After the science comprehensive exam, the moment the papers were handed in, cheers erupted from the classrooms of the first and second-year students.
They were on vacation.
But the third-year students still had supplementary classes, with the schedule running until the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month—nothing to be happy about.
Grading the final exams was different from the usual monthly tests. For monthly exams, each teacher graded their own class, but for finals, the entire grade was graded together, so it wouldn’t be done as quickly.
The teaching pace didn’t stop just because of the final exams. The gears of the third year kept turning relentlessly.
Because of those two books Qi Xiulei had brought, the class had been in an unusually excited state for two whole weeks. Every break, they huddled together to talk about universities and majors.
Sheng Xia’s ears were filled with the top students’ various "humblebrag" remarks, leaving her both envious and wistful.
In this class, everyone she knew was either firmly aiming for a decent key university or striving for a top-tier one. The things they discussed were far beyond what Sheng Xia dared to imagine.
The only one who didn’t join in was Hou Junqi, who either slept or played games.
Sheng Xia could only talk to Tao Zhizhi.
Tao Zhizhi was in the upper-middle range at their school, with grades similar to hers. She also had a target university—a decent key school in Dongzhou.
When Tao Zhizhi heard that Sheng Xia had been arranged to study abroad, she wasn’t surprised at all.
"Your dad might seem like he doesn’t have any demands on you, but that’s only because he’s already planned everything out for you."
Yeah. Only she bore the surname Sheng. She was Sheng Mingfeng’s only publicly acknowledged child.
If she didn’t achieve anything, where would his face be?
How could he ever truly let her be free of expectations?
It was something she had long understood.
"So, do you want to go?" Tao Zhizhi asked.
"No," Sheng Xia answered firmly.
Tao Zhizhi: "Why not?"
Why not?
Aside from her mother’s reasons, there were also her own considerations.
Sheng Xia said, "I feel like not attending university in China would be a regret. I still want to spend my college years with my own people."
Sheng Xia knew herself well—she was nostalgic and slow to warm up. If she went abroad, cultural differences would become a huge barrier. She knew many people who, even after going abroad, still socialized mainly within Chinese circles, carving out their own little space and living well. But Sheng Xia didn’t think she could do that. She was too sensitive to her environment. For example, even though she liked quiet places, she felt more at ease reading in a temple than in a church.
Besides, college was perhaps the most crucial period for shaping one’s worldview. She wanted to cultivate and form hers in her own country.
It wasn’t that foreign universities weren’t excellent—many were outstanding. But the majors she was interested in leaned toward the humanities, and there didn’t seem to be much need to study them abroad.
It wasn’t that studying abroad was bad—it just wasn’t for her.
Lost in her thoughts, Sheng Xia received a reply on her phone.
Tao Zhizhi: "Your own people? Who, Zhang Shu?"
Sheng Xia: "... C, H, I, N, E, S, E, people!"
Tao Zhizhi: "Hehe, don’t get worked up! So what’s your plan?"
Sheng Xia: "Prepare for both. If I get into a good university, I won’t have to go abroad."
"Prepare for both"—or perhaps it should be called "outward compliance but inner defiance." For seventeen years, she had been an obedient child. This time, she would make her own decision.
Tao Zhizhi: "You mean, on one hand, you’ll go along with your dad and prepare for studying abroad, and on the other, you’ll keep preparing for the college entrance exam? That’s going to be exhausting! And TOEFL is really hard too!"
Sheng Xia: "Yeah, I’m ready for it."
In fact, she had already started.
This was a very risky dream. She hoped that when dawn broke, it would come true.
...On the first Friday of make-up classes, the results for all subjects were released.
A major upset: the top rank in the grade had changed hands.
Zhang Shu, the perennial first-place holder, had placed 11th.
What kind of Waterloo was this? He had completely dropped out of the top ten in the grade!
The entire grade was in an uproar—no exaggeration, because this wasn’t just about one person’s rise and fall.
The one who took first place this time was a student from Class 12 who had previously hovered between second and fifth.
An experimental class.
This was the first time since the division of classes in their sophomore year that an experimental class had claimed the top spot in the grade.
This wasn’t just one person’s victory.
Class 12 happened to be directly above Class 6, and during evening self-study, Class 6 could hear the cheers and screams from Class 12. The long-suppressed students of the experimental class seemed to be witnessing a historic turning point—they were practically ready to wave their class flag in triumph.
Class 6 buzzed with whispers, and some even rolled their eyes at the commotion upstairs.
The memory of Zhang Shu’s speech under the national flag at the start of the semester, where he spoke of shared pride, was still vivid. How had things ended up like this by the end of the term?
Zhang Shu’s English and science scores were normal. His math score of 130 wasn’t low, but he usually scored close to or even full marks, so this seemed mediocre by comparison. The biggest drag was his Chinese score—his essay didn’t even reach 30 points because he hadn’t finished it, so it was graded based on the number of lines written.
If his essay had scored 45, his total would have matched the new first-place student’s.
At Zhang Shu’s level, his grades weren’t just his own business anymore. The vice principal, the grade director, Wang Wei, and Fu Jie soon gathered for a meeting, and sure enough, Zhang Shu was called in shortly after.
