Chapter 026: Happiness Came Too Suddenly, The Extraordinary Student

Everyone in the office was watching Liu Yajuan, puzzled by her outburst. The academic secretary adjusted her glasses and smiled, “Alright, everyone, check your own class’s grades. Also, Ms. Liu, don’t disappear after the college entrance exams. This time, your bonus will be at least three hundred thousand. You’ll have to treat us all!”

Liu Yajuan was still standing there, looking astonished. The academic secretary left with a smile. The other homeroom teachers in the office all turned their attention to Liu Yajuan.

“Ms. Liu, what’s going on?”

“Three hundred thousand? Did your class do that well?”

Several teachers gathered around Liu Yajuan. She stared at the results sheet in her hands, still unable to believe what she saw. The sheet listed the scores for Class Seven’s students: each subject, total score, and their grade ranking.

The top spot belonged to Song Kai! Not only was he first in Class Seven, but he was also first in the entire grade. Out of a possible 750 points, he scored 710.

Next was Liu Miaoyu! She was second in Class Seven and second in the grade.

Then came Zhou Ran, third in Class Seven and fifth in the grade.

In other words, Class Seven claimed three out of the top five spots in the entire school.

“Wow, really? Three students in the top five?”

“No wonder. The top five in our school are guaranteed admission to Peking University. For each admission, the school awards eighty thousand in bonus money.”

“With these three students, Ms. Liu will get two hundred fifty thousand, assuming they perform well in the college entrance exams.”

“And it’s tax-free!”

The homeroom teachers chattered, their voices tinged with envy.

Liu Yajuan herself was a bit dazed. Happiness had come so suddenly. Two students had transferred into her class for no apparent reason, and now, inexplicably, both had made it into the grade’s top five, with one even clinching first place for the entire school!

Ma Bo, face drawn, looked at his own results sheet. Not a single student in his class made the top ten. He craned his neck to glance at Liu Yajuan’s sheet.

“Impossible!” Ma Bo suddenly shouted, pointing at Liu Yajuan’s results sheet.

All the homeroom teachers turned to Ma Bo.

His cheeks flushed, Ma Bo protested, “Impossible! This Song Kai was in my class before—a complete underachiever. How could he possibly come first in the entire school?”

“He must have cheated!” Ma Bo shouted, refusing to accept the facts.

The other teachers looked at him as if he were an idiot, their expressions mixing scorn and pity. They all knew Zhou Ran and Song Kai had originally been Ma Bo’s students.

“Go ahead and let a student cheat their way to first place. Even if they brought Baidu into the exam hall, they’d never score seven hundred ten!” one teacher laughed.

Ma Bo fell silent. Indeed, no amount of cheating could land someone first place. But why? How was it possible?

Liu Yajuan felt a little embarrassed. She smiled apologetically at Ma Bo, saying, “Mr. Ma, I’m sorry. I really did take advantage of your class. These two students’ achievements should have belonged to your class.”

Ma Bo’s face turned a deep purple. His heart skipped a beat, and he started coughing violently.

“Take it easy, take it easy,” a teacher quickly patted Ma Bo’s back.

The other homeroom teachers snickered. Ma Bo was known for his harsh treatment of students, and it was rumored that Song Kai had switched classes because of Ma Bo’s contemptuous attitude. Now, sixteen thousand in bonuses had slipped through his fingers.

Ma Bo calmed himself, snorted, and said, “I’m going to watch the competition!”

He was just about to leave when the office door swung open and a slightly shorter PE teacher walked in.

“This damned weather—hot all of a sudden. Ah, you’re all here! Ms. Liu, congratulations!” the PE teacher, Chang Yuan, was the homeroom teacher for the arts and sports class. His students didn’t care much about the summer college entrance exams, focusing instead on spring admissions, so he had little to do at this time.

Liu Yajuan smiled, “So you’ve heard, Mr. Chang?”

“Huh? What? Of course I know! I was presiding over the field events. Wait, you all know too?” Chang Yuan said.

The homeroom teachers looked at him.

“Mr. Chang, what are you talking about?” Liu Yajuan thought he was referring to exam results, but what did the scores have to do with the sports field?

“I’m talking about the sports meet, of course,” Chang Yuan replied, puzzled. “What were you all discussing?”

“We thought you meant... Never mind. Mr. Chang, what are you congratulating me for?” Liu Yajuan, in a good mood, smiled.

