Upon hearing Lu Xingyan mutter something, Shen Xingruo intended to inquire, but unfortunately, the class monitor entered the classroom with a stack of test papers, drawing everyone’s attention to the grades.
Amidst the chatter, a voice emerged from the crowd, “Shen Xingruo is first again.”
Lu Xingyan heard this and instinctively turned his head to look. Shen Xingruo, unperturbed, had already taken out another bottle of milk and was unwrapping a straw.
Soon, the Chinese test papers were distributed, and Shen Xingruo scored 135. Adding this to the previous four subjects, Shen Xingruo was currently leading He Siyue by 27 points, as if the first place in the grade was beckoning to her again.
During math class, Liang Dong came personally to distribute the papers, evoking the same nervousness as during the midterm exams.
“He Siyue, 150, full marks.”
Before anyone could catch their breath, Liang Dong announced, “Shen Xingruo, 150, also full marks.”
After announcing these two scores, he paused and said, “Actually, the questions in this midterm weren’t too difficult overall, relatively similar to the difficulty of the college entrance exam. The last question might even be easier than the college entrance exam. There were a total of six full marks in the grade, and our class got two, which is pretty good.”
Everyone applauded in agreement.
Then, Liang Dong proceeded to announce a series of other grades.
“Bian He, 124.”
“Zhai Jiajing, 122.”
Zhai Jiajing went up to receive her paper, and Liang Dong glanced at her, asking, “What happened this time? You made mistakes on questions you shouldn’t have.”
Zhai Jiajing kept her head down, silent.
“You need to prioritize your studies and be more careful when answering questions.”
“Okay.”
Liang Dong didn’t say much more, waved his hand for her to return to her seat, and continued distributing the papers.
All the grades were out, but this time, the grade summary wasn’t presented promptly. Everyone had to rely on sharing information to rank themselves.
The more concerning issue at the moment was Yang Fang’s attempt to confront Shen Xingruo with outsiders. Wang Youfu even postponed discussing the midterm grades to hold a meeting on the grade for the entire afternoon.
New rumors circulated during every break between classes. By the time the third class ended in the afternoon, there was a new piece of gossip from the office of the grade leader:
Yang Fang came to school with a high fever and was in tears in the grade leader’s office!
Accompanying this gossip was a notice for Shen Xingruo and Lu Xingyan to go to the office for questioning.
The two exchanged a glance and rose together.
Indeed, Yang Fang had come to school with her parents, but when they arrived at the office, only her father spoke.
Her father held a prominent position in a government department and was adept at social skills, and speaking smoothly. He first left a good impression on the teachers in charge before expressing his wish to meet with the parties involved and their parents to discuss a solution that everyone could accept.
This request was indeed reasonable and justified.
Wang Youfu then sent for Shen Xingruo and Lu Xingyan while also contacting the phone number left by Shen Xingruo’s parent(s) in her records. Shen Xingruo had only left her mother’s contact information, but when they dialed the number, it was out of service.
Just as Shen Xingruo and Lu Xingyan entered the office, Wang Youfu asked, “Shen Xingruo, why is it that we can’t reach your mom by phone?”
Shen Xingruo hadn’t expected to be asked this question as soon as she entered the office. She was stunned for three seconds before suddenly replying, “She passed away.”
A silence fell over the office.
After a while, Wang Youfu continued, “Well, what about your dad then? This is not a trivial matter, and the school must contact your parents… or your guardian.”
“My dad is on his honeymoon in Rome, sir. No need to bother him,” Shen Xingruo replied.
The office fell into silence once again.
Everyone’s mind wandered, imagining a scene of desolation in a “field of white cabbage turned yellow.”
However, upon hearing this, Yang Fang’s father knew that this situation could work to their advantage. He relaxed a bit and smiled gently at Shen Xingruo, saying, “I’m Yang Fang’s father. We came here today specifically for Yang Fang’s and your matter.”
“You don’t need to say anything. It’s Yang Fang’s fault. She was crying with a fever, admitting her mistakes. She truly understands her wrongdoing. You’re all still young and prone to acting on impulse. Fortunately, it didn’t lead to a serious mistake…”
“If it had, you wouldn’t have the opportunity to speak to me now.”
Shen Xingruo’s expression remained calm. She glanced at Yang Fang, who was hiding behind her parents, then back at her father, and suddenly interrupted, “…”
“Yes, my point is that the incident has already happened. Fortunately, it didn’t lead to a serious mistake. So, Shen Xingruo, how do you want to resolve this matter?”
