MM | Chapter 29

Results

During the monthly break, the Affiliated High School was unusually quiet.

Li Yu stood under the Duxing Building waiting for someone. Qi Jiahao came in from outside, holding his phone, and said, “Sister Jing will be here soon.”

He Shu from Class B and Ma Shi from Class 9 nodded nervously and asked, “You have Teacher Yang’s number?”

“Yeah, of course. Sometimes she asks me to help with grading papers and recording scores, so it’s convenient to have her number,” Qi Jiahao replied with a smile.

Jiang Tian and Sheng Wang decided to go solo, but they still came to school to meet up because Qi Jiahao said he had contacted Yang Jing for some pre-competition guidance.

Soon, Yang Jing arrived with a plastic bag. She opened it and said, “I passed by a convenience store and bought you some drinks. Take one each.”

Even after class, Yang Jing’s presence was strong, and everyone was both flattered and nervous as they received the drinks, following her like little chicks.

“Teacher, why are you at the Duxing Building today?” Only Qi Jiahao was bold enough to chat with her.

“Grading papers,” Yang Jing said, nodding toward the stairs. “This month’s exam papers were jointly issued by four schools, and we’re doing cross-grading. I’ve been here grading No. 1 High School’s papers for the past two days.”

While she spoke, Director Xu, known as Big Mouth Xu, entered the building. Yang Jing glanced at him and deliberately raised her voice, “You guys are quite diligent, coming to talk before the competition. Unlike some leaders who are only focused on math and science, as if English isn’t a main subject. They treat competitions like a formality.”

Such last-minute preparations wouldn’t happen for math and science competitions. In the Affiliated High School’s Class A, everyone prepared and participated, creating a bustling atmosphere. In contrast, the English, essay, biology, and computer competitions were much quieter.

The pragmatic leader awkwardly replied, “Well, it’s about cost-effectiveness. Students’ energy is limited, so we have to consider the value. If they get a provincial third prize or above in math and science, they get early admission tickets. What about English?”

Yang Jing snorted, “We can also aim for the top 40 in the province.”

“Count how many top 40s we’ve had in recent years.”

Each provincial key school in the city had its strengths. The Affiliated High School excelled in math and physics, but in English… the top spots in competitions were mostly taken by No. 1 High School, leaving little room for others.

“Who can you blame if you don’t value it?” Yang Jing said.

“Alright, alright.” Big Mouth Xu raised his hands in surrender, then gestured for her to proceed, “Go grade the papers, Comrade Xiao Yang.”

Yang Jing led the four students upstairs to the grading office. English teachers from various grades were scattered behind desks, each with a few sealed exam papers.

Qi Jiahao craned his neck, trying to catch a glimpse of the grading process.

“Don’t bother looking,” Yang Jing said, leading them to a corner away from the grading tables. “They’re not your papers, so it won’t help.”

“Teacher, who’s grading our papers?” Li Yu asked.

“Probably Nan High School,” Yang Jing said with schadenfreude. “They grade harshly and deduct points heavily. You’re in for it.”

“…”

Li Yu thought it would have been better not to ask. The answer just shattered his mindset.

A male teacher nearby chimed in, “They’re harsh, but so are we. We won’t go easy on No. 1 High School either. It’s tit for tat, and everyone ends up crying.”

Whatever the teachers’ mindset was, the four students already looked green.

“Anyway, this time the English scores won’t be high. The paper was tough, and the grading strict,” Yang Jing turned and said, “I spoke with Yang Ziwen from Nan High School yesterday. He said there are very few scores above 100, and only two or three above 110. Apparently, one student did well in the essay but messed up the multiple-choice. The name is sealed, so who knows who it is.”

The male teacher chuckled dryly, “It’s probably Sheng Wang from your class. He missed the listening section.”

Yang Jing sighed, “Don’t get me started on that. What was that kid thinking?”

“By the way, where is that kid?” she questioned Qi Jiahao. “Why didn’t he come? Is he afraid of me scolding him?”

Caught off guard, Qi Jiahao stammered, “We called him yesterday, and he said he wouldn’t come.”

Yang Jing’s eyes widened, “Is he getting cocky?”

Li Yu glanced at Qi Jiahao and quickly explained, “Teacher, we didn’t say we were coming to see you yesterday. Sheng Wang didn’t know. He said he’d take the subway, same with Jiang Tian.”

“Oh, fine.” Yang Jing, like an Empress Dowager, said, “When you see him this afternoon, tell him the monthly exam results will be announced tomorrow. Tell him to behave, I might call him for a talk anytime.”

No one dared to defy her, nodding obediently.

“Tell him after the competition, so it doesn’t affect his mood,” Yang Jing added.

