That year, I loved acting. To chase the school's top student, I pretended to be a terrible student and begged him to tutor me after class. But I accidentally overacted, and the persona stuck a little too well. Once, when I brought another basic question to him, the valedictorian finally couldn't hold back and blurted out: "If our future kids inherit your IQ, I won't even want to live anymore!" 1 "Huh?" When Arthur said that, I froze. But a second later, a huge smile broke across my face. "Arthur, did you just say our kids..." "You heard wrong. I said my kids," Arthur denied with a completely straight face, staring at me blankly. I was absolutely sure I hadn't heard him wrong, because the tips of Arthur's ears were bright red. I wondered if he could feel the heat radiating from them. "Arthur, you're so young, and you're already thinking about having kids?" I rested my chin on my hands, squinting at him. "Have you already decided who the mom is going to be?" At that, the valedictorian's face slowly turned a lovely shade of pink. Arthur slammed my final exam paper on the desk in front of me and said expressionlessly: "Weren't you asking me a question? You'll be a senior when school starts. I'd like to see what kind of college you can even get into at this rate." I looked at the mistakes on my test paper, listening to Arthur's exasperated voice as he explained the concepts. I just kept smiling at him, nodding occasionally to show I was following along. It was the summer before our senior year. I had transferred to Westfield High during the spring semester of my junior year. On my first day, the principal handed out awards to the top students from the previous semester. As the undisputed rank one, Arthur Vance had to give a speech. Standing in the audience, I listened to the boy's clear, steady voice echoing through the microphone. Under the bright sun, I couldn't see his silhouette clearly; I just felt he looked a bit lean. His voice was so nice. I was assigned the seat right in front of Arthur. My desk mate, Mia Harper, was a quiet, gentle girl with black-rimmed glasses. Her textbooks were densely packed with notes. You could tell at a glance she was a diligent, hardworking student. From behind me came the voice of Arthur's desk mate: "Arthur, you're insane. You scored a 99 on a brutally hard AP Calculus test. If you hadn't missed that one tiny step, you'd have gotten a perfect score!" "Let me see your paper! I want to know what a near-perfect test looks like!" Hearing this, my desk mate Mia showed a look of deep envy. Our homeroom teacher happened to be our math teacher, so naturally, he paid special attention to me, the transfer student. "Mia, share your test paper with the new student." So, I saw Mia's paper. She scored a 72. In this advanced class, that score was strictly average. Her fundamentals were solid, but the moment a question required a little outside-the-box thinking, her logic got tangled. The test was extremely difficult, mainly because of the final extra-credit word problem. Since the teacher couldn't go over the whole test in one period, he announced from the podium: "For the final question, getting the first two parts right is already very impressive. The last part is beyond the standard curriculum. It probably won't even be on your final AP exams. In this entire class, only Arthur managed to solve it." I stared at the question for a long time. My pen scribbled across my scratch paper like I was drawing hieroglyphics. Finally, I arrived at an answer, compared it to the reference key on the board, and felt a wave of satisfaction. "Chloe, what are you writing?" Mia's voice pulled me back, her eyes landing on my scratch paper. I quickly scribbled over my answer and flashed her a bright smile. "Nothing, my mind just wanders easily during class." After the bell rang, a swarm of guys surrounded Arthur's desk. "Arthur, how do you solve the last question? Let me see your steps." Mia, like the other students, glanced back at Arthur's desk. But unlike them, her eyes held a hint of sadness. She had been trying to solve that problem all period. But the group of guys surrounding Arthur were clearly the math whizzes of the class who were tight with him. Teenagers always worship the strong. They didn't call him "Boss" because of his age; it was a pure acknowledgment of his absolute skill. 