Chapter 51: If You Have Trouble With Math, You Can Ask Me Too

When Wen Zhixia said this, it completely exceeded Chen Shian’s expectations.

From her tone just now, he had guessed that Wen Zhixia and Lin Mengqiu probably knew each other.

But he never imagined the two of them had even shared the same desk.

Curiosity is human nature, and as an eager seeker of knowledge, Chen Shian was no exception.

On one side was his close companion, on the other his desk mate—he’d thought their only connection was himself, never realizing they, too, had once been seatmates.

“You two were seatmates? Then you must have been in the same class. Didn’t the school divide students into arts and sciences?” he asked.

“That’s right. But it wasn’t divided at the start. We only split into tracks in the second semester of our first year of high school. Before that, everyone had to study all nine subjects. We were together in Class One, the honors class, made up of the sixty students with the top entrance exam scores.”

“I see...” Chen Shian couldn’t help but marvel at the strange workings of fate. Not only had he become close with Wen Zhixia, but he’d also ended up as desk mates with her former desk mate?

Even after learning that Wen Zhixia and Lin Mengqiu had sat together before, Chen Shian still found it hard to imagine. The two girls’ personalities were so distinct—it was difficult to picture what their time together must have been like.

Perhaps it was because his own school experience had been so lacking. When he first arrived in Class Five, Lin Mengqiu always sat alone. He’d subconsciously assumed the class monitor had never had a desk mate.

Before Chen Shian could ask, Wen Zhixia beat him to it, her curiosity piqued:

“How did you end up sharing a desk with Lin Mengqiu? I heard she’s always sat alone.”

“The teacher assigned us.”

“Oh, I see...”

A girl who could top the arts track was certainly no fool. She reasoned that for someone like Chen Shian, with zero academic foundation, to transfer into Yunqi No. 1 High School, he must have some school connections. He’d mentioned before that Principal Lin had arranged it, and knowing the relationship between Principal Lin and Lin Mengqiu, she understood at once.

“Did you know Lin Mengqiu before?” Wen Zhixia probed.

“No, we only met after becoming desk mates.”

“I see...”

The girl blinked. Hearing that Chen Shian and Lin Mengqiu were not old friends or childhood sweethearts, she couldn’t say why, but she suddenly felt a little relieved.

“What about you two?” Chen Shian asked curiously.

“We only got to know each other after we became desk mates,” Wen Zhixia replied.

“I’m really surprised. I didn’t expect you and the class monitor to know each other.”

“Our entrance exam scores were both high, so it’s not surprising we ended up in the same class.”

“Ah, I only just enrolled, so I’m not clear on how the classes and tracks are divided.”

Wen Zhixia continued eating her noodles, not looking up as she asked casually, “So, how’s it feel sharing a desk with your class monitor?”

Chen Shian, too, chatted as he ate. “It’s pretty good. She’s top of the class and very helpful. Yesterday she even lent me a lot of math exercise books. Whenever I have trouble with math, I ask her.”

Wen Zhixia paused, chopsticks midair, studying Chen Shian’s expression—he didn’t seem to be lying.

But... the Lin Mengqiu he described, was that really the Lin Mengqiu she remembered?

Noticing the girl’s silence, Chen Shian looked up. “What’s wrong?”

Wen Zhixia snapped out of her thoughts and smiled. “Nothing, really. Lin Mengqiu really is excellent at math. If she’s willing to teach you, that’s pretty great!”

Chen Shian blinked and asked, “What about you? How did you feel sharing a desk with the class monitor?”

“Just, you know, being desk mates,” Wen Zhixia replied. “She’s top of the class, especially in math and science. She’s very goal-oriented and principled, always calm and quiet, smart and focused—a person worthy of admiration.”

Usually, when asked to describe someone, people tend to hesitate a bit, but Wen Zhixia’s words came out almost without thought. The qualities she mentioned were exactly those Chen Shian had experienced himself.

In this subtle exchange, Chen Shian sensed the nuances in Wen Zhixia and Lin Mengqiu’s “desk mate relationship.”

If he had to summarize Wen Zhixia’s feelings, her first sentence said it all: they were “just desk mates.”

Seeing that Wen Zhixia was somewhat reserved about her time as Lin Mengqiu’s desk mate, Chen Shian didn’t press. As for asking Lin Mengqiu herself... that was out of the question! If even Wen Zhixia wouldn’t talk about it, would the class monitor give him the time of day?

