Holy shit, girl, are you really that gross?

The fantasy of a loser with lopsided grades: terrible at English, awesome at math. Admired by everyone, favored by teachers, and worshipped by the prettiest girl in class.

In reality: terrible at English, shit at math.

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Even though the English teacher had chewed him out last semester, she still couldn't reconcile him with a score of 140 this semester. It was absurd, like he wasn't even in her database.

When he returned to his seat, classmates in front of him, behind him, and on either side all turned to look.

A little embarrassed, Jiang Nian coughed and spread out his exam paper, pretending nothing had happened.

Despite the English teacher's repeated warnings against talking, she couldn't suppress the enthusiasm of the students around him. They all stared eagerly at Jiang Nian, disbelief written across their faces.

"Holy shit, you actually memorized all thirty-five hundred words?"

"Yep. Pick any word."

"Jiang Nian, can I borrow your paper?" a girl sitting in front of him asked shyly. "I want to see how you wrote your essay."

"Yeah, sure."

In the next row over, Zhou Yuting gripped a corner of her English paper, feeling as though she'd plunged into an ice cellar. Jiang Nian had scored 573? More than forty points ahead of her? Did she still have any hope of moving up?

In principle, it was survival of the fittest, and anyone who passed the cutoff had a chance. In practice, though, each Parallel Class generally only allowed one student to move up.

The reason was simple: if all the good students were sent away, a class would go straight from the top of the Parallel Classes to the bottom. What the hell would the homeroom teacher have left to teach?

That was why every homeroom teacher took a fairly conservative approach to moving students up. If a student truly was outstanding, their parents would demand it anyway, so the teacher might as well let them go without a fuss.

If a student merely had a chance of moving up, the homeroom teacher would usually take the gentle-chat approach.

Are you sure you want to go? Young man, what lies ahead is~~hell!

You drive a Mazda. Why try to squeeze into a crowd of Mercedes and Rolls-Royce owners? If you can't keep up, they might send you right back.

At that point, students would usually chicken out.

There were two more major exams after moving up, and anyone whose grades fluctuated too much would be asked to leave. They didn't care whether you'd cheated your way in or were simply having an off day. You'd be sent packing all the same.

Carrying your desk into the Olympiad Class was certainly glorious, but carrying it back to your old classroom would be utterly humiliating.

At that thought, Zhou Yuting couldn't help clenching her fist. Her five pale fingers curled together unconsciously, her knuckles whitening as they trembled slightly.

One English exam had destroyed her dream of joining the Olympiad Class.

A new class, a new persona, new simps... Just thinking about those stiff, bespectacled top students not falling at her feet made Zhou Yuting grind her teeth.

Jiang Nian! This was all his fault!

"What did you want me for?"

It was noon, in a cool corner of the basketball court beneath the lush shade of the trees.

Holding a red bean ice pop, Jiang Nian tore open the wrapper and licked it before looking up curiously at Song Xiyun, who had dragged him outside.

"All this secrecy. Can you tell me now?"

He hadn't had much contact with Song Xiyun before. But through Xu Qianqian, and because he'd been visiting so often lately while preparing for the placement exam, they'd become reasonably familiar.

"What were you doing last night?" Song Xiyun looked uncomfortable.

Jiang Nian eyed her suspiciously. She looked like she'd caught her rich husband cheating and wanted to confront him but was afraid of a divorce. What was that about?

Some new role-play scenario? Pinru's wardrobe?

Girl, there's nothing going on between us.

Song Xiyun wore a loose white summer school uniform and light-colored pants. She was a cute, pretty girl, easily above eighty out of a hundred in looks, though she dressed rather plainly.

Nope. Absolutely not.

"Nothing. I was in the classroom for evening self-study," he said, slurping at his ice pop.

"Liar!" Song Xiyun's face flushed. "You weren't in the classroom at all. You went out!"

I really wasn't on Shenyang Street. The era of outrageous stunts was over...

Jiang Nian slurped his ice pop and started answering at random. "How did you know I scored 573?"

Who asked you?!

Because no one knows a daughter better than her father.

"Wait, you scored 573?" Song Xiyun looked stunned. After freezing for a moment, she asked again, "How much? You scored how much?"

Jiang Nian grinned and slurped his ice pop.

"Since you've asked so sincerely, I shall..."

Song Xiyun did a quick calculation on her fingers. "Then doesn't that mean you're moving up? No matter how high the cutoff is, it can't be above 550. Your score would put you around the middle even in the science Olympiad Class."

"Yep." Jiang Nian kept slurping.

Song Xiyun was speechless. "Can you put down your ice pop? You're making me sick."

"Want a taste?" He offered it to her.

"Absolutely ducking not, thanks." Song Xiyun steadied herself, remembered why she'd brought him out, and took a deep breath. "Did you sign up for a gym membership last night?"

"Holy crap, you're stalking me?" Jiang Nian jolted. "Addicted to crushing on me?"

"Stop being so full of yourself!" Song Xiyun couldn't handle Jiang Nian's bizarre jokes. She was starting to feel sorry for Xu Qianqian; she had no idea how her best friend put up with him.

She certainly couldn't. He annoyed her so much she wanted to puke.

"Then how did you know I went to sign up at the gym?" Jiang Nian seemed to have returned to normal, squinting toward the sweltering sports field beneath the blue sky and white clouds.

Waves of hot wind blew past. He felt wonderfully relaxed.

"Aren't you curious how I knew you'd signed up?" she asked.

"How?" Jiang Nian was a little distracted.

"Because you signed up with my mom."

"Oh. Huh?" Jiang Nian looked up. "That was your mom? I was wondering why she looked so familiar. Your mom has a much better temper than you, though."

Song Xiyun grew awkward again. "I just wanted to ask why you suddenly signed up and spent so much money on training sessions."

"To work out. How was I supposed to know she was your mom?"

"Then how do you explain buying the sessions? You don't even have time to attend them, do you?" Song Xiyun pressed her lips together. "Besides, with your build, and being on the basketball team, what do you need to work out for?"

"There's no rule saying basketball players can't work out." Jiang Nian stopped halfway through and glanced up at Song Xiyun, taking in her cautious, doubtful gaze.

In that instant, he seemed to realize something.

"Wait, girl, you don't think I'm into your mom, do you? Holy shit, are you really that gross?"

"What?" With her thoughts exposed, Song Xiyun immediately lost her composure, her face turning bright red. "No, that's not what I meant. I just happened to hear about it."

"My mom was worried you wouldn't have time for the sessions and all your money would go to waste.

Yeah, that's what I thought too. Your money doesn't grow on trees either, so if you want a refund for the sessions..."

"No need. Worry about your own business." Jiang Nian waved a hand. "I was going to get a membership and buy sessions anyway. If I hadn't bought them from your mom, I'd have bought them from someone else."

"Really?" Song Xiyun asked.

"Yep, yep. If there's nothing else, you may kneel and take your leave."

"Hmph." Song Xiyun finally relaxed. "Hehe, I'm off, then. I've got to tell Qianqian you scored 573."

Watching Song Xiyun walk away, Jiang Nian fell into thought.

She's got a pretty dirty mind.

Ding! [At thirty-eight, you signed up for a gym membership for the first time. Buying training sessions has already shown initial results. Determined to turn your life around, you decided to purchase another sixty sessions.

Task: Purchase another sixty training sessions. Reward: 30,000 RMB]

Thanks to Bai Xiaobai 1 for the one monthly vote, and to Book Friend 160620102852617 for the monthly vote.

(End of chapter)