Experiment

Almost at the same time.

In the laboratory building at South City Middle School.

Wu Fangying, a special-grade chemistry teaching and research teacher, charged into the principal's office like a madman, clutching a small test tube!

"Principal! It worked! I succeeded!"

Dark circles shadowed his eyes; he had stayed up for several nights.

The principal shot to his feet. "It worked?"

He could not contain his excitement, and he could hardly believe it.

Wu Fangying held up the small test tube in his hand. It contained a blue liquid.

"The most important stage of the experiment succeeded. There should be basically no problems from here on. I plan to send the results to the International Research Institute next week. I believe this will be an unexpected and astonishing discovery!"

When that happened, South City No. 1 High School would receive more resources, and its students would have more opportunities to take part in international competitions, nurturing more talent!

Improving teaching, research, and scientific research had always been what the principal strived to do.

The principal's face flushed red with excitement. "But Teacher Wu, you've been working on this research for so long. How did you suddenly succeed today?"

The principal meant nothing by it; he had simply asked on impulse.

Teacher Wu looked just as baffled. "Come to think of it, I have to thank the food that upset my stomach this morning."

The principal: "?"

Teacher Wu continued, "I didn't have much of a clue at first. Halfway through the experiment, my stomach suddenly hurt, so I ran to the bathroom. It happened to be at a critical stage, so I hurriedly added a bottle of prepared material from the table and made a note of it. I never expected the experiment to have succeeded when I came back fifteen minutes later!"

After listening, the principal grew solemn. "Are you sure you didn't add the wrong thing? No one else went into the lab in the meantime, did they?"

It was not that the principal doubted Teacher Wu. He was guarding against the possibility that someone had gone in and affected the experiment, while Teacher Wu did not know what mix-up had occurred. In front of the International Research Institute, even setting aside the embarrassment, it would also affect Teacher Wu's reputation.

There were surveillance cameras only outside the lab, not inside, but Teacher Wu had noticed something different.

Besides the decrease in the total amount of materials he had originally set aside, the amounts of two other materials that he had not prepared had also changed.

It even seemed that the person had put the materials they had used in one place for him, but he had been too excited at the time to look closely.

That meant someone had entered the lab and completed the experiment during the fifteen minutes he was away.

This was a very serious matter. "Principal, we must find this person. Their name should be credited on the results of this experiment."

"That's right."

The principal immediately summoned the school's chemistry teachers and the homeroom teachers of every class and explained what had happened.

They also checked the surveillance footage and found the people who had passed near the laboratory building during that time.

There were no other teachers, but there were a few students.

Several of them were from the Set Sail Class. One was Wen Xinyue, who had long held first place in their grade, and another was Ji Chuxing.

Seeing Wen Xinyue in the footage, Teacher Liu looked a little proud. "It must have been Xinyue. She represented the school in a chemistry competition just last semester. She's capable in every subject, and even a physics teacher from Saar University has praised her highly."

Saar University was a top international university, the dream destination of countless research students, and one of the world's most famous science and engineering universities.

Teacher Wu nodded. He knew about that.

But he pointed at the girl in the black baseball cap on the screen. "Who is this?"

Teacher Liu sneered and said contemptuously, "Her? Ji Chuxing? Impossible. She's a student from the countryside. She's never passed an exam and doesn't even know what a chemistry experiment is. How could she possibly conduct one?"

Teacher Huang was displeased as soon as he heard that. "Teacher Liu, there's no need to put it so harshly. The child attended middle school too, and her grades were among the best in her town."

In the course of the morning, Teacher Huang had learned the general circumstances of his new student. He also knew Teacher Liu had always been arrogant, but it was too outrageous to speak about a student that way.

It was unbecoming of a teacher.

Teacher Liu naturally paid Teacher Huang no heed and scoffed. "It's just a middle school in an impoverished town. Do you think anything can compare with South City No. 1 High School?"

"You!"

Seeing that the two were about to come to blows, the principal had to step in. "All right, all right. In that case, let's call Wen Xinyue to the office and ask her what happened."

Wen Xinyue arrived quickly and heard a little about the situation.

In fact, the principal and Teacher Wu did not explain everything clearly. They only said that they were conducting an experiment but had discovered some problems, and asked whether she had entered the lab.

Wen Xinyue was a clever person. After giving it a little thought and seeing Teacher Liu's encouraging gaze, she knew what they meant.

Her face filled with guilt. "I did pass by the lab this morning. I saw that the experiment inside was half-finished and remembered discussing a similar phenomenon with a professor from Saar University last year, so I took it upon myself to use the materials."

At that, her face filled with shame. "Principal, Teacher Wu, I'm terribly sorry. Did I do something wrong?"

"No!"

