So, what was Gu Yingying—the girl occupying Zhao Zehan’s thoughts—doing?

Simple. She was also drowning in her own sea of anxiety.

Why? Because today was the day the monthly exam results were announced!

At First Experimental High School, there was a monthly test like clockwork. And for Gu Yingying, this was her first one since joining the class. How could she not be nervous?

“The overall results this time are quite good. Everyone performed at their usual level. Now, I’ll be handing out your answer sheets. Take a look at your scores and reflect on your performance. I will now begin announcing the rankings, starting from the very last place in our class.”

Standing at the podium was their homeroom teacher, Mr. Shen. A middle-aged man, but surprisingly, his hairline was still intact—a rare feat among teachers. Perhaps it was because he taught Chinese. He had a refined, scholarly look, not at all like those other teachers whose receding hairlines seemed to deepen with each passing day. The gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose only added to his intellectual aura.

The moment Gu Yingying heard his words, she tensed up instantly. She sat up straight, back stiff as a board, as the first name was called.

“The last place in our class this time goes to Chen Yang, with a total score of 360 points. But compared to last time, this is a huge improvement. Keep working hard, Chen Yang! That being said, your English score was excellent—out of 150, you scored 120. Now, if only your other subjects could catch up. It’s important to avoid being too one-sided in your strengths.”

Mr. Shen smiled as he gave his commentary. Honestly, 360 wasn’t that bad. The exams at First Experimental High School were notoriously difficult, far tougher than those at regular high schools. Scoring 360 here? At an ordinary school, that would easily translate to over 400.

Chen Yang walked up to collect his paper—the neatly organized stack that Mr. Shen had prepared in advance.

With the first name called, the rest of the class settled into anxious anticipation. There were 58 students in total, and as the names were read one by one, Gu Yingying’s nerves only grew. She dreaded the thought of being among the lowest-ranked students.

The 5th from the bottom was announced—her name wasn’t there.
The 10th from the bottom—still not her.

With every name called, her tension eased a little. As long as she wasn’t at the bottom, she could handle it. Otherwise, she might just die of embarrassment on the spot.

Finally, when the 18th from the bottom was announced—41st overall—Mr. Shen called her name.

“Gu Yingying, 41st place, 18th from the bottom, total score: 467.”

Hearing her name, Gu Yingying quickly stood up and walked toward the teacher’s desk. Just as she was about to take her test paper, Mr. Shen spoke.

“Gu Yingying, I know you went through some things before transferring to this class, and it may have affected your studies. But I believe in you. You’re a smart and hardworking student, and I’ve noticed all the effort you’ve been putting in lately. Even if your results this time aren’t ideal, I know that with your determination, you’ll improve. Class, let’s all do our best to help Gu Yingying, okay?”

Mr. Shen took great pride in the class atmosphere—everyone was supportive, like one big family.

“Okay!”

“I’ll help Gu Yingying with English!”

“I’ll teach her physics!”

“I’ll help with math!”

The room filled with eager voices, and as her classmates looked at her with warmth and encouragement, a wave of emotion surged in Gu Yingying’s chest. It was a mixture of gratitude, relief, and an ache she couldn’t quite describe. She suddenly felt like crying.

Coming from Anlan Continent, Gu Yingying had often felt lost in this unfamiliar world. If it weren’t for her classmates’ kindness and support, she wasn’t sure how she would have adjusted to high school life here.

She had to find a way to properly thank them…

Suddenly, she thought of Kaixinlian, the most delicious pastry made by her family’s chef. Her lips curled into a bright smile as she looked at her classmates and bowed deeply.

When she lifted her head again, her face was beaming, radiant with warmth.

“I feel so lucky to be in this class and to have met all of you. This past month, you’ve helped me so much and made me feel like part of this family. I’m truly grateful for your kindness and support. So tomorrow, I’d like to treat everyone to some pastries! You have to accept—no saying no!”

With such a cheerful invitation, who could possibly refuse? And besides, it was just pastries.

“Yes!”

“Sounds great!”

“I want some!”

“Gu Yingying, we’re so happy to have you here!”

“We all like you, Gu Yingying!”

One voice after another filled the classroom, and then—somewhere in the mix—someone called out, “We all like you!”

Before she knew it, the entire class had joined in, chanting her name, shouting that they liked her.

Standing on the podium, Gu Yingying’s face flushed red.

Mr. Shen watched the lively scene with a warm smile. He handed her the test paper and said gently, “I know you’re a good kid. Keep working hard—I believe in you. I don’t know if I’ll still be your teacher next semester, but to me, all of you will always be the most wonderful students.”

This was already the second semester of their sophomore year. After this summer, they would step into the intense world of senior year, where everything would only get busier and more demanding.