2 At this age, having the courage to ask a classmate for help can be tough. The passing period ended quickly. During the next class, I continued to share my new desk mate's paper. Mia was top of the class in English and History. Her handwriting was also beautiful—round and adorable. However, when the final bell rang that afternoon, I saw her still struggling with that last math problem. I wanted to speak up a few times, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw the guy behind me packing up to leave. He was the one. "Arthur, I have a question I'd like to ask you, is that okay?" I took the opportunity to introduce myself. "I'm Chloe Sterling." Arthur's gaze landed on my face for the first time. I curved my eyes into a smile. I was pretty approachable; on my first day, I had already befriended everyone to my left, right, and front. He was the only exception. Mostly because Arthur was too busy. During breaks, he was either surrounded by classmates or called into the teachers' lounge. Arthur paused his packing and nodded at me. "Sure." "Mia, let me borrow your test paper for a sec." I turned to grab it, then pointed directly at the final extra-credit question. "This one." Mia froze. Arthur also paused. But he didn't say anything. He picked up his pen and some scratch paper, and began to explain it in a warm, gentle voice. Mia also leaned in to look. Arthur's logic was crystal clear. He even explained it from a student's perspective, pausing after every step to look at me. "Do you understand this part?" Beside me, Mia subconsciously nodded. I asked, "And then?" He assumed I got it, so he continued. Arthur's voice was crisp and mild. He seemed to have a great personality. And the main point was: looking at him up close like this, he was so handsome. I rested my chin on my hand and smiled at him. Finally, Arthur looked up at me. "Did you get all that?" Under his gaze, I slowly shook my head and said with absolute sincerity: "I'm sorry, Arthur. I'm a bit slow, so I didn't quite get it. But my desk mate seems to understand. I can just ask her." "By the way, can I keep your scratch paper?" Arthur: "..." Turning back around, I handed Arthur's scratch paper to Mia and gave her a pleading gesture. "Desk mate, once you figure it out completely, could you please explain it to me one more time?" Mia looked at me and nodded, filled with a deep sense of mission. That night during evening study hall, she cornered me and started explaining the problem. "..." Why was this girl so earnest? Behind me, Arthur was the crush of many girls. He had top grades, looked clean and neat, had great features, and was objectively very attractive. He was the textbook definition of a teen romance novel's male lead. The gossipy students nearby whispered about how a girl from another class confessed to him and got rejected, or how an art student cornered him on his way home. Any love letters left in his desk with a name on them were promptly returned to the sender. He seemed completely impervious to romance. But me? I just love making friends. For the first two weeks of school, I turned around almost every day to ask Arthur questions. At first, he explained them patiently. Later, probably realizing that I still didn't understand after his explanations, he caught on to my ulterior motives. 3 Mia had gently warned me that Arthur didn't like anyone. One evening, I turned around to ask him a question again, staying until almost everyone else had left the classroom. Arthur stopped and looked at my face. "Chloe, you've asked me a variation of this same question three times now. Do you really still not get it?" I nodded. Arthur: "..." He thought for a moment, weighing his words. "Then your foundation is too weak. You should start with the simpler questions. Don't waste your time here with me." "Also, you constantly turning around to ask me questions... people might misunderstand. And I might misunderstand." Barely a few seconds after he finished speaking, my eyes suddenly turned red. "Are you calling me stupid too?" The tears came quickly. In the blink of an eye, they started falling. Arthur panicked. "Hey, don't cry. I didn't say you were stupid... You're not stupid." "Really?" I looked at him with tear-filled eyes. Arthur: "...Never mind. Just ask simpler questions from now on. Don't challenge your own foundation." It seemed he had a soft spot. Well, he was doomed then. From that day on, I started bringing him basic questions every few days. Whenever he was free. Mia seemed to notice my weak foundation too, so she also started explaining questions to me regularly. I initially wanted to decline—after all, my intentions weren't pure, and I shouldn't waste her study time. But it turned out that after Mia explained things to me, she often clarified her own thought process. So she became even more enthusiastic about tutoring me. "..." She had inadvertently found a study method that worked perfectly for her. To give them a sense of accomplishment, I would appropriately "understand" a bit more after listening. It's just that whenever test results came out, Arthur and Mia would look at me with a sense of defeat. I felt a little guilty. The comforting part was that Mia's grades actually improved significantly once she got used to teaching me. Arthur's desk mate, Leo Bennett, noticed me constantly turning around and couldn't resist teasing: "I say, Chloe, you're always bothering my man Arthur with questions. You haven't fallen for him, have you?" Leo was a highly outgoing guy. He seemed to be friends