Logically, the day after final grades were released should have marked the start of the holiday, but the "cheating" incident had added a layer of gossip to what was usually a relaxed atmosphere.
In truth, schools don’t typically rush to accuse a student of cheating so easily. This time, the grade-level director had acted decisively mainly for three reasons.
First, Pei Chuan’s past history grades were far below the top score in the unified exam. No reasonable person would believe anyone could improve so drastically within a month.
Second, the joint exam was a significant matter. If Third High School didn’t handle it swiftly, it would leave a lingering unease for all students heading home for the winter break and New Year celebrations.
Third, with the holiday starting tomorrow, there was no time to arrange a retest for Pei Chuan.
Ordinary cheating wasn’t a scandal, but a leaked answer key was. Because students would wonder: in a joint exam across three schools, how could someone from Third High alone get hold of the standard answers?
They would speculate—could it be that Third High’s academic achievements had always been fabricated?
With the school’s reputation at stake, the grade-level director almost instinctively wanted to issue a statement immediately to quell the matter. After all, the holiday began tomorrow, and all students would return home. If this wasn’t resolved properly, not only the students but even the school administration wouldn’t have a peaceful New Year.
But that particular student was a tough nut to crack.
When evening self-study began, Pei Chuan still refused to offer any explanation. Teacher Chen said, "Pei Chuan, the teacher will have to contact your father."
Pei Chuan suddenly stood up. The classroom was dead silent, and almost everyone heard the young man say coldly, "My records state: no parents."
You could have heard a pin drop.
Pei Chuan picked up his jacket from the chair and left the classroom.
In City C, the winter snow seemed endless.
He trudged through the snow, leaving deep, uneven footprints.
Bei Yao happened to run into him as he was walking out of Third High. The school’s night lights were all on, and she wore a red scarf, her breath forming white puffs in the cold air.
"Pei Chuan." The girl hurried to his side. "Where are you going?"
Pei Chuan saw his "reason." He pressed his lips together. "Why are you here?"
"You didn’t cheat, so why aren’t you explaining?"
Her eyes were soft and bright. Pei Chuan looked at her. "What’s there to explain?"
Bei Yao said, "Come with me. Let’s go prove it together. You can’t let people wrong you."
Pei Chuan murmured, "Bei Yao, that doesn’t matter."
She tilted her head, puzzled. "What?"
Pei Chuan averted his gaze.
None of it mattered—scores, reputation, nothing mattered. What mattered was, in this vast world, if you asked, he would strive with all his might to achieve it.
Yet the reasons and feelings had to remain locked away, never to be spoken to anyone.
Bei Yao blinked. "Come back, okay?"
Pei Chuan’s eyes darkened, and he continued toward the school gate.
Bei Yao watched his retreating figure, still pondering that possibility. Why wouldn’t he explain? Could it really be what she thought?
She touched her soft cheek, feeling warm.
Could it be that Pei Chuan… also liked her a little, just as she liked him, and was actually striving earnestly because of something she’d said?
At the thought, her eyes couldn’t help but sparkle with a faint, shy delight.
"Pei Chuan." She cupped her hands like a megaphone, drawing out her tone, her voice soft and sweet in the winter night. "Pei Chuan—"
He turned back.
Bei Yao said, "Come back, please."She waved at him in the snow, wearing a bright red scarf like a festive little dumpling. Her cheeks were pink and plump, and her eyes resembled a clear, transparent lake.
His heart beat powerfully, and for a moment, he was utterly helpless.
Pei Chuan's principles and resentments had no place in those clear almond-shaped eyes.
He even felt a surge of frustration. He hadn’t planned to do anything to her—couldn’t she just behave and keep her distance?
Couldn’t she be a little more obedient? Couldn’t she stay away from him on her own?
Yet the little dumpling stood in the icy snow, smiling in his direction: "Come here quickly."
He went.
Frustration washed over him in waves, and Pei Chuan felt like he might as well just end it all.
"Alright, let’s go back," she said, so different from Pei Chuan, her heart rippling with waves of happiness.
