This humble Taoist priest wants to take the college entrance exam.

Chapter 68 I'm sorry!

Although Lin Mengqiu always complained that Chen Shi'an talked too much, in fact Chen Shi'an rarely bothered her.

Whenever class starts, Chen Shi'an immediately becomes focused. He doesn't even notice when the teacher calls him, let alone talk to her. The class monitor has to nudge him to wake him up.

The same applies during evening self-study sessions.

Chen Shi'an has been studying junior high school math during evening self-study sessions these past few days.

He only does Chinese homework with everyone else; he doesn't do homework for other subjects.

This privilege of not having to attend classes or do homework is something only he, besides Lin Mengqiu, has... It's just that their current grades are at opposite ends of the spectrum.

After finishing the course content on inequalities and systems of inequalities in Chapter 11 of the seventh-grade mathematics textbook, Chen Shi'an exited the flow state and took a short rest.

He finished learning and doing practice questions for the first volume in two days. The second volume is a bit more advanced, and Chen Shi'an estimates that he can finish learning and doing practice questions for about three days.

I looked up at the time; evening self-study was about to end.

Turning to glance at my deskmate, I saw that the class monitor seemed to be in a bad mood. He looked serious, his brows furrowed, and he was writing and calculating on the draft paper.

Chen Shi'an was certain that it wasn't because he had offended her; he guessed that the class monitor was stuck on a question and was having a headache.

He saw her working on that problem right after class ended; almost the entire class period had passed, and apart from having two more pages of scratch paper, she was still working on that problem…

This is a very difficult competition problem.

There were clearly answer keys, but she just wouldn't look at them, stubborn as a calf, determined to solve them herself.

Rarely, Lin Mengqiu also entered a state of flow because of this question, and Chen Shi'an watched her for a long time without her noticing.

Chen Shi'an then noticed that Lin Mengqiu had a habit of biting her nails. She usually didn't bite her nails, perhaps because she was too engrossed in something. But now, because she couldn't solve the problem, she had her left hand half-fisted, her knuckles pressed against her lips, and her little teeth were unconsciously nibbling at her. Pink teeth marks appeared on her fair skin, and the area around the marks was still a little moist and glistening...

Just before the end of get out of class, she seemed to finally figure out how to solve it. Her whole demeanor changed dramatically. Her pupils contracted slightly, as if a streetlamp had suddenly lit up and exploded in her mind. She sat up abruptly, her pen scratching across the draft paper. The previously chaotic auxiliary lines suddenly formed a clear logical chain.

Once her mind was set on something, it flowed like a flood bursting its banks. Formulas and derivations poured down from her pen, and the problem that had just troubled her now seemed like a clear road sign.

The girl couldn't help but smile slightly, and even her breathing became light and rhythmic. When she finished the last stroke, the pen tip paused heavily on the paper, a long exhale rang out, and the light in her eyes brightened again.

Like a hunter admiring his trophy, she looked contentedly at the question that had finally been solved, and reached for her water glass to drink.

"You finished it?"

"Ah."

Is this question difficult?

"It's hard."

"Class monitor is amazing. I can't even understand the questions, let alone your answers."

"~~~"

Nothing is more delightful than receiving timely praise after such a hard-won victory; the girl couldn't help but gently wiggle her legs, which were hidden under the table.

When she came to her senses, she turned her head sharply and realized that Chen Shi'an had been watching her all along.

Almost as a physical instinct, her legs stopped dangling under the table, and the childlike joy on her face disappeared, replaced by her usual proud and aloof demeanor, as if the girl whose eyes lit up when she solved a problem was just a fleeting illusion.

Chen Shi'an blinked, unable to immediately determine which appearance was more authentic.

"Where have you gotten to?" Lin Mengqiu turned around and put down the empty water bottle in her hand.

"I should be able to finish the second semester's curriculum by tomorrow, then do some practice questions, and I can start learning the eighth-grade material next week."

