Crazy.

Ji Ran stared at him, then turned her head. When she came back after placing her school bag next to the podium, she saw Shen Zhi casually pulling out a pen. Obviously, the idea of looking at a book before the exam was something that would never happen to him.

Ji Ran still felt uncomfortable. Why should he say that her clothes affect his exam?

Affect what? Does it affect his ranking as the second-to-last in the grade?

Wen Qianxia had told her that Shen Zhi’s score was tens of points lower than the second-to-last in the grade. Suddenly, Ji Ran was stunned. How did his family manage to get him into Tsinghua and Princeton in his previous life?

With this doubt in mind, Ji Ran began the first exam.

Chinese.

Because there was really nothing to copy in Chinese, the atmosphere in the entire exam room was relatively quiet. Everyone was writing on their own; after all, you couldn’t copy someone else’s essay.

The exam schedule this time was quite relaxed, following the standards of the college entrance examination. One in the morning, one in the afternoon. During lunch, Wen Qianxia kept saying that she felt she had gone off-topic in her Chinese essay.

Ji Ran casually picked up a strand of noodles, ate slowly, and said softly, “It’s okay, you’ll definitely do well.”

Wen Qianxia wailed, just about to speak, when her phone vibrated twice suddenly.

She lowered her head for a moment, instantly smiling, and then picked up her phone without eating and started replying.

Ji Ran glanced at her and casually asked, “Who is it?”

In fact, she had noticed that Wen Qianxia had received more messages recently, seemingly from someone she frequently communicated with.

In the year 2009, online relationships were popular, and many students had online friends.

In her previous life, Ji Ran remembered clearly that there was a girl in her class who seemed genuinely innocent but ended up in an online relationship, which eventually escalated to the point of elopement.

The school Ji Ran attended was a top-notch institution, and such scandals had never occurred since its establishment.

At that time, Pei Yuan, together with some influential parents, demanded an explanation from the school. However, since the girl had eloped with her online partner, even the school couldn’t understand why such a thing happened.

Wen Qianxia smiled, her face showing sweetness, but she shook her head and said, “It’s nothing, just a friend.”

Ji Ran keenly noticed that she used the word “friend” instead of “classmate.” However, Wen Qianxia didn’t elaborate, and Ji Ran didn’t press further.

After finishing lunch, the two leisurely left the small eatery. Wen Qianxia pointed to a nearby bubble tea shop and said, “We have to take the math exam in the afternoon. Ranram, let’s treat ourselves to something sweet to console ourselves.”

Math is too challenging, really.

Except for those top students, no student is not weak in math.

Ji Ran nodded and followed her as they strolled over. Little did they expect that they would encounter an acquaintance at the bubble tea shop.

A girl stood beside the bubble tea shop, looking up with a smile as she spoke to Xia Jiangming.

Wen Qianxia immediately became excited when she saw this scene. She grabbed Ji Ran’s sleeve and whispered, “Ran, it’s Xue Yirou. Why do you think she stopped Xia Jiangming? It can’t be that she wants to confess to Xia Jiangming, right?”

Ji Ran, of course, knew who Xue Yirou was—an outstanding student from Class 1 of the sophomore year. Not only was she beautiful, but she was also a genuine academic achiever. Compared to Jiang Yi, many thought she should be the school flower of 4th middle school.

This was Ji Ran’s first time seeing Xue Yirou in person, and indeed, she was a little beauty—slim and well-dressed. Today, she wore a white and brown floral long dress, embodying the forest-girl style that was popular in her previous life.

Xue Yirou tilted her head slightly and softly said, “I’d like to invite you to dinner. Can you make it?”

Xia Jiangming scratched his head, looking a bit unsure of what to say.

So, Xue Yirou looked at him tenderly and whispered, “Xia Jiangming, can you do me this favor?”

The young girl softened her tone, trying to make concessions.

With her looks, there were probably countless admirers behind her. Seeing Xia Jiangming hesitating even more, Xue Yirou sighed softly.

Not knowing what else to say, she spoke softly, “Xia Jiangming, have you not forgiven me yet?”

Xia Jiangming gently clenched his fist, trying hard to control his emotions.

To think of it, Xia Jiangming and Xue Yirou were classmates in middle school, but at that time, Xia Jiangming was quite weak and virtually invisible in the crowd. It wasn’t until he entered 4th middle school and started hanging out with Shen Zhi that he never expected the campus goddess, Xue Yirou, to take the initiative to approach him.

