5.005

"Do you all understand?"

The math teacher tapped the blackboard heavily with a piece of chalk. Zhang Yunyi, who had been distracted, immediately discarded her jumbled thoughts and fixed her eyes on the formulas that were familiar in her memory but felt quite foreign now.

A scattering of voices responded, "Under-stood~"

Zhang Yunyi felt like a hopeless illiterate, but she couldn't raise her hand to admit she hadn't understood. She felt a sense of urgency, and the moment the bell rang, she bolted toward the small campus store without wasting a single second.

Whether she understood or not was one thing, but her attitude had to be right.

Though small, the store was well-stocked; it naturally carried cooling oil. She found it on the shelf, noting that it seemed to be a popular item. She took a tin from the box and held it in her palm. Seniors in high school had big appetites and got hungry easily; after two periods, she felt her bowl of beef noodles had already been digested, so she grabbed a pack of soda crackers as well.

As she headed to the checkout, her peripheral vision caught sight of Chen Kuo’s back.

She tapped her forehead and briskly caught up to him. Lining up behind him, she said with a smile, "Class monitor, let me pay!"

She had mentioned during the break after morning self-study that she would treat him next time, but she hadn't expected the opportunity to come so soon.

Hearing the crisp, smiling female voice, Chen Kuo turned his head, his gaze landing on her face. He had just been preoccupied with the final difficult problem on the advanced worksheet and hadn't noticed the people around him. Now, pulling himself out of his complex thoughts, he said, "No need."

"I insist~"

Paying voluntarily was different from having someone else pay. A female colleague at her workplace used to complain about her previous manager, who was a skinflint; he would ask people to order food for him, but after eating his meal with gusto, he would never get around to paying them back.

Zhang Yunyi was more than happy to pay now.

Flattering her future boss was one thing, but he had paid for the drinks that morning, so this was just returning the favor.

Zhang Yunyi looked at him. "Didn't we already agree?"

Chen Kuo had been about to pick up a box of mints, but upon hearing this, he withdrew his hand and glanced at the bottle of mineral water on the counter. It was two yuan.

He remained silent for a few seconds, then stopped refusing.

Zhang Yunyi placed the cooling oil and the crackers on the counter as well. Her arm brushed against his inadvertently, but she didn't notice. She said to the cashier, "I'm with him."

Chen Kuo took a step forward.

The jeans Zhang Yunyi wore were on the tighter side, making it bulky to keep a wallet in her pocket, so today she had simply rolled up her loose change and stuffed it in. The total for the three items came to ten yuan.

After paying, she held the bottle of mineral water and handed it to Chen Kuo with a smile. "Here you go, Class Monitor."

Chen Kuo took it, and the two walked out of the store one after the other. Then came the awkward part: they were classmates returning to the same room, but walking side-by-side felt strange, and walking one behind the other like strangers felt equally odd.

Zhang Yunyi tried hard to recall various details from her high school days in her past life.

At their age, everyone already had their own social circles; it wasn't strictly limited to top students hanging out with top students. Yet, in those three years of high school, aside from the very occasional times she asked Chen Kuo to sign a leave slip, they barely seemed to have spoken at all.

If the "real" seventeen-year-old version of her had run into him at the store, she probably would have just called out a greeting at most and certainly wouldn't have made small talk.

But now?

If she hadn't been reborn, she wouldn't even want to make eye contact with her boss if she met him elsewhere, let alone chat. But the situation was different now. Chen Kuo wasn't her boss yet, and she wanted to tag along with him—so shouldn't she try to build a better relationship?

Otherwise, if they were complete strangers, how could she suddenly approach him after he started his business in college and ask for a job?

A plan couldn't just remain a plan, or it would be all talk and no action. She had to take actual steps, regardless of whether they succeeded. Zhang Yunyi didn't hesitate anymore. Amidst Chen Kuo’s clearly stunned expression, she walked calmly to his side. "Class Monitor, is there a test during tonight’s self-study?"

