The two exchanged a few compliments, and the students below the stage began to grow impatient. Just then, Song Qianhan cleared his throat and slowly said, "The student who placed first in the grade this time, with an unprecedented perfect score, is indeed from our class. But when I say his name, some of you may find it unfamiliar-he's Gu Chen, who transferred here six months ago!"
In an instant, the entire crowd fell silent. Not a sound could be heard.
Gu Chen? How could anyone not know him?!
Back then, he had transferred to Xinghua University as a young master from Shangjing, and for a time he had been the center of attention. All the young masters from wealthy families had flocked around him, and even a goddess like Zhou Xue'er had become his fiancée. In the eyes of the entire school, students and teachers alike, his name had been more famous than those of the top students and school bullies. Over the past month, however, news released by the Gu Family in Shangjing had sent Gu Chen tumbling from the clouds to the bottom of the valley. Those young masters from wealthy families who had once fawned over him had changed their attitudes completely upon learning that he was merely an abandoned son of his family.
Zhou Xue'er and Gu Chen's relationship had also gone from being inseparable to cold and distant. Under their manipulation, Gu Chen had even become someone anyone at school could bully.
After all, once you became a lump of mud, everyone wanted to step on you.
From then on, Gu Chen had kept an extremely low profile, as if he had lost his former fighting spirit. But no one had expected that, over the past month, he had actually devoted all his energy to studying.
Everyone knew about his bet with Song Qianhan, and they also knew that Gu Chen wanted to drop out. More people, however, thought he was trying to escape school. No one believed he would actually succeed.
But now that the facts were before their eyes, and Gu Chen's bold words had become reality-he had not only surpassed Zhou Xue'er but also achieved a perfect score that was beyond everyone else's reach-they finally understood!
"Gu Chen, please come up to the stage!" Song Qianhan said pleasantly.
Gu Chen nodded slightly, and the crowd parted of its own accord. His face was calm, with a trace of indifference in his eyes, as he slowly walked toward the flag-raising platform. Countless gazes surged toward him like a tide, including those of Xu Mo, Su Qingqing, Li Nan, and Zhou Xue'er. Their eyes held doubt, shock, astonishment, disbelief...
Gu Chen's steps were unhurried but steady, and the crowd's gazes put no pressure on him whatsoever. He remained completely at ease, and even after stepping onto the flag-raising platform, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
It was a smile of satisfaction!
When he saw the ugly look on Zhou Xue'er's face below the stage, nothing felt better than this slap in the face!
"Gu Chen, you really surprised us this time!" Song Qianhan exclaimed. "Under normal circumstances, it would have been very hard for you to get full marks on your Chinese essay, but your ideas were so brilliant and struck so directly at the heart of the prompt that several Chinese teachers agreed to give you full marks!"
It was easy to understand why Song Qianhan was so excited. When he had made the bet with Gu Chen, he had only hoped that Gu Chen could make it into the top ten in the grade. Yet Gu Chen had actually taken first place, with a perfect score no less! Given the difficulty of this midterm exam, such a feat was truly astounding!
"Thank you, teacher!" Gu Chen's composure in the face of praise and disgrace only made Song Qianhan more pleased.
"Gu Chen, say a few words to everyone!" Wen Xinbai, seated behind them, spoke with a broad smile. "Give your classmates some encouragement and share some of your experience."
"All right." Gu Chen nodded and stood at the front of the stage.
The morning sun slanted down, making him look as though he were bathed in golden light. The confident smile on his face was as dazzling as the rising sun, too bright to look at directly!
At that moment, everyone had the same illusion: it was as though the favored son of heaven from six months ago, splendidly dressed and mounted on a spirited horse, had returned before their eyes!
"Actually, I don't have much experience to share." Gu Chen swept a calm glance around him. "What I have to say is mostly just life experience."
Life experience?
At Gu Chen's words, not only were the students present taken aback, but even the teachers and school leaders behind him were startled.
But Gu Chen paid no attention to their reactions. Instead, he continued, stressing every word: "I'd like to offer everyone an old saying-the wheel of fortune turns, and those who humiliate others will always be humiliated in turn!"
As he said this, Gu Chen's gaze flashed like lightning as he abruptly looked at Zhou Xue'er below!
On the flag-raising platform, Gu Chen, who should have been brimming with youthful vigor, instead appeared calm and composed. Looking down from above, he gazed steadily at Zhou Xue'er below like an emperor. Under his gaze, Zhou Xue'er's delicate body began to tremble uncontrollably. Of course she knew that Gu Chen had said those words to her! Perhaps everyone in the grade knew!
But-what gave him the right?!
What gave Gu Chen the right to take first place in the grade? What gave him the right to look down at her like this? How dare he humiliate her in silence like this?
Who was she? She was the eldest young lady of the Zhou Family, one of the three great families. She had grown up with a golden key in her mouth, dressed in silks and fed delicacies since childhood, so outstanding that she was dazzling! Gu Chen, on the other hand, was nothing but a stray dog from Shangjing, an abandoned son of his family. What gave him the right to be so arrogant? How dare he treat her like this?
Who did he think he was?!
Zhou Xue'er's fury finally erupted at that moment! She sprang to her feet and shouted angrily, "Gu Chen, what are you so pleased about?! Your grades used to put you somewhere around six or seven hundredth in the grade. How could you possibly get a perfect score? How could you come first in the grade?!"
Her words exploded across the entire field like a thunderclap from a clear sky! Although everyone had been thinking the same thing, no one had dared say it on an occasion like this. Once Zhou Xue'er said it, the atmosphere instantly became exceedingly strange.
Gu Chen, however, looked as though he had known all along that Zhou Xue'er would do this. Without joy or sorrow, he glanced sideways at her and said calmly, "Zhou Xue'er, what do you mean?"
Zhou Xue'er was an immensely proud person. Now that she had spoken, she had no intention of backing down. Under everyone's gaze, she said coldly, "You know perfectly well what I mean!"
"If I remember correctly, you only placed third in the grade, and your total score wasn't even four hundred and fifty." Gu Chen smiled faintly. "I really don't know who gave you the courage to question me in public."
Gu Chen's contemptuous gaze made Zhou Xue'er burn with rage, and her pretty face flushed crimson! Over the past month, she had been like a noble queen, while Gu Chen had been like a subject awaiting judgment. To keep the Zhou Family from breaking off the engagement, Gu Chen had begged her countless times.
And now, he dared look at her like that!
"Gu Chen, I don't believe you could get a perfect score!" Zhou Xue'er roared. "I heard you finished all the exam papers in half a day. You definitely didn't write those answers!"
"I understand now!" Gu Chen looked as though realization had dawned on him. "Zhou Xue'er, you're not here to question me. You're here to question Teacher Song! Our entire class can testify that Teacher Song Qianhan stood at the back the whole time I was taking the exam. Are you saying Teacher Song and I conspired to cheat?"
"Hm?"
The school leaders immediately perked up and all looked at Song Qianhan at once.