usenovelgroup Chapter 97
Chapter 97
A night rainstorm washed away the hustle and bustle of Jiangcheng, and the morning breeze carried the moist scent of grass and trees, refreshing and invigorating.
After the rain, the sun shone through the thin clouds and shone down. On the spacious playground of Jiangcheng No.1 Middle School, students dressed in blue and white school uniforms stood in neat rows.
Today, they ushered in a brand new month. The routine monthly morning meeting arrived as scheduled, and a solemn atmosphere enveloped the entire campus, making it hard not to be involved.
The flag-raising ceremony concluded smoothly, and the public reprimands for the students who violated the rules also came to an end. The playground gradually became noisy, and everyone knew that the most anticipated part of the month was about to begin: the announcement of the results of the second mock exam.
Zhang Dabiao, the director of academic affairs, stood in the center of the platform, holding the report card, his expression showing a mixture of solemnity and regret.
He admitted that the highest score of the top students in this second mock exam was slightly better than that of the first mock exam, but the overall average score of the senior year students showed a significant decline.
No one in the audience was surprised; they had already guessed this outcome.
It seems that the test setter could arrange it; the mock exam questions were more basic and focused on routine questions, with the aim of consolidating students' confidence and boosting their morale during the final review stage.
The second mock exam deliberately increased the difficulty and added traps in order to shatter everyone's impatience and wishful thinking, so that students who were immersed in small progress could clearly recognize the severity of the college entrance examination, abandon their slack mentality, and calm down to check their shortcomings and make solid reviews.
Fortunately, there is a third mock exam as a backup. A moderate setback can help hone the candidate's mindset and correct their attitude.
Of course, the fluctuations in the difficulty of exam questions are never worth mentioning in the eyes of top students with solid foundations and top-notch abilities.
The college entrance examination questions never exceed the syllabus; they always stay true to the basic principles. Truly solid abilities are enough to handle all question patterns with ease and fear no deliberate challenge.
"Enough with the small talk, let's now announce the top scorers in each subject and overall. First up is the top scorer in the humanities..."
Zhang Dabiao cleared his throat and spoke, immediately attracting the attention of everyone present. The playground quickly quieted down, and countless eyes were fixed on him.
Unsurprisingly, the top spot in the humanities category still belongs to the boy who won the mock exam.
He truly lived up to his initial confidence, breaking the 700-point mark and securing the top spot in the city's liberal arts category with a high score of 708, becoming the top liberal arts student at Jiangcheng No. 1 High School.
Following closely behind, the top scorers in Chinese, Mathematics, English, and Humanities were announced one after another. The students who went on stage were all unfamiliar faces that science students didn't recognize.
After the division into arts and sciences, the focus of learning, the types of practice questions, and the direction of exam preparation are completely different. Science students rarely pay attention to the ranking of arts students' grades, and they only glance at it briefly before looking away.
After the release of the liberal arts results, the top-scoring students stepped down from the stage one by one. After brief post-exam remarks, the atmosphere in the room became increasingly tense and anxious.
All the science students were on tenterhooks.
The breathing on the playground became lighter, and everyone was secretly thinking about something, their eyes fixed intently on Zhang Dabiao on the high platform.
Zhang Dabiao glanced down at the report card in his hand, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes, but his years of teaching experience allowed him to quickly regain his composure, and he spoke in a steady, drawn-out tone: "The top scorer in science is..."
The classic suspenseful pause kept everyone's hearts pounding in their throats.
The top spot in science subjects across the entire school has always been contested by a few top students, with Xia Anqi from Class 1 and Zhang Xueling from Class 2 being the most competitive and considered the favorites by everyone.
"Xia Anqi, Class 1, Grade 12, total score: 711!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the class erupted in a deafening roar of cheers, applause, and shouts that echoed across the entire playground.
In stark contrast, Class Two was filled with disappointment and sighs. The two top classes had been secretly competing for years, and the desire to win was deeply ingrained in the hearts of every student. This defeat was inevitably regrettable.
A hint of disappointment flashed across Zhang Xueling's eyes as she stood at the front of the line. Her high hopes had ultimately fallen short, and she had narrowly lost to Xia Anqi.