Chen Kuo: "..."

A flicker of confusion crossed his mind; he didn't quite understand the situation. But looking at her eager expression, he quickly remembered that in their few past interactions, she had always been asking him for leave.

"Yes," he nodded.

In Zhang Yunyi's memory, evening self-study always went like this: the teacher would hand out papers for them to complete, and after they were done, the teacher would go over the answers without even grading them. It was a "sea of questions" tactic. Sometimes, if she took a half-day of sick leave and returned the next day, there would be at least two or three test papers waiting on her desk.

At least it wasn't a real exam.

She sighed softly. This reminded her that in a month, the senior year would face its first monthly exam, and they would continue every month thereafter. She had no idea how to handle these exams, and the thought made her world turn gray.

Chen Kuo could almost predict that she was about to say, "Class Monitor, I'm not feeling well tonight, so for evening self-study... um... would that be okay?" He glanced at her but didn't say anything.

"Class Monitor," Zhang Yunyi was forcing a conversation, "I saw you playing ball today. Do you eat breakfast every day before morning self-study?"

Chen Kuo frowned almost imperceptibly and quickened his pace, hoping to get to the classroom sooner.

Zhang Yunyi followed him closely.

As he stepped onto the stairs, he replied in a flat tone, "Yes."

"So early?" Zhang Yunyi exclaimed.

Getting up at six o'clock today had nearly killed her, and she had still barely made it just in time. How early must he get up? To eat breakfast before morning self-study, spend the time refreshed, and still have enough energy to play ball during the break.

He deserved to strike it rich.

"Do you feel much clearer after exercising in the morning?" she asked him again.

Chen Kuo didn't think they were close enough to chat so much, but being stared at like this, he could only nod. "Yes."

It seemed exercise really was useful. If nothing else, at least it would build physical strength. In the ancient days of "ten years of hard study," the environment for the imperial examinations was terrible; if one didn't have a solid physical foundation, one couldn't survive it. If she built up her own stamina, studying shouldn't be too exhausting, right?

Zhang Yunyi decided to move the third point she had written on her paper up on her priority list.

Jogging around the track in the morning when no one was there—she could even recite formulas and vocabulary words out loud.

Time was too tight to allow for any more complaining.

"Really?" Zhang Yunyi seemed to have endless questions. "Class Monitor, don't you get sleepy during the day?"

"No."

Zhang Yunyi: "..."

She knew this was awkward small talk, but then again, aside from best friends, who doesn't start from the "stranger" stage? Once is a chance, twice is a habit; a few more chats and it would get better. In fact, she knew she didn't have to do this—she could just pay a little attention to Chen Kuo and apply for a job when his company started hiring. But the problem was, having been reborn, who would want to limit their goal to being a "regular employee"?

One had to be bold!

As for exactly how bold, that was a matter for later.

The two entered the classroom almost at the same time.

Most students didn't pay attention, but some happened to notice, such as Chen Kuo’s seatmate and good friend, Fei Shijie.

Fei Shijie was organizing his notes and asked casually, "What did Zhang Yunyi want with you?"

Chen Kuo’s expression paused for a moment. "Nothing."

It was indeed nothing. Just bits and pieces of chatter.

"Here."

Fei Shijie reached out. The ten-minute break was precious; those who hadn't slept enough wanted to catch up on rest, and even those who didn't sleep usually sat at their desks replenishing energy. Some listened to music, some read casual books—Fei Shijie was the latter. He was a sports fan, and all his pocket money went into buying magazines.

He had seen Chen Kuo heading to the store earlier and had asked him to pick up some mints.

Chen Kuo spread his textbook open and said naturally, "I forgot."

Fei Shijie slowly turned his head to look at him, looking very wounded. "Forgot??"

Wasn't that a waste of his feelings? He had almost called him "daddy" for the favor.

Chen Kuo reached into his desk drawer, pulled out a pack of Doublemint gum, and tossed it to him. "Eat this."