"...And English?"

"I've almost finished memorizing the textbook for the second semester of eighth grade."

"..."

Learning all the seventh-grade math content and completing all the practice problems in about five days is an astonishing speed.

I don't know what my mindset was, but Lin Mengqiu actually said, "Your math progress is still too slow."

After saying this, not only was Chen Shi'an stunned, but even Lin Mengqiu herself was a little confused.

How fast do I even need to learn math to be considered fast?!
During the brief silence, the girl seemed slightly embarrassed. She had just put down her water glass, but then picked it up again, and casually said, as if taking a sip:

"English is indeed simple and not challenging at all. Comparing math to English is meaningless... Just focus on your studies."

"Okay, then I'll take it one step at a time, and proceed cautiously."

"..."

Lin Mengqiu gripped the water glass with a little force.

"...I'll try to catch up with English as quickly as possible."

Lin Mengqiu's tightly gripped hand quietly relaxed, and she put down the water glass.

"Are there any questions you don't understand?"

"……Have!"

Chen Shi'an took out the exercise book she had given her and moved it to the middle of the table between the two of them.

"Class monitor, how many ways are there to solve this problem?"

"..."

Lin Mengqiu didn't speak, but she slightly turned her body, tilted her head to look at the question carefully, and then picked up a pen and paper to write and explain at the same time.

"There are generally only two common solutions in junior high school... Didn't you write them both out?"

"Oh, I'd like to see if there are any other ideas, to broaden my thinking."

"Then you can do it like this..."

"Hmm... Oh... You can do that too... Class monitor, you're really good at math."

"~~~"

"It's a good thing I'm sitting next to you, class monitor. My foundation is so weak, only you, class monitor, are willing to teach me so patiently."

"..."

Chen Shi'an's words made Lin Mengqiu blush a little, and her nose seemed to itch. She lowered her head and unconsciously rubbed the tip of her nose with her fingers.

So, in his heart... he was such a helpful and responsible deskmate?
Although she was the class monitor, Lin Mengqiu knew very well that if she replaced today's morning exercise survey form with a 'class monitor personality survey form' for the students to fill out, she would definitely not get a positive response.

But Chen Shi'an said it that way, and he seemed very sincere. His warm words seemed to poke a chord in her heart, making it difficult for her to say anything forceful for a while.

"Work hard."

"Definitely. The class monitor has helped me so much; he won't let you down." "~~~"

Lin Mengqiu is drinking water again.

When she put down her water cup, she noticed that evening self-study had ended and the classroom was noisy. Chen Shi'an also picked up her backpack hanging to the side and got up.

"Squad leader, I'm leaving now. See you tomorrow."

"..."

I just said I'd work hard, and look at me, I'm off as soon as get out of class is over! I didn't even take a math workbook home!
As expected, all the Taoist priests' words are just lies! It doesn't matter if you're old or young!
One point will be deducted from your score!
Chen Shi'an slipped away, leaving her alone in the empty seat.

Lin Mengqiu thought for a moment, then took a bottle from the box of milk that was placed against the wall and put it on his desk.

She put on her earplugs and continued working on her problems.

……

Are you hungry?

Are you craving sausages again?

As a language subject, English is objectively much simpler than mathematics, especially for someone with Chen Shi'an's incredible memory.

He can memorize vocabulary and texts on his own, and he has grammar learning materials provided by Wen Zhixia to help him practice word formation and sentence construction. Basically, all that's left is his spoken English.

Every day after school, Wen Zhixia would accompany him to practice his spoken English. Although they didn't practice much, Chen Shi'an's progress was astonishing. The two of them only exchanged English for a short while on their way to and from school each day, and now his pronunciation was already quite good.

"I'm starving! Go! Go!"

"It's my treat today."
"No need, it's on me!"

"I feel bad eating from you every day, let me do it."

