Mark Me, Okay? - Chapter 26

The school administrators had vaguely heard about the bet between the class monitors of Class 4 and Class 7.

Although they disapproved of Class 7 monitor Wu Zhi’s inappropriate actions, seeing the unprecedented academic drive in both classes (especially Class 4), the school leadership decided, for fairness’ sake, to deliberately assign the homeroom teachers of Class 3 and Class 7 to invigilate one exam hall, while the homeroom teachers of Class 4 and Class 8 would oversee another.

The homeroom teachers of Class 3 and Class 7 were assigned to Qi Xiangxing’s exam hall, while those of Class 4 and Class 8 were assigned to Wu Zhi’s.

Qi Xiangxing hadn’t performed well in the last exam, so her seat number placed her in a hall adjacent to Wu Zhi’s.

“Teacher Liu,” Yue Qiu greeted the homeroom teacher of Class 8.

The latter, while organizing exam materials, sighed helplessly:

“Wu Zhi from Class 7 is really stirring up trouble!” Liu Baoshan couldn’t hide his frustration. Originally, this was just a routine midterm exam—even if it was a city-wide joint test, there was no need for such tension. But Wu Zhi had to go and make waves, provoking Qi Xiangxing. Now, with the school leadership involved, the invigilation had become stricter.

“Normally, we wouldn’t even need signal jammers!” Liu Baoshan pulled a signal jammer out of a box, along with a black metal detector, and said with a pained expression, “Look at this—now they’re tightening the rules on us invigilators.”

Yue Qiu was used to his chatterbox tendencies, but with students still waiting outside to enter, she indulged him for a bit, hoping to glean some information about Class 7.

“Exactly!” Yue Qiu sighed along. If not for Wu Zhi, she would’ve been invigilating with Qin Qing as originally planned—how wonderful would that have been!

As they chatted, Yue Qiu’s gaze involuntarily drifted toward Qin Qing in the classroom across the way. Though their exam halls were close in sequence, Yue Qiu’s was around a corner, directly facing Qin Qing’s.

“Teacher Qin,” Cao Nannan greeted Qin Qing, holding exam papers.

Qin Qing, dressed in casual wear, leaned lazily against the podium. Seeing Cao Nannan enter, she gave a slight nod, her greeting neither warm nor cold.

“Teacher Cao.”

Cao Nannan’s expression suddenly turned complicated. She pressed her lips together, staring at Qin Qing’s delicate profile, hesitating as if she wanted to say something but ultimately held back.

“Students can enter in five minutes,” Cao Nannan said, grasping for conversation.

Only then did Qin Qing finally turn to look at her, her eyes drifting to the exam papers in Cao Nannan’s hands before she nodded indifferently, her usual smile absent even from the corners of her eyes.

“Attention, all examinees. Attention, all examinees.” The school broadcast crackled to life. “Entry will begin in three minutes. Please wait outside your exam halls for your invigilators. Please wait outside your exam halls for your invigilators.”

The announcement repeated twice. Qi Xiangxing nervously flipped through the classical poetry in her hands.

“Don’t be nervous,” Luan Li whispered beside her. She should’ve been in the first exam hall on the first floor—there was no reason for her to be in this remote corner. Yet here she was.

Not only had she come, but she’d also force-fed a mouthful of “dog food” to the classmates waiting outside.

The students outside the exam hall wore complicated expressions: this dose of public affection had caught them completely off guard.

Qi Xiangxing nervously repeated her words: “Mhm, not nervous.” Though she said she wasn’t nervous, her hands were still trembling slightly.

Luan Li gently stroked her head—the little tyrant’s hair was particularly soft today, but her warm body shivered from excessive tension.

After glancing at the bustling crowd around them, Luan Li pressed her lips together, made up her mind, and pulled Qi Xiangxing toward the stairwell corner.

In the deserted stairwell, Qi Xiangxing’s palms were sweaty. Clutching her poetry booklet, she looked at Luan Li with visible tension, even guiltily glancing around to see if anyone had noticed them.

Luan Li tugged at her collar, pulling her close until they were mere inches apart—just a fist’s distance between them.

“Luan Li!” Qi Xiangxing panicked, flustered to the point of not knowing where to place her hands.

Yet Luan Li’s gaze was unusually steady—so steady that Qi Xiangxing’s racing heartbeat gradually calmed.

“Exam entry begins now, exam entry begins now.”

“All students, please place unrelated items on the tables outside the classroom. All students, please place unrelated items on the tables outside the classroom.”

“We have to enter the exam hall!”

The repeated announcements rang in Qi Xiangxing’s ears like urgent warnings. Though she said this, her body remained frozen in place.

Luan Li’s breath brushed against her face, carrying the distinct scent of her pheromones—sweet rum that made Qi Xiangxing’s limbs go weak.

At this distance, she could even see her own reflection in Luan Li’s pupils.

But Luan Li said nothing.

Just as Qi Xiangxing steeled herself to push her away, Luan Li suddenly kissed her. Unlike their usual passionate exchanges, this kiss was tender—her tongue gently soothing and caressing Qi Xiangxing’s lips.