The so-called pre-competition guidance wasn’t about solving problems but rather discussing things to watch out for.

Despite her strong demeanor, Yang Jing paid attention to each student’s strengths and weaknesses. She advised Li Yu not to be nervous and to watch the time, and told Qi Jiahao to stay calm and avoid getting stuck on problems, to let go when necessary.

Around noon, the four left the Duxing Building and headed to the nearest Wutongwai subway station.

As they exited the west gate and passed through the residential area, Li Yu suddenly exclaimed, “Isn’t that Jiang Tian?”

“Where?”

They followed his voice and saw a tall boy standing by the subway entrance across the street, wearing a simple white T-shirt that drew the attention of passersby.

He held his backpack strap with one hand, absorbed in his phone, ignoring the attention.

“Wasn’t he taking the subway?” He Shu asked a silly question.

“Yeah,” Li Yu pointed to the sign, “Isn’t this the subway?”

“…”

“Alright, so he was leaving from here too? Why didn’t he come with us?”

Ma Shi, one of the girls who blushed at Jiang Tian, glanced over and said, “When have you seen him buddy up with anyone?”

Qi Jiahao said, “Guys aren’t like you. You need company even to go to the restroom.”

Just as he finished speaking, another familiar figure turned the corner.

He was also wearing a loose short-sleeved shirt, with a sports bag slung diagonally across his shoulder, the black strap with a letter logo crossing from his left shoulder to his right hip, looking fresh and handsome.

“Sheng Wang!” Ma Shi exclaimed again, then whispered to Li Yu, “Whether we win a prize or not, it’s worth it. It’s a feast for the eyes.”

They waited at the red light, watching Sheng Wang cross the street to Jiang Tian.

He snapped his fingers near Jiang Tian’s left ear, then quickly moved to the right. But Jiang Tian didn’t play along and turned right, catching him.

Judging by his lips, Sheng Wang said, “Damn.”

Jiang Tian put his phone in his pocket, exchanged a few words, and they headed into the subway.

The pedestrian light turned green, and Qi Jiahao led the others to catch up.

*

As Sheng Wang passed through security, he heard someone call his name. Surprised, he turned to see his classmates running over.

“Huh? You guys here too?”

“Yeah, we came from school and happened to see you two,” Qi Jiahao said.

“You really met at school?” Sheng Wang felt like a tour guide and found it amusing.

“Sister Jing called us for pre-competition guidance,” Qi Jiahao said, “She even asked about you, wondering if you were avoiding her.”

“Why would I avoid her?” Sheng Wang asked, puzzled.

Qi Jiahao chuckled awkwardly, “Well…”

Sheng Wang then remembered the unpleasantness of the monthly exam and softly said, “Almost forgot I messed up.”

Jiang Tian frowned slightly beside him.

He probably just didn’t like crowds, or maybe he simply didn’t feel like chatting, as he pulled out his phone again.

But Qi Jiahao added, “Sister Jing said not to worry about the monthly exam, focus on the competition first. She’ll probably talk to you tomorrow.”

“Huh?” Sheng Wang looked puzzled.

Li Yu quickly said, “Talk to him after the exam!”

“Oh, oh, sorry,” Qi Jiahao said, “Let’s not talk about that. Focus on the competition.”

The conveyor belt slowly slid out their bags, and Jiang Tian picked up his, saying to Sheng Wang, “Let’s go.”

With that, he walked ahead, looking like he had just swallowed a ton of salt, clearly not in a good mood.

Sheng Wang was taken aback, realizing his bag had been taken. He quickly caught up, not bothering with the others.

He ran a few steps to catch up with Jiang Tian, took his bag back, and mumbled, “I’ve been wondering about something for a long time.”

Jiang Tian’s expression hadn’t thawed, and he lazily raised an eye.

“Has the class rep never been beaten up at the Affiliated High School?” Sheng Wang asked seriously, making it sound even more mocking.

Jiang Tian’s expression finally thawed. He glanced back indifferently and said, “At this rate, soon.”

Sheng Wang chuckled, then said seriously, “Good students shouldn’t gossip behind others’ backs.”

Jiang Tian rolled his eyes at him and quickened his pace. Sheng Wang wasn’t about to be outdone and matched his stride.

Thanks to their long legs, they reached the platform quickly. Just as a subway train was waiting with open doors, they stepped in.

The Wutongwai station wasn’t too crowded during the break, and Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian sat down in the empty seats.

Sheng Wang winked at Jiang Tian, mischievously wiggled his phone, and then, right under Jiang Tian’s nose, opened the small competition group chat created by Li Yu. He slowly typed a message.

Canned: Where are you guys? You’re on the train, right?

Then he seriously tagged Qi Jiahao.

