Chapter 18: Unparalleled Scores, Leaving All Behind

As everyone anxiously awaited the math teacher to announce Zhou Xuan's score, the teacher, with deliberate cruelty, paused and then looked at the students, saying, “You must all be curious whose test paper this is.”

“I want to specially commend Zhou Xuan. Though only three students in our class scored above 120, while Class One had seven, Zhou Xuan achieved the highest grade in the entire grade, and was the only one to earn a perfect score—seventeen points higher than Chen Yi from Class One.”

The moment the teacher finished announcing Zhou Xuan’s results, the students erupted in astonishment.

One after another, surprised and envious gazes fell upon Zhou Xuan, who sat quietly, while sympathetic looks were directed at Wei Xinyu.

Wei Xinyu, once confident and proud, was utterly stunned upon hearing Zhou Xuan’s score.

How could this be? How could he possibly be so talented? The exam was so difficult—even a second-year student might not manage a perfect score.

A persistent thought circled his mind, tempting him to voice his doubts aloud: Zhou Xuan must have done these questions before; otherwise, how could he possibly score so high? The suspicion gnawed at him, and he barely heard the discussions of those nearby.

“Wow, Zhou Xuan is incredible! He’s like a test god—actually got a perfect score!”

“Yeah, and he beat Chen Yi by so much! Chen Yi was first in the previous two tests.”

“My goodness, Zhou Xuan is just extraordinary. His language, math, and English are all amazing!”

The teacher asked Zhou Xuan to collect his test paper and continued, “Zhou Xuan used to rank around tenth in the class, and though he wasted a year, he caught up through hard work. That’s worth learning from. Math is a compulsory subject for both the high school and university entrance exams, so everyone should spend more time on it. If you don’t understand something, you can ask Zhou Xuan.”

Zhou Xuan smiled wryly. He could imagine that, now his scores were revealed, many classmates would come to him for help.

There was barely any time between classes for rest, and if he spent it all answering questions, it would be quite a hassle.

Looks like he’d have to find excuses to slip away, Zhou Xuan thought.

The math teacher began explaining the questions, and the students quieted down, though everyone was waiting for the end of class, curious if Wei Xinyu would admit defeat.

Zhuo Lian, meanwhile, looked relieved—thank goodness she didn’t bet against Zhou Xuan, or she’d have lost for sure.

She first shot Zhou Xuan a fierce glare, then glanced at him with admiration. So impressive! She hadn’t expected Zhou Xuan to be so confident and skilled in math.

Time passed with the teacher’s lesson, and soon it was time for the bell.

After the teacher left, the students who would normally head to the restroom stayed put, all watching Wei Xinyu’s movements.

A strange atmosphere filled the classroom, with a few troublemakers in the back stirring things up.

Zhou Xuan sat at his desk, unmoving, unsure if Wei Xinyu would uphold the bet and admit defeat. If he backed out, his pride would suffer, and he’d never be able to hold his head up again.

But for Wei Xinyu to willingly admit defeat, he’d have to swallow his pride; at most, he’d hand Zhou Xuan the hundred yuan and look for another opportunity to win it back.

As expected, under the watchful eyes of his classmates, Wei Xinyu quickly strode to Zhou Xuan’s desk.

He slapped a bright red bill onto Zhou Xuan’s desk, muttering, “You got lucky this time!”

Then he hurried out of the classroom, leaving a wave of gossip behind.

“Haha… sore loser!”

As Zhou Xuan was about to pocket the money, a hand suddenly snatched it away.

He turned to see it was none other than Zhou Lin.

Zhou Lin flicked the bill between his fingers, making a crisp sound. He smirked, “Xuan, you earned a fortune, so you’ve got to treat us!”

With a hundred yuan in hand, Zhou Xuan was in high spirits. “Sure, no problem. Let’s all go out this weekend—I’ll treat everyone in the dorm.”

“Haha, Xuan’s generosity knows no bounds! Zhuo Lian, are you coming? It’s not every day you get to fleece a rich friend!” Zhou Lin even asked Zhuo Lian.

Caught off guard, Zhuo Lian blinked in surprise—she hadn’t expected Zhou Lin to include her.

