Sometimes every second feels slow and vivid, yet time always slips away unnoticed, impossible to recall.
As exams approach, time seems to sprint forward at breakneck speed.
On this day, Xue Jiao was solving problems.
Lin Zhihua had given her a batch of study materials a few days prior, and she was now racing through them.
"Gu Xue Jiao, come out for a moment," Yin Fang called from the doorway.
What happened this time?
She paused briefly but didn’t stop writing, quickly finishing the remaining part before hurrying out.
"Teacher Yin, what is it?" Xue Jiao asked breathlessly, having walked a bit too fast.
Honestly, as someone frequently summoned by teachers, she wasn’t even surprised anymore—just curious about what the matter was this time.
This time, it wasn’t anything unrelated.
Yin Fang didn’t beat around the bush and asked directly, "Did you sign up for the math competition?"
"Yes," Xue Jiao nodded.
Yin Fang sighed helplessly. "Why did you all sign up for this? To secure a spot at those two top universities, you’d need to win first place. Is that so easy? Wouldn’t it be better to focus on your studies? Your chances of getting into those universities through the college entrance exam are higher. Isn’t this just a waste of time?"
Being in her forties, Yin Fang naturally weighed pros and cons. Seeing little hope, she didn’t want Xue Jiao to waste her time.
"Teacher, I want to give it a try."
Yin Fang waved her hand. "Alright, Gu Xue Jiao, I know you. You may seem obedient and never argue, but you’re stubborn. When have you ever listened to a teacher’s advice?"
Without waiting for Xue Jiao to respond, Yin Fang continued, "Shang Zhiyuan from our class, Chu Sheng from next door, Gu Shiyun, Li Lei—all the top math students have signed up. Although your abilities have improved a lot and you even ranked first last time, you’re still far behind Chu Sheng. Not to mention other strong competitors, Chu Sheng alone is a hurdle you can’t overcome. Your foundation is still weak compared to students like Li Lei, who’ve been participating in competitions and taking specialized courses since childhood. That’s all I have to say. If you still want to compete, I won’t stop you."
Xue Jiao lowered her head. After a moment, she said firmly, "I want to try."
Yin Fang exhaled. "Fine, fine. I knew you wouldn’t listen. If you want to waste your time, I can’t stop you. But you absolutely must not slack off in your studies. If you fall out of the top ten, we’ll have another serious talk!"
"Understood."
Yin Fang sighed and left. Xue Jiao stood there, watching her retreating figure.
It was true—this might very well be a waste of time. But in life, is it really possible not to waste a single second?
If she avoided trying just because it "might" be futile, Xue Jiao felt that would be a disservice to her second chance at life.
The things she lacked, regretted, or envied in her past life—now that she had this opportunity, she should seize it all.
The possibility of "wasted effort" isn’t scary. What’s truly frightening is drawing a circle around yourself, too afraid to take a single step beyond it.
A self-imposed prison isn’t life—it’s just an arrangement.
Besides—
It might not be wasted effort after all.
Determination flashed in Xue Jiao’s eyes as she turned and strode back to the classroom.
——
Coincidentally, the math competition was scheduled for the day after the monthly exam.
Compared to the well-prepared high school monthly exam material, Xue Jiao still felt her competition prep was lacking.Therefore, before the exam, she was still working on math competition problems.
"Xue—" Xi Junyang ran over.
"Shut up!" Yi Tianyu growled in a low voice.
Xi Junyang quickly stopped in his tracks, mouthing silently at Yi Tianyu: What's wrong?
Yi Tianyu raised a finger, pointing at Xue Jiao, silently replying: She's preparing for an exam and is very busy. Don't disturb her these days! Or else I won't let you off easy!
Xi Junyang raised both hands in surrender: Alright, alright, I'm leaving.
He raised a fist toward Xue Jiao's back: Good luck!
Two boys at the back were roughhousing after lunch—
"Hahaha, you idiot!"
"You're the idiot, you—"
Yi Tianyu swiftly turned his head, giving them a death glare.
The two boys: "..."
He mouthed silently: Shut up!
The two immediately fell silent, as quiet as mice.
