So, it’s like this —
That doesn’t seem entirely wrong.
But once the exams were over, Lu Xingyan didn’t think much about it. Because he was quite self-aware. Considering his current level, he still had a long way to go before reaching the standards for admission to a top-tier university.
Xingcheng is a city of extremes, with stark winters and scorching summers, yet the transitions between spring and autumn are less distinct. Winter had barely passed when it felt like spring had quietly slipped away.
In early May, as the sun grew stronger, the atmosphere in the senior high school building became increasingly tense and oppressive. It was common to find students hiding in the restroom, crying from the pressure.
The stack of calendar pages hanging by the blackboard had gradually dwindled to a thin layer, with jagged edges and tiny scraps of paper left at the uneven bindings, trembling lightly in the warm breeze of early summer.
Meanwhile, the results of the second mock exam were released.
Although Shen Xingruo had consistently held the top spot since transferring to Mingli High School, this time she experienced a drastic drop, plummeting from first to fourth place in her grade.
Everyone was shocked. It was as surprising as Lu Xingyan scoring a 530 on the mock exam!
All the classmates who knew Shen Xingruo well came to comfort her.
Even Wang Youfu talked with her.
Shen Xingruo was Mingli High’s best hope for reclaiming the title of top scorer in the liberal arts division this year. This conversation needed delicate handling — it had to be gentle to avoid adding pressure while also providing the necessary guidance. It was truly challenging.
Wang even quietly prepared a Word document and memorized it before speaking to Shen Xingruo.
“Shen Xingruo, it’s not a big deal that you didn’t do well this time. The teachers have complete faith in your abilities.”
“The biggest issue this time was with math. Both I and Teacher Liang reviewed your test paper. It’s not that you didn’t know how to solve the problems; you just didn’t finish them.”
Shen Xingruo nodded.
During this round of mock exams, she got her period, and her stomach was hurting. Combined with the hot classroom, she was genuinely irritated. Glancing at the math questions, she found the initial ones relatively easy, so she left them for later and focused on the final major question. She ended up dedicating an entire page to the last question. By the time she finished, time had run out, leaving two and a half math questions unanswered. It was indeed a mistake. She also didn’t put much effort into the liberal arts paper, missing out on several details in some questions, and losing points that she shouldn’t have.
After leaving Wang Youfu’s office and heading home that evening, she received another round of scolding from Lu Xingyan.
Perhaps Lu Xingyan had been holding back for a while, but he finally found an opportunity to return the same kind of harsh words she often threw at him.
“Are you a woodlouse? Just because the question is phrased differently, you can’t answer it?”
“What kind of answers are these? You only wrote three sentences for the political science question. Do you think every word you say is precious? I think you’re just babbling nonsense.”
“You’re so generous in the math exam, leaving two and a half major questions unanswered. Did you think the land prices on the math paper were cheap, so you decided to reserve them for building your own house?”
“Just because you’ve been at the top of the class for a few exams, you think you’re already in outer space!”
Shen Xingruo paused, then calmly put down her pen and glanced at him.
“I think you won’t need a girlfriend after the college entrance examination. You’re so good at talking; why not just date yourself? Wouldn’t that be great?”
Lu Xingyan was momentarily speechless.
“I’ll now demonstrate a one-second ‘shut up’ for you.”
She mimicked zipping her mouth shut with her fingers.