However, he remained open-minded and did not show any discouragement. Instead, he took the lead in raising his hand to applaud, displaying composure and magnanimity, and sincerely congratulating his opponent on his excellence.
Under the spotlight, Xia Anqi held her head high, a confident and radiant smile playing on her lips.
With her upright posture, she strode onto the high platform amidst the envious, admiring, or slightly jealous gazes of the entire school's teachers and students, calmly enjoying her moment of glory.
"Next up, the top scorer in both science and Chinese... Xu Lingjing from Class 5, Grade 12, with 140 points!"
As soon as the news came out, enthusiastic cheers and applause erupted from Class 5.
Xu Lingjing's Chinese language scores have always been rock solid. This time, her score was the same as in the first mock exam, and she remained at the top of the grade, which is enough to show her profound knowledge and calm mindset.
She walked onto the stage with a composed and calm demeanor, exuding a cool and elegant air that made her hard not to like.
"Top scorer in Mathematics (Science)... Tong Xiaowei, Class 3, Grade 12, 145 points!"
The cheers from Class Three erupted immediately afterward, growing even more enthusiastic.
Unlike the others who were frank and outspoken, Tong Xiaowei was introverted and shy. Standing on the high platform that attracted the attention of the entire school, her cheeks flushed slightly, her head was lowered, and she was reserved. She did not dare to look up at the dense crowd below the stage.
Walking to her friend Xia Anqi's side, Xia Anqi immediately turned her head and said gently in a low voice, "Don't look down like that, Xiaowei. This is an honor you earned through your own hard work. Just accept everyone's applause with grace."
Tong Xiaowei gently clenched her fist and said in a soft voice, "I...I'm fine like this."
Her inherent gentleness and introversion meant that even with top achievements, she could never be as composed, dazzling, and poised as Xia Anqi, readily accepting the gaze of the masses.
Seeing this, Xia Anqi stopped trying to persuade her. A confident smile appeared on her lips as she leaned closer and whispered, "Next is English. I'm very confident that I'll get first place this time."
Tong Xiaowei was slightly taken aback, and subconsciously thought of Lu Yuan, who had topped the English test in the mock exam.
If Lu Yuan is truly capable, even if he fails to defend his first place in the second mock exam, his results will certainly not be inferior.
"Lu Yuan, just watch." Xia Anqi's eyes were full of determination, and her tone was exceptionally confident. "I've reviewed each question several times. Even if I hesitated slightly on a few questions, I still have at least 148 points. I don't believe anyone can surpass me."
In the past years' major exam records of this graduating class of Jiangcheng No.1 High School, very few people have been able to get a perfect score in English. Xia Anqi is the only one who has ever achieved a perfect score.
In English essays, cloze tests, and grammar fill-in-the-blank exercises, there are hidden points that could be deducted, making it extremely difficult to get a perfect score.
"Then I congratulate you in advance," Tong Xiaowei said with a sincere smile.
Xia Anqi raised her eyes and looked at the Class 5 team, her eyes filled with a hidden competitive spirit and pride.
She remembered the regret of narrowly losing to Lu Yuan in the mock exam and missing out on first place in English for a whole month.
This time, she went all out and prepared to the utmost, determined to reclaim her honor, defeat Lu Yuan, and wipe away her previous regrets.
However, the line for Class 5 was too long, and Lu Yuan was standing at the very end of the line. She scanned the line but ultimately couldn't see the boy's figure.
Just then, Zhang Dabiao on the platform spoke again, a satisfied smile on his lips, deliberately slowing his pace: "First place in both science and English this year..."
The suspense returned, and the atmosphere reached its peak once again. Everyone held their breath and remained completely silent, as if even the wind had stopped.
Lu Yuan, who was at the end of the fifth class line, felt a sense of tension and unease.
He also couldn't be 100% sure that he hadn't made a mistake and lost points on an inconspicuous question.
"Lu Yuan, Class 5, Grade 12! Full marks, 150 points!"
These few words, like a thunderclap, resounded across the playground!
A moment of deathly silence fell over the entire hall, followed by a deafening roar of exclamations!
Countless eyes swept and chased, desperately searching for Lu Yuan's figure in the Class 5 formation. Exclamations and discussions rose and fell like waves, sweeping across the entire scene.