Xue Jiao studied diligently in the quiet environment maintained by Yi Tianyu, making the most of every second.
Yin Fang visited the classroom a few times during breaks. Each time, she saw Xue Jiao not reviewing as she had expected but instead working on competition problems, which made her extremely unhappy. Since it was after-class time, she didn't say anything, but her expression was grim.
"The monthly exam is tomorrow, and our class's Gu Xue Jiao is still doing competition problems. Earlier, I saw your class's Gu Shiyun memorizing texts. This Gu Xue Jiao..." Yin Fang couldn't help complaining in the office, still upset.
Her complaint carried a tone of frustration over unfulfilled potential. She cared about this promising student and always kept an eye on her.
The homeroom teacher of Class Two smiled. "Student Gu Xue Jiao might already be prepared. Gu Shiyun didn't outperform her last month and fell below third place, so she's putting in extra effort. This month, I've noticed her studying with great intensity."
Yin Fang's expression darkened further, and she sighed helplessly. "In all these years at Seventh High, how many have gotten early admission in their second year? Almost all were in their third year. They're already a year behind the third-year students, and with so many top students from senior year participating, why must these kids insist on trying to break through now?"
"I actually support it," another teacher chimed in. "Besides, the math department already approved Gu Xue Jiao's application. Many students with weaker grades don't even get their applications approved—there are limited spots, after all."
Yin Fang glared at him. "Of course you'd support it—you teach math!"
The Class Two homeroom teacher laughed. "Gu Shiyun knows the odds aren't great this time, so she's just participating without neglecting her studies. As for Chu Sheng, I wish he'd focus more on practicing problems!"
Yin Fang grew even more envious, her tone sour. "Chu Sheng is a rare math genius we haven't seen in years. He’s bound to achieve outstanding results! I’m so jealous of your class—you have several excellent students. Why does our class..."
"Your class has the top student in the grade."
"Sigh, I’d be satisfied if she could stay in the top three. Especially now—she starts working on competition problems the moment class ends. How can she possibly do well on the exam?"
Yin Fang massaged her temples. "Just thinking about it makes me so angry I feel dizzy."
——
Thursday, monthly exam.
Xue Jiao's seat was at the front of Class One, so she no longer had to leave the classroom to find a spot elsewhere.
When she returned from the restroom, the classroom was almost full. Behind her seat sat a pale, bespectacled boy with black-framed glasses who looked scholarly. He smiled when he saw her.
Xue Jiao nodded and returned the smile."Gu... Gu Xue Jiao!" Chu Sheng spoke, his voice soft and low.
"Hmm?"
"This time, I will surpass you!" Chu Sheng looked at her with determined eyes.
He had only started ranking first after entering the second year of high school. Back then, he was convinced he would always remain at the top! After all, not everyone would completely abandon liberal arts from the first year and focus all their energy on science subjects.
But... someone had overtaken him in the midterms!
Xue Jiao was momentarily stunned before breaking into a smile. "I'll work hard too, to keep my place here."
Her fingers tightened slightly as she resolved to push herself even harder.
She never underestimated anyone, especially not a prodigy like the one standing before her. But the greater the pressure, the stronger her fighting spirit became. Xue Jiao's gaze grew resolute—she needed to work even harder!
Her eyes inadvertently drifted backward, landing on a familiar classmate, Shang Zhiyuan. They exchanged nods and smiles in greeting. Further behind was... Gu Shiyun.
Xue Jiao's eyes met hers. This time, the other girl didn't smile. Instead, her gaze was deep and unreadable. Xue Jiao only glanced at her before looking away.
Her attention turned to the teacher entering the room, waiting for the test papers to be handed out.
The higher she climbed, the more attention she drew—but the more people there were who wanted to pull her down.
They were all top students, and none of them would easily concede to another.
Xue Jiao exhaled softly. She really needed to push herself further.
——
As soon as the two-day exam ended, Xue Jiao left school with her backpack.
"Jiao Jiao! Over here!" Li Sitong waved at her, standing beside another backpack-clad teenager—Cheng Mingze.
"Mom, Uncle Cheng," Xue Jiao greeted obediently as she walked over.
