The crowd of onlookers dispersed in a hurry as if the farce never happened. A Student Committee member entered the classroom holding a stack of test papers and began to distribute them. The director of Moral Education Office stood on the dais, expression imposing. The manâs eyes stopped on Lin Jingzheâs face for a long moment.
He didnât raise his head. He accepted the test papers handed to him and scanned the somewhat immature handwriting: the full score in Language and Mathematics was 120 marks, he got 86 and 90 respectively. The total score for the remaining subjects was 100 marks, and he hovered at the passing line in nearly all of them. English was the most tragic and the only one he failedâhe got a pitiful 47 marks.
Lin Jingzhe remembered he had been in a daze for some time after his grandfatherâs death, but he didnât understand just how out of it he was until now.
Jiang Runâs results were quite goodâthe nearby students whispered that he entered the top five in the class. Still, if Lin Jingzheâs memory didnât fail him, his cousin got into Qunnan University only because he got the schoolâs official admission spot.
This wasnât surprising. Although Liyun No. 1 High School was called the best high school in Liyun Town, the town itself was but a hard-to-notice dot on Qunnan Provinceâs map, with a poor allocation of educational resources. Whatâs more, Lin Jingzhe remembered that this year, they had unified the college entrance examination for the whole country. It was later considered the most difficult in history. Because of the backward curriculum, the students of Liyun No. 1 High School were no competition for their outstanding rivals from bigger cities.
Many people failed this college entrance examination and retook it next yearâthat was the most profound impression Lin Jingzhe had of it.
He picked up the English test and read it. He was proficient because he often traveled abroad for job training in his previous life. Lamentably, even some of these test questions were wrong.
As for the science subjectsâLin Jingzhe said goodbye to high school many years ago and to tell the truth, heâd long forgotten most of what heâd learned. However, he had strong foundations and finished his studies, so getting better exam results wouldnât be difficult.
From the mock exam questions, no one in Liyun No. 1 High School suspected how nightmarish this yearâs college entrance examination would be.
Lin Jingzhe pondered all the underhanded means and little tricks the Class 1 teacher, Li Yurong, used to get more teaching achievements in her name, and really wanted to tell her to stop messing around.
He bowed his head and concentrated on reading the exam questions, then wrote the new answers on the test paper, per his current knowledge. It made him look earnest and eager to learn. The director opened his mouth, meaning to call him out first, but seeing him review so seriously, he couldnât bear to. The boyâs only family member passed away recently, and he looked a lot thinnerâthe directorâs heart wasnât that hard.
As such, when the director spoke, the name he called changed. âGao Sheng, come with me. Where is Zhou Haitang? Is he absent?â
Oh, thatâs right. Lin Jingzhe suddenly remembered that not long before the college entrance exam, Zhou Haitang came into contact with the so-called âmafiaâ of Liyun Town. Then, he started to skip classes more and more often.
So many things he needed to remember and pay attention to. He put down his pen, clasped his hands, and leaned back in his seat. With no expression on his face, he watched Gao Sheng, who didnât know what would happen, follow the director out of the classroom.
Behind him, some girls finished reviewing and started a whispered conversation. First, they mocked Jiang Run, who laid on his desk crying. Then, their gazes shifted to Lin Jingzhe, whose aura differed from the rest of the students.
Lin Jingzhe was an introvert from the start, and Jiang Run spread a rumor that his parents abandoned him, alienating him further. Still, he had good grades and good-looks. With fair skin and delicate features, he continued to attract the girlsâ attention.
âHey.â The girls nudged each other. âDonât you think Lin Jingzhe looks unusually handsome today?â
Amidst their giggling, Gao Sheng returned to the classroom holding the class transfer notice. He dropped in his seat, looking dazed.
The director and Li Yurong stood before the door and argued in low voices. Li Yurong faced the classroom, and occasionally, her gaze paused on Lin Jingzhe, stabbing him like a knife.
