Ji Yan glanced at his English test score and was instantly struck speechless.
It was one thing to fail physics, but with so many multiple-choice questions on the English exam, he had somehow managed to score a paltry 9 points.
It seemed the original owner of this body was not only stupid and malicious, but also had terrible luck. Aside from being from a wealthy family, he didn’t seem to have a single redeeming quality.
Speaking of money, though… a vivid scene described in the novel suddenly flashed through Ji Yan’s mind: a massive detached villa in the city center, a garage packed with all kinds of luxury sports cars, and the original body’s ostentatious, money-wasting flexes.
Cui Xuelin’s voice abruptly stopped lecturing. She frowned as she looked at Ji Yan, who had a foolish, daydreaming grin on his face, causing the rest of the class to turn their heads toward the back row in unison.
In her more than ten years of teaching English, she had never seen anyone laugh after scoring in the single digits; to be precise, she had never had a student score in the single digits to begin with!
Cui Xuelin took a deep breath, forcibly repressing her rising anger.
One year. Just one more year, and I can finally see this Buddha off!
Ji Yan had wisely lowered his head long ago. Only after everyone finally averted their gazes from his face did he let out a sigh of relief, picking up the exam paper to examine it seriously.
Folded into thirds, every single mistake was still a mistake; this was equivalent to copying the entire exam paper three times.
In Class 7, no one dared to leave their homework unfinished. Any brave soul foolish enough to challenge the teacher’s authority would, at minimum, have their parents called. If it happened too often, they would be forced to transfer to another class.
To avoid being scolded by Ji Yuanliang, and even more so to stay in Class 7, the original owner had hired ghostwriters for every single assignment. The price varied based on difficulty, ranging anywhere from five hundred to one thousand yuan per task.
Ji Yan curled his lip in disdain. Only a fool would waste money like that.
While Cui Xuelin continued going over the answers question by question, Shen Que, who had virtually no corrections to make, was leaning lazily back in his chair, flipping through an original English book.
Details of Anatomy… It was a chapter from Burne Hogarth’s Dynamic Figure Drawing.
Ji Yan was somewhat surprised. The original novel hadn’t mentioned that Shen Que was interested in this sort of thing, and his university major as well as his post-graduation career had almost nothing to do with art.
Do you want to lie in my arms to read it?
At that moment, Ji Yan was only a few centimeters away from Shen Que’s chest, close enough to clearly smell the light scent of laundry detergent on his school uniform.
He hurriedly sat up straight.
Don’t misunderstand. I was just curious about what you were reading.
Shen Que chuckled. You can’t even get the 26 letters of the alphabet straight, yet you’re actually curious about this.
Ji Yan: …
The original owner had too much patience, or maybe he was just a masochist who enjoyed being mocked by people all day.
Ji Yan shifted his chair slightly to the side. If he couldn’t afford to mess with him, he could at least stay out of his way.
Cui Xuelin and Ceng Tianfu were complete opposites: one was too lazy to explain an extra question, while the other insisted on dissecting every single detail until it was completely broken down.
By the time she finished explaining just the first reading comprehension passage, Ji Yan had already finished going through all the questions on the paper. Bored out of his mind, he caught sight of a boy sitting diagonally across from him, lazily spinning a pen. Instantly, his muscle memory was awakened.
Hooking a black gel pen with two fingers, Ji Yan effortlessly slipped into the groove.
Clockwise, counterclockwise, from the back of his hand back into his fingers, the transitions were silky smooth and undeniably cool.
Just as the corners of his mouth curved up and he turned to show off to his desk mate, he caught Shen Que staring at him with an intensely suspicious gaze.
His fingers twitched, and the gel pen flew out, landing squarely right against Shen Que’s chest.
Ji Yan reached out to grab it, but at the exact moment his fingers closed around the pen, he also successfully gripped Shen Que’s abs.
The air froze instantly. The guilty hand slowly retracted.
If I said I didn’t do that on purpose, would you believe me?
Silence hung between them.
Ji Yan braced himself to be thoroughly humiliated, but to his surprise, Shen Que didn’t utter a single sarcastic remark. Instead, he simply looked down at the hand Ji Yan was holding the pen with.
Seeing his reaction, Ji Yan realized he had given himself away; evidently, the original owner rarely even touched a pen on a normal day.
Spinning pens is a classic slacker trait! He explained lamely.
Fortunately, Shen Que didn’t press the matter any further. He merely withdrew his gaze and resumed reading the book in his hands.