Grade Director’s Office.
As Zhang Shu reached the door, he overheard the vice principal interrogating Wang Wei: “Beyond academics, students’ lives and mindset must also be managed and monitored—these directly affect their studies too. Isn’t this your specialty, Teacher Wang?”
Wang Wei nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes, exactly.”
Zhang Shu exchanged glances with Fu Jie, who wore an innocent expression. Both their eyes held resignation.
Zhang Shu didn’t understand—just because he didn’t rank first this term, did that mean he was now a student with life and mindset problems?
“Reporting in,” he said coolly, cutting off the grade director’s next remark.
The grade director turned. “Come in.”
Zhang Shu took a seat on the other side of the conference table, his expression indifferent.
The grade director circled around the topic for a while, repeating variations of “the school leadership’s concern” at least five times. Zhang Shu listened patiently and, once the speech was over, simply said, “Mm, thank you, teachers.”
Politeness and aloofness didn’t seem mutually exclusive for him.
Wang Wei kept shooting him meaningful looks.
“So, Zhang Shu, what do you think went wrong this time?” the grade director asked.
Zhang Shu replied, “Did I do poorly? With these scores, I can still get into Heqing or Haiyan universities. I think it’s fine.”
He said it so matter-of-factly that Wang Wei was reminded of Zhang Shu’s frequent remark: “As long as the score’s enough, what’s the problem?” and sighed inwardly.
In the end, the brainwashing had failed.
The grade director and vice principal were left speechless.
It didn’t seem entirely wrong.
“Your potential is far greater than this! You’re our school’s top candidate for provincial honors!” the grade director said earnestly.
Zhang Shu replied, “I’m sure our school still has other students capable of achieving that.”
Implied meaning: I don’t actually want to be the top scorer?
This…
The vice principal, who had risen from grade director, had handled countless motivational talks but had never encountered this kind of logic. At this level of achievement, which student didn’t strive for the very top?The grade director shot another glance at Wang Wei, his eyes saying: Look at the fine student you've taught.
The vice principal changed the subject: "What happened with your Chinese exam?"
Zhang Shu glanced at Fu Jie, who was staring at him with a stern expression that clearly warned, "If you dare mention me, you're dead." Zhang Shu wanted to laugh but held it in and answered truthfully, "I fell asleep."
Everyone: ...
Wang Wei snapped, "Didn’t you know you were taking an exam? You fell asleep?"
Fu Jie asked, "Were you feeling unwell that day?"
Zhang Shu: "No."
"Then were you in a bad mood? Whether it's something at home or in your personal life, if you need the school’s help, you should speak up."
Zhang Shu: "No, I was quite happy... well, not exactly."
He paused, then smiled. "Actually, I was really happy."
Everyone: ...
Looking at the four baffled adults, Zhang Shu suddenly found the whole thing pointless. Why bother expressing himself here? It was a waste of time.
So he compromised, taking a step back: "I’ll pay attention next time and make sure I don’t fall asleep. But fluctuations in grades are unavoidable—even if I don’t sleep, I might still do poorly."
Everyone again: ...
This was the first time the grade director had ever had a conversation go like this. Not only did the student show no fear, but the adults were practically being led around by him.
Seeing this, Wang Wei quickly tried to ease the tension: "I’ll talk to him some more. Zhang Shu has always been steady—maybe something really did come up. His other subjects are still stable, and this isn’t a reflection on Teacher Fu’s teaching. This won’t happen again."
"Right, Zhang Shu?"
Zhang Shu thought to himself, Lao Wang isn’t so bad this time—he knows which side he’s on. He nodded. "Right."
The grade director went on with many more warnings, even threatening to "transfer him to another class." Wang Wei kept making assurances, and the meeting finally ended.
Once they left the grade director’s office, Wang Wei’s face darkened. "Come with me!"
Zhang Shu looked up at the sky.
Inside the empty office, Wang Wei planted his hands on his hips, furious. "Out with it—are you dating someone?"
Zhang Shu answered frankly, "Does unrequited love count?"
Wang Wei’s eyes widened. "You actually admit it? Listen, don’t think just because you’re smart you can slack off. At this stage, you know what you should be focusing on. Don’t say your grades are your own business—if you really get involved with some girl, your grades won’t just be your problem anymore, understand?!"
Zhang Shu looked up at the fuming Wang Wei. After a long pause, he raised an eyebrow. "Teacher Wang, today’s really been eye-opening."
Wang Wei: ...
Attached High wasn’t overly strict about cracking down on student relationships—as long as grades weren’t affected, most teachers turned a blind eye. But for someone like Zhang Shu, they couldn’t just let it slide.
Zhang Shu knew this. In fact, he’d thought about it the moment he laid his head down.
"Lao Wang? Teacher Wang?"
Wang Wei stiffened. Whenever this kid called him properly, trouble was sure to follow."There's no one else here, no need to keep a straight face," Zhang Shu said seriously. "Tethering someone to the peak is unrealistic in the first place. If I can maintain first place, it's because I'm strong, but that's not my obligation. I never promised anyone I'd always come first. Grades are never a certainty, and rankings even less so. All I can guarantee is being responsible to myself, to the present, and to the future—not to scores or rankings."
