Sun Fuan spent the entire afternoon basking in his subtle braggadocio until every teacher around him avoided making eye contact. Only then did he reluctantly ease off, printing out the midterm scores after a few clicks on the computer.
No wonder the homeroom teacher of Class Two was envious. With the addition of the “drag” of a student like Xie Ruan, they assumed that Class One’s average score would be pulled down. But when the results came in, any flicker of hope was immediately extinguished.
Class One had not only taken first place again but had widened the gap with the second-ranking class.
This was routine for Sun Fuan.
Just like Bo Jin, maintaining first place was the standard. It would only be noteworthy if his rank ever dropped.
His gaze skimmed over the scores, falling on each student’s personal score.
He examined the list carefully and found no issues with most of the students, aside from a few with significant ranking fluctuations. He circled these names, planning to talk to them during evening study hall.
With everything in order, he sipped his tea, and with a contented mood, left the office.
“Finally, he’s gone.”
A teacher muttered in relief, instantly lightening the atmosphere of the entire office. Those who had been holding it in ran off to the restroom, while others with stiff shoulders stood up to stretch.
The teachers exchanged glances, sharing a collective sigh. People who brag are one thing, but someone who usually holds a straight face going into “brag mode”—now that’s truly terrifying!
And they couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy.
Every teacher has a desire to save a rebellious teenager. However, all their efforts won’t make a difference without a student like Xie Ruan, who decides to turn over a new leaf.
It’s one thing for top students not to measure up to him—after all, there’s only one Bo Jin in the world. But not even having the same motivation to study? That’s a problem!
The more the teachers thought about it, the more frustrated they became. If they didn’t vent, they might explode, so several classes ended up taking the hit.
When the test scores were announced, the scolding was relentless, especially for those students who relied on their smarts but didn’t take studying seriously. They became prime targets.
“Do you know about Xie Ruan from Class 1? He improved by 200 points on his latest exam! And look at you, chatting away in study hall!”
“What does effort look like? That’s what Class 1’s Xie Ruan shows! Some of you just advance a few ranks and get all cocky—do you have any shame?”
“Xie Ruan raised his score by over 200 points without slacking off, and here you are, laughing away! You are the worst class I’ve ever taught!”
……..
Everyone in the second year knew Xie Ruan—he was the infamous one obsessed with Shen Xingyun.
Usually, when the homeroom teacher gave a lecture, he’d use him as a cautionary tale against early relationships. But today was downright ridiculous—the teachers were all in sync, praising Xie Ruan like he was a precious flower.
And 200 points of improvement—was that real? Not just a slip of the tongue?
Shijia High didn’t restrict phones as long as students didn’t use them during class, so many students were in the habit of browsing the forums.
There had been posts before suggesting that Xie Ruan had broken up with Shen Xingyun to focus on his studies. But no one took it seriously, assuming he was just playing games.
But now, it looked like… maybe there was some truth to it.
The school forum buzzed with discussion about Xie Ruan’s score that day.
“Our homeroom teacher hyped up Xie Ruan like he’s the best thing since sliced bread—you’d think he was his own son!”
“Your homeroom teacher said that too? Ours did as well—are they all coordinating or something?”
“Could there possibly be… two Xie Ruans in Year Two?”
“Give it up. Xie Ruan’s too famous. If there were two of him, we’d have noticed long ago.”
“Two hundred points! And he’s only been in that class for, what, a month? Scary stuff.”
“It’s been a bit over a month. I remember watching the post about him and Shen Xingyun breaking up on the forum. I never expected this kind of ending.”
“A 200-point jump in a month? Yeah, right—he must’ve cheated.”
“You’re overestimating us here at the last exam room. Even if we cheated, we wouldn’t get scores like that.”
“I wonder how long he’ll keep up this streak. If he keeps improving… I’m suddenly curious about how far he’ll go.”
“Now that you mention it, I kind of am too…”
Before, whenever anyone mentioned Xie Ruan, it was always about his drama with Shen Xingyun. But after this exam, everything was different.
Everyone’s attention was on his score, with almost no one bringing up Shen Xingyun. And even if they did, other people quickly redirected the conversation.
“Amazing, amazing!” Song Xinghe exited the forum and put down his phone, patting Xie Ruan hard on the shoulder. “You have no idea how dark Teacher Shi’s face was today. He was scolding us nonstop. Wang Zhao and Zhao Hongfu happened to walk right into it, and boy, did they get an earful.”
