Reincarnation: Trying to pretend to be ordinary, but it turns out it's really impossible.

The next day, when they returned to school, the teacher specially arranged for Zhang Tianyu and Shen Xingbai to be deskmates.

After all, they are all provincial team competition students, so sitting together makes it convenient for them to communicate and practice problems.

As soon as Zhang Tianyu sat down, he started chattering non-stop, sharing interesting stories and joking about his daily life.

Shen Xingbai remained cold and distant throughout, showing no interest in speaking.

Zhang Tianyu sensed something was wrong and leaned forward to ask:

"What's wrong? Are you in a bad mood?"

Shen Xingbai casually tossed out a sentence:

"You're annoying, can you please stop talking to me?"

Zhang Tianyu looked bewildered and pointed to himself, saying aggrievedly:

"I'm annoyed? I even went out of my way to chat with you and cheer you up. Otherwise, burying yourself in coding problems every day is so boring, it'll drive you crazy!"

Shen Xingbai lowered his eyes, his tone completely flat:

"I'm best suited to being quiet, don't bother me."

Zhang Tianyu was completely baffled and couldn't figure out why he was suddenly acting strangely, so he had no choice but to shut up.

Over the next few days, Zhang Tianyu secretly complained that Shen Xingbai might be going through menopause, as her moods were unpredictable and she was prone to mood swings.

As soon as Su Ningning arrived, Shen Xingbai's brows relaxed, his face lit up with a smile, and he spoke in a gentle tone. The three of them chatted and laughed together in a very cheerful atmosphere.

As soon as Su Ningning left, Shen Xingbai immediately changed his demeanor, looking at him with disdain and a cold, sullen expression, like a typical stepfather.

Zhang Tianyu thought to himself: It's so unreasonable for a man to go through menopause.

Shen Xingbai didn't actually dislike Zhang Tianyu; on the contrary, she enjoyed being with the carefree Zhang Tianyu.

He didn't need to be deliberately reserved; he felt relaxed and happy, and even felt very comfortable in this kind of interaction.

But he just couldn't help being bothered by it; every time he saw Su Ningning and Zhang Tianyu chatting and laughing together,

Su Ningning should have revolved around him.

Her smile was meant to be reserved for him alone.

Why should I be so warm and cheerful with others? Why can I chat so congenially with others?

She should only favor him and treat him well wholeheartedly.

Various possessive desires, along with dark emotions, entangled in the depths of the heart, weighing heavily and making one feel suffocated.

He had considered becoming like Zhang Tianyu.

The books he ordered arrived a few days ago.

Shen Xingbai spent half a day silently memorizing the text from the book that very day.

Memorize all the conversation starters, flattering phrases, and humorous jokes, and practice your expressions and tone repeatedly, deliberately trying to sound lively and cheerful.

Upon seeing Su Ningning, he immediately abandoned his usual aloofness and deliberately put on a smile:

"Ningning, you look so radiant today. Seeing you makes me happy."

Upon hearing this, Su Ningning instantly got goosebumps, her eyes filled with a strange look as she looked him up and down.

Before the other party could reply, Shen Xingbai forced himself to throw out a joke, even mimicking the gestures from the book:

"Hahaha, look how funny this is! Life is all about laughing and having fun, and getting rid of all your worries!"

His stiff smile, forced jokes, and awkward tone of flattery all exuded a sense of forced incongruity.

Su Ningning's lips twitched; she couldn't hold back any longer.

"Shen Xingbai... don't scare me. Are you possessed? Let me take you to a temple. I know a temple that's very effective and can definitely exorcise the evil spirits for you."

After saying that, Su Ningning was about to pull Shen Xingbai away.

Shen Xingbai's fake smile froze instantly, her ears turned bright red, and the prepared speech in her hands completely fell apart. She was so embarrassed that she wanted to burn all the books on the spot.

After the awkward silence, Shen Xingbai, her ears still red, whispered to Su Ningning her feelings:

"I just want to be more cheerful and outgoing, because I think people will like it more if it's lively."

Su Ningning was silent for a moment after hearing this, then looked at him seriously and shook her head:

"No, you're best and most pleasing to the eye the way you are. Don't be like that idiot Zhang Tianyu, he's so unreliable, it's unbearable to look at."

Shen Xingbai's eyes flickered slightly, and she asked in a low voice, "You don't like him like that?"

"I like it," Su Ningning said truthfully.

Shen Xingbai's heart skipped a beat.

Su Ningning continued:

"It's great to hang out with him as a regular friend and have some fun. But he's a big mouth; he can't keep anything to himself."

He's fine with gossiping and venting, but when it comes to serious matters or important plans, I wouldn't dare tell him a thing. He's just too unreliable.

As each word settled into his heart, the knot of resentment in Shen Xingbai's heart slowly dissipated, making him feel much lighter, and his eyes softened.

In the following days, Zhang Tianyu noticed that Shen Xingbai had recovered.

Shen Xingbai breathed a sigh of relief; she had finally gotten through her menopause. It had come and gone so suddenly.

