I rejected your confession, but you took my best friend home?

Chapter 57 was probably... just something that happened to be on the way, right?

When Tang Zhi saw Zhou Heng approaching, she gently patted Yin Mengran on the back and said:

"Go ahead, he needs you right now."

After saying that, she left, leaving Yin Mengran standing there stunned for a moment.

"Do you need... me?"

She watched Tang Zhi's departing figure, her mouth slightly open, and muttered something.

Although she didn't know if there were multiple meanings to those words, she was very happy to hear Tang Zhi say them.

Zhou Heng walked along, lost in thought, paying no attention to what was ahead.

At that moment, Yin Mengran suddenly appeared in front of him, craning her neck and smiling at him.

"Hello! How did the exam go?"

"Ah...I'm not sure, but it shouldn't be a big problem, right?"

Zhou Heng shook his head silently, but his expression was rather serious, and his brows revealed his worry.

He simply thought about what he had learned and wrote down the answer.

As for whether it's right or wrong, he wasn't sure. If you asked him, he felt he had written it all correctly, since it was all filled out and there were no blanks...

"Ugh--"

Zhou Heng sighed. He had done his best. If it still didn't work, he could only accept reality. It was his own fault for not studying before...

Yin Mengran was slightly taken aback when she saw Zhou Heng's current state. Zhou Heng had always given her the impression of being very emotionally stable.

No matter what happens, they will face it calmly, remaining unmoved even if Mount Tai collapses before them; this is their character of being composed in the face of danger.

Moreover, he is exceptionally mature, as if his mental age is much older than hers. When taking care of her, he acts like her elder.

But now, seeing him worry about exams just like any other student, and showing this kind of reaction...

This made Yin Mengran feel that the distance between her and Zhou Heng wasn't so far after all.

Especially now, Zhou Heng was hanging his head, looking very insecure.

This stirred Yin Mengran's protective instincts. For a moment, she really wanted to hug Zhou Heng, not wanting to see him so sad...

But she held back. After all, they were out in public. She didn't care about herself, but it wouldn't be good for Zhou Heng...

She gently tugged at Zhou Heng's arm and said:

"Alright! Let's not dwell on the exam anymore. Let's go back and study for tomorrow's exam, shall we?"

Zhou Heng turned his head to look at Yin Mengran beside him, and saw a smile playing on her thin, peach-pink lips.

Zhou Heng felt a sudden sense of relief. He thought that this was the importance of comfort. If he were alone, he probably wouldn't have been able to study well tonight.

"okay."

The two walked towards home, discussing the exam questions and comparing answers.

One person witnessed their entire departure.

"Ranran...how did she end up with Zhou Heng?"

Tong Yining stood there motionless, as if her brain had lost its ability to control itself.

She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Why... did Yin Mengran leave with Zhou Heng?

Do the two of them have a good relationship?

She only learned yesterday that Tang Zhi is actually Zhou Heng's sister, so she can rest assured and no longer worry that Zhou Heng will be with Tang Zhi.

I had been thinking of keeping a low profile lately and not bothering Zhou Heng, but going now would only backfire.

After some time, once she sees that Zhou Heng is in a better mood, she will slowly approach him again.

Anyway, there's still a year to go, no need to rush. Based on her understanding of Zhou Heng, he's unlikely to start a relationship with anyone in a short period of time.

So her main goal now is to repair her relationship with Yin Mengran and become good friends with her again.

But what she saw was something she couldn't believe.

Yin Mengran was alone with Zhou Heng, without Tang Zhi around. It was unclear where they were going.

"It's probably... just that it happened to be going that way, right?"

Tong Yining muttered something to herself, trying to comfort herself, but her eyes remained fixed on the direction the two had left in.

She comforted herself in this way mainly because she genuinely couldn't imagine Zhou Heng and Yin Mengran together.

Back then, she had doubted even the slightest possibility that Tian Run would be with Zhou Heng, and never imagined that Yin Mengran would be...

The reason is that, in their own impressions, these two people are from completely different worlds.

Whether it's personality, temperament, academic performance, or anything else, they are completely opposite.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible..."

Tong Yining shook her head, banishing the dangerous thoughts from her mind.

She still couldn't believe that Yin Mengran and Zhou Heng could have anything going on... so she decided to pretend she hadn't seen anything...

When Zhou Heng and Yin Mengran returned home, Yin Mengran told Zhou Heng to focus on his studies and that she would cook dinner.

Zhou Heng didn't refuse. He knew he should make the most of every minute; there was still one more day of exams tomorrow, and only after that could he relax a little.

Yin Mengran was cooking in the kitchen. Through the glass, she looked at Zhou Heng outside, who was studying diligently, head down, occasionally stretching his neck and back.

Just by looking at Zhou Heng's current state, Yin Mengran could feel how tired and exhausted he was...

Yin Mengran pursed her lips, a hint of heartache in her eyes. She really wanted to do more for Zhou Heng, anything at all.

Anything that can alleviate his stress and burden is fine...

After the two had dinner together, Yin Mengran went to tidy up, while Zhou Heng continued studying.

After Yin Mengran finished clearing the table and washing the dishes, she came out of the kitchen and stood behind Zhou Heng.

Unbeknownst to him, Yin Mengran reached out and gently squeezed Zhou Heng's shoulders.

"Ok?"

Zhou Heng suddenly turned his head to look at Yin Mengran behind him, a look of surprise on his face.

He didn't understand why Yin Mengran was massaging his shoulders...

"I...I just saw you looked tired...so..."

Yin Mengran lowered her head, her face flushed, and whispered. She didn't know how to explain to Zhou Heng; she just wanted to help him relieve some of his stress as much as possible.

Zhou Heng's throat tightened, and he turned his head away, saying in a low voice, "Thank you, but you don't need to. I'm fine. I'll study for another hour or so, and then I'll go to sleep."

"It's okay, just focus on your studies..."

The two maintained a quiet environment, with occasional sounds of Yin Mengran teaching Zhou Heng how to do math problems.

Time flew by, and it was already past midnight. Zhou Heng knew he had to go to sleep, or things would turn out like they did last night.

So Zhou Heng and Yin Mengran washed up and went back to their bedroom to prepare for bed.

Zhou Heng usually falls asleep quickly, while Yin Mengran needs some time to become sleepy before she can fall asleep.

But tonight, both of them lay awake, staring at the pitch-black ceiling...