The math teacher, Shen Yi, walked into the classroom from the front door.
Seeing the lively and joyful atmosphere in the classroom, he asked in surprise, "What's going on here? Are you all so eager for my math class today?"
"Mr. Shen, you're overthinking it," a boy loudly denied.
"Hahaha..."
Laughter erupted throughout the classroom.
"Then what are these applause for?" Shen Yi asked curiously.
The students chuckled without answering.
Following the gaze of many students, Shen Yi's line of sight fell on Xia Nuannuan, realizing the applause was for her.
"What exactly happened? Can someone share the joy with me!"
"Teacher, it's class time now," Qin Tian reminded loudly.
"Alright, alright, I'll hold back my curiosity for later. Let's start the class." Shen Yi shrugged helplessly and then began his serious teaching mode.
Xia Nuannuan breathed a sigh of relief, her grateful gaze falling on Qin Tian beside her. If someone had really satisfied the math teacher's curiosity, she would have been too embarrassed to face anyone.
Qin Tian smiled brightly and gave her a thumbs-up, praising, "That was very cool just now, I like it!"
Hearing this, Xia Nuannuan's pretty face blushed again, and she turned her head away in a flustered manner, pretending to listen attentively.
Qin Tian smiled and stopped teasing her, then returned to his foreign literary masterpiece.
Now, except for Principal Li, all other subject teachers had given him free rein. As long as it didn't disrupt class discipline or other students' learning, Qin Tian could do his own thing.
A forty-five-minute class, when focused on one thing, felt like it passed very quickly.
As soon as the bell rang, Mr. Shen, without delaying for a second, stopped mid-way through an example problem and announced the end of class.
The previously quiet classroom immediately became noisy and chaotic.
Shen Yi looked in the direction of Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan, then bent down to inquire with a boy in the front row about what had happened. Although he was a math teacher, his personality was not rigid or boring; on the contrary, he got along very well with the students in the class.
The boy didn't hold back and told him everything in a sour tone.
"So that's how it is." Shen Yi stroked his chin, nodding in realization.
"Mr. Shen, aren't you going to manage those two?" the boy whispered, instigating.
Shen Yi glanced at him and grinned, "I'm just a math teacher, not the form teacher. This isn't my responsibility. Besides, they haven't done anything out of line. Did they admit themselves that they are dating?"
"Tch..." The boy rolled his eyes in disdain.
"Heh heh... I think you're just envious and jealous. Tone it down, don't be too ugly." Shen Yi patted his shoulder, speaking from experience.
"Mr. Shen, when you were studying, you must have been like me, so you're used to it, right?" the boy retorted with a cold laugh.
Shen Yi's face stiffened, and he immediately denied, "Nonsense! I was a top student back in school, and I was handsome too. Just like Qin Tian, I was someone others envied and were jealous of!"
"Heh, keep bragging. I believe everything you say." The boy's contempt was evident.
"Ahem..." Shen Yi cleared his throat and said seriously, "Believe it or not, I'm not arguing with you anymore. Just keep being envious and jealous!"
"Likewise!"
...
...
"I don't understand this problem, teach me." Xia Nuannuan moved a math practice book to Qin Tian and pointed to a problem with her pencil.
"Let me see." Qin Tian glanced at her. Seeing her unusually serious expression, he asked in surprise, "Are... you okay?"
"What? I'm fine!" Xia Nuannuan shook her head blankly.
"It's like you're taking the college entrance exam tomorrow. We only have a few minutes for break. Why don't you rest, or I can explain this problem to you at noon?"
"I'm not tired, I'll do it now."
"Really okay?"
"Really, it's okay!" Xia Nuannuan nodded vigorously. Seeing his disbelieving look, she helplessly confessed, "Alright, I kind of regret it. I should have studied harder before. Now I want to catch up with you as much as possible. The goal you set for me last time, I think it can be even bigger."
Qin Tian was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but chuckle, "Are you treating Su Yan as a rival?"
"No..." Xia Nuannuan instinctively wanted to refute, but as soon as the words left her mouth, she nodded with a blush.
"It's really not necessary. There's too little time left, and you'll be very tired like this," Qin Tian persuaded with a mixture of amusement and concern.
"I know I might not catch up, but I just want to try my best and not have any regrets in the final stage of high school," Xia Nuannuan said with a serious expression.
Qin Tian gazed intently at the girl in front of him. Sunlight streamed through the window, falling directly on her, making her bright black and white eyes and rosy cheeks look so radiant.
At this moment, Qin Tian felt a chord within him being touched, and ripples spread across his calm heart.
"Okay, then I'll help you with all my might," he said with a hearty smile and a serious tone.
"Mm-hmm!" Xia Nuannuan nodded repeatedly with a sweet smile.
"So, what goal will you set for yourself in the next mock exam?" Qin Tian asked with a smile.
"Hmm..." Xia Nuannuan lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment before replying, "I'm not focusing on class rankings anymore. I want to be in the top twenty in the entire grade, and for the college entrance exam, I want to be in the top five in the grade as much as possible."
Being in the top five of the grade was exactly the rank that the school beauty consistently held.
"This is really a bit difficult!" Class 10 was an ordinary class, and the average grades were still far from the two key classes. Ranking in the top five in this class might not even place her in the top hundred of the entire grade. Therefore, the goal Xia Nuannuan set for herself was undoubtedly challenging.
"I don't care, as long as you help me, I'll definitely be able to do it."
"Alright!" Qin Tian smiled and nodded, saying nothing more.
"Then let's make good use of our time and look at this problem."
"Okay!"
Afterward, one focused on explaining the problem, and the other listened attentively.
The classmates in the classroom watched this scene, feeling indescribable envy, but strangely, very few felt jealous. It was simply because the scene before them was too pure and beautiful, making them reluctant to have any negative emotions. Especially for most of the girls in the class, their hearts were filled with blessings and admiration for Xia Nuannuan.
"I feel like Xia Nuannuan is really going for it!"
"Yeah, it's not surprising. Qin Tian's academic performance is so good, she must feel the pressure."
"Ahhh... I really hope they go to the same university! That would be so romantic."
"Me too. Watching the two of them these days is like watching a Mary Sue novel and an idol drama. They're so cute together!"
"Think about Xia Nuannuan before, she's really changed so much."
"That's right, she seems like a completely different person. Compared to that school beauty, she doesn't seem to be inferior at all!"
"Yes, yes, I feel the same way."
"..."