As Lu Lingshan walked out of the office, Zhou Xiu’s face—delicate and pure—flashed through her mind, stirring a sense of threat within her.
After returning to the classroom, Zhou Xiu began organizing her desk. To her surprise, the dusty, dirty surface had been wiped clean.
She turned to Hua Xu and thanked her.
Hua Xu chuckled. “It wasn’t me who cleaned it.”
Apparently, some boy in Class 24 had taken it upon himself to impress Zhou Xiu by cleaning her desk, though Hua Xu couldn’t quite identify which one it was.
Yu Qingyan’s gaze lingered on Zhou Xiu’s face as she marvelled, “Xu-jie’s milk wasn’t wasted—Xiu-xiu looks a lot better now that her skin’s fairer.”
The saying that fair skin can hide a thousand flaws certainly rang true. After spending the winter bundled up, Zhou Xiu’s skin had become so fair that even Yu Qingyan couldn’t help but feel envious.
Hua Xu gently touched Zhou Xiu’s face, examining her closely. Her features were pure and beautiful—she had the quintessential look of a fresh and youthful first love.
Zhou Xiu and Lu Lingshan shared a similar type of beauty, but Zhou Xiu’s features were more refined and distinctive.
Hua Xu, who often found herself compared to Lu Lingshan, realized that Zhou Xiu’s newfound beauty might just infuriate Lu Lingshan.
With a sly smile, Hua Xu said, “Xiu-xiu, you need to take better care of your skin from now on. You’ve always been pretty, but you’ve been hiding it for so long.”
When Zhou Xiu first transferred to Class 24, she was in rough shape—like an unnoticed ugly duckling. Her hair was dry and split, her skin dull and rough. But Hua Xu had noticed that the skin on the parts of her body that were usually covered was actually quite fair.
This was a clear sign that Zhou Xiu hadn’t paid much attention to skincare or sun protection.
Zhou Xiu pursed her lips, saying nothing, as she diligently wrapped her new textbooks in protective covers.
Growing up in the countryside, Zhou Xiu had spent every year working on the farm—weekends, winter, and summer breaks were all dedicated to tending the fields and harvesting crops. There was no time for books, let alone for skincare.
In the countryside, being beautiful wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
After organizing her desk for a while, Zhou Xiu glanced at her watch. It was almost time, so she slung her backpack over her shoulder and headed to the biology lab for her class.
Xu Qing packed up his own bag, ready for the test.
On the way, they ran into Zhang Qi, who had just arrived at school to register.
Zhang Qi, who was walking toward them, caught sight of the beautiful girl walking beside Xu Qing. Her delicate and pure face held his gaze as he continued walking, his eyes glued to her even as he passed by.
It wasn’t until he walked into a wall and smeared ice cream on his clothes that he snapped out of it, cursing under his breath before calling out, “Zhou Xiu!”
Zhou Xiu stopped and turned, looking at Zhang Qi in confusion.
Zhang Qi stared at her as if he had seen a ghost. After a long moment of shock, he stammered, “You—you look… Ah, good morning…”
Hearing his disjointed words, Zhou Xiu could only shrug helplessly.
Xu Qing couldn’t help but laugh, a smile spreading across his face. “Xiu-xiu’s changed quite a bit over the break. It’s understandable that he’s surprised.”
Zhou Xiu nodded. “Yeah.”
“Has your English improved?” Xu Qing asked.
Zhou Xiu nodded without hesitation. “I studied a lot, so I think I’ve made progress.”
She had received several batches of materials from Xi Shaoyuan over the break. Those English materials had indeed been helpful—there were times when she couldn’t find the answers online, which made her think they might have been specially prepared by Xi Shaoyuan’s tutor.
Zhou Xiu had gone through about a quarter of the materials, and now studying high school English no longer felt as difficult.
When Zhou Xiu arrived at the biology class, she quickly completed the experiment, earning full marks from the Rocket Class biology teacher.