Holding her test paper, Gu Yingying walked back to her seat. The fear and anxiety she had felt earlier had completely melted away under the warmth of her teacher’s words.

With a smile on her face, she couldn’t help but think—this world was truly wonderful, and so were the people around her.

The entire class period was practically spent handing out test papers. Along the way, everyone listened to Mr. Shen’s earnest advice, each student vowing to work even harder for the upcoming exams.

Though Gu Yingying felt like no amount of effort could save her terrible grades, she figured it was still worth trying.

Before the bell rang, Mr. Shen announced that there would be a parent-teacher meeting in three days—the last one before the final exams. Attendance was mandatory for all parents.

A collective groan filled the classroom.

For students who did well, it was no big deal. But for those who struggled? The mere thought of their parents being summoned was enough to send shivers down their spines.

Gu Yingying didn’t think too much about the parent-teacher meeting itself—what worried her was the thought of embarrassing her brother. After some deliberation, she decided that if she didn’t tell him about it, he’d probably be even more upset.

After school, she met Uncle Wang, the family driver who had come to pick her up. On the way home, she mentioned her plan to bring Kaixinlian pastries for her classmates tomorrow.

Uncle Wang was familiar with Kaixinlian and knew it wouldn’t be a challenge for the family’s chef to prepare.

Kaixinlian was a delicately crafted pastry and one of Gu Yingying’s favorites. It was a type of sweet, flour-based treat with a soft pink fruit filling inside—though variations existed. Each one was only about the size of a ping-pong ball, but what made it special was the surprise inside.

Before taking a bite, you’d gently press the top layer of the pastry. The moment you did, the round Kaixinlian would bloom like a lotus flower, revealing the fruit filling within.

Exquisite, delicious, and full of surprises—no wonder it was Gu Yingying’s favorite.

And, of course, it was this blooming effect that gave Kaixinlian its name—the “Happy Lotus.”

Gu Yingying arrived home quickly and headed straight to the kitchen, where she found the chef responsible for making Kaixinlian.

Ever since his younger sister had returned, Qin Yusen had hired several more chefs to ensure she had the best meals. The Qin household now had six chefs in total—but only one of them could make Kaixinlian.

“Master Fang, I’d like to bring some pastries for my classmates tomorrow. Could you prepare one Kaixinlian for each of them?”

Only now did Gu Yingying realize that Kaixinlian was actually Master Fang’s own secret recipe. And if he had to make them alone… how long would that take? There were 58 students in her class!

But Master Fang had been under a lot of pressure lately. Originally, there had only been two chefs in the house, but with the sudden expansion to six, everyone was competing to prove themselves. No one wanted to be overshadowed.

Now, seeing that the young lady—whom Mr. Qin adored most—had personally requested his Kaixinlian, how could he not be thrilled? He would make as many as she wanted!

“Of course, Miss! How many students are there? A hundred? No problem! They’ll be ready by 2 PM tomorrow,” he promised enthusiastically.

Kaixinlian might be complicated to make, but if it meant making the young lady happy, Master Fang was willing to do anything.

Besides, as long as he proved his worth, Mr. Qin wouldn’t have any reason to fire him.

Master Fang was under immense pressure from the four newly hired chefs. The Qin family offered a relaxed work environment with excellent pay—there was no way he wanted to lose this job.

“My class has 58 students,” Gu Yingying said. “But make extra, please—I want to bring some for the teachers, too.”

Thinking about how much her teachers had helped her, she felt they deserved a gift as well.

“Understood, Miss. Don’t worry—I’ll have everything delivered to your school by 2 PM tomorrow,” Master Fang promised, suddenly feeling a surge of motivation. This was his chance to prove himself.

Seeing that he didn’t seem too overwhelmed, Gu Yingying happily left the kitchen. She made her way to the storage area behind the villa—where she began refining medicine.

This time, she was making Qing Shen Dan. Its effect was simple: it helped improve focus, making it easier to concentrate without distractions. It also had a mild fatigue-relief effect, making it a common formula among the Medicine Sect. Since it was a relatively easy pill to refine, she had no trouble making it.

In just two hours, she had produced several bottles with ease. Satisfied, she set them aside, planning to bring them to school and share them with her classmates.

After finishing her medicine refining, Gu Yingying noticed a message from her brother, Ji Ran.

[Ji Ran: Was the LED support display and bus advertisement in Shangjing your doing?]

She hadn’t expected him to notice so quickly. Amused, she replied with a smile.

[Little Sakura: Yep, all me! Are you happy, big brother?]

There was no immediate response. He was probably busy. But Gu Yingying wasn’t in a rush—after all, Qin Yusen had just come home from work.

She still needed to tell him about the parent-teacher meeting in three days…

=^_^=