Chapter 10: 3e exam

Bai Ci didn’t sleep well, sporting two dark circles under her eyes, zoning out in the classroom.

She was wondering why Lu Mingfei hid his strength—or why he lied to her.

“Sorry, sorry, I don’t know how I ended up blasting your boyfriend yesterday.”

Lu Mingfei apologized to Nono in a panic, but Bai Ci thought he sounded like he was bragging, which pissed her off.

Professor Manstein appeared, giving Lu Mingfei a cold glance before checking his watch. “Everyone’s here. Now, exam rules!”

“Cheating is strictly forbidden. Violators lose all privileges. Don’t try peeking at others’ papers—cameras cover every inch of this room. No blind spots. Don’t bring electronic devices either; radio waves are monitored. I know you’re all geniuses, but let me tell you, even greater geniuses have taken this exam here. Every cheating trick you can think of has been tried…” Manstein’s voice rose and fell, commanding authority.

Bai Ci’s nameplate was simple—just her name. She couldn’t figure out why an American college used Chinese everywhere.

Bored, she scanned the room. Students from all over—different skin tones, different faces, all in Cassel uniforms. Maybe it was the dragon blood, but hardly anyone was unattractive. Still, she couldn’t appreciate the darker-skinned ones—at night, you’d only see their teeth.

“Alright, everyone, this isn’t social hour. Fail the 3E exam, and you won’t need to build connections here,” Manstein cut off a student named Qilan. “Before we start, turn off your phones and place them with your student ID at the edge of your desk.”

Bai Ci casually powered off her Nokia. Her roommate slid an expensive Vertu phone to the desk’s edge. No lie, Bai Ci was jealous—that phone cost tens of thousands. She’d probably never own one.

Nono came by, handing out exam papers. Bai Ci looked at hers—completely blank, just white paper.

“No need to question it. The paper’s fine. I’ll be outside if you have questions. Discussion’s allowed, as long as you don’t copy,” Manstein said. “Good luck.”

Then the sound system blared Michael Jackson’s Beat It.

As Bai Ci puzzled over it, the scene before her changed…

A monkey-like baby, skin dry, eyes barely open, ugly as hell. Then it grew, from a swaddled infant to a toddling child, pushed along by a plain woman teaching it to talk and walk…

Bai Ci realized… it was her… the her after coming to this world.

The child grew older, better-looking, held by a man and woman, blankly chewing candied hawthorn. By elementary school age, the couple vanished in an accident. She became an orphan. Relatives from nowhere swooped in, taking everything, leaving her only daily necessities. Suddenly, she was alone.

Her clothes were the cheapest, patched up. Her food was basic, never filling. In the city, kids like her were “freaks”—bullied, isolated.

But Bai Ci was stubborn. You hit me, I hit back. Why take it lying down? She got pinned to the ground, head stomped, called a “parentless bastard.” Soon, no one in class bothered with her.

One unremarkable evening, a huge rain fell. Bai Ci stood under an awning, watching the sky. Colorful umbrellas dotted the street, a few figures running through the downpour. Splashing water soaked her pant legs and sleeves. The wind tousled her messy bangs. People passed, arm in arm, leaning on each other, countless faces brushing by…

Then the rain stopped. She walked into the internet café and met Lu Mingfei. He was a total loser, like a stray dog, eyes full of endless worries. Stare too long, and you’d drown in them.

But that guy became her friend.

“Play a round of StarCraft with me!”

“Chen Wenwen’s going shopping with me today!”

“You’re actually good at Red Alert!”

“Here’s your Nutrition Express.”

“I’m at Cassel College too.”

Lu Mingfei was such an idiot, but seeing him always made her want to laugh.

She didn’t know why, in the middle of an exam, she was thinking of him.

In a daze, she finished the questions.

Standing, she saw Lu Mingfei slumped over his desk, sleeping like a dead dog.

Bai Ci walked over quietly, watched him for a bit, snapped a photo with her phone, and left the classroom.

Outside, she showed the photo to Manstein to clear any cheating suspicions, then sat in the library, waiting for him to wake up.

She looked at the picture of him sleeping. For some reason, she thought he looked… kinda cute.

“Junior sister, you’re smiling…” A cheerful voice broke in.

Bai Ci looked up at the red-haired girl across from her.

“No, I’m not, Senior Sister Chen Motong.”

“You totally were…” Nono muttered. “But you look pretty when you smile.”

“I wasn’t smiling,” Bai Ci said, staring at her.

“Fine, fine, you weren’t,” Nono said, exasperated. She didn’t want to argue with her cute junior sister. She glanced at a photo she’d just sneakily taken on her phone.

Yup, definitely smiling… and looking happy.

“Hey, junior sister…” Nono poked her arm.

“Hm?” Bai Ci turned.

“You like Lu Mingfei, don’t you?”

“No. Nope.”

“Really?” Nono grinned, gossip-mode activated.

“Just normal friend feelings.”

Come on, what “normal friend” stares at a photo and smiles like that?

Nono thought to herself.

“I’m leaving.”

“Not waiting for Lu Mingfei?”

“Nope.”