Chapter 9: The Shallow Bond of a Deskmate

He asked Pei Zhaohua, “I’m going out with Sheng Qiaoxi and the others today. Should I take Jiang Mingzhi with me?”

Pei Zhaohua replied, “Take her with you.”

Jiang Mingzhi quickly responded, “No need.”

She didn’t want to attend another gathering with those young masters and young ladies. It was boring.

If she had the time, she’d rather stay home and do two more practice papers.

In her past life, Pei Jinyang often took her to attend various parties and gatherings. She spent over half a year trying to fit into his small group.

That subtle sense of exclusion couldn’t be expressed in words. Only someone in her position could feel it.

Among them, Sheng Qiaoxi was the worst.

Uncle Pei tried to advise her. “Living here, you should make more friends. Jinyang is a playful guy, and he enjoys having fun. You could go out and relax with him.”

Jiang Mingzhi refused again, “Uncle Pei, I still have homework to finish.”

Pei Jinyang, with his hands in his pockets, prepared to leave, his tone casual, “Alright, someone’s not appreciative. I’m leaving.”

Jiang Mingzhi, this little bumpkin, ignored him yesterday at the badminton court, causing him to get scolded by Pei Zhaohua. He originally wanted to take her out today to show her the world, to give this bumpkin a wake-up call, but she didn’t even dare to accept the invitation.

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The next day, when she entered the classroom, she immediately felt the intense gaze of her classmates. Lin Wan eagerly pulled her down to sit. “Deskmate, how was it? I heard you’re skipping a grade?”

As Jiang Mingzhi nodded, gasps of surprise echoed throughout the classroom. Lin Wan covered her mouth, staring at her, “No way, you’re that awesome?”

From the very first day, Lin Wan had guessed that her deskmate was a top student, but she never expected her to be this level of top student.

In no time, a crowd of classmates gathered around Jiang Mingzhi’s desk.

Students who made it into the top school were all outstanding in their middle school years. Many would study ahead during the holidays, but skipping a year of learning—no one could guarantee that they’d get a good score on the college entrance exams.

“Did you finish all the lessons for next year already?”

“I didn’t know our Class 14 had such a genius. We’re gonna be famous schoolwide soon, hahaha.”

“Skipping a grade is great. You’ll be with the sunshine students of the top school.”

“Doesn’t that mean you’ll finish in two years? That’s awesome, wow.”

“I also want to skip a grade and just focus on preparing for the most important exam of my life. Start the semester and graduate immediately.”

Jiang Mingzhi: “…”

She had already been in school for three years and still had two more to go, thanks.

Some students marveled, some envied, some praised, but of course, some mocked.

“Ugh, doing everything just to stand out. Coming from a small place, she really thinks she’s a genius now.”

“Ah, no wonder I’ve seen her always doing practice problems, she’s trying to skip a grade.”

“Just don’t drag down our school’s graduation rate, alright?”

The bell for class rang, interrupting the buzzing discussions. Jiang Mingzhi noticed the teacher’s gaze on her felt different now.

After the first class ended, Jiang Mingzhi opened her math workbook.

After the exam yesterday, she was confident in her performance in most subjects, but math was holding her back.

Lin Wan walked in from the hallway, mysteriously leaning over her desk. “Deskmate, someone’s looking for you.”

She winked at Jiang Mingzhi. “It’s Pei Jinyang.”

Jiang Mingzhi frowned. What did he want with her?

Over the past few days, they had been ignoring each other at home. To avoid going to school with her, he had been riding bikes with Sun Shiyao every day, claiming it was to get exercise.

The atmosphere around Pei Jinyang seemed to make the air feel more charged with hormones. To avoid being watched by even more people, Jiang Mingzhi had no choice but to go outside.

In the hallway, Pei Jinyang was leaning against the railing with one hand.

Jiang Mingzhi stopped half a meter away from him. “What’s up?”

Pei Jinyang flicked a piece of paper in her direction. “Next time you forget something, I won’t help you run errands.”

