Chapter 40 Arrogance Due to Favor [VIP]

Chapter Summary: Congratulations to Fu Xianyin for scoring 140 on her Chinese exam!

Stress did not affect my sleep.

But Chen Huimei has.

Fu Xianyin fell asleep the night before after taking a shower after exercising, without even drying her hair completely.

I slept until my phone rang.

The piercing ringing, accompanied by vibrations, sounded like it was about to explode under the pillow.

Fu Xianyin, still half asleep, pulled out her phone, thinking it was an alarm clock, but after glancing at it, she realized it was a call from Chen Huimei.

She glanced at the time.

Four o'clock in the morning.

Fu Xianyin sighed and answered the call.

"Hey, Mom, what's wrong?"

Her eyes were still half-closed, and her voice still had a slightly groggy, sleepy tone.

"Fu Xianyin, do you know what time it is?"

Chen Huimei's stern voice came through the receiver, piercing Fu Xianyin's eardrums.

She rubbed her ears and slowly exhaled.

“Four o’clock in the morning,” she replied.

Chen Huimei: "Did you just wake up? Why are you up so late for the monthly exam today? Do you even care about yourself? How could you do this to me, Fu Xianyin?"

Her voice was loud and shrill:

"I've raised you to this point, I've given you everything, and this is how you repay me?"

"Why aren't you up and studying? How dare you still be sleeping? Do you even know how good Fu Yeyang's grades are? What makes you think you can compare to him!"

What do you want me to compare with Fu Yeyang with?

How can I possibly repay you?

Haven't I done enough?

Such words seemed about to burst from Fu Xianyin's mouth almost instantly, but when she spoke, what came out was:

"Mom, where are you now?"

Chen Huimei's voice suddenly dropped in volume.

She was still talking, still complaining about Fu Xianyin, but her voice and tone sounded more like she was talking to herself.

"Chen Huimei," Fu Xianyin's voice was indescribably weary, "you..."

She wanted to accuse Chen Huimei.

I want to argue with her.

I want to ask her what she did wrong, why she called me at four in the morning, and whether she wants to drive me to the same level of madness as her before she's satisfied.

But Fu Xianyin only managed to utter one sentence in the end:

"Chen Huimei, don't make me worry about you."

The voice on the other end suddenly stopped.

Fu Xianyin turned on speakerphone and turned the phone volume up to the maximum. He could faintly hear the whistling wind coming through the receiver.

She didn't say anything.

She dared not speak.

After a long while, Chen Huimei's weary voice finally rang out:

“Don’t worry about me,” she said calmly, her earlier hysterical outburst gone. “Just focus on your studies.”

After saying that, the call was disconnected.

The exercise didn't improve her sleep quality enough to allow her to fall asleep after listening to Chen Huimei's crazy rant at four in the morning.

Fu Xianyin wanted to turn on the light, but her body sank into the bed against her will.

So she lay in the darkness, watching the curtains flutter in the wind and the pitch-black night outside the window.

For some reason, she remembered what Gu Linzhao had said to her in the coffee shop on Saturday.

He said he was worried about her.

Because she is important.

So why was she worried about Chen Huimei?

Is it because Chen Huimei is important to her?

Fu Xianyin suddenly felt very powerless.

She felt that Chen Huimei was important.

How could she still think Chen Huimei was important, or worry about Chen Huimei, after Chen Huimei treated her like that?

She made many efforts, trying to run, to escape, to throw away all the ties and vines that bound her.

But after all the twists and turns, she was just like Sun Wukong, who couldn't escape the Buddha's palm.

Still in the same place.

They couldn't escape even a fraction of an inch.

Fu Xianyin lay quietly on the bed, watching the thick darkness of the night gradually thin out, until the familiar alarm clock finally rang.

She turned off the alarm clock, packed her schoolbag, and waited for Cheng Zhaozhao and Chen Nianke on the first floor of the girls' dormitory.

"Yinyin!"

Chen Nianke yawned and waved, then picked up her schoolbag and plopped down next to Fu Xianyin.

"Why are you up so early?" Fu Xianyin asked, somewhat surprised.

Chen Nianke hugged her arm, leaned against her, and then, as if that wasn't enough, snuggled closer, burying her face in her shoulder.

