The crowd of onlookers dispersed in a hurry as if the farce never happened. A Student Committee member entered the classroom holding a stack of test papers and began to distribute them. The director of Moral Education Office stood on the dais, expression imposing. The man’s eyes stopped on Lin Jingzhe’s face for a long moment.

He didn’t raise his head. He accepted the test papers handed to him and scanned the somewhat immature handwriting: the full score in Language and Mathematics was 120 marks, he got 86 and 90 respectively. The total score for the remaining subjects was 100 marks, and he hovered at the passing line in nearly all of them. English was the most tragic and the only one he failed—he got a pitiful 47 marks.

Lin Jingzhe remembered he had been in a daze for some time after his grandfather’s death, but he didn’t understand just how out of it he was until now.

Jiang Run’s results were quite good—the nearby students whispered that he entered the top five in the class. Still, if Lin Jingzhe’s memory didn’t fail him, his cousin got into Qunnan University only because he got the school’s official admission spot.

This wasn’t surprising. Although Liyun No. 1 High School was called the best high school in Liyun Town, the town itself was but a hard-to-notice dot on Qunnan Province’s map, with a poor allocation of educational resources. What’s more, Lin Jingzhe remembered that this year, they had unified the college entrance examination for the whole country. It was later considered the most difficult in history. Because of the backward curriculum, the students of Liyun No. 1 High School were no competition for their outstanding rivals from bigger cities.

Many people failed this college entrance examination and retook it next year—that was the most profound impression Lin Jingzhe had of it.

He picked up the English test and read it. He was proficient because he often traveled abroad for job training in his previous life. Lamentably, even some of these test questions were wrong.

As for the science subjects—Lin Jingzhe said goodbye to high school many years ago and to tell the truth, he’d long forgotten most of what he’d learned. However, he had strong foundations and finished his studies, so getting better exam results wouldn’t be difficult.

From the mock exam questions, no one in Liyun No. 1 High School suspected how nightmarish this year’s college entrance examination would be.

Lin Jingzhe pondered all the underhanded means and little tricks the Class 1 teacher, Li Yurong, used to get more teaching achievements in her name, and really wanted to tell her to stop messing around.

He bowed his head and concentrated on reading the exam questions, then wrote the new answers on the test paper, per his current knowledge. It made him look earnest and eager to learn. The director opened his mouth, meaning to call him out first, but seeing him review so seriously, he couldn’t bear to. The boy’s only family member passed away recently, and he looked a lot thinner—the director’s heart wasn’t that hard.

As such, when the director spoke, the name he called changed. “Gao Sheng, come with me. Where is Zhou Haitang? Is he absent?”

Oh, that’s right. Lin Jingzhe suddenly remembered that not long before the college entrance exam, Zhou Haitang came into contact with the so-called “mafia” of Liyun Town. Then, he started to skip classes more and more often.

So many things he needed to remember and pay attention to. He put down his pen, clasped his hands, and leaned back in his seat. With no expression on his face, he watched Gao Sheng, who didn’t know what would happen, follow the director out of the classroom.

Behind him, some girls finished reviewing and started a whispered conversation. First, they mocked Jiang Run, who laid on his desk crying. Then, their gazes shifted to Lin Jingzhe, whose aura differed from the rest of the students.

Lin Jingzhe was an introvert from the start, and Jiang Run spread a rumor that his parents abandoned him, alienating him further. Still, he had good grades and good-looks. With fair skin and delicate features, he continued to attract the girls’ attention.

“Hey.” The girls nudged each other. “Don’t you think Lin Jingzhe looks unusually handsome today?”

Amidst their giggling, Gao Sheng returned to the classroom holding the class transfer notice. He dropped in his seat, looking dazed.

The director and Li Yurong stood before the door and argued in low voices. Li Yurong faced the classroom, and occasionally, her gaze paused on Lin Jingzhe, stabbing him like a knife.

Lin Jingzhe stared back at her, revealing a mocking smile.

Li Yurong became stunned for a moment, then exploded like a balloon poked with a needle: “Lin Jingzhe! Come out here right now!”

The classroom fell silent because of her sudden outburst. Lin Jingzhe, who became the center of attention, pushed the test papers away and unhurriedly walked outside.

Li Yurong trembled from fury because of his dismissive attitude towards her. “You, what are you looking at with that expression!”

The director, who hadn’t caught sight of Lin Jingzhe’s provocative smile, though Li Yurong threw a fit without reason. “Teacher Li, what on earth are you doing?”

Lin Jingzhe, appearing for all the world like a humble, well-mannered student, asked, “Teacher Li, is something the matter?”

Li Yurong watched the director unconsciously stand closer to Lin Jingzhe. She had to choke back what she truly wanted to say, so her reply was cross: “You ask me if something is the matter? Just look at how your grades have fallen! I can’t keep you in this class. Gather your things and report to Class 5 with Gao Sheng.”

Class transfer?! The students on duty in the corridor, who overheard that part, abandoned their brooms and ran back to the classroom to announce the shocking news. Gao Sheng looked resigned after receiving his own transfer notice, but now that his friend would share his fate, he jumped up and rushed outside. “Teacher Li, me aside, why does Jingzhe have to change classes too?”

Li Yurong ignored the question, her expression cold. Flustered, Gao Sheng tugged the director’s sleeve. “Teacher, Jingzhe’s grades are excellent, he used to be in the top ten of the class. His results today are… It’s because of a family matter, something happened recently…”

“Teacher Li!” An angry female voice echoed in the corridor. “Don’t you think you’re going too far?!”

Upon hearing it, Lin Jingzhe turned his head, stunned. From the other end of the utilitarian school corridor, a thin, middle-aged woman in a worn, grey padded jacket rushed towards them.

