Chapter 56: Quickly Admit Xia Xia Is a Top Student
Class had already started a minute ago when Wen Xia stood at the door to request permission to enter. The math teacher, Liu Zhiwei, waved her in and waited for her to sit down before repeating what he had just said.
“The county is organizing a math competition for second-year students. Every school has to participate. Our class has three spots: the class monitor, Xu Min, and Wen Xia. The results don’t matter—just treat it as an opportunity to experience the atmosphere of a competitive exam, like an early preview of the college entrance exam.”
“The test will take place next Monday in the first-floor hall of the county central plaza. Prepare yourselves.”
Although Wen Xia had good grades, her math performance didn’t rank among the top five in the class. Knowing such competitions often came with rewards, she didn’t want to waste a spot. She raised her hand and said, “Teacher Liu, why don’t you let someone else go? My math isn’t very good.”
Liu Zhiwei shook his head, his gaze warm and encouraging. “The results aren’t important. Just give it a try. The difficulty of the questions will be about the same as last year’s college entrance exam.”
As teachers, they were always willing to nurture students who showed potential. The school had even mentioned focusing on cultivating Wen Xia.
Cough cough…
In truth, as long as No.1 Middle School participated in such competitions, there was no chance for their No.2 Middle School or any other school to win awards.
Especially this year, with Qin Mo among the contestants. No.1 Middle School was already prestigious, but they had never produced a student scoring over 740 points—typically, the best was in the 720s.
Wen Xia simply replied, “Oh,” and said no more.
*
9:00 p.m.
Liu Ci had just finished mopping the floor and was washing the mop when she heard the sound of someone washing clothes in the bathroom. Curious, she walked over to take a look.
There was Qin Mo, wearing a white undershirt and slippers, squatting on the ground as he hand-washed a girl’s underwear.
His movements were so practiced they didn’t seem like it was his first time.
“…”
She was getting old—she really couldn’t understand young people anymore.
She said awkwardly, “Mo Mo, let me wash it. You should go to your room and sleep.”
Qin Mo calmly looked up at her and replied, “No need, Aunt Liu. You should go rest.”
Liu Ci didn’t argue further. She turned to leave but paused after a couple of steps. A sudden thought struck her, and she turned back to see him inspecting the underwear closely to ensure it was thoroughly clean.
“…”
If she hadn’t known Qin Mo for five years and been confident in his good character and lack of bad habits, she might have called the police.
“Mo Mo, a package arrived today addressed to ‘Quickly Admit Xia Xia Is a Top Student.’ I asked your parents about it, but it’s not theirs. Is it yours?”
Hearing the phrase Quickly Admit Xia Xia Is a Top Student, Qin Mo: “…”
“Yes, where is it?”
“It’s on the sofa,” Liu Ci replied.
Qin Mo nodded. After hanging the clothes to dry, he went to the sofa to open the package. Inside was a black jacket. He took a photo of it and posted it to his social media with the caption: [Xia Xia is a top student.]
Within a minute or two, the post got seven or eight likes, but Wen Xia, his “Xia Xia is a top student” wife, didn’t respond. Shrugging, he went to take a shower.
…
Wen Xia didn’t see Qin Mo’s post until the next day. She glanced at the comments briefly before putting her phone down.
Over the next few days, apart from attending classes and doing homework, she spent almost all her time working on math practice papers. At one point, she stared at a math paper so long it made her feel nauseous.
During moments like these, she would look at a photo of Qin Mo, and her energy would be restored.
That was exactly how she had overcome her struggles when studying for her English certification exam years ago.
Back then, Qin Mo had made quite a profit from charging her “photo fees.”
…
The morning of the math competition arrived quickly. No.2 Middle School had arranged a charter bus exclusively for their students. It had fifty seats, and forty-five were occupied by students.
Wen Xia sat with Xu Min, who wasn’t much of a talker and quietly reviewed math formulas.
Wen Xia didn’t bother reviewing anymore. She worried that last-minute cramming might confuse her memory. Instead, she pulled out her phone and messaged Qin Mo, asking if he had already set off.
