I breathed a sigh of relief after jogging all the way to the designated exam room.

With less than thirty minutes left before the exam started, I took a breath and pulled out a composition book to casually flip through.

In fact, flipping through it was useless. I was well-acquainted with every exam at Mingli, and this one was no exception.

After all, in my previous life, I was a solid candidate for the top universities like 985. If I performed well, shooting for Tsinghua or Peking University wasn't entirely out of the question.

After reading half a page, my neck started to feel slightly sore. I lifted my head to stretch my neck, and unexpectedly, I saw Qi Mingxi.

He obviously saw me too, and a flash of disgust appeared on his chubby face.

Thankfully, after entering the exam room and sitting down, Qi Mingxi was seated half a classroom away from me.

However, the seat in front of me remained empty until fifteen minutes before the exam started when someone leisurely walked in from the hallway.

I looked up and saw that it was Su Yifan.

The teachers seemed to be accustomed to his behavior. The assistant proctor even joked, "This is a school-arranged exam, but let's see if you dare to be so nonchalant during the college entrance exam."

Su Yifan laughed and made a few witty remarks, even making the main proctor smirk. Only then did he turn around to find a seat.

I had kept my head down ever since he turned around, but the moment he sat down, he exaggeratedly exclaimed, "Oh, it's you, Qi An?"

...At this moment, I wished I could disappear from embarrassment.

I decided not to pay attention to Su Yifan. As the saying goes, if I'm not embarrassed, then the awkwardness falls on someone else.

But Su Yifan seemed determined to mess with me, saying, "Qi An, is it really you? Why are you ignoring me?" while trying to brush my bangs aside with his hand.

"Su Yifan." Finally, the two proctors on the podium reacted and immediately stopped his absurd behavior.

I thought Su Yifan would behave, but unexpectedly, he pretended to be embarrassed and smiled, "Sorry, teachers, I just got excited seeing an old friend."

The classroom erupted in good-natured laughter, but I was grinding my teeth in my mind.

Old friend? Have you ever met an old friend you just got to know for half an hour?

Fortunately, the exam papers were about to be distributed, so everyone was too busy to pay attention to anything else. I took a moment between receiving the papers to glance in Qi Mingxi's direction.

He was also looking my way, with a look of disgust on his face.

I gave him an indifferent smile and then lowered my head to start working on the questions.

My basic knowledge was still intact, and I hadn't missed any major points. Though the composition was quite standard, I managed to finish it just in the nick of time.

Putting down my pen, I loosened my wrist. It felt like it had been a long time since I'd experienced this feeling.

The sense of solidity and satisfaction at the end of writing, coupled with the underlying tension and nervousness, mingled with a subtle sense of anticipation. It turned out that tackling problems could bring me such joy.

In my previous life, studying felt more like a way to prove something to Qi Jun, as if I had to show something to Yu Wan and Qi Mingxi.

In this life, knowing that no one can be relied upon, it felt more like an investment in myself.

The familiar bell rang, and everyone put down their pens. At that moment, I truly felt that I had come back.