Time flew by quickly, and in the blink of an eye, several days had passed.

"Xi Xi... why do I feel like you've been acting strange lately?"

At university, during a break.

Xue Lan sat beside the young girl, tilting her head in confusion, "Is it that time of the month? Are you in a bad mood?"

Chen Xi didn't respond, just kept her head down, working on her problems, the sound of pen on paper softly filling the air.

"Is it about your exam results from yesterday? Oh, it doesn't matter, Xi Xi. We have quizzes every few days, and it's not like it's the postgraduate entrance exam. You don't need to worry about your scores..."

Chen Xi still had no intention of speaking.

This made Xue Lan think of an unpleasant possibility.

"Then... could it be that you're upset with him?"

The hand holding the pen paused, the sound stopped abruptly, and the young girl's eyes turned cold, "No."

Xue Lan immediately understood, smiling as she said, "Oh, I wondered what it was. It's okay, really. No couple doesn't argue. Even though I've never been in a relationship, my mom always says that in life, there's no way the spatula won't hit the pot rim. Don't you think?"

Chen Xi still ignored her, her expression indifferent, continuing to work on the papers on her desk.

At this moment, Xue Lan activated her passive skill of being a thick-skinned chatterbox.

"Xi Xi, you should be more proactive. Even though we're as beautiful as flowers, we're the ones pursuing someone, so we should take the initiative."

"As the saying goes, 'When a man chases a woman, there's a mountain in between; when a woman chases a man, it's just a veil.' Endure the hardships, and you'll win the heart of your beloved. The revolution is not yet successful, comrades still need to work hard!"

Despite the pep talk, Chen Xi seemed to have fully reverted to her usual icy demeanor, letting the words go in one ear and out the other, showing no reaction.

Xue Lan was already used to her friend's demeanor.

Although Chen Xi had become more lively for a while when her relationship with Yan Feng improved, it was clear that once they argued, she reverted to her previous aloof self.

Moreover, from her observations over the past few days, Xue Lan realized that the conflict between them might not be a minor one...

She was still chattering away when a classmate placed two printed A4 sheets on their desks.

"Oh, the report cards are out. Let me see..."

Xue Lan focused intently on the columns of the table, and when she found her name, she suppressed her excitement and said to the young girl:

"Xi Xi! This is great! I've improved by ten ranks this time! Now I can ask my mom for a gift!"

Seeing this, Chen Xi simply folded the report card on her desk twice and tossed it into the nearby trash bin.

The scores and rankings meant nothing to her, so she didn't even bother to glance at them until Xue Lan's casual remark caught her attention:

"Hmm... I haven't seen Dad in a long time. If he sees how much I've improved this time, maybe he'll be so happy in Wanghai City that he'll come back to spend time with me..."

The young girl's voice carried a hint of longing, likely because her father worked away from home to earn money, leaving little opportunity for family reunions.

As the words faded, Xue Lan turned her head excitedly and said, "Xi Xi, if my dad comes back, I'll ask him to bring us some specialties from Wanghai City, okay... Xi Xi... what's wrong?"

She blinked, looking puzzled.

Following Xue Lan's gaze, she saw that Chen Xi, who had just been indifferent to the report card, was now squatting on the ground, rummaging through the trash bin.

Fortunately, it didn't take long for her to find the report card, dust it off, and open it slowly, staring at Xue Lan with an intense gaze as she asked:

"You said you improved by 10 ranks, right?"

Caught off guard by the question, Xue Lan stammered, "Y-yeah... why... what's up?"

"So your dad will come back to see you because you've improved, right?" Chen Xi asked with utmost seriousness.

Only then did Xue Lan realize, thinking for a moment before giving what she thought was a reasonable answer:

"It depends on how many ranks I improve. After all, we can video call now. Our class has over fifty students, so if I really want my dad to take time off to come see me... improving by 10 ranks might still be a bit difficult."

Hearing this, Chen Xi's eyes shone even brighter, and she continued to ask, "Then what rank do you need to be for your dad to definitely come see you?"

This question was hard to answer, as it couldn't be measured precisely, so Xue Lan could only estimate based on past experience:

"I feel like if I can rank in the top 20 of our class, he'll definitely come back to spend time with me. If I make it to the top 10, my dad would probably be so happy he'd fly over overnight to celebrate with me."

With a snap, Chen Xi pressed the report card onto the desk, leaned forward, and with unprecedented excitement in her voice, asked:

"Then what if you rank first in the class!?"

"First!?"

Xue Lan was also infected by her enthusiasm, swallowing hard, her eyes shining as she imagined her father's reaction if she became the top student in the class, and she answered with absolute certainty:

"He'd have to call me Dad!"