Wang Wei stared at Zhang Shu, his thick eyebrows tightly knitted together.
"I haven't slacked off just because I'm naturally smart. At this point, I know exactly what I need to do," Zhang Shu responded with Wang Wei's own words before adding, "Isn't it good to experience ups and downs early? I'm keeping a level head—you should too, alright?"
Wang Wei felt like he was the one being brainwashed.
He was actually starting to accept the possibility that Zhang Shu might not come in first.
["Tethering someone to the peak is unrealistic in the first place."]
Wang Wei mulled over those words, his expression complicated as he looked at the seventeen-year-old boy before him.
If he had been in the top spot when he was young, could he have maintained the same level-headedness as this boy?
Probably not.
Though he hadn’t been teaching for many years, he’d seen plenty of students who collapsed after a single setback—especially those who fell from great heights. The psychological hurdle was always the hardest to overcome.
Yes, the reality was that no one stayed at the peak forever. Everyone had to experience a fall eventually.
"You two..." Wang Wei hesitated, almost unable to get the words out. "What were you doing the night before the exam?"
Zhang Shu raised an eyebrow. "You're investigating this now?"
Wang Wei’s expression was stern. "Couldn’t whatever it was wait until after the exam? If it weren’t for Sheng Xia’s big improvement this time, I’d be grabbing a whip to thrash you!"
Zhang Shu straightened up. "I understand. I know my limits. Don’t worry—I’ll make sure to reclaim both face and substance for you in the next mock exam."
"If there’s nothing else, I’ll head out now. Thanks for today, Lao Wang!"
Wang Wei was still fuming. He shouted at Zhang Shu’s retreating back, "What do you mean 'for me'? What does it have to do with me? Are you studying for me or for yourself?"
Well, well. Studying had finally become his own business.
Zhang Shu turned his head and grinned. "Whatever you say. I’ll go smooth things over with Teacher Fu!"
His casual nap had undoubtedly embarrassed Fu Jie.
Teaching was no easy job. Wang Wei sighed.
Sheng Xia had climbed to 29th place in the class—her progress was like a rocket.
Aside from math, where she scored 119, her improvements in other subjects weren’t huge, but somehow, her overall score had shot up. Based on the mock cutoff, she was nearly 20 points above the first-tier line.
When she first got her score slip, Sheng Xia had checked her student ID repeatedly in disbelief. It was really hers.
But her joy didn’t last long. As the murmurs around her grew louder, she learned the news: Zhang Shu had suffered a Waterloo.
Because of his Chinese score.
Sheng Xia didn’t even need to think—she knew he must have fallen asleep that day and hadn’t finished the paper.
Was it because he stayed up too late? If so, then... was it because of her?
The phrase echoed in her mind again: Dating affects grades.
"Sheng Xia, Teacher Fu wants to see you."
Just as she was lost in thought, a voice called from the back door.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Before she even left, whispers had already started spreading in the classroom.
Zhang Shu and Sheng Xia had "disappeared" together in front of everyone before the exam. Now, with this sudden setback, the two of them were bound to be under scrutiny."Will they get their parents called in?"
"But Sheng Xia has improved a lot!"
"Of course, haven't you seen Zhang Shu teaching her personally?"
"Envious, but what's up with Zhang Shu?"
"Who knows..."
Sheng Xia climbed the stairs nervously, only to bump into Zhang Shu coming out of Fu Jie's office at the doorway.
Her fluster intensified.
Seeing her, Zhang Shu looked slightly surprised before adopting a wounded expression, blocking her path to ask, "Worried about me?"
Sheng Xia: ...She was indeed quite worried, but.
"No, Teacher Fu asked to see me..."
Zhang Shu raised an eyebrow—so he'd brought this upon himself?
Sheng Xia had answered without thinking, but noticing his slightly hurt expression and remembering the reason for his "Waterloo moment," she "concernedly" asked: "Was it because of Chinese... Why couldn't you hold on a bit longer?"
You'd already written over twenty lines—what difference would a little longer make?
"Couldn't hold on any longer," Zhang Shu replied with utter naturalness, even a hint of self-reproach. "I was so sleepy my soul nearly left my body. Afraid if I kept writing, the entire exam paper would be filled with 'I miss you.'"
Sheng Xia's ears turned red, her heartbeat erratic and chaotic.
Couldn't he speak properly?
Head bowed, her voice so soft she could barely hear it herself: "That won't do... Then, then don't think about me in the future."
Ah, help—just after complaining about him, what was she saying now?
The words left her own mouth burning with embarrassment.
Sure enough, Zhang Shu chuckled: "That's impossible. It's harder than coming in first place."
Sheng Xia: ...
Having waited in vain, Teacher Fu had been about to go downstairs to find Sheng Xia when, at the doorway, she was forced to eavesdrop, wearing... an auntie's knowing smile: ...
Enough already, don't bully this auntie with a weak heart.
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