“Childish,” Jiang Tian commented mercilessly, but a slight smile appeared.

Qi Jiahao and the others had just come down the escalator, ready to rush, when the train doors beeped twice, closing right in front of them, then zoomed past.

Qi Jiahao: “…”

He wasn’t too pleased and replied in the group chat: You guys walked too fast, couldn’t keep up. We’ll catch the next one.

About thirty minutes later, just as they were one stop away from the No. 2 High School station, a new message buzzed in the group chat.

Canned: The signal was bad in the subway, just saw this.

Canned: We’re already out, waiting for you at the exam venue.

He sent those messages so quickly that no one had a chance to reply.

Li Yu and the others weren’t too happy, complaining to Qi Jiahao, “See, told you not to bring it up before the exam! Now it’s awkward.”

“…”

Qi Jiahao mentally cursed.

He thought Sheng Wang would be the easygoing type, someone who keeps the peace no matter what. But Sheng Wang had a way of letting everyone know when they annoyed him, and you couldn’t find a way to argue back.

The English competition lasted two and a half hours, just like an exam, only with more difficulty and traps. For Sheng Wang, it wasn’t much different from the monthly test.

He always had a good exam mindset. He’d worked hard beforehand, so the result was up to fate.

Whether fate was nervous or not, he didn’t know, but he wasn’t.

The harder the English test and the larger the volume, the more his speed advantage stood out.

With 15 minutes left, he put down his pen. He never agonized over answers, experience told him that first instincts were usually correct.

His version of checking was just glancing over the paper to ensure there were no silly mistakes or missed questions.

Then… under everyone’s gaze, he handed in his paper early and went to play on his phone by the hallway railing.

To the others in the exam room, his back was the embodiment of “arrogance.”

The proctor held back for a while but finally couldn’t resist, leaned out, and whispered, “Student.”

“Yes?” Sheng Wang turned politely, “What is it, teacher?”

“Don’t wait here for others. They’ll be a while. You can’t linger here,” the proctor said.

Sheng Wang replied, “Uh, it won’t take that long.”

He glanced toward the podium, and the proctor, puzzled, followed his gaze…

And saw another student handing in their paper early.

Alright, got it.

The proctor thought, “Can’t even sit for 15 minutes. Let’s see what you come up with!”

Of course, Sheng Wang didn’t know what the teacher was grumbling about. Once Jiang Tian came out with his bag, they left together.

To the other examinees, it was a clear case of “leaving with swagger”!

The next day, the two who had “left with swagger” were both dragged into Yang Jing’s office for a talk.

For others, a talk was an exchange. For Ms. Yang, it was a one-sided scolding.

“Showing off at the competition, huh?” Yang Jing banged on the table, “Didn’t I tell you not to hand in early, to stay calm? Didn’t I?”

Jiang Tian moved his lips, “Tried to.”

Yang Jing: “…”

Sheng Wang was witnessing his first time talking back to a teacher, and wow, he really knew how to talk. With a single sentence, the teacher was fuming.

Jiang Tian was proud, Sheng Wang felt that from the first time he met him. Most teachers tolerated this kind of top student, smiling at their grades but wanting to smack them at other times.

Sheng Wang quickly tried to salvage the situation, lowering his head, “We were wrong.”

Yang Jing: “…”

She was even more upset.

Just then, He Jin came in with the monthly exam papers, saying, “Here, fresh off the press, take them and review later.”

Yang Jing, with a stern face, took the English papers, flipping through them as she spoke, “Let’s see how these two troublemakers did on the monthly exam. Especially you, Sheng Wang! I haven’t even gotten to you yet—”

She stopped mid-sentence as she reached their papers.

Jiang Tian scored 115, Sheng Wang barely hit 110, missing 7 in listening, losing three points in the essay, one for poor handwriting.

Aside from them, no one else in Class A had scores starting with 11.

As for the student from Nan High School who had supposedly bombed, it was, unfortunately, the English class rep himself.

For some reason, he wasn’t in the right state during the exam, losing over twenty points in the multiple-choice, ending with just 92.

Yang Jing stood with her hands on her hips, unsure whether to laugh or be angry. She remained in a stern pose for a while before deflating.

She glanced at the unflinching Jiang Tian and the faux-apologetic Sheng Wang, waving them off, “Get out. We’ll deal with the competition results later! Go!”

“Yes, ma’am.” Sheng Wang grinned, pushing Jiang Tian to leave quickly.

“Wait!” Yang Jing called after them.

Sheng Wang, already outside, poked his head back in, “Yes?”

Seeing him act cute made Yang Jing’s stomach churn. She held back her frustration and sternly said, “Tell Qi Jiahao to come here.”