Teacher Liu looked proud. Before the principal or Teacher Huang could speak, she praised her. "Xinyue, you did Teacher Wu an enormous favor! He's been working on an experiment recently and hit a bottleneck at a critical stage. You happened to solve the problem!"

Wen Xinyue remained modest and composed, as if relieved. "I... it was an accident. I didn't expect this to happen. Luckily, I didn't cause any losses. I was in a hurry to get back to class, so I didn't have time to stay long, and afterward I almost forgot about it."

"Oh, you child," Teacher Liu said, seemingly giving her a gentle scolding, though she was actually overjoyed. "In any case, you did Teacher Wu an enormous favor. He'll surely thank you."

Wu Fangying nodded. "That's right. I plan to organize the experimental results and submit them to the International Research Institute within half a month at the latest. Since it was you, I'll submit your name along with them, Wen."

Wen Xinyue clenched her hands, a surging excitement rising in her chest.

"Thank you, Teacher Wu."

Teacher Wu looked at her for a moment. "I still need an assistant in my lab. Will you come and help me when you have time in the future?"

Teacher Wu was an outstanding graduate of North City University and had powerful connections there. It was said that he had come to teach at South City No. 1 High School because he liked the environment, because the principal had hired him at a high salary to improve the school's research capabilities, and because his wife was from South City.

Conducting experiments and research at Teacher Wu's side meant having a chance to study at North City University without taking the entrance exam.

Getting into North City University meant entering North City's upper circles. It was what people in Hua Country dreamed of above all else.

Wen Xinyue knew she was fully capable of getting into North City University by examination, but she did not want to get in that way. She wanted to be recommended.

She agreed without a second thought. "Teacher Wu, it would be my honor!"

Ji Chuxing knew nothing of what had happened in the principal's office.

She had settled into Class 16 without trouble and even won its support. By the time school let out at noon, word had reached the Set Sail Class.

There was nothing to that in itself.

But Ji Chuxing had stolen the spotlight in the Set Sail Class that morning. Now that they saw Class 16 had accepted her, the Set Sail Class could only console themselves with the thought that birds of a feather flocked together.

"Hmph, only someone like her could fit in with those lousy students in Class 16. She really brings shame on the family. Lu Xing just happened to be absent today. If he'd been there, she wouldn't even have had a chance to cry. By the way, Xinyue, does your mother know about this?"

Mo Xue'er followed behind Wen Xinyue, brimming with indignation.

As a student in the Set Sail Class, Wen Xinyue had naturally heard about Ji Chuxing long ago.

She sighed at that. "My sister quarreled with Mom and didn't even come home last night."

"I knew it!" Mo Xue'er said mockingly. "I saw her get out of a luxury car this morning. Didn't you say she doesn't know anyone from a wealthy family in South City? This..."

Mo Xue'er trailed off, but her eyes said it all.

Wen Xinyue, however, looked displeased after hearing that. "Don't talk nonsense. My sister might just have stayed over at a friend's house."

Although Mo Xue'er's thoughts were filthy, she had always been obedient to Wen Xinyue. She smiled at that. "Maybe I really am reading too much into it."

Wen Xinyue thought for a moment, but still felt uneasy and reminded her, "My sister has always kept herself above reproach. Don't talk nonsense and damage her reputation, and you absolutely mustn't tell anyone else about this."

Mo Xue'er grabbed Wen Xinyue's arm. "Of course I know, dear Xinyue. Don't worry."

Only then did Wen Xinyue nod in satisfaction. After she left, Mo Xue'er opened the photo gallery on her phone. There was Ji Chuxing in a baseball cap, its brim pulled low, getting out of a luxury car and looking as though someone had spotted her.

Remembering how arrogant Ji Chuxing had been that morning, Mo Xue'er sneered.

After lunch, Wen Xinyue came out of the cafeteria and heard two Class 16 students walking ahead of her, eagerly discussing Ji Chuxing.

"I declare that Ji Chuxing is the idol I admire most! She's the goddess of our class—no, of our whole school!"

"Wasn't your goddess the Set Sail Class's Goddess Wen?"

"Tsk, is she as cool as Ji Chuxing? Can she play games? Is she pretty enough? What kind of eyesight do you have?"

Listening to them, Wen Xinyue clenched her fists.

She had not expected Ji Chuxing to win over that bunch of troublemakers so quickly.

Wen Xinyue lowered her eyes, walked to a corner, and called Zhou Ru.

"...Yes, Mom, my sister transferred to Class 16 herself... Ah, I arrived late this morning, so I'm not very sure either, but she quarreled with a few students from the Set Sail Class. Sun Han, the son of Doctor Sun, the famous South City doctor who treats our family, was injured because of it too. I heard that her parents would be called in. I thought my sister might be afraid of worrying you and wouldn't tell you, but something this serious should be mentioned..."