Chen Nianke said sullenly, "I set an alarm every five minutes because I can't fall asleep."

She yawned and asked, "How did you manage to get up? I'm so sleepy."

Fu Xianyin pursed her lips and said, "I have a bit of insomnia. Getting up is not difficult, but falling asleep is."

Chen Nianke sighed, "Every family has its own problems."

Fu Xianyin held the accumulated writing materials in her hand, glancing at them idly. Chen Nianke clung to her like a koala, seemingly asleep again.

The two waited for a while before Cheng Zhaozhao rushed over in a flurry.

"Oh my god, I was so scared! I thought I overslept. Let's go to the cafeteria. What do you two want to eat today?"

Chen Nianke yawned and stretched: "Let's have tea eggs, fried eggs, and fried dough sticks, 100 points."

Fu Xianyin bought porridge and rolled pancakes. When she carried half a bowl of porridge into the classroom, the classroom was already more than half full.

Before morning reading even started, the classroom, which should have been a bit noisy, was filled with most students studying diligently at their desks because of the monthly exam.

After Fu Xianyin went through the classical Chinese texts and poems that she wasn't very familiar with one last time, the sound of desks and chairs being moved could be heard in the classroom.

The exam rooms were arranged according to the scores of the last monthly exam. Fu Xianyin ranked first in the grade last time, so she didn't have to go to the last exam room again.

Yin Zexuan packed his things, glanced at the people beside him, and said, "Let's go together. I'm taking the exam in Class Two."

"OK."

Fu Xianyin agreed readily.

She packed her things, and students from other classes were already entering the exam room through the front door to find their seats. Fu Xianyin subconsciously wanted to go around to the back door, but she suddenly stopped after taking a step.

“Let’s go through the front door,” she said.

Yin Zexuan kindly pointed to the back door: "Students are entering through the front door, there are fewer people through the back door."

“I know.” Fu Xianyin pursed her lips and pointed towards the front door. “Gu Linzhao and I are in the same exam room. I’ll tell him.”

Yin Zexuan suddenly realized: "You made an appointment with him to go together."

Fu Xianyin was speechless.

She also...didn't agree to leave together with Gu Linzhao.

She simply felt that since she and Gu Linzhao were in the same exam room, they should definitely go together.

etc.

Fu Xianyin suddenly stopped herself from having any thoughts.

What does "certain" mean?

Who can be sure about her?

What makes her so sure?

With her heart pounding, Fu Xianyin glanced at the front door again. Gu Linzhao had already packed his schoolbag and was about to get up.

Fu Xianyin just stared at him.

With both the front and back paths blocked, Yin Zexuan tugged at Fu Xianyin's sleeve and said, "Why don't we go around to the back door and tell him that it's not easy to get past the podium?"

"……good."

Fu Xianyin nodded, her heart, which had been pounding, finally settled back into her stomach. However, she didn't feel relieved; instead, she felt a void in the area where her heart should be.

So she looked up at Gu Linzhao again.

It seems that people can sense when they are being stared at, or perhaps it's all just a coincidence.

Gu Linzhao suddenly turned his head and met her gaze.

Her heart, which had been quiet for a moment, suddenly began to pound violently in her chest like a drum.

Fu Xianyin felt her breathing become slightly rapid.

She instinctively wanted to lower her head and look away.

But this time, reason prevailed.

She didn't turn around or look back.

Instead, he raised his hand and pointed to the front door at Gu Linzhao.

The boy's lips curled up slightly, and even though they were far apart, Fu Xianyin could still vaguely see a smile in his eyes.

The road at the back gate is much smoother.

Fu Xianyin and Yin Zexuan had just been pulled out of the back door when they ran into Gu Linzhao.

He gestured with his chin: "Take the stairs on the side, it's closer."

Class 1 and Class 2 were both located at the far end of the corridor. Fu Xianyin nodded, her fingers fidgeting with the strap of her schoolbag.

Gu Linzhao asked, "How's the review going?"

Fu Xianyin replied lazily, "My Chinese is alright, it shouldn't be a big problem."

Gu Linzhao chuckled lightly: "After all, it's 139."

Fu Xianyin clicked her tongue and glared at him sideways: "The exam is coming up soon. Are you afraid you won't be able to beat me, so you're resorting to this kind of curse?"

