The commotion surrounding the monthly exams had finally passed, and when Miss Li came to class, she noticed that her students had become more enthusiastic about studying.
Miss Li took a moment to summarize the results of the monthly exams and said, “Some of you did quite well in the sciences, but your English scores really dragged you down.”
“So, I’ll be increasing the amount of English homework. Any questions?”
Hua Xu immediately knew that the teacher was talking about Zhou Xiu. The English exam was out of 150 points, and Zhou Xiu had only scored 89. If she had managed to score just thirty points more, she wouldn’t have had to worry about making it into the top 100 of the grade.
Even Hua Xu felt anxious on Zhou Xiu’s behalf.
After class, she couldn’t help but ask, “Xiu Xiu, how can you score full marks in math but do so poorly in English?”
Zhou Xiu helplessly replied, “How can your English be so good?”
Hua Xu held up her own exam paper and asked with a pained expression, “You think 126 points is good?”
Zhou Xiu felt the sting of the academic powerhouse’s criticism.
Yu Qingyan chimed in, recalling, “This English exam was indeed a bit tough, but someone still got a perfect score.”
Du Feiyang asked eagerly, “Who? Who’s that impressive?”
This time, getting a perfect score in English was much harder than in math. The exam had a large number of questions, a high level of vocabulary difficulty, and the listening section was incredibly fast. Du Feiyang, who usually scored above 100, only managed to get 98 this time.
“Of course, it’s Yuan Ge! His English is amazing!”
“So, Yuan Ge ranked really well in this monthly exam?” Du Feiyang asked.
Yu Qingyan replied, “Of course, otherwise why would he be called Yuan Ge? But he’s too focused on certain subjects. He’s just like our Xiu Xiu. He can score full marks in English, but his scores in Chinese and biology are a mess. I suspect he doesn’t study those subjects at all.”
Du Feiyang laughed heartily, “I don’t study those subjects either. If I could memorize books, why would I be in the science stream?”
…
Because of her perfect score in math on the monthly exam, after class, Teacher Huang approached Zhou Xiu with a stern face and said, “Stay behind to fill out a form and hand it to Teacher Wang.”
Zhou Xiu glanced at the form—it was an application to join the math competition class.
Teacher Huang said, “Don’t embarrass me.”
Zhou Xiu smiled slightly, finished reading the application form, and prepared to take out a pen to write her name. However, as she scanned to the bottom line, she noticed that the tuition fee was 100 yuan per session, with three sessions a week.
Zhou Xiu suddenly hesitated.
The not-insignificant tuition fee was a considerable expense for Zhou Xiu. But for the students at Yude, it was a normal price. Nowadays, finding tutoring outside of school for less than 100 yuan per session was almost impossible.
The system suddenly chimed in: [Young one, just fill it out! Don’t be afraid!]
[Rewards for various competitions will be awarded randomly based on difficulty.]
Zhou Xiu weighed her options.
Teacher Huang, thinking that Zhou Xiu was hesitating because she wasn’t interested in joining the competition class, sarcastically said, “What, you don’t even dare to join a competition class?”
“What right do you have to be my best student? Useless!”
Upon hearing the system’s reminder, Zhou Xiu steeled herself and signed the expensive form.
She let out a sigh of relief, stuffing her hand into her pocket. She had a bad feeling that the 2,500 RMB she had just earned from the monthly exams would soon be drained.
When Yu Qingyan learned that Zhou Xiu had joined the math competition class, her mouth dropped open in shock. “Ah, oh…”
She patted Zhou Xiu on the shoulder, her expression serious, “Xiu Xiu, take care.”
The makeup of the math competition class was roughly as follows: 70% of the students were top science students from the rocket class, with the remaining 30% split between the liberal arts rocket class and the Winners class.
Just yesterday, Zhou Xiu had thrown down the gauntlet against the rocket class, and now, in the blink of an eye, she was going to the math competition class.
The thought of her facing her rivals alone was quite a dramatic scene.
Yu Qingyan suddenly thought of a BGM from Zhihu: “What do you think about Zhou Xiu infiltrating the rocket class?”
**Nomad: “Zhihu-style BGM” is a playful way of describing a commentary that feels like it’s straight out of Zhihu, which is known for its detailed and thoughtful discussions. It’s like having a serious, analytical voice pop into your head.**
Du Feiyang sighed, “This sucks, Xiu Xiu. You’re going to have to be classmates with those guys.”