This type of school-organized competition made Qin Mo, the “pride” of his school, an inescapable participant.
Qin Mo replied almost instantly: [I’m here, waiting for you at the entrance.]
…
Half an hour later, the charter bus stopped in front of the plaza’s main hall.
As Wen Xia got off the bus, she immediately spotted Qin Mo in his black jacket. He leaned casually against a pillar, his head slightly lowered, his side profile resembling that of a male lead in a manga.
Carrying her backpack, she dashed toward him. “Qin Mo!”
She looked like an excited little rabbit.
Qin Mo walked toward her and reached out to pinch her round, soft cheeks. The satisfying texture made him pinch her again. “Little bunny.”
“You’re the little bunny!” Wen Xia pouted and glared at him.
Qin Mo raised an eyebrow, a hint of mischief in his expression. “Not me. I’m the big bad wolf who loves to ‘eat’ little bunnies.”
Wen Xia: “…”
She poked him and muttered just loud enough for the two of them to hear, “You’re more like a big p*rvert.”
…
The examination hall was spacious, accommodating over 200 students. Contestants from several schools sat the test simultaneously. Apart from pens and student ID cards, students were not allowed to bring anything else into the room. Personal items had to be stored in designated lockers outside, monitored by staff.
At the entrance, teachers used scanners to ensure no one carried electronic devices like phones.
Although Wen Xia had experienced the college entrance exam before, she hadn’t taken it seriously back then and hadn’t felt nervous at all. Now, however, she was a little anxious.
Qin Mo’s seat number was 78, while hers was 96, placing her two seats ahead in the row to his right.
Although the test hadn’t started yet, communication between students was prohibited. They sat in silence for over ten minutes before the teachers began distributing the test papers.
Qin Mo glanced over the test briefly. For him, the questions posed a moderate challenge.
For Wen Xia, however, the difficulty was quite high. Many of the questions required a strong grasp of first-year material, which she was less confident in. Conservatively estimating, she figured she might score around 80 points.
The broadcast announced the start of the test, signaling the students to begin answering.
While the other students were still working on the first or second question, Qin Mo was already tackling the fourth.
Wen Xia, on the other hand, spent five to six minutes on the very first question—something she would normally solve in one or two minutes. It was clear the difficulty of this test was no joke.
If she knew Qin Mo was breezing through it like it was a game, she’d probably scratch him a few times to vent her frustration!
Students were allowed to hand in their papers thirty minutes into the exam, but not a single one did. Qin Mo had already finished by then but stayed seated, unmoving.
In that same half hour, Wen Xia was still struggling with the multiple-choice section. She didn’t panic, though—her focus was on ensuring accuracy.
As the final thirty minutes approached, students gradually began to turn in their papers. Zhao Zichuan glanced at Qin Mo, gesturing with his eyes to ask why he hadn’t submitted his yet.
These questions aren’t that hard, Zhao Zichuan thought. Although it was a competition, the difficulty level was clearly toned down compared to real competitions.
Qin Mo gave a quick look in Wen Xia’s direction, his meaning clear: My girlfriend is still working. I’m waiting for her.
Zhao Zichuan: “…”
‘Why did I even ask? Single dogs like me don’t need this kind of ab*se.’
He got up and turned in his paper.
When the exam time ended, Wen Xia finally put her pen down, unable to finish the last big question.
As they left the exam hall, Wen Xia wore a pouty face, looking pitifully at Qin Mo beside her for comfort. “Qin Mo~ It was so hard!”
“It was difficult. I took a long time too,” Qin Mo lied without a hint of guilt, his expression calm. He then grabbed her backpack and glanced at a store across the street. “Want a burger?”
The results would be announced in an hour, so all the students had to wait around.
“I want two,” Wen Xia said, holding up two fingers.
She was petite, with a babyish round face that made her look adorable no matter what she did. Qin Mo’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he looked at her.
“Well, since my wife worked so hard, your husband will generously treat you this time.”