Yin Zexuan's eyes widened slightly upon hearing this.

Fu Xianyin's words made no sense, and even bordered on being unreasonable.

Yin Zexuan had never seen her speak in this tone during the few weeks he had been sitting next to her.

It's a little intimate, a little playful, and maybe even a little...

Arrogance stemming from favor?

Yin Zexuan was startled by the word that popped into his head.

What kind of description is that? It doesn't do the job justice. No wonder he couldn't get 139 on his Chinese test. He needs to find a better one.

Yin Zexuan searched his somewhat meager vocabulary, only to sadly discover that he couldn't find a single word more appropriate or fitting than "spoiled and arrogant" to describe Fu Xianyin's tone and demeanor just now.

He sighed softly, then quietly turned his head to observe Gu Linzhao's reaction.

Unexpected.

Gu Linzhao was not surprised at all.

It's as if Fu Xianyin has done this many times before.

He just smiled helplessly, then lowered his eyes and said with some regret:

"Saying you got 139 is like cursing you. Well, I can only wish you don't get 139."

Fu Xianyin glared at him angrily.

Gu Linzhao: "You're not happy if I say you got 139, and you're not happy if I say you didn't get 139."

He suddenly chuckled softly, his tone unconsciously yielding: "Then tell me, what would make you happy?"

Fu Xianyin thought about it seriously and said, "You have to sincerely wish that I can still get first place in the grade, and that I can still outperform you, and far surpass you, leaving you far behind."

If Fu Xianyin had glanced at Yin Zexuan at that moment, she would have seen his face saying, "Is this something I can just say?!"

However, she did not.

There were still a few steps left in front of her. Suddenly, Fu Xianyin jumped down the stairs, then turned around, tilted her head back, and looked at Gu Linzhao with a mixture of provocation and anticipation.

Yin Zexuan couldn't help but stop in his tracks.

He stood on the stairs, his gaze quietly falling on Fu Xianyin.

Sunlight streamed in obliquely from the window, making Fu Xianyin's already fair face appear even more radiant.

A pair of cat-like eyes blinked mischievously, and a sliver of sunlight fell on the tip of its pert nose.

Yin Zexuan was even stunned for a moment.

Gu Linzhao's voice rang in my ears:

"I sincerely wish you will get first place in the grade again."

"Their total score far surpasses mine, leaving me far behind."

"They all scored higher than me in every subject, and they all performed exceptionally well in every subject."

The girl in front of him smiled with satisfaction.

She tilted her head, her eyes crinkling with laughter, her rosy lips parting, and said, "That's more like it."

People were coming and going at the stairwell. Fu Xianyin waved to the two people on the steps: "Hurry up, hurry up. If you get into the exam room early, you can take a few more peeks. Don't be late."

Yin Zexuan snapped out of his daze and said in a low voice, "They're here."

The first examination room is directly opposite the staircase entrance. Yin Zexuan's examination room is the second one, which is a little further in.

Fu Xianyin casually placed her schoolbag on the side of the corridor and asked Yin Zexuan with some curiosity, "What's wrong with you?"

Yin Zexuan thought of the phrase "spoiled and arrogant" that had just popped into his head, and said with a bitter tone, "It's nothing, I just feel like Chinese language might be doomed."

"Pah, pah, pah."

Fu Xianyin said with a smile, "The exam hasn't even started yet, so don't say anything unlucky. You'll definitely do well."

She raised her fist and shook it, saying to Yin Zexuan, "Good luck on the exam!"

Yin Zexuan nodded: "I will, and I will try to be in the same exam room as you two for the next midterm exam."

Fu Xianyin: "It's definitely possible. Next time, we won't have to walk an extra distance. Bye-bye."

Yin Zexuan waved to her and turned to walk towards the second examination room.

The sounds of two people gradually fading away could be heard behind them:

Aren't you going to wish me good luck on my exam?

I wish you good luck on your exam.

"Tsk, so insincere."

"You just cursed me, saying I wouldn't get 139 on my Chinese test!"

"I have one more thing to say, what's the rush?"

"What did you say?"

"Wishing Fu Xianyin a score of 140 on her Chinese exam."