Song Xinghe laughed, “He usually doesn’t bother with Shen Xingyun’s crowd, but today he completely blew up, saying he was going to call in their parents. I’m guessing it was because your score triggered him.”
Xie Ruan felt like he was floating, barely able to feel his feet on the ground.
He knew he’d done well this time, but he hadn’t expected it to be this well.
A total score of over 400, with only English failing—he never would have dared dream of this before.
But Xie Ruan knew this wasn’t his true level. He had managed to pull this off partly because midterm exams test current knowledge, and partly because Bo Jin had given him hints. The timing, preparation, and circumstances were all perfect for this success.
He had to keep working hard; otherwise, if he did poorly next time, it’d be embarrassing.
“It’s alright,” Xie Ruan forced down a grin, trying to keep a calm expression. “The total score isn’t that high.”
Song Xinghe: “…”
With a deadpan look, Song Xinghe glanced at him. “If you’ve got the guts, go say that under the Honor Roll. See if you don’t get beaten to a pulp.”
Two hundred points of progress and still “just okay”? How are the students who are scolded to bits supposed to feel?
“Kidding,” Xie Ruan raised an eyebrow, looking confident as ever. “Not so sure who’d be doing the beating.” Remembering his recent test score, he smirked. “Know what this is called?”
Song Xinghe responded automatically, “What?”
Xie Ruan flexed his wrist. “Excelling in both brains and brawn.”
Song Xinghe: “…”
Song Xinghe wasn’t close with Bo Jin and didn’t know his true personality, but he found Xie Ruan’s behavior somewhat obnoxious. If Sun Haoxiang or any of his friends were here, they’d definitely notice that at this moment, Xie Ruan was acting almost exactly like Bo Jin.
Unaware of how he was slowly emulating Bo Jin, Xie Ruan proudly returned to the classroom after showing off to Song Xinghe.
He had barely stepped through the door when he was greeted by enthusiastic praise from Sun Haoxiang and He Mingjie, as if he had scored 741 points instead of 441.
“Great job, Little Xie, congrats, congrats!”
“With this progress, I’m starting to feel the pressure.”
These two…
Xie Ruan couldn’t help but feel a little elated by their compliments. He coughed and sat down, trying to stay modest. “It’s not that big of a deal, just alright.”
“Don’t be so modest,” Sun Haoxiang looked even happier than Xie Ruan himself. “If I got your score, my dad would be so thrilled he’d set off three strings of firecrackers.”
Sun Haoxiang’s family ran a chain of supermarkets and was quite wealthy. They pulled a few strings to get him into the honors class, hoping he’d be influenced to study hard and get into a good university someday.
But after more than two months, Sun Haoxiang hadn’t changed one bit.
He Mingjie gave him a thumbs-up too. “Awesome!”
Even though evening study time hadn’t started yet, and the results had just come out, the students in Class One were in high spirits, crowding around with congratulations and jokes.
Only Bo Jin, usually the most talkative, stayed silent.
Out of the corner of his eye, Xie Ruan noticed Bo Jin rummaging in his desk, seemingly busy.
Why didn’t he ever seem this busy at any other time?
After the last wave of classmates dispersed, Xie Ruan picked up his water bottle to take a drink, only to find it empty. He extended his leg, nudging Bo Jin’s chair with his toe. “Move over.”
Bo Jin looked up and, noticing his smug expression, couldn’t help but chuckle.
Just a moment ago, he’d been beaming with joy, and now he looked annoyed. This temper of his—who knows who had ticked him off? “Where are you going?”
Xie Ruan replied casually, “To refill my water.”
“Go later,” Bo Jin turned slightly, motioning him to come closer. “Come here.”
“What for?” Given Bo Jin’s usual questionable behavior, Xie Ruan didn’t comply; in fact, he leaned back.
Seeing his guarded expression, Bo Jin found it amusing and couldn’t resist teasing him. “What are you thinking? Afraid I’ll bully you?”
“Are you kidding me? Afraid of you?” Xie Ruan often used reverse psychology on Bo Jin, though he was usually the one most easily provoked. He slammed his water bottle on the table and stepped up, cracking his knuckles. “Class leader, I advise you to think twice about your safety before doing anything rash.”
He paused, smirking. “Let’s see who’d bully who.”
Right then, Bo Jin leaned forward, closing the distance between them so suddenly that Xie Ruan could feel his warm breath.
Bo Jin’s features were strikingly good-looking. Usually, his lazy demeanor downplayed it, but now, with his expression unreadable and leaning close, his aura came through strongly.