Yesterday, the numbers had been evenly matched, but from now on, Zhou Xiu would have to face an entire class alone. Wouldn’t those top students bully her?
Thankfully, Lu Lingshan wasn’t good at math and didn’t qualify for the math Olympiad competition class; otherwise, Zhou Xiu would be even more frustrated.
He glanced at Zhou Xiu’s furrowed brow, clearly worried about this too.
Hua Xu, noticing her desk mate hesitating as she stared at the application form, coughed and said, “If they dare to give you a hard time or bully you, just come back and tell us.”
If Du Feiyang and Hua Xu knew that Zhou Xiu was actually worried about the 100-yuan-per-session tuition fee, they would probably be shocked. The rich kids had never worried about money.
It was hard to imagine Zhou Xiu stressing over the cost of a single bar of chocolate.
Zhou Xiu quickly filled out the form and submitted it to the head of the math department, Teacher Wang.
Wednesday passed quickly.
On Thursday morning, a girl from the liberal arts rocket class came upstairs looking for Zhou Xiu. “Where’s Zhou Xiu from your class? Why didn’t she go to the competition class yesterday? If she doesn’t show up today, Teacher Wang will remove her from the list.”
The underachievers in Class 24 were all confused.
Zhou Xiu also stopped her pen.
The girl from the liberal arts class was named Zhong Simiao. She was fair-skinned, soft-spoken, and adorable, but her tone was unusually cold.
“There’s a test after school today. Don’t be late.”
Zhou Xiu nodded and frowned, “I didn’t know class started yesterday.”
Zhong Simiao crossed her arms and said, “That’s impossible. Someone in your science class would have informed you. Anyway, I’ve delivered the message, so don’t miss tomorrow’s class.”
Zhou Xiu returned to her seat, took out a booklet of practice questions, and started working on them.
Hua Xu, after listening to the academic powerhouse’s words, put two and two together and immediately guessed what had happened.
Xu Qing also frowned, “Next time, pay more attention to the class schedule. The competition class sessions are held irregularly each week. Teacher Wang has a straightforward temper and really dislikes students who miss or skip class. You’d better not be late either.”
Zhou Xiu didn’t say anything and continued working on her questions in silence.
The system suddenly asked thoughtfully: [Young one, are you upset about wasting that 100 RMB?]
Zhou Xiu didn’t respond. Instead, she took out her high school Chinese textbook and started memorizing the mandatory passages.
The system: […]
…
After school, Zhou Xiu packed her bag and headed to the multimedia classroom.
When she arrived at the classroom door, she found that it was already full. The students in the competition class were distributing test papers, and there was going to be a quiz in this session.
Zhou Xiu found a seat and sat down. The person handing out the test papers was none other than Qi Yaguang from the rocket class.
When she saw Zhou Xiu, she suddenly said, “Sorry, I forgot that we added a new member after the monthly exams, so we’re short one test paper.”
Zhong Simiao said, “If you’re short a test paper, how is she supposed to follow along in class?”
Just then, footsteps echoed down the hallway as students from the Winners class began trickling in.
Zhong Simiao, as the representative of the liberal arts class, was quite upset at this irresponsible behaviour, “What’s the harm in printing a few extra copies?”
“Do you know how much time you’ve wasted?”
She quickly recalled that Zhou Xiu had been absent from class the previous day, “Didn’t anyone from your class notify Zhou Xiu about yesterday’s session?”
The two representatives started arguing.
If the competition class wasn’t so expensive, Zhou Xiu would have preferred to return to her classroom to do her own work. Sitting there, watching others work on a test, seemed like a waste of time.
The footsteps grew closer.
The back door of the multimedia classroom swung open, and Xi Shaoyuan strolled in with his backpack slung over his shoulder.
His AJs (Air Jordan’s) were dusted with dirt, as if he had just come from the basketball court. He walked leisurely to a seat, pulled out a pack of tissues, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and then wiped down his seat.
Xi Shaoyuan’s lazy voice rang out, “No need to give me a copy.”
“Let the new student have mine.”
He took the test paper and handed it to Zhou Xiu.
Holding the test paper mid-air, Xi Shaoyuan asked, “You don’t want it?”
Dozens of pairs of eyes turned to focus on Zhou Xiu. She hadn’t wanted to take the test paper and was about to refuse when—
[Ding—Answer 60% of the questions correctly on the 36(B) competition test paper to receive a 100 RMB reward.]
