39: Chapter 39 Girlfriend

After the grades were announced, Zhao Fang adjusted the seating arrangements immediately.

Lin Xi's seat remained unchanged, and Chen Fan became Lin Xi's deskmate.

Meanwhile, Lin Xi's original deskmate moved to another spot with a resentful look on their face.

"... You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Chen Fan turned his head to look at her.

"What do you mean on purpose?"

Lin Xi pursed her lips. "Picking me to be your deskmate."

"Do you know?" Chen Fan stared at Lin Xi, speaking with a serious face. "I have a condition."

"What condition? Is it serious?" A look of worry appeared on Lin Xi's face.

"Fear of unfamiliar environments~"

Lin Xi blinked, not reacting for a moment.

"It means that after arriving in an unfamiliar environment, I become timid and afraid to speak, and I can only seek out the person I am most familiar with, and you are the person I am most familiar with."

Lin Xi stared at him for two seconds.

Then she reached out and slapped his arm.

"You're lying! There's no such thing as that condition."

Chen Fan didn't dodge, and laughed out loud.

"It's true." Chen Fan rubbed his arm, looking innocent. "As soon as I sat next to you, I felt much better."

Lin Xi felt uncomfortable under his gaze, shifted her eyes away, and muttered softly, "Slick-tongued..."

Ever since they became deskmates, Lin Xi realized the benefits of having Chen Fan as a deskmate.

Chen Fan knew how to do almost every problem.

Whenever she had a problem she couldn't solve, she would ask Chen Fan, and he would always know how to do it and explain it very clearly.

She also discovered that sometimes after Chen Fan explained a problem to her, she would inexplicably feel happy for the whole day. Sometimes, when he spoke a few more words to other girls, she would feel a bit unhappy.

Just like that, time flew by.

Soon, it was the end of April, and the second mock exam arrived.

This time, Chen Fan was still first with a total score of 690, 40 points higher than second place.

Lin Xi's score was 594, which was more than ten points higher than last time.

On the way home from school, the two walked side by side.

The setting sun cast long shadows, and occasionally, bicycles would ride past them, causing Chen Fan to step aside.

After walking half a street, Lin Xi suddenly asked, "Have you decided which university you want to go to?"

Chen Fan turned his head to look at her.

Lin Xi didn't look up, staring at the road beneath her feet, her tone unreadable.

"Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"

"Just... asking casually." Lin Xi paused. "You did so well on the first and second mock exams; Tsinghua University and Peking University shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Chen Fan thought for a moment. "Should be."

Lin Xi let out an "Oh" and didn't speak again.

After walking a bit further, she asked softly, "Then which one do you want to go to? Peking University or Tsinghua University?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"Oh."

Another silence followed.

Chen Fan looked down at her.

Lin Xi stared at the road surface, her eyelashes cast downward, making her expression unreadable.

He suddenly smiled.

"What about you?" he asked.

Lin Xi was stunned for a moment. "What?"

"Which one do you want to go to?"

"I'm planning to apply to Changan University of Science and Technology."

Changan University is a 211 project university located in Xian, and its cutoff score is not low.

He remembered that the admission cutoff for science students in Shaanxi for Changan University last year was over 580; with Lin Xi's current score, it should be very stable.

"That's pretty good," he said. "With this score, Changan University shouldn't be a problem."

Lin Xi let out an "Mm," paused, and suddenly looked up at him. "With your score, applying to Peking University or Tsinghua University shouldn't be a problem."

Chen Fan shook his head, his tone flat but firm. "I don't plan on applying to Peking University or Tsinghua University."

A flash of surprise crossed Lin Xi's eyes, and she instinctively asked, "Then which school do you plan to apply to?"

Seeing the surprise in her eyes, Chen Fan secretly curled the corners of his mouth into a faint smile, softening his tone. "Definitely a school in Xian. As for which one, I haven't really decided yet."

As for Peking University or Tsinghua University, Chen Fan had absolutely no interest; his choice from the beginning had been a school in Xian.

Although compared to the capital, Xian is far behind in every aspect.

But having lived in Xian for over a decade in his past life, he was already used to the life there.

As a native of the Qin region, no matter how good it is outside, as long as one's home isn't too bad, one still prefers living in their hometown.

