But back when Ning Yue was the eldest daughter of the Yan family, even if Bai Yiyi looked down on her, she wouldn't have dared to show it. At most, she would gossip a little behind her back.
Things were different now. Since Ning Yue was no longer a Yan family member, and was such a flirt, Bai Yiyi wasn't going to coddle her.
The class monitor's family background wasn't bad, and he was tall and handsome. Naturally, quite a few girls in the class liked him. However, most of the students were rational. Romance was a two-way street; just because they liked him didn't mean the class monitor was obligated to respond.
The sole exception was Bai Yiyi.
She would jump out to grab attention at every opportunity, though Ning Yue ignored her most of the time.
"She's right. You don't have to listen to me, class monitor," Ning Yue said. "You can ask Bai Yiyi. Maybe her answer is the correct one."
The class monitor was a bit blunt and lacked tact. "Forget about it. You're the one who got perfect scores on the last two pop quizzes. If I asked her instead of you, wouldn't that make me an idiot?"
Bai Yiyi's face twisted in anger.
She was about to argue when He Ye—who had been sleeping on his desk across the aisle since class started—suddenly lifted his head. "Can you shut up? Don't you realize how loud you are?"
Terrified, Bai Yiyi didn't dare to make a peep.
Truth be told, Class 13 was full of hidden talents. This was especially true of He Ye. His biological father was the Family Head of the He Family, one of the Eight Great Families of Beijing. He was the undisputed heir to a multi-billionaire empire.
In contrast, Bai Yiyi's Bai Family couldn't even be considered a third-rate family. At best, they were merely nouveau riche. In front of He Ye, she didn't dare to breathe a word.
Seeing her fall silent, He Ye casually glanced in Ning Yue's direction. She was currently doing practice problems, completely unbothered by the clamor in the classroom. Her beautiful side profile naturally inspired fondness at first glance. For some reason, despite having been classmates for two years, He Ye had the illusion that he had only truly met this girl in the past few days.
In the past, she had been quiet and polite to everyone. Now, she was still quiet, but whenever someone provoked her, her retorts could easily leave them speechless!
During the lunch break at the cafeteria, Li Danting and Ning Yue lined up for food together. The class monitor once again approached Ning Yue to ask questions, and this time, he dragged He Ye along. Ning Yue didn't mind discussing academics with the class monitor; she answered whatever he asked.
After getting their meals, the four of them sat at the same table. The class monitor was still talking animatedly when He Ye suddenly spoke up. "Which universities are you all planning to apply for?"
Although he said "you all," his eyes flicked toward Ning Yue sitting opposite him.
"I'm definitely aiming for the University of Political Science and Law," the class monitor said. "But you don't have to worry about this. You're definitely going abroad."
"I just want to get into any university in Beijing," Li Danting chimed in. "I don't have much ambition." After all, her grades spoke for themselves. She would have loved to get into Tsinghua and Beijing University, but unfortunately, she simply didn't have the capability.
The three of them then turned to look at Ning Yue. She shrugged. "I haven't decided yet. It's too early to talk about this."
He Ye understood why it was "too early." It was because there was still room for her grades to improve. Presumably, she wanted to aim for top-tier institutions.
"Between Tsinghua and Beijing University, which one would you choose?" he asked.
"Tsinghua, I guess," Ning Yue replied.
There was too much she wanted to learn, so she might as well go to the best institution.
Having gotten his answer, He Ye didn't say another word and ate his food in peace.
Southern Home Furnishings' upward momentum gradually slowed. By the end of the month, Li Zhengmin gave her a call, informing her that the company's stock price had largely stabilized and there was no longer a need for long-term holding. Ning Yue had no objections, so he sold off all the shares. A few days later, a massive sum of money landed in Ning Yue's account.
However, she didn't have time to care about that right now. Final exams had begun.
Final exams were not taken in their home classrooms, but were arranged by grades. At First High School, she was only considered an average student, ranking around four hundredth in the whole school. In the previous monthly exam, the original owner of her body had ranked 418th. On her way to the exam room, she ran into Yan Qingqing, who was walking with her chin held high.
Students from Class 1 and Class 2 were generally assigned to exam rooms in Class 1 through Class 4. Students from these two classes naturally possessed a sense of superiority in front of students from other classes, mainly because it was virtually impossible for outsiders to break into their ranks.
Seeing Yan Qingqing open her mouth to speak, Ning Yue, not wanting her ears to be poisoned, quickly strode away with her long legs.
Yan Qingqing's breath caught in her throat, nearly suffocating her on the spot.
She thought, "Pfft! What is she so arrogant for? Does she still think she's the eldest daughter of the Yan family?
"She's nothing but the daughter of a destitute family now. Her parents are both unemployed and have zero income. I'd like to see how long she can keep up this arrogance!
"Hmph! Just wait until the exam results are out. She'll be swallowing her pride then!"
Ning Yue was completely oblivious to Yan Qingqing's thoughts. Upon finding her exam room, the test promptly began. She answered the questions diligently, her pen moving at lightning speed. Aside from spending a bit more time on the essay, the rest of the questions went incredibly smoothly.
The two days passed by in a flash. As soon as the exams ended, the seniors officially went on break.
Ning Yue packed all her belongings and walked out of the school with her bag slung over her shoulder.
At the school gate, Yan Qingqing was chatting and smiling brightly with a few female classmates. Behind her was a top-tier blue sports car, and Gong Yuze stood by it, waiting without a trace of impatience on his face.
"Alright, I'm heading back now," Yan Qingqing said. "I'll invite you all over to my house in a few days. You can't refuse, or I'll be angry."
The girls nodded eagerly in agreement.
Just then, Yan Qingqing spotted Ning Yue walking out of the gate. Her eyes lit up instantly. "Ning Yue, are you heading home? Why don't I have Brother Gong drop you off? It's too unsafe for a girl to be riding the subway all day."
Ning Yue truly admired people who could talk to themselves like this. Regardless of someone else's mood, as long as they wanted to, they would always find a way to approach and disgust you to their heart's content.
Ning Yue came to a halt. Her backpack hung off one shoulder, her hand hooking the strap, while her other hand rested in her pocket. Because Mr. Ning was tall, her height currently sat at about 172 centimeters. She was a full half-head taller than the 160-centimeter Yan Qingqing. When she looked down at the other girl, the sheer pressure she gave off was overwhelming.
"Do you have a lot of free time?"
Taken aback by the question, Yan Qingqing was momentarily at a loss for words. Soon after, a wronged expression appeared on her face.
"I-I just meant well. I wanted to help you..."
"Which eye of yours saw that I needed your help?" Ning Yue retorted. "If you're overflowing with compassion, you can go help the disabled, or head under the overpass to assist the homeless beggars. I'm sure they would be eternally grateful for Miss Yan's profound kindness!
"Also, before Miss Yan returned to the Yan family, you took the subway every day, too. Since you claim the subway is so unsafe, did something happen to you in the past? Why don't you tell everyone so we can all hear it? We'd be happy to help you. Calling the cops is pretty simple, after all."
There were still quite a few students gathered at the gate, so Ning Yue's words naturally attracted a lot of attention. Gong Yuze immediately walked over, glaring at Ning Yue with a grim expression. "Ning Yue, what is that supposed to mean? Is it a crime for Qingqing to want to help you? What kind of attitude is that?"