“As a student, my responsibility is to study well. If everyone comes to bully me and then asks me how to resolve it, should I still study?” She looked directly at Wang Youfu. “Teacher Wang, I believe the school will provide a fair solution.”
Wang Youfu nodded. “Of course.”
At the very least, Yang Fang would have to publicly apologize to the entire school and face disciplinary action. Her family also planned to send her abroad for further studies and naturally didn’t want such a major black mark on her record.
Zeng Guiyu also stood up for her students in the class. Hearing Shen Xingruo’s words, she interjected, “You should still provide me with your parent’s contact information. When something happens to your child, regardless of where you are, you should come.”
Shen Xingruo looked over, “Teacher, I haven’t done anything wrong, nor have I been involved in any trouble. Why should my parents’ lives be disrupted because of someone else’s mistake?”
“The school regulations are clear. Why can’t we just follow them instead of contacting parents? I am one of the parties involved, and I don’t agree with a lenient approach. Contacting anyone won’t make a difference.”
“Why are you talking like this? Aren’t you implying that I’m trying to cover for Yang Fang?” Zeng Guiyu’s temper flared upon hearing this.
While Shen Xingruo’s words weren’t directed at Zeng Guiyu, she was always sensitive when it came to the idea of a female teacher contacting her father.
Sensing her uneasy emotions, Lu Xingyan stepped forward to intervene, blocking her. “Ms. Zeng, Shen Xingruo didn’t mean it like that.”
Without explaining further to Zeng Guiyu, Lu Xingyan turned to Wang Youfu and said, “Teacher Wang, I think Shen Xingruo is right.”
“I am also one of the parties involved. I witnessed Yang Fang confronting Shen Xingruo with thugs, forcing her to kneel and apologize. If I hadn’t been there, Shen Xingruo might have been forced to kneel. The psychological impact on her from this incident could last a lifetime.”
“Although a major mistake wasn’t made, it has left a significant psychological impact on Shen Xingruo. Making mistakes should entail appropriate punishment; otherwise, Yang Fang might not have learned her lesson. In my opinion, she should be put under probation or even expelled if necessary.”
When Lu Xingyan uttered the words “expelled,” Yang Fang visibly shrank.
Wang Youfu remained silent for a moment, looking Lu Xingyan up and down. He thought to himself that this troublemaker had probably been on the verge of expulsion countless times before.
Yang Fang’s parents wore grim expressions. Her mother, who was overly protective of her daughter, couldn’t stand it any longer. After a few complaints, she argued that nothing serious had happened.
The grade leader immediately adopted a serious tone, “Yang Fang’s mother, your attitude is inappropriate. What do you mean by ‘nothing serious’? Shen Xingruo and Lu Xingyan are right. If something serious had happened, you wouldn’t have the opportunity to speak here.”
The grade leader hadn’t intended to avoid imposing any punishment. It’s just that Yang Fang’s family had suddenly shown up without prior notice, so they naturally had to be properly received.
Since Shen Xingruo had already made her stance clear — not agreeing to any private resolution — there wasn’t much more to say. He decisively announced that the school would provide a fair and just resolution supervised by all students, allowing them to return to their classes with peace of mind.
Initially, Wang Youfu had wanted to detain Shen Xingruo and inquire about her family situation. But considering that the parent-teacher meeting was imminent, he thought it could wait until then to discuss with her family. So, he remained silent.
Out of the office, Shen Xingruo remained silent the whole way.
Lu Xingyan called out to her twice from behind, but she didn’t stop.
Lu Xingyan caught up and casually ruffled her hair from behind. “You were so tough with Zeng Guiyu just now, you startled me. I thought your next line would be, ‘Teacher, are you trying to become my next stepmom?'”
Shen Xingruo didn’t shake him off. Instead, she suddenly stopped, grabbed his wrist, tilted her head back, and stared at his face.
Lu Xingyan was taken aback by her gaze, and for a moment, his heart raced as if she were about to kiss him.
After staring for a while, Shen Xingruo asked, “Do you think the rumors at school got it wrong? It should be you who likes me, right?”
Seeing “What nonsense are you talking about?” written all over Lu Xingyan’s face, Shen Xingruo dropped the joke and said as she walked forward, “Thanks for today.”
Lu Xingyan trailed behind, his heart still racing, watching Shen Xingruo’s back.
This girl was stingy.
She had said “thanks” several times, but couldn’t she offer some sort of gratitude, even if it was just a small gesture?
