Chapter 38

I told the ghostwriter I didn't want to be number one on the recommendation list, and oh my, it seems like they didn't want to write anymore, hahahaha. Just kidding, just kidding. Everyone was so depressed and disappointed, and seeing their reactions made me sad too, heh. You know, really sad. I eventually gave up on it. So, writing a novel is a learning process; for a novel chasing high rankings, it's destructive. Even if you reach number one on the recommendation list, so what? It loses funding and sacrifices other authors. Which is more important? So, I am learning to think like an author. This is my regret, but perhaps it is also a moment of clarity, or a lesson learned. Recently, I was brainwashed by a fan-made dub of a speech by director Zhang Yimou on a video site. When I woke up and saw my recommendation was rejected, I wanted to stir up some trouble, so I'm off to write. Just to clarify, any "author friends" or "ghostwriters" are purely fictional. My social circle of authors is zero, and I have no money to hire anyone; it's all for the sake of the bit. By the way, is chapter twenty-seven out? Mine keeps showing as "pending review." If it doesn't work, should I just add it to the first volume? First Semester: Chapter 33 We Were Tricked Into This School by the School. Under the joint efforts of Ichinose, Himeno Yuki, Kanzaki, and Yuan Yuyuan (crossed out), some of the students in Class B with weaker foundations were desperately trying to memorize the answers while reviewing past knowledge. Time reached May 22nd, and today was the highly anticipated midterm exam. Everyone arrived at the classroom early, even Yuan Yuyuan, who usually made his entrance accompanied by the school bell's background music. Not everyone was as relaxed as Yuan Yuyuan; many were quite nervous, especially those who had attended the study sessions. Ichinose noticed this in time, stood up, and cheered everyone on: "Don't be nervous. I've seen everyone's hard work, and don't forget, we have the answers brought by Yuyuan. Relax a bit; it would be terrible if you were so nervous during the exam that you forgot the answers." Yuan Yuyuan, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them at this moment. Seeing that the others had actually relaxed because of Ichinose's platitudes, he couldn't help but feel a bit panicked. Was this really cheering them on? It sounded more like hypnosis. He subconsciously glanced at the source of the hypnosis and found Ichinose looking at him with pride, like a child waiting for praise from a parent. He had no choice but to offer an awkward yet polite smile and nod at her. At this moment, Hoshinomiya walked in with the test papers. Today, she was unusually silent. After silently distributing the papers, she sat at the podium and took a short nap. After receiving the papers, everyone found that the questions were indeed exactly the same as the ones Yuan Yuyuan had brought. This made them overjoyed, and each of them wrote as if guided by a divine hand. Before long, the entire class had turned in their papers early. Yuan Yuyuan was very satisfied; this was Class B. It reminded him of Class D, who had also received the answers. Those flawed products who had received the answers weeks before the exam were probably all feeling overconfident, yet they kept thinking, "I'll memorize the answers tomorrow." Plan accomplished (smirk). Not to mention Horikita Suzune, who had self-righteously organized study sessions. Class B could play this game, but for Class D, just doing one of these things would be like killing them. Come to think of it, although she wasn't a spy, she did end up helping him. The reality was just as Yuan Yuyuan had imagined. The situation in Class D was not as optimistic as in Class B, especially for the trio of idiots who had been confident about the exam. Ever since they received the answers, they had started playing recklessly. Aside from the study sessions that Kushida insisted they attend, they hadn't studied at all. Not long after the second English exam began, Class B was already able to leave because everyone had turned in their papers early. However, Yuan Yuyuan did not choose to return to the dormitory; instead, he went to Class D alone. Honor students like Horikita and Kushida had already finished their exams, but because some idiots were dragging them down, they could only sit in their seats and wait. Just as he expected, a certain red-haired monkey was scratching his head at the test paper. Yuan Yuyuan laughed with schadenfreude; for this idiot, English was indeed like a heavenly book. After the novelty of watching the monkey scratch his head wore off, Yuan Yuyuan felt a bit bored and decided to go back to the dorm to zone out. He sent a message to Kushida, telling her to keep an eye on the movements of Horikita and Ayanokoji, and then went back to sleep. Not long after returning to the dorm, a notification sound interrupted Yuan Yuyuan's meditation. [That woman Horikita apologized to that monkey Sudo, and then that monkey just fell in love with her. Isn't that strange? It's disgusting.] Yuan Yuyuan frowned and held up his phone, making sure he hadn't misread it. Horikita Suzune actually apologized, and it even caused this monkey to enter a state of infatuation? He had been acting like he wanted to kill Horikita's sister before. If Manabu Horikita found out about this... Yuan Yuyuan revealed a benevolent smile. He replied to the message casually. Of course, on the surface, he was standing in solidarity with Kushida, but in his heart, he was wondering what kind of expression that sister-complex would have. Forget it, better not look for trouble. If that sister-complex decided to vent his anger on him, that wouldn't be good. Nothing happened over the weekend. Time reached Monday, and the school was efficient enough; at least they didn't drag it out until next month to announce the results. Yuan Yuyuan arrived at the classroom again, accompanied by the school bell, with Hoshinomiya following behind him, unable to hide the joy on her face. Because the students' grades were so good, she had spent the day in the office bragging to Chabashira and Mashima. Hoshinomiya walked up to the podium, looking at the students who had made her look good. She had no intention of keeping them in suspense, so she turned around and posted the midterm results on the blackboard. "Congratulations, students. Our class has the highest average score among the four classes this time. No one will be expelled. Everyone worked hard." "Yes! Did you hear that, Shibata! We all passed!" Even though they had been mentally prepared, some of the students with poorer grades still couldn't control their emotions upon hearing they had passed. Especially Shibata Sou; over these past few days, he hadn't just been memorizing answers and studying after class, he couldn't even slack off on his club training, or his spot as a regular player would be gone. He had been under unprecedented pressure, and only now, hearing the news that he had passed, did he truly relax his tense nerves. Yuan Yuyuan didn't care about any of this. He just wanted to go to Class D to watch the show. That monkey Sudo definitely hadn't passed. Although that little rich girl Horikita Suzune would likely pull Sudo ashore to prove her own growth, she would never do it in front of everyone. So, if the timing was right, he might still be able to see the King of the Monkeys' devastated, miserable face. But Hoshinomiya was still on the podium watching the others express their true feelings. Only after Class B calmed down did she speak: "In view of everyone's excellent performance, the school has specially decided to take everyone on a vacation during the summer break! Aren't you happy?" "That's great, wuwuwu! Hoshinomiya-sensei, I love you!" At the same time, several capable students in Class B sensed something unusual. They looked at Yuan Yuyuan in unison. Yuan Yuyuan helplessly rubbed his temples, interrupting the commoners' celebration. "Is that so? How come I remember that we were tricked into this school by the school's advertised 99% employment and advancement rate?" After hearing this, the commoners instantly understood the meaning behind Yuan Yuyuan's words. They thought about it carefully: this school forced students to kill each other, yet they were going to take them on a vacation? It smelled like a conspiracy! Seeing Hoshinomiya smiling without saying a word, just like last time, everyone knew what was going on. After a while, Hoshinomiya clapped her hands to interrupt the whispering. "Alright, that's all for this class meeting. Let's start free time now." As soon as Hoshinomiya walked out of the classroom, Yuan Yuyuan couldn't wait to go to Class D.