After the second round of the competition, Xu Sheng once again created a trending topic on Sixth High’s forum with the power of his school uniform.
For a while, the topic remained highly popular, even to the point of surpassing Shao Zhan’s popularity.
——I can’t get over how amazing he looks in a school uniform!!!
——Same here, I didn’t realize our school uniforms looked so good.
——I didn’t vote for Xu Sheng back then; I must have been blind.
Among them, there was also a new post from Duan Yaosheng, the contestant from Ying Hua Experimental High.
The topic was simple and straightforward: Who is Xu Sheng.
The students from Sixth High were full of sympathy and pity for this third-place winner in the competition.
1L: Xiao Duan, it’s better not to ask. I’m afraid you’ll become depressed if you know.
2L: Xiao Duan, sometimes it’s better not to know the truth.
3L: Since no one else dares to say it, let me. Xu Sheng, he ranks last place in our grade.
Duan Yaosheng might as well have skipped the stage of feeling depressed and directly gone to feeling crazy.
However, Xu Sheng was a very accepting and adaptable person.
Even though he had ranked second, he had quickly realised that being watched by many wasn’t a big deal. With a personality that could act cool on the stage of the Four School Competition League, wearing a school uniform was nothing in comparison. If they weren’t used to it, they would get used to it after seeing him wear it for a few more days.
But it seemed that Zhou Yuan and Gu Yanwang were on the same page.
He firmly believed that his student was a talented contestant, and should now transform and start anew.
“Xu Sheng.” During the second math class, Zhou Yuan’s gaze made Xu Sheng’s heart skip a beat out of fear. “It’s good to see you looking decent now. I’m glad to see you return to the right path, and as your teacher, I’m relieved.”
Xu Sheng complied and raised his voice to say, “Thank you, laoshi. I also think my outfit looks pretty good.”
Zhou Yuan left a problem on the blackboard, then turned to the side and said, “Come up and solve this problem. I believe in your talent, and you don’t need to hide yourself anymore. Come on, step forward.”
Xu Sheng: “…”
Apologies.
He had no talent.
It seemed that this joke of having talent wouldn’t go away.
Xu Sheng had no choice. His hands hung down, and he tugged on Shao Zhan’s clothes, quietly pleading, “…I can’t solve it.”
His voice was so low that only Shao Zhan could hear him.
Shao Zhan’s principles were completely thrown out the window, regardless of whether helping his deskmate cheat was a good thing to do or not. He was fast at solving problems, and had already made considerable progress on the question from the time Zhou Yuan had started writing the problem on the blackboard. So he quickly finished solving it on his scratch paper, folded it up, and handed it over to Xu Sheng, saying, “Just copy it.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
His deskmate was indeed a ‘cheat code’.
We Vtfcu tfiv bcab atf qjqfg alutais jcv kfca eq ktlif qgfafcvlcu ab yf mjiw.
Coafg atlr mijrr, We Vtfcu kjr veyyfv atf “Llvvfc Cmjvfwlm Xfcler,” rb tf tjv ab xffq ybatfglcu Vtjb Itjc ab afjmt tlw bc tbk ab rbinf atf qgbyifwr.
He directly reached out and grabbed Shao Zhan’s shoulder, then thrust the exercise book in front of him, saying, “Zhan ge, question three, please teach me.”
Vtjb Itjc ibbxfv eq jcv uijcmfv ja tlw. “Glvc’a atf afjmtfg pera fzqijlc la?”
Xu Sheng didn’t hide at all. “I managed to focus for half the class; that’s my limit. I didn’t listen to the second half.”
Although Xu Sheng’s attitude towards studying had indeed changed, and he was beginning to actively catch up on missed classes, he still found it easy to feel drowsy during class.
Shao Zhan had gotten used to teaching him during this period, and he unconsciously fiddled with his pen, considering how to teach Xu Sheng. But then he recalled what Xu Sheng had just called him. “What did you call me just now?”
Xu Sheng: “Study god?”
Shao Zhan: “The one before that.”
Xu Sheng thought for a moment. “Zhan ge?”
