To Wang Chen, taking first place in the grade again on the start-of-term exam meant more than just the tuition fee for transfer students and his student registration.
It meant he was finally receiving the treatment reserved for a true top student.
At most schools, outstanding students at the very top of their class enjoyed privileges. For example, they could enter key classes such as experimental classes, rocket classes, Tsinghua-Peking Classes, and so on, gaining access to better educational resources and higher-quality teaching.
In daily life, top students were also key protected targets. Even if they made a small mistake, they could be forgiven.
Even if they clashed with ordinary students, the school and teachers would normally side with the top student.
And as a Tsinghua and Peking Universities prospect rarely seen at No. 5 High School in many years, the benefits Wang Chen could enjoy were a cut above even that.
For instance, after the start-of-term exam ended and Class 1 of Year Two rearranged its seating, he was the first to choose a seat.
Yet Wang Chen still chose his original seat.
He was used to it.
As a result, that very afternoon, the trash can at the back of the Year Two Class 1 classroom was removed, and the one at the front was replaced with a double-bin unit. Just like that, the problem was solved.
In addition, his application to commute from home was approved, and he had even secured the right not to attend evening self-study sessions.
The condition was that his monthly exam results could not fall below the top three in the grade.
As for his other benefits and privileges, listing them all would fill an entire sheet of paper.
Many of them were invisible, impossible to see or touch, yet they were