After class ended, more than half the students collapsed onto their desks to take a nap.
Upon receiving a WeChat message, Shen Que cast a complex look at Ji Yan, dialed a number on his phone, and stepped out of the classroom.
Ji Yan felt a wave of uneasiness in his heart. Had the original owner buried another landmine for him?
A few minutes later, Shen Que returned from outside.
Adopting a tentative attitude, Ji Yan asked cautiously, Who were you talking to on the phone just now?
Shen Que merely glanced at him without saying a word.
Feebly, Ji Yan rested his chin on the desk.
Guess I can only take things one step at a time…
The students of Canglan No. 1 High School complained bitterly about having classes during the summer break. Fearing that too many reports to the education bureau would force their hand, the school yielded to pressure and canceled evening self-study sessions during the makeup class period.
Ji Yan glanced at the calendar; today was Friday.
For Class 7, the last period on Friday was always a self-study class. Many students had packed their backpacks early, waiting in anticipation for the dismissal bell so they could be the first to dash out of the classroom.
Five, four, three, two… Yang Shan walked into the classroom right on time.
Before the waves of hushed sounds subsided, Yang Shan walked onto the podium with a smile.
Class, I have good news to announce. He intentionally paused, waiting for everyone to quiet down before speaking again. The exams will take place next Tuesday, and summer vacation officially starts on Wednesday!
This was standard procedure at No. 1 High School, so no one felt surprised or excited.
Going on vacation at the end of July, combined with an early start for the senior year, meant they would only get about ten days of rest.
Crucially, Yang Shan had a habit: good news was always followed by bad news, and the bad news usually hit much harder.
Someone eager to go home urged, Homeroom teacher, just tell us! What’s the bad news?
Amid the crowd’s urging, the class monitor walked in carrying a stack of exam papers that reached all the way up to his chin, dropping them heavily onto the podium desk.
The exam maniac truly wasn’t going to spare them.
Yang Shan rested his hand on top of the towering stack of papers and continued, At the start of next semester, classes will be reassigned based on your final exam scores.
Everyone was completely stunned.
No way! We’re about to start senior year, and they’re still reassigning classes? That’s totally messing with our heads!
Ahhh! Can’t they just let us enjoy a proper vacation?!
As a provincial key school, Canglan No. 1 High School was already difficult to get into, and its two key honor classes were spots that countless people fought tooth and nail for.
Whether one could remain in a key class was not just a matter of pride, but also determined whether they could continue enjoying special privileges at school:
Enviable two-person dormitories with private bathrooms and no night power cuts.
The Top Scholar Cafeteria, which boasted rich and nutritious meals, was open exclusively to key class students, with no waiting in line and hot food available at any time.
In addition, the intense academic atmosphere, high-quality teaching staff, and tilted educational resources acted like invisible hands pushing them right through the doors of prestigious universities.
Yang Shan maintained his genial smile, gesturing for the class monitor to distribute the papers. Work hard over these next few days. I believe all of you can stay.
Looking at the test papers piling higher and higher on their desks, everyone’s hearts felt as heavy as the oppressive air outside the classroom.
Ji Yan sorted the exam papers into categories, stuffed them into his backpack, and packed a few revision books as well.
It had been several years since he graduated from high school, so he needed to review some of the knowledge.
Seeing Ji Yan fill his backpack to the brim, Shen Que figured he was determined to commit fully to his top-student persona today.
He didn’t bother to care, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and walking out.
Once most of the people had left, Ji Yan also stood up and walked out of the classroom.
As he passed the staff office at the end of the hallway, he heard his name being mentioned from inside and reflexively stopped, standing against the wall beside the window.
That student Ji Yan in your class, he’ll finally be transferred out this time, right?
Yang Shan was organizing exam papers, smiling without saying a word.
Wang Zhenghai sighed with emotion. Our provincial key school has never had a precedent for such a terrible student entering a key class. It’s been tough on you, taking care of him for over two years. Now you’re finally liberated.
Another voice chimed in, That might not be true. With his family’s background, who knows if he’ll use his ‘money power’ to solve everything again.
Wang Zhenghai replied, I sounded out the principal’s stance, and he said this time it will strictly be based on scores. After all, our key classes depend on university admission rates.
Ha, doesn’t he say that every time… I don’t even know what that kid is after. With his grades, staying in your class won’t get him into college anyway.
