Cheng Song turned his head. “Brother Yan, are you heading back to school?”

Shen Siyan ignored him and looked at Xin An’an. “Can you go back to school?”

Xin An’an nodded blankly. “Of course, no problem.”

Shen Siyan responded with a faint “Mm” and said calmly, “Don’t worry, I’ll go too.”

The barbecue place wasn’t too far from the school, but it wasn’t very close either. Originally, if Xu Zhilu had come, Shen Siyan planned to pick her up.

After packing the food, Shen Siyan held the bag.

Xin An’an stood up instinctively. “Let me carry it.”

“No need.”

The two walked back to school in silence.

At the school gate, Shen Siyan handed her the food, adding, “Don’t say I sent you.”

Xin An’an was speechless. “Alright.”

When she got to the classroom, there were only a few students around.

Xu Zhilu was focused on her work.

“Zhilu!”

Xu Zhilu looked up, surprised. “Why are you back at school?”

Xin An’an smiled. “Didn’t I tell you we were having barbecue nearby? I brought you some porridge. Studying consumes a lot of brainpower.”

Xu Zhilu looked at the food on her desk, smiling faintly. “Thank you.”

She pulled out her phone. “How much was it?”

Xin An’an blinked. “Ah, tonight was Cheng Song’s treat, so it didn’t cost anything.”

She put an arm around Xu Zhilu’s shoulder. “We’re good friends, don’t be so polite. You can treat me next time.”

Xu Zhilu thought for a moment and decided not to argue. “Alright, let’s go out for a meal sometime, and I’ll treat.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Xin An’an looked at her. “Head back to the dorm early. I’m going home now.”

“Okay, let me know when you get home.”

After Xin An’an left, the smell of the food made Xu Zhilu’s hunger resurface.

She didn’t hesitate and started eating.

The bag contained rib porridge, fried dumplings, chicken wings, and her favorite fish balls.

This midnight snack came at just the right time. After eating, Xu Zhilu felt much better.

Refreshed, she quickly finished a practice test.

—

The next morning, everyone was anxious and nervous. They were eager for the results but also feared they had done poorly.

Xu Zhilu appeared calm, not showing any signs of nervousness. But inside, she was a bit anxious, curious about how her scores would reflect her return to studying.

The first period was math, taught by their homeroom teacher, Zhao Lekang.

He looked slightly serious, which made everyone more nervous.

For some reason, Xu Zhilu felt he glanced at her twice with a slightly disappointed look.

Xu Zhilu pursed her lips, recalling the difficulty of the test, and wasn’t surprised.

Zhao Lekang cleared his throat and began the usual speech. “The monthly test results are out. Some students have made great progress, while others have regressed. I hope you all take a good look at where you went wrong when you get your papers.”

Everyone nodded obediently, awaiting their fate.

Zhao Lekang glanced at Xu Zhilu again and said, “This time, I’ll start from the lowest score. When you hear your name, come up and get your paper.”

Everyone: “…”

In the next moment, Zhao Lekang looked towards the back row. “Shen Siyan, 30 points. There’s progress.”

Shen Siyan: “…”

That last remark was unnecessary, he thought.

Before going up, he glanced at Xu Zhilu.

Xu Zhilu showed no expression, but he had a feeling she was smiling.

Shen Siyan was baffled, unsure if she was mocking him or not.

After getting his paper, Gao Chi whistled, teasing, “Nice job, Brother Yan. Reflecting for a week earned you a high score of thirty.”

Shen Siyan shot him a death glare.

Gao Chi immediately shut up.

But the other classmates couldn’t hold back their laughter, even Zhao Lekang chuckled. “It’s much better than the eight points from the final exam. Improvement is what matters.”

“…”

Shen Siyan didn’t appreciate this kind of praise.

As each name was called, those who hadn’t been called felt increasingly relieved.

After all, starting from the lowest score meant the further down the list, the better the score.

Suddenly, Xu Zhilu’s name echoed through the room.

Everyone was stunned and turned to look at her. “What?”

Zhao Lekang repeated, “Xu Zhilu, 120.”

This time, the class heard it clearly.

Xin An’an was also shocked. “Zhilu?”

