Students who have copied homework know all too well that to avoid getting caught, you not only have to match your own academic level and leave just the right amount of rough work on the assignment, but you also have to rely on sheer luck.
For example, if there’s a problem that no one in the class can solve except you and the top student in the class—and your answers are identical—then the teacher will definitely be watching you.
Or say the answer to a question is "b/q," but someone misreads it as "6/9," and the next person happily simplifies it further… Well, no need to guess—the teacher will surely put on a special performance just for you in front of the whole class.
For many students who barely understand the questions, mastering the "art" of copying homework is undoubtedly a skill.
But when it comes to Dou Xinran…
Ye Qianying felt that "skill" was too mild a word for what she was witnessing. What unfolded before her eyes was nothing short of a behavioral art piece about money.
After observing her new deskmate’s grand business operation, Ye Qianying began to understand why Dou Xinran, the top student in science, had no objections to being placed in Class 15—the so-called "worst class" in the grade.
Because he wasn’t there to make friends—he was there to build a client base!
As the newly crowned top student in all nine subjects, Ye Qianying clearly wasn’t on Dou Xinran’s expected customer list. But that didn’t stop him from marking her as a potential client.
After asking, "Need help with your homework?" Dou Xinran’s second question to her was, "Which competition class did you join?"
Ye Qianying was surprised by the question.
As an ambitious private school, Shenji had specialized competition classes.
Shenji regularly won awards in math and physics competitions, while biology, chemistry, and essay contests were more hit-or-miss.
Unlike prestigious public schools like No. 1 High or No. 6 High, Shenji didn’t have the resources to dedicate an entire class solely to competition prep. Instead, these classes were held during scattered free periods—lunch breaks, self-study sessions, or after-school hours.
Getting into a competition class wasn’t too difficult either. As long as a student ranked in the top 50 for a subject, they could join the corresponding class.
After the recent exams, every competition class had extended an olive branch to Ye Qianying.
In the end, she chose math.
Not only was it the subject she’d grown most attached to since her rebirth, but Teacher Zhong had already given her a solid foundation in competition-level material.
She’d already submitted her application form, and later that afternoon, during self-study, she would attend her first competition class.
"Math competition. Why do you ask?" Ye Qianying gave Dou Xinran a questioning look.
"Ah, math class." Dou Xinran nodded knowingly. "Teacher Ma is in charge there. He’s a bit neurotic and extremely strict—he assigns a ton of homework."
Ye Qianying couldn’t help but laugh. "Don’t tell me you’re offering to do competition homework too?"
Dou Xinran’s expression remained dead serious, which somehow made everything he said sound more credible.
"That service isn’t available yet. But if you sign up for an annual VIP membership, you’ll get priority access to customized services when it launches. What I meant was, if your competition homework piles up, you can outsource your regular homework to me. As my deskmate, you get an 20% discount on all services."
Ye Qianying: "…"
Wow. The top science student was trying to sell homework services to the top student in all nine subjects.
She really ought to send her eldest brother’s sales team here to learn from him—this was next-level "selling combs to monks" mastery.
"Not for now, thanks." After politely declining, Ye Qianying couldn’t resist asking, "Just out of curiosity—you don’t have to answer if it’s confidential—was this your pricing model back when you were in Class 1?"
Dou Xinran clearly understood her implication. He replied tactfully, "No. Back then, I only did holiday homework."
At that, everything clicked for Ye Qianying.
So this guy had only launched his daily homework service after transferring to Class 15—custom-tailored for his new environment.
But one thing still puzzled her: "How did you come up with these prices?"
Fifty yuan per subject was just right for Class 15, but students in other classes probably couldn’t afford it.
Dou Xinran looked thoughtful, as if this question touched on trade secrets.
After a moment of internal debate—apparently deciding Ye Qianying wasn’t a threat to his business—he finally answered.
"There’s a grade-wide group chat with over a thousand members. One of them, Lian Deng from Class 15, posts weekly updates on his Q.Q Space—KTV reservations, equestrian competitions, restaurant bills, photos from your class gatherings…"
Here, Dou Xinran sighed almost reverently. "Through his Q.Q Space, I got to know every student in Class 15. The pricing is based on your spending habits. It involved a lot of data analysis. If you’re curious about the methodology, I’ll sell you the breakdown for 2,000 yuan—non-negotiable."
Ye Qianying: "…"
She was utterly awed by his salesmanship.
But what truly stunned her was: "He posts his bills every week?" Just how bored was this guy?