Lin Jingzhe stared back at her, revealing a mocking smile.
Li Yurong became stunned for a moment, then exploded like a balloon poked with a needle: âLin Jingzhe! Come out here right now!â
The classroom fell silent because of her sudden outburst. Lin Jingzhe, who became the center of attention, pushed the test papers away and unhurriedly walked outside.
Li Yurong trembled from fury because of his dismissive attitude towards her. âYou, what are you looking at with that expression!â
The director, who hadnât caught sight of Lin Jingzheâs provocative smile, though Li Yurong threw a fit without reason. âTeacher Li, what on earth are you doing?â
Lin Jingzhe, appearing for all the world like a humble, well-mannered student, asked, âTeacher Li, is something the matter?â
Li Yurong watched the director unconsciously stand closer to Lin Jingzhe. She had to choke back what she truly wanted to say, so her reply was cross: âYou ask me if something is the matter? Just look at how your grades have fallen! I canât keep you in this class. Gather your things and report to Class 5 with Gao Sheng.â
Class transfer?! The students on duty in the corridor, who overheard that part, abandoned their brooms and ran back to the classroom to announce the shocking news. Gao Sheng looked resigned after receiving his own transfer notice, but now that his friend would share his fate, he jumped up and rushed outside. âTeacher Li, me aside, why does Jingzhe have to change classes too?â
Li Yurong ignored the question, her expression cold. Flustered, Gao Sheng tugged the directorâs sleeve. âTeacher, Jingzheâs grades are excellent, he used to be in the top ten of the class. His results today are⌠Itâs because of a family matter, something happened recentlyâŚâ
âTeacher Li!â An angry female voice echoed in the corridor. âDonât you think youâre going too far?!â
Upon hearing it, Lin Jingzhe turned his head, stunned. From the other end of the utilitarian school corridor, a thin, middle-aged woman in a worn, grey padded jacket rushed towards them.
She looked older than she was. She dressed plainly, wore no make-up, and had the same regulation haircut as the female students. The oversleeves on her arms were clearly remade from old clothes. Her face, which in Lin Jingzheâs memory was always gentle, was full of anger. She approached quickly and stopped right in front of Li Yurong, nearly ramming into her. âHave you ever thought about your students?! The college entrance examination is right around the corner. Didnât you consider how much strain the class transfer at this moment would put on them?! Youâre too selfish!â
Li Yurong had always looked down on the other woman. Now, she frowned and pushed her away, giving her a disdainful glance. âTeacher Hu, take greater care with your speech. Where am I selfish? Iâm thinking of other students. Everyone in Class 1 are excellent students, getting rid of the bad apples will improve their studying conditions and learning progress. My actions are for the sake of the others in Class 1.â
At her vicious words, Hu Yu glanced worriedly at Lin Jingzhe. She swallowed her anger and said in a low voice, âGao Sheng, take Jingzhe and wait in the classroom until we finish talking.â
âDonât bother,â Li Yurong said impatiently. It was just transferring a few students between classesâdid she have to spend half a day on such a simple thing? âYou two, hurry up and pack. The class began a long time ago, and you delayed it for so long already because of your unnecessary fuss.â
Hu Yu gritted her teeth. She turned to the director: âDirector Wang, Gao Sheng is my son and Iâm aware of his grades, but you have to reconsider Lin Jingzheâs transfer. Heâs a brilliant boy, such a thing is impeding his future development. Youâre the head of Moral Education Office. Shouldnât you have a say in this?â
The director was equally irate, but he couldnât respond to Hu Yuâs plea. He didnât know how Li Yurong did it, but the principal issued the class transfer notice himself. Although he, as an assistant principal, had the same authority among students, he had much less decision-making power.
