The girl was going to perform a hot dance for Ye Chen—an absolutely lethal temptation for any boy in the throes of adolescence.
The rest of the girls were speechless, let alone the boys.
"Isn't this going too far?"
"Right, don't we have any bottom line left?"
Sensing trouble, Zhu Ming—who'd first struck up a conversation—hurriedly said, "Little bro, don't stray down the wrong path; women will only trip you up on the National Higher Education Entrance Examination."
"Exactly! Don't believe such nonsense—if you want top grades, your mind must be still as water."
Several other boys chimed in.
"Yeah, a hot dance—what kind of studying is that? Ridiculous."
"Universities are full of girls who can dance; don't be dazzled by the birds and the bees, little bro."
"With your looks, you'll be the School Heartthrob once you get to University—any girl you want. Keep your eyes on the horizon, kid."
…Watching these self-proclaimed prodigies spout eloquence, Ye Chen was speechless.
What are these people doing?
He'd never once said he was the one who needed tutoring.
Their imaginations were running wild.
Hearing all this, the girl who'd offered to dance gave a cold snort.
"You people have filthy minds; proper rest boosts concentration."
"I offered to dance for the kid, yet you think of dirty things—bunch of scumbags."
…The boys who'd questioned her blushed crimson.
Zhu Ming sniffed: "We all know what game you're playing—after a thousand years, Fox Spirits still pretend to be saints."
"Y-you're the Fox Spirit!"
The girl's little face flushed with anger.
"Little bro, don't listen to their nonsense; they're trying to drive a wedge. Big Sister is pure positivity—I guarantee you'll cruise into a 985 University."
"And science is my strong suit; together we'll get into our dream University."
Everyone else was annoyed by her declaration.
Still, they were University students—civilized people—so outright cursing was out of the question.
Ye Chen sighed: "I'm afraid you've all misunderstood."
I have no say in today's hiring."
Just then the Butler entered, sweeping his gaze across the room: "Everyone's here? Madam is waiting in the Conference Room."
Ye Chen stood up and, surrounded by the crowd, headed for the Conference Room.
The moment she entered, Ruolan froze.
Ye Chen was walking front-and-center, the others practically fawning behind him.
She wondered how a mere High School student could outshine these proud University elites.
When the applicants saw Ruolan, they were equally stunned by her aura.
Many eyes flicked toward Ye Chen.
Ruolan was beautiful; Ye Chen was also strikingly handsome.
Powerful genes—mother and son were off-the-charts gorgeous.
Without realizing it, everyone assumed Ruolan was Ye Chen's mother.
Ruolan gave a gentle smile: "Welcome, applicants. Let me call the roll first."
"Ye Chen."
"Present."
"…"
With a bright grin, Ye Chen nodded to the stunned room.
The others gaped, utterly bewildered.
After all their effort, the guy turned out to be an applicant too.
Especially the girl who'd offered to dance—her cheeks burned like ripe apples.
Yet she sneaked a peek at Ye Chen: "This little bro is pretty cute—maybe a campus romance is doable."
Zhu Ming beside him looked mortified, resentment flickering in his eyes.
"Dude, you're quite the actor—so you're here for the interview too."
Ye Chen merely smiled: "I never acted; you guys assumed. Surprise!"
"…"
In private, Zhu Ming would've cursed him out.
You're such a troll.
An applicant like everyone else, yet you acted like the host—he'd wasted half a day buttering Ye Chen up.
Utterly despicable.
"Kid, you're really pushing it."
Zhu Ming's tone carried real anger.
His face darkened as he repressed his rage.
"Too much? I kept saying the hiring wasn't up to me, and I never claimed to be your tutee."
"I…"
Zhu Ming was lost for words.
Ye Chen was telling the truth.
Yet Zhu Ming still felt a fire in his gut.
"Zhu Ming."
"Present."
When Ruolan called his name, Zhu Ming's gloomy face flipped to a refined smile.
Ye Chen curled his lip.
A Two-Faced type—exactly the most treacherous kind.
After the roll call, Ruolan said: "Today's test is simple. I asked an expert to set one paper: twenty Physics questions, twenty Math questions. Fastest, highest score wins the position."
The room froze at her words.
They hadn't expected an actual exam.
Usually, a résumé and a demo lesson were enough.
Yet this interview required a test.
Many had forgotten their High School material and were just here to coast.
But walking out now would be humiliating, so they had to bite the bullet.
The pay was one thousand yuan per hour, four hours a shot—four grand in total—too tempting to pass up.
Such generous terms were hard to come by.
So none of them wanted to miss it.
The paper was handwritten in elegant, graceful script.
Ye Chen secretly admired how beautifully it had been prepared.
Ruolan glanced at her watch: "It's 8:05. One hour, then papers will be collected. Please observe Exam Discipline."
The test began.
Many of the University students blanched at the questions.
Graduated one or two years, they'd forgotten most of their High School knowledge.
And every problem had been set by top-tier High-School teachers—classic, challenging items—naturally tough for them.
Ye Chen's mind raced, using the slickest shortcut for every answer—after all, both speed and accuracy counted.
The paper was indeed hard; even Li Sitong and Xia Yingluo would struggle.
But to Ye Chen it was child's play.
Ruolan's gaze settled on him.
To her surprise, while others panicked, Ye Chen kept his head down, pen scratching nonstop.
How could he be so fast?
In barely five minutes he'd finished half the paper.
A captivating smile curved on Ruolan's alluring lips.
She was eager to see how this High School student, daring to compete with elite University students, would perform.