Chapter 8 A Golden Ticket

• “Of course, I will definitely study hard and won't let you all down. Though you look truly stunning today, we've already wasted five minutes. Shall we start the lesson now?”
• Janice, slightly flustered by the compliment, nodded.
• “All right, let's begin! Everyone, please take out your test papers! Right, Natalie, take the empty seat next to Chauncey for now. We'll consider finding you a different spot during the homeroom meeting.”
• “Oh, okay.”
• After being ignored for quite some time, Natalie finally managed to dodge a bullet.
• She quickly descended from the lectern and headed in Chauncey's direction.
• There's only one empty seat in the entire class. The teacher must be referring to that spot, right?
• My seatmate is Chauncey?
• Seated comfortably, Chauncey gazed at her, a subtle smile curling on his lips.
• At eighteen, Natalie was unexpectedly socially anxious.
• It was rather adorable.
• He watched as she approached, tentatively extending her foot to test the ground before retracting it again.
• “I-I'm sorry. Is this...”
• “Yes, this will be your seat from now on. Hello, I'm your new seatmate, Chauncey.”
• Chauncey resisted the urge to pull her into his embrace, striving to keep his smile as gentle as possible.
• “T-Thank you.” Natalie cautiously expressed her thanks before taking a seat.
• She unzipped her worn-out backpack, retrieved a stack of books from within, and arranged them with utmost care.
• Then, she pulled out her exercise book and fell into silence.
• “All right, everyone, take out yesterday's test papers.”
• Janice's voice rang out.
• Chauncey rummaged through his desk for a while before he finally pulled out his test paper, which was filled with red crosses. He was instantly filled with a sense of regret.
• My performance is truly nothing short of terrible!
• There are still a hundred days left, and I wonder if I can still improve.
• How's Natalie's result, though? Can we attend the same university?
• If we can't, how can I stay in touch with her?
• Lost in his thoughts, Chauncey suddenly felt a faint gaze drifting toward him.
• He turned his head, only to see Natalie hastily withdrawing her gaze. She lowered her head, doodling on the writing paper in a flustered manner.
• Does she not have yesterday's test paper?
• Right, we have exams one to two times per week during senior year.
• We're reviewing yesterday's paper, and she has just transferred today.
• I think she wants to borrow mine, but she's too shy to voice it out.
• She truly has social anxiety!
• Chauncey felt a wave of emotion stirring within him before he turned his attention back to his paper.
• At that very moment, he was filled with immense regret for not taking his exam seriously.
• It's said that first impressions are crucial. What if she ended up not liking me later on?
• Ugh, this is so frustrating!
• However distressing it was, Chauncey couldn't bear to see her cautious and timid glances.
• He wanted to invite her directly to read it together, but it was their first meeting and she was quite timid.
• He couldn't be sure if she would end up being frightened.
• After some thought, Chauncey purposefully placed the test paper between them.
• Natalie appeared as if she had discovered a new world and flashed a smile. However, she quickly reined her emotions back in, casting a cautious, surreptitious glance at Chauncey.
• Chauncey was quite pleased with the situation.
• However, just a moment later, he noticed Natalie furrowed her brows, seemingly confused about the red crosses on the paper.
• At that moment, Chauncey wished the ground could swallow him whole.
• I really need to figure out a way to focus on my studies.
• Should I perhaps approach Ms. Willowby later and ask her and Zeller Menace to encourage the teachers to give me some extra classes?
• As Chauncey pondered over the feasibility of the situation, he couldn't help but wonder why others who time-traveled always seemed to have a golden ticket, yet he was left with nothing.
• If only something unforgettable happened at that time, there would be absolutely no need for worry.
• The more Chauncey thought about it, the angrier he became.
• Never mind, I should really focus on the lesson!
• Learning even a little bit is better than nothing. I definitely don't want to score a big fat zero on the next exam.
• With these thoughts in mind, Chauncey turned his attention to the test paper.
• He realized that all the knowledge points Janice discussed on the test paper resonated with him.