With the exam fast approaching, Shen Xingbai plunged into intensive practice and review.

During this period, he didn't attend classes much, since he was mostly reviewing now and had already mastered the basic knowledge points.

He spent nearly two months studying the materials provided by the top professors from He Siqi, as well as past CMO exam questions and advanced materials.

Before we knew it, it was the end of November, and the highly anticipated CMO interview officially began, lasting a total of five days:

On the first day, everyone will check in, check in, and have their documents verified.

The second and third days consist of a full-day rigorous unified exam, with four sessions of major questions over two days, the difficulty of which far surpasses all other training camps in the province.

The last two days will feature expert lectures, exchanges and discussions among top talents, and a grand awards ceremony.

The rules are clear and brutal.

Winning the CMO gold medal and ranking among the top 60 in the country will qualify you for the national training team and guarantee you admission to Peking University without having to compete in the national college entrance examination.

The group arrived at the CMO's reporting location and had just finished the formalities when they ran into He Siqi, who had been waiting for them, along with two other provincial team teammates.

At this moment, the nation's top talents have gathered together. The twelve people who used to compete fiercely within the province have long put aside their differences in rankings and united as one.

Everyone sat together to discuss the question types and review the difficult points, showing remarkable tacit understanding.

Players from different regions also instinctively banded together, with each province forming its own small camp, supporting each other and sharing ideas.

He Siqi spotted Shen Xingbai at a glance, quickly stepped forward, and called out frankly, "Big Brother."

The two companions following behind him froze instantly, utterly shocked.

Both of them came from families that were dependent on the He family. Their fathers were all business partners of the He Group and always treated He Siqi with great respect.

In their eyes, Young Master He had always been arrogant and haughty. When had he ever been so humble and humble towards a powerless and ordinary young man?

I couldn't adapt at all for a while.

At this moment, Zhang Tianyu spoke up in a nonchalant manner:

"Hey, little brother, you just called me 'big brother,' how can you be biased? Why didn't you call me 'second brother'?"

He Siqi's face suddenly stiffened, his brows furrowed, and he gritted his teeth as he squeezed out two words: "Second Brother."

Zhang Tianyu immediately smiled broadly and leaned forward:

"Oh, my dear little brother! It's been so long! Your second brother has missed you terribly!"

As she spoke, she opened her arms, as if to pounce on him and hug him.

He Siqi's entire body was filled with disgust. She suddenly turned to the side and dodged away, the air around her so low it felt like it was about to freeze.

Those watching couldn't help but chuckle, and a smile also flashed in Shen Xingbai's eyes.

He Siqi bypassed Zhang Tianyu.

Approaching Shen Xingbai, he handed over a stack of exquisitely bound exam preparation materials:

"Big brother, this is the final CMO training manual that my top coach just compiled. I've also made a copy for you. Let's work together to bring glory to our province and charge forward side by side."

Shen Xingbai took the documents and nodded slightly: "Thank you, let's work together."

Zhang Tianyu, displeased, pointed to himself and said:

"Where's mine? Where's mine??"

He Siqi glanced at him and said disdainfully:

"Giving it to you would be a waste. If you really want it, go and make a copy yourself."

Looking at the other person's smug expression, Zhang Tianyu immediately wanted to start a fight with him.

They ran right into a group of athletes from the Beijing team.

The other person had an arrogant look in his eyes as he sized up their group, his words filled with undisguised contempt:

"As expected of someone from a small town, they're incredibly noisy."

He Siqi and Zhang Tianyu were unhappy and said in unison,

"What did you say?!"

The man was too lazy to answer, and just continued, "They just got in by relying on local quotas. What real geniuses can come out of your province?"

"If you were really sent to Beijing for screening, you probably wouldn't even meet the entry requirements."

These words were extremely offensive, and He Siqi's blood boiled on the spot. He clenched his fists and was about to step forward to argue and confront them.

Shen Xingbai frowned slightly, a sense of helplessness welling up inside him.

He just wanted to prepare for the competition quietly, finish the tough exam, and break into the top 60 to get a guaranteed admission. He was really fed up with this kind of pointless regional comparison and verbal sparring.

He remained indifferent, too lazy to argue, only wanting to avoid the noise.

But this indifferent demeanor was seen as contempt by the people in Beijing.

One of them raised an eyebrow defiantly: "What? Are you looking down on us?"

Just as a dispute was about to erupt, a clear, crisp voice suddenly broke through.

Su Ningning also came in, specifically wanting to see what the top national competition venue looked like, and happened to stumble upon this scene.

Shen Xingbai was the most powerful person in her heart, one of her own, how could she tolerate an outsider making things difficult for her in public like this?

Su Ningning stepped forward, stiffening her neck as she retorted:

"They just don't want to argue, so why can't they just ignore you?"

Several people from Beijing glanced at her from head to toe, then chuckled, their tone mocking:

"And who are you? You look like his girlfriend?"

He Siqi, who was standing next to her, was also stunned for a moment, her eyes filled with curiosity as she looked straight at Su Ningning.

Shen Xingbai's heart stirred slightly, and his eyes darkened.