"Perfect score?! Really?!"
"Lu Yuan is just too incredible!"
"So, the guy surnamed Lu isn't even going to act anymore? He's just going straight for a perfect score?"
A cacophony of exclamations of amazement, envy, shock, doubt, and disbelief lingered for a long time.
Everyone remembers that in this year's graduating class, Xia Anqi was the only one to achieve a perfect score in English in the major exam.
And now, Lu Yuan has become the second!
On the high platform, Xia Anqi, who had just been full of confidence and waiting to reach the top, suddenly froze, her bright smile freezing on her face. She stood there dumbfounded, at a loss for what to do.
After a few seconds of blankness, her pupils contracted, her eyes filled with disbelief, her lips trembled, and she murmured softly, "Perfect score... how could it be a perfect score? How could he get a perfect score?"
The drastic change shattered all her confidence. She instinctively gripped Tong Xiaowei's arm, her voice tinged with panic and disbelief: "Xiaowei, am I hallucinating? This can't be!"
Seeing her shocked expression, Tong Xiaowei couldn't help but feel sorry for her.
English is Xia Anqi's proudest subject, and her undefeated champion.
In order to regain first place in this subject, she was extra careful and meticulous in this exam, and did her best. She thought victory was in her grasp, but she still lost, and lost to the same person twice.
More importantly, she had previously boasted several times that she would definitely defeat Lu Yuan and reclaim the top spot, showing great confidence.
Now the ending has reversed, and Lu Yuan has shattered all her pride with an impeccable perfect score.
From beginning to end, Lu Yuan never took this contest to heart, and never responded to her challenge.
All her arrogance and challenges were a one-woman show. In the end, she was the only one who lost face and humiliated herself.
Tong Xiaowei couldn't bear to see her lose her composure, so she could only use the most straightforward words to help her face reality: "Anqi, it's true, Lu Yuan got a perfect score on his English test."
One sentence completely shattered Xia Anqi's confidence.
She no longer had the strength to question or the courage to argue; she deflated completely, and all her confidence vanished.
She stared blankly down below, and saw at the end of the crowd, a boy in a clean blue and white school uniform, with a tall and handsome figure and clear features, calmly walk out of the line amidst the cheers and exclamations of the crowd, step by step onto the platform, and finally stand steadily beside her.
Xia Anqi's gaze was fixed on Lu Yuan, her heart filled with confusion, resentment and bewilderment, a mix of emotions surging within her, yet she still couldn't fathom his rapidly improving strength.
Lu Yuan never glanced to the side, his face bearing a calm and gentle smile as he openly accepted the attention and applause of the entire school's teachers and students, his demeanor serene.
Xu Lingjing and Tong Xiaowei beside him were genuinely happy for Lu Yuan's comeback, their eyes filled with genuine smiles.
Xia Anqi stood there alone, her mind a jumble of emotions, overwhelmed by disappointment and resentment, unsure whether she should be happy or sad.
On the other side of the playground, next to Ye Yixian, Wang Qingyu was even more excited than the person in question. She tightly gripped Ye Yixian's arm and shook it vigorously, exclaiming, "Yixian! Lu Yuan is amazing! He actually got a perfect score!"
Ye Yixian looked at the tall and upright young man on the high platform, her eyes filled with shock, but a sense of relief welled up in her heart.
If the sudden comeback in the first mock exam still raises suspicions of "luck," "good fortune," or "cheating," then this second mock exam is enough to shatter all the rumors.
Everyone knows that after his miraculous performance in the mock exam, the school paid special attention to Lu Yuan, monitoring the entire exam process with high-definition surveillance and conducting intensive inspections, leaving no room for maneuver.
Even under such strict supervision, his grades improved instead of declining, and he made great strides, reaching the top with a perfect score, completely silencing everyone with his strength.
Some people were overjoyed and sincerely admired him, while others were filled with fear and felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
For example, Li Xian's face was already deathly pale, and his heart felt as if it had been hit hard by a heavy stone, feeling both suffocated and painful.
An indescribable sense of panic and unease quietly arose and spread throughout my body.
A chill ran down his spine, his palms were icy cold, and he couldn't help but tremble slightly all over, his heart filled with uncontrollable apprehension and fear.