Back then, Xue Yirou not only added him on QQ voluntarily but also came to watch him play basketball after school.

Xia Jiangming was secretly thrilled, thinking that the goddess had finally noticed his qualities. So, he prepared many gifts, planning to confess grandly on her birthday. For this, Xia Jiangming even borrowed a lot of money.

However, before the birthday arrived, Xue Yirou asked Xia Jiangming out and, with a gentle look, softly said, “Xia Jiangming, for my birthday, can you also invite Shen Zhi?”

At first, Xia Jiangming was puzzled. Why would she want to invite Shen Zhi for her birthday?

It wasn’t until he saw the joy and excitement in the girl’s eyes that Xia Jiangming suddenly understood everything. Xue Yirou had been in contact with him not because of him but because she liked Shen Zhi.

Even though Xia Jiangming knew he couldn’t compare to Shen Zhi, it was still a significant blow.

At this moment, Xia Jiangming heard Xue Yirou’s invitation again and weakly said, “Zhi-ge won’t attend a girl’s birthday banquet.”

“Who said I was inviting him?” Xue Yirou hastily interrupted him.

Her tone carried a hint of annoyance.

In a short while, Shen Zhi and the others approached, seemingly just finishing lunch and ready to return to school.

Xu Yihang was originally talking to Chen Song. When he saw Xia Jiangming standing with a girl, he immediately smiled and said, “Xia Jiangming, I was wondering why you were faster than a rabbit. So, you’re here for a date with a girl.”

Originally, he was far away, and Xia Jiangming was blocking Xue Yirou, so Xu Yihang couldn’t see the girl’s appearance.

After getting closer, Xu Yihang immediately shut his mouth, his face showing a slightly awkward expression.

“Hello,” Xue Yirou greeted them graciously.

Shen Zhi’s hands were in his pockets, and instead of looking at her, he glanced at the head-down Xia Jiangming.

It was Xu Yihang and Chen Song who smiled.

Xue Yirou’s gaze still turned toward Shen Zhi, and despite her efforts to conceal her emotions, she inadvertently revealed them.

Shen Zhi, a guy like him, exuded a fatal charm.

He was naughty, had a rebellious personality, and wasn’t a good student, but he still attracted the attention of all the girls.

The fact that Xue Yirou liked Shen Zhi wasn’t much of a secret.

Especially after the incident where she wanted Xia Jiangming to invite Shen Zhi to her birthday party, the few boys who often hung out together probably knew about it.

She looked longingly at Shen Zhi, still hoping he would notice her.

But in the end, Shen Zhi lightly kicked Xia Jiangming and said, “Let’s go.”

He took the lead and walked past Xue Yirou.

Seeing Shen Zhi approaching, Ji Ran and Wen Qianxia were a bit flustered. They exchanged glances and quickly positioned themselves near the entrance of the bubble tea shop.

The front of this bubble tea shop was particularly small, with the cashier in the front and the bubble tea counter in the back.

Customers stood outside to place their orders.

Ji Ran and Wen Qianxia were both earnestly looking at the menu inside the bubble tea shop, attempting to pretend they were diligently studying which bubble tea flavor was better.

Until Ji Ran didn’t hear footsteps behind her and was about to exhale in relief, a voice suddenly came from directly behind her.

“Have you made your choice?”

She was startled, and her body shook suddenly, but the boy’s hand followed, pressing on her shoulder.

Shen Zhi’s voice sounded in her ear. “Why are you so easily scared?”

She resembled a startled kitten; even her ears seemed to stand up.

Ji Ran remained silent, and Shen Zhi directly said to the cashier, “One mango, coconut milk.”

Then he turned to the bewildered Wen Qianxia and asked, “What do you want to drink?”

Wen Qianxia took about a dozen seconds to finally figure out what Shen Zhi was asking her. Was he treating her to a drink?

Only after they each held the beverages handed over by the cashier did Wen Qianxia confirm this.

In her life, she had actually drunk a beverage bought by the big boss.

Holding the drink in front of her, she looked at it with a reverent gaze, then whispered to Ji Ran, “Ranran, do you think it’s disrespectful if I just drink this milk tea?”

