[Xu Yini's Ripples]

[Xu Yini in Yunzhou]

[Xu Yini is here because of the people she loves]

A few terms related to Xu Yini went on the trending list of topics.

It was almost like Christmas for the fans as they cheered and celebrated in the square in front of the mall.

[Any Ripple who isn't in Yunzhou is crying!]

[Jealous]

[Aaah! Yini is so good to her fans! She looked extremely alluring when she said that on camera! I feel like she's talking to me! I'm gonna get married to Yini!]

[Why do I feel she's actually confessing to someone? Is that particular someone in Yunzhou?]

That particular post on Weibo was swarmed with Ripples, bas.h.i.+ng the original poster for disrupting the peace and atmosphere.

Xu Yini had just denied being in a relations.h.i.+p, and her daily schedule was packed. She did not even have the time to see someone.

Half an hour later, the original poster removed his post due to pressure from the fans.

The little incident faded without causing too much of a 'ripple'.

Ning Li also saw the clip with Xu Yini's confession.

Those who knew Xu Yini better knew who she was confessing to. At this point, Ning Li was not surprised at all.

In her past life, Xu Yini had been madly in love with Lu Huaiyu. She was bold, extreme, and brazen. Almost everyone knew that she was trying to win his heart, but she failed regardless.

Many were confused by the outcome though. Normally, any man would feel flattered when a woman with Xu Yini's looks and background was so madly in love with him for so many years.

If Lu Huaiyu already had someone in his heart and rejected Xu Yini, it was entirely possible, but Ning Li never heard of him being in love with any girl.

Lu Huaiyu would rather stay in his mansion for the whole afternoon just for a cup of coffee than attend the event organized by HG.

This point alone showed that he did not like being under the spotlight or being with Xu Yini.

In the clip, Xu Yini looked exquisite. Her smile at the camera was sweet and pure.

Even Ning Li had to admit that Xu Yini was very likable, even more so with the girl's wealthy background. If Xu Yini was not Lu Huaiyu's type, who would be his ideal type?

The thought suddenly froze Ning Li. For some reason, she felt an unusual frustration deep down, but it was quickly suppressed.

Then, she closed the app and booked herself an air ticket.

The mid-term test was around the corner, and the third-year students had to hasten their speed.

The pressure on the students and the atmosphere in each cla.s.s started to increase, especially with the first cla.s.s. No one in the first cla.s.s was in the mood to joke anymore. Everyone buried their heads in their books.

During the afternoon's self-learning period, Cheng Xiangxiang ran into some problems with a Mathematics function and was unable to solve it even with multiple attempts.

She wanted to ask Ye Ci for help.

“Lil Ci—”

The moment she turned around to Ye Ci, however, she saw the girl sleeping on her table again.

Cheng Xiangxiang gently nudged her.

“Lil Ci? Lil Ci? Wake up.”

Ye Ci slowly opened her eyes, but she remained tired.

“Lil Ci, what's wrong with you lately? Have you been losing sleep at night?”

Ye Ci rubbed her eyes and sat up straight. “No. I tutored Lil Cheng yesterday and slept a little later than normal.”

“You tutored him?” Cheng Xiangxiang was shocked. “Our studying schedule is packed right now, yet you are still tutoring him?”

She knew how bad Ye Cheng was with studies. The boy was not worthy of Ye Ci's attention and time, especially with the mid-term test around the corner.

“Can't you just get a tutor for him? You do know that other than the normal curriculum, you are still taking part in the Physics compet.i.tion right? You don't have the time for him.”

“It's not that serious actually.” Ye Ci sighed. “Besides, the boy doesn't like a tutor. Those who we hired before left in less than a month.”

“Even so, you can't just shoulder all the burden yourself. Is it because of your mom?”

Ye Ci nodded.

Cheng Xiangxiang pouted. She turned to look behind her. “Say, Lil Ci, Ye Cheng has more than one sister, right? If he really needs a tutor, I think someone else is more suitable than you.”

Ye Ci knew who exactly Cheng Xiangxiang was talking about. She had thought about it at first, but it remained a decision.

“Are you talking about Sister Ning Li? I don't think it's workable. Lil Cheng dislikes her more than the tutors. He would never want her to be his tutor.”

“Never? And you guys just let him be?” Cheng Xiangxiang poked Ye Ci in the arm and argued, “Are you out of your mind? The reason why the tutors left was that they couldn't handle the boy's temper and they dared not talk about it. Ning Li is different.

“On top of that, she is related to Ye Cheng by blood. Even if she is a little harsh on Ye Cheng, you guys won't say anything about her, right? Besides, she got first place in the last monthly test. She's good at her studies but doesn't even want to tutor her own brother? What kind of sister is that?”

Ye Ci was deeply moved by Cheng Xiangxiang's words. She had been extremely exhausted recently with everything piling up on her. She used to be good in her studies and always got the top 10 in tests and exams. Even when she did poorly, she would never drop out of the top 20.

Now, the Physics compet.i.tion alone was more than what she could handle. For the first time in her life, she realized that she was not talented.

However, whenever she thought about Ning Li's perfect score, grievance rose from her heart.

Everyone knew that Zhou Fei favored Ning Li. The different subject teachers were also polite and delighted when they mentioned Ning Li's name; they had nothing but praise for the girl.

She could never live with the defeat if she dropped out of the compet.i.tive Physics cla.s.s.

As for Ye Cheng…

“I'll go talk to Mom when I go back,” she said.

On Friday afternoon, Ning Li went to the teachers' office.

“You want to take a day off?” Geng Haifan was a little surprised.

Ning Li nodded. “I don't think I can make it to cla.s.s later, or tomorrow's cla.s.s either.”

“What's the reason? Are you feeling ill?” Geng Haifan looked concerned.

Ning Li smiled. “No. Actually, there's something I need to settle back at home, so I have to go back.”

“I see.” Geng Haifan knew about Ning Li's background, so he knew she was referring to her home at Lincheng.

In the end, he approved her application.

“Go and do what you have to do. Come back as soon as possible and prepare for the mid-term test next week.”

“Thank you, Mr. Geng.”

Ning Li returned to cla.s.s and packed her things.

He Xiaochen just found out that Ning Li had to be absent for a few days. With a heavy heart, she pleaded, “Ning Li, come back soon.”

With Ning Li away, He Xiaochen would not be able to enjoy her beautiful face anymore.

Ren Qian heard the conversation as well. He pushed himself away from the desk and looked at Ning Li curiously. “Ning Li, are you taking a few days off?”

Ning Li nodded.

“Man, I thought I could ask you for some advice after I finish this paper.”

Lin Zhouyang turned around. “You can just ask Brother Pei to help you.”

“Brother Pei is not around in the afternoon.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“What do you mean 'why not'? Brother Pei doesn't need to tell you when he is going home.”

Lin Zhouyang scratched his head awkwardly. “This is a little coincidental.”

Unlike Ning Li's devil-may-care att.i.tude, Pei Song was a role model student. Other than never being late or leaving cla.s.s early, he barely applied for leave as well.