Chapter 19

Listening to Xin An’an’s exaggerated tone, Xu Zhilu almost laughed.

Before she could respond, the Chinese teacher spoke up.

Looking approvingly at Xu Zhilu, she said, “Your essay is indeed very good.”

Xu Zhilu smiled shyly.

The Chinese teacher encouraged her, “Keep it up.”

For the rest of the lesson, the teacher went over the test paper.

Xu Zhilu felt many eyes on her throughout the class.

Although she had stumbled in math, her Chinese scores had improved, proving that she was still a top student.

Her other subject scores were not particularly great but were not too bad either.

Xu Zhilu scored full marks in English again. While her scores in other subjects were a bit lower, they were still stable.

At least, she thought so.

To others, it seemed like her grades had dropped because of her affection for Shen Siyan, making her appear incompetent.

Their critical tone was as if their own child’s grades had dropped.

Xu Zhilu didn’t even want to give them a glance.

During lunch in the cafeteria, it was the same.

Many people pointed and whispered about her, but Xu Zhilu was used to it and didn’t feel much.

Xin An’an was furious. “Are they crazy? What’s the big deal if you have one bad test? They didn’t score higher than you. What’s the need for this?”

Xu Zhilu smiled. “Ignore them.”

Xin An’an rolled her eyes. “I bet they’ll be those parents who constantly monitor their kids if they get one bad grade.”

Curious, Xu Zhilu asked, “Like, what?”

“You know, the kind who watches over their kids all the time if they do badly on one test.”

Xu Zhilu laughed and nodded. “Got it.”

For Xu Zhilu, as long as no one came up to nag her directly, she could tolerate it.

But some people just didn’t know when to stop.

As soon as Xu Zhilu and Xin An’an got their lunch and sat down, Xu Zhijia came over with her tray, looking very arrogant.

“Big sis.”

Xu Zhilu continued eating without looking up.

Xu Zhijia sat down next to her, feigning concern. “I heard you didn’t do well on this month’s test.”

Xu Zhilu kept eating.

Seeing this, a flash of resentment crossed Xu Zhijia’s eyes. She pressed her lips together and pretended to care. “It’s not a big deal to have one bad test. Just work harder next time. But your drop in scores is pretty severe. What am I supposed to tell Mom and Dad about your grades?”

As Xu Zhilu listened to her constant chattering, she wondered why some people couldn’t be silenced even with food.

She turned to Xu Zhijia. “What score did you get?”

Xu Zhijia was taken aback. “Huh?”

Xu Zhilu put down her chopsticks and asked calmly, “Jiajia, what was your score?”

Xu Zhijia pressed her lips tightly together.

Xu Zhilu glanced around at the surrounding students who were watching them. She continued in a calm tone, “If I remember correctly, you’re ranked over two hundredth in the grade, right?”

She spoke earnestly, “Mom and Dad can accept your scores, but why can’t they accept mine in the top twenty?”

She smiled slightly. “Compared to you, there’s at least a tenfold difference.”

Xu Zhijia’s face changed. “Sis, what are you saying? My scores and yours are…”

Before she could finish, Xu Zhilu interrupted her.

“It’s good you know that.”

Xu Zhilu said coldly, “Since you know your scores can’t compare to mine, why are you embarrassing yourself? Even with my drop in scores, I’m still better than you. Understand?”

Her last sentence sounded like it was squeezed out through her teeth.

Xu Zhijia’s face changed dramatically. She threw out a quick, “You’re too much, sister,” and ran out of the cafeteria with reddened eyes.

The nearby students who had been eavesdropping exchanged glances, then quickly lowered their heads in shame and resumed eating.

Xu Zhilu was right. Even with her decline, she was still better than them. They had no right to mock her.

Xu Zhilu’s sharp retort to her sister had hit too close to home. After lunch, when she returned to the classroom, no one pointed or whispered about her scores anymore.

Instead, people became curious about how she managed to score full marks on her essay, wondering what books she had read.

Xu Zhilu didn’t harbor ill feelings toward most people. When they asked, she told them. Excelling in Chinese required daily practice.

Especially with essays, she had read a wide variety of books, particularly in college, where she read all kinds of literature, greatly enhancing her writing skills.

This explained why her Chinese scores had improved after she was reborn.

As for English, it was a subject she always liked.

She had studied translation in college, so overall, her English was strong.

After chatting with her classmates for a bit, Xu Zhilu began reviewing her other test papers.

She wasn’t disappointed in herself for one bad test but wanted to summarize her mistakes to improve next time.

—

Shen Siyan had gone out at noon and returned to the classroom with a cup of milk tea in hand.

Cheng Song, walking beside him, teased, “Brother Yan! You actually improved this time.”

He asked, “How much do you plan to improve next time?”

Shen Siyan looked up lazily. “It depends on my mood.”

Cheng Song: “…”

He was speechless. “Brother Yan, you can be confident, but don’t be arrogant, understand?”

Shen Siyan didn’t even glance at him and asked in a low voice, “Did anything happen at noon?”

Hearing this, Cheng Song clicked his tongue. “Actually, yes.”

Shen Siyan looked at him.

Cheng Song hadn’t gone out for lunch with him but had eaten in the cafeteria.

He recounted how Xu Zhilu had put Xu Zhijia in her place and concluded, “Xu Zhilu was really impressive.”

Shen Siyan nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. “Good.”

Cheng Song noticed his expression. “What, were you worried Xu Zhilu would be bullied?”