After morning study ended, the morning classes proceeded as usual.
Until the bell rang at the end of fourth-period physics.
But the short-tempered Teacher Wang did not tuck his lesson plan under his arm and leave as he usually did.
"Don't rush off to lunch just yet. I need a few minutes."
Teacher Wang tapped the lectern, looking unusually serious, with even a hint of excitement. "I have an announcement. About this year's National High School Physics Competition-our school has finally managed to secure places in the preliminary round."
The classroom immediately erupted into a buzz of whispered conversations.
"For the past two years, our school ranked dead last in the county. We couldn't even qualify for the county selections. This year, the principal and I talked ourselves hoarse before the education bureau finally gave us a few places."
"There are more than a dozen high schools in the county, and only the top three contestants can go to the city for two weeks of residential training. If they perform well there, they might even get the chance to compete at the provincial level or higher."
Teacher Wang paused, sweeping a meaningful gaze around the classroom.
Finally, his eyes seemed to settle on the figure slumped over a desk in the back row.
"All right, I don't need to explain how valuable this competition is. It can be a big help with independent university admissions and bonus points on the college entrance exam. If you have the ability and you're interested, come to my office after class for an application form."
The moment he finished, the classroom came alive.
Several students who did well in physics had a gleam in their eyes, eager to give it a try.
Yuan Su alone was different.
He seemed not to have heard a word of the impassioned speech at the front.
As soon as the bell finished ringing, he straightened up, grabbed his backpack with one hand, slung it over his shoulder, and walked straight out the back door.
"Training in the city... That sounds so impressive."
"Does anyone at our school stand a chance?"
"What's there to worry about? The other schools in the county always get knocked out in the first round anyway. They're not that much better than ours."
Xu Suiran turned around and pursed her lips at Pu Yu. "Teacher Wang all but called Yuan Su out by name. Too bad it's a case of unrequited affection."
Pu Yu said nothing. She only looked at the empty seat beside her and drifted into thought for a moment.
Yuan Su still had not returned by evening study.
The subject representatives began collecting homework one student at a time.
"Xu Suiran, yours."
"Wait, wait, wait! Almost done!" Xu Suiran frantically flipped through her workbook. At the unanswered questions on the last page, she let out a wail and immediately turned around. "Yu! Emergency rescue! Quick, let me copy yours!"
Pu Yu smiled helplessly and was just about to pass her workbook over.
The physics representative, a boy who did everything strictly by the book, mercilessly snatched the workbook from beneath Xu Suiran's hands. "No copying. Teacher Wang said he'd rather see blanks than copied answers."
Xu Suiran's face fell. "I'm doomed. Teacher Wang's going to give me his special attention again tomorrow."
Once he had collected all the homework, the representative carried the stack of workbooks to the office.
The dismissal bell rang.
Pu Yu packed her things and was about to leave with Xu Suiran.
The representative returned after delivering the homework and walked straight up to her. "Pu Yu, the physics teacher wants you to come to his office."
Pu Yu froze. "Huh? Me?"
"Yeah. He wants you there now."
Xu Suiran blinked in surprise too. "Teacher Wang wants to see you? Could he be asking you to fill out that competition application?"
Before Pu Yu could answer, a scoff came from the row in front.
It was a girl named Zhou Tingting, who was fairly good at physics.
She was packing her bag at a leisurely pace. Hearing them, she cast a sidelong glance their way, her voice dripping with undisguised contempt. "Surely Teacher Wang has better judgment than that? Some people ought to know their limits before dreaming about going to training. Don't embarrass our school."
Xu Suiran immediately flared up and sprang to her feet. "Who are you talking about, Zhou Tingting!"
Zhou Tingting put on her backpack and deliberately smiled at them. "Well, I wasn't talking about you, who's always near the bottom of the class. What are you so worked up about?"
Pu Yu reached out and caught Xu Suiran before she could snap back.
She gave a faint smile, her tone gentle but frank. "I really am not very good at physics. It probably isn't about the application, so don't be angry, Suisui."
"I'll go see what he wants. Will you wait for me?"
Xu Suiran glared at Zhou Tingting's retreating figure, then sat down in a huff. "I'm too good to fight with her! Go on. I'll wait so we can leave together."
The teachers' office door stood ajar, light spilling through the gap.
Pu Yu knocked.
"Come in."
"Teacher Wang, did you want to see me?" Pu Yu walked over politely.
Teacher Wang was marking the homework that had just been handed in. When Pu Yu entered, he pulled her workbook out of the stack and opened it to the latest page.
"Mm. For this problem, the formula and approach you used weren't what I taught in class." Teacher Wang looked up and asked, "Did Yuan Su explain it to you?"
Pu Yu's heart skipped a beat. She had not expected him to be able to tell even that.
A little embarrassed, she nodded. "Yes. I didn't quite understand it at the time, so I asked Yuan Su."
"I knew it." Teacher Wang sighed softly, his gaze suddenly turning complicated.
Silence settled over the office for a few seconds.
Teacher Wang closed her workbook and put it back, then took a competition application form from a folder.
"Pu Yu, I'd like to ask you a favor."
"Huh?"
"Help me persuade Yuan Su to sign up for this physics competition."
Pu Yu was stunned.
Her first instinct was to refuse. "Sir, Yuan Su and I... we barely exchange a few words in a week. He might not listen to me."
That was the truth.
Their paths rarely crossed. Aside from the time she had asked him a question and the time he had repaired her desk lamp, they mostly felt like strangers with a line drawn between them.
"I know." Teacher Wang waved a hand, looking somewhat helpless. "Back in his first year, that boy used to bring me competition books and ask about problems beyond the syllabus. He genuinely has a gift for physics. Unfortunately, the school wasn't eligible back then, and we ended up holding him back."
Teacher Wang's voice was thick with regret. "Now that we've finally secured places this year, I can't think of anyone better suited to compete."
"You're deskmates, and you're the same age. It'll certainly be easier for you to talk to him than for an old man like me who's always scolding him. If it works, it works. If not, don't force it."
With her teacher having gone that far, Pu Yu felt too awkward to refuse again.
She could only accept the application form and say softly:
"...All right. I'll try."
Before you continue