Dou Xinran nodded calmly. "Yes. He’s been doing it for six years."
Ye Qianying: "…"
As a well-funded private school, Shenji never lacked space.
Other schools might have to borrow labs for competition classes, but Shenji had no such problem. The school had dedicated an entire floor exclusively for competition prep.
—We might not have specialized competition classes or top-tier students, but we’ve got money! None of those elite public schools can match our budget!
Take Teacher Ma, for example—the math competition instructor was one of Shenji’s prized hires.
He didn’t even teach regular classes. The school’s only demand was that he train competition students well.
Perhaps due to a prior arrangement, Ye Qianying was seated front and center in the first row.
Her deskmate was a soft-spoken sophomore girl who seemed very gentle.
Coincidentally, the seat across the aisle from Ye Qianying was occupied by her other new deskmate, Dou Xinran.
Qi Yuanwen was also in the math competition class. He sat by the window, still in the first row but separated from Ye Qianying by three or four seats. The moment Ye Qianying’s wheelchair turned into the classroom, an indescribably complicated expression flashed across Qi Yuanwen’s face.
He loosely clenched his fist, hesitating over whether he should move the chair originally placed at her desk. Just as he was about to stand up, he saw Dou Xinran casually bend down, pick up the chair with one hand, and place it in the corner of the classroom.
"……"
Qi Yuanwen suddenly felt a lump in his throat. The sight before him was unbearably grating.
To make matters worse, his deskmate chose that moment to lean over and share some gossip in a tone that was both nosy and envious: "Hey, did you know? Xinran got placed in Class 15. What a shame, with his grades..."
Of course I know Dou Xinran was assigned to Class 15. Shut up.
Qi Yuanwen suppressed his irritation and thought bitterly: What’s so shameful about it? Seems to me he’s doing just fine in Class 15—more than fine!
His deskmate prattled on, unable to read the room, his voice dripping with sourness.
"I can’t believe Ye Qianying actually dared to join the math competition class… Tch. She probably thinks it’s just like regular math. Well, Teacher Ma’s going to give her a hard time."
Qi Yuanwen responded to this remark with nothing but a cold glance.
Could Ye Qianying handle competition-level math?
The moment the question arose, only one memory surfaced in Qi Yuanwen’s mind: Ye Qianyan flipping through draft papers—one page bearing one solution to a problem, the next page holding another…
Even now, recalling that scene sent a shiver down his spine.
As for Qi Yuanwen’s inner turmoil, Ye Qianying remained completely oblivious, mainly because she hadn’t even noticed his presence in the classroom.
Most of her attention was fixed on Teacher Ma.
At first glance, she immediately understood what Dou Xinran had meant by "eccentric."
After all, Teacher Ma was… special. The kind of person who stood out instantly, impossible to ignore.
Teacher Ma sported a center-parted hairstyle, every strand meticulously secured with hair gel. The look should have appeared dated, but given how little hair his scalp could support, it only made him seem tragically sparse on top.
Most male teachers tended to be somewhat unkempt, but not Teacher Ma. He wore a sharply pressed suit, his tie fastened with a long tie clip, and his shoes polished to a mirror shine. Strangers would never guess his profession—no one would peg him as a math teacher. Most assumed he sold insurance.
If that were all, he might have just been a middle-aged man with questionable fashion sense. But the real kicker? He wore two wristwatches.
Yes, Teacher Ma had a watch on each wrist—left and right—both of the same design. At a glance, one might mistake them for a pair of bracelets.
Ye Qianying: "……"
She suspected he might have symmetry OCD.
That would explain the rare double-strapped briefcase he carried.
Teacher Ma stepped onto the podium, swept a glance across the class, and made no comment on the changes in attendance. He pulled out a stack of test papers from his briefcase and announced flatly, "You have half an hour."
The papers rustled as they were distributed. Ye Qianying flipped through the pages, gauging the number of questions, and instantly grasped the severity of Teacher Ma’s standards. Given the sheer volume of calculations and concepts involved, thirty minutes would barely suffice for half the paper.
She pushed aside distractions and focused entirely on the test.
If time’s tight, I’ll have to abbreviate my steps. With quick strokes, she jotted down key solutions and moved on to the next problem.
As she worked, she began deciphering Teacher Ma’s style.
Top-tier teachers each had their strengths, but their approaches varied. If Teacher Zheng from her study space was the steady, methodical type, then Teacher Ma was undeniably the unpredictable sort.
Most teachers had clear preferences when setting exams—some favored calculation-heavy problems, others loved twisting definitions, and some could turn basic concepts into brain teasers.
