If We Had Never Met

Chapter 5: Why He's So Annoying

Chapter 5: Why He's So Annoying

After half a term of hard work， Aelia finally achieved 40th place in her year and 8th in her class during the final exams. Yet she still missed out on the chance to enter the top examination hall. Throughout the entire winter holiday， this failure weighed heavily on her mind.

The television dramas and novels that once captivated her now held no appeal. She had become engrossed in reading and solving problems， finding pleasure even in the monotonous black-and-white print. Every book she read and every problem she tackled inevitably brought him to mind. It was precisely because she thought of him while studying that the act of learning no longer felt so tedious and repellent.

Why hadn't term started yet? She hadn't seen him in ages.

After the second semester of Year 7 began， Aelia noticed she frequently spotted Ethan cycling past on her way to and from school. The school had issued a notice stating that due to heavy traffic on the outer ring road， students were no longer permitted to use that route for safety reasons. She calculated her departure time precisely， leaving five minutes earlier than before to ensure regular encounters. For the sake of catching just a glimpse of his fleeting silhouette， she timed her dressing and shoe-tying each morning， yet this routine fuelled her motivation and good spirits throughout the entire day.

What she hadn't anticipated was that the mid-term exams for the second semester of Year 7 had changed venue， moving from the teaching block to the science building. The science block housed only large lecture halls. The capacity of Examination Room 1 had expanded from thirty to sixty students.

This meant she could finally get in.

Clutching her cushion and water bottle， she stood silently with the crowd gathered at the entrance， waiting for the invigilator to open the door. Classmates chatted in small groups around her， while she stood alone in the corner. Suddenly， she spotted Ethan from afar. He stood by the window opposite the girls' toilets， animatedly discussing something with Aisha， the top student in their class. She'd never seen the usually expressionless Aisha smile so brightly.

Indeed， everyone adored him， while she possessed nothing. She couldn't even manage to meet his gaze with confidence. This sudden realisation brought her a pang of sadness， and she chided herself for not having tried harder.

Five minutes before the exam began， the invigilator hurriedly arrived， unlocked the classroom door， and announced:‘As there's no time to affix exam numbers， you may take any available seat.’ The sixty-seat lecture theatre descended into utter chaos. Elia felt herself jostled into a window seat by the crowd. Resignedly settling her cushion， she bent to retrieve her stationery when suddenly， the satchel beside her seemed vaguely familiar.

It looked remarkably like... Ethan's satchel. Her heart skipped a beat.

‘Mate， mate?’ A unfamiliar boy waved his hand in front of her face.‘Shall we swap seats? I fancy sitting next to Ye Ge.’ He gestured towards the seats by the back wall.‘The spot I've got is brilliant—dead quiet.’

Aelia shook her head vigorously like a rattle， giving him a look of pure indignation. The boy wisely pursed his lips and walked away， muttering under his breath，‘Girls are hopeless. They can't walk past Ethan without stopping. You'll regret this. Sit next to him for a bit， and you'll see just how irritating he is.’

Still pondering the boy's words， she looked up to see Ethan approaching her seat. Before she could decide whether to acknowledge him， Ethan was already waving enthusiastically.

‘Hey， Aelia! You're sitting here? What a coincidence!’

His eyes were bright， sincere and warm， always sparkling with a light that made her squint， yet she couldn't help but look back.

‘Mhm.’ She nodded with a smile， responding softly.

The exam bell chimed. The invigilator began distributing papers， instructing students to clearly write their seat number and exam registration number. Aelia hadn't expected to be reprimanded by the invigilator for writing her seat number.

“Some people really aren't thinking straight.‘ the invigilator walked over to her side and reprimanded sharply，’How many times must I say it? Seat numbers must be written according to the ranking from the last exam. Is that not clear?“

A stir rippled through the silent classroom as students lifted their heads， curiously observing this‘slow-witted’ girl. An overwhelming sense of embarrassment washed over her， the stares from all around burning her cheeks like fire. At that moment， the boy she fancied was seated right beside her. The more she thought about it， the more mortified she felt， so she stole a glance at Ethan’s reaction.

As if sensing her gaze， Ethan suddenly turned his head and flashed her a smile before lifting his eyes to smile at the invigilator.

“Ethan， what are you laughing at?” the invigilator asked， frowning.

Ethan scratched the back of his neck and answered with a grin，‘Well， sir， you've missed one. There's another“dimwit” here who's written the wrong seat number too.’

The invigilator was amused by his cheekiness.‘Knowing you're a dimwit and still so cheerful about it! Get that corrected immediately， or you won't get a mark!’

In the classroom， the students' attention had long since shifted from Elia to Ethan， and everyone was laughing. Elia joined in the laughter too.

‘i***t，’ she muttered to herself， yet her eyes suddenly stung with warmth. A wave of gratitude washed over her heart because Ethan had saved her from embarrassment.

However， once the exam began， she finally understood why the boy who’d asked to swap seats had said those things. Ethan was truly annoying.

‘Hey， Aelia， got your watch on? What time is it?’

‘Aelia， can I borrow your eraser?’

‘Got tissues? Lend me one.’

She couldn't stand people talking to her while she was answering questions， because her train of thought would get disrupted the moment she spoke. And Ethan finished every exam at least half an hour early， which was driving her absolutely mad.

‘Ethan， if you've finished， don't disturb others.’ The invigilator approached with a stern expression， tapped his desk， then said to her，‘Just get on with your work. Ignore him.’

She’d intended to ignore him， but couldn’t resist his handsome face beaming as he cheerfully called her name. Whenever she tried to refuse， his smile would melt her resolve.

Of course， there were other reasons too.

After the first Chinese exam， the invigilator approached Ethan for a chat. He suddenly glanced at Aelia and asked，“This girl hasn’t been in the top exam hall before， has she?” Before Aelia could speak， Ethan interjected on her behalf.‘Teacher， this is Aelia from Class 10. Her essays are exceptional—they've been circulated throughout the entire year group. You must have heard of her.’

After the second Mathematics exam， several top students from his class approached him to compare answers. Amid their chatter， he’d suddenly declare: Let me introduce you to Aelia from Class 10—you know， the one with the exceptional writing.“

Before the final exam began， she bent over her books for last-minute cramming. He suddenly leaned in， flipping through her textbook.‘Which chapter are you on? Let me tell you the key points—this is definitely going to be in the exam.’

Though the first examination hall was filled with academically brilliant classmates who were also his close friends， he always seemed to seek her out; and she， in turn， waited for him to find her at every moment.

Two days passed like this. She felt a mix of irritation and joy， walking home from school with her satchel， unable to suppress the smile that played on her lips. The cool evening breeze of midsummer ruffled her hair and stirred her heart.

He was like an unexpected intruder， disrupting her world， shattering its established order with his own rhythm. Yet she didn't seem to dislike this sense of disarray; rather， she found herself strangely captivated by it.

Her thoughts tangled like a ball of knotted thread， yet one notion grew ever clearer.

Suddenly， she desperately wanted to come first.

Suddenly， she longed to be just a little bit closer to him.