The midterm exam results came out quickly. After the exams, the teachers worked overtime to grade the papers. For Jiang Yu and her classmates in their second year of high school, it wasn’t too bad, but for the third-year students, the results were released the very next day.
By noon, a large stack of test papers was brought in and the students helped distribute them.
“I had a bad feeling about this exam and sure enough, I barely passed.”
“How did you do in math? I scored 95!”
“What about physics? The physics exam was way too hard this time. I heard the teacher say almost everyone did poorly!”
…
The classroom buzzed with chatter. Some students were excited, others disappointed and a few didn’t care at all since their scores always hovered around the same range anyway.
As the papers were handed out, Jiang Yu glanced at her own. Math was her best subject, she had scored 147, just three points short of a perfect score.
Someone asked Xu Ruyi, “Xu Ruyi, how did you do this time? What about physics? I thought the physics test was too difficult, I got several big questions wrong.”
Xu Ruyi stuffed her paper into her desk and said slowly, “Not too bad, just my usual performance. Physics? I think I got a perfect score.”
Usual performance…
Xu Ruyi was always ranked first in the entire school. She was top in every subject, with no weak points. Every teacher liked her.
For her, ‘usual performance’ meant she was still in first place.
The girl who had asked stiffened awkwardly. Why did she even ask?
Noticing Jiang Yu nearby, the class’s academic representative spoke up, “Jiang Yu, how did you do this time? My results weren’t great, I only got 690 total points, so frustrating!”
There was a hint of pride in her voice. A score of 690 was already very high, more than enough for admission to a top university.
She wasn’t asking out of concern, she wanted to show off.
After all, Jiang Yu had performed poorly in recent exams. She used to be in the top three of their class, but in the last two tests, apart from English, her scores in other subjects had been disastrous, dropping her rank out of the top ten.
Hearing the question, Xu Ruyi gave the academic representative a strange look. Did she forget who she was talking to? Was she setting herself up for humiliation?
Jiang Yu glanced at the girl and replied casually, “Not much, just my usual performance.”
“Usual performance? Jiang Yu, don’t tell me you scored in the 400s or 500s again?” someone interjected.
Jiang Yu smiled and said, “A bit higher than that, my total score should be between 720 and 730.”
“???”
The academic representative’s eyes widened. “You… You scored over 700? That’s impossible! Last time, you only got 520!”
Xu Ruyi lazily looked at her. “Academic rep, why do you keep trying to feel superior to Jiang Yu? Have you forgotten that she used to be second in our class? Her scores have always been higher than yours.”
At that moment, someone near the podium suddenly shouted, “Jiang Yu scored 726 this time!”
Hearing that number, the academic representative’s expression changed.
726. That was almost exactly what Jiang Yu had estimated.
Xu Ruyi asked, “What about me? What was my score?”
Someone quickly replied, “Xu Ruyi, you got 738! Wow, our class has two students who scored over 700!”
They were ranked first and second in the entire grade, so their scores were the first ones noticed.
“The math and physics tests were so hard this time and they still managed to score over 700. That’s incredible!”
Hearing the discussions around her, the academic representative pursed her lips and muttered, “I’ll do better next time!”
Jiang Yu chuckled. The academic representative wasn’t malicious, she was just a girl with a bit of vanity who wanted to flaunt her achievements. She just picked the wrong person to compare herself to.
She didn’t succeed in showing off and ended up embarrassing herself instead. But from what Jiang Yu could tell, the academic representative wasn’t the type to be discouraged. She would probably work even harder next time, hoping to surpass them.
The first class in the afternoon wasn’t supposed to be with their homeroom teacher, but since the midterm results had just come out, the homeroom teacher switched classes with the physics teacher to discuss the scores earlier.
This midterm exam had been particularly difficult. The math and physics sections were reportedly borrowed from another province, making them almost like demon-level tests. As a result, very few students even passed, let alone scored over 100. Because of these two tough subjects, only five second-year students in the entire grade had managed to break 700.
“…Five students scored over 700 and three of them are from our class!” The homeroom teacher beamed, looking at Jiang Yu and Xu Ruyi with an expression as warm as the spring breeze.
In science subjects, male students usually performed better, mainly because more boys studied science. But in their year, the opposite was true, first and second place were both held by girls. Out of the top ten, only three were boys, while the rest were girls, which was quite surprising.
“Class president, you need to work harder! The honour of our male classmates rests on your shoulders, study hard and pull Xu Ruyi and Jiang Yu down from the top!”
Their class president was a male student who had ranked third in their class this time. As the only boy in the top three, all the male students placed their hopes on him, wishing he could reclaim their dignity by taking first or second place.
The class president adjusted his glasses and said, “No, no, you guys will have to do it. I’m weak, just a chubby guy, I can’t handle this kind of pressure.”
“Class president, how can you give up so easily? You can do it!”
“I really can’t!”
“You definitely can!”
Class president: “…”
I can’t live like this anymore.
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