“How do you want to drink it?” Ji Ran replied casually.

Wen Qianxia said, “At the very least, I should bathe and burn incense.”

Ji Ran, who had already lowered her head to drink, was suddenly choked by the beverage. A bit of the cold liquid churned in her throat, and she quickly turned her face away, coughing heavily.

When she regained her composure, Shen Zhi casually glanced at Wen Qianxia.

Wen Qianxia was trembling with fright.

As for the three boys behind them, each held a cup of milk tea bought by Shen Zhi. When they were at the entrance of the bubble tea shop, Shen Zhi took out a card and handed it to the cashier, showing the demeanor of “Shen Young Master is treating everyone today.”

Xu Yihang patted Xia Jiangming’s shoulder. “Little Ming, didn’t I tell you? No matter how good-looking a girl is, she can’t replace a meal. You’ve suffered once; why don’t you learn from it?”

Chen Song casually remarked, “That’s because he hasn’t had enough of the loss yet.”

Wen Qianxia’s sharp ears had long heard the conversation among these boys. For someone like her who was curious about gossip, not being able to participate in the gossip happening right in front of her felt like an itch she couldn’t scratch.

So her steps slowed down more and more, and Ji Ran, who was beside her, was unaware of her thoughts and also walked slowly.

Shen Zhi walked beside Ji Ran, silent. He occasionally glanced down at her, who was biting the straw with her head lowered.

Before long, the pale yellow liquid flowed through the transparent straw and entered her mouth.

Shen Zhi: “Is it good?”

Ji Ran paused for a few seconds, realizing he was talking to her. She looked up at him and said, “It’s good. Thank you.”

Shen Zhi smiled, then his face leaned in, his eyes narrowing as he stared at her lips. The tender pink hue on her lips, now touched by a bit of cold liquid, appeared even more charming.

There was a desire to let someone taste what this flavor was like.

The young man’s deep black eyes were unfathomable, and his long, dense eyelashes lay over his eyelids. When he slightly lifted his eyelids, the lashes curled gently, outlining a beautiful curvature at the outer corners of his eyes.

Ji Ran suddenly bit down on the straw.

Because in that moment, her heart skipped a beat.

Shen Zhi whispered, “Hmm, I’ll buy it for you in the future.”

His voice was gentle and filled with endless tenderness.

The two of them walked ahead, while Wen Qianxia had somehow fallen a few steps behind Ji Ran, chatting with the boys trailing behind.

Xu Yihang didn’t give Xia Jiangming any face and said directly, “That girl has bad intentions. You should recognize it early.”

Wen Qianxia finally understood. So, recalling something, she said, “I remember there were rumors before that Young Master Shen, impatient with a girl delivering water to the basketball court, poured the water over her head. Is that true? Was that girl Xue Yirou?”

The other three boys exchanged glances, and finally, Chen Song chuckled. “What kind of rumors are these?”

“I have to clear Zhi-ge’s name,” Xu Yihang said. He cleared his throat and began to reconstruct the scene. “At that time, Xue Yirou came to deliver water again. We used to think she was coming for Xia Jiangming, so we gave her face and accepted it. But this girl was something else, and her motives were exposed, yet she continued to come. So, we were all quite annoyed, but nobody wanted to make a big deal out of it.”

So Shen Zhi took action.

In front of everyone, he looked at Xue Yirou coldly and said, “You can leave.”

After hearing this, Wen Qianxia pondered for a while and asked in a low voice, “Do you think it’s more pitiful for a girl to be scolded to leave in public or to have water poured over her head?”

Several boys hadn’t considered this question before. Now it sounded like both were quite miserable.

Xu Yihang thought about it and kicked Xia Jiangming’s buttocks, saying, “For your sake, Zhi-ge dealt with the bad person thoroughly. Look at how he’s been portrayed by people in school. You’re still infatuated with beauty.”

Xia Jiangming was scolded all the way and finally became a bit angry and embarrassed. “Who can’t have a white moonlight in their heart?”

He had liked Xue Yirou since middle school, and it continued into high school. The infatuation of youth is easy to start but not something one could end at will.

Of course, Xia Jiangming knew who Xue Yirou was, but she was still the girl he had genuinely liked.

After he finished speaking, Xu Yihang sighed, “With such a white moonlight, you’re really pitiful.”

