A Classroom of Stares and Secret Notes

At seven in the morning, Lin Ling, having finished breakfast, walked along the school path as usual. As he walked, a strange sensation crept over him. A chill ran down his spine, as if a pair of eyes were fixed intently upon him.

Rounding a corner, Lin Ling abruptly turned his head, but saw nothing amiss.

“Strange,” he muttered to himself. “Was it just my imagination?”

As he mumbled, Lin Ling instinctively tightened his grip on the jade pendant hanging at his chest.

Behind him, a silver-haired girl gazed obsessively at the photos on her camera, a pathological smile never fading from her lips.

“Lin Ling… I like him so much…”

****

Upon entering the classroom, Lin Ling immediately slumped onto his desk after reaching his seat. He paid no mind to the surrounding chatter, remaining sprawled out, feigning sleep.

As his mind grew hazy, Lin Ling felt a subtle stir behind him. He didn’t need to guess; Chen Sishi had arrived.

The silver-haired girl sat primly in her seat, her legs gracefully pressed together and resting against the side of her desk.

On the surface, Chen Sishi appeared to be reading, but in reality, she was ravenously inhaling the air around Lin Ling. The scent of his exhaled breath alone was enough to fill her with utter bliss.

Lin Ling, still slumped forward, dared not move. While he couldn’t discern Chen Sishi’s exact thoughts, the increasingly heavy breathing behind him was perfectly clear. He suspected she was having one of her ‘episodes’ again.

*Knock, knock, knock.*

The tapping on his desk made Lin Ling instinctively look up. Within his sight, he saw Qin Ruoxue’s breathtakingly beautiful face. Before Lin Ling could utter a word, Qin Ruoxue imperiously extended a hand, her voice chillingly calm.

“Homework. Hand it over for inspection.”

After locating the previous day’s assignment and handing it to Qin Ruoxue, Lin Ling slumped back down, intending to rest a little more.

The moment he stirred, an arm swiftly blocked his path.

“Lin Ling, there’s an issue with this problem you’ve done. The correct approach should be this way.”

This particular subject leaned towards the humanities, and for an outsider like Lin Ling, the questions might as well have been hieroglyphics. Unable to understand them himself, Lin Ling could only listen as Class President Qin meticulously explained each problem.

Chen Sishi, who had been lost in her own fantasies, subtly furrowed her delicate brows upon seeing Qin Ruoxue near Lin Ling.

“What… are you two doing?”

Hearing the familiar voice, both of them simultaneously looked back. Seeing Chen Sishi, Lin Ling flinched, pulling his neck back, and quickly turned away, pretending nothing had happened.

Qin Ruoxue, however, merely cast a cold glance at Chen Sishi, said nothing, and resumed explaining the problem to Lin Ling with her head down.

Thankfully, the two didn’t escalate into a conflict. If they had started fighting right then, the classroom would have been in utter chaos.

*Ding-a-ling-ling~*

The familiar sound of the class bell rang out. Qin Ruoxue instinctively glanced at the wall clock before bidding Lin Ling farewell and returning to her own seat.

The clamor in the classroom gradually subsided as the teacher, holding a textbook, slowly approached the podium and began today’s lesson.

The first class this morning leaned towards the sciences, and Lin Ling listened with keen attention.

He found these subjects relatively easy to grasp. After all, the teaching methods in this world were considerably simpler compared to the high-intensity, high-pressure studies he’d experienced before his transmigration. Lin Ling handled it with ease.

After covering the key concepts, it was time for practice problems. Having mastered the fundamental knowledge, Lin Ling solved the questions swiftly, completing them in just a short while.

Feeling a touch of boredom, he glanced at the wall clock, watching time tick by, second by second.

Qin Ruoxue, who had just finished her own problems, looked up and caught sight of Lin Ling staring blankly at the clock. Her delicate brows furrowed involuntarily.

When the teacher wasn’t looking, Qin Ruoxue quickly tore off a piece of white paper and scribbled a sentence on it.

[What are you spacing out for? Are you done with the problems?]

Lin Ling, still fixated on the wall clock, felt something lightly hit his head. He looked down to see a small paper ball resting on his desk.

Lin Ling looked around in confusion, his gaze meeting a pair of sparkling golden eyes. Qin Ruoxue rolled her eyes, then gestured for Lin Ling to quickly open the paper ball and read it.

‘Who would have thought that the esteemed Class President Qin would also pass notes during class?’ Opening the crumpled paper, Lin Ling scanned the handwriting and found himself amused.

[Class President Qin, I’ve already finished. No need for you to worry.]

Upon receiving the note and reading its contents, Qin Ruoxue’s brows furrowed even deeper. She had assumed Lin Ling was either unwilling or unable to solve the problems, hence his daze.

Lin Ling’s reply, however, left Qin Ruoxue somewhat bewildered. She re-examined the words on the note, and confirming she hadn’t misread, she then wrote back.

[You’re not trying to fool me, are you?]

Seeing her response, Lin Ling couldn’t help but smile wryly. The original protagonist’s grades were merely average in this class, a level that would have been considered abysmal in Lin Ling’s previous world.

Previously, Lin Ling had made mistakes because he hadn’t grasped the fundamental concepts of this world. Now that he understood them, solving these problems with his adult intellect of over twenty years was practically effortless.

Stroking his chin, Lin Ling pondered for a long moment before slowly writing on the paper.

[Would you believe me if I said I suddenly understood?]

Reading the words on the note, Qin Ruoxue felt a surge of annoyance. ‘This guy must be stuck on the problems, and now he’s just slacking off in class.’

Their eyes met, and Lin Ling distinctly felt the anger radiating from her golden gaze. He found it rather amusing.

[For the multiple-choice questions: number one A, number two A, number three B, number four D, number five C. Class President Qin, do you see any issues with my answers?]

Upon seeing the answers Lin Ling had written, Qin Ruoxue felt a slight shock. Lin Ling’s answers perfectly matched her own.

[You must have copied the answers!]

There was no helping it; people only believed what they wanted to believe. Lin Ling could only write down his entire thought process. Fortunately, this was a science-oriented subject, making it relatively straightforward for him to explain.

When Qin Ruoxue saw Lin Ling’s detailed solution, she finally fell silent. A smile inadvertently bloomed on Lin Ling’s lips as he witnessed the look of astonishment on her face.

But just then, the familiar scent of shampoo wafted towards Lin Ling.

“Lin Ling, you’re smiling so happily. Is there something joyful happening?”

Stiffly, Lin Ling turned his head. He saw a face adorned with a smile, yet radiating an undeniable chill. Her expression was sweet, her voice warm, but Lin Ling felt an immense pressure.

“Ah, haha, it’s nothing. You’re overthinking it.”

“Oh?”

Chen Sishi tilted her head, resembling the tabby cat at home. Lin Ling could only nod stiffly, instinctively reaching out to pat her head. But just as his palm rose midway, he abruptly pulled it back.

Chen Sishi observed these small gestures clearly. She said nothing more, but the smile on her face gained a hint of mischievous liveliness. Lin Ling, unable to decipher Chen Sishi’s intentions, remained frozen in his turned-back posture.

“Lin Ling, turn around and focus on your problems.”

The teacher’s reprimand provided Lin Ling with a welcome escape. He quickly turned back, a faint blush spreading across his devilishly handsome face, making him appear even more alluring.

It was quite embarrassing, as Lin Ling had never been singled out for criticism before. Fortunately, most of his classmates didn’t react much, simply continuing to bury themselves in their work.