Fei Shijie rolled his eyes. "I give up. How am I supposed to survive the next class!"

He was lopsided in his studies; his English was inferior compared to other subjects. Fortunately, his math and science scores were excellent enough, otherwise, it would have been hard to pull away from the pack in the total score.

Fei Shijie was struggling.

Zhang Yunyi, on the other hand, was glowing. She had finally regained a bit of confidence. After all, she had passed the CET-6 in college, and although she had let it slide for a few years, she had used it again after starting work. It would be an exaggeration to say she was back to being a total novice; as long as she put in some effort, English could be considered her comfort zone for the time being.

She calculated in her heart.

She couldn't panic, and she certainly couldn't act like a headless chicken. One month was too short; she couldn't create any miracles. The first thing to do was to play to her strengths and avoid her weaknesses. She would pick up the subjects she was best at first and focus on the three main subjects—Chinese, Math, and English—this month.

Most first- and second-year students were day students, but after lunch, some seniors would skip the cafeteria to go out and forage for food.

Zhang Yunyi tidied her desk, hesitating before picking up her math book, intending to flip through it before her nap. Dai Jia walked over to her desk with her wallet and asked, "It looks like Fei Shijie and the others are going out. Is there anything you want them to bring back?"

Xu Shishi waved her hand. "No."

They had only returned to school yesterday, so they weren't that hungry; they had already eaten their fill of what they craved at home.

Dai Jia also smiled. "I wanted a burger, but suddenly I don't feel like it anymore."

"I have something!" Zhang Yunyi looked up quickly, instantly locking onto Fei Shijie’s figure.

She hadn't been close to Fei Shijie in her student days, but they had become close before she was reborn.

Fei Shijie had also attended college in Beijing. Even though they weren't at the same university, they remained good friends, and later, he became one of the partners in their business. However, it was said he was the last to join and held the smallest share.

Being classmates, they had heard rumors about each other's family backgrounds; for instance, Fei Shijie's mother had already risen to the rank of deputy department head.

None of the top shareholders had airs. Chen Kuo was very low-key, usually dressing simply and rarely wearing suits, but Fei Shijie was the only one who could joke around with the employees.

Whenever she and Fei Shijie met, they would chat and gossip.

Before she was reborn, Fei Shijie had even teased her about setting her up with a boyfriend.

"Fei Shijie!"

At Zhang Yunyi's call, Fei Shijie stopped and turned around. Chen Kuo, walking beside him, also halted.

Fei Shijie was slightly stunned. Was she calling him?

"Dai Jia said you guys are going out, right?" Zhang Yunyi walked quickly to them and first smiled at Chen Kuo.

"...Yeah," Fei Shijie said, momentarily dazed before realization dawned. "What do you want me to bring back?"

"Where are you guys going?"

Fei Shijie scratched his head. "To the back street for a meal," he said, gesturing with his chin, "and Brother Kuo is going to buy a reference book."

Zhang Yunyi couldn't remember which shops were on the back street, only having the strongest memories of the hot and sour noodle shop and the barbecue joint. She thought for a moment. "If you come across a drink shop, could you ask if they have coffee? If they do, please bring me a cup, with lots of ice."

"Snow-capped coffee?" Fei Shijie asked.

It wasn't like ten years later, where there were coffee shops everywhere. Some seniors drank it, but they mostly drank canned coffee, or the "snow-capped" kind (iced coffee with whipped cream/ice cream).

Zhang Yunyi wanted an iced Americano, but she couldn't be picky at this time, so she said, "If they have Americano, bring that... snow-capped is fine too. If they have neither, then forget it."

Fei Shijie agreed immediately. "Got it."

"Thanks!"

"You're... you're welcome."

After Zhang Yunyi and Dai Jia walked away hand-in-hand, Chen Kuo saw that Fei Shijie was still in a daze, so he raised an eyebrow and kicked him. "Come back to earth."

How embarrassing.