Wednesday afternoon.
With more than ten minutes before class, Song Qingyuan put down the book he had taken from Shen Yue earlier, after their teacher had scolded him.
He opened his phone and went straight to the school’s school-beauty election post.
There were only two candidates:
The former school beauty, Shen Jiao, versus the new student, Shen Yue.
The photo of Shen Yue on the post was the one Xu Zihang had taken for Jian. Compared with the random snapshots people had taken of her before, it was so much better it was almost ridiculous.
The composition, her aura, her beauty—beside her, Shen Jiao’s photo was utterly crushed!
Song Qingyuan tapped Shen Yue’s name without hesitation, then cast his vote.
Only afterward did he check the votes. Shen Yue was a full thousand votes ahead of Shen Jiao!
She had crushed Shen Jiao and become Cloud City No. 1 High School’s well-deserved new school beauty!
Now, most of the school knew that a new student had joined the experimental class, and Shen Yue had made a name for herself at Cloud City No. 1 High School on the strength of her beauty!
Song Qingyuan scrolled through the comments. Most of them praised Shen Yue’s looks.
A few loyal supporters of Shen Jiao weren’t convinced.
【Classmate Shen Jiao didn’t become school beauty just because of her looks. She gets good grades and is talented in many things. What does the new student have besides her face?】
【Exactly. If all it takes to be school beauty is a pretty face, then Cloud City No. 1 High School’s school beauty title is way too cheap.】
Song Qingyuan frowned slightly and opened the two comments. He saw that people had already fired back.
【Sorry, but the one thing Cloud City No. 1 High School has no shortage of is people with good grades and lots of talents. Is that really so special?】
【The new student is in the experimental class too. How bad could her grades be?】
【Her looks are miles ahead of Shen Jiao’s. Even if her grades were bad, we’d still like her. So what if we like looking at pretty faces?】
Song Qingyuan silently liked those comments, then glanced at Shen Yue, who was reading beside him.
His deskmate seemed to be reading every waking moment.
“The school-beauty election results are out.”
Shen Yue turned a page and gave a distracted “Mm,” her eyes still on her book.
Song Qingyuan: “??” That was it?
Usually so unflappable, he was starting to lose his composure. He couldn’t help leaning a little closer to Shen Yue.
“Seriously, aren’t you curious?”
It was Cloud City No. 1 High School’s school beauty title. Who wouldn’t want it? Even when Shen Jiao had been chosen, she hadn’t been this calm.
Shen Yue paused and looked up at Song Qingyuan. She touched her face with one hand, then lowered it and asked casually,
“Why should I be curious?”
Song Qingyuan was left speechless. …Why are you so confident?
He swallowed the words he’d been about to say, quietly left the post, and turned off his phone.
The moment he did, a new comment about Shen Yue’s past appeared on the post.
The news that Shen Yue had become the school beauty had already spread through the experimental class.
They weren’t happy for their classmate. In their eyes, only Shen Jiao deserved the title of Cloud City No. 1 High School’s school beauty.
A few classmates remained neutral.
Nearby, Chen Xinyi exited the post and glanced at Shen Yue with disdain.
“Shen Jiao, don’t worry. In our hearts, you’re the only school beauty at Cloud City No. 1 High School.
That Shen Yue can’t hold a candle to you. Once everyone learns what she’s really like, they’ll naturally stop liking her.”
The classmates around them chimed in, agreeing with Chen Xinyi.
Shen Jiao had excelled at everything since she was little, and this was the first time she had suffered a setback. The school-beauty title had been hers from middle school until now.
There had been no such election in elementary school.
Before, Su Yuqing had worried Shen Yue might be embarrassed, so she had always sent her to ordinary schools.
Shen Jiao, on the other hand, had attended the best schools and received the best education. The two had never studied at the same school.
As soon as Shen Yue arrived, she took Shen Jiao’s school-beauty title.
Shen Jiao tightened her grip on her book, but her expression remained composed. Her tone carried a faint note of disdain.
“It’s only looks. She’d be better off spending this time studying.”
After saying that, Shen Jiao lowered her head and returned to her book.
The classmates around her admired her even more. They showered her with praise and took the opportunity to put Shen Yue down.
…
Last period.
The principal’s office.
Principal Zhong and Song Qingyuan looked at the person standing beside Shen Yue, their expressions hard to read.
Song Qingyuan said, “Your younger brother wants to skip a grade and come to Cloud City No. 1 High School—and he wants to join the elite class?”
Song Qingyuan hadn’t expected Shen Yue’s requested place to be for her younger brother.
He could give them a place in the elite class, but Shen Yun’s grades at Second High School weren’t good enough for him to skip a grade… He exchanged a glance with the principal.
Shen Yue lazily slipped one hand into her pocket.
“Mm. I brought him here to take the grade-skipping exam.”
It was the same at every school: students who wanted to skip a grade had to take an exam, and they could skip only if they passed. Shen Yun was no exception.
Shen Yue had tested him. He had no trouble with the first- and second-year high-school material, so staying in class would only waste his time.
Skipping a grade wasn’t easy. Some schools went years without a single student skipping one.
Shen Yun was trying to jump straight from the first year of high school to the third.
Still, since Shen Yue herself had suggested the exam, Teacher Song wasn’t worried.
If Shen Yun passed, it would prove he was a genius too. If he failed, Shen Yue couldn’t complain.
He felt no qualms about this where Shen Yue was concerned.
Principal Zhong beckoned, about to have someone bring in the exam papers.
Shen Yue interrupted him. “Don’t you still have one special-admission place? Let him take that exam.”
The special-admission exam covered multiple subjects and would save a lot of time. That was why Shen Yue had chosen to take the special-admission exam herself back then.
Jian said it all as casually and simply as if she were buying cabbage.
Principal Zhong glanced at Shen Yun.
Shen Yun stood quietly beside Shen Yue. There wasn’t a trace of nervousness on his face; if anything, he looked confident.
Cloud City No. 1 High School’s exams were already difficult. Principal Zhong hadn’t expected Shen Yun to pass the grade-skipping exam, and the special-admission exam was even harder.
He knew Shen Yue wasn’t someone who acted recklessly, and he had a faint suspicion about what was going on.
The special-admission exam was online. Shen Yun used the principal’s computer to log in and take it.
Principal Zhong and Song Qingyuan were curious and anxious, but didn’t dare go over and disturb him. They watched from a distance.
Shen Yue lounged against the sofa, casually playing the game she often played.
An hour and a half later, Shen Yun finished and submitted his exam. The system began grading it.
Eager to confirm their suspicions, Principal Zhong and Teacher Song hurried over to the computer, hardly daring to blink.
They held their breath. They had never thought a minute could feel so long.
As the page refreshed, they instinctively took a deep breath.
When they saw the score displayed on the screen, their eyes widened. They even forgot to breathe.