Chapter 9

Just when I thought I had everything settled, Song Qingqing missed the exam.

At the end of that email, it mentioned that changing the plot would create a butterfly effect, possibly resulting in new scenes, missing scenes, or the story not following its predetermined path.

I pressed my forehead in frustration-what a troublesome thing.

The golden rays of the setting sun disappeared beyond the treetops. I walked out of the exam room absentmindedly, only to be called from behind.

Turning around, I saw a boy in a school uniform standing by the corridor railing. The collar and hem of his uniform were a bit misshapen from washing, but it didn’t matter-at first glance, he still looked clean and neat.

“Yan Qingyue.”

Seeing that I didn’t move, he called my name again.

It was surprising; I usually had little interaction with him.

To avoid too many variables in the task, I hadn’t planned to interfere with him and Song Qingqing. After all, they were the main characters of the novel. Without the male lead, the female lead would naturally end up with the second male lead.

I had no choice but to walk over to him. “Is there something you need?”

He hesitated for a moment, then said, “We were in the same exam room.”

Me: “Mm.”

Yi Chao: “When I handed in my paper just now, I accidentally saw your answer sheet.”

Me: “Mm.”

Yi Chao: “You got question 1, question 4, questions 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and question 12 wrong.”

Me: “…”

So he waited here just to tell me I did badly on the test?

I didn’t say anything, just stared at his face, trying to find a trace of arrogance or schadenfreude.

But there was none. He remained calm from start to finish.

It was as if he was simply stating a fact, without any personal emotion.

He handed me a piece of scratch paper. “I can tutor you. By the end of the semester, I can help you score 120 points. If you have any questions, you can come ask me during breaks. It’s free. If you don’t get 120 in the final math exam, I’ll give you a full refund.”

“The tutoring fee is paid in advance, is that okay?” His last sentence was less confident.

On the scratch paper, he had neatly listed his available time slots, how long each session could be, and the total tutoring fee, which was circled in red.

This was just… too sudden.

I couldn’t help but look him up and down.

It wasn’t until I caught a glimpse of the dark bruise barely hidden by his right sleeve that I understood.

He was being hounded for debt.

According to the plot, his father gambled and borrowed a lot of money. At the end of each month, if he couldn’t pay, he’d be beaten up.

I glanced at the paper. The total fee was 18,000.

I carefully recalled the plot again.

While I was lost in thought, his hand at his side slowly clenched his shirt hem, his lips pressed together, revealing a hint of unease.

The light reflected off his glasses, hiding the nervousness in his eyes.

Seeing me hesitate, his Adam’s apple bobbed a few times. Finally, he said softly, “If you think it’s too expensive, I can make it cheaper.”

“No.”

After all, I was raised in the Yan family with wealth. This was just a small amount of money to me.

What really made me hesitate was that I already had piano lessons, etiquette classes, tea ceremony, ballroom dancing, horseback riding, golf…

Did I really need to add another class to my already scarce free time?

Besides, having too much interaction with the second male lead might interfere with his feelings for the female lead.

“Give me some time,” I folded the paper carefully and looked up to meet his eyes. “Let me think about it.”

He wanted to say something but stopped. In the end, his lips moved, and he managed to utter a single word: “Okay.”