Chapter 10: High School
Li Kai looked at Nie Qiu with three parts curiosity and seven parts scrutiny. Her eyes, which were usually hidden by a thick fringe, were now free. Her hair was all tied up in a ponytail. Perhaps due to the long, thick fringe she used to have, there were a few shiny pimples on her forehead. Her face, which had been hidden before, was suddenly revealed, making her look much more energetic. Her not overly fair skin had a healthy tan, and her eyes were filled with an indifference that disregarded everything. The sudden energetic temperament and indifferent gaze made her whole person stand out.
Seeing her deskmate staring at her, Nie Qiu frowned. Although this person had scorned her before, out of basic courtesy, Nie Qiu still nodded at him. She glanced at the book under his hand, which had “Li Kai” written on it.
Chen Li did not expect Nie Qiu to ignore her! Yes, ignore her! This was something she could not tolerate the most. “Nie Qiu, you’re such a show-off. Who doesn’t know you’re always dirty? Now you suddenly love cleanliness? Who are you doing this for?”
Nie Qiu opened her physics book. Over the years, she had focused on education, researched education, and written books about education. Most of the students in the elite tutoring class she ran were high school and university students. Therefore, she admitted that after many years, she was still a bit unfamiliar with junior high school physics topics. In fact, whether it was physics or other subjects, after not touching them for so many years, she was still unfamiliar. She wanted to review them well before class.
Chen Li’s chest heaved up and down with anger. “Nie Qiu, look at me!”
Nie Qiu frowned and looked up at Chen Li. “Do you need something?”
“I’m telling you, Nie Qiu, you…”
“Alright, class is about to start, Chen Li, go back to your seat,” Li Kai interrupted Chen Li’s impending threat, saying only faintly.
Chen Li looked at Li Kai in disbelief, her eyes wide. “Li Kai, you…”
“Alright, go back!” Li Kai said in a low, cold voice, his eyes sharp.
Chen Li stomped her foot in frustration, turned around, and went back to her seat.
Nie Qiu glanced at Li Kai, picked up her book, and started reading.
Li Kai glanced at Nie Qiu and took out a wuxia novel from his desk to read. Nie Qiu saw this out of the corner of her eye and couldn’t help but frown, but she didn’t say anything. She just withdrew her thoughts and seriously began to read her own book.
When the teacher arrived, the noisy classroom finally quieted down. The teacher who entered was a middle-aged man with firm facial lines, who seemed to be a person who strictly separated public and private matters.
He put down the wuxia novel in his hand and stood up. “Stand up!”
Nie Qiu couldn’t help but glance at Li Kai, then stood up with all the other students and bowed respectfully. “Hello, Teacher.”
The teacher stood on the lectern, holding a stack of exam papers, and said with a smile, “Hello, students. Please sit down.”
The teacher saw Nie Qiu, paused slightly, and then asked with a smile, “Nie Qiu, have you recovered from your cold?”
Cold?
Nie Qiu frowned, then smiled. “Much better, thank you for your concern, Teacher.”
Hearing Nie Qiu’s words, the teacher was stunned. He had expected Nie Qiu to at most nod her head at him while looking down, but he didn’t expect her to answer. He was caught off guard. In less than a second, the teacher recovered and said, “The day before yesterday, I asked the class representative to collect the money for printing exam papers. I’ve printed last year’s Chinese exam papers from several provinces. Today, we will be testing our province’s exam. You must do your best, and I will collect the papers after class.”
“Ah? Another exam…”
“No way! How again…”
As soon as the teacher finished speaking, complaints erupted from the students below, creating chaos. So, this person was the Chinese teacher, Nie Qiu realized, and waited for the class representative to distribute the exam papers.
