Upon reaching the school gate, Chu Fengyi casually dropped them off and continued driving inside.
Normally, late students would need to register, but this time they just went in directly.
It happened to be cafeteria time after the morning self-study, and there were still many students outside. They followed the crowd and arrived at the classroom.
As soon as they entered, they were immediately surrounded by a crowd, asking what they were up to and why they came together.
Seeing Ji Yun looking somewhat tired, Zuo Yan intervened loudly, pulling her out. Xu Lin couldn't help but be glad that Ji Yun had a good friend like Zuo Yan.
Xu Lin was then detained by a group of friends, questioned for a while, and could only say they encountered each other on the way. Ji Yun fell off her bike, and they had to fix it. They also bought some ointment from the clinic, which everyone could indeed smell on them, before leaving with waning interest.
Of course, some boys seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and Xu Lin too, as the looks he received earlier hinted at something more menacing.
If he ever truly dated Ji Yun in the future, quite a few people might go home crying and sleepless, but that's also part of youth.
"Xu Lin, the results are about to come out. Nervous?" Zuo Yan also learned about his bet with the homeroom teacher from Ji Yun.
At that time, she thought Xu Lin was too confident, not doing homework, and relying solely on attending class to get good grades—it seemed unrealistic.
But during the early morning self-study, she saw the homeroom teacher looking at a chart, indicating that the results were probably out. So she was also looking forward to seeing if Xu Lin could live up to it.
"Not nervous. I think I'm confident." He had already estimated the scores and was sure they would be 20–30 points higher than last time.
In the first class, the homeroom teacher's math class, everyone was on edge. Seeing the serious expression of the teacher, their footsteps seemed to step on their hearts.
"Good morning, students."
"..."
"Why is the class not lively today? Let's put the results aside for now and discuss something else."
"As we enter the second and third years of high school, physical education classes have indeed become less frequent, leading to a decline in many students' physical fitness."
Upon hearing the teacher say this, the students below were a bit disdainful and angry—it was the school that cancelled physical education classes.
"So, the school plans to reintroduce physical education classes, along with morning exercises every day, to achieve a better balance for the students' physical well-being."
"Hooray!"
In the following passage, Zeng Hao shouted, drawing an immediate glare from the teacher. The previously lively atmosphere quieted down.
"The physical education class is scheduled for every Friday and Saturday, with all four classes together. The school has also invited a highly professional teacher."
"She will help you correct your posture and exercise your physique, including sitting, standing, running posture, etc. She's also skilled in martial arts. If you're interested, you can sign up."
"Martial arts!?" Suddenly, everyone became interested, with both boys and girls showing some excitement. After all, having the chance to learn something seen in TV dramas, such as self-defence and looking cool, sounded appealing.
But the teacher quickly added, "However, because this teacher has high expectations for students learning martial arts, if you want to sign up, first assess your own capabilities."
"Now, let's move on to the results. I'll distribute my math papers first, and Sun Dalei will distribute the rest."
The math papers were quickly handed out. Xu Lin saw a red-marked 137 for math, an improvement of 7 points from last time.
"Our class did reasonably well in math this time. However, there are still 11 who didn't pass. I won't dwell on that, but pay attention during today's review!"
"Tonight, I'll give those 11 another paper to do. If they still don't pass, they can come talk to me."
"The top scorer in our class this time is Ji Yun with 144 points! She's also ranked third in the entire grade. Let's applaud and encourage her!"
"Second and third places go to Sun Dalei and Zuo Yan, with 140 and 139 points, respectively. Aside from the top three, I also want to commend Xu Lin."
"He jumped from 10th place in math last time to 4th place with 137 points. His overall ranking improved from around 100th in the grade to 45th."
"Everyone, follow Xu Lin's example and keep working hard. Xu Lin, continue this performance!"
The teacher glanced at him, and Xu Lin nodded, genuinely smiling. No more homework!
Afterward, the teacher went on to announce the total scores of the remaining students, openly addressing each student's performance from the bottom to the top. Despite many students not taking their studies seriously, being told directly that they had the worst grades was still uncomfortable.
Of course, this discomfort didn't deter them from continuing to ignore their studies. Achieve good grades? They were just here for a diploma.
However, when the top five were mentioned again, Xu Lin received another round of praise, making him feel a bit embarrassed.
The morning classes quickly ended. Surprisingly, Li Bin and Ma Zhiyu didn't call out to him as they left, heading outside.
"Wait for me, you two!"
"Xu Lin, you betrayed our friendship!"
"Yeah, we agreed to struggle together in the 200s and 300s, and here you were in the top 150. Now you're directly in the top 50 of the grade; no love left."
"I'll help you reach platinum again."
"Really?" Li Bin's eyes lit up. "Bro, I forgive you."
"Hey, hey, Li Bin, how could you... Xu Lin, you have to boost me to platinum too?"
"Get lost, me first; I haven't reached platinum yet!"
"By the way, Xu Lin, how can your grades be so good without doing homework? Did you get private tutoring?"
"No, I studied on my own, but I got help from Ji Yun in English."
"Are you and Ji Yun really a thing?"
"No." Xu Lin glanced at Ji Yun, who was surrounded by a group of girls as they chatted and went downstairs. This girl seems to be popular with both genders.
"Her idea is probably to find someone with good grades who won't distract her studies. You meet the criteria, don't you?"
Ma Zhiyu put his arm around Xu Lin's shoulder, emitting a scent of cigarettes. Xu Lin instinctively frowned.
"Maybe she wants someone who's not just good but the top student in the whole school."
"The top student, but aren't the top ten in the grade all girls?"
Xu Lin realised for the first time that 3rd High School was indeed interesting; whether in the first, second, or third year, the top ten were all girls.
"By the way, let me tell you something." Li Bin also leaned in, lowering his voice.
"What is it? Why so mysterious?"
"I got called to the office during the third period. When I came back, I passed by the head teacher's office and saw the new PE teacher!"
"What's she like, strong?"
"No, she's a woman, not very tall, with golden hair. But I didn't see her face."
"Can teachers dye their hair golden?" Ma Zhiyu looked incredulous.
"It's true. You'll find out on Friday!"
"How do you know it's a teacher? Maybe it's a parent."
"But I overheard something about PE class."
"Then let's bet. If it's not a teacher, treat us to Hot Pot House for hot pot chicken. If you're right, we treat you."
"Xu Lin, are you on his side?"
"No, I'm on your side."
"Good, then get ready to lose!"
But before he could finish, they heard the roaring sound of an engine, and a beautiful red Maserati drove over from the parking area.
Finally arriving at their location, the students looked over out of curiosity but kept a safe distance, afraid of accidentally scratching the car with their bicycles.
At this moment, the car's window rolled down, and Chu Fengyi, with her golden hair flowing, leaned out.
"Do you need a ride home, Xu Lin?"
Many students who were watching the scene turned their gazes to him all at once. Xu Lin suddenly felt a kind of pressure. Chu Fengyi, you really know how to stir up trouble!