As he napped on his desk during lunch break, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him about the perfect destination for his notebook.
He neatly wrote his name on it, then ran to give it to Jiang Yan as a form of encouragement.
Jiang Yan took it at face value and said, "I'll return it to you next time."
Little did she know that when Su Yixiao and the others saw this, they couldn't stop clicking their tongues. When Jiang Yan looked puzzled, they quickly pretended nothing had happened.
Their dormitory was right across from Song Li'an's, so they had plenty of interactions with him and understood his intentions quite well. After all, Song Li'an's constant hints had led all the boys to consider him as someone who was already taken.
Poor little class monitor, she had been in Song Li'an's sights since they were young.
...
What's it like with the college entrance exam approaching?
Nothing else matters anymore.
Their usually critical homeroom teacher whispered to them, "Students before the exam are national treasures. I dare not say a word more."
The school's strict schedule was deliberately slowed down to allow students to conserve their energy before entering the battlefield.
Students who had enrolled three years ago were now upperclassmen, their former positions taken by a new batch of juniors.
The graduation ceremony was held a few days before the exam. Due to the important final battle ahead, it was grand yet brief.
They changed into their class uniforms together, walked through the Scholar's Gate, listened to well-wishes from their juniors, and took photos with all their teachers.
Then, they returned to the classroom to share a pre-ordered cake. The cake was large, but with so many students, each only got a small piece.
Jiang Yan had been eyeing it for a long time. Finally getting her share, she ate it contentedly. Suddenly, she felt a cool sensation on her face – someone had smeared white frosting on her.
Jiang Yan looked at Lu Beibei, who was holding a cake and laughing, then glanced at her own clean plate...
With only this morning to celebrate, everyone was in full party mode.
Jiang Yan was checking her reflection in the fire extinguisher cabinet in the hallway, making sure there was no leftover frosting on her face.
Suddenly, a tall, slender figure appeared in the reflection. Taking advantage of Jiang Yan's distraction, he smeared frosting on her face.
Jiang Yan's face was immediately covered with more frosting!
Song Li'an stood there with a beaming smile, his school uniform still neat despite the frosting stains.
He stayed put, about to crack a joke: "Surpris..."
But he couldn't finish.
Because Jiang Yan suddenly turned around, grabbed his arm, and pushed him back against the hallway wall.
His back hit the wall through the thin fabric of his uniform, causing a slight pain mixed with the coolness of the tiles. These sensations intertwined, making Song Li'an's heart skip a beat while simultaneously feeling an inexplicable excitement.
Jiang Yan was genuinely annoyed. Without a word, she pinned him down, her eyes fierce: "Do you know how many times I've washed my face? How many times I've checked the mirror? You come and mess it up again, Song Li'an, where are your manners?!"
Jiang Yan was indeed furious, but as Song Li'an looked down at her, he had to suppress the urge to lift her up.
He obediently raised his hands in surrender, looking at her with downcast eyes, his eyelashes trembling for some reason.
After a moment, he spoke sincerely: "I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I didn't think you'd be so angry..."
Song Li'an truly hadn't expected Jiang Yan to react so strongly, even pushing him against the wall. He had only wanted to tease her a bit, but now his heart was racing due to his sister's forceful side.
This apology was exactly like Song Li'an when he was younger. He would never get angry when scolded, only apologize politely and sincerely.
It made it impossible to stay mad at him, and even made one reflect on their own mistakes. Just like now, Jiang Yan let go of him and started talking.
Of course, what Jiang Yan never knew was that Song Li'an only acted this way with her.
