With that in mind, Qu Xiaomeng found joy in her heart but suspicion soon followed.
‘If Su Yang’s English is this good, he shouldn’t have scored 71 points. He might not have gotten 100, but he should at least score 90.’
On top of that, when Qu Xiaomeng went through Su Yang’s papers, she noticed that he was as good as he claimed in the multiple-choice questions because he only got three questions wrong, but the comprehension and essay were complete garbage.
It did not make sense.
She looked into his eyes and said, “If your English is this good, why are your comprehension and essay so poorly written?”
Su Yang had already come up with an excuse in his head. “I don’t want to let others know that I’m a genius.”
Qu Xiaomeng was speechless. ‘Can you be more narcissistic than this?’
She added, “Then, why now? Why are you revealing yourself now?”
“I realize that no matter how much I try, I cannot hide my genius glory. It keeps spilling out.”
Qu Xiaomeng really wanted to walk away, not wanting to talk to Su Yang anymore. However, she forced herself to stop thinking about it. Instead, she said, “Since you’ve proven that you have good mastery over English, you should prove yourself in front of the class in the afternoon English class.”
She was worried that he might not understand why he must prove himself to the class, so she added, “Because the midterm questions are a little unusual, so...you are the top three in our class.”
Su Yang had already heard the news from Chu Xia and Qu Xiaomeng’s approach was exactly what he wanted.
He could not keep his results under wraps for long, and if he did not prove himself sooner or later, the other students in the class would start to gossip. If the rumors spread, it would be a matter of time before he had to stand up for himself again.
With that in mind, he nodded. “Sure.”
Since Su Yang had proven that he was capable of getting such a high score, Qu Xiaomeng did not want to get to the bottom of it. She should be frustrated when a student failed, not when the student studied well and aced the test.
However, she could barely smile after Su Yang left. She knew even if his English was good, it did not change the fact that he was mixing around with gangsters. On top of that, he skipped classes frequently, and even when he attended the class, he always sat in the last row and minded his own business. He did not look like he was there to study.
Now, with his outstanding English results, Qu Xiaomeng no longer had any reason to tutor him and correct his mistakes. It would be a waste of his talent if he did not pursue his studies further.
Although Su Yang never planned to further his students, he did find one thing regrettable: if he had the system since high school, he would have been able to master English back then, and with his results, he could probably could have gotten into the prestigious Tsinghua University.
‘If my English had been good back then, I would never have enrolled in this second-tier university! Or should I drop out and retake the university entrance exam for Tsinghua?’
After some thoughts, Su Yang discarded the idea. It was too much of a hassle and he still had his great ideals to realize.
Speaking of his great ideals, he took his phone out and asked Deeny: [Deeny, how’s the server thing going?]
Deeny replied: [Master, the server is up and ready to be deployed. I actually finished it last night, but you were too busy studying, so I didn’t disturb you.]
After getting the confirmation from Deeny, Su Yang sent the link to Li Runze for him to download the app and test it.
Mr. Smart Guy replied with a succinct ‘OK’, matching his persona and image: simple and efficient.
Su Yang simply settled his lunch at the canteen before he went back to the lecture hall for the next class.
The first class in the afternoon session was English.
When he reached the lecture hall, Chu Xia was already there.
She wore a white dress today with flowers sewn around the skirt. The bottom of her skirt resembled an upside-down orchid, making her look youthful and beautiful. She was the kind of girl who looked beautiful in whatever she wore.
Su Yang waved at her, but she replied with a stiff look and then hid her face behind the book. He could tell that she was in a dilemma.
Nevertheless, Su Yang was not overly concerned either. He would never put himself in an awkward situation, so he headed to his usual spot and sat down. Then, he took his phone out and started testing the app Deeny made.
Two minutes later, he felt a shadow above his head. Someone was standing in front of him and blocking the light.
He looked up to see Chu Xia’s face.
The bright smile was absent from her face, replaced by a bitter look. She signed him to move further in before she sat down beside him.
Su Yang moved down the row but did not start a conversation. He continued tapping his phone.
Chu Xia hesitated for almost five minutes after she sat down and he did not avert his eyes away from his phone. In the end, she started, “Su Yang...”
Su Yang looked at her but she looked away. She said softly, “If...I mean if your results are revealed to the class, do you know how the other students will think about you?”
Su Yang said without being concerned, “I don’t care.”
“But I do,” she said with a heavy tone, “I don’t want others to doubt you and I don’t want you to bear the title of a cheater. It’s hurtful, really hurtful.”
It was then that she looked at Su Yang with a determined gaze. “Whether you cheated or not, I don’t wish to see you living under people’s doubts.”
Su Yang looked at her and realized that the hesitation in her eyes was gone. Determination had taken its place. He felt warm right away.
A moment later, he smiled from the bottom of his heart. He put his hand over Chu Xia’s head. “Take it easy. It’s fine.”
Chu Xia sized up him seriously, but she did not spot any worry or fear. She heaved a breath of relief and said, “No matter what happens, remember to come to me. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
“Sure,” he agreed.
While they were talking, Qu Xiaomeng came in with a stack of papers after the bell rang.
Chu Xia could not get back to her spot in time, so she sat beside Su Yang.
Qu Xiaomeng put the papers on the table and said while holding a piece of note, “The results for the midterms are out.”
The entire class immediately cried in sorrow. It seemed like everyone had checked their answers and already expected poor results.
Qu Xiaomeng added, “Only three students have passed the midterms.”
“No way! Three?!”
Qu Xiaomeng’s revelation sparked discussion among the class. The students knew that they had done poorly in the midterm, but they did not expect everyone to be the same. It was like everyone went to the beach for a swim and one of them lost her bikini to the waves. However, when the waves subsided, they realized that everyone was naked.
Qu Xiaomeng cleared her throat to capture the students’ attention. “First place, Chu Xia with 95 marks.”
The class quietened down and they turned their attention to Chu Xia. They wanted to know who else had passed the test.
“Second place, Chu An, 85.”
The first and second places were within the class’s expectations. The only thing that surprised them was the difficulty of the questions. They did not expect the two of them to score so high in the midterms.
Qu Xiaomeng looked at the piece of note in her hand before she sized up the entire class. Her gaze ultimately landed on Su Yang who was still tapping his phone as if his soul was not around.
Qu Xiaomeng’s gaze paused on him for a moment before she announced, “Third place, Su Yang, 71.”
The announcement of the third place hushed the whispers among the students. The entire class fell into pin-drop silent.
Shocked, everyone turned to Su Yang and the class exploded with a discussion in the next second. Everyone was discussing the matter with one another, turning the lecture hall into a lively marketplace.