Director Ding’s eyes narrowed. Why had the principal and Teacher Song come? He hurried to his feet to greet them, but neither paid him any attention.
The next moment, he saw them head straight for Shen Yue, smiling warmly. Director Ding grew increasingly uneasy.
Principal Zhong spoke first. “Student Shen, you’ve finally arrived.”
Shen Yue merely raised an eyebrow, then lifted her chin toward Director Ding. “Principal Zhong, could you take care of my situation first?”
“Of course,” Principal Zhong replied readily.
The principal had been kind and amiable with Shen Yue, but when he turned to Director Ding, his expression turned stern and his authority came fully to the fore.
“Director Ding, I personally admitted Shen Yue to our school with a perfect score. You’re saying her admission letter is fake?”
Principal Zhong’s sharp words left both Old Master Shen and Director Ding stunned, their faces registering surprise.
Old Master Shen’s head was buzzing. He couldn’t believe what he’d heard. He rubbed both ears, then grabbed Principal Zhong by the wrist.
“What did you just say? A perfect score? My granddaughter got in through special admission with a perfect score?”
His voice held a note of disbelief. He asked cautiously, staring fixedly at Principal Zhong, afraid he’d misheard.
When Principal Zhong realized the man gripping his wrist was Shen Yue’s grandfather, his stern, displeased expression softened. He smiled as he spoke.
“That’s right, Old Master. You heard correctly. Your granddaughter got in with a perfect score. She—”
Old Master Shen didn’t hear the rest. It felt as though his whole body were floating inside a bubble, about to drift away.
All he could think about were Principal Zhong’s first words.
The principal went on at length to Old Master Shen, not minding how much of it he took in. He wasn’t the first person Old Master Shen had grabbed and told about this.
When he finished, Principal Zhong turned a cold gaze on Director Ding.
Director Ding’s heart sank. The confidence he’d shown while dealing with Shen Yue was nowhere to be seen.
“Principal, I… I didn’t realize…”
Director Ding faltered for a long moment, unable to say anything more.
He had no idea how to respond to Principal Zhong.
Director Ding also felt he’d been somewhat unjustly blamed.
Who could have guessed that someone whose grades had always been near the bottom, who skipped class every few days, and who had been out of school for two years would be a special-admission student at First High School?
If Shen Yue had ever had even slightly better grades, he wouldn’t have acted like that…
Principal Zhong didn’t need Director Ding to explain. One look at his face told him what he was thinking, and his eyes sharpened.
“Director Ding, sometimes what you hear and what you see are only the surface. Even if you didn’t believe her, shouldn’t you at least have called me to check?”
“Jumping to conclusions without verifying the facts can ruin a student’s life. As a director at First High School, don’t you understand something as basic as that?”
Principal Zhong grew angrier as he spoke. He practically roared the final sentence.
Director Ding’s heart lurched. He abruptly raised his lowered head, a trace of fear in his eyes.
First High School wasn’t an ordinary school. And this involved accusing a special-admission student of forging its admission letter. If what he’d said earlier got out, then no matter how outstanding Shen Yue was, no school would be willing to accept her.
Only now did Director Ding grasp how serious the matter was.
He looked instinctively toward the others.
Shen Yue still looked unconcerned, merely glancing at him lazily.
Yet Director Ding somehow saw in her an air of certainty—no, of having the means to back it up—as if everything were under her control.
Old Master Shen, who had come back to himself, and Teacher Song watched him without expression.
Meeting Principal Zhong’s disappointed gaze, Director Ding lowered his head in shame. “I’m sorry, Principal.”
Principal Zhong snorted. “I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.”
Director Ding understood and apologized to Shen Yue and Old Master Shen as well.
Old Master Shen found his apology sincere enough. He didn’t want Shen Yue to make enemies of her teachers as soon as she’d arrived, so he let it go.
Seeing that Old Master Shen had spoken, Shen Yue said nothing.
Principal Zhong gave Director Ding a few more words of warning, then put on a smile again. He hadn’t forgotten that he had something to discuss with Shen Yue.
He pointed to the test papers Teacher Song was holding. “Student Shen Yue, there are a few papers we need you to take. Let’s do them in my office.”
Old Master Shen stayed behind to sort out Shen Yue’s enrollment paperwork.
…
Principal’s office.
As Shen Yue worked on the papers, the only sound in the office was the swift scratch of her pen.
Neither Principal Zhong nor Teacher Song interrupted her. They stood on either side of her, leaning forward to watch.