Staring into those dark, piercing eyes, Xie Ruan couldn’t help but hold his breath.
It wasn’t until he felt a tightness in his chest that he snapped back to reality.
Annoyed that he’d been cornered by Bo Jin, Xie Ruan resisted the urge to look away, raising his chin defiantly. “What? You wanna fight?”
Bo Jin looked at him for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
“No.” He replied.
It was already nighttime, and the windows in the classroom were half-open. A cool night breeze carrying a hint of moisture drifted in, bringing a refreshing chill. Leaning against the desk, Bo Jin looked at Xie Ruan with a hint of softness in his voice that felt surprisingly gentle in the evening. “I just wanted to reward a certain student for doing so well.”
Xie Ruan blinked in surprise, unsure of what he meant, when suddenly, something was placed in his mouth.
The rich flavor of milk spread across his tongue, the sweetness filling his mouth—it was a peanut nougat.
Bo Jin’s fingers brushed lightly against his lips as he withdrew, a soft, fleeting touch that left ripples in its wake. “Keep up the good work next time.”
Xie Ruan didn’t know what was happening. Bo Jin’s words couldn’t have been more proper, even formal, yet he felt his ears warming.
The fierce attitude he had tried to maintain wavered instantly. After a few moments of awkward silence, he managed a single word, “Oh.”
Realizing how weak that sounded, he cleared his throat and tried to make small talk. “Where’d you get that candy? It’s pretty good.”
Instead of answering, Bo Jin handed him a small box he had just retrieved from his desk. “Finish it, and I’ll bring more.”
Xie Ruan looked down.
The box had no label, resembling a gift box one might pick up from a boutique. Opening it, he saw the peanut nougats inside looked handmade, unlike the store-bought, pre-packaged variety.
Remembering Bo Jin’s close friendship with Boss Wang, the chef at a Cantonese restaurant, he guessed the candy might be his handiwork.
“Thanks.” He closed the lid, put the box of candy away, and tucked it into his desk.
Silence fell between them, neither speaking. Bo Jin looked at the small swirl of hair on top of Xie Ruan’s head, guessing he was probably feeling a bit shy.
Such a thin-skinned guy, Bo Jin thought, smiling to himself as he was about to turn away to give him some time to process.
Just then, he felt a light tug on the edge of his shirt.
Bo Jin paused, instinctively lowering his voice. “What’s up?”
Xie Ruan seemed a bit embarrassed, slightly turning his face away without making direct eye contact. After a few seconds, he said, “Um… thanks for the candy… and the help with studying.”
When someone so stubborn finally showed some humility, it packed quite a punch. Bo Jin pressed his tongue against his cheek, nearly letting a teasing comment slip out, but he held back at the last second.
He’d finally gotten Xie Ruan to show this softer side; it wouldn’t do to scare him back into his shell.
Although his mind was spinning with thoughts, Bo Jin put on a genuine and sincere face. “You’re welcome; you deserve it.”
Xie Ruan was unexpectedly touched.
All things considered, despite Bo Jin’s playful demeanor, he was actually really good to him.
Maybe he should get him a small gift as thanks…
As he was contemplating this, the preparatory bell for evening self-study rang.
“Ugh, time to hit the books again.” He Mingjie groaned behind him, slapping his physics book with an exaggerated thud. “What’s the point of studying so hard? Still end up with the same lousy scores.”
Catching sight of Xie Ruan by the wall, he suddenly had a thought and poked his arm. “Little Xie, how did you manage to improve so quickly?”
He leaned in closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially. “Got any secret tips? Share with your buddy.”
Xie Ruan didn’t actually have any tips.
He instinctively glanced over at Bo Jin.
Xie Ruan knew the truth—if it had only been up to him, he might have improved some, but certainly not by such a wide margin. Most of those two hundred points could be credited to Bo Jin.
Noticing Xie Ruan’s gaze, Bo Jin adjusted his school uniform sleeves and smirked at He Mingjie. “Secret tips? Are you talking about me?”
He Mingjie: “???”
Looking at him with disdain, He Mingjie rolled his eyes. “Could you be a bit less shameless? What’s it got to do with you?”
Bo Jin didn’t take kindly to that. “How does it not?”
He cast a lazy glance at He Mingjie, casually draping an arm around Xie Ruan’s shoulder. “Behind every successful man stands another man who quietly helps him out, you know?”
He Mingjie: “…”
Nearby, Sun Haoxiang and Pan Yu, who had been eavesdropping, both froze: “…”