The teacher casually asked her, “Zhou Xiu, are you joining the Rocket Class?”
Xu Qing, who was organizing his things nearby, momentarily paused at the question.
Zhou Xiu shook her head.
After the experiment, they moved on to a closed-book test. Zhou Xiu had already completed numerous biology competition papers in the past, so she finished the test quickly.
The biology competition covered a wide range of topics, but most of the questions focused on understanding and memorization—areas that Zhou Xiu found relatively easy. She handed in her paper soon after.
Xu Qing also finished his paper and handed it in.
After school, Xu Qing asked Zhou Xiu, “You got an invitation to join the Rocket Class. Aren’t you going to take it?”
Zhou Xiu shook her head decisively. “No.”
“Why not?”
Zhou Xiu shrugged. “If I joined them, they’d probably feel pretty uncomfortable, wouldn’t they?”
The rivalry between the two classes had once been so intense that it almost came to blows. If she joined the Rocket Class, wouldn’t that be like admitting defeat?
Zhou Xiu wasn’t about to do that.
Xu Qing couldn’t help but chuckle, relieved by her answer. He cleared his throat and said, “The Rocket Class students might actually like you.”
“It’s different. Class 24 is just fine.”
For Zhou Xiu, which class she studied in didn’t make much of a difference. Xu Qing had managed to rank in the top three in the entire grade despite being in a regular class.
The teachers in Class 24 weren’t bad—in fact, they were much better than those in most regular high schools.
For Zhou Xiu, being able to study at Yude was already a great opportunity. Whether she could continue to stay at this school was still uncertain. She didn’t dare to think too far ahead.
…
After finishing her biology test, Zhou Xiu headed straight home. However, she didn’t expect the Rocket Class application form she had casually tossed into her desk drawer to cause such a stir.
When a few students were sneakily trying to stuff snacks into her drawer, the application form accidentally fell out.
One of the students picked it up and froze. “Zhou Xiu is transferring classes?”
That one sentence sent ripples through the classroom, and the previously rowdy atmosphere suddenly went quiet for a few seconds.
Hua Xu took the application form and looked at it, equally stunned. “Xiu-xiu didn’t mention anything to me about transferring.”
The underachievers, who had just been celebrating Zhou Xiu’s newfound beauty, were suddenly hit with the news that she might be leaving them for the Rocket Class.
Who would care about their grades, help them prove themselves, or continue highlighting important points for them if she left?
Though Zhou Xiu didn’t talk much in class, the underachievers always knew they could look to her hardworking figure whenever they decided to get serious about their studies. Seeing her diligence was a reminder that hard work paid off, inspiring them to strive for success like she did. She was like the anchor of their class.
Du Feiyang and Yuan Ruoyi, who had just started reaping the benefits of their hard work, couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness.
After thinking for a moment, Hua Xu said objectively, “If Xiu-xiu does decide to go to the Rocket Class, it’s understandable.”
The underachievers felt a pang of discomfort. “But why? The Rocket Class has never been kind to her.”
Hua Xu continued, “At the very least, she’ll have better opportunities in the Rocket Class. What can our class offer her? Can we provide a better environment or work together to improve?”
Class 24 had poor grades and a lack of discipline. How could they possibly compare to the Rocket Class?
The classroom was always noisy, and it was common for students to be interrupted while doing their homework during self-study sessions. Subject teachers often slowed down their lessons to accommodate the underachievers’ pace. What advantages did that offer Zhou Xiu?
Only now did the underachievers realize that they had been taking more from Zhou Xiu than they had given. Tan Ming, in particular, had often teased Zhou Xiu.
“It’s all Tan Ming’s fault. A guy like him should be more considerate of the girls.”
“Exactly. Zhou Xiu worked so hard to compile study notes for us, but he wouldn’t even look at them and just mocked her instead.”
“He wouldn’t even walk with her during the opening ceremony at the school sports event. Tsk.”