“It’s time. Go to the exam hall.” Luan Li’s thumb lightly wiped away the silvery strand from Qi Xiangxing’s lips.

Thus, invigilator Qin Qing spotted a dazed and flushed Qi Xiangxing at the end of the student line.

Qin Qing: ? Did this kid go running laps right before the exam?

Qi Xiangxing: whimper Lili is so mean! Doing such things to me in an empty stairwell… What if someone had seen us?

When the line finally reached its end, Qi Xiangxing stood before Qin Qing.

Qin Qing gave her a peculiar look—the girl’s face was radiant, without a trace of sweat. This didn’t look like someone who’d just been running.

So—who else could have reduced Qi Xiangxing to this state besides Luan Li?

Qin Qing felt an inexplicable emotion, like watching her own two youngsters dating. It was… complicated, yet she couldn’t help feeling happy for them.

“Teacher Qin.” Qi Xiangxing greeted her with a bright smile.

Qin Qing nodded, a rare smile appearing in her eyes that morning. After scanning Qi Xiangxing with the metal detector, she motioned her inside: “Alright, focus on your exam. Don’t be nervous.”

Qi Xiangxing nodded vigorously.

The moment she entered, she met Cao Nannan’s murderous glare.

Qi Xiangxing: ??? Does this person want to kill me?

Without a word, she took her seat.

After all exam halls were checked, fifteen minutes remained before the test began.

“Students from examination rooms 19 and 20, please exit again. There will be a second pre-exam inspection.”

Qin Qing raised an eyebrow slightly, displeased with the school administrators’ decision—they were already in the exam hall, all checks had been completed, and now this last-minute disruption just as the exam was about to begin?

She looked up in irritation but unexpectedly spotted several administrators outside the window.

Qin Qing: …Fine, inspect away.

There were six administrators in total—three stationed at Qin Qing’s exam hall entrance and three at Yue Qiu’s. Faced with this show of force, even the initially resentful Yue Qiu had no choice but to prepare for another round of inspections.

“Which teacher conducted the previous inspection?”

Qin Qing pointed to Cao Nannan.

Yue Qiu pointed to Liu Baoshan.

“Good, now another teacher will conduct the inspection.”

While Qi Xiangxing’s exam hall proceeded without incident, Yue Qiu’s encountered some trouble.

“What’s this?” Yue Qiu frowned when the metal detector beeped near Wu Zhi’s calf as he deliberately stood at the end of the line.

Wu Zhi had strategically positioned himself last, assuming any teacher would grow impatient and perform only a cursory check by that point.

But he hadn’t anticipated the administrators would conduct random rechecks—nor that three of them would now be staring him down, waiting for an explanation.

“Steel plate,” Wu Zhi answered, his face pale but his voice forced steady.

Yue Qiu arched an eyebrow, repeating with amusement, “Steel plate?”

Before Yue Qiu could say more, one of the quick-tempered administrators yanked up Wu Zhi’s pant leg.

Three administrators and Yue Qiu stood frozen, staring at the black phone strapped to Wu Zhi’s calf.

Yue Qiu: …Pfft.

Liu Baoshan, who peeked over at the commotion: !!!

What the hell?

You told me you weren’t carrying prohibited items during my inspection—were you messing with me?

“Remove it yourself,” Director Wen ordered sternly.

Wu Zhi’s expression shifted several times before he bent down, removed the phone, and handed it over.

Just as Director Wen was about to declare Wu Zhi disqualified, Director Zhao intervened. “Confiscated. Go take your exam.”

Wu Zhi nodded dumbly and walked in.

Yue Qiu: …Pfft, honestly hilarious.

“Resume the exam,” Director Zhao nodded to Yue Qiu. “Keep an eye on him.”

As Yue Qiu reentered, the three administrators murmured by the back door: “What’s with that student? Didn’t we announce signal jammers would be active? What’s the point of bringing a phone?”

“Ah, each new batch of students gets worse than the last.”

Wu Zhi, seated near the door and overhearing their complaints: …

Damn.

The first exam was Chinese. While invigilating, Cao Nannan kept drifting near Qi Xiangxing’s desk to observe her answers. Her high heels clicked annoyingly, disturbing many students.

Qi Xiangxing remained unaffected—

Thanks to her regular anti-distraction training, especially after getting together with Luan Li.

Well, Luan Li was far more tempting than clicking high heels, wasn’t she?

Qi Xiangxing’s expression stayed perfectly calm.

Qin Qing couldn’t take it anymore. She stood up, walked over to Cao Nannan, and said in a lowered voice, “Teacher Cao, if there’s no issue, please take your seat and stop disturbing the examinees.”

Was Cao Nannan doing this on purpose?

Qin Qing frowned. Why would a teacher pick on a student like this?

Cao Nannan had nothing to say. After all, she had personally inspected Qi Xiangxing under the watchful eyes of school administrators earlier—not only was there no phone, but Qi hadn’t even worn a watch and had even turned out all her pockets for inspection.

Under the school administrators’ gazes, Cao Nannan could only wave her hand and let Qi enter.

She knew better than anyone that Qi Xiangxing wasn’t cheating.

But Cao Nannan just felt unbearably frustrated.