"Huh? So you can be shy too~"

"What are you saying? Do I look like someone with thick skin?"

"That's exactly it—"

Wen Zhixia giggled.

The girl knew she was beautiful, and even though she had a good personality, most boys would be a little nervous and reserved when talking to her. Only Chen Shi'an was not like that. The shameless Taoist said whatever he wanted, and perhaps it was because of his relaxed and honest nature that she could chat with him so well.

She didn't know when it started, but walking home with him every night, buying a grilled sausage together, and chatting casually became one of the few things she looked forward to during her school days.

The vendor who first sold Wen Zhixia two grilled sausages for six yuan returned to the street food stall after disappearing for two days. It seems he'd learned his lesson from reality and now knows how to do business, as he even put up a sign: [Grilled sausages three yuan each, five yuan for two]
Seeing that the stall owner had reformed, Chen Shi'an and Wen Zhixia gave him another chance to make money. After eating grilled sausages for a few days, they found that his stall did indeed taste better.

"Boss, how much are the sausages?" Chen Shi'an asked as he stepped forward.

"Three yuan each."

"Two?"

"Five dollars!"

"What about four?"

Nine pieces!

"Wow, the prices are much more affordable now, boss."

The shop owner smiled sheepishly, "Young man, how many would you like?"

"Then bring four sticks, one extra spicy, and cook the other three normally."

"okay!"

Wen Zhixia blinked and asked curiously, "Taoist priest, are you buying so many grilled sausages to eat?"

"One for you, one for me, one for Fei Mo, and one for my roommate, that makes four in total."

"what?"

Wen Zhixia realized, "You have a roommate?"

"correct."

"I thought you lived alone. Is your roommate also from our school?"

"No, she's a woman who just graduated and started working."

"Oh, then are they much older than us?"

"About four or five years old."

Wen Zhixia nodded, and when she heard that it was an older sister who was much older than her and Chen Shi'an and had already graduated and started working, she inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

As a high school student, I always have a unique perspective on my older sister who has already graduated and started working. I feel that she is already an adult, an adult who can earn her own money. I guess high school students are just children in the eyes of adults.

As long as I don't live with Lin Mengqiu, it's fine.

Pshaw, why would I care about something like this for no reason? Who cares about him and his class monitor, as long as he gets a higher score in English than in math!
Although she was reluctant to admit it, Wen Zhixia had actually thought about what it would be like if Chen Shi'an had chosen humanities, and if the homeroom teacher had arranged for her to sit next to him and tutor him...

It's hard to imagine that after competing with Lin Mengqiu for so long, she would actually feel a little envious of her just because Lin Mengqiu became her deskmate... Oh! My deskmate! My dearest Xiaoyan! Please don't misunderstand! I didn't mean I didn't want to be your deskmate! I was just giving an example! I'm sorry!

Chen Shi'an was still chatting with the stall owner.

"Boss, how much can you earn by setting up a stall like this for a day?"

"Hey, how much? I have to work during the day, and I only have time to set up shop for a few hours in the evening. I'm thinking of going to a busier street another day, where I can probably earn a hundred or two hundred yuan a night."

"so much?"

"What's so special about this? Some stalls are so popular they make over a thousand a night! The economy is bad now, and you can't earn much just by working a regular job, so you come out to earn some money for food whenever you have free time."

"It is indeed a profitable business."

Having spent most of his time in the mountains, Chen Shi'an didn't really have a concept of making money. He jokingly said, "I'll try setting up a stall when I have time."

"Oh? What are you selling at your stall, young man?"

"Fortune telling?"

"...Haha! You're so young, you don't even have a stubble on your lip, who would believe that!"

Before Chen Shi'an could speak, the girl beside him spoke up to support him:
"I believe it!"

　I recommend this book: [Oops, we've been set up by Lee Sang-hyeok!]

　　League of Legends-style esports thrillers; if you like the invincible protagonist archetype, you might want to check this out!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)