube to put in his bag, and handed the rest to Tang Wan. "She didn't say anything; she just told me to give you some hand cream. Here, take it."

Tang Wan took the bag, still puzzled. "Why would she give me this?"

"She said she has more than she can ever use."

Tang Wan fell silent. After a while, she asked, "Does your mother work in skincare?"

"She's a music teacher. She has friends who work in the industry, and they send them to her."

They parted ways at the stairwell.

"Lu You, good luck on the exam."

"You too." Lu You turned and started up the stairs.

Tang Wan didn't walk back to her class until his figure had completely disappeared.

As soon as she entered the classroom, she felt the temperature rise significantly. Xu Nian and Li Yu were already at their desks, chatting face-to-face. Tang Wan sat down, placed the small bag on her desk, and took off her white winter gear one by one, tucking them into the storage box beside her. Then, she used the black hair tie on her wrist to pull her hair into a ponytail. Study mode: activated.

Seeing the elegant bag on her desk, Xu Nian asked curiously, "Wanwan, what's this?"

Tang Wan took the rectangular box out of the bag, wanting to check the instructions, but realized it was all in English and couldn't quite make sense of it.

"Lu You said it's hand cream. I don't really know anything else about it."

"Did he give it to you?"

"His mom did. It feels like it might be expensive." Tang Wan wondered if she should return it.

Li Yu chimed in, "Just use it, it's free. Auntie Shen—Lu You's mom—sent a few bottles to my house, too. People give them to her every year; she can't use them all by herself."

Tang Wan’s mental burden lightened significantly; she figured she would just give the aunt a return gift later. She opened the packaging, squeezed out the milky white gel, and applied it to her hands. It had a light, refreshing citrus scent.

"Wanwan, can I use some?" Xu Nian asked tentatively.

Before Tang Wan could answer, Li Yu handed her a brand-new tube. "I'll give you a new one. The scent might be different, but it's the same brand."

Xu Nian took it, looked it over, and asked, "Is this from Lu You's mom, too?"

"Yeah. Use it up, there's more at home."

"What kind of family are you guys? First you're gifting crabs, now cosmetics," Xu Nian teased.

Li Yu thought for a moment and said, "A well-off family? Our parents just know a lot of people, so there's always gifts being exchanged."

"Then I won't be polite."

...

Time reached nine o'clock.

Lu You had just cleared all his books from his desk and moved them to the classroom's storage room when the preparatory bell for the exam rang. The exam bell sounded very different from the regular class bells; he could distinguish them perfectly.

There were nine subjects to be tested over two and a half days. The first morning was for Chinese, from 9:30 to 12:00—two and a half hours in total, with students required to arrive at the exam hall half an hour early.

Lu You put on his down jacket, grabbed his pencil case—containing his student ID, black gel pens, a 2B mechanical pencil, spare lead, a triangle ruler, an eraser, and his seat assignment slip—and walked out of the classroom.

His exam hall was in the Biology Building, which was quite a walk. Worse, he was unlucky; none of his friends were in the same room, so he had to go alone. The students from the "Rocket Class" were taking their exams on their own floor; there were only two classes on that floor and four classrooms, so they had plenty of space.

When Lu You arrived at the exam hall, many seats were already occupied. Some students were staring blankly, others were doing some last-minute cramming.

"Hiss..."

As soon as he stepped into the classroom, he gasped. It wasn't just the psychological chill; the physical cold was real. Perhaps because the Biology Building’s classrooms were more spacious and had been empty for a long time, the temperature here was even lower than outside.

Lu You found his seat, placed his pencil case on the desk, pulled the hood of his jacket up, and tucked his hands into his sleeves, shivering. The cold here seemed to have a piercing quality, ignoring his clothes and striking straight to the bone.

It didn't take long for the speakers to turn on, broadcasting a long list of exam rules and procedures. Once finished, the proctor began handing out papers. One sheet of scratch paper, one answer sheet, and two test papers.

Lu You picked up his pen, filled in his personal information, and began looking over the classical poetry memorization section. That was the easiest part to score points in, but also the easiest to lose them.

The bell rang, and the exam officially began. Everyone immediately lowered their heads and started writing furiously. For the Chinese exam, as long as you were a normal person, you would get points; how many, however, depended on the individual.

Time flew by. When the speakers announced there were ten minutes remaining, Lu You had finished his paper. He wasn't sure how many points he would get. He really wasn't good at reading comprehension. He had grasped the main points of the argumentative essay well enough not to go off-topic, but a high score was impossible; his vocabulary was too thin. At best, he’d get a 50 on that section. Aside from that, he had no problems with the rest.

Confident in his work, Lu You packed up his desk and decided to make an early exit. He clutched his stomach with his left hand, furrowed his brows, and raised his right.

The proctor walked over and asked in a low voice, "Is something the matter, student?"

"Teacher, my stomach hurts. Can I leave early?"

"Have you finished your paper?"

Lu You nodded.

The proctor glanced roughly at his answer sheet, saw the personal information was filled in, and stopped paying attention.

"Go ahead, then. Take your test papers and scratch paper with you."

Granted permission, Lu You picked up his pencil case, scratch paper, and test papers, and slipped out quietly.

As soon as he stepped out of the classroom, he returned to normal and walked quickly away from the exam hall.

Lu You headed toward the cafeteria. Since he was sneaking out while everyone else was still testing, the path was completely empty. A cold wind blew by, shaking down a dozen fallen leaves, and he shivered along with them.

Based on his personality in his previous life, he would have loved this solitude. But now, for some reason, it just felt... lackluster, and perhaps even a bit lonely.

"I keep feeling like there's someone missing who should be walking beside me," Lu You muttered to himself.

Just then, a hand patted him on the shoulder.

"Student, why are you here? Shouldn't you be in the exam hall?"

Lu You’s hair stood on end, and his heart leaped into his throat.

*Oh, hell—it's the Dean of Students!*

Lu You quickly adjusted his expression, turned around, lowered his head in a submissive manner, and smiled. "Good morning, Dean."

The Dean was a thin, balding, middle-aged man around Lu You's height, wearing metal-rimmed glasses.

The Dean squinted, recognized Lu You, and the expression on his face shifted 180 degrees.

"Oh, it's you, Little Lu! How was it? Confident about the Chinese exam? Is it because you weren't feeling well that you left early?"

Lu You was speechless. *You've already thought of the excuse for me, what else can I say?*

"I'm fairly confident, should be around a hundred points."

"That's not bad. Are you heading to eat now?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Then keep your uncle company and have a meal together."

*Help!*

Lu You struggled internally, but it was hard to refuse. After all, the man was an acquaintance of his father, the one who helped him get into Chunhua, and his father had entrusted him to look after Lu You at school.

"I'd be delighted."