But Teacher Ma? He was… erratic.
He didn’t even lean toward difficult questions. One problem might make you tear your hair out, while the next could be solved at a glance. Working through his test was like eating grapes—you never knew whether the next one would be sweet or sour.
The moment the thirty-minute mark arrived, Teacher Ma called time with surgical precision.
Ye Qianying noticed that the instant Teacher Ma tapped the podium, nearly every student set down their pens in unison.
Still wearing that same indifferent expression, Teacher Ma didn’t raise his voice. Students in the back had to strain to hear him.
"Did anyone finish?"
Ye Qianying looked at her three-quarters-completed paper and shook her head regretfully.
Her progress was actually among the fastest—the second-year girl beside her hadn’t even flipped to the second page.
Teacher Ma didn’t seem surprised. "Raise your hand if you finished more than half."
This time, a scattered dozen hands went up.
Ye Qianying glanced at Dou Xinran across the aisle and saw that he, too, had used shorthand. Compared to her, he’d reached the final problem. With just two more minutes, he might have completed the entire thing.
"Alright, lower your hands. Now, everyone who answered fewer than ten questions—stand up."
It wasn’t Ye Qianying’s imagination—the atmosphere in the classroom instantly turned oppressive.
A few students rose slowly, their faces etched with the grim resolve of martyrs. It was as if they were holding lit dynamite, the fuse already hissing, counting down the seconds before they’d be blasted into the sky as the brightest stars.
Teacher Ma impatiently rapped the desk, his right watch sliding out from his sleeve.
"Hurry up. Do I need to check myself?"
At his words, a few more students gritted their teeth and stood.
Without counting individually, Teacher Ma took one sweeping look and confirmed the number.
"If you can't even solve ten problems, it means you either didn't listen in class last time or didn’t do the homework I assigned. Get out—you’re not attending today’s lesson."
"……"
The students seemed to have anticipated this outcome. Without a word of protest, they formed a neat single-file line and marched out of the classroom.
Ye Qianying watched them leave with surprise—it wasn’t unusual for a teacher to kick students out of class, but what was strange was how these students had lined up by height before exiting!
Ye Qianying: "……"
This couldn’t possibly be their natural instinct. So, Teacher Ma must really have OCD.
With nearly ten students gone, the already spacious classroom felt even more desolate.
Teacher Ma waved his hand, signaling the remaining competition class students to continue working, while he stepped down from the podium to inspect their progress one by one.
The first paper he picked up was Dou Xinran’s—clearly, he had a firm grasp of each student’s performance. Teacher Ma lingered at Dou Xinran’s desk for less than ten seconds, circled a few problems, and tersely remarked, "Wrong."
Dou Xinran was even more laconic, responding with nothing but a muffled "Hmm."
In Ye Qianying’s peripheral vision, Teacher Ma walked away with his hands behind his back, heading toward the students in the back rows.
This time, his words weren’t as brief. Faint murmurs of his low explanations drifted over, though Ye Qianying quickly tuned them out as she focused.
She immersed herself completely in the test paper, soon forgetting her surroundings. When Teacher Ma suddenly appeared behind her and reached for her paper, she was so absorbed that she startled.
Without warning, Teacher Ma slid the paper out from under Ye Qianying’s hands. He examined it front and back, and for the first time, his expression softened into something resembling approval.
"Solid fundamentals," he praised.
Teacher Ma didn’t notice the stunned looks exchanged among nearby students.
Solid fundamentals? He was talking about Ye Qianying?
What kind of joke was this? Anyone could have a strong foundation in competition math—except Ye Qianying. How long had she even been studying seriously? Mastering regular high school math would’ve been impressive enough, but now she could handle competition-level problems too?
Qi Yuanwen’s deskmate had been watching the scene with amusement, but now his jaw nearly dropped.
"Damn, Qi, you really didn’t stand a chance."
Qi Yuanwen’s mood was as foul as his tone. "Shut it. Like you’re any better."
Teacher Ma shot a sharp glance toward the window where the whispers came from. Once Qi Yuanwen and his deskmate fell silent, he turned back to Ye Qianying’s paper and jotted down a few key points.
The steps were concise—most students would’ve been baffled, but to Ye Qianying, it was a revelation.
Yes, this approach was much faster than the method she’d been using!
For all his stubbornness, OCD tendencies, and neuroticism, Teacher Ma clearly earned his hefty salary.
As for the problems Ye Qianying had left blank, Teacher Ma didn’t scold her. He simply said, "I’ll explain them later."
