Chapter 25

Standing on the platform in front of the class, the form teacher’s face was covered in a blissful flush, “This time around, our class overall grade is rank second in level. Second only to the elite class!”  

“Wah!” The whole class was shocked.

One had to know that their class’s grades had always been ranked the last few in the cohort. With the addition of the two people, who always dragged their class down. They did not have a top scorer in their class to pull their aggregate score up.

But this time, this time they had one!

“Yi Xi is ranked first in this monthly examinations. Let us all congratulate her!”

The ranking on the red list had long been spread throughout the entire cohort. The name, Tao Yi Xi, had long spread like a prairie fire.

The warm applause of the students resounded in the classroom, filled with admiration.

Tao Yi Xi stood up and politely expressed her gratitude, “Thank you.”

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When announcing the next person, the pitch of the form teacher’s voice went even higher.

“Gu Jing Yuan is currently ranked 201! He improved by 298 positions!” 

“f*ck! Brother Yuan is so awesome!”

Not only Qi Yue, but everyone else was also shocked.

This was more surprising than Tao Yi Xi getting first place! 

Even if this was the comeback of the last in class, it was too outrageous.

They all turned to look at Gu Jing Yuan. Even with such a huge improvement in his studies, he still had a cold face that shouted ‘don’t mess with me’. One could not see a shred of happiness or complacency in his expression.

It was at this moment that everyone realized that the desk, the school delinquent occupied, had not been vacant for a long time. In addition, Gu Jing Yuan had not been called out to be reprimanded by the teachers for getting into fights for quite a while.

When did this change start to occur?

Everyone involuntarily turned their attention to Tao Yi Xi.

**

Their next class was English.

In this round, Tao Yi Xi was top in level and was the only person who scored full marks in English.

The English teacher, who embarrassed her two months ago, was showering her with praises.

“Student Yi Xi’s English answers were perfect. Especially her composition. In a bit, I’ll print out copies for everyone to take a look and learn from the way she structures her essay.”

Generally, English compositions were similar to Chinese. Even if the students were given an easier essay topic, there would always be some points deducted for grammar, vocabulary, or sentence structuring errors.

Yet, none of those mistakes could be spotted in Tao Yi Xi’s paper. 

She did not try to show off her superb command of English by writing complex sentences. Everything was well structured that even a short and seemingly ordinary sentence looked like it had been carefully polished.

Her handwriting was also exquisite, like it was a printed text, that the teacher marking her papers found it extremely pleasing.

Tao Yi Xi humbly accepted the admiration of her classmates.

She had used her own strength to prove herself to her teachers and classmates. No one would dare look down on her as a student who transferred from the sub-urban city. She had finally engraved her name in this foreign place.

**

After the papers were returned to them, she placed her own aside and checked through his first.

“Over here, you made a careless mistake and it cost you to lose marks for the subsequent parts. Otherwise, you would’ve gotten full marks.”

Gu Jing Yuan was playing a game on his phone with his legs crossed. She had been keeping an eye on him for the past few days. With these scores, he should finally be able to get a breather.

“It’s fine, it’s about there.”

Tao Yi Xi frowned, “You also made quite a bit of careless mistakes. It shows that your foundation is still not very stable.”

He pursed his lips, “Why are you so worried? It’s good enough as long as my results allow me to enter Third Grade.” 

His indifferent attitude choked her.

That was true. His goal was only to enter Third Grade. He only needed to pass all subjects. With his current scores, he had already surpassed his initial goal.

“Don’t you want to improve more?” she asked earnestly.

Although she was envious of his high IQ, his swift progress also gave her a small sense of accomplishment.

If he wanted to, she was willing to help him improve more. She would just treat this as a return gift for letting her use him as her crying pouch previously. 

He frowned, looking a little annoyed at her, “This score and ranking is more than enough to shut Gu Mu Yang up.”