Ji Ran, who was now hearing their conversation from behind, couldn’t help glancing at Shen Zhi. In his previous life, he had also been alone because of his lingering feelings for that girl in his heart. His sincere feelings from his youth might have kept him isolated.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Shen Zhi noticed her staring straight at him.

Ji Ran shook her head. She didn’t know what to say. Should she tell him not to fall too deeply for that white moonlight? Maybe it was meddling too much.

She said softly, “I just think being too fond of someone is not a good thing.”

When you invest too much, you always expect a return. It’s the same with emotions. No one will love someone without expecting something in return. It’s like placing a bet in a casino, always thinking you won’t lose everything.

Ji Ran knew Shen Zhi was that kind of person, too persistent, and he had placed all his bets from the very beginning.

On the contrary, she was too calm and rational.

Even with a rebirth, she was still the same. Her composure prevented her from taking any steps forward.

She was destined not to respond to Shen Zhi.

But Shen Zhi turned to look at her, saying softly, “No, if I like someone, I’ll like them to the end.”

The next three exams showcased various skills in the entire examination hall.

After the exams, the National Day holiday began. Although the teachers assigned a bunch of homework, the students were quite cooperative. After all, the school would release the monthly exam results after National Day, giving them a break.

During National Day, Ji Ran relaxed at home. There was nothing much to do every day, and she didn’t feel like going out. She did some exercises, played some mobile games, and enjoyed the leisure.

During this time, Pei Yuan did call, mainly asking how she had been lately.

Ji Ran truthfully replied that she was doing well.

Pei Yuan sneered, “I know your dad has never cared about you since you were a child, but you shouldn’t slack off. When is your monthly exam?”

It was only at this moment that Ji Ran realized that, even though she had reincarnated, her mother hadn’t.

Pei Yuan was still the same Pei Yuan, evaluating her based solely on her grades.

Ji Ran hadn’t planned on studying seriously since she woke up this time. In her previous life, she had experienced being a top student and crushing others; this time, she thought it might be interesting to try being an underachiever. However, she was willing to try, but Pei Yuan’s words… she might want to dismember her.

So Ji Ran whispered, “The exams haven’t started yet.”

“After you finish, remember to send me your report card. Although the teaching quality there is good, I know your abilities.”

Hearing this, Ji Ran really wanted to let out a long sigh.

This time, she was afraid she would truly disappoint Pei Yuan.

On the evening of October 7th, everyone arrived at school for evening self-study ahead of schedule. Although the students strongly opposed the school’s inhumane decision, parents who saw their children playing around at home for seven days couldn’t wait for them to go back to school.

However, after arriving at school, besides being busy copying test papers, everyone gathered to discuss their scores.

Students cared about their grades, after all.

Wen Qianxia had already started praying for her math score to exceed 120 points. Although Class 8 was an ordinary class in 4th School, it was still a prestigious high school in the city, and its overall strength was not to be underestimated.

Except for a few troublemakers in the class, most students were diligent and eager to improve their academic performance.

Not only did the class monitor make several trips to the teachers’ office to inquire about the grades, but even the subject representatives of each subject went to find out. However, the teachers had already gone on vacation, and the papers were graded, but the overall results hadn’t been released yet. At least the school rankings hadn’t been announced.

“I think the first results to come out will definitely be for math.”

“Don’t say that; my heart can’t take it.”

“Me too; I only did the first sub-question for the last two big questions. I definitely lost points on the others.”

Wen Qianxia was also lamenting ahead: “If I had known, I wouldn’t have compared answers. Several of my multiple-choice questions were different from yours. Wasn’t the answer to this question supposed to be C?”

After a few seconds of silence, Wen Qianxia shouted again, “I can’t believe it; I actually chose D.”

Compared to the lively and enthusiastic atmosphere in other parts of the classroom, Ji Ran and Shen Zhi seemed like isolated islands, quiet and separated from the rest of the world.

Ji Ran had no interest in comparing answers.

Shen Zhi, by her side, had already leaned on the desk to make up for the missing answers, appearing unconcerned about the grades.

Until more than half of the first self-study session had passed, the math teacher suddenly came over and called the class representative. In a short while, the representative returned with a stack of test papers.

Amidst the classroom’s sporadic lamentations, everyone started receiving their papers.