Not hearing her call him "brother," Cheng Mingze frowned, his fingers twitching slightly in his pockets.
"Come on, Jiao Jiao. We'll have dinner at home, then head to the area near No. 1 High School. We've booked a hotel—we'll stay there tonight."
"Ah?" Xue Jiao blinked in surprise.
Li Sitong smiled and explained, "The exam starts at nine tomorrow morning, but our home is quite far from No. 1 High, and there might be traffic. Staying near the school will let you both rest better."
It was a thoughtful arrangement. Xue Jiao nodded. "Thanks, Mom."
"Oh, you silly child, no need for formalities," Li Sitong said with a laugh.
The group got into the car and left No. 7 High School. Yi Tianyu stared at the departing vehicle, frozen in place.
"Son? What's wrong? How did you do on the exam?" Yi Dafa nudged him.
"Fine," Yi Tianyu replied absentmindedly.
At that moment, he felt the distance between himself and his deskmate.
One was at the bottom of the rankings, the other at the very top.
One was competing in academic contests, the other still aimless, only knowing how to play around.
"Dad, go home first. I'm going to practice basketball with the school team," Yi Tianyu said before tossing his backpack to his father and sprinting back toward the school.
Yi Dafa stood there holding the backpack, stunned. After a long pause, he muttered—
"That kid!"
——
"Yu-ge! It's getting late, let's head back!" Xi Junyang wiped sweat from his brow as he called out loudly.
Yi Tianyu casually wiped his own sweat and continued practicing his shots.
"You go ahead. I'll keep practicing!"
"Yu-ge, it's not like college matters much for our families anyway. Why push yourself so hard?" Xi Junyang panted, wiping more sweat away. "Just graduate high school, study finance abroad, then come back and join the company. What's the point of all this effort?"
Yi Tianyu's hand paused slightly, causing the three-pointer to graze the rim and miss.
"I still want to try. You go on ahead.""Then I'm off. I'll leave the keys in the cabinet for you. Remember to lock the door when you leave, or the coach will have my head tomorrow."
"Mm."
Yi Tianyu, drenched in sweat, continued shooting hoops. Outside, the sky had darkened, and the basketball court was silent. He braced his hands on his knees, panting heavily.
"Perseverance is so damn hard. How does that bookworm manage to study nonstop every day?"
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he resumed shooting.
Clang—clang clang—
——
"Where on earth has your brother gone at this hour? I'm worried sick!" Li Sitong kept redialing her phone.
"I'll go look for him. Where could that brat have suddenly disappeared to? With the competition tomorrow, he should be resting in his room!" Cheng Shuo grabbed his keys and headed out.
"I'm coming too!" Li Sitong hurriedly called after him. "Jiao Jiao, you stay here and rest at the hotel. We'll search the area for Mingze."
Xue Jiao nodded, watching as Cheng Shuo and Li Sitong rushed out anxiously.
She picked up her phone and continued reading the message from Lin Zhihua:
[I looked into it. The main examiner for your competition this time is Professor Jiang Kai. He hasn't published any materials commercially but is a veteran in setting competition questions, having previously worked on several national college entrance exam papers.]
[After reviewing competition questions from the years he was involved, I noticed his problems appear conservative yet often contain unexpected twists. He particularly emphasizes logical reasoning. Pay close attention to the information given in the questions—don't overthink, but also don't assume every piece of information provided is necessary.]
[I'm sending you some sample questions that reflect his style.]
After thanking him, Xue Jiao immediately studied the problems. Though she had solved these past competition questions before, she carefully reviewed them multiple times, reworked them, and analyzed them thoroughly.
True enough, Jiang Kai's questions were deceptively simple yet intricately designed, with exceptionally strong logical reasoning. The slightest carelessness would land one in a trap.
After repeatedly going through them, Xue Jiao finally set down her pen and rubbed her stiff neck.
10 p.m.
They still hadn't returned...
Xue Jiao glanced up at the clock.
They were staying in a suite, so she would hear them when they came back.
With the competition tomorrow, this Cheng Mingze...
Wait!
The day before the competition!
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