Xu Zhilu gave her a look and went up to get her paper without any expression.

In her view, scoring 120 after missing out on years of study was not bad at all.

Of course, others didn’t see it that way.

After Zhao Lekang finished announcing all the scores, the class buzzed with whispers.

Xu Zhilu noticed some of her classmates sneaking glances at her with complicated emotions in their eyes.

She couldn’t quite describe it.

After class, Xu Zhilu was called to the office, unsurprisingly.

She followed Zhao Lekang in.

Zhao Lekang put down his papers and turned to her. “Are you under any pressure recently?”

Xu Zhilu shook her head.

Zhao Lekang looked at her. “Do you know how much your overall score dropped this time?”

Xu Zhilu continued to shake her head, looking innocent.

Seeing her like this, Zhao Lekang found it hard to scold her.

He waved his hand, somewhat helpless. “If you have any pressure, talk to me. Dropping dozens of places is a bit hard for me to handle.”

Xu Zhilu pursed her lips and nodded. “Sorry, I’ll work hard to do better next time.”

Zhao Lekang responded, “Mm. Did you not get enough sleep before the test?”

Xu Zhilu: “…”

She felt like laughing.

Actually, Zhao Lekang was very kind and considerate. But she couldn’t exactly tell him that she had forgotten 50% of the high school curriculum and was now back in high school after attending college.

She stayed silent, not knowing how to explain.

However, Zhao Lekang interpreted her silence differently.

He sighed and comforted her. “It’s okay to have one bad test. Go back and review your paper. If you have any questions, come and ask me.”

Xu Zhilu smiled. “Okay, thank you, teacher.”

“Go back.”

As Xu Zhilu walked out, she felt numerous eyes on her.

She returned to the classroom expressionless, while whispers started to fill the corridor.

“Wow, did you know? Xu Zhilu only scored 120 in math this time. She probably can’t keep her top rank.”

“She’s been all focused on Shen Siyan. It’s normal for her grades to drop.”

“That’s true. She was so arrogant and full of herself before.”

…

Xu Zhilu was speechless. When had she ever been arrogant and full of herself?

It was just her natural personality.

She glanced at the students gossiping, and they instantly fell silent.

Finding it boring, she returned to the classroom.

Upon entering, many eyes turned to her, but no one spoke.

After she sat down, Chen Jinghan turned around and asked, “Did Mr. Zhao talk to you about your grades?”

Xu Zhilu nodded. “Mm.”

Chen Jinghan hesitated. “Did you not finish the test?”

“No.”

Xu Zhilu replied frankly, “I just made mistakes.”

The classmates around them were eavesdropping, each with their own thoughts.

Xu Zhilu didn’t care about their opinions and continued with the lesson.

The second period was Chinese.

The teacher began distributing the test papers and discussing the questions.

Looking around, the teacher smiled. “Time to hand out the test papers. Let’s stay focused. I heard Mr. Zhao called out the scores from the lowest. I’ll do the same.”

Everyone: “…”

Another round of humiliation.

The teacher glanced around and called out, “Shen Siyan, 70.”

Everyone: “…”

Shen Siyan didn’t react much. He didn’t care about others’ opinions.

Being the lowest scorer again was fine; it was still better than his previous score of fifty.

Xu Zhilu felt relieved.

After all, as his tutor, seeing her student improve was encouraging.

Xin An’an whispered beside her, “Ah, Shen Siyan scored seventy and is still the lowest.”

Xu Zhilu: “… Don’t say that. He’s coming back.”

Xin An’an immediately fell silent.

The teacher called the names one by one. Those not called felt happier.

The later their names were called, the better their scores.

Finally, the teacher looked directly at Xu Zhilu. “Xu Zhilu, 145.”

Handing her the paper, the teacher smiled. “Your essay was excellent. I heard you did poorly in math, but your Chinese has improved a lot.”

She added, “Keep working hard to improve in all subjects.”

Xu Zhilu smiled faintly. “Okay, thank you, teacher.”

As soon as she sat down, Xin An’an leaned over and exclaimed, “Wow! You got full marks on your essay!”

Xu Zhilu: “…”

Other classmates: “…”

No need to show off like that!