Perhaps “borrowing luck” from the top student really worked, because Xie Ruan did pretty well on the rest of his exams—except for English. While he couldn’t answer every question, he managed to complete most of them.
That evening, during self-study, Bo Jin went over the tests with him and roughly estimated his scores. He noted down Xie Ruan’s weak spots in each subject to prepare for targeted practice going forward.
But Xie Ruan was too stunned to focus on that—he just stared at Bo Jin as he effortlessly recalled every single question from each test, feeling like his mind was blown.
He’d known Bo Jin had a great memory, but he had no idea it was this sharp!
This must be what it’s like to study alongside a true study god—it’s both impressive and intimidating.
No wonder he consistently ranked first in both school and city exams. How could anyone else even compete?
He Mingjie, who’d grown used to this, saw Xie Ruan’s dazed expression and laughed, “Oh, that’s nothing. Let me tell you about last time—it was even crazier.”
Turning to Pan Yu, He Mingjie said, “Hey, Old Pan, remember when you lost our midterm report card?”
Pan Yu nodded, an unmistakable look of defeat flashing across his face.
He had always aimed to catch up to Bo Jin, dreaming of surpassing him one day. But after more than a year, he’d gone from hopeful to despairing.
Catching up wasn’t possible; all he could do was hold on tight to second place.
Curious, Xie Ruan turned back to He Mingjie with keen interest, “What happened?”
Bo Jin shot a warning glance at He Mingjie, signaling him to drop it.
A good memory was something people admired, but Bo Jin knew his was different. He could recall every small detail from even when he was two, which most people found unsettling.
He didn’t want Xie Ruan to notice anything unusual about it.
However, as the saying goes, you can’t rely on heaven or earth, much less on a straightforward guy. This one glance was enough to make He Mingjie completely misunderstand.
Brother Bo just wanted him to talk a little more? Sure, no problem! Complimenting people? He was a pro at it!
Old Sun really knew how to read people. It seemed Brother Bo had some interest in Xie Ruan; otherwise, why hint at wanting him to praise him in front of Xie Ruan?
Tsk tsk tsk, men.
He Mingjie shot Bo Jin a “don’t worry about it” look and started spilling everything: “So, during the last monthly test, Old Pan lost the report card.”
While he talked, he kept glancing at the back door, on guard for the sudden arrival of Sun Fuan. “He didn’t dare let the homeroom teacher know, and it was too late to print a new one. At the critical moment, Brother Bo came to the rescue.”
Remembering the scene, He Mingjie’s blood still boiled with excitement: “He memorized the report card on the spot so that Pan Yu could rewrite it.”
“Forty-six students in our class, six subjects each, plus the total score. He just took one look and remembered everything—can you believe that?”
D*mn!
Xie Ruan couldn’t help but curse internally. Is this guy even human? He’s a human scanner!
Uncontrollably, he turned to Bo Jin and asked the question he’d always wanted to ask: “Do you have a photographic memory?”
“Too much brainless entertainment, huh, kid?” Bo Jin casually placed his hand on Xie Ruan’s head, turning his face away. “Ever heard of the photographic memory technique? It’s just short-term memory that fades afterward.”
Is that so? Xie Ruan, unfamiliar with this area, took his word for it: “Still, that’s impressive.”
Bo Jin looked down, masking the expression in his eyes, and said calmly, “It’s all trained.”
Memory can be trained? Xie Ruan got curious and pulled out his phone to look up the photographic memory technique. A bunch of training programs popped up, and the high costs made Xie Ruan gasp.
Turns out, geniuses need to be cultivated from a young age.
Xie Ruan figured Bo Jin’s family must be well-off. Actually, from his usual manner, you could tell a bit: treating people to meals without hesitation, smoking Fu Rong Wang, and the shoes he wore.
Thanks to Shen Xingyun, Xie Ruan had some knowledge in this area.
While Bo Jin’s shoes weren’t outrageously expensive, they weren’t cheap either, starting at around a thousand yuan. He was also neat, frequently changing shoes—Xie Ruan had already seen him wear seven or eight different pairs.
He Mingjie watched Bo Jin fool Xie Ruan, who looked dazed and impressed, and couldn’t take it anymore. “Brother Bo, that’s enough now.”
Even though he didn’t know whether Bo Jin’s memory was really trained, saying it was just short-term memory and that he’d forget afterward was definitely nonsense.
Putting everything else aside, he could still remember exactly how many points each class earned in every event during last year’s sports day.
Hoping to say a bit more, He Mingjie suddenly fell silent when Bo Jin glanced at him with a blank expression.
While He Mingjie wasn’t great at reading the room, he’d known Bo Jin long enough to tell whether he was really upset or just putting on an act. And this time, he was genuinely mad.
What did he say wrong, though? Surely it wasn’t because he’d just had a few words with Xie Ruan?
No way…was he really that possessive? Did he have a streak of Korean drama jealousy?
While these thoughts ran through his mind, He Mingjie laughed it off and let the topic slide.
But Xie Ruan, still curious, wasn’t about to drop it and insisted on hearing more.
He Mingjie, feeling caught between his friend and his friend’s crush, was in a dilemma. Who was he supposed to listen to?!
Luckily, Bo Jin didn’t let him suffer for too long. He pulled the eager Xie Ruan back, pressing him into his seat. “If you’ve got time for gossip, that means you’ve mastered all your exam questions, right? Great. Why don’t you translate this cloze passage, then?”