It was as if she had suddenly realized something, like a small seed breaking through the cold, hard soil, growing into a tender, delicate sprout that made her heart soften and overflow with joy.
~
The grade director was forty-eight years old, with a beer belly and slightly overweight.
Because he often scolded students and was stingy, he was quite unpopular.
Bei Yao stood next to Pei Chuan, with Teacher Chen also present. Bei Yao looked at Pei Chuan; the young man’s expression was cold and hard, his voice slightly hoarse: "I didn’t cheat."
Director Zhang said, "Hah, you say you didn’t, so that’s it? You had the chance to explain this afternoon—why didn’t you?"
Pei Chuan’s eyes darkened.
Bei Yao said, "If you need an explanation, he said he didn’t cheat. As a teacher, you should trust your students."
Director Zhang glared, spittle flying: "And who are you? Skipping evening self-study to come here—what business is it of yours?"
Pei Chuan stepped in front of Bei Yao. Teacher Chen could tell he was furious.
Teacher Chen’s heart skipped a beat, genuinely afraid Pei Chuan might hit someone. The cheating incident wasn’t resolved yet, and if he dared to strike a teacher, he would truly be ruined.
A small hand tugged at Pei Chuan’s clothes. Bei Yao peeked her little head out from behind the tall young man: "Anyway, you’re wronging him. As a teacher, you should wish the best for your students, not always assume the worst."
Teacher Chen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
The pretty girl was clearly afraid of Director Zhang too, but her eyes were bright and determined as she insisted on finishing what she had to say.
Pei Chuan stiffened.
Her hand was intimately holding his clothes. Even with the thick winter clothing, such a close gesture—if she cared about her reputation at all—shouldn’t have been done in front of the teachers.
Bei Yao said, "Proving whether someone cheated or not is simple: just give them another test of the same difficulty. But you didn’t give him the chance to prove himself."
Director Zhang said, "We’re on holiday tomorrow. Who’s going to bother with this? Isn’t cheating once shameful enough?"
Bei Yao said, "I’ll proctor his exam. If he does poorly, we’ll accept the punishment. If he does well, you’ll have to apologize to him in front of three schools."
Director Zhang met the young man’s dark gaze and felt a jolt of fear. Frowning, he said, "You know him. Who’s to say you won’t cheat with him?"
Teacher Chen stepped forward: "I can proctor the exam too, Director. If you don’t trust me, we can also call Teacher Fang, who’s on evening self-study duty, and Teacher Liu, who’s supervising Class Four’s self-study. This is a serious matter—no one will think it’s a hassle."
Director Zhang’s face turned grim.Teacher Chen continued, "We have a particularly challenging set of winter break homework—slightly more difficult than this unified exam. It was designed by teachers from a neighboring city, and none of the students have seen it or were aware of this math paper. We can use this test for the assessment."
Having said that, if Director Zhang still refused, it would indeed make him seem like the kind of person Bei Yao had described—unworthy of being a teacher.
The proctoring took place in an empty classroom on the ground floor.
Teacher Chen placed the test paper in front of Pei Chuan and smiled, "Do your best. You didn’t bring your phone, right?"
Pei Chuan pressed his lips together and handed her the phone from his pants pocket.
"Alright, the exam begins now. You have two hours. By the time you finish, the third evening self-study session will probably be over."
Bei Yao sat on the teacher’s platform, watching him.
As Teacher Chen had mentioned, two other teachers were also present in the classroom. Hearing that they were helping to prove a student’s innocence, they had come without hesitation.
Bei Yao couldn’t help but think, Pei Chuan, look—besides bad adults like Director Zhang, there are far more good people in this world. Sometimes, all we need is an opportunity to meet them.
Pei Chuan picked up his pen, lowered his gaze, and began working on the math paper.
No one disturbed him; the classroom was extremely quiet.
For two hours, she watched him quietly. He was very good-looking—not in the gentle, refined way Han Zhen was, but with handsome, sharp features and a resolute aura. His angular face carried a certain cold, unyielding quality, along with a sharp, youthful intensity. It didn’t quite align with the typical aesthetic girls admired in boys that year, but in her eyes, he was incredibly handsome.