Zhou Xuan was also surprised at Zhou Lin’s invitation; could Zhou Lin be interested in Zhuo Lian? That never happened in his previous life.

After a few seconds, Zhuo Lian composed herself. “Of course I’ll go—can’t miss such a good opportunity. I’ll be ordering the most expensive dishes,” she said, fixing her gaze on Zhou Xuan, as if daring him to refuse.

Zhou Xuan laughed. “No problem.”

In 1997, prices were incredibly low; meat dishes at small restaurants cost only two or three yuan each, and the most expensive ones were five yuan. Even if everyone ordered a dish, it would only be twenty or thirty yuan—more than enough for a hearty meal.

Zhou Xuan’s group chatted happily, their joy built upon Wei Xinyu’s misery as he sulked in the restroom.

Wei Xinyu was furious at himself for betting against Zhou Xuan. Now that he’d lost, he had no face left, and wondered how he’d show himself in front of everyone.

In no time, his friends would hear about it, and he dreaded their mockery.

He wished he’d accepted the homeroom teacher’s suggestion to call off the bet with Zhou Xuan.

He brought this on himself and could hardly resist slapping his own face.

Still, the exam was so tough—he refused to believe Zhou Xuan’s performance was genuine. He must have cheated.

After stewing for a while, Wei Xinyu finally came up with a plan: he’d ask an uncle who worked at the education bureau for help, though he couldn’t report it directly himself.

When the bell rang for the next class, Wei Xinyu walked in to a chorus of derision, making his face darken further. He rushed to his seat and buried his head.

During English class, when the teacher announced Zhou Xuan’s score—142, first in the class and first in the grade—everyone was amazed again. They hadn’t expected Zhou Xuan to excel not just in spoken English, but in everything else as well. It was unbelievable—how could anyone be so extraordinary?

Though it was only a quiz, and true ability would be shown in the midterm and final exams, nobody doubted Zhou Xuan’s prowess.

The students who used to lead the class must have been disappointed, overwhelmed by Zhou Xuan’s sudden rise in all subjects.

They had little choice but to accept it and work harder, hoping to catch up.

But in three years of junior high, Zhou Xuan never gave them another chance. As his reputation soared and honors piled up, their hope of surpassing him faded.

In the three core subjects—Chinese, math, and English—plus physics and chemistry, Zhou Xuan was first in the grade for math and English, and everyone eagerly awaited his scores in the other subjects.

Would he become the overall top student?

That afternoon, in Chinese class, Zhou Xuan once again outshone everyone, scoring a high 128.

First in all three core subjects, Zhou Xuan was like a dark horse bursting onto the scene, astonishing teachers and students alike.

Many teachers knew Zhou Xuan’s history—he was top ten in the grade in first year. After second year, his scores declined, but in the last monthly exam before the midterms, he rose like a comet, outpacing the second place by thirty-seven points—a true miracle.

As the scores rolled in, Zhou Xuan’s final results were revealed.

Physics: 78, fairly average, ranking over a hundred in the grade.

Chemistry: 85, ranking about seventy.

Total score: 583, seventh in the grade.

Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

They thought Zhou Xuan must have focused on the three main subjects, since his physics and chemistry scores hadn’t improved much—still within acceptable limits.

The physics and chemistry teachers were dissatisfied, each taking turns to admonish Zhou Xuan: he couldn’t just excel in those three subjects, he had to work harder in theirs as well.

Zhou Xuan promised to study diligently and not let them down.

All the teachers were eager to see Zhou Xuan’s performance in the midterm exam, wondering if he was a flash in the pan or truly talented—students and teachers alike waited with anticipation.

This midterm would be the real test for the top students in the third year, with the best from Class Six and those from other classes vying for the top twenty, hoping for good results.

Not only would it be something to show off, but the parent-teacher conference after the midterm meant a bad score would bring scolding.

Zhou Xuan, meanwhile, continued his steady routine. He deliberately performed poorly in politics, biology, and history during this quiz, intentionally answering some questions wrong, taking things step by step.

Those subjects were all about memorization, and Zhou Xuan found them effortless.