12 – The Only Perfect Score in the Entire Grade
The results from Hengmu were released quickly. By the afternoon of the next day, all subject scores and grade rankings had been tallied.
Although it was a science-focused advanced class, many students were still nervous about their scores and rankings this time.
The classroom was as lively as a marketplace, with voices comparing answers and groans of despair rising and falling—
“Ahhh, the answer to this multiple-choice question was AC, but I guessed BD!”
“I’m speechless. How could the answers to this English reading passage be five consecutive As? I’m done for—I only got one right.”
“My math score is a total disaster. The last three major questions might as well have been worth zero points. Oh, by the way, do you think I’ll get one point for writing ‘solution’?”
…
In contrast, Zhou Yuchuan and Xin Jushang, sitting in the last row of the classroom, were the calmest two in the class.
Zhou Yuchuan sat with his legs crossed, admiring his ever-charming handsome face in a small mirror, while Xin Jushang was studying a physics experiment problem.
“The scores are about to come out. Aren’t you nervous?”
Zhou Yuchuan crossed his hands behind his head and asked Xin Jushang beside him with interest.
What was his little desk mate pondering all day with her head down? He hardly ever saw her look up or speak.
“Why be nervous?” Xin Jushang closed the physics workbook, her tone unusually relaxed. “Everything is already set in stone.”
What she meant was that the outcome was already decided—this time, she was determined to secure a spot in the top three at Hengmu.
But to Zhou Yuchuan’s ears, her words took on a different meaning. He thought Xin Jushang was utterly hopeless about the results.
So, the next second, he encouragingly patted Xin Jushang’s shoulder. “Before the results are out, both of us are dark horses.”
At this moment, Zhou Yuchuan had no idea of the storm that was about to hit. He still firmly believed his little desk mate was an underachiever, plagued by insecurity and sensitivity.
The class bell rang. The first class of the afternoon was English. As per the usual rule, Xin Jushang and Zhou Yuchuan weren’t qualified to attend English class in the classroom. So, they picked up their books and walked out of the classroom one after the other.
They happened to brush past the “Nun” as she stepped into the classroom.
The Nun stood sternly on the podium, holding a stack of answer sheets, while the students below hardly dared to breathe.
“Our class’s overall average score dropped by more than ten points this time!” The Nun threw the stack of answer sheets onto the podium. “Those scoring above 120 are as rare as phoenix feathers!”
The students felt miserable but didn’t dare to say a word.
“However…” The Nun’s tone finally softened a little. “Our class’s average score still ranks first in the grade, and—”
Here, she paused and raised her voice: “The only perfect score in the entire grade is in our class!”
As soon as the Nun finished speaking, the students below erupted in excited chatter—
“Wow!!”
“Who is it? That’s amazing!”
“I bet it’s either Zhou Yuchuan, the top student transferred from No. 1 High School, or Xue Yingying, our class’s English representative.”
“I think it must be Zhou Yuchuan. Even if Xue Yingying is good at English, she doesn’t have the ability to get a perfect score…”
“I vote for Brother Chuan too. He’s a top student from the science experimental class at No. 1 High School. He even boasted about becoming the top student in our class—it’s definitely him!”
…
Due to the overly heated discussion below, the situation quickly spiraled out of control. The teacher had to slam the chalkboard eraser heavily on the podium: “Quiet, everyone! Shut up!”
“I now announce that the top scorer in the class is…”
Only after the teacher said this did the students below finally fall completely silent, dozens of pairs of eyes eagerly fixed on the teacher’s mouth.
Everyone had basically settled on the likely candidate in their minds, but they were still eager to hear the name spoken by the teacher, especially since the person in question was still standing outside the classroom as punishment.
“Xin Jushang!”
As soon as the teacher finished speaking, the class erupted once again—
“No way, no way? Did I hear that right?”
“Xin Jushang? Isn’t that the underachiever who transferred from Third Middle School?”
“Yeah, yeah, that’s the one who wears a mask every day to hide her ugliness. When did she become so amazing?”
“Holy crap, I heard she said before that she wanted to rank in the top three in the grade! Everyone laughed their heads off at the time!”
“Yeah, yeah, I heard that too. I thought this transfer from Third Middle School had some serious guts.”
…
The teacher slapped the podium forcefully, shouting “shut up” with all her might, trying desperately to calm the students below.
She didn’t understand—she had merely announced the name of the top scorer in English, so why had the class erupted like this?
The teacher had only recently started teaching this class, so she hadn’t yet gotten to know all the students.
“Which one is Xin Jushang? Could you raise your hand so the teacher can recognize you?” The teacher adjusted her glasses and looked at the students below with anticipation.
The classroom fell as silent as a graveyard.
Silence was the bridge of Cambridge tonight.
“Xin Jushang! Please stand up on your own so the teacher can recognize you.” The teacher patiently repeated herself.
But still, no one responded.
Finally losing her patience, the teacher called on her class representative, Xue Yingying, and asked, “Where is Xin Jushang? Did she take a leave of absence and not come to school today?”
Xue Yingying, who had been called on, trembled all over. She looked as if she wanted to speak but hesitated, which only made the teacher more anxious. “Speak up! What are you afraid of?”
Xue Yingying took a deep breath and finally stammered out, “Teacher, Xin Jushang… she… she’s outside being punished…”
A few students nearby couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.
The teacher’s face instantly fell. She awkwardly adjusted her glasses, glanced around at the students below, and tried her best to maintain her dignity as a teacher.
She randomly pointed at a student and sent him to bring Zhou Yuchuan and Xin Jushang back into the classroom from outside.
When Xin Jushang walked into the classroom, the eyes of the entire class fell on her, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.
She thought the teacher had called her and Zhou Yuchuan back into the classroom to continue their punishment because of the recent drop in temperature and concern that they might freeze outside.
Even after returning to her seat, Xin Jushang didn’t dare to sit down as calmly as Zhou Yuchuan did. Instead, she remained standing.
“Xin Jushang.”
Hearing the teacher call her name, Xin Jushang stiffened all over, thinking the teacher was about to target her again.
But what followed was not the intense confrontation she had imagined. Instead, the teacher spoke in a gentle tone: “Why aren’t you sitting down?”
This tone was worlds apart from the one she had used two weeks ago.
Xin Jushang and the teacher spoke almost simultaneously—
“Teacher, you didn’t give me permission to sit down, so I…”
“Of course you can sit down! You’re the only one in the entire grade who got a perfect score in English—how could I bear to make you stand as punishment?”
The teacher’s current attitude was a complete contrast to how she had treated Xin Jushang earlier.
Xin Jushang herself was shocked, as she hadn’t expected to score full marks.
Even more surprised than her was Zhou Yuchuan, sitting beside her.