She looked older than she was. She dressed plainly, wore no make-up, and had the same regulation haircut as the female students. The oversleeves on her arms were clearly remade from old clothes. Her face, which in Lin Jingzhe’s memory was always gentle, was full of anger. She approached quickly and stopped right in front of Li Yurong, nearly ramming into her. “Have you ever thought about your students?! The college entrance examination is right around the corner. Didn’t you consider how much strain the class transfer at this moment would put on them?! You’re too selfish!”

Li Yurong had always looked down on the other woman. Now, she frowned and pushed her away, giving her a disdainful glance. “Teacher Hu, take greater care with your speech. Where am I selfish? I’m thinking of other students. Everyone in Class 1 are excellent students, getting rid of the bad apples will improve their studying conditions and learning progress. My actions are for the sake of the others in Class 1.”

At her vicious words, Hu Yu glanced worriedly at Lin Jingzhe. She swallowed her anger and said in a low voice, “Gao Sheng, take Jingzhe and wait in the classroom until we finish talking.”

“Don’t bother,” Li Yurong said impatiently. It was just transferring a few students between classes—did she have to spend half a day on such a simple thing? “You two, hurry up and pack. The class began a long time ago, and you delayed it for so long already because of your unnecessary fuss.”

Hu Yu gritted her teeth. She turned to the director: “Director Wang, Gao Sheng is my son and I’m aware of his grades, but you have to reconsider Lin Jingzhe’s transfer. He’s a brilliant boy, such a thing is impeding his future development. You’re the head of Moral Education Office. Shouldn’t you have a say in this?”

The director was equally irate, but he couldn’t respond to Hu Yu’s plea. He didn’t know how Li Yurong did it, but the principal issued the class transfer notice himself. Although he, as an assistant principal, had the same authority among students, he had much less decision-making power.

When Hu Yu saw his clenched jaw, her heart dropped. Li Yurong sneered, “Teacher Hu, should I show you how many marks your ‘brilliant’ got? Don’t say you don’t know. You’re talking about his future, but the college entrance exam is less than two months away. With grades like that now, what future can he have? Instead of playing goody two shoes, you should improve your quality of teaching. Just look at that garbage in Class 5…”

“Teacher Li!” Lin Jingzhe, who had been quiet until now, interrupted her, his tone rough enough that Li Yurong unconsciously paused.

As she closed her mouth, she was surprised at the momentary nervousness she’d felt. She looked at Lin Jingzhe warily. Confronted with his emotionless eyes, inexplicably, she felt a hint of fear.

As he had already gone through this whole incident in his previous life, Lin Jingzhe was fed up with Li Yurong’s arrogance and self-important manner. He didn’t want to bother with her anymore, so he cut to the point: “I agree to change classes, so you don’t need to say such nasty things. My recent exam performance was indeed bad, and I do understand your mood but frankly, what you just said was a pack of lies. You can calculate the average score of each subject—the highest is mathematics, Teacher Hu’s subject. And to tell the truth, the quality of your English class is nothing to write home about. The second sentence of the cloze test and the fifth question in Reading Comprehension are incorrect. So, I don’t think you’re qualified to criticize Teacher Hu’s teaching ability.”

Li Yurong was so shocked that she couldn’t find her voice for a minute. She hadn’t heard such direct criticism in her teaching career. What was even harder for her to believe was that she’d always assumed the person who said it to be a quiet, timid teenager.

Lin Jingzhe’s voice wasn’t low. Everyone inside the Class 1 classroom, in the corridor, and even those in the nearby classrooms hear his words loud and clear. Not a few people snickered. This caused Li Yurong to wake up, her face like thunder. She nearly fainted from anger, and her hands shook so much she couldn’t lift them.

When Lin Jingzhe agreed to change classes, Hu Yu grabbed his arm, anxious. “Jingzhe, don’t be impulsive…”

Lin Jingzhe took her dry, rough hand and patted it soothingly. “Teacher Hu, Director Wang, I will get my things.”

The teenager reacted so calmly to this distressing situation, and the director’s heart filled with pity for him. Not caring about his politely worded counterattack, the director patted him on the shoulder and said, “Go ahead.”

When Lin Jingzhe and Gao Sheng, whose eyes were red from rage, returned to the classroom, perfect silence greeted them.

Lin Jingzhe didn’t interact with his classmates, who cared about nothing but their grades, much. He didn’t even remember the names or faces of most. Therefore, there was no emotion in his heart while he quickly gathered his textbooks and writing utensils.

Gao Sheng was bigger and stronger than him, and when he finished his own packing, he came over and helped him carry his things. Teary-eyed, Hu Yu also took a stack of books from his hands.

His hands empty, and looking as if he had no care in the world, Lin Jingzhe walked through the classroom. He stopped at the door and glanced back.

Like a dense mass of darkness, the pressure of dozens of gazes fell upon him.

He smiled an indifferent smile, raised his hand in a careless farewell gesture, and said, “Goodbye.”

Some of the students hadn’t recovered from the impact of that smile and were staring at the door. Li Yurong finally got a hold of herself and mounted the dais. She was so furious her legs trembled. Seeing the absent-minded expressions, she couldn’t restrain herself and slammed her fist on the desk.

“The class has begun! Where are you looking!” She yelled. Then, pretending to be relaxed, she said, “All right, now that we’ve gotten rid of the laggards, we need to tighten up our learning schedule. You shouldn’t treat it lightly, I’m doing this for your good.”

The students looked on the tall woman standing on the dais, who had just been acting arrogant and domineering outside the classroom door. They recalled Lin Jingzhe leaving in a carefree way, and the English test they could hardly understand. They were all both companions and rivals; now, many were gloomy because of the loss of one of their kind.

Though no one dared to stand up for Lin Jingzhe, they also had no respect for Li Yurong in their hearts.