When Xu Sheng said those two words, his voice lilted at the end.
He had no reservations about calling others ge. He chuckled lightly and teased, “Ge, if you like hearing it, then I can call you that as many times as you want.”
Shao Zhan suspected that Xu Sheng was deliberately trying to get him into trouble.
Unlike the sudden silence in the hallway before the morning self-study, after two classes, the hallway gradually became crowded again, and many students stood near Class Seven pretending to chat and refusing to leave.
Most of them were girls.
Through the back window, they could see Xu Sheng. At first, he sat obediently, listening to the person next to him explain the problem. But after just five minutes, he couldn’t resist the temptation and sprawled back down again.
“Try proving the theorem again.”
Shao Zhan pushed the exercise book toward Xu Sheng, and heard the commotion outside the window.
Unfortunately the instigator of the commotion was completely unaware of it. Shao Zhan tapped his desk with a curved finger and said, “Put your school uniform on properly.”
Xu Sheng lowered his head and noticed that the collar of his uniform was indeed a bit too loose. “…Oh.”
Throughout the morning, Xu Sheng was well-behaved. He didn’t play games and lasted until the last class of the morning before getting scolded.
At the celebratory banquet, the substitute teacher whom Hou Jun and others had gossiped about happened to be Xu Sheng’s teacher during his freshman year. The two had had some disagreements in the past. Xu Sheng generally didn’t hold grudges against his teachers, but this teacher was different. She didn’t like underperforming students and instinctively looked down on them. Naturally, Xu Sheng wouldn’t be polite to her.
So, when the substitute teacher entered the class, her eyebrows furrowed when she saw Xu Sheng.
“Class is starting.” Hou Jun decided to leave a good impression on the substitute teacher, “Stand up.”
“Hello, laoshi—”
The substitute teacher shifted her gaze away from Xu Sheng, and her expression softened. “Sit down.”
The substitute teacher’s surname was Yang, and she was in her forties. She wore a neat uniform, and her teaching style matched her overall demeanor.
Xu Sheng dreaded attending classes like this.
After listening for a while, he lowered his head and began doodling on the textbook. At first, he drew common objects on his desk, but then his thoughts wandered, and uncontrollably, he started sketching the outline of Shao Zhan’s face.
Those lines mixed with messy notes and the words of the textbook, formed the side profile of Shao Zhan’s face.
After finishing the sketch, Xu Sheng realised what he had done. He stared at the drawing for a moment, then hastily flipped over a page in the textbook. But it was already too late; the substitute teacher had noticed him daydreaming during her class. She rapped the lectern and said, “Xu Sheng, you’re not paying attention are you? Stand up and go outside.”
Xu Sheng was used to being reprimanded and didn’t think much of it.
Many teachers had scolded him before.
Unfortunately, this teacher seemed to want to settle both new and old grudges with him. She went on and on. “I don’t know how you got second place. What’s with your attitude in class? I thought you would have changed a bit in your second year, but you’re still the same. You just waste your days away here. And that thing on your ear…”
This teacher’s combat power was astonishing. She fired off insulting words like “delinquent” and the like for two and a half minutes. Even someone with Xu Sheng’s “say whatever you want” attitude found it difficult to remain indifferent.
The entire class fell silent.
Hou Jun finally understood why the students from Class Four all disliked this “Miejue Abess” when they gossiped.
The substitute teacher continued venting, intending to contrast him with the exemplary student. “Just look at Shao Zhan—”
Xu Sheng found it very amusing and was about to say, “Isn’t it just going out during class? Spare yourself the speaking effort.”
However, before he could speak, he heard a loud crash as a chair hit the floor. Out of the corner of his eye, Xu Sheng noticed the outstanding student beside him standing up. “Laoshi.”
“I wasn’t paying attention either.”
The substitute teacher was stunned. “What?”
Shao Zhan said, “I got distracted.”
Shao Zhan already had a cold demeanor. When the substitute teacher met his gaze, she suddenly forgot what she wanted to say next. Shao Zhan’s words seemed casual, but his entire demeanor changed after standing up. There was a hint of sharp coldness in his eyes, making him resemble a so-called “school tyrant” more than Xu Sheng did. After speaking, he picked up his textbook and walked out.