Chang Yuan said, “Your class stood out in this sports meet! That cheerleading squad—so dazzling! Easily the brightest sight on the sports field.”

Liu Yajuan gave a wry smile. “Don’t tease me. My class is typical for its abundance of girls and shortage of boys. We can only contribute to the school’s sports meet in this way.”

Ma Bo, bald-headed, seized the opportunity to tease, “Not just that. Ms. Liu’s class also swept all the last-place finishes in every event—ha! That’s a contribution to the other classes, too.”

Liu Yajuan smiled bitterly.

Chang Yuan scratched his head. “Actually, I was about to mention that. Ms. Liu, your students are impressive. In today’s events, every competition your class entered, they took first place.”

“Last place, you mean,” Ma Bo laughed.

Chang Yuan waved his hand. “No, genuinely first place! And in four events, your class broke the city’s high school sports meet records. When the overall results are tallied, Ms. Liu, your class will surely come out on top.”

“What?!” The homeroom teachers stared at Chang Yuan in disbelief.

He was startled. “Why so shocked? I just came to share the good news. The sports meet ends tomorrow, and at the closing ceremony, Ms. Liu, you’ll probably have to represent the school, give a speech, and accept awards. Better prepare tonight, so you don’t embarrass yourself in front of all the principals, teachers, and officials from Tengyun City.”

With that, Chang Yuan waved goodbye and left.

Liu Yajuan was stunned. Something wasn’t right—just yesterday, her class had swept all the last places, and now, suddenly, they’d won so many firsts and shattered Tengyun City’s spring sports meet records!

“I... I need to see for myself!” Without bothering to grab her coat, Liu Yajuan hurried toward the sports field.

Ma Bo’s eyes bulged in disbelief. After a moment, he dashed madly toward the field. His Class Three was supposed to take first place—how could it have become Class Seven overnight? That class full of girls and sissies!

On the field, Song Kai sat on the high platform in style, surrounded by more than thirty girls in short skirts, serving tea, pouring water, massaging shoulders and legs, as if he were some grand master.

“Liu Miaoyu! What’s going on?” Liu Yajuan ran over, out of breath.

Seeing her students dressed like that, Liu Yajuan immediately said, “Why are you all wearing so little? Aren’t you cold? Go put on some clothes!” Her first thought wasn’t about their achievements, but about their health.

The students crowded around her.

“Not cold, Teacher! Teacher, our class won ten first places today!”

“Teacher, we were amazing today. We’re bursting with energy.”

“Yes, Teacher, we called you but you didn’t answer. Ah, you missed it!”

Liu Yajuan reached out to pat their heads, then spotted Song Kai—no, more like a hero now—reclining grandly.

Seeing Song Kai, Liu Yajuan suddenly understood. She asked, “Was it Song Kai...?”

“Yes,” Liu Miaoyu grabbed her arm. “We called Song Kai over today. He competed in ten events, and our class took ten first places.”

“...Monster,” Liu Yajuan muttered.

“What did you say, Teacher?” the girls clustered around her.

Though strict about academics, Liu Yajuan treated her students well, like a big sister. Outside the classroom, they felt close to her and never held back.

Song Kai glanced at Liu Yajuan, then said to Zhou Ran beside him, “This homeroom teacher is pretty good, huh? Her first words are about whether her students are cold.”

Zhou Ran sat down next to him, carefully smoothing her skirt to avoid exposing herself. “Yes, much better than Ma Bo.”

Song Kai tilted his head. “Oh, I’m exhausted. I can’t take it anymore. I need to lie down.”

He promptly rested his head on Zhou Ran’s lap.

“Before I lose my temper, you’d better get as far away from me as possible!” Zhou Ran said through gritted teeth.

“I’m a hero,” Song Kai protested.

“One... Two... Three!”

“Ah! Ouch! Teacher! Ms. Liu! Help!” Song Kai clutched his head with both hands.

Zhou Ran yanked his hair. “You wanted to be a hero? I’ll make you a martyr right now...”

Watching their playful antics, Liu Yajuan laughed. She clapped her hands and announced, “Go change your clothes, everyone. Today, I’m treating you all to dinner at the Gourmet Pavilion—eat whatever you like!”

“Yay! Teacher, you’re the best!”

“Teacher, you’re wise!”

“Teacher, you’re the prettiest!”

Amid a chorus of flattery, the forty-plus students of Class Seven, together with Liu Yajuan, set off for the Gourmet Pavilion.