After the Qingming Festival holiday, the school gave students no time to catch their breath and immediately scheduled a monthly assessment. Two consecutive days of exams thoroughly crushed the carefree holiday spirit, extinguishing any lingering arrogance with a cold splash of reality—the efficiency of refocusing was astonishing.
After finishing the final test, Yan Wei made her way through the bustling crowd toward the classroom. Zhou Xiaoxiao was chatting with Zhang Yutong, who had been in the same exam room, about how difficult the math test was and how sneaky the biology teacher’s questions had been. Spotting Yan Wei from a distance, Zhou Xiaoxiao immediately waved and called out, “Yan Wei!”
Yan Wei stopped and turned around. Zhou Xiaoxiao jogged over and asked, “How did you feel about it, top student?”
“Totally flopped,” Yan Wei replied calmly and matter-of-factly.
“What does ‘flopped’ mean?” Zhang Yutong asked, puzzled.
Oops, Yan Wei felt a bit awkward. She had used a phrase that wouldn’t become popular online until a few years later.
Fortunately, she was skilled at covering up her slip-ups. She quickly clarified, “It means I bombed it.”
“You’re way too humble!” Zhou Xiaoxiao didn’t notice the slight unease in Yan Wei’s eyes, thinking she was just joking. Zhang Yutong chimed in with a laugh, “Exactly! Even if you didn’t perform your best, you’d still be in the top three in our grade.”
Yan Wei smiled and didn’t continue the topic.
The three walked back side by side. Having been Yan Wei’s deskmate for two months, Zhou Xiaoxiao knew Yan Wei didn’t like discussing answers after exams, so she dropped the subject and said cheerfully, “During the Qingming holiday, I went out and found a new bookstore near our school in the mall. The atmosphere is really nice. Want to go check it out together this weekend?”
“Sure!” Zhang Yutong agreed readily, and both girls turned to Yan Wei, who hadn’t spoken. “What about you, Yan Wei?”
“I’ll pass,” Yan Wei shook her head apologetically. “I have some other things to do this weekend.”
Zhou Xiaoxiao felt disappointed but didn’t press the issue, simply setting a time with Zhang Yutong before dropping the subject.
The classroom was filled with complaints. By now, students had privately compared answers and had a rough idea of how they’d performed. Those who did well secretly rejoiced but pretended to share in the collective misery, while those who did poorly wailed dramatically over their desks, secretly clinging to a sliver of hope until the teachers handed out the official answer keys.
Amid the noisy chaos, Jiang Youyi plugged in her earphones and rested her head on the desk, listening to music. Over the heads of classmates coming and going, she saw Yan Wei and Zhou Xiaoxiao appear at the classroom door, chatting and laughing.
Every time Yan Wei entered the classroom, she habitually checked if Jiang Youyi was there, and this time was no different.
She saw Jiang Youyi lying on the desk with her head resting on her arms, eyes closed as if asleep. Yan Wei wondered how Jiang Youyi could possibly sleep in such a noisy classroom.
Due to the holiday schedule adjustments, there were six workdays that week. Two days were spent on exams, leaving four days that felt overly ample. Teachers seized every minute, with two subjects’ results already announced that day. By the next day at the latest, graded papers were distributed to the students.
Suddenly, Class Eleven was hit by an earthquake, and soon the tremors spread throughout the sophomore year, even reaching the ears of freshmen.
“How is this possible?! Did the teacher mis-mark your paper?!” Zhou Xiaoxiao’s voice nearly cracked as she snatched Yan Wei’s test paper, flipping it over and over to examine it.
The glaring red crosses and question marks scattered across vast blank spaces on the test papers stung Zhou Xiaoxiao’s eyes.
One paper was like this, and so was the next. Apart from English and Chinese, her other subjects were a complete mess!
Most students in the back rows didn’t care much about their grades. Once the scores were out, they’d glance at them perfunctorily before tossing the papers into their desks to collect dust. They preferred chatting about other things—boys talked about games, girls gossiped. But today, for the first time, both boys and girls were secretly discussing the same topic: Yan Wei had done poorly on the exam!
Yan Wei, the goddess who had consistently ranked in the top three of the grade, scored less than 400 points in this monthly exam. Her grades had plummeted off a cliff. Not only was her name missing from the top ten, but she had also dropped to the middle or even lower, almost at the bottom of the grade ranking.
Ever since the subject scores were announced, whispers had been floating around. They thought they were being quiet, but in reality, Jiang Youyi, sitting several seats away, could hear every word clearly.
The noise was unbearably annoying. A girl who didn’t do well academically but always dressed flamboyantly fiddled with her newly painted translucent nails and casually remarked, “She’s a goddess—being pretty is enough. Doing poorly once doesn’t mean much. There’s still the midterm in a few days, right?”
The boy in front of her, nudged by her, didn’t catch the underlying meaning of her words and cheerfully replied, “Yeah!”
Bang—
A loud thud of a book being slammed onto the desk silenced the classroom for a few seconds. Everyone turned to look. Jiang Youyi stood up and said to the girl sitting next to her, “Move.”
Her deskmate was startled and quickly got up to make way.
Yan Wei and Zhou Xiaoxiao also heard the commotion from the back of the classroom and turned their heads simultaneously. They watched as Jiang Youyi walked past them, never once glancing their way.
As Jiang Youyi’s figure disappeared outside the classroom door, Yan Wei heard the envious girl mutter, “Ugh, what’s her problem? Acting all high and mighty! What a weirdo!”
“Did Jiang Youyi also do poorly on the exam? Is that why she’s in a bad mood?” Zhou Xiaoxiao murmured in confusion, as if talking to herself.