At first, Chen Shian had been happy to learn that Wen Zhixia and Lin Mengqiu knew each other—after all, a friend’s friend is a friend, and such connections are rare and precious.

But now, caught awkwardly between two girls whose relationship he couldn’t quite define, he felt as if he were treading on thin ice. It seemed that learning to navigate complex interpersonal relationships would be a required course in his new life here.

“Hey, why are you so quiet?” Wen Zhixia, noticing his thoughtful silence, grew a bit flustered, as if she’d revealed something.

Chen Shian knew well that relationships between people aren’t simply good or bad; most are complex and subtle. Two girls with such different personalities not being close friends was perfectly normal. They’d managed to share a desk for a semester, after all—their relationship couldn’t have been that bad.

He looked up at her lovely face and laughed, “Nothing. From the way you talk, it sounds like you two got along well—you only had good things to say.”

Wen Zhixia, listening, felt as if she wanted to turn into a little mosquito and sting him.

What a sly priest! So sarcastic! He needs a penalty! Points must be deducted!

Wait, where did she pick up that tone...?

“Hey, Zhixia, I’m curious about something.” Chen Shian grew serious, asking as he ate.

“What is it?”

“You said you didn’t split into tracks until the second semester of your first year. Who took first place back then?”

“Sometimes me, sometimes her.”

“Her?”

“Your class monitor, of course. Who else is that good?”

“So you’re really impressive, topping nine subjects.”

She gave a satisfied hum at his praise, pleased that Chen Shian was complimenting her instead of Lin Mengqiu.

“I wasn’t always first. My math and science weren’t as strong. Your class monitor had weaker scores in other subjects. We were about equal. Neither of us could predict who’d come out on top.”

“Who took first more often?”

“About half and half.”

“You remember that clearly?”

Oh no, she thought, realizing she’d just given herself away.

Wen Zhixia pursed her lips and ignored him.

It wasn’t just her who remembered so clearly—she didn’t believe for a second that Lin Mengqiu hadn’t kept track. She knew better than anyone how competitive that girl was.

“So who took first in the last exam?” Chen Shian pressed.

Wen Zhixia regained her composure and answered nonchalantly, “We both did. The last exam didn’t have overall rankings, only rankings for each track. I took first in the arts, your class monitor in the sciences.”

“But there must have been scores for all the subjects. Who had a higher total?” Chen Shian asked, curious as a bystander watching a chess match, eager to know which prodigy had ultimately triumphed.

“You’re really curious!”

“Of course! Who wouldn’t be, with such a heated rivalry?”

“It was a tie.”

“Huh?”

“If you count all nine subjects, our totals were exactly the same.”

Thinking of this, Wen Zhixia felt a tinge of regret. After the division into arts and sciences, she’d never again had a rival like Lin Mengqiu to challenge her for the top spot, nor had she been able to settle their contest once and for all.

Though they weren’t enemies, they understood each other well. Wen Zhixia was certain Lin Mengqiu had secretly tallied their nine-subject totals, just as she had.

Chen Shian ending up as Lin Mengqiu’s desk mate wasn’t surprising. What puzzled Wen Zhixia was that, knowing her as she did, she couldn’t quite believe what Chen Shian said about Lin Mengqiu being “warm-hearted” and tutoring him in math. What was Lin Mengqiu up to?

“What a pity,” Chen Shian sighed when he heard the outcome.

“What’s there to pity?”

“It’s a shame you don’t have to study all nine subjects now. If I’d been around, neither of you would have had to fight for first place.”

“Huh?” Wen Zhixia was taken aback, then she laughed. “You’re so cocky for someone with no foundation at all!”

“I’m learning, aren’t I? Are you done eating? Let’s go?”

“Yeah, let’s.”

Together they cleared their bowls and left the cafeteria.

They walked up the stairs together, and just as Chen Shian was about to enter Class Five, Wen Zhixia said suddenly,

“If you ever have trouble with math, you can ask me too. Or Chinese.”

“...”

“I’m off, bye!”

The girl bounded up the stairs.

Chen Shian stood there for a while.

Well, I suppose I’ll just have to study on my own...

If I really get stuck, I’ll ask Sister Wanyin for help...

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