Tan Ming was bewildered. “…”
What did this have to do with him?
After their complaints, the underachievers were left speechless. At first, they had indeed looked down on Zhou Xiu. But over time, as she helped them stand up to Mr. Huang and voluntarily shared her notes, their attitudes had gradually changed.
However, they realized they had done little to help Zhou Xiu and had instead been dragging her down.
Though they disliked the Rocket Class students, it was true that the Rocket Class had a much better learning atmosphere. Meanwhile, Class 24 was plagued by poor grades and a lack of discipline, constantly receiving warnings from the school.
In the end, it was their own class’s shortcomings that couldn’t hold onto a top student.
Du Feiyang, feeling a sense of loss, said, “For the sake of future study notes and materials, let’s try to improve ourselves.”
“Let’s work on our discipline and study harder. If we can shake off the label of an underachieving class, maybe Xiu-xiu won’t feel embarrassed to stay with us.”
“If we keep slacking off, what if the class president decides to leave us too?”
The underachievers were shaken to their core. “…”
What would Class 24 be without the class president?
When Monday came and the new semester officially began, Zhou Xiu entered the classroom to find her classmates unusually diligent.
Students who never participated in the morning reading sessions had at least taken out their books and read a few pages. Even Tan Ming, who was notorious for slacking off, was earnestly participating in the morning reading. It was as if the sun had risen in the west.
Yu Qingyan tugged on Zhou Xiu’s ponytail and asked, “Xiu-xiu, you’re not really planning to transfer to the Rocket Class, are you?”
Zhou Xiu blinked in surprise. How did Yu Qingyan know about that?
“Where did you hear that?” Zhou Xiu asked quietly.
She glanced at her drawer and quickly noticed that the application form she had casually tossed in there was missing. It must have been discovered by someone.
The underachievers pretended to be disinterested, their eyes darting around the room as they secretly listened in on the conversation.
Hua Xu patted Zhou Xiu on the shoulder and said, “Xiu-xiu, if you’re going to the Rocket Class, I understand. Your English should improve there, and just remember to come back and visit us in Class 24…”
The underachievers felt a wave of sadness.
Even though they were the ones being rejected and abandoned, and they should have been angry, they couldn’t help but feel reluctant to see Zhou Xiu go.
Zhou Xiu glanced around the room at the underachievers. She noticed the subtle shift in the atmosphere—these students, who were usually so full of themselves, now had their heads down, looking resigned, like abandoned puppies.
It seemed that finding the application form had convinced them that Zhou Xiu was definitely going to transfer.
Did they have so little trust in her and so little confidence in themselves?
Zhou Xiu nodded and said, “Yes, that’s true.”
“The Rocket Class teachers told me that their class has a high rate of top university admissions, strict discipline, helpful classmates, and a strong learning atmosphere. My grades would definitely improve there.”
With each advantage she listed, the underachievers felt a sharp sting in their chests.
“But—” Zhou Xiu paused, smiling as she revealed her small, sharp canines. “I can do just as well in Class 24, so why should I go to the Rocket Class?”
“Class 24 is great. Didn’t we make progress last semester? As long as we’re willing to put in the effort, there’s nothing we can’t achieve. I believe in myself, I believe in the power of hard work, and I believe that this semester, we can all do even better together.”
Today’s morning reading session was dedicated to English. Miss Li had already arrived and was standing at the door, listening.
She had been there the whole time but hadn’t entered the classroom.
She heard Zhou Xiu’s words, and her heart warmed.
Zhou Xiu really wasn’t going to transfer to the Rocket Class?
Miss Li walked into the classroom, unable to suppress a smile. “Zhou Xiu is absolutely right.”
“Last semester, five of the top ten spots on the ‘Top 100 Progress List’ were from our class. While your grades might not be great, when you put in the effort, you’re just as capable as anyone else!”
Why should the Rocket Class get to take her away just because they wanted her? Class 24 wasn’t having it.
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