While Zhou Xiaoxiao was lost in thought, Yan Wei quietly retrieved her test papers and began flipping through her textbook to review the knowledge points she had missed. Hearing this, her pen paused. “Maybe.”
The small disturbance quickly faded, and the classroom returned to its usual atmosphere. Before the bell rang for class, Teacher Xu entered the room, gently tapped Yan Wei’s desk, and said, “Come to the office.” Then she left.
Zhou Xiaoxiao looked worried. During the last math pop quiz, Yan Wei had turned in a blank paper and was scolded by the teacher. This monthly exam was far more serious than a pop quiz—what was going on with Yan Wei?
Teacher Xu didn’t start by reprimanding Yan Wei. Instead, she asked how her studies were going lately, whether she was adjusting well to life, and if she was feeling unwell.
Finally, Teacher Xu began probing indirectly about her relationships with classmates, especially the rowdy boys—whether there were any conflicts or if someone was bullying her.
Yan Wei was famously one of the best students in the high school division—excellent in both character and academics, obedient and sensible. Her sudden drop in grades, especially turning in blank papers, made it hard for the teacher not to suspect emotional issues.
Moreover, Yan Wei and Yan Chu had attended the same middle school. A few years earlier, Yan Chu’s early romance had caused quite a stir in the high school division. Although three years had passed and the students who knew about it had already graduated, the teachers remained at the school. Yan Wei’s class happened to have the same set of teachers as Yan Chu’s.
The teachers were all concerned about whether Yan Wei might turn out like her older sister.
Ms. Xu often received calls from Yan Wei’s parents, asking her to pay extra attention to Yan Wei—not just to her grades but also to her daily life, her interactions with classmates, whether she was overly intimate with anyone, boys or girls, and whether she often went off campus.
Their exact words were: “We entrust Weiwei to your care, Ms. Xu. She’s at the most critical stage of her life right now, and we don’t want her to go astray. Please don’t find us troublesome—understand our parental concerns.”
Ms. Xu expressed her understanding. She, too, didn’t want a promising student capable of getting into the prestigious Jinghua University to be derailed by an early romance. So, as soon as she noticed any unusual dip in Yan Wei’s grades, she immediately called her in for a talk.
Most of the time, Yan Wei remained silent. No matter what Ms. Xu said, she obediently nodded along. Even if she understood the underlying implications of Ms. Xu’s words, she pretended not to and excused herself by saying, “I had my period during the exam days, and my stomach hurt, so I didn’t finish some of the questions.”
So, it was because of menstrual discomfort—a topic girls often felt too shy to mention. Ms. Xu felt half-relieved and asked Yan Wei a few more caring questions, inquiring if she needed to visit the school clinic.
Only after Yan Wei repeatedly assured her that she was fine did Ms. Xu let her return to the classroom, adding, “If you feel unwell, make sure to go to the hospital promptly. If it’s inconvenient for you, just tell me, and I’ll take you.”
Yan Wei thanked her, closed the office door behind her, and felt utterly exhausted.
The next class was English, Yan Wei’s strong suit. The English teacher was going over the monthly exam papers.
Yan Wei softly announced her presence outside the classroom. The teacher nodded at her. “Go back to your seat.”
Zhou Xiaoxiao took advantage of the moment when Yan Wei was searching for her notes to whisper, “Are you okay? What did Ms. Xu say?”
“I’m fine,” Yan Wei replied, flipping to a blank page and quickly jotting down notes beside the questions the teacher was explaining. “Just the usual stuff—study hard and all that.”
Yan Wei answered with such nonchalance that Zhou Xiaoxiao felt like she was worrying for nothing. She sighed helplessly.
Someone by the window in the back row looked up at the blackboard, then glanced inadvertently toward the corner of their vision when lowering their head.
Although the academic workload for second-year high school students wasn’t as heavy as for third-years, there was still little free time. The shock of the top-ranked goddess slipping in the monthly exams blew over like a passing breeze. Aside from a few individuals, no one really dwelled on it. By the weekend, no one was discussing it anymore.
After being cooped up at school for six days, students scattered like birds and beasts as soon as the weekend arrived. They would rather go off campus for some fresh air than stay in the dorms. Zhou Xiaoxiao made plans with Zhang Yutong to visit the newly opened bookstore and immediately packed her bag after class.
“Yan Wei, Zhang Yutong and I are going to the mall. Do you need me to bring you anything?” Zhou Xiaoxiao asked while stuffing her weekend homework into her bag.
In the past, Yan Wei rarely left campus on weekends, usually staying in the dorm to study. Zhou Xiaoxiao assumed this week would be no different.
“No need, I’ll go out myself later.” Yan Wei finished writing the last incorrect problem, answering Zhou Xiaoxiao absentmindedly.
“Huh? You’re leaving campus?” Zhou Xiaoxiao didn’t have time to ask where Yan Wei was going before Jiang Youyi, carrying her backpack, passed by and knocked over Yan Wei’s pencil case placed at the corner of the desk.
Jiang Youyi stopped and glanced back at the unfolded canvas pencil case on the floor.
A small dinosaur keychain made of gray-green fabric had half fallen out, now covered in dust.
“Aren’t you going to help me pick it up, Jiang?” Yan Wei closed her incorrect problem notebook.
Jiang Youyi pursed her lips, pausing for a moment before crouching down.
The side charm on her backpack slid open gently as she leaned forward, the small bell emitting a faint, crisp jingle. At the same time, an adorably ugly crocodile keychain was revealed, its color scheme identical to the little dinosaur in Yan Wei’s pencil case.