“Aw, even during National Day break, they make us take our test papers home. Miserable senior-year dog—can’t escape this title no matter where I go.”
“Right? They grade and hand out the papers right before break. The school just doesn’t want us to have a good time!”
The student who spoke first glanced at his deskmate and suddenly grinned mischievously. “But you weren’t dead last this time, right? Who’s our class’s new bottom-dweller…”
Tomorrow was National Day break, and today was the last day before vacation—right at dismissal time. The students in the Experimental Class who weren’t in a rush to leave were chatting idly, the atmosphere buzzing with restless energy.
But this didn’t include the boy by the window.
He sat alone, tidying his desk.
He folded one test paper after another, stacked them up, then tapped the desk to align them perfectly—meticulous to a fault. The only eyesore was the glaring red scores scrawled across them.
The exams had been two days ago; they’d been graded immediately after, and before dismissal, all the subject papers came raining down like snowflakes, with the class reps weaving through the room handing them out.
Whether it dazzled others or not, Shen Ju felt dizzy with every paper he received, circle after circle of vertigo. He wanted to gouge his own eyes out!
Late September weather had turned chilly. Shen Ju wore the black Qichen International High School uniform over a beige hoodie. He pulled the hood up, letting it drape down his back, the two white drawstrings dangling across his chest. With each new paper, he couldn’t help but tug at the strings. By dismissal, the once-loose hood had shrunk into a wilted, crumpled mess.
“Hey, Guan Shen Ju, this was your first exam since transferring here. How’d you do?”
A nosy student rushed over excitedly to ask.
Everyone already knew the scores—the homeroom teacher had posted the Excel rankings in the group chat.
One click, and you could check.
This question was purely to stir up some drama.
Shen Ju looked up, tilting his chin slightly. “Can’t you check the group yourself?”
Where’s the fun in that? I came over to stir things up!
The asker got annoyed. This transfer student’s EQ is rock-bottom. I was just making small talk, and he snaps back like that. What kind of attitude!
He wanted to snap back, but the retort somehow came out soft.
Like a newborn little hedgehog—all prickly on the surface, but fluffy to the touch.
The guy opened his mouth, but ended up feeling awkward himself.
“I haven’t checked the group yet. I just wanted to ask you first…”
“Dead last.”
“What?”
Shen Ju shoved his last book into his bag and glanced at the student by his desk, muttering under his breath, “Dead last in the class.”
“…Oh. Ohhh…”
The guy wanted to say more, but Shen Ju had already packed up and stood.
That little chin lifted again.
“Excuse me…”
“Ahem, coming through! I’m heading out!”
“Oh…”
The guy stepped aside silently.
For some reason, it felt like an illusion…
Like a fluffy little hedgehog awkwardly—whoosh, whoosh—tensing its tiny body to raise its spines?
Yeah… must be my imagination.
Shen Ju slung on his backpack, yanked the crushed hood free, smoothed out the wrinkled fabric, pulled it over his head, and trudged out of the classroom, face half-hidden.
Whispers erupted behind him.
“Damn, what’s he so cocky about? It was just a score question.”
“Didn’t you hear? Dead last in our class. He bombed so hard, he’s embarrassed. And we’re the Experimental Class—check the year-wide rankings. Next door’s Elite Class, Guan Mulin took first again. Not just first in Elite, but top of the whole school. Tsk, even with his background drama, the guy’s just too good.”
“This Guan Shen Ju must be sour about it. Heard the Guan Family transferred him here, wanted to put him straight in Elite Class, but he refused. That’s why he’s in our Experimental Class.”
“Oh, makes sense. He’s obviously feuding with Guan Mulin.”
“Feuding how? They find the real son, but keep the fake one around too. No wonder he’s pissed. This Guan Shen Ju’s just too obvious about it—kinda dumb.”
“No helping it. Heard before the Guan Family took him back, he was living under someone else’s roof…”
The weather was cold; chilly winds carried the voices right to him.
Shen Ju stepped out of the classroom, grabbed the drawstrings, and yanked the hood tighter and tighter. His face shrank smaller, rounding out into plump curves.
In the stairwell, Experimental Class’s class monitor Tang Yuexin was hauling a new desk with her deskmate.
Earlier, during the exam shuffle, someone had sat at her spot. When she got back, the desk creaked like it had rats—every shift was a racket.
Fed up, she’d dragged her deskmate to the school warehouse for a new one right at dismissal.
Qichen International High School was B City’s top prestigious academy. From world-class faculty to top-tier facilities and equipment, everything was perfected. Especially for the Elite Class golden geese—they spared no expense.
Even student desks were solid wood, smooth and hefty.
Tang Yuexin and her deskmate had just hauled her busted desk to storage, then lugged back an equally heavy new one. Round trip had them panting, backs soaked in sweat. And now upstairs with it—half a meter long, but no breaks. They were beat.
Dismissal meant everyone bolted; no one left to help.
“Whew, I can’t anymore, Xin Xin. Break time?”
Tang Yuexin panted too. To let people pass, they carried it one high, one low; she’d taken the bottom to bear more weight. Sweaty, arms shaky, she nodded. “Yeah, let’s rest…”
Before the words settled, another student came down.
A round, plump beige head—like a bald monk at first glance. Closer look: hoodie hood cinched so tight by drawstrings it squeezed into a perfect sphere.
Head slightly down, he passed them.
Tang Yuexin instinctively shifted.
But as he drew level, halfway past, he paused—then stepped back up.
Now she saw who it was.
Guan Shen Ju.
Their class’s new transfer.
The Guan Family’s long-lost real son.
The class had gossiped about it plenty in private.
He probably didn’t know—or care.
Tang Yuexin wasn’t one to gossip nonstop, but she’d chatted about it. Curiosity was human nature. She’d paid attention to Shen Ju at first, but lost interest quick. Just another rich kid now. Sudden status jump, acts all superior—normal. Bad grades, but family backs him.
Nothing special. Not like Elite Class’s Guan Mulin.
She had no idea why Guan Shen Ju stopped. Awkward.
Unlike Elite Class—all pedigreed top students—Experimental had brains, but not always background. Like her: pure merit admission.
Whatever she thought of him, one thing: post-reunion, his name had a “Guan” prefix. Not someone she could cross.
“You…”
“Can’t you just say you’ll help?!”
Shen Ju’s little face was stern, tone fierce.
But the hoodstrings yanked so tight framed his face in a tiny circle—brows squished into sad little arches, “deep grudge” expression like an upright mushroom, big round on small round. Zero intimidation; more comical, funny, kinda adorable.
Tang Yuexin thought, Guan Shen Ju is special. Specially pretty and cute. This face—even wrinkled—is gorgeous.
Just hoped this pretty boy wasn’t picking a fight.
“Um, I…”
“Enough talk.”
Shen Ju looked all what a hassle, then bent down…
Tang Yuexin felt the weight lift from her hands. The desk in front of her and her deskmate—hoisted one-handed.
One-handed?!
Solid wood! Even the warehouse security uncle strained picking it out for them. But Shen Ju lifted it effortlessly? And bounded up the stairs two at a time, like it weighed nothing…
Tang Yuexin and her deskmate stared, dumbfounded.
“This isn’t a pretty boy—this is a violent boy…” Tang Yuexin murmured.
Snapping to, they exchanged glances and hurried after Shen Ju.
Back in the classroom, gossip continued.
Then—a desk floated in.
“…”
Clang!
The floating desk dropped before them, revealing Shen Ju’s tightly framed round face.
He instinctively glanced at the few stragglers.
“…”
Shit, is he back to flex on us?!