He probably just wants a good reputation. Does getting into college even matter to him? Even if he doesn’t do anything for the rest of his life, he’s set without any worries! Wang Zhenghai looked at the indifferent Yang Shan. Hey, why are you always so calm? You’re less worried than the two of us!
Yang Shan chuckled twice. Worrying too much makes you age faster.
Wang Zhenghai touched his half-balding head, then looked at Yang Shan’s full head of black hair, saying woefully, Who could tell that I’m actually two years younger than you…
Ji Yan tightened his grip on his backpack strap, turned around, and walked in the opposite direction.
Stepping out of the school gates, Ji Yan’s attention was immediately drawn to a bright red luxury sports car. Whose family picked up their kid so flashily?
Young Master, over here!
Chen Ye was dressed in a suit, standing respectfully beside the car, calling out in a voice so loud that Ji Yan’s heart trembled.
Sure enough, the surrounding crowd turned to look.
Ji Yan quickened his pace toward the sports car. Habitually reaching out to pull the door open, he found that the door handle was flush with the body, and his hand grabbed empty air.
After fumbling around for a moment, he finally opened the door, tossed his backpack into the back seat, and squeezed himself inside.
Chen Ye reminded him, Young Master, President Ji has an important gathering tonight, so I’m afraid I won’t have time to drive you to the nightclub.
Ah, it’s fine. He hadn’t planned on going to any nightclub anyway.
So easygoing? Chen Ye looked at Ji Yan’s expression through the rearview mirror and found no sign of displeasure on his face, which relieved him slightly.
Uncle, please pull over at the hair salon up ahead.
Chen Ye spoke with some hesitation, Young Master, didn’t you just dye your hair two days ago?
Ji Yuanliang got angry every time he saw Ji Yan’s unconventional hair, and Chen Ye was genuinely worried that Ji Yan would get scolded again when he returned home.
Ji Yan touched a few strands of his hair and casually remarked, I’m a bit tired of it. I want to change to a better-looking color.
Chen Ye knew his young master was the type who became more rebellious the more he was advised, so he didn’t say anything further. He just found it a bit strange that he would choose such a small shop to get his hair dyed.
Young Master, how about I take you to the place you usually go to? At least it’s safer…
No need, no need. Just pull over here, Ji Yan said, opening the door and stepping out. Uncle, you can head back first. I’ll go home by myself later.
Hearing Ji Yan call him Uncle repeatedly made Chen Ye’s heart feel warm. In the past, he had only been referred to as hey you.
Then please stay safe, Young Master! Call me anytime if you need anything! Chen Ye’s tone carried genuine emotion.
The black sign of the hair salon bearing the name SENSE had a decent sense of design. However, because storefront rent near No. 1 High School was extremely expensive, shops were squished side by side, and signs were as flashy and eye-catching as possible. This slight uniqueness made it seem somewhat out of place with its surroundings.
The owner was a man in his thirties. Seeing Ji Yan walk in, he hurriedly asked, A haircut or…?
Yeah, and I want to dye my hair too.
Alright, the owner picked up his walkie-talkie. Mary, wash the customer’s hair.
Ji Yan glanced at the middle-aged woman sitting less than two meters away behind the cashier desk, scrolling through her phone.
Hearing the call, the woman immediately put down her phone and stood up to offer enthusiastic service.
While helping Ji Yan test the water temperature, the woman couldn’t help but nag, Young man, you’re so handsome. Why did you choose a hairstyle like this? Don’t young people nowadays go for that… what do you call it… minimalistic beauty? Ai, dying your hair too much really damages it! Take my advice: just dye it black this time and cut it a bit shorter. I guarantee you’ll look much cooler than you do now!
The owner couldn’t take it anymore and reminded her from outside the curtain, Second Aunt, respect the customer’s aesthetics!
When Ji Yan came out, the owner explained apologetically, My Second Aunt has a high schooler at home too, so she’s used to nagging… What hair color did you want to dye it?
Ji Yan ran his fingers through his damp hair.
Let’s go with Second Aunt’s advice.
An hour later, Ji Yan looked at himself in the mirror and felt much better about his appearance.
The short black hair accentuated his fair skin, and even the tear mole at the corner of his eye took on a pure yet alluring feel.
The middle-aged woman couldn’t stop praising him, See? Listening to me was the right choice, wasn’t it, young man? Look at how sharp this black hair looks! You’re so handsome you could be a celebrity!
Ji Yan smiled softly. It’s because Second Aunt has great taste.
Flattered to high heaven by the compliment, the woman forced her nephew to give Ji Yan a twenty-yuan discount.