Arriving at school, Zhu Yaya quickly took down her bun and re-tied it into a fresh one before entering the campus.
"How does it look?" Not in the habit of carrying a small mirror, she asked Yan Heng beside her, "It's not crooked, is it?"
Yan Heng gazed at her steadily. "No."
This lively hairstyle suited her very well.
He added, "It looks nice."
"Really?" Zhu Yaya had serious doubts about the aesthetic sense of a typical straight guy. She ran over to check her reflection in the glass window of a nearby shop. Seeing it looked alright, she finally relaxed.
Yan Heng had originally walked to school with Zhu Yaya, but gradually, he fell behind, putting some distance between them. Zhu Yaya urged him a few times, but seeing no reaction, she gave up and walked ahead with Xu Chun.
Morning reading today was Chinese, taught by their homeroom teacher, Chang Wen. She walked in carrying a stack of test papers.
"Everyone did quite well on the Chinese section of the monthly exam this time. The class representative, please hand out the papers." Her expression carried a satisfied smile. "By the way, for this monthly exam, Zhu Yaya achieved the top Chinese score in our grade, 145 points."
Zhu Yaya proudly straightened her back.
Xu Baoying applauded subtly under the desk. "Awesome, sis. I never thought anyone could score above 140 in Chinese."
As soon as the paper was handed to her, Xu Baoying borrowed it, saying she wanted to pay homage to the top-scoring paper. Then a few other girls came over asking to borrow Zhu Yaya's Chinese test as well.
Thus, during the Chinese morning reading session, Zhu Yaya's Chinese paper made its rounds throughout the entire class, viewed by everyone in turn.
The first and second periods were Chinese class with Chang Wen. She spent both periods going over the entire exam. After class, she also asked Zhu Yaya for her paper back. "The top-scoring paper needs to be posted on the bulletin board on the first floor."
The third and fourth periods were English and Math respectively. Both teachers came to class with smiles, announcing that Zhu Yaya had also scored first in English and Math.
Xu Baoying beside her was almost turning into a lemon (green with envy). "I thought you were just a bronze, but I never expected you to be a king!"
"I told you to believe in me!" Zhu Yaya laughed, covering her mouth.
Xu Baoying was very excited. "The full statistics and rankings for all subjects will be out by noon today. With your scores in the main subjects like this, as long as your minor subjects don't crash, you're definitely looking at top three in the grade. Then you'll win the bet with Teacher Chang."
Zhu Yaya nodded smugly.
At noon, as the saying goes, if you're not enthusiastic about eating, there's something wrong with your mindset. Fueled by a strong passion for Chinese culinary culture, Zhu Yaya charged towards the cafeteria to get her meal.
The auntie at the first cafeteria window showed she was already used to it, deftly serving this female student, whose soul was burning with "foodie spirit," a generous portion. Zhu Yaya smiled contentedly.
However, Zhu Yaya deliberately ate slower this time. She finished her meal leisurely by 12:20 and handed her tray to Yan Heng, who was working there part-time.
"Thanks for the hard work, Brother Yan." Zhu Yaya grinned, standing on tiptoe to pat his shoulder.
Yan Heng's expression was frosty. "You have a grain of rice on your hand."
"Oh, uh, hahaha. Sorry about that, Brother Yan. I've got things to do now, gotta run." Zhu Yaya shrugged sheepishly.
Zhu Yaya walked with hurried steps. When she arrived at the first-floor bulletin board of the Diligence Building, it wasn't yet the scheduled time. She climbed to her classroom on the third floor to fetch her fruit box containing watermelon.
Now, Zhu Jianjun and Zhao Jing both knew about her sudden love for watermelon, so they always kept some at home. Thanks to online shopping, she could still buy watermelon in October.