Shao Zhan’s simple words shut down the substitute teacher, and unintentionally, dealt her a metaphorical slap.
She had said so much before, especially when she specifically mentioned Shao Zhan a second ago.
Hou Jun was amazed. “From the day of that reflection at Green Boat Base, I realised that our Zhan ge is a real man.”
Tan Kai said, “Incredible.”
Yuan Ziqiang added, “Seriously, impressive. Our Zhan ge doesn’t reveal his strength unless necessary. His aura just now was truly extraordinary. The Miejue Abbess turned pale.”
Xu Sheng didn’t expect that Shao Zhan would use this method. After he realised what had happened, he also picked up his textbook and left. “I’m going out too. Please continue with the class.”
The substitute teacher’s face turned red and then pale.
Xu Sheng had been punished with standing outside the classroom countless times and had almost become best friends with the walls and railings. He was familiar with the open door of the neighbouring classroom, but it was his first time standing outside with Shao Zhan. If other students saw study god standing there, they might doubt their own lives.
As the two of them stood side by side, Xu Sheng asked, “Were you really distracted just now?”
Shao Zhan held his book. “No.”
Xu Sheng said, “I’ll just stand for one class. Don’t worry about me.”
Shao Zhan wanted to say that he couldn’t bear seeing Xu Sheng being scolded, but he couldn’t find the words.
Xu Sheng wasn’t embarrassed by what had been said. Although they were a bit harsh, he had heard similar things too many times. “Lao Yang probably just doesn’t like me. She taught our class when I was in first year, and we had a few arguments. But it’s nothing serious. Besides, I did slack off quite a bit.”
Especially in first year, he had just been goofing off and not attending classes.
There weren’t many people in the corridor, only the sounds of students studying coming in from various classrooms. The sun was intense in the hallway, and the light filtered through the leaves of the trees outside, creating specks of light and shadows across the corridor.
After a moment of silence, Shao Zhan said, “I don’t think so.”
Xu Sheng was taken aback. “What?”
“I don’t think you slack off, nor do I think you’re like what she said.”
After chemistry class, the substitute teacher returned to the office with a gloomy expression.
Before school ended that day, Gu Yanwang distributed the student prizes for the competition. After the evening self-study session, Xu Sheng carried half a box of study materials back to his dorm. The school authorities of Sixth High were generous with their support. The box contained a complete set of Huanggang examination papers, various year-end competition simulation papers, and a meticulously crafted countdown calendar for the college entrance examination.
When had Xu Sheng ever enjoyed such “benefits”?
He tossed the calendar back, and after taking a shower, planned on sleeping early. However, he couldn’t fall asleep for a long time.
Even though he closed his eyes, someone still swayed before his eyes.
Along with that swaying figure, there was also the sentence from earlier in the day, “I don’t think you slack off.”
Time rewound, and Xu Sheng suddenly recalled the time when they had first met. Neither of them had thought highly of each other. At that time, Shao Zhan, in Xu Sheng’s eyes, was a busybody who only cared about being a model student.
Then he remembered the familiar heartbeat and the hand he had held in the dark.
Xu Sheng opened his eyes and unlocked his phone to check his unread messages.
Zhang Feng had sent him messages during the day, but Xu Sheng rarely checked his phone during class, so he hadn’t seen them. “I went to find you, and you really dressed up. I sat in my classroom all morning, waiting with bated breath. Sure enough, the whole school went crazy just before class started.”
Xu Sheng replied, “This is what happens when you’re too handsome. People pay a lot of attention.”
Zhang Feng replied just as quickly, “Do you have any face.”
The second message was from Kang Kai: U there???
Kang Kai: *crying emoji*
Kang Kai: Tomorrow is the deadline, but someone spilled ink all over my drawing.
Ruining someone else’s work. How despicable can people get?
Thank you for the chapter~
Poor Kang Kai 🥲 that’s horrible
Thank you for the chapter ❤️