Chapter 23: Are You Trying to Summon the Dragon by Collecting So Many Last-Place Finishes?

"Why don't you mention Shen, the academic genius? He takes first place every time," Yan Ba chuckled.

Ye Wuqi laughed. "You should talk about Miss Gong, too. So what if she's the heiress of the wealthiest family? She’s still the eternal number two."

"Exactly!" Yan Ba immediately agreed. "She’s such an embarrassment, always looking down on everyone else."

Ye Wuqi tore open a bag of chips and glanced at Ye Luo. "Eggie, how many zeroes are you planning for this time? This is our first official exam in senior year. Are you going to get all zeroes again?"

Ye Luo fell silent.

Yan Ba nearly burst out laughing. "With Eggie here, I no longer have to worry about coming in last. Not that I ever have—last place always goes to the Beauty."

Lei Xingxing added, "I doubt the Beauty is happy about that. He used to hold last place exclusively."

Ye Luo thought to herself, what's so bad about that? Is last place really such a prize?

But speak of the devil, and he appears.

Ye Wuqi was the first to notice Qiao Qingyang walk in. "Hey, Beauty, what brings you here today? No shift at work?"

Following Ye Wuqi’s gaze, Ye Luo saw a tall, slender boy walk into the classroom. His features were so delicate, it was hard to tell if he was a boy or a girl.

His eyes were drowsy, as if he hadn’t slept well. His school jacket was tied around his waist, his backpack slung carelessly over one shoulder. He seemed half-awake, swaying as he walked, as if he might collapse and fall asleep at any moment.

He was strikingly pretty; if he dressed as a girl, no one would doubt it.

"Work? I was on the night shift, just got off," Qiao Qingyang mumbled, almost as if in a dream, not even glancing at Ye Wuqi. He shuffled to his seat and collapsed onto the desk.

His backpack slipped to the floor, but he didn’t care, already drifting off to sleep.

"Then why come to class? Wouldn’t you rather go home and sleep?" Ye Wuqi walked over, picked up his bag, and returned to his seat.

Qiao Qingyang, head down, replied dreamily, "The school’s closer to work, and I was too tired. So I came here to sleep."

Ye Wuqi understood, let the matter drop, and instead stuffed the snacks Ye Luo had rejected into Qiao Qingyang’s bag. "I put the snacks in your backpack. We all have some."

"Mmm..." Qiao Qingyang murmured so softly it was barely audible, as if he had already fallen asleep.

Ye Luo watched Ye Wuqi pack the snacks into Qiao Qingyang’s bag, thoughtful.

Catching her gaze, Ye Wuqi grinned and explained, "That’s the Beauty—his full name’s Qiao Qingyang. He’s the best-looking in our class, at least before you came. We all call him Qiao the Beauty."

Yan Ba walked over to nudge Qiao Qingyang. "Beauty, wake up and meet the new classmate. The snacks were bought with her meal card!"

Unfortunately, Qiao Qingyang slept like the dead. No matter how much Yan Ba shook him, he didn’t stir.

At that moment, Ye Wuqi asked, "We have an exam on Friday. Are you coming?"

"Sure, I’ll be there to claim last place again," Qiao Qingyang replied instinctively.

Fuming, Yan Ba gave him a heavy slap on the back. "Seriously? I’ve been shaking and hitting you, and you don’t react, but Wuqi says one thing and you answer in your sleep!"

Ye Luo was speechless.

Ye Wuqi broke into laughter. "Are you trying to collect enough last-place finishes to summon a dragon?"

This time, Qiao Qingyang didn’t respond at all.