During Tuesday’s morning self-study session, the grade leader personally announced Yang Fang’s punishment: probation. They would read her apology letter publicly at the flag-raising ceremony next Monday.
The outcome was as expected, and Shen Xingruo felt indifferent.
After morning self-study, the midterm exam scores were posted on the bulletin board at the back of the classroom by He Siyue.
During break time, everyone crowded around the bulletin board, discussing the results.
The most discussed topics were Shen Xingruo’s continued dominance as the top scorer in the grade and Zhai Jiajing’s unexpected drop to ninth place in the class and beyond fiftieth in the grade.
“What’s going on with Zhai Jiajing? She used to be in the top twenty of the grade.”
“Who knows, maybe she’s not in the right mindset.”
“Don’t you think ever since Shen Xingruo transferred here, Zhai Jiajing has been completely overshadowed? If I were her, I wouldn’t be in the right mindset either.”
“The top of the grade and the sixty-ninth in the grade. That’s more than just being overshadowed…”
The girls’ murmurs reached Zhai Jiajing’s ears as she returned from the restroom. She stood by the back door, blocked by people looking at their scores, feeling awkward and out of place.
Lu Xingyan was also about to check his scores. His history paper had been misplaced during distribution, and he didn’t know his score yet.
He was quite concerned this time. His scores in other subjects were good, and if he scored above 55 in history, his total score would exceed 400.
As he hurried to check his scores, he encountered a group of girls who were still gossiping. Remembering that these were the same girls who had mocked Shen Xingruo during the last monthly exam, he didn’t hold back.
“Whether she drops in the rankings or not doesn’t affect your rankings. There’s nothing worth discussing. Move aside.”
Seeing it was Lu Xingyan, the girls immediately fell silent and stepped aside. As they moved away, they noticed Zhai Jiajing standing at the door, feeling embarrassed. They didn’t say anything and quickly left.
Zhai Jiajing stood by the back door for a while before taking a few steps forward. She stopped about half a meter away from Lu Xingyan, nodded, and softly said thank you.
Lu Xingyan glanced at her and casually responded with a “Hmm,” his mind solely focused on his score.
Knowing himself well, Lu Xingyan flipped to the last page of the score sheet and then checked from the back to the front. As expected, he quickly found his name.
History, 53???
He subconsciously glanced at the total score: 398.
“Damn it…”
Zhai Jiajing had intended to say something, but Lu Xingyan finished checking his scores without acknowledging her and went straight back to his seat.
Watching Lu Xingyan’s back, Zhai Jiajing swallowed her words.
“Miss, Miss? Shen Xingruo, wake up.”
Shen Xingruo was sleeping with her head on the desk. Lu Xingyan called out to her a couple of times, but when she didn’t respond, he reached out to grab her hair.
Shen Xingruo was sensitive about others touching her hair, so she woke up soon after, rubbing her head.
“What’s up?”
Lu Xingyan handed her the papers that were distributed today. “Can you help me check if there are any mistakes in the grading? I’m two points away from hitting 400.”
Shen Xingruo “…”
Whether she was still half-asleep or not, she started reviewing Lu Xingyan’s papers.
Five minutes later, she closed the papers.
Lu Xingyan raised his eyebrows with interest. “So, did you find anything?”
Shen Xingruo replied calmly, “Yes, quite a few.”
Lu Xingyan’s interest was piqued for a moment. In just a few seconds, he speculated whether his previous scores, which were only around 300, were due to his lack of attention to detail. Maybe his actual level should be over 400.
Then Shen Xingruo brought his wandering thoughts back to reality. “398. The grading teacher was too lenient. If I were grading, you wouldn’t even get 350.”
Lu Xingyan “…”
Shen Xingruo pointed to the top math question. “But you did the steps correctly on this question, and the teacher didn’t give you any points. You should go find Mr. Liang, he’ll probably give you those two points.”
“When you go to the office, let me know. I’ve never seen someone struggle so hard for one or two points when they’re miles away from passing. Take me along and show me the ropes.”
“…”
“Can you stop talking?”
“No, if you can, then shut my mouth.”
Lu Xingyan stared at her for a few seconds, then expressionlessly took out his wallet, slapped a fifty-yuan bill on her desk, and said, “Hush money.”
Shen Xingruo, understanding the situation, made a gesture of zipping her mouth shut, took the money, and went back to sleep.
Staring at her peacefully sleeping face, Lu Xingyan thought, If it weren’t for the crowded classroom, I’d shut you up with a kiss. You talk too much.