The exam room was quiet, even as people played their little tricks.
Old Tang walked toward the podium, unaware that the moment he passed by a row of desks, wads of paper filled the air.
"No answers." He Zhao's palm was empty; no little note this time. Xie Yu's hand was cool. He Zhao said, "I wanted to do this last time, too."
The rain made ripples against the glass window.
After a while, Xie Yu asked, "Are you done?"
He Zhao said, "No."
"......"
"Let me hold on a while longer."
Xie Yu paused. He was speechless, but also amused. "Idiot."
Seeing Old Tang about to walk past them again, the idiot finally let go.
Old Tang stopped in front of He Zhao's desk for several minutes, looking at He Zhao's answer paper, the creases in his forehead growing deeper and deeper. Finally, he sighed, his expression complicated as he looked at the answer sheet which was full of writing on both sides. "......"
When Old Tang had gone, He Zhao poked Xie Yu with a pen. "What was that about?"
"Zhao-ge, look downward at the answers you wrote down," Xie Yu responded. "You really don't know?"
Xie Yu helplessly thought that this idiot probably truly wasn't aware.
As a student with grades so bad even eight bulls could not pull his grades to the passing line,¹ He Zhao likely even had full confidence that he had answered well.
The morning exams had ended and everyone compared answers during the midday lunch break.
"Zhao-ge, your couplets didn't work. I got many of the math questions wrong." Wan Da passed the 'guaranteed pass' couplets back to He Zhao. "Keep them for yourself."
"I think they don't work, too," He Zhao said as he picked up his phone. "During the first literature exam, Old Tang even sighed at my exam paper. I'll go ask the seller."
Xie Yu wasn't sure what his boyfriend was doing. "Ask the seller about what?"
"Ask him if we used it right."
"How else are they to be used? Burn them and drink the ashes?"
"Surely not that evil..."
The group discussed it for a while before the seller replied. 'If your heart is true it will work.'
'If your heart is true it will work.' He Zhao pushed the couplets into Wan Da's hand again. "Shall we work on our emotions again this afternoon?"
Xie Yu thought, Why does it seem like He Zhao is just messing with him?
But Wan Da actually took the bait. "All right, I'll try again this afternoon."
The exams lasted two whole days. When the last paper was finished, everyone felt only one thing: exhaustion. To help everyone relax, Liu Cunhao put on a comedy film. The film was halfway through, the classroom still silent, when Liu Cunhao finally asked anxiously, "Why aren't you laughing? Isn't it funny? Cheer up."
Wan Da said blandly, "Turn it off. I really can't laugh. By the way, Master Ling Hui is currently the person I hate most."
"I'm going to die." Luo Wenqiang slumped on his desk. "I need to carefully consider my survival plan."
Only He Zhao was very obliging and enthusiastic. "This movie is good! Aren't you watching it?"
Xie Yu went out to take a phone call.
