In the evening, the attendants left, and Lan Chuo also returned to her room to rest.
Only Lan Yan and Jun Yelan remained, walking along the covered walkway towards their rooms.
Reaching the first room on the left, Lan Yan stopped and said with a smile, "Jun Yelan, this is me."
"Mm." But Jun Yelan showed no sign of leaving. After moving to the new courtyard, he had been good to everyone else, but not so much to him. Because he had his own room, next to Lan Yan's.
Lan Yan, wanting Jun Yelan to study well and not be disturbed, decided to sleep separately. "Jun Yelan, I'm going to sleep now." She made a move to close her door, but Jun Yelan caught it, and she looked at him in confusion.
Jun Yelan avoided her gaze and coughed twice, saying, "I was just wondering if you have enough blankets?"
"I do." Lan Yan had prepared two blankets, so she wouldn't be cold now.
Jun Yelan was about to speak but stopped. As Lan Yan stared at him, he said, "I just wanted to remind you to close your doors and windows at night."
"I know." Lan Yan blinked, full of confusion, wondering if Jun Yelan had something else to say. Strange, Jun Yelan wasn't like this before.
She yawned, her eyelids drooping.
Seeing this, Jun Yelan let go of the door and said, "Get some good rest."
"Okay, you too. Sweet dreams." Lan Yan smiled at Jun Yelan and closed the door.
Jun Yelan outside the door curved his lips and walked into the room next door. Looking at everything in the room, his heart warmed; Lan Yan had prepared it all.
But when he looked at the bed, a hint of sadness appeared in his eyes.
Lan Yan lay on the bed, thinking of Jun Yelan's strangeness earlier, and her eyes suddenly lit up.
She sat up and patted the bed, saying, "I know, Jun Yelan must be unaccustomed to sleeping alone. Is Jun Yelan also afraid of the dark?"
The system popped up, "..." This host was good in every way, but when it came to her own affairs, her mind always couldn't turn around. "Host, you're overthinking it. Only you would be like this." httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
He was actually curious why Lan Yan was afraid of the dark.
"That's good, then I don't have to worry." Lan Yan lay down again, looking at the bed canopy above, and sighed, "My relationship with Jun Yelan has improved a lot now. Is this mission almost complete?"
System: "Host, we're only at the beginning. It's still a long way off. Jun Yelan isn't that simple; he has a lot on his mind."
"Sigh!" Lan Yan cheered up again. At least she had made Jun Yelan much happier now. "Don't worry, Jun Yelan is about to take his exams. When he achieves what he desires, I believe he will get better and better."
She knew Jun Yelan was a person with goals, and he was working towards them.
The system sighed along with her, "What he desires now is more than just this one thing."
"Whatever it is, I will help him." Lan Yan smiled. Jun Yelan had a terrible past, but since she arrived, she had been slowly changing the situation.
She hoped Jun Yelan would be even better and not be trapped in the past. This was not only her mission for coming here but also her selfish desire.
What else could the system say but, "Host, keep it up!" It might as well go offline.
Lan Yan fell asleep, sleeping soundly that night.
The next morning, Lan Yan and Jun Yelan finished breakfast and went their separate ways.
Jun Yelan held a pastry in his hand, a faint smile on his lips as he put it away and entered the academy. Today was his first exam here, and he would not disappoint Lan Yan.
The other students also arrived. Student Lu entered with someone. "Brother Ming, you're finally back. We've missed you terribly."
Ming You, dressed in a brocade robe, wore an arrogant expression. If he hadn't bumped into someone last time and gone to the countryside to hide for a few days until things settled down, he wouldn't have left.
"Now that I'm back, I naturally intend to stay. Who is this?" He noticed Jun Yelan; his demeanor was too striking, arousing his jealousy.
Student Lu, adding fuel to the fire, said, "Someone from the countryside, beneath Brother Ming's notice."
Ming You glanced at him disdainfully. He had just returned from that place and truly detested its smell. He sat in the front row, far from Jun Yelan, with Student Lu beside him.
During this time, Jun Yelan kept his head down, looking at the paper on the desk, completely unwilling to engage with these idlers. He had more important things to do.
Teacher Du walked in, wrote the exam questions on the board, and looked at everyone. "One stick of incense for the exam. The results will be posted in the afternoon." He then sat down, holding a book.
Jun Yelan glanced at the questions and began to answer. The others also started writing.
After one stick of incense, everyone submitted their papers.
Jun Yelan walked to the entrance, and Student Lu's voice came from behind him. He looked back coldly and then turned to leave.
"What's there to be so proud of? My Brother Ming will deal with you later." Student Lu looked at Ming You and fawned, "Brother Ming, you don't need to look. You'll definitely be first this time; no one can compare to you."
Ming You's eyes were filled with pride, the curve of his lips rising higher and higher. "Let's go, my brother, let's go for a drink." In this academy, he was the greatest.
"Okay, Brother Ming." Student Lu followed Ming You with a fawning expression. When they returned smelling of alcohol, the ranking list was already out. "Brother Ming, you're destined to be first."
However, as they drew closer to look, the three characters written in the first position were "Jun Yelan"!
"It's him, someone from the countryside!" Ming You clenched his fists, his eyes full of rage.
Student Lu's face paled in panic; he didn't know this either. He saw Lan Yan at the entrance, still holding a food box, and his eyes darted around as he said, "Brother Ming, Jun Yelan stole your position. We should teach him a lesson."
"That's his fiancée. He cherishes her dearly."
Ming You was now filled with hatred. It was one thing for Jun Yelan to take his position, but to be reprimanded by a woman was unbearable.
He couldn't swallow this insult and shouted, "You guys, go up and take her away. Today, I will make Jun Yelan regret it immensely."
Hearing Jun Yelan's name, Lan Yan's eyes darkened. These people were targeting Jun Yelan, so she couldn't let them off. She rubbed the lid of the food box and said, "Alright, let's go over there."
She wanted to let these people know that she was not to be trifled with, and Jun Yelan was even less so.
Ming You led his men to chase after them and surrounded Lan Yan.
Jun Yelan, who had just seen the ranking list inside the academy, allowed a subtle upward curve of his lips. He thought Lan Yan would be happy when she found out and immediately went to the entrance, but he didn't see her.
He asked students nearby and learned that Lan Yan had been taken away by Ming You. His pupils trembled, and he hurried to find her.