On the morning of the fourth monthly exam, Shen Yi said to Qin Jiao, "If I can rank in the top fifty in the entire school this time, can you get me a gift?"

Qin Jiao asked, "You’re the one who does well on the exam, so why should I be the one getting you a gift?"

"Because Christmas is coming up, and I... I’ve never gotten a Christmas gift from a good friend before."

"..."

’Here we go again, here we go again!’

Qin Jiao felt more and more that this Shen Yi was a completely different person from the Shen Yi of her past life. The Shen Yi from her past life had been arrogant and domineering. He looked down his nose at everyone, as if there wasn’t a single person on Earth worthy of his notice.

To use a popular saying from later on, whenever he looked at a crowd, all he wanted to say was, "Everyone here is trash."

But this Shen Yi, the one right in front of her, was studious, respected his elders, and had a very clear stance on the matter of his parents: they had to get a divorce, but his mom couldn’t be the one to lose out.

And when it came to how he treated Qin Jiao, his "good friend," the guy spent most of his time acting pouty and trying to wheedle things out of her! 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

That’s right, wheedling. Shen Yi was actually wheedling at her. Tell me, isn’t that terrifying?!

The ironic part was, Qin Jiao had plenty of experience dealing with the version of Shen Yi from her past life. If he dared to be tough, she would just be tougher right back.

But right now, staring into those eyes filled with a complex mixture of grievance, anticipation, and sorrow, Qin Jiao felt as though she’d be the worst person in the world if she refused to get him a Christmas gift!

Qin Jiao took a deep breath. "You’re not guaranteed to get into the top fifty."

"I’ll work hard."

"My family doesn’t have money, and I don’t have much either. You know that."

"The gift doesn’t have to be expensive. As long as it’s from my good friend, you, it’ll be fine. It’s the thought that counts, after all."

"Fine."

If they kept bickering, they’d probably be stopped from entering the exam hall. Qin Jiao agreed hastily, slung her bag over her shoulder, and headed toward her exam room. Shen Yi was in the room next door. He watched her go inside before turning back to his own classroom.

Interestingly enough, Qin Jiao and Lin Nian were in the same exam room for this test, while Shen Yi and Chen Feng were together in another. When enemies cross paths, sparks are sure to fly; it was as if their glares were crackling with electricity.

Lin Nian said earnestly, "Don’t get cocky, Qin Jiao. Chen Feng will definitely beat you on this exam!"

Qin Jiao smiled faintly. "Your trash talk is pretty weak. You should be saying that *you’ll* beat me. To say someone else will beat me... just how little confidence do you have in yourself?"

"Hmph! We’ll see who’s right when the scores come out!"

This was Exam Room 1, and basically everyone seated inside was one of the top students in their grade. Three people from Class 10 were in this room: Qin Jiao, Lin Nian, and Meng Lanlan.

Most of the others were students from the honors Class 1. Class 2 had a few more students present, while some other classes didn’t have a single person in this exam room.

Xun Li, the top student in Class 2 and ranked seventh in the grade, said to Jiang Nana beside her, "These students from Class 10 are pretty arrogant. Still hoping to improve... surely she doesn’t think she can break into the top ten, does she?"

Jiang Nana was from Class 1, and her rank on the last overall list was exactly tenth.

So she particularly disliked hearing that. She said coolly, "For the last three monthly exams, the top ten has only seen internal shifts in ranking. A newcomer has never broken in, and this time will be no different."

Xun Li laughed. "That’s right. Ah, but Gu Yunqi is still the most amazing. He’s first in the grade every single time!"

Jiang Nana’s cheeks flushed as she looked at the handsome boy sitting in the front row. She nodded slightly and said with conviction, "No one can ever surpass him!"

Qin Jiao overheard their conversation—the classroom wasn’t that big, after all. She didn’t care if others said she was being delusional. When the time came, she would let her results do the talking.

She glanced at Gu Yunqi, knowing that he would go on to become an excellent lawyer in the future. He was Chen Feng’s rival, and Chen Feng later snatched the position of first in the grade from him.

But now, she, Qin Jiao, was still in school, and she would be taking the college entrance exams next year.

’Sorry, Classmate Gu,’ she thought. ’But that number-one spot in the grade? It’s mine for the taking!’