Chapter 144: There Is Still Plenty of Time (First Update)

They say that when you are feeling sad and heartbroken, seeing those around you filled with joy only deepens your own misery. This saying holds true. Jiang Muwen scanned the classroom, feeling as though she were the most wretched soul in the entire room. This sense of dejection was only amplified when she saw Yin Lize bouncing around with delight.

Jiang Muwen lowered her eyes to the test paper in her hand and let out a forlorn sigh. Happiness belonged to them, while she had nothing.

"Boss Gu, look! I got a 93!" Yin Lize said, walking over to Gu Nianxi and waving his paper in front of her, looking for all the world like a child who had been good and was now begging for a treat.

With that, he dropped his test paper onto Gu Nianxi’s desk. He leaned over, resting his elbows on the surface, his backside swaying slightly as he did so—resembling nothing so much as a happy little puppy wagging its tail at its master.

Jiang Muwen watched him quietly before silently shoving her own test paper into her desk. Yin Lize was truly a clever boy; in just a few months, his grades had improved by leaps and bounds.

Perhaps Yin Lize was wearing his joy a bit too obviously. As soon as he spoke, Zhou Yao, sitting in front, chimed in with a bitter tone: "It’s just a 93. What’s there to be so smug about? Who knows if you cheated or just got lucky guessing?"

Zhou Yao did not speak loudly, but the words reached Yin Lize clearly. The ambient noise in the classroom died down abruptly after she spoke. The murmurs and whispers that had filled the room faded away. Everyone stopped their conversations, waiting for the first great drama of the senior year to unfold in Class A.

The contrarian Zhou Yao versus the school bully Yin Lize—this promised to be the most thrilling spectacle the students of Class A had witnessed yet. They glanced quietly between Zhou Yao and Yin Lize.

Yin Lize straightened up. His cold, sharp gaze rested on Zhou Yao for a few seconds before he looked away.

Zhou Yao’s remark failed to ignite Yin Lize’s temper. He seemed uncharacteristically calm today; perhaps he was in such a good mood that he simply couldn't be bothered to argue with her.

However, while Zhou Yao failed to provoke Yin Lize, she succeeded in angering Gu Nianxi. Gu Nianxi detested those who so readily dismissed a person’s hard work and success—especially when it was Yin Lize being belittled.

"Zhou—"

Before Gu Nianxi could finish the first word, Yin Lize stopped her. He reached out and gently patted her hand, then leaned over, acting as if nothing had happened. "She’s just a sour lemon; she feels miserable if she doesn't get to be bitter for a day. Don't pay her any mind."

Yin Lize then dragged his chair over to Gu Nianxi’s side. "Boss, I’m stuck on a few problems. Could you teach me?"

***

Seeing that her attempt to provoke Yin Lize had failed, Zhou Yao slunk away in defeat.

The last period before dismissal was a study hall. Everyone sat quietly at their desks, but Jiang Muwen felt no passion for studying. Despite having worked so hard for so long, she had come away empty-handed. Every spark of enthusiasm seemed to have been extinguished the moment she received her test paper, leaving behind only an endless sense of loss.

Sunlight poured down upon her, seemingly illuminating the desolation on her face.

At this rate, she would probably be the next one kicked out of this class.

As she mused on this, the sound of a chair being dragged reached her ears. It wasn't loud, but she noticed it. A moment later, the chair came to a stop right beside her.

The next second, her frame was enveloped in a long shadow. Someone had stopped by her side.

Before she could react, the person sat down. A low voice drifted into her ear, soft and steady: "Take out your test paper."

It was Wen Yichen. Jiang Muwen didn't know what he wanted by sitting next to her, but she cast him a weak glance before turning her gaze back to her desk.

"I did very poorly," she whispered, her voice audible only to the two of them.

"I know," Wen Yichen replied naturally, his tone calm and unreadable. He had been the one to distribute the papers; he had already looked over the math scores for the entire class.

Seeing that she didn't respond, he said softly, "Take it out."

Jiang Muwen reached into her desk, fumbled around for a moment, and then reluctantly pulled out the paper with its fifty-point score. She placed it on the desk face down.

Looking at the sea of red crosses on the paper, she felt like retreating into a shell.

Wen Yichen said nothing. He simply reached out and naturally flipped the paper over. The glaring score met Jiang Muwen’s eyes.

***

The sound of the paper being turned caught Yin Lize’s attention. He instinctively turned his head, but before his curious gaze could land on the score, Wen Yichen spoke in a cold, quiet voice that was still perfectly audible to Yin Lize: "Turn back and study."

"Got it, Brother Chen."

Once Yin Lize turned back around, Wen Yichen’s gaze returned to Jiang Muwen’s paper. "Have you analyzed your mistakes?"

"No."

"Let me take a look." He took the paper from her and began to examine the incorrect problems.

This time, he didn't seem to look down on her, nor did he mock her as he might have in the past. He knew that she was feeling anxious and powerless, and in such a state, sarcasm was the last thing she needed.

Seconds and minutes ticked by. The classroom began to fill with the sounds of students chatting or discussing problems, but the noise was low and did not disturb anyone else.

After a while, Wen Yichen placed the paper back on her desk. "I’ve gone through it. It’s alright, don't worry. There’s still plenty of time."

Jiang Muwen did not respond.

"There will be exams every week from now on. If we improve by five points each week, it won't take long for your score to look much better," he continued, offering her quiet reassurance.

However, it seemed Xia Manman had overheard him. She turned her head instinctively, her expression growing complex as she looked at Jiang Muwen and Wen Yichen.