This Morning

Jiang Mingzhi left home first this morning. Just as Pei Jinyang was getting ready to ride his bike to school, Aunt Qiu rushed out and asked him to bring something to Jiang Mingzhi.

It was an application for skipping a grade, signed by both Jiang Mingzhi and Qiu Tang.

The A4 paper was folded in half, and Jiang Mingzhi unfolded it to take a quick look at the newly folded form.

“Thank you.”

She was about to head back to the classroom, but Pei Jinyang wasn’t prepared to leave yet.

“Are you skipping a grade?”

His tone was filled with a mix of disdain and provocation.

Jiang Mingzhi smiled suddenly, “What, jealous?”

Based on her understanding of Pei Jinyang, a simple sentence from her could easily shatter his overinflated confidence.

An outstanding family background, superior appearance, and a brain a bit smarter than his peers.

Pei Jinyang had always been very confident, which was why he considered his competition with Guan Jingxu, who had surpassed him in many competitions, a rivalry.

After she got together with him, he confidently said, “Even if I don’t take a penny from my family, I can still support you.”

Pei Jinyang also laughed, but with a mocking tone. “Jealous of what? Jealous of you trailing behind everyone?”

Coming from a small town, it was normal for her to not understand the bigger picture. She might be first in her school back home, but here, that wasn’t guaranteed. And now, she dared to skip a grade.

Jiang Mingzhi replied, “Well, I hope you don’t end up failing and being beaten by a skip-grade student like me~”

After speaking, she walked off casually and went straight to the office to hand the application form to the homeroom teacher.

Back in the classroom, Lin Wan was the first to pounce on her, like a hungry wolf, eagerly asking, “Deskmate, what did Pei Jinyang come to see you for? I saw him give you something. Was it a love letter?”

Earlier, everyone had seen them standing together, laughing so happily, and everyone was guessing if Pei Jinyang was handing her a love letter.

“No.”

The bell rang, and everyone stopped gossiping.

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After School

That afternoon, Qiu Tang came to the school.

Teacher Li showed Jiang Mingzhi her test papers. “Your grades exceeded my expectations. The grade skipping assessment is passed, but there will be more pressure in the future.”

She continued, looking at Jiang Mingzhi, “This semester’s final exam is very important. The results will be sent to the Education Bureau. Only then will they issue a formal certificate for you. If your grades aren’t good, the Education Bureau won’t give you the certificate, and you’ll have to stay in the current grade.”

Jiang Mingzhi nodded. In simple terms, the school had conducted an internal evaluation test, and if she passed this semester, she would attend classes with Guan Jingxu and the others. However, her official grade skip would only be counted from the next semester. The formal evaluation exam would be her final exam this semester.

Regardless of the specifics, she had successfully skipped a grade.

Qiu Tang was even more excited than her, pressing her to take a photo and post it on social media.

Jiang Mingzhi let her take a candid shot.

Class 9’s homeroom teacher was a male teacher named Yu.

He took Jiang Mingzhi to the new classroom.

While walking, he talked to Qiu Tang about Jiang Mingzhi’s learning situation.

“I’ve looked at her papers. Her foundation is solid, but we can’t be careless. The learning pressure will be higher in the future, and we have evening self-study.”

Jiang Mingzhi, trailing behind, couldn’t help but sigh.

The painful high school years—she was about to experience them again.

Teacher Yu added, “Afterward, I’ll take you to get the study materials. We have some extra copies, but you’ll need to buy others yourself. You’ll also need to order a set of books from last semester.”

“Got it, Teacher.”

“You’re from another place, and you’ve skipped a grade. It might be hard at first, but if you need anything, you can come to me or ask your classmates. They’ll be very helpful.”

Jiang Mingzhi grinned. “Teacher, once, I was at a bookstore, and a classmate helped me by recommending a lot of study materials.”

Teacher Yu asked curiously, “Oh? Which kind-hearted classmate was that?”

“Guan Jingxu.”