Zhou Xiu’s hand froze mid-motion, and she suddenly stood up, took the test paper from Xi Shaoyuan, and sat down.
Under his “just as expected” gaze, Zhou Xiu calmly pulled out her pen.
The top students watched Zhou Xiu, their expressions complicated, as they whispered among themselves. Their eyes were filled with envy and jealousy. Yuan Shao had actually offered his test paper to Zhou Xiu?
And even initiated a conversation with her?
They were so envious, it hurt.
From the back of the classroom, Teacher Wang’s angry voice boomed, “Why are you Winners class students always late?”
“I’ve told you so many times, don’t be late! All of you who were late, deduct five points from your test scores!”
The boys from the Winners class stood up in unison, trying to placate him, “Sorry, Teacher Wang, we just had gym class. The gym teacher kept us late—”
The rest of the competition class: “…”
They couldn’t even be bothered to come up with a decent excuse. Didn’t the Winners class feel any guilt about throwing the gym teacher under the bus?
The class bell rang again, and Teacher Wang began monitoring the students as they worked on the test, pacing up and down the classroom.
When he saw Xi Shaoyuan idly swiping through his phone, his veins bulged on his forehead, “Where’s your test paper?”
Xi Shaoyuan casually replied, “We’re short one copy.”
Teacher Wang was so furious that he kicked him out of the classroom, roaring, “If you’re short a copy, why don’t you print one? Get out, get out, get out!”
Xi Shaoyuan simply picked up his backpack and left the competition class, nearly giving Teacher Wang a stroke.
Zhou Xiu focused on the test. Although it only had multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions, it was indeed very challenging. As she worked through it, her expression grew increasingly serious.
Before long, the test papers were collected. Zhou Xiu handed in her paper and let out a sigh of relief.
Xu Haobo, the class president of the rocket class, collected the papers and said, “I’m looking forward to seeing your good results, Zhou Xiu.”
Teacher Wang quickly graded all the papers in just ten minutes, “The difficulty of this test wasn’t too high. The new student might find it hard to keep up.”
As he spoke, he glanced in Zhou Xiu’s direction, “Even though you scored full marks in the monthly exam, don’t get arrogant. Your foundation is weaker than the others, so you should work harder.”
“Zhou Xiu, sixty points.”
[Ding—You’ve answered 60% of the questions correctly on the 36(B) competition test paper and earned a 100 RMB reward.]
Zhou Xiu touched her pocket and smiled.
The scores that Teacher Wang announced next were increasingly high, and it turned out Zhou Xiu had the lowest score.
The students in the competition class had long heard about Zhou Xiu, the student who had scored full marks in the math portion of the monthly exam. Hearing her score, they couldn’t help but feel that she wasn’t as impressive as the rumour’s suggested.
But seeing Zhou Xiu smile as if she were satisfied with her score, the students in the competition class let down their guard.
“Li Simiao, 86 points.”
“Xu Haobo, 88 points.”
“Qi Yaguang, 90 points.”
“Zhong Simiao, 93 points.”
Qi Yaguang turned back to look at Zhou Xiu and raised her chin, “See you on the honour roll?”
With such a gap in scores, what gave Zhou Xiu from Class 24 the courage to challenge the rocket class? What was worse, Zhou Xiu didn’t even know that she had taken Lu Lingshan’s spot.
If Lu Lingshan hadn’t been punished after this monthly exam, based on her average math scores this semester, she should have been the one joining the competition class.
Zhou Xiu had easily taken the spot that Lu Lingshan had worked all semester to earn.
“Yaguang, don’t be so harsh. Zhou Xiu earned her spot in the competition class by scoring full marks. She didn’t take Lu Lingshan’s spot. How many points does Lu Lingshan get in math, anyway? Even if she joined the competition class, she’d struggle,” said another student from the rocket class.
“Won’t Zhou Xiu struggle too?” Qi Yaguang retorted.
…
After school, Lu Lingshan returned home and saw a message from Yue Shi on her phone.
She replied, “The school you transferred to has a higher key high school admission rate than Yude. I’ll keep my promise of 100,000 yuan. Don’t contact me again.” Yue Shi received a text message from the Agricultural Bank of China notifying her of a 100,000 yuan deposit. She held her phone in a daze for a long time before she finally deleted Lu Lingshan’s contact.
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