Bo Jin knew Xie Ruan well enough to think this would make him focus. Normally, Xie Ruan would’ve dropped the matter and started studying immediately.
But Bo Jin didn’t realize that if the topic was about him, Xie Ruan couldn’t just let it go.
“We’re about to have a break. I don’t have time to start anything now.” Xie Ruan tried to brush him off. “Next period—I’ll study for real, I swear.” He squirmed, trying to break free. “Besides, we weren’t saying anything bad about you. We were praising you.”
“Save it,” Bo Jin laughed, lightly tapping his forehead. “Focus.”
Seeing that Xie Ruan still looked distracted, Bo Jin narrowed his eyes, seeming to scheme.
Keeping a firm hold on Xie Ruan, he whispered, “Listen well, and I’ll let you keep listening.”
Why was this guy’s pen-holding hand so strong?!
Xie Ruan tried everything, but he couldn’t break free. In the end, desperate to know more, he had to give in. “I…”
He opened his mouth but couldn’t quite get the words out.
It felt strangely like Bo Jin was humoring him as if he were a little kid.
“Hmm?” Bo Jin waited patiently for him to continue.
Xie Ruan closed his eyes, muttering through gritted teeth, “I’ll listen.”
“Good boy.” Bo Jin’s eyes held a hint of a smile as he patted Xie Ruan’s head, releasing him. “Now, let’s get to studying.”
Xie Ruan: “…”
He couldn’t believe it—Bo Jin had tricked him again!
“There are ten minutes left,” Bo Jin kindly slipped a pen into his hand and pointed to his notes, “enough time to finish those two vector questions I gave you.”
Xie Ruan had no choice but to start the problems reluctantly.
After ensuring Xie Ruan was truly focused, Bo Jin picked up his phone.
A message soon appeared in their group chat of four—
[Bo]: Stop blabbing about me in front of Xie Ruan.
[He Mingjie]: ?? What, Brother Bo, we’re complimenting you!
[Bo]: Oh, and I need your praise?
[He Mingjie]: …
[After repeatedly turning down the school beauty, Sun Haoxiang ]: Oh, come on, Old He! Can’t you see this is a matter of privacy between them? It’s about their sweet moments, getting to know each other better… You’re just a third wheel here!
[Vice Monitor Pan Yu]: He’s not just single. He’s single-minded.
A lightbulb went off for He Mingjie, and he seemed to finally understand.
[He Mingjie]: Wow, Brother Bo, who knew you were such a charmer! Can you teach me? I like Lin Lu!
[Bo]: Forget it. You wouldn’t get it.
Unhappy, He Mingjie shot back, And why do you think I wouldn’t get it?
[Bo]: You think charm can be learned? Try a reincarnation.
He Mingjie: “…”
F*ck. What did he do to deserve this?
After giving He Mingjie a good scolding, Bo Jin felt much better. He checked the time, opened the question bank on the school’s website, and started working on problems.
To make studying easier for students, Shijia High had invested heavily in creating an online question bank. From advanced math Olympiad practice to basic foundational exercises, there was nothing you couldn’t find in it.
The question bank required real names, and every problem students attempted was recorded. Clicking on a name allowed you to see their problem count and accuracy rate. Additionally, to encourage students to practice more, the school even had leaderboards for problem count and accuracy rate.
Bo Jin had long held the top spot on both leaderboards, leaving the second place trailing far behind.
Just as the bell rang, he completed a math Olympiad problem. Putting down his phone, he rubbed his neck, planning to find some fun, when he spotted Xie Ruan standing up with his phone.
Bo Jin smirked. Wasn’t this convenient?
He reached out and tapped on Xie Ruan’s desk. “Where are you off to?”
Still annoyed by Bo Jin’s earlier trickery, Xie Ruan responded irritably, “What’s it to you?”
Bo Jin casually twirled a pen in his hand and clicked his tongue. “Beg me to hug you during exams, then ignore me right after? Use and toss… you’re quite the scum, aren’t you?”
“Who begged?” Xie Ruan was speechless, almost wanting to throw his phone at him. “Stop making stuff up.”
“Alright, I’m making stuff up,” Bo Jin nodded. “You didn’t ignore me, and you didn’t use me and toss me aside.”
When he brought it up, Xie Ruan felt a bit guilty.
Before the exam, Bo Jin had not only marked important points for Xie Ruan but also helped keep him calm. Treating him like this in return… well, maybe it was a bit much.
But it was because he’d said something ridiculous!
Forget it; it’s been long enough to know what kind of person he is. Why sweat the small stuff with him?
With this thought, Xie Ruan softened his tone and explained, “Don’t take it the wrong way; I’m not ignoring you.”
“Oh, so just because you say it, it must be true?” Bo Jin let out a sarcastic laugh. “I feel like you’re just brushing me off.”
This guy really was sharp.
Xie Ruan raised an eyebrow. “Alright, then, what do you want?”
If it’s nothing too over-the-top, he wouldn’t mind appeasing him—after all, there were more tests to come: midterms, finals, even the college entrance exam.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, he saw Bo Jin lift his chin lazily and say, “Alright then, shout out in class, ‘I like Bo Jin,’ to show some sincerity.”
Xie Ruan: “…”