Teacher Song had chosen the test papers. Principal Zhong wasn’t knowledgeable enough to understand all of them; he could only tell that Shen Yue was doing quite well.
The more Teacher Song watched, the brighter his eyes grew.
Shen Yue’s pen flew across the math paper. She didn’t even reach for scratch paper.
She finished in an hour and had only just put down her pen when Teacher Song eagerly snatched the paper away.
He handed her the remaining physics, chemistry, and biology papers, then went to the side to mark the one she’d finished.
Principal Zhong joined him.
Holding the papers, Shen Yue paused. Her eyes narrowed slightly. These weren’t First High School’s test questions at all.
The special-admission exam and these papers weren’t even on the same level.
Shen Yue guessed what they were trying to do and continued working.
Ten minutes later, Teacher Song finished marking the paper. Seeing it covered in red check marks, he exchanged a look with Principal Zhong. Both of them were visibly excited.
They knew just how difficult these questions were.
Teacher Song was a math teacher, but he was good at the other sciences, too.
Shen Yue finished one paper at a time, and he marked each as she went. Three hours later, she had completed all of them. Ten minutes after that, Teacher Song had finished marking every paper.
He couldn’t describe how he felt. He looked at Shen Yue as if she were a rare treasure.
Teacher Song cleared his throat, adjusted his glasses, and sat across from Shen Yue.
“Student Shen, I’m the head teacher of the senior-year science experimental class, and I’m also in charge of the elite class First High School will be launching soon. My surname is Song. The principal and I have something we’d like to discuss with you.”
Teacher Song hesitated, his manner grave. “Well, it’s about the Seven Continents Joint Examination.”
When he finished, the two men watched Shen Yue. Her face showed none of the reaction they had expected. She was calm.
It was as if she were already familiar with the Seven Continents Joint Examination Teacher Song had mentioned.
The two exchanged a glance. Behind Teacher Song’s glasses, his eyes flickered.
Shen Yue nodded lightly. “I’ll have to go back and think it over. I’ll let you know afterward.”
The Seven Continents Joint Examination was open to participants from the seven continents. It tested only four subjects: mathematics, physics, biology, and chemistry. It was the most difficult exam in the world.
Most people never had access to the Seven Continents Joint Examination. Only schools like First High School had a chance to take part.
Getting the opportunity to sit the exam was an incredibly rare thing. And she wanted to think it over?
Principal Zhong asked carefully, “Student Shen, how much do you know about the Seven Continents Joint Examination?”
Shen Yue rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment. “At least as much as you do.”
After that, neither Teacher Song nor the principal pressed her. They reminded Shen Yue to call them once she’d made up her mind.
…
Senior-year experimental class.
It was break time. Chen Xinyi, Shen Jiao’s desk mate and close friend, saw that Shen Jiao looked troubled and leaned over to ask what was wrong.
Shen Jiao sighed, sounding frustrated and a little annoyed.
“It’s about my sister. I saw her with my grandpa in the director’s office today.”
Chen Xinyi had heard some things about Shen Yue from Shen Jiao.
As Shen Jiao had described her, Shen Yue was bad at studying, liked skipping class, showed no respect for her elders, was useless in every way, and had been missing for two years.
The previous night, Chen Xinyi had chatted with Shen Jiao and learned that Shen Yue had returned. She’d also heard that Shen Jiao’s grandfather planned to pay to get Shen Yue into First High School.
Now that Shen Jiao had brought it up, Chen Xinyi was completely taken aback. “Oh my god, she really did come! The school only looks at grades. They shouldn’t accept her, should they?”
Chen Xinyi spoke loudly enough for the whole class to hear. Everyone turned to look, curious.
Remembering what she’d heard the director say as she was leaving, Shen Jiao shook her head and lowered her voice.
“Probably not. The director seemed angry.”
Chen Xinyi immediately understood what was bothering Shen Jiao. She was just about to offer a few words of comfort when the bell rang and the teacher came in, so she let it go.
She couldn’t understand how someone as outstanding as Shen Jiao could have a sister like Shen Yue.
Shen Yue didn’t even know her own limits, yet she thought she could get into First High School? If she came, she’d definitely bring shame on both the school and Shen Jiao.
The final class of the day for the experimental class was math with Teacher Song. He entered, set down his books, adjusted his glasses, and spoke slowly.
“Tomorrow, a new student will be joining our class.”