Chapter 105: Seems to Have Grown a Little

Without Meng Shirui and Liu Yaojie, Class Two was exceptionally peaceful.

Not long after the first mock exam, it was already time to prepare for the second.

On top of that, Tang Yu had to balance the mathematics competition. Even though she did not attend the intensive training sessions, she still had to complete the test papers assigned by Mr. Hou, making her schedule incredibly tight.

Every day, after returning to the apartment, eating dinner, and taking a shower, she would plunge straight into the study, burying herself in review and practice papers.

Sometimes, Bian Yang would join her in the study, leaning over the desk to solve problems together; other times, he would curl up on the sofa to read.

Most of the time, they each did their own thing.

However, Tang Yu made sure to supervise him through one practice paper every day.

She took her role as a little teacher very seriously, grading them first and then explaining his mistakes.

That day, Bian Yang handed his completed test paper to her.

Taking it, she began to grade it earnestly, her black gel pen making checkmarks one by one.

Bian Yang sat sideways, neither too close nor too far from her. Propping his chin with his pale, cool fingers, he watched her lazily.

The light shone from the side, casting a soft, glazed glow over her, making her cheeks look tender and pink. When she encountered a tricky problem—probably where he had made a mistake—she would bite the tip of her pen, circle the spot, write down corrections stroke by stroke, and then move on to the next question.

Even though she had not done anything and was not even looking at him, Bian Yang found her serious expression incredibly cute.

Half an hour later, Tang Yu finished grading. She pushed the paper to the space between them and looked up.

She met his eyes.

The boy smiled, scooting his chair a bit closer to her.

Having just showered, she carried a faint, sweet fragrance. His hand rested casually on the back of her chair, though he maintained a perfectly serious expression.

"Finished grading, little teacher?"

Tang Yu looked at him with an inquiring gaze. "Bian Yang, did you study advanced mathematics beforehand?"

She tapped the paper with her pen. "Your multiple-choice answers are all correct. Although the final results for the long-answer questions are correct, you didn't use any of the formulas from our textbook. Especially this one—while you can write down the answer directly, our current high school formulas can't yield this conclusion without intermediate steps. You need to use limits to find the answer and also demonstrate its monotonicity within the interval."

Bian Yang glanced down at the paper, looking bewildered. "Ah, is that an advanced math formula?"

The girl had insisted he write out the steps for the long-answer questions. Having forgotten most of the high school formulas, he had simply used what was in his memory.

"Yes," Tang Yu nodded.

Mr. Hou had given her a self-study book on advanced mathematics, saying the concepts inside were quite useful for the competition.

Thus, she was very familiar with advanced math formulas.

But how could Bian Yang use them so effortlessly?

"Many advanced math formulas can be derived or reverse-engineered using the formulas we are currently learning. However, some graders require the derivation process, or they'll deduct points for missing steps."

Tang Yu pointed her finger at the circled question.

Her voice was soft and gentle, like spring water seeping into the marrow of his bones.

"Your answer for this question is correct, but by not using the formulas we've learned, you're gambling on the grader's mood."

"Next time you see a similar problem, you should first use the chain rule for multivariable composite functions, simplifying it step by step, and then use total differentials for approximate calculations..."

Fearing he would not keep up, she deliberately slowed her pace. Yet, after talking for a long time, the boy beside her did not respond at all.

Tang Yu could not help but turn her head to look at him.

Bian Yang was leaning lazily back in his chair, his eyes slightly lowered, but not focused on the paper.

The weather had grown warm, and the girl was wearing a milky yellow camisole nightgown. Having been well-cared for recently, the bruises on her body had faded, revealing tender, fair arms. Two thin straps rested on her slender shoulders, overlapping with the white straps of her undergarment, looking so delicate they might snap with a gentle tug.

Because of her writing movements, the strap on her right shoulder slipped down slightly. Even if it was not intentional on his part, all he had to do was look down to see it... Her skin was truly fair.

Following his gaze, Tang Yu looked down. The strap had slipped down a few inches at some point, exposing a third of her chest.

She stood up with a start, her cheeks burning. "Bian Yang!"

It would have been better if she had not stood up. With her standing, and given her petite height, his direct gaze landed right where her arms were trying to cover.

The slight curve of her chest was somewhat eye-catching.

It seemed to have grown a bit...

Bian Yang's prominent Adam's apple bobbed. He calmly averted his gaze, fixing it back on the paper, though his voice sounded tight. "It slipped down on its own. It has nothing to do with me."

Tang Yu parted her lips, but due to nervousness and embarrassment, she could not make a sound.

Bian Yang coughed twice, trying to cover up his guilt. "Besides, I didn't see anything."