with everyone in the class, even the shyest girls. I smiled at him. "Is it that obvious?" He didn't expect me to admit it so openly. Neither did Arthur. Leo was stunned. Arthur's gaze landed on my face. After a moment, as if rejecting anyone else, he said with practiced routine, "Don't waste your time on me." I curved my eyes and smiled at him: "How is this a waste of time? Arthur Vance, between you and good grades, I have to at least get one, right?" Arthur: "..." Behind him, Leo gave me a massive thumbs-up. After a long while, Arthur said expressionlessly, "Based on your current level, you probably won't get the grades either." He was so handsome when he was being cold and strict. To keep my little teachers from being disappointed, I made "appropriate progress" on the final exams. Then, using this progress as an excuse, I fully validated Arthur and Mia's tutoring efforts. Privately, I asked Arthur to be my summer tutor. I had done my research. During winter and summer breaks, Arthur tutored younger kids for a modest fee. Mostly, it was parents he knew asking him to help their kids with homework. Sometimes he’d cram a bunch of kids into his house and watch them all at once. "Mr. Vance, I'll pay you more than they do. Plus, I'm your classmate! Wouldn't it give you a bigger sense of accomplishment to turn a terrible student like me into a good one?" "Mr. Vance, please? I know you're handsome and kind-hearted. You definitely wouldn't abandon a struggling classmate, right?" 4 Unexpectedly, Arthur accepted my request for one-on-one tutoring. "Chloe, don't overthink this. I agreed because you're paying well, and tutoring you is slightly easier than dealing with a bunch of noisy middle schoolers." "Also, don't get any funny ideas. I don't date in high school." Such a serious teenager. I looked at him with a wide smile. "Are you just really bad at rejecting people?" Arthur looked at me, confused. "Arthur, to reject someone, you should tell them you don't like them, not that you 'don't date in high school,'" I said, resting my chin on my hands. "Otherwise, I could just say, 'Fine, I'll confess to you next June after graduation. Will you say yes then?'" Arthur: "..." He seemed a bit overwhelmed. It was so much fun. A moment later, Arthur said coldly, "I don't like you." "That's okay. I believe that dripping water hollows out stone, and an iron rod can be ground into a needle." "..." Teasing Arthur was incredibly fun. He was good-looking, and when he was embarrassed, he would pretend to be perfectly calm, even though his ears were bright red. He had a strong will for a teenager, but he wasn't very good at hiding his feelings. I think he liked me a little bit, too. After blurting out that line about "our kids," he was quiet for a long time, seemingly digesting his own regret. "Chloe, do you always flirt with people like this?" he suddenly asked me after a long while. "How could I?" I answered cheerfully. "I only flirt with you like this." "...Liar. You flirt with Mia like this all the time." Okay, let me be precise. "I only flirt with you out of all the boys. Is that better?" I stared straight at him, my eyes smiling. "You don't see me flirting with Leo, do you?" Arthur went silent again. Before going quiet, he didn't forget to tell me to hurry up and finish my practice problems. He took my money, so he felt a strong sense of mission to improve my grades. He was very responsible. Every day he made study plans for me and texted me proactively. How was this not a way of bonding? The school opened up empty classrooms for incoming seniors to study in. The public library's study rooms were also an option. To avoid disturbing others, Arthur and I tried our best to book private study rooms at the library. Every day, while I did my practice problems, he sat beside me doing his. The difference was, I did basic math, while he did advanced Olympiad questions. Occasionally, he’d glance at me and sigh. "Chloe." He suddenly called my name. "Yeah?" "I'm refunding half your money. Don't ever tell anyone I tutored you. You're going to ruin my reputation in the education field." "..." "No," I refused righteously. "Mr. Vance, once a teacher, always a teacher." Since we were always seen together, many classmates who came back to school to study during the summer saw us. Soon, our relationship became the subject of rumors. Even Leo gave me a thumbs-up behind Arthur's back. I shared the gossip with Arthur: "Mr. Vance, do you need me to make a public clarification?" Arthur glanced at me: "If you can improve and break into the top 100 of our grade by senior year, I'll willingly be the male lead of this rumor." He was actually pretty funny. I laughed for a long time. "That reward is too tempting. What if I make it into the top 10? Does the rumor become reality?" He stared at my face for a long time before saying, "Get the score first, then we'll talk."
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