Chapter 7: The Exam

Returning to high school, Jiang Mingzhi felt a bit overwhelmed. She was used to being the one in charge, but now she was suddenly being controlled, which made her very uncomfortable.

Fortunately, the school had a relaxed atmosphere. The teachers were friendly and approachable, and their qualifications were impressive. As long as the students performed well academically and didn’t have behavioral issues, the teachers were generally accommodating.

Students weren’t allowed to bring instant noodles, cola, or spicy snacks to school, but they could bring their phones. However, during class, phones had to be placed in a charging cabinet and could only be retrieved after school.

Jiang Mingzhi didn’t bring her phone to school. After collecting her textbooks, she sat at her desk and started writing.

The class was noisy, but it didn’t affect her as she calmly worked on her study plan.

After a winter break of study, she realized that she had mostly forgotten everything she had learned, but fortunately, after some rough studying, she could still recall some of it.

Everyone was chatting about their experiences and interesting events from the winter break. Her deskmate, Lin Wan, leaned over to see what she was writing. When she saw Jiang Mingzhi’s neat and beautiful handwriting, she was both surprised and envious.

“Your handwriting is so beautiful! Have you practiced calligraphy?”

The elegant, flowing characters from Jiang Mingzhi’s pen danced across the paper—strong and graceful, neither flashy nor sluggish.

Jiang Mingzhi casually replied, “Hmm.”

Lin Wan took a closer look at the handwriting and was even more surprised. “Is this a study plan? You’ve planned it all out so thoroughly!”

The densely packed schedule was filled with study times. It was well-known that the school emphasized the all-around development of students, and they rarely took up students’ physical education class time. Teachers were also not allowed to drag on lessons after hours.

Compared to their studies, the students preferred to go horseback riding or play ice hockey after school, and then secretly hire excellent tutors at night.

She observed Jiang Mingzhi’s serious profile and thought, Do students from the South always work so hard? Is my deskmate a straight-A student?

Class 14 wasn’t a top-tier class, and their average scores in major exams were usually in the bottom five of the grade.

Lin Wan was very curious about her new, beautiful deskmate and asked a lot of questions.

“Do southern girls tend to be more gentle?”

“Jiang Mingzhi, your clothes are the latest CHANEL collection!”

“You’re pretty tall, I thought southern girls were usually shorter.”

The two boys sitting in front of them were also curious about the new transfer student and turned to join the conversation. They tried to subtly inquire about what Jiang Mingzhi’s family did.

Jiang Mingzhi replied, “I’m not really sure.”

Pei Zhaohua’s company had become one of the Fortune 500 companies by the time she graduated from high school. It was involved in many industries, with Qiu Tang in charge of two sectors—hotel construction and resorts. After the asset restructuring, they also acquired media and entertainment companies.

The boys in front of her glanced down at the shoes Jiang Mingzhi was wearing.

With a price tag of over 8,000, they had a rough idea of her background.

Jiang Mingzhi could tell what they were thinking. These people appeared friendly and polite, but some of them secretly looked down on others.

Some students who performed well but came from average families might experience subtle bullying in daily interactions.

Two girls sitting behind her were touching up their makeup with small mirrors and occasionally glanced at Jiang Mingzhi.

They felt a subtle sense of competition towards the beautiful new transfer student.

On the first day of school, there was an opening ceremony, and many students brought their phones. The news that a beautiful girl had transferred to Class 14 spread quickly among the students.

A lot of people had seen her, and some even deliberately walked by Class 14 just to take a look.

When Jiang Mingzhi went to the cafeteria for lunch, her reputation seemed to have spread even further.

“Wow, a beauty! When did our school get a girl this beautiful? I didn’t see her last semester.”

“I don’t know, but she’s not even wearing a school uniform. Is she new?”

On the first day of school, the school required students to wear formal uniforms. The formal uniforms were in a British college style, with a full suit set inside and outside.

Looking around, the campus was filled with youthful energy, and without the uniform, Jiang Mingzhi stood out as a particularly eye-catching presence.

Jiang Mingzhi seemed unaware of the attention around her, calmly eating her lunch.

Lin Wan sat across from her, head down, quietly eating her meal. She whispered, “It’s so stressful walking with you.”

It felt like walking the red carpet with a celebrity—everywhere they went, eyes were following them.

Not far away, Sun Shiyao excitedly patted Chen Zhanbei next to him. “Look, a beauty.”

“Where?”

Pei Jinyang was pushed forward to join the commotion and immediately spotted Jiang Mingzhi sitting there eating.

The girl had her hair tied in a high ponytail, exposing her fair and delicate neck, dressed in a simple black jacket.

She had an obedient and sweet appearance, but deep inside, an air of pride seemed to radiate through her skin.

Her friends must have said something funny, as the corners of her mouth lifted in a smile, revealing her bright, beautiful teeth.

Chen Zhanbei commented, “She really is beautiful.”

Sun Shiyao rubbed his palms together, eager to go over and introduce himself. “Wait, let me go say hi.”

Pei Jinyang turned with a dark expression, hands in his pockets. “Boring.”

After finishing her meal, Jiang Mingzhi placed her tray at the recycling station and turned around, only to see a familiar figure.

“Hey, what a coincidence.”

The pale-skinned boy was Guan Jingxu.

Guan Jingxu gave a faint smile, “What a coincidence.”

Not far away, a boy called to him, and he put down his tray and walked away. Jiang Mingzhi followed behind them toward the door, vaguely hearing them mention some words.

“J-15” “Shark.”

Jiang Mingzhi raised an eyebrow. Two military enthusiasts who weren’t interested in women?

Her goal for skipping grades was to enter the class where Guan Jingxu was (Class 9).

Class 9 was a science-focused class, and getting into it would be like preparing for Tsinghua or University.

Of course, she had a personal motive as well. When she entered Class 9, the two people Pei Jinyang disliked would also be in that class. She figured he wouldn’t dare come near them, which would help minimize their interactions.

Lin Wan kept nudging her with her elbow. “Deskmate, you know Guan Jingxu!?”

Jiang Mingzhi replied, “Not really. We’ve just met once.”

Lin Wan let out a disappointed sigh and began to explain Guan Jingxu’s position at the school.

“He and Pei Jinyang from Class 6 are called the school’s sunshine boys.”

Jiang Mingzhi replied, “….”

Old memories started flooding back, and she recalled everything.

The term “sunshine boys” came from the two handsome boys at school—Pei Jinyang and Guan Jingxu.

As the story went, everyone called them “sunshine boys.” Lin Wan put her hands in a heart shape, “They are two boys as bright as the sun.”

Jiang Mingzhi replied, “….”

She left the cafeteria with an expression of disbelief. If she had turned around at that moment, she would have seen Pei Jinyang and the others sitting by the window, watching her.

Chen Zhanbei asked Sun Shiyao if his attempt at flirting had been successful.

Sun Shiyao bit into a chicken leg, speaking with his mouth full, “That girl seemed pretty familiar with Guan Jingxu, so I didn’t bother.”

Chen Zhanbei was disappointed. “Ah, she’s in his circle? Then she must be a boring person. Jinyang, don’t you think?”

Pei Jinyang scoffed darkly, but didn’t speak.

The boys quickly changed the topic, and no one paid attention to the low pressure surrounding Pei Jinyang.