When he focused, the only sound in the classroom was the scratch of his pen against the paper as he worked through calculations.
Outside, the wind and rain had stopped, and the classroom was bathed in soft lighting.
Watching his serious, composed demeanor made her heart soften.
Her heart pounded faster than it did after running, a strange yet wonderful feeling. Chen Feifei had once said, If you feel joy when you see him and miss him when you don’t, that’s what liking someone is.
It was a peculiar feeling, but not an unpleasant one.
Like the sudden calm after the storm outside, her heart felt clear and bright. This year, she was almost seventeen, and without needing to ask Chen Feifei, she suddenly understood.
She liked him.
It was a shy, sweet kind of affection, and no one else knew.
She accepted his habitually aloof temperament, admired his unparalleled courage and boldness, and felt sorry that the world had not treated him gently, regretting it on his behalf.
Her cheeks slowly flushed pink, and her almond-shaped eyes shone with clarity and innocence.
With her first awakening of love, her heart beat like a drum, unable to settle for even a moment.
Bei Yao couldn’t help but wonder, Does he like me?
Was it, as Chen Feifei had said, because she was his childhood friend that he protected and indulged her? Or was it because of some other feeling?
She suddenly thought that after their last kiss, while the novelty still lingered, she should have asked Pei Chuan directly whether he liked her or not.
But then… what if he rejected her? How awkward would that be?
~
Pei Chuan finished the test in an hour and a half. After reviewing it once, he handed the paper to Teacher Chen.
Several teachers carefully graded the paper, comparing answers. A few minutes later, the results were out.
Full marks.
The score surprised even Teacher Chen. She glanced at Pei Chuan in astonishment, and the teachers exchanged looks. Yet, the outcome undoubtedly brought Teacher Chen joy.
His problem-solving approach was rigorous and clear, and his calculations were proficient.
He truly had the ability to score full marks.
Teacher Chen felt both delighted and relieved—her support had not been misplaced. Her heart had been on edge for over an hour, and now, she had received the best possible outcome.
The group returned to the director’s office.The third evening self-study session hadn't ended yet.
Director Zhang never expected things to turn out this way. His face turned ashen: "The teacher... apologizes to you. The school will revoke your disciplinary action, Pei Chuan. Please return to class."
Bei Yao said: "Revoking the punishment and apologizing to Pei Chuan across three schools - that's what you promised me."
Pei Chuan lowered his gaze to look at her.
The young girl's voice was soft yet stubborn: "Tomorrow starts the holiday break. Before vacation begins, you must call the three schools' administrators and have them broadcast the apology."
"..."
"Also, the Honor Roll got defaced. It needs to be replaced."
"..."
"And also, your school has the city's top academic performer. That's truly impressive."
This was true.
Pei Chuan's fingers brushed against his phone screen in his pocket. He had recorded everything earlier. Director Zhang, who had carelessly judged a student as cheating, should have faced complete disgrace - either getting fired or never being promoted again.
Yet the girl beside him chirped with a crisp, cheerful voice like a happy kingfisher. Her snow-white chin was buried in a fluffy scarf, making her delicate face even more endearing. When his innocence was proven, she seemed happier than he was.
Suddenly he felt that perhaps not all the world's villains needed to be utterly destroyed.
Because it was precisely such kindness and vibrant innocence that he relied on to gasp for warmth in this world.
As they were leaving the office, Director Zhang said with a dark expression: "Wait, that girl - what's your relationship with Pei Chuan? Early romance isn't permitted!"
Bei Yao's face flushed crimson. She gave him a soft, lingering glance.
Well...
Pei Chuan motioned for her to go out first.
He turned back to face Director Zhang, his hand in his pocket clenching tightly, his voice deep and suppressing anger: "What relationship could it possibly be? She's my sister."
Bei Yao, who hadn't gone far from the doorway, blinked in stunned surprise.
Was he telling the truth or not?
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