Because the papers were distributed by exam room, Ji Ran only received hers at the very end. When she saw the prominently marked 22 points in red on the paper, her immediate reaction was to look at Shen Zhi beside her.

By now, the young man had also straightened up, holding his paper with both hands.

Equally conspicuous were the 16 points written at the very top of his paper.

For a moment, Ji Ran’s heart almost stopped beating. She hadn’t expected that, even though she had performed so poorly, Shen Zhi could score even lower than her.

For a few seconds, the girl’s eyes, unbelievably beautiful, turned red.

Why couldn’t she even surpass Shen Zhi when trying to be an underachiever?

Clearly, Shen Zhi also saw the score on her test paper. To be honest, he was quite surprised because Ji Ran had a face that looked like she would have a good academic performance.

He didn’t expect her to achieve such a score.

But when he looked up again, he saw that the girl’s eyes were red.

Shen Zhi’s heart tightened. Frowning slightly, he sighed inwardly. There were not a few people who cried for their scores after each exam in the class. Feeling a bit helpless, he whispered, “Hey, don’t cry, okay?”

Ji Ran felt embarrassed; she couldn’t even outperform Shen Zhi when trying to be an underachiever.

However, Shen Zhi, seeing her withdraw her gaze, thought she was upset. So, after a moment, he reached into the desk hole, pulled out another pen, and took the test paper from Ji Ran’s hand.

Before Ji Ran could stop him, she watched as he drew a vertical line in red in front of the 22 score.

Ji Ran hadn’t figured out what he was drawing when the young man spoke softly, “Hey, now it’s 122 points. No need to be sad anymore, right?”

Ji Ran widened her eyes.

Her: “…” Is she mentally challenged? Or has he treated himself as mentally challenged?

Ji Ran felt that in her two lifetimes, she had received a greater insult than any other time.

She took her test paper back, staring at the annoying ‘1’ again and again. Because the red pen Shen Zhi used was a different color from the red pen the teacher used to grade the papers, it was immediately apparent that the ‘1’ was added later.

At the end of the first class, everyone was inquiring about each other’s scores.

Wen Qian Xia turned to Ji Ran and asked, “Ran Ran, how many points did you get in math? I got 118 this time, still messed up. Really, if the teacher could be a bit more lenient, giving me a couple more points would be great.”

When she stood up and saw Ji Ran’s paper, at first she didn’t notice, saying happily, “You scored 122, not bad.”

After a while, she realized something was wrong.

Ji Ran said calmly, “It’s 22 points.”

Wen Qian Xia fell silent. Even if Ji Ran scored seventy or eighty points, she could still comfort her. However, with 22 points, it exceeded her cognitive range.

So, during the ten-minute break between classes, a post quietly appeared on the forum and quickly gained clicks.

【OMG, do you guys know that Ji Ran, the school beauty from Class 8, scored 22 points in math this time?】

“No way? Is the news true?”

“It’s definitely true. She really got 22 points. Now, whenever people from other schools ask about our school beauty, just tell them, ‘The school beauty scored 22 points in math.'”

“Wow, the upstairs comment is so sour. The school beauty chose her looks, not her academics.”

“I’m starting to believe that Ji Ran is a second-generation rich kid. Otherwise, how could she be admitted to our school with this score?”

“This girl is indeed beautiful, but she lacks a soul.”

This post became a popular thread in no time; after all, the news of the school beauty scoring 22 points in math was quite eye-catching.

Even in Class 8, everyone was whispering.

Even someone as lively and cheerful as Wen Qian Xia became quiet.

During the second self-study session, the English teacher personally came to the classroom with a stack of test papers. He stood at the podium, looking at everyone, and said, “This is the first monthly exam, so I’ll personally distribute the papers. Students called by name, come up to get your paper.”

Everyone knew this English teacher’s habit. During regular quizzes, he would announce the scores of every student in the class.

In short, public execution

However, before the English teacher called out the names, he smiled and said, “Our class did well this time. We have the only student in the whole school who scored full marks in English. Everyone should learn a lot from this student in the future. Look at this difference, students in the same classroom.”

The teacher wanted to say a few more words, but there were already dissatisfied voices below, so the English teacher said, “Alright, I’ll call out the names.”

People below were eager to shout, “Teacher, please read them quickly.”

“Ji Ran, 150 points, also the only full mark in the whole school.”

The entire classroom fell into a deathly silence.