When Hu Yu saw his clenched jaw, her heart dropped. Li Yurong sneered, âTeacher Hu, should I show you how many marks your âbrilliantâ got? Donât say you donât know. Youâre talking about his future, but the college entrance exam is less than two months away. With grades like that now, what future can he have? Instead of playing goody two shoes, you should improve your quality of teaching. Just look at that garbage in Class 5âŚâ
âTeacher Li!â Lin Jingzhe, who had been quiet until now, interrupted her, his tone rough enough that Li Yurong unconsciously paused.
As she closed her mouth, she was surprised at the momentary nervousness sheâd felt. She looked at Lin Jingzhe warily. Confronted with his emotionless eyes, inexplicably, she felt a hint of fear.
As he had already gone through this whole incident in his previous life, Lin Jingzhe was fed up with Li Yurongâs arrogance and self-important manner. He didnât want to bother with her anymore, so he cut to the point: âI agree to change classes, so you donât need to say such nasty things. My recent exam performance was indeed bad, and I do understand your mood but frankly, what you just said was a pack of lies. You can calculate the average score of each subjectâthe highest is mathematics, Teacher Huâs subject. And to tell the truth, the quality of your English class is nothing to write home about. The second sentence of the cloze test and the fifth question in Reading Comprehension are incorrect. So, I donât think youâre qualified to criticize Teacher Huâs teaching ability.â
Li Yurong was so shocked that she couldnât find her voice for a minute. She hadnât heard such direct criticism in her teaching career. What was even harder for her to believe was that sheâd always assumed the person who said it to be a quiet, timid teenager.
Lin Jingzheâs voice wasnât low. Everyone inside the Class 1 classroom, in the corridor, and even those in the nearby classrooms hear his words loud and clear. Not a few people snickered. This caused Li Yurong to wake up, her face like thunder. She nearly fainted from anger, and her hands shook so much she couldnât lift them.
When Lin Jingzhe agreed to change classes, Hu Yu grabbed his arm, anxious. âJingzhe, donât be impulsiveâŚâ
Lin Jingzhe took her dry, rough hand and patted it soothingly. âTeacher Hu, Director Wang, I will get my things.â
The teenager reacted so calmly to this distressing situation, and the directorâs heart filled with pity for him. Not caring about his politely worded counterattack, the director patted him on the shoulder and said, âGo ahead.â
When Lin Jingzhe and Gao Sheng, whose eyes were red from rage, returned to the classroom, perfect silence greeted them.
Lin Jingzhe didnât interact with his classmates, who cared about nothing but their grades, much. He didnât even remember the names or faces of most. Therefore, there was no emotion in his heart while he quickly gathered his textbooks and writing utensils.
Gao Sheng was bigger and stronger than him, and when he finished his own packing, he came over and helped him carry his things. Teary-eyed, Hu Yu also took a stack of books from his hands.
His hands empty, and looking as if he had no care in the world, Lin Jingzhe walked through the classroom. He stopped at the door and glanced back.
Like a dense mass of darkness, the pressure of dozens of gazes fell upon him.
He smiled an indifferent smile, raised his hand in a careless farewell gesture, and said, âGoodbye.â
Some of the students hadnât recovered from the impact of that smile and were staring at the door. Li Yurong finally got a hold of herself and mounted the dais. She was so furious her legs trembled. Seeing the absent-minded expressions, she couldnât restrain herself and slammed her fist on the desk.
âThe class has begun! Where are you looking!â She yelled. Then, pretending to be relaxed, she said, âAll right, now that weâve gotten rid of the laggards, we need to tighten up our learning schedule. You shouldnât treat it lightly, Iâm doing this for your good.â
The students looked on the tall woman standing on the dais, who had just been acting arrogant and domineering outside the classroom door. They recalled Lin Jingzhe leaving in a carefree way, and the English test they could hardly understand. They were all both companions and rivals; now, many were gloomy because of the loss of one of their kind.
Though no one dared to stand up for Lin Jingzhe, they also had no respect for Li Yurong in their hearts.