Chapter 100
Chapter 100
Only after my slightly stern lecture did Wang Dachun and Zeng Jin obediently nod and abandon their plan to burn incense and worship at a temple late at night.
After crossing Lianghe Bridge, we parted at the intersection.
They headed south.
I continued east and had to cross the entire long, narrow Lianghe Town before reaching the coffin shop at its eastern end.
After more than twenty minutes, there were fewer people around and the streetlights had grown dim. On the dark street ahead, I saw Wang Hu floating back and forth.
I approached with a smile.
“Brother Wang, what if you frighten someone wandering around at night?”
“You’re back from school, Young Mr. Wu?”
He floated over to greet me, then scratched his head and answered honestly.
“Boss told me to stroll around. It will familiarize me with the area around the shop and exercise my spirit body. Don’t worry. Ordinary people can’t see me unless I deliberately manifest. I won’t frighten anyone.”
I nodded. “All right. If Old Cao told you to, you know what you’re doing.”
We chatted as we walked toward the coffin shop. The streetlights stretched my solitary shadow very, very long…
The next day, I went to school.
Though I appeared calm, I felt extremely anxious inside.
The monthly exam results were about to be announced!
Yao Nan wore a lovely dress that day. It looked quite pretty.
When I stared at her curiously, she gave me a haughty glare and volunteered an explanation. “My mother says you should dress nicely when facing something important. It gives you confidence.”
All right…
I shrugged, unable to understand.
Many years later, I learned that girls online had a popular phrase for this: a sense of occasion. Apparently, my female deskmate already understood the concept in 1999.
The classroom buzzed with noise.
Everyone was talking excitedly.
“Quiet!”
Our homeroom teacher, Chen Xue, entered carrying a thick stack of exam papers and a list.
Everyone immediately fell silent. You could have heard a pin drop.
“The results of our first monthly exam are out. I’ll read them first. Afterward, I’ll return your mathematics papers, and we’ll review them today. Your other teachers will return their papers during class.”
I also sat bolt upright.
Master was one of the three most important people in the world to me. Naturally, I did not dare disobey her instructions.
“I’ll start from last place… Liu Ping, fifty-eighth in the class and two hundred seventy-ninth in the grade.”
A tall, thin boy with a face covered in acne stood with a miserable expression, approached the podium, and collected his mathematics paper and score report.
Chen Xue looked at him and said calmly, “Liu Ping, you’re last in our class but not last in the grade. Fortunately, you’ve only humiliated yourself halfway, not completely.”
“Hahaha!”
The entire class burst out laughing.
Our homeroom teacher might teach mathematics, but he was truly skilled at sarcasm. He was no worse than a language teacher!
Chen Xue continued.
“Wang Sanli, fifty-seventh in the class and two hundred sixty-sixth in the grade.”
A tall, heavy boy stood and carefully approached to collect his mathematics paper and score report.
Mr. Chen continued reading names and ranks as students approached the podium one by one.
To my surprise, Wang Dachun had placed twenty-sixth in our class–the best result among his little clique of spoiled delinquents.
Zeng Jin did slightly worse, placing thirty-third.
I could barely remember the others’ names, but I knew they had satisfied my earlier demand and stayed out of the bottom ten.
Otherwise, they would no longer be allowed to call me Boss and would be expelled from Wang Dachun’s little group.
I heard this demand had caused quite a stir among the spoiled delinquents throughout the school!
The troublemakers had probably never imagined that one day, remaining in a boss’s gang would depend on their exam scores.
It was absurd!
Finally, only two names had not been called: Yao Nan’s and mine.
Chen Xue looked our way with a kind, satisfied smile.
“Yao Nan, second in the class and third in the grade.”
Clap, clap, clap!
The entire class immediately applauded.
Every gaze directed at Yao Nan was full of appreciation and admiration.
A girl like her was beautiful, came from a good family, possessed many talents, and earned outstanding grades. Wherever she went, she naturally carried a halo and became the center of attention.
“Keep working hard, Yao Nan. Maintain this momentum.”
Mr. Chen handed her the paper and score report, smiling as he gently encouraged her.
“Thank you, Mr. Chen!”
Yao Nan smiled happily too.
The result made her feel that her hard work over the past month had not been wasted.
She returned to her seat like a colorful butterfly.
I gave her a congratulatory look.
Holding the final score report, Chen Xue slowly surveyed the class. At last, he spoke with calm delight.
“Finally, we have the student who placed first in our class on this monthly exam–and first in the entire grade! He brought honor to our class. That student is…”
Chen Xue’s gaze settled on me.
“Wu Zhong! Congratulations. You placed first in the entire grade.”
The applause around me abruptly stopped, and the room fell silent. An instant later, the applause returned even louder.
Everyone stared at me in astonishment.
They seemed unable to believe that someone from a rural village could place first in the grade at the district middle school. At the same time, their expressions held admiration.
To be honest, educational stratification was not merely an issue repeatedly discussed online in the present era. It had already begun when I attended middle school.
The top-performing students in our class almost all came from town. Their parents had respectable jobs, and they had attended tutoring classes from childhood and received a good education.
Yao Nan was one example.
My placing first in the grade had already shocked many people…
When I heard Chen Xue announce the rank, I finally relaxed completely.
“I did it! Master won’t scold me or expel me now, will she? I finally survived the first month’s test.”
Thinking this, I approached the podium and accepted my mathematics paper and score report.
I looked down. Yes, a perfect score of one hundred.
To be honest, I did not fundamentally enjoy studying.
Master had simply left me no choice!
And she had said that to reach the greatest heights in the esoteric arts, I needed a profound understanding of scientific and academic knowledge, which only appeared opposed to esoteric practice but shared the same essence.
There was no helping it. I had to become a top student.
I was forced into academic excellence!