<h4>Chapter 8: First in the Level</h4>
<strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios
When Old Liu stepped into the ssroom, the bell for the first ss had yet to ring.
He ced the thick stack of papers on the rostrum and said, “Subject rep,e distribute the papers!”
The entire ssroom instantly fell silent. Xue Xi sat in thest row and watched as her ssmates all stretched out their necks. As the subject representative distributed the examination scripts, intermittent sounds of gasp and sighs could be heard from every corner of the room.
The subject representative, Zhou Zhen, was studious and frail-looking. He wore a pair of thick sses. He moved toward Xue Yao’s table and passed her script over.
Someone asked curiously, “How many marks?”
Checking her score, Xue Yao answered in a light-hearted and proud tone, “127 marks.”
“The questions were so hard, yet you actually scored so highly?”
She feigned humbleness. “Nah. I’m stillcking whenpared to Fan Han.”
“How can youpare yourself to Fan Han? He has been receiving uncountable awards from mathematicspetitions since he was young! Still, you and he are truly a match made in heaven. Both of you have such good grades...”
Xue Yao seemed ustomed to the surrounding gasps and praises. She lifted her chin and subconsciously peered at thest row.
She asked hypocritically, “Zhou Zhen, hurry and see how my cousin scored, alright?”
Zhou Zhen flipped through the papers and did not spot Xue Xi’s. Instead, he saw Fan Han’s first and hurriedly picked it out. He was about to pass it to Fan Han when...
On the rostrum, Old Liu said, “For this mathematics paper, the only full-marks student in the entire level is in our ss!”
“Wow!”
“Isn’t Fan Han too incredible?”
While everyone was gushing, Fan Han silently heaved a sigh of relief.
During the examination yesterday, there were quite a few that he was unsure about. <i>Looks like I did it all correctly...</i>
“Congrattions, Fan Han! You are amazing!”
Xue Yao’s voice rang beside him.
He looked up at her with a smile.
When he returned home yesterday and was informed that his arranged marriage partner had been changed to Xue Yao, he had let out a breath of relief. For a person like him, only the best and most outstanding girl could be matched!
<i>127 marks... Mhm, it hits the passing mark!</i>
At this moment, Zhou Zhennded his paper on his table right in front of him.
He instinctively looked at the scores and his smile froze. <i>138? What’s wrong? Did I receive the wrong paper?</i>
While everyone was still confused, Old Liu sucked in a deep breath and said the following, “Let us congratte student Xue Xi! Her foundations in mathematics are very solid. Even though the questions this time around were exceptionally hard, her results are also totally unexpected! It is a whole 12 marks higher than the second ce, Fan Han!”
In the next instant, it felt as if a pause button had been pressed on the entire ssroom. A perfect silence prevailed!
After a full two seconds, everyone then turned to look at the girl in thest row in unison.
Fan Han widened his eyes in shock and disbelief. When he turned back to look at the girl, he saw her slowly look up. Her eyes started to focus on him. A meaningful smile slowly crept up her lips as she silently mouthed the words, “Still manageable.”
Fan Han’s cheeks instantly zed, as though someone had given him a tight p!
Simrly, Xue Yao also froze and all she could think of was: <i>How can this be?! How can it be?!</i>
...
“End of ss!”
Old Liu finished reviewing the examination paper right at the ring of the bell that signified the end of ss, and he promptly exited the ssroom.
In the next moment, the ssroom instantly exploded with noise.
<i>Screech!</i>
It was the sound of a chair being dragged against the floor. The person seated in front of Xue Xi turned around and leaned against her table as though she had no bones. “Hey, Xue Xi, right? I’m Qin Shuang!”
The girl had a head of pink hair and her makeup was exaggerated, as though she came from a 2D world. She was chewing gum and even blew out a bubble right after saying this.
Xue Xi looked at her curiously, then replied, “Hello.”
Qin Shuang whipped out her phone when she received a reply and babbled loudly, “Everyone in our school’s forum is now debating whether Fan Han can keep his Number One position! Ha ha, I have always disliked Fan Han and Xue Yao, those two. They always act so arrogantly. What is there to be proud of when all they have are slightly better grades?”
Xue Xi: “...Oh.”
An overly familiar and talkative person—this was her first impression of Qin Shuang.
Qin Shuang did not mind her uninterested reply and continued on her own, “I heard that the Fan family reneged on your arranged marriage because they felt that your results were terrible? Then, can you clinch Number One in overall results? That way, you can give him a tight p on his face!”
“...” <i>And a gossipy one.</i>
The next ss was Literature. As she was the subject representative, Xue Yao’s first instinct when she received the papers was to look at Xue Xi’s marks. When she saw the marks written on top, she immediately let out a breath of relief.
She intentionally walked over to pass the paper to Xue Xi and coincidentally heard Qin Shuang say this.
Hence, she said, “Fan Han excels not only in mathematics. He excels in every subject.”
With that, she passed Xue Xi’s paper over to her. “102 marks. Cousin, looks like your grades are severely imbnced. You already have a 30-mark difference from Fan Han in one subject and you still have a pipedream of being first? Stop dreaming!’
<i>Pak!</i>
Qin Shuang’s chewing gum bubble burst. She cocked her head at Xue Yao. “I don’t know if Xue Xi will score better than Fan Han, but it will definitely be higher than yours. Where does your pridee from?”
Rendered speechless, Xue Yao only retorted back after a short pause, “As the first from the bottom, you would, of course, not feel any pride.”
“No.” Qin Shuang grinned. “I’m proud to be the first from the bottom.”
Xue Yao: “...”
She turned around and left huffily.
The teachers had burned the midnight oilst night marking the papers and individually coted them today. The ranking and scores were finally out when afternoon sses ended.
After the grade reports were pasted on the wall in front, everyone squeezed to take a look the moment sses ended.
Xue Xi did not partake in this, though. To her, things such as grades were not important. Hence, she picked up her bag and walked out the door.
In the ssroom, Fan Han and Xue Yao had not left. They were packing their bags as they eyed the front of the ss. While both of them held themselves in high regard and deigned to squeeze with the crowd, they were still extremely curious about the ranking this time around.
When most of the crowd had dispersed, Fan Han finally walked over. His gazended on the utmost left column of the first row. s, he, who had hogged the first spot usually, was currently in a different spot.
He was stunned.
Beside him, Xue Yao was going bonkers...
...
...
At 6:30 PM, the car slowly drove through the Xue family’s gates.
Xue Xi moved to open the door the moment the car stopped, but a piercing voice sounded. “Are you very happy?”
She paused, only to see that Xue Yao’s eyes were red and brimming with tears. Thetter shouted, “You pretended to be a dimwit to see me and Fan Han make a fool out of ourselves. Are you satisfied now?”
Xue Xi was taken aback.
<i>Is this person’s brain fine?</i>
Before Xue Xi could reply, Xue Yao had already alighted from the car and ran into the mansion.
When Xue Xi alighted and followed her path into the living room, she immediately heard Old Lady Xue’s anxious voice. “Yaoyao, what’s the matter?”
Not speaking a word, Xue Yao ran upstairs and locked herself in her room.
Old Lady Xue was anxiously and worriedly circling outside her door. “What happened? Why are you suddenly crying...”
“Oh, right. The results are out today. Did Xue Xi bully you out of jealousy because you scored better than she did?”
Xue Xi, who had just walked in: “...”