When Zhu Yaya reached the first-floor bulletin board, Murong Beichen hadn't arrived yet. The monthly exam results were indeed posted. She first looked at the high school freshman (Grade 10) results list, confidently starting from the top row. Just as she expected, the name "Zhu Yaya" was glaringly written in the position for first place in the grade.
She thought to herself, as a seasoned senior student (in spirit), it would be unacceptable if she couldn't outscore a bunch of high school freshmen!
When her gaze shifted to the high school sophomore (Grade 11) results list, just like in the plot, Xu Chun had gotten first place. Yan Heng hadn't taken the final biology exam, receiving a zero, yet he still ranked second in the grade, his total score not far from Xu Chun's.
If Yan Heng hadn't suddenly had to leave due to a family matter, the top spot wouldn't have gone to Xu Chun.
As she was thinking this, she suddenly sensed someone approaching. She glanced over subtly out of the corner of her eye. It was indeed the male lead, Murong Beichen. She tightened her grip on the fruit box in her hand, waiting for the right moment to enjoy the drama.
Murong Beichen, with his rainbow-colored hair, stood with his hands in his pockets, looking at the sophomore results list. But when he saw the name in first place had changed, a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes.
He thought to himself, this Xu Chun actually managed to surpass Yan Heng, breaking the myth of Yan Heng's invincibility.
Seeing his expression, Zhu Yaya knew it was time for her to deliver her line.
So, she said in a deliberately sour, mocking tone, "Pfft, her! If that certain someone hadn't missed the last exam, would it ever be Xu Chun's turn to be first?"
By now, a small crowd had gathered in front of the first-floor bulletin board of the Diligence Building—some to check scores, others to catch a glimpse of Murong Beichen. Yan Heng stood outside the crowd, watching Zhu Yaya speak those words with a look of indignation, and his heart gave a slight tremble. Was she... defending him? He had originally come to check Zhu Yaya's results but ended up overhearing her standing up for him.
Hearing Zhu Yaya's words, Murong Beichen immediately frowned. He turned his head, his eyes filled with five parts disdain, three parts mockery, and two parts pity, looking down at Zhu Yaya as if she were trash. "You think first in the grade is so easy to get? If you have what it takes, go get first place yourself, instead of spouting sour grapes here! Woman, your jealous face is truly ugly!"
Zhu Yaya: ...
Jealous? Ugly?
For heaven's sake, I am the first in the freshman grade! What do I have to be jealous of?!
But she was a professional. As an onlooker, one must act the part. She completely ignored Murong Beichen, silently took out her fruit box, opened it, and started eating watermelon.
Murong Beichen raised an eyebrow with a roguish air. Was this the latest trick to get his attention? He smiled contemptuously, retorts already on the tip of his tongue.
Just then, Gu Tao, the PE monitor from Zhu Yaya's class, squeezed through the crowd. He glanced at the freshman results list and happily patted Zhu Yaya's shoulder. "Minister Zhu, you're first in our freshman grade! Awesome, you won the bet with Teacher Chang. Wait, with these scores... you, you seem to have broken the record set by sophomore Yan Heng before!"
The surrounding crowd erupted in murmurs.
Murong Beichen was dumbstruck. First in the grade! And she broke Yan Heng's record! He took a deep look at Zhu Yaya, who was munching on watermelon, somewhat unable to believe it.
Zhu Yaya swallowed her watermelon, stood on tiptoe, and patted Gu Tao's shoulder back. "Thanks, bro." She knew Gu Tao had done that on purpose.
Gu Tao smiled, revealing a row of eight neat, white teeth. "No need to thank me, Minister Zhu! We're all in the same class, so no need to be so formal! Besides, I have my own selfish reasons. We can't let those second-year seniors look down on us first-years."
Yan Heng stood coldly on the outskirts of the crowd, watching the interaction between Zhu Yaya and Gu Tao, his expression inscrutable.
Xu Chun had also arrived, having witnessed the entire incident that just unfolded. She bit her lip, a hint of unwillingness flashing in her eyes.