Tao Yi Xi was momentarily stunned and found herself to be ridiculous. Even he, himself, thought that this was good enough. So why was she trying to seek more trouble for herself?

How could she gradually forget her original intention just because of some small sentiments?

“Yes, it’s enough.” She placed down his papers.

Gu Jing Yuan felt that something was amiss and turned his head to look at her calm profile. Why did it feel like she was angry?

‘Wouldn’t it be nice to lighten the burden for both parties?’ He was a little confused.

After class, Qi Yue excitedly ran over.

Finally, he did not need to suffer from a double beating anymore! In fact, he might even get a big reward! For the first time, his sky-high limited-edition figure was within his grasp. So happy~

He could hug Sister Yi Xi and spin her in circles! 

But sneaking a glance at Brother Yuan… If only Brother Yuan was not around, then maybe his dream would be able to come true.

Gu Jing Yuan: Go eat shit.

Under such pressure, Qi Yue could only hop around enthusiastically in front of her.

“Sister Yi Xi, I’ve improved by 27 positions!”

Tao Yi Xi happily replied, “Congratulations”

“It’s all thanks to you!” 

“Although I came up with the practice questions, it would’ve been useless if you didn’t want to memorize them. When it comes to studying, the only one who can help you is yourself. No one can force you.” 

She long understood this logic, yet just now, why did it slip her mind?

Qi Yue nodded vigorously, “Yes, you’re right! Then can I continue hugging your thighs?”

Gu Jing Yuan unhappily gritted his back teeth. He did not want to add more to her plate, but this idiot wanted to continue clinging to her.

Qi Yue felt an inexplicable chill crawl down his back; it was such a familiar feeling.

Before she could reply, someone called out to her from the entrance of the classroom.

“Tao Yi Xi, the math teacher instructed you to find him at the teacher’s office.”

** 

All the teachers were excited to discover such a big treasure amongst their students. 

Tao Yi Xi’s mathematics was also full marks which resulted in a tie for first place with the legendary student, Chen Ze.

The most amazing thing was that they had different approaches to solving the last major question. Chen Ze had chosen the fastest method which skipped a lot of steps in between to reach his answer; while Tao Yi Xi worked steadily towards her answer where her solution steps were logical and clear.

When in comparison, Tao Yi Xi’s method was more favorable.

The teachers marking the school’s unified exams had to go through thousands of papers every day. When they encountered Chen Ze’s paper, interested teachers would take their time to analyze how he came to his final answer, but if they were less patient, they would immediately deduct a point or two first for his lack of workings.

Between top students competing for first place, even half a point would differentiate who takes the top spot.

The two math teachers held the only two full marks papers in their hands while engaging in a discussion.

Tao Yi Xi was the first to reach the teacher’s office, “Teacher, you were looking for me?”

“That’s right, come in.”

As it was after classes, there were more students lingering about. The moment she arrived, the students were unable to remove their gaze from her. Some, who were about to leave, also paused their steps and turned back to take another peek.

In fact, since the last monthly examinations, all the teachers had heard of her name. Even in such a prestigious middle school in the provincial capital like Fu Middle School, it was really difficult for students to score more than 700 points. Under usual circumstances, there might not even be one in the whole cohort.

Many teachers had yet to meet Tao Yi Xi in person before and were surprised by her appearance.

“She’s the top in level for this round of exams?”

“Yes, three points higher than Chen Ze.”

“Amazing.”

One teacher could not help it and blurted out, “She’s so pretty.”

Several teachers nodded in agreement. Although they felt the same, as a teacher, they did not feel that it was appropriate to voice out such thoughts.

The teacher who spoke up first, “…”  

The math teacher beamed in delight, “Yi Xi, you did very well in these two rounds of exam.”

“It was okay.”

She stood tall and straight, with a faint smile on her face. She looked happy because of the teacher’s praises but was not arrogant or impetuous. It was the exact appearance of a student that all teachers favored.

