The original casually spoken apology unexpectedly lingered countless times in Xu Xiaoba's mind.

What a dumbass, only a dumbass would say something like this! Damn, why did I just say something like this by myself, I've completely lost face. This kind of talk doesn't match my noble and badass temperament.

Although there was a conflict going on in Xu Xiaoba's mind, he managed to remain calm and composed on the surface.

Liao Ning's car arrived quickly, as Xu Xiaoba watched the two of them leave with envious eyes, feeling as if his mind had exploded.

No, I'm definitely losing my mind today. I need to go have a smoke to calm down.

"What time is it now...? I wonder."

Oh no, this is bad. It's already 7 o'clock, I still have to go online to fight the boss. If I don't go, I'll lose credibility with my team. Who knows what outrageous things those idiots might do.

Thinking about it, regardless of the injuries on his body, he immediately found a nearby dilapidated internet cafe and rushed in.

The next day.

The overslept squad assembled at the school gate, with the disciplinary teacher waiting there. One by one, they received a stern reprimand.

"How come? All of you have dark circles under your eyes. Did you study until 2 a.m. last night?"

Still nodding your head? Trying to learn how to fight monsters, huh? Thinking I don't understand your tricks! I am not outdated!

Several people were being scolded and one by one they looked dejected. They murmured in agreement for quite a while, hoping to be admitted soon so they could catch up on their sleep.

Xu Xiaoba squinted his eyes lazily, casually looking ahead. He saw a familiar back of the head, with a single strand of hair standing straight up.

"Alright, go inside. If any of you dare to be late next time, I'll just write down your names one by one and criticize you by calling them out during the flag-raising ceremony on Monday!"

Liao Qing saw Xu Xiaoba approaching and took out an egg from his hand, handing it to him. "My mom forced it on me, can you help me deal with it?"

Liao Xiaotong, who had never had a mother, finally experienced the warmth of a family. Although he had never called anyone "mom" before, it seemed to come naturally to him, and it rolled off his tongue effortlessly.

"No one expects a diligent student like you to be late," Xu Xiaoba took the warm egg, feeling its comforting warmth as it conveniently served as a hand-warmer.

"No choice, my mom forced me to eat a nutritious breakfast."

With a slightly boastful tone and eyes full of excitement when laughing, Xu Xiaoba couldn't help but wonder if he had previously been mistaken.

"Finished with our homework!" As soon as the math class representative stepped onto the podium, a wave of lamentations erupted from the students below.

"I forgot to bring my workbook!"

"Too difficult, I can't write!"

"Can I turn in the homework next time instead, as the class representative?"

"Let me copy your homework!" Xu Xiaoba used to not talk to Liao Qing and would simply take the homework and copy it.

But now, as a matter of courtesy, he still said a word.

He noticed that Liao Qing's workbook was open before him, even whiter than his own. It was only then that he suddenly remembered Liao Qing hadn't attended class for a month already.

"Never mind, let's just plagiarize Old Bai's work. Even though he has done it, his accuracy rate is not very high."

"Remember to change a few questions yourself!"

Liao Qing furrowed his brows as he looked at the title. He hadn't studied any of these subjects in the science field. The only advantage he had was that he could speak the languages of three countries: English, Japanese, and French. However, reality had proven that having a preference for certain subjects was pointless. Even achieving a perfect score in English didn't matter after all.

"The final exams will be next week. You all need to study hard and achieve good grades in order to go home and have a great Chinese New Year."

Upon hearing this, Liao Qing became even more flustered. If he didn't perform well on the exam, he would definitely have to endure another meal of fried shredded pork with bamboo shoots.

"Boss! Have you prepared next week's cheat sheet?"

Several people at the back table reminded him.

Xu Xiaoba glanced at Liao Qing from the corner of his eye, catching a glimpse of what seemed to be a look of disdain. Hastily, he lowered his voice to a level that his desk mate could just hear: "Nonsense! What cheat notes are you talking about? Do I seem like the kind of person who would cheat? Huh?"