After I Cheated on the Heiress of a Powerful Family - Chapter 18
Chapter 18
To make sure she was fully ready for the exam the next day, Wen Yan took the last two days off and went home after working until midnight.
The first two years had been exhausting, with barely any time to rest. But Wen Yan had developed a solid habit—once she lay down, she’d fall asleep almost instantly, sleeping soundly until six in the morning.
She reviewed key points in her mind as she finished breakfast, then headed to school early.
The first test was Chinese, starting at eight sharp. Wen Yan had reviewed everything by herself before the exam began. She got to the classroom ahead of time, but around 7:40, just before heading to the exam room, she realized Xie Buyi still hadn’t shown up.
Had she overslept? Was she skipping the exam?
For anyone else, that would be unthinkable. But for someone like Xie Buyi? Maybe not so impossible.
Classroom 1 was the designated exam room, and almost three-quarters of the students inside were from their class. Wen Yan grabbed her exam supplies and found seat 16. Just to the left, in the same row, was seat 1.
Perfect—her and Xie Buyi’s spots.
As the warning bell rang and the invigilator started reading the exam rules, Xie Buyi quietly slipped in without hesitation and took her place at seat 1.
The invigilator had heard about Xie Buyi before and held a negative opinion of her. She didn’t call out or report her late arrival, but her sour expression said it all. She just continued reciting the rules with a scowl.
Xie Buyi sat down next to Wen Yan, took a pen from her pocket, and casually tossed it on the desk. Resting her chin on one hand, her eyes half-closed, she looked a bit sleepy.
Wen Yan glanced at the lone pen on the desk and raised an eyebrow.
During exams, you had to fill out answer sheets with special pens. Most students brought backups—extra pens, erasers, card markers. But Xie Buyi? Just a single pen. No eraser, no marker.
Such confidence—or arrogance!
During the morning’s Chinese and math tests, Wen Yan wanted to sneak peeks at Xie Buyi’s progress, but worried she’d see Xie already finished and feel discouraged. So she forced herself not to glance his way even once.
They had dinner together afterward, but Wen Yan never brought up the exam or tried to discuss answers. She simply avoided the topic completely.
Xie Buyi didn’t volunteer any information either.
Back in the classroom after lunch, Xie Buyi wasted no time playing on his phone while Wen Yan grabbed every free moment to review the afternoon’s subjects.
After the last exam that afternoon, Wen Yan checked over her paper twice before finally releasing a sigh of relief. She felt confident the test had gone well.
Whether her efforts would pay off depended on if everything was done correctly.
She glanced sideways to Xie Buyi, who had finished long ago and now rested his arms on the table, seemingly just watching her.
Wen Yan couldn’t help but be a little puzzled by his quiet attention.
His long lashes cast shadows over half-closed eyes like ink-stained petals. Dark hair fell softly over pale, flawless skin.
Even the fingers resting lightly against his cheek, poking out from the cuffs of his navy school uniform, looked like delicate porcelain sculptures.
A perfect statue.
Wen Yan silently admired him, unable to look away.
No matter how jealous she felt, beautiful people naturally attract your gaze.
The exam room was packed with top students. The invigilator barely paid attention—just sitting on the podium, occasionally glancing around. She watched Wen Yan and Xie silently but found nothing suspicious.
With the afternoon exam done, only two more remained the next morning. After dinner in the cafeteria, Wen Yan went back to the classroom, ready to dive into more review.
During exam periods, there were only two evening self-study sessions each night. To keep things simple, the students couldn’t change exam rooms. Those sitting in the last two rows paired off with good friends at their desks.
The class monitor took her usual spot on the podium, while the two students in the last row—excluding Xie Buyi, who had already picked a place—found their seats.
The room was filled with quiet reading and the soft rustle of pages turning. Wen Yan sat at her desk, going over review materials for several minutes before suddenly realizing she’d left Xie Buyi outside.
Quickly, she got up and stepped out into the hallway.
It was late October, almost November, and the chill in the night air was noticeable. Anyone not bundled up would quickly feel cold after standing near the corridor railing.
The dim hallway lights flickered faintly, and the wind sneaked through the rails, rattling uniform zippers and fluttering fabric.
Xie Buyi sat alone at a table, his back to the classroom and facing the railing. Wen Yan silently thought, “Has Miss Xie ever been wronged like this?”
Feeling a little guilty, she cleared her throat and asked, “Hey, don’t be shy—come sit with me.”
Xie Buyi stayed silent, cold-faced, perching on the table without moving.
After all, she had taken someone else’s spot and saved the desk.
Wen Yan rubbed her nose, half annoyed but mostly sincere. “Sorry, I totally forgot. It’s freezing out here—come inside and sit with me. Half the table’s yours.”
Thanks for ignoring me and not saying a word.
Wen Yan spoke with genuine warmth: “I know I messed up. I promise it won’t happen again. Please, forgive me this once and just sit with me, okay?”
She repeated all the sweet talk she could think of, but Xie remained unmoved.
Giving up on words, Wen Yan marched over, grabbed Xie Buyi’s arm with one hand, hoisted her stool with the other, and dragged her back inside. She plopped the stool down with a bang.
“Sit!”
No point being nice if it doesn’t work—time for some tough love.
Xie Buyi looked surprised by Wen Yan’s boldness. Her lips parted as if to say something, but Wen Yan pressed firmly on her shoulders and forced her down.
She handed Xie the review notes again. “Study!”
Her own study time was precious! Since Xie Buyi was her main competitor, she could be generous and share half the desk space, but still expected her to focus.
Students watching were stunned. None expected Wen Yan to dare talk back to Xie like this.
Under Xie’s icy gaze and the curious stares of nearby classmates, Wen Yan finally realized how audacious she’d been and felt a flush of guilt.
Luckily, Xie Buyi said nothing and quietly bent over the books.
Her silence left Wen Yan’s mind racing.
Was Xie Buyi just shy or timid? Or was there some deeper reason she tolerated Wen Yan’s brash behavior?
Between the two, the first seemed more likely.
After all, Xie Buyi had said she was sick earlier. Maybe this was part of it.
Could this count as a kind of illness?