Arc 2

The next day, the streets leading to the exam hall were filled with nobles, scholars, and commoners as they whispered to each other in anticipation.

Xi Ming leaned against the wall, watching as nobles and commoners gathered, forming cliques, exchanging their ideas on what they thought the question was going to be about. Their murmurs were filled with anxiety and excitement.

As Xi Ming's eyes scoured through the crowd lazily, waiting for the door to the hall to open, he noticed a familiar figure in the crowd. It was the noble boy from the previous day, the one who had watched him from the rooftop.

The boy, catching Xi Ming's lingering gaze, waved at him, his lips curling into a friendly smile.

Xi Ming turned his attention to the door of the hall, ignoring the boy.

The boy was not just some noble because what was he doing in the slums in the first place? Unless he was taking a step like him, which was very unlikely.