The first monthly exam after the division into arts and sciences in the second year of high school arrived. Most of the class had put in their best effort to secure a good ranking. Although cramming for science subjects at the last minute wasn’t particularly effective, some still tried to solve a few more problems, hoping to get lucky and encounter similar questions on the test. As a result, the number of students visiting the teachers’ office during evening self-study sessions to ask questions had noticeably increased.
The exam seating arrangement was based on the previous semester’s final exam results. Yan High didn’t have a tradition of grouping students by academic performance. In fact, a school leader had once proposed the idea, but after being caught and publicly criticized by the education bureau, the suggestion was quietly abandoned. Therefore, students were randomly assigned to classrooms, and most of Class Five’s students were scattered across different exam venues. Lu Shinian’s grades from last semester were decent, landing her in the fourth exam room, though she knew full well she wouldn’t be there next time.
She casually checked Yu He’s exam location and couldn’t help but sigh, comparisons were truly disheartening.
During the first evening self-study session before the exam, Lu Shinian peeked into the teachers’ office. The crowd was so overwhelming that by the time her turn came, it would be far too late. So she wisely retreated to the classroom and sought help from the class genius, Yu He.
Feng Jia, seeing her approach with questions, enthusiastically gave up her seat. “You can sit here. I was just about to go to the restroom anyway.”
Lu Shinian smiled. “Thanks.”
With the exam the next day, Yu He showed no signs of panic, completely absorbed in her own world. Seeing how focused she was, Lu Shinian hesitated to interrupt and instead idly twirled her pen while waiting.
After scribbling calculations on scratch paper, Yu He filled in an answer on her test sheet and finally spoke, “Which question?”
Lu Shinian naturally slid her workbook to the middle. “This one.”
Yu He read the problem from start to finish. “First, you need to find the value of sinα—”
Fang Xing had run into a tricky math problem and wanted to discuss it with Yu He after getting a questionable answer. But as soon as he stood up, he saw the two heads bent together in front of him.
“Bent together” might not be the best description, there was actually some distance between them, but the word better captured the intimacy of the moment.
Lu Shinian occupied most of the space, one hand propping up her chin as she swayed slightly, almost leaning against Yu He’s arm. Meanwhile, his usually aloof friend sat ramrod straight, yet her eyes seemed glued to the other girl.
Fang Xing watched for a while and thought to himself: Girls really do bond quickly when they want to.
Lu Shinian finished writing the correct answer and, as usual, asked, “Aren’t I amazing?”
Yu He replied, “Amazing.”
Satisfied, Lu Shinian grinned and gathered her books to leave. Suddenly remembering something, she paused and said with a bright smile, “You forgot to wish me good luck on the exam.”
Yu He looked up. “Good luck on the exam.”
Fang Xing had just walked up behind them when their conversation drifted into his ears. They were all friends, and he and Yu He had even competed in several contests together so why had she never wished him good luck before an exam?
Fang Xing stepped forward. “Yu He, can you check if there’s something wrong with this answer?”
Yu He glanced at him briefly before lowering her head again. “No time.”
It was indeed close to the bell, so saying she had no time was understandable.
Fang Xing said, “Good luck on the exam tomorrow.”
Yu He didn’t look up. “Mhm.”
“…Aren’t you going to wish me good luck too?”
Yu He lowered her head and murmured, “Mhm, do your best.”
Fang Xing: “……”
If you had just added one more word like “you,” I wouldn’t have felt so brushed off.
The monthly exams lasted two days, concluding with the final English test. The school administration always emphasized speed and timely feedback, so Yan High’s teachers graded the papers with remarkable efficiency. The results were all out by the next day after the exams ended.
As soon as the second morning class finished, news came from the neighboring class that the grades had already been uploaded. Many students rushed to the teachers’ office to check their scores most of them confident about their performance. Those who feared facing reality, convinced they had done poorly, didn’t dare join the crowd, afraid of being singled out for a lecture by the teachers.
Of course, there were also top students like Yu He, who were so certain of their results they didn’t even need to check.
Yu Jingjing asked, “Should we go take a look too?”
“I already know my score,” Lu Shinian said calmly. “Bottom five, I’ll definitely have a spot.”
Yu Jingjing frowned. “How do you know?”
“I guessed.”
In the end, Yu Jingjing ran off to the office, promising to confirm whether Lu Shinian was indeed among the lowest ranks. Soon, the first wave of students checking their grades began trickling back, their expressions betraying their results. The classroom buzzed with questions some celebrating, others lamenting.
“Did you check for me?”
“How did you do?”
“I ranked 23rd. I thought I was going to fail chemistry.”
“I’m doomed. With grades like this, I’m definitely getting an earful at home.”
Yu Jingjing returned, panting. “I ranked 31st. Physics alone put me in the bottom seven.”
Lu Shinian patted her shoulder sympathetically. “Physics, totally normal.”
Yu Jingjing added, “You’re dead last.”
“Normal.” Lu Shinian maintained her smile.
Yu Jingjing patted her back in return. “Don’t be sad. At least your intuition was spot-on.”
That’s not how you comfort someone.
The classroom was in chaos until Liang Hongying walked in. Without a word, the class fell silent, all eyes turning to the podium.
Liang Hongying plugged in a USB drive, opened a file labeled “First Monthly Exam Rankings,” and a spreadsheet promptly appeared on the projector.
She cleared her throat. “I know everyone’s eager to see the results. The rankings are up there, find your name and see how you did.”
Lu Shinian’s gaze immediately landed on the name at the very top.
“Holy! Is Yu He even human? The math exam was so hard, yet she aced it. Her total score crushed second place by nearly twenty points!” a boy behind her exclaimed in disbelief.
Liang Hongying highlighted Yu He’s row in bold. “Yu He is our class’s top scorer this time and the highest in the entire grade. Take a look at her results. Aside from Chinese being slightly weaker, all her subjects are consistently strong.”
First place. The very top. Two bold red characters, firmly anchored at the summit.
The whole class turned their attention to the front row, but Yu He herself showed no excitement. Her expression remained indifferent, her gaze steady on the rankings as if the achievement wasn’t hers.
Now that’s the composure of a top student.
Lu Shinian glanced at the number preceding her name, then quietly lowered her head.
Look, this is the attitude of a poor student.
Liang Hongying said, “The results of this monthly exam show a severe polarization in our class, some did exceptionally well while others performed terribly. This isn’t a good sign. Everyone studies under the same conditions, yet the gap in grades is so stark. I believe the main reason lies within yourselves. The monthly exam isn’t the college entrance exam, it’s meant to assess our current progress and help us identify and fill gaps in our knowledge. So, it’s crucial to recognize and correct mistakes in time.”
After briefly analyzing the class’s overall performance, a student below asked, “Teacher, when are we changing seats?”
“This afternoon after school, everyone stays in the classroom. Seats will be chosen based on rankings.”
During break time, aside from discussing grades, the topic of seat changes became a new point of conversation.
Generally, when seats are assigned by ranking, most students would already have a preferred desk mate in mind. They’d compare their rankings and decide which spot to pick, with the higher-ranked student responsible for securing the seats. Naturally, an unspoken understanding formed in the class, if someone had already claimed a spot, others wouldn’t take it.
Then there were the lone wolves, those who had to wait for someone to sit beside them or find an unclaimed spot. Lu Shinian, for example, had completely forgotten about the seat change.
When she finally remembered, she immediately turned to her good deskmate. “Jingjing, who are you sitting with?”