He set down her paper and studied her for a moment.
"Why didn’t you sign up for my math class before?"
Ye Qianying sighed. "My grades weren’t good enough."
"Not good enough?" Teacher Ma repeated, his tone odd. "Other subjects, fine—but you couldn’t even make the top fifty in math? What was your rank before?"
"……" Ye Qianying paused, recalling the academic ranking someone had posted on the forum.
"One thousand, three hundred and forty-eighth."
Teacher Ma’s eyes bulged. He looked like he was questioning his own hearing.
"You said what?" he demanded, then added, "That’s counting backward, right?"
Ye Qianying shattered his worldview with an apologetic smile. "No, it’s one thousand three hundred and forty-eighth from the top."
Teacher Ma: "……"
He seemed at a loss for words, finally settling on a stiff warning. "Now that you’re in my competition class, don’t slip back out."
Only after Ye Qianying nodded earnestly did he let her be.
—But just because he spared Ye Qianying didn’t mean others were safe.
In the next moment, Teacher Ma pivoted sharply and stormed toward Qi Yuanwen’s desk.
Qi Yuanwen’s deskmate had been stealing glances at the drama, but the sight of Teacher Ma charging their way sent his soul fleeing in terror. He ducked his head, pretending to scribble furiously—only for Teacher Ma to snatch his paper away.
"Why didn’t you solve problem six?" Teacher Ma grilled him. "And problem eighteen—didn’t I cover that last Wednesday?"
The deskmate slumped like a wilted plant. "I’m sorry, Teacher, I really messed up."
"Redo all three of last week’s papers tonight. Use different solving methods—I want to see you thinking."
Three papers? When was he supposed to sleep?
And different methods? That meant he couldn’t even recycle his old answers. God, Teacher Ma’s problems were tricky enough to solve one way—how was he supposed to find alternatives?
The deskmate blinked, shell-shocked by the sudden doom.
But under Teacher Ma’s glare, he didn’t dare refuse.
Swallowing hard, he croaked, "Y-yes, Teacher."
If he’d known eavesdropping would bring this down on him, he’d have kept his mouth shut. Now not only was his night ruined, but who knew if Teacher Ma would even go easy on him tomorrow?
Given another chance, he’d never gossip again. Watching others’ drama wasn’t worth becoming the drama himself.
As for Qi Yuanwen, Teacher Ma didn’t go easy on him either.
Though he hadn’t slacked off like his deskmate and had performed at his usual level, Teacher Ma—fresh from the shock of Ye Qianying’s progress—found Qi Yuanwen’s work underwhelming.
As one of the math prodigies in the competition class, Qi Yuanwen had always been held to high expectations. But now, he seemed stagnant—and that was disappointing.
"Too many mistakes, and you didn’t even finish?" Teacher Ma frowned. "Look, even the new girl solved more problems faster and more accurately than you."
"……"
In broad daylight, Qi Yuanwen took the hit straight to his pride, feeling like he might cough up blood from sheer frustration.
Someone in the back who knew the inside story couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter, only to hastily cover their mouth mid-chuckle. The distorted sound only added to the absurdity of the moment.
Yet Teacher Ma still refused to let Qi Yuanwen off the hook.
“I’ve heard your mind has been wandering lately—thinking about romance, isn’t that right? A student’s priority is studying, not getting distracted by such frivolous things. Just look…” Teacher Ma glanced around the classroom before settling his gaze on Ye Qianying, who had just joined the class that day. “Look at this young lady—she doesn’t waste time on romance, she focuses solely on her studies. That’s why her understanding is so sharp and her foundation so solid. If she spent all her time daydreaming about love, do you think she’d be this good at math?”
Qi Yuanwen: “…”
At that, the entire class could no longer contain themselves. One by one, they erupted into laughter, turning the room into a sea of amusement.
—And let’s be honest, wasn’t Ye Qianying’s sudden academic improvement something that happened right after she dumped Qi Yuanwen?
Teacher Ma wasn’t wrong this time: staying single leads to progress in studies, while romance keeps you stuck in place. He hit the nail right on the head!
Unintentionally, Teacher Ma had delivered a critical blow, wiping out the last of Qi Yuanwen’s dignity.
In front of him was Teacher Ma’s stern face. To his right was Ye Qianying’s wheelchair. Everywhere else, his classmates’ gleeful eyes bore into him. In the end, he could only turn his head toward the drifting clouds outside the window, feeling as though the world had lost all warmth—only the sky held a trace of solace.
