Chapter 45-Part 1

The school’s overall grade rankings were posted on the second day because this time it was a district-wide joint exam, and the top scorer in the district was from 4th middle school. Therefore, not only did the school post the red list, but they also hung photos of the top fifty students in the grade in the showcase.

The photos were taken when the students entered the school, all wearing the uniforms of 4th middle school.

However, compared to the usual situation where the top ten spots were firmly occupied by Class One and Class Two, this time the first and second places in the grade came from regular classes.

They were still from Class Eight, which everyone considered the worst class.

So when the red list was posted, students crowded around eagerly. Even Class Eight students, who were usually indifferent to the grade rankings, one after another went to take a look.

Wen Qianxia called Ji Ran to go together, but Ji Ran didn’t go.

If she went, others probably wouldn’t be looking at the grade rankings but at her.

Originally, Ji Ran was bowing her head and working on a physics paper. This time, she scored three points less than Shen Zhi; although three points might seem like a small difference, in their scores, even one point could determine a different ranking.

Just as she finished answering a major question, Wen Qianxia rushed in and leaned excitedly on her desk, unable to contain her excitement. “Ranran, the school’s punishment for Tang Zhenpeng has come down. He’s been expelled.”

“Expelled?” Ji Ran was somewhat surprised.

Wen Qianxia whispered, “The school is so cunning. They actually took advantage of the release of the grade rankings to also post his expulsion notice. However, many people still gathered to watch. After all, everyone went to see the grade rankings and took a look at this incident as well.”

Presumably, initially, the school wanted to minimize the impact. They took advantage of everyone’s attention on the ranking board to post the expulsion notice.

Unexpectedly, it sparked even more discussions.

Now, the students from Class Eight who came to see the grade rankings were all discussing this matter. When the incident first came out, it was rumored that Shen Zhi bullied people and beat Tang Zhenpeng.

But now, Shen Zhi was fine, and Tang Zhenpeng was expelled.

Combined with the previous revelations on the online forum, saying that Tang Zhenpeng was actually a pervert caught by the police for secretly photographing female students, most students now began to believe it.

So many people started discussing this matter on the online forum.

Comment 1: [If what happened to Tang Zhenpeng is true, then did Shen Zhi hit him because he found out about this?]

Comment 2: [What the OP wants to say is exactly what I want to say. Now it seems that Big Brother Shen is not bullying people at all; he’s standing up for justice and eliminating evil.]

Comment 3: [Damn, I want to apologize to Big Brother Shen. I actually scolded him as trash before. I’m sorry; I’m the trash here, talking nonsense without knowing the truth.]

Comment 4: [Apology +1]

Comment 5: [Apology +1]

…

Comment 66: [Queueing up to apologize.]

Not to mention the online forum wanting to apologize, the students from Class Eight were also looking at each other in astonishment.

Even the usually carefree Wen Qianxia felt a sense of guilt.

She remembered the words she had said. When the Tang Zhenpeng incident first came out, she actually told Ji Ran to stay away from someone like Shen Zhi.

Wen Qianxia thought about it and decided to apologize to Shen Zhi, even though Shen Zhi seemed indifferent to such things.

So she turned her head and whispered, “Shen Zhi, I’m sorry. I misunderstood you before.”

Shen Zhi looked at the girl whose cheeks were turning red, lifted his eyes lightly, and still maintained a casual appearance. He said calmly, “It’s okay; you didn’t know about this.”

Indeed, on one side was the academic overachiever from the honors class, and on the other side was the school’s not-so-good reputation bully. Anyone would believe Tang Zhenpeng.

As a result, Wen Qianxia said with special guilt, “I even told Ranran to stay away from you before. I was wrong and said the wrong thing.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Shen Zhi suddenly sat up straight. He stared straight at Wen Qianxia, squinting his eyes, and his voice became colder. “What did you say?”

Wen Qianxia shrank her neck. She…she really didn’t mean it.

But Shen Zhi’s gaze was really terrifying—a kind of slightly sharp coldness, as if his eyes were tempered with ice.

Wen Qianxia was about to cry.

It wasn’t until Ji Ran, who had gone out, came back and saw Wen Qianxia looking like she was about to be scared to death, along with her deskmate, who rarely showed up in the classroom, looking indifferent.

“What’s wrong?” Ji Ran turned and asked.

Shen Zhi’s face softened slightly, but there was still some displeasure. Ji Ran glanced at him and then at Wen Qianxia. Luckily, the bell rang for class at this moment.

Wen Qianxia immediately breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like she had escaped to heaven.

During the lunch break, Xia Jiangming and Xu Yihang brought two boxes of drinks into the classroom. Xia Jiangming placed them directly on the platform and said, “Regarding your suspicions about Zhi-ge, we’ll let bygones be bygones. But to celebrate the expulsion of that bastard Tang Zhenpeng, today, I invite everyone to drink.”

The students from Class Eight sitting below looked at each other.

Xia Jiangming became impatient and asked, “I’m asking whether you want to drink or not. Do I have to deliver them to each of you personally?”

Only then did some boys walk up and take the drinks, and one of them said with a smile, “Thanks, bro.”

Just as Ji Ran and Wen Qianxia walked downstairs, preparing to return to the classroom from the stairs, they unexpectedly saw Shen Zhi waiting at the stairwell.

Ji Ran’s cheeks turned slightly red. When she looked up at him, she heard him say in a calm voice, “Wen Qianxia, can I talk to you for a moment?”

Ji Ran: “…”

???

Wen Qianxia, standing beside her, trembled like a little quail.

Shen Zhi lazily leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets, and glanced at Ji Ran before looking at Wen Qianxia. In a low voice, he said, “Go back to the classroom.”

“Be good.”

After he finished speaking, Ji Ran’s cheeks turned crimson. In her bright, expressive eyes, there was a shimmer of shyness. She didn’t know what to do, so she just lowered her head and ignored Wen Qianxia, who was going upstairs to return to the classroom.

So, the next moment, Shen Zhi led Wen Qianxia to the side. As soon as they crossed the main road of the school and reached the other side near the fountain, Wen Qianxia’s legs went weak.

With a slightly choked voice, she said, “Zhi-ge, I really didn’t mean to say those things. I truly know I was wrong. Please forgive me this once, and I will definitely correct myself and become a better person in the future.”

Shen Zhi, somewhat helplessly, looked at her. Before he could say anything, she had already said a lot.

So, in a nonchalant manner, he followed Wen Qianxia’s words and asked, “So, tell me, how do you plan to become a better person?”

Wen Qianxia was stunned, and she sniffled a little, feeling a bit confused.

With his hands in his pockets, Shen Zhi decided to kindly point her in the right direction. He said, “Do you know what my current relationship with Ji Ran is?”

Wen Qianxia blinked, immediately shocked, wondering if they were already in a relationship.