No one else present dared to say such a thing, but Song Xijun was the only one who could, and no one dared to refute him.

Talent is a mysterious thing, and Song Xijun is such a person. He seems to have been born for academia. Even if he falls into the mud, he can eventually stand at the peak of academia.

He was born a chosen one of heaven...

Ruan Qing'an was slightly stunned, as Song Xijun firmly protected her behind him, with only his broad back in front of her. Zhao Xiaohan carefully tugged at Ruan Qing'an's shoulder, mustering her courage to stay with her.

The school leader looked at Song Xijun and said, "I don't deny your ability, Song Xijun, but this is not something to joke about. Go back and review your studies. There are still competitions to come. Prepare for TIIP!"

"That's perfect. Without her, I won't go."

"Song Xijun, you—"

Seeing Song Xijun's unfazed expression, the school leaders were furious. Since Song Xijun had already participated, they were still waiting for him to bring honor back to F University.

But now look what's happened! They're threatening them instead!

The school leaders' expressions shifted uncertainly before they finally said, "Alright, it's probably because Ruan Qing'an didn't show his true abilities this time that surprised us."

"As for the cheating allegations, please provide evidence first so that we can conduct further investigation."

Upon hearing this, the group of students who had come to report the incident exchanged bewildered glances. With only Song Xijun standing there, those who had initially decided to submit to the school leaders who were numerous and far away immediately changed their attitude.

One of them countered with, "But teacher—"

"No buts. What Ruan said earlier does make some sense. With the five proctors and the surrounding students unable to write it down, there was no way for her to cheat."

The school leader spoke righteously, completely disregarding how Ruan Qing'an had just questioned him, and directly kicked the group of students who had reported him out, driving them to the door.

Upon seeing this, Ruan Qing'an couldn't help but sneer: "A fence-sitter."

Zhao Xiaohan quickly pulled her aside and whispered, "Ruan Ruan, don't say anymore. Now that this matter is resolved, let's not run into them. After all, your graduation certificate—"

"don’t worry."

Before Zhao Xiaohan could finish speaking, Song Xijun suddenly interrupted her.

Immediately afterwards, Ruan Qingan's hand was taken. Song Xijun lowered his head, and his gaze through his black-rimmed glasses was like a deep pool of water, mixed with viscous emotions and an incomprehensible tenderness.

He held a piece of paper in his hand and gently wiped Ruan Qing'an's palm: "It's all arranged. Say whatever you want, just be happy."

Ruan Qing'an then realized that when she erased the words on the blackboard this morning, chalk dust had gotten on her cuffs and wrists as well: "Wood, stop erasing."

"It's dirty, sweetie, don't move around."

She instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but Song Xijun's large hand held it tightly, his slightly rough fingertips caressing Ruan Qing'an's palm, quickly leaving faint, ambiguous red marks.

Like a large wild beast, even when you are just caressing your partner, you must be careful not to be swallowed up at any time.

Song Xijun focused intently on wiping, not caring at all whether she might cause him trouble by saying the wrong thing, since he had already tied her to himself.

His soft, boneless little hand was restrained, and Song Xijun's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. At that moment, Ruan Qing'an suddenly used his palm to gain leverage and then pushed upwards.

She stood on tiptoe, instantly closing the distance between herself and Song Xijun: "Wooden head, guess why I dare to confront you here?"

"Hmm, why?"

"because--"

At one end of the table, Ruan Qing'an looked up at Song Xijun, her leaden eyes filled with him: "I know, you're behind me, you blockhead."

She spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, which made her seem a little arrogant, but Song Xijun liked her like that. It was like a cat's claws scratching at her heart, making her feel completely soft.

He finally loosened his grip on Ruan Qing'an's hand slightly, his slightly hoarse voice carrying a laugh: "You really have nothing to fear, Ruan Ruan."

【Affection Level: 50】

Hearing the 037 notification tone, Ruan Qingan's smile deepened.

Standing to the side, forced to witness the dog food (a metaphor for witnessing a romantic relationship), Zhao Xiaohan: ...Should I leave?

Only after all the students who had reported the incident left did the school leaders return to their office. Looking at Ruan Qingan and Song Xijun being so affectionate, they were speechless for a moment.

He said to Song Xijun again, "Is it okay now, Song Xijun? You should go back and prepare well for the rest of the competitions, and try to get a good ranking, okay?"

"Okay, thank you for your help, teacher."

Seeing that Song Xijun was no longer bothering them, the school leaders breathed a sigh of relief. After watching the three of them leave, their stiff smiles relaxed, and their expressions turned cold.

The school leader sat back down in his chair and said irritably, "What a nuisance. We've finally gotten rid of those two plagues."

...

Soon, news of what happened in the office spread. Students are always the most informed, and various versions of the story circulated more and more widely.

Li Ming also received the news that some of the bandages wrapped around his body had been removed, but he still looked terrible as he walked out of the classroom leaning on crutches.

The bodyguards waiting outside helped him into the car.

"Young Master Li, Miss Tang has been waiting for you."

"Hmm, Siya?"

Li Ming struggled to get into the back seat, while Tang Siya was on the phone. After seeing him get into the car, she said, "Ming, you must have heard about what happened today, right?"

“Ruan Qingan and Song Xijun are both madmen.”

Mentioning these two people, Li Ming's expression turned sour. Hearing his tone, Tang Siya remained silent for a moment: "Ming, did you want to take Song Xijun's spot before because you wanted to get first place?"

"You don't understand the significance of being first in the school's preliminary selection."

Li Ming sighed: "If we can get first place in the school, we can directly participate in the national selection without going through the provincial level, which will bring us one step closer to the TIP International Physics Competition."

Tang Siya nodded: "I see."

“Amin, as you know, I have no interest in the competition. I'd rather finish my research project and get a guaranteed admission to A University as a graduate student. But I'm not very confident about the project that's the stepping stone and the subsequent academic research…”

"You want Song Xijun to help you?"

"Yes, but he was quite uncooperative."

Li Ming finally understood what Tang Siya meant. After thinking for a moment, he said, "You are my girlfriend. If you want to borrow someone, just use them, but don't involve me."

Tang Siya chuckled: "Don't worry, A-Ming. If we can really take down Ruan Qing'an and Song Xijun, I'll have one more gunman, and you can easily get first place. Isn't that great?"

Li Ming pressed his temples; he still remembered how those two looked in the room, their madness was exactly the same.

After a long pause, he finally said, "...I'm not involved in this."

Tang Siya, who had failed to persuade Li Ming to join her, sighed: "Alright, among the teachers in charge of the school's preliminary selection, is there anyone who can help, A-Ming?"

"This person is the proctor."

As Li Ming spoke, he sent a photo to Tang Siya.

She looked down and examined it carefully. If Ruan Qing'an were here, she would recognize that this was the proctor who had suspected her of making a fuss.

Tang Siya got the photos and then got out of the car, gently saying goodbye to Li Ming. Once the car was out of sight, her gentle mask fell away again, revealing disdain.

"Honestly, what's gotten into Dawn? He's actually being scared by those two lowlifes, Ruan Qing'an and Song Xijun?"

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