Lin Xi was stunned, the surprise in her eyes not yet faded, and then a subtle, imperceptible glimmer emerged, even her fingers clutching the corner of her shirt slowly loosened. She blinked and asked softly, "A school in Xian? Why not choose Peking University or Tsinghua University? Those are places many people dream of."

"Xian is also quite good. Jiao Tong University and Northwestern Polytechnical University are also quite good."

Lin Xi opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but swallowed it back.

After a few seconds, she let out an "Oh."

Her voice was very soft, but the tail end of the sound rose slightly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Lin Xi shifted her gaze away and continued walking forward. "Just... it's pretty good."

Where Chen Fan couldn't see, the corners of her mouth curled up.

With the end of the second mock exam, the third mock exam followed a month later.

This time, Chen Fan's grades remained stable, with a total score of 699, ranking first in the entire grade.

Lin Xi's score also improved, with a total score of 608, ranking 11th in the entire grade.

After the results of the three mock exams came out, Chen Fan was already a well-known student in the entire grade.

Everyone knew there was a powerhouse who had worked his way up from a regular class to first place in the experimental class.

During breaks, students from other classes would deliberately walk past and peek inside, wanting to see what the one who "slaughtered his way out of a regular class" looked like.

Even after seeing that Chen Fan was tall and handsome, there was a rather cute-looking girl who came to the classroom to give Chen Fan a love letter.

Chen Fan, who had never received a love letter before, originally wanted to accept it to see what it looked like, but seeing Lin Xi beside him looking unhappy, he politely declined.

—— It was mainly because this girl's appearance was far inferior to Lin Xi's, and one shouldn't lose the watermelon while picking up the sesame seeds.

Lin Xi was beside him, head down reading a book, but her ears were perked up.

After the person left, she whispered, "Why didn't you accept it?"

Chen Fan turned his head to look at her. "Do you want me to accept it?"

"What does that have to do with me?" Lin Xi turned a page of her book, her voice even softer.

Chen Fan smiled and didn't speak.

After school, Chen Fan and Lin Xi were walking on the road.

The setting sun cast long shadows, and the two walked side by side, neither speaking.

After walking half a street, Lin Xi suddenly asked, "The girl who gave you a love letter today was quite pretty."

Chen Fan glanced at her. "Didn't notice~"

"But I saw that you wanted to accept it."

"It's mainly because nobody had ever given me a love letter before, so I was a bit curious." Chen Fan paused and turned his head to look at her. "But didn't I not accept it in the end?"

Lin Xi pursed her lips and didn't speak.

After walking a bit further, Chen Fan suddenly stopped.

Lin Xi stopped as well and turned to look at him. "What's wrong?"

Chen Fan stared at her for two seconds and suddenly spoke. "Lin Xi."

"What?"

"You said high school graduation is coming up soon, and we're both still single, how about—"

Chen Fan pretended to be serious, staring into Lin Xi's eyes.

Lin Xi was stunned, and her face turned red instantly.

Chen Fan watched her flushed earlobes, the corners of his mouth slowly curling up, his tone suddenly becoming lighthearted. "I'm teasing you; you didn't take it seriously, did you?"

"I'm willing."

Chen Fan's smile froze on his face.

Lin Xi raised her head, looking straight into his eyes, her face still red, but her voice was clear and distinct, without a single word of ambiguity. "I said I'm willing."

The air was quiet for two seconds.

Chen Fan opened his mouth, his tongue feeling like it was tied in a knot.

He had only intended to tease her.

He didn't expect her to agree directly.

This progress is a bit wrong.

"You're not joking, are you?"

"Hmph." Lin Xi turned her face away.

"Then I'll take it seriously," he said.

Lin Xi didn't speak, nor did she refuse.

An excited expression appeared on Chen Fan's face, and amidst Lin Xi's exclamation, he swept her up into his arms.

Lin Xi was lifted into the air, instinctively grabbing his clothes. "Chen Fan!"

Chen Fan spun around once while holding her, before finally putting her down.

After landing, Lin Xi took a step back, glaring at him, her breathing not yet calmed down.

Chen Fan looked at her, grinning.

"What are you smiling at!" Lin Xi slapped him again.

"I'm happy."

Lin Xi was stunned for a moment, then shifted her gaze away, muttering softly, "Fool..."