He Ying was alone in her room, completely devoid of the shy, embarrassed expression she had earlier that made her want to hide. She sat at her desk, expressionlessly solving problems.
Perhaps saying expressionless isn’t quite accurate; in fact, her expression was as resolute as someone facing execution.
Earlier, Ding Yunyun had asked He Ying if she was sincere about Chi Jingsheng.
Honestly, when He Ying heard that question, she almost couldn’t hold back her laughter. She struggled to suppress it, her face turning red from the effort, before she managed to hold it back and barely muddle through.
She was aiming to rank among the top ten.
In this elite school where top talents gathered, aiming for the top ten couldn’t rely solely on hard studying, but without hard studying, you definitely couldn’t reach the top ten.
Men, especially those four men, would only hinder her speed in reaching the top ten.
Others failing to reach the top ten might just feel regret, but for her, it would mean losing thirteen trillion!
For that money, she would become unstoppable! Gods blocking her, she’d slay gods! F4 blocking her, she’d slay F4!
………
The next day’s schedule began as usual with breakfast.
Ding Yunyun ate a jianbing guozi, and He Ying also ate a jianbing guozi. Looking at each other’s breakfast, they both smiled, acknowledging each other’s good taste.
Hongru Academy required different morning reading content for each student.
Students with poor foundational knowledge in Chinese classics were required to memorize some basic classics, such as poetry, songs, and the Four Books and Five Classics.
Students who had undergone additional reading cultivation from childhood would, after testing, follow a personalized study plan for their morning reading course.
What He Ying was now reading aloud in the morning was “A Global History.”
However, when she officially began reading this book, her instructor reminded her that it was a history book analyzing the world from another country’s perspective, so the parts about her own country must be viewed dialectically.
If ranking among the top fifty at Hongru Academy relied on existing knowledge from textbooks, then the top ten relied on accumulated knowledge.
The teacher said that once she mastered “A Global History,” her history exams would be excellent even if she closed her eyes!
He Ying firmly believed it! Firmly memorized it!
Fortunately, before regaining her memories, she hadn’t wasted her time. After trying to connect the knowledge points from her memory last night, He Ying felt she was now invincible.
The sense of immersion was strong; she was the top student, and the top student was her.
Hongru Academy placed special emphasis on morning reading, not only with teachers conducting spot checks, but also the principal checking different classes daily.
Today, coincidentally, the principal checked He Ying’s class.
When the principal entered the classroom, the already loud recitation became even more deafening.
He originally headed toward Xia Shuyue’s side.
He Ying remembered that in the original storyline, there was a segment where someone threw away Xia Shuyue’s morning reading textbook, and that day the principal happened to come for a spot check, discovering that Xia Shuyue had no book. Upon further inquiry, he noticed bullying in this class.
To protect Xia Shuyue, the principal didn’t act immediately but began secretly gathering evidence within the school and privately informing the parents of those students, finally causing the students bullying Xia Shuyue to restrain themselves.
Ironically, F4 thought their protection had worked, becoming even more attached to Xia Shuyue.
Xia Shuyue also seemed to believe that only under their protection could she study peacefully, thus beginning the 1v4 tug-of-war.
Today should be the day the principal discovered the anomaly.
Lost in her thoughts, He Ying noticed the principal wasn’t heading toward Xia Shuyue’s seat but instead walked straight toward her.
Seeing the book in her hand, he asked, “He Ying, after reading this book, why do you think it was only until 30 years ago that the xx civilization was leading the world?”
He Ying had been so absorbed in organizing the knowledge in her mind last night that, upon hearing this familiar question, she instinctively answered with the answer she remembered: “Because only their civilization had been completely annihilated…”
In an instant, the principal’s gaze became extremely complex.
He Ying’s answer was simple, direct, blunt, yet incredibly precise—a sign of a child whose thinking ability had already surpassed her peers.
“Have you read A Brief History of the World before?”
He Ying nodded. “I skimmed through it once when I was 13, but reading it again now has given me different insights.”
“What kind of insights?”
This was the principal’s first visit to He Ying’s class for a spot check. The other students appeared to be reading their own books, but in reality, they were all curiously straining their ears to listen.
When they heard the principal ask this question, their hearts trembled slightly.
This wasn’t quite what they had expected.
Rumors had it that the principal usually tested students on passages that required full memorization and rarely asked subjective questions.
Because with such subjective questions, students were prone to saying the wrong thing.
“There are many insights, and one of them is related to the school.”
“The humans described in the book share a common trait: the information they receive depends on the social circles they belong to, and this information shapes their cognitive structures. These cognitive structures, in turn, reinforce their social circles, strengthening their existing cognitive frameworks. This creates a closed loop, trapping generations within the same circles and making it extremely difficult to break through. This self-perpetuating cycle persisted for thousands of years and has only recently begun to loosen slightly due to the information age. However, the only thing capable of instantly breaking through these circles is the academy we are in right now.”
Upon hearing He Ying’s words, the principal grew even more vigilant.
He Ying undoubtedly belonged to the top tier among the current students. Her words seemed to imply that she wouldn’t allow anyone to instantly break through class barriers.
However, despite having his own interpretation, the principal still wore a seemingly pleased smile on his face. “He Ying, your answer is excellent.”
He Ying “shyly” lowered her head.
Got you! This should totally impress you. You better give me full marks for my usual performance!
He Ying was entirely focused on how to secure a spot in the top ten, unaware of the immense pressure she had just placed on the principal.
The principal hadn’t approached He Ying without reason.
He Ying’s identity was special, and her family held significant influence. When she enrolled, the school even held a special faculty meeting for her, attended by all teachers and even upper-level leadership.
The last time such a grand occasion occurred was when the royal family from the neighboring country of F came to study.
Since its establishment, Hongru Academy’s reputation had grown increasingly prominent, and its student admissions had become stricter.
There were two admission methods: self-application and special admission.
Students applying through self-application not only had to pay a high application fee but also had to attend designated schools during their junior high years. These designated schools included both public schools and private elite schools.
However, whether public or private, all these schools were carefully vetted to ensure their teaching quality and standards met the requirements.
To be eligible for basic application, students must have maintained a top-three ranking in their grade for three consecutive years while attending these middle schools, or have won national-level awards, or consistently ranked within the top 20 of their grade for three years.
After that, upon payment of a high and non-refundable application fee, the school further evaluates factors such as parents’ professions and income, the child’s personality, and their purpose for enrolling.
Special Admission Students, however, are selected through a nationwide unified process. This selection requires passing both the Special Admissions Examination and the Psychological Aptitude Assessment. Those who fail the psychological assessment cannot enter Hongru Academy.
It is often said that social class is difficult to transcend, but the moment Special Admission Students enter Hongru Academy, they have already transcended their class. Without strong psychological resilience, they will be unable to survive within such a drastically shifting social hierarchy.
This is the truth behind the seemingly glamorous Hongru Academy.
What truly flows within its halls is the essence of class.