The teacher next to him was envious, “Teacher Li, you found a treasure in your class.”

“Hahaha, that’s right! Yi Xi, this is Teacher Wang from elite class.”     

“Hello, Teacher Wang.”

“Sigh, good child.”

After chatting for a while, someone else entered.

“Teacher, you were looking for me?”

“Chen Ze is here.”

Chen Ze, the person she wanted to surpass.

She turned to look and spotted the rumored person.

The boy was tall, as tall as Gu Jing Yuan. He had a refined appearance and pale skin. It seemed that he did not like venturing outdoors.

He had an air of languidness. Completely different from Gu Jing Yuan’s frivolity. In fact, it looked like his person was shrouded in gloom.

Upon seeing the arrival of both students, Teacher Wang from the elite class spoke up first, “Our dear top students, do you two know each other?” 

“It’s the first time we met,” the girl’s voice was soft and sweet.

Only then did Chen Ze notice her, “You are Tao Yi Xi?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

He did not have a habit of looking through the forums nor liked to go out much. So, he only knew that a female student surpassed him this round and she was named Tao Yi Xi. He also knew that she was a transfer student from a sub-urban city.

The teacher chuckled, “It seems that even though you’ve never met, you’ve heard of each other.”

“En.”

“The both of you are the only ones who scored full marks in the entire grade. I was just discussing with Teacher Li, and we both agreed that you two have excellent problem-solving ability.”

“The province is going to hold a mathematical competition. Among all the middle schools only three students will be selected to participate in this national competition. And we would like to recommend both of you. The rewards of this competition are very beneficial. The one who wins the gold medal will also have an added advantage in the college entrance examination.

“What are your thoughts?”

Chen Ze replied, “Oh, I’m okay.”

Tao Yi Xi pondered in silence before asking, “Teacher, is there anything I need to prepare in advance for this competition?”

“Usually, there will be a need to stay back after classes to practice some competition questions. It will take up your extra-curricular time, but it’s temporarily only for this period of time. Your grades in other subjects are good and your foundation is solid, hence there should be little to no impact. In addition, if you have any questions, you can ask the teachers. We are more than willing to help you.”

“And what about the cost?”

“Not to fret, the school will cover all costs.”

Only then, did Tao Yi Xi relax, “Okay, then I’ll also be participating. Thank you, Teacher.”

Chen Ze glanced at her. Was her family’s situation dire? 

He vaguely remembered Tang Wan saying that she was a child of a rich family.

Although the thought crossed his mind, both of them were not familiar with each other. Plus, Chen Ze was not one to meddle in other people’s businesses.

They were allowed to leave after the teacher explained a couple of things to them. The teachers mainly wanted to seek their opinion on the competition. 

After that, the two of them left the office together. 

Was this a battle between two top scorers? Or was this a small spark that ignited between the study god and the school flower?

The forum suddenly exploded.

Although Chen Ze was not as handsome as Gu Jing Yuan who made countless girls fall in love at first sight. He was one of the candidates vying for the title of school grass back then and was even ranked second. Hence, the picture of the two of them standing together was very eye-catching!

Qi Yue was swift to receive the news.

“When did Sister Yi Xi start being chummy with Chen Ze?”

Gu Jing Yuan’s fingers paused on the screen of his game.

“What is it?”

“Some people spotted the two of them leaving the teacher’s office together and are jumping to numerous conclusions. But that’s wrong… they only appeared in the same picture together. Sister Yi Xi and I have been walking together on so many occasions, why has no one shipped us?”

Gu Jing Yuan glanced at him. Must be dreaming every day.

“Humph! In the end, they wouldn’t be able to see them ending up together! At the beginning of the year, there were people on the forum making CP for the both of you as you two were the school flower and school grass.” 

“Oh?”

“In the end, there was no couple as you two turned out to be brothers and sisters. It was the biggest failure in the CP circle. Hahaha!” 

“Scram.”