Chapter 116 Mysterious Confidence

At the dining table:

Ning Xi turned her head, staring intently at Ye Fan. She didn't say anything, just kept staring.

Ye Fan, on the other hand, maintained a calm expression as he used his chopsticks to place meat onto Ning Xi's plate, his actions natural and unhurried.

Across from them:

Luo Yumeng and Su Ke exchanged a silent glance, sensing something unusual in the air.

There was definitely some kind of romance going on!

Immediately, their gossip instincts were ignited.

Su Ke subtly winked at Luo Yumeng.

Catching the hint, Luo Yumeng raised her hand and waved it in front of Ning Xi's face, teasing, "Xiao Xi, I admit Ye Fan is handsome, very handsome; but you're not bad-looking yourself. Pay attention to your goddess image—don't look so infatuated, okay?"

"Get lost!"

Ning Xi's cheeks flushed red as she kicked Luo Yumeng under the table, indignantly saying, "I'm just curious how someone could have such thick skin!"

"Eat your food."

Ye Fan chuckled and pushed the plate back in front of Ning Xi.

"…"

"Wow~"

Upon hearing this, Luo Yumeng turned her head and exchanged a look with Su Ke, whispering, "What's going on here?"

Su Ke shook her head and spoke softly, "Xiao Xi, how did you do on this mock exam?"

"Not bad."

Ning Xi suppressed the helplessness in her heart and answered, her gaze shifting to Luo Yumeng, "How about you?"

Luo Yumeng opened her mouth, her expression turning pitiful, "It was clearly Ke Ke who asked about your score, not me. Why are you asking me instead of her?"

"Does Ke Ke's score even need to be worried about?"

Ning Xi propped her chin up with one hand, a faint smile on her face. "Come on, tell me, how many points did you get?"

"583."

The complaint on Luo Yumeng's face disappeared, replaced by pride. "I ranked 1,694 in the city. Isn't that impressive?"

This was her highest score since her third year of high school, of course, thanks to the hard work she put in during this time.

After all, students attending Zhenhua High School were not lacking in foundation.

With the college entrance exam approaching, even someone as carefree as Luo Yumeng started to feel a sense of urgency. Plus, Su Ke had been supervising her daily, leaving her with no choice but to study, which led to this achievement.

Ning Xi showed a hint of surprise, "That's quite high."

"Of course!"

Luo Yumeng pinched her thumb and index finger together, gesturing, "Just a little bit of effort, and I got such a good score. Sigh, I must really be a genius. If I try a bit harder, I might even surpass you soon."

Su Ke facepalmed.

Truly… inexplicable confidence!

Ning Xi covered her mouth, giggling non-stop. "Good luck, I look forward to being surpassed by you."

Ye Fan, who was eating, glanced at Luo Yumeng and said with a slight smile, "Xiao Xi scored 739 this time, ranking second in the city. Are you sure you can surpass her?"

Luo Yumeng: …

Could you be any more ruthless? Can't you just let me be proud for a moment?

Even just a few minutes would do!

Ning Xi poked Ye Fan with her left hand, whispering, "Yumeng did so well this time, you should give her some encouragement, not discourage her."

"I didn't mean to discourage her."

Ye Fan put down his chopsticks and said with a smile, "Just trying to keep her grounded. Blind confidence can easily lead to arrogance."

Ning Xi thought for a moment and oddly found that it made sense, so she didn't say anything more.

However, Luo Yumeng couldn't take it anymore. She glared at Ye Fan, her whole demeanor screaming defiance.

"Which of your eyes saw me being arrogant?"

"Both eyes."

"…"

Luo Yumeng seemed to feel at a loss for words and immediately turned to Su Ke for help.

"Ke Ke, be the judge here. Was I being arrogant just now?"

This time, Su Ke felt stuck.

Should she be honest or not?

She hesitated for a moment and then chose a middle ground, answering softly, "Just… a tiny bit."

"…"

Luo Yumeng instantly felt defeated.

Great.

I can't keep up with this!

Seeing the situation, Su Ke quickly changed the subject, "Ye Fan, how did you do on this test?"

After asking, she immediately felt it was unnecessary.

Ye Fan hadn't taken the Chinese exam, so even if his scores were good, how good could they be?

Luo Yumeng thought of this too, and the frustration in her heart disappeared, taunting, "Ye, the academic star, how many points did you get this time? Surely you didn't score higher than me, the mediocre student, did you?"

"Not exactly."

Ye Fan shook his head, glancing briefly at Luo Yumeng. He replied casually, "I scored 600, just a little higher than you."

"…"

Luo Yumeng's mouth twitched slightly, and her face was filled with despair.

600?

Ye Fan hadn't taken the Chinese exam, which meant the total score was 600. In other words, he didn't lose a single point…

Oh my—

Why did she have to meet such a monster? Could it be because she was too pretty and even the heavens couldn't stand it anymore?

Yes, that must be it!

Luo Yumeng comforted herself in her heart, then picked up her chopsticks and quietly ate her meal.

Ning Xi's eyes curved into a smile, her dimples appearing. But when she noticed the heap of braised pork in her plate, she gave Ye Fan a resentful look.

So much…

Is he trying to fatten me up?

No way!

I'm not a pig; he's the pig!!!

…

After school in the afternoon:

Ye Fan and Ning Xi walked side by side out of the school gate. They walked slowly, their shadows stretching long in the setting sun.

Entering the alley:

Ye Fan turned his head to look at the girl beside him. He raised his right hand and took the earbud out of her left ear, placing it in his own ear to listen to the melody inside, his eyes filled with warmth.

"You…"

Ning Xi stopped, hands on her hips. "Did I say you could listen? You didn't even ask…"

"Can I listen?" Ye Fan asked with a mischievous smile.

"…"

Ning Xi stomped her foot, glared at Ye Fan, and walked further into the alley.

Ye Fan followed, his smile growing wider.

This girl was gradually getting used to some of his actions.

Not bad~

In the living room:

Ning Xiangtian and Lan Xi sat on the sofa, their expressions varied.

Lan Xi's face was full of helplessness. She poured her husband a cup of water and spoke slowly, "Do we really have to do this?"

"Absolutely!"

Ning Xiangtian's face was firm as he said seriously, "Honey, I didn't object to you finding a tutor for Xiao Xi; even if the tutor is one of her classmates, I went along with it. But if Xiao Xi's scores still don't improve after getting a tutor, then what's the point of having one?"

Hearing this, Lan Xi massaged her temples, feeling a headache coming on. "Xiao Xi usually scores around 710, but the usual test papers are simpler. The mock exam was harder…"

"I don't care about that!"

Ning Xiangtian interrupted with a wave of his hand, "Let's do it my way. If Xiao Xi scores above 710 in this mock exam, I won't oppose Ye Fan tutoring her. But if her score is below 710, then that boy has to go!"

"Don't bother trying to persuade me, it won't work!"

Lan Xi, who was about to speak, sighed inwardly at his words and remained silent.

Time ticked by.

When Ning Xi appeared at the entrance of the living room, both parents perked up.

Seeing her parents, Ning Xi was surprised. She walked over to the sofa, blinking her eyes, "Dad, Mom, what are you doing sitting here?"

Lan Xi was just about to respond when her husband spoke first.

Ning Xiangtian beckoned to his daughter with a kind smile, "Xiao Xi, how did you do on the mock exam?"

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