NOVEL WEB Chapter 9 - Amazing Performance
“Bring your first-year exercise book tomorrow night,” Lee Qianqian's voice was gentle.
“Sure.” Ye Hao didn't believe he could completely cover all the Grade One math in two hours. The key to science subjects was grasping the core concepts.
“See you tomorrow,” Lee Qianqian closed her textbook and got up.
“I can drop you off at home,” Ye Hao thought for a moment and offered.
“No need,” Lee Qianqian declined.
Ye Hao didn't dwell on it and pedaled his bicycle home.
Lee Qianqian, however, didn't use her bicycle to head home. Instead, she turned towards No.1 High School.
No.2 High School was quite efficient.
The following morning, their homeroom teacher, Hsu Lee, entered the classroom with a stack of test papers.
The entire class fell silent as they all fixed their gaze on Hsu Lee, or more precisely, on the test papers in her hands.
“The results of this month's exam are ready,” Hsu Lee scanned the class before continuing, “Students, you've shown significant improvement this time.”
Pausing there, she placed the test paper on the podium and announced, “Zhou Xian, 145 points.”
All eyes shifted toward a quiet bespectacled young man.
Zhou Xian served as the class monitor for Key Class 2.
Adjusting his glasses, Zhou Xian stepped up to the podium.
“This time, your Mathematics ranking in the grade is second,” Hsu Lee smiled, remarking, “Next time, aim to secure two or three more points.”
“I will,” Zhou Xian said softly.
“Zhou Xian is really amazing.”
“He actually got 145 points.”
“Is Lan Xiaodie in first place?”
“It must be Lan Xiaodie.”
Amidst the students' discussions, Zhou Xian returned to his seat with the test paper.
“Yi Gan, 128 points,” Hsu Lee presented the exam paper to Yi Gan and commended, “Very well done. You've raised your score by ten points from the last time.”
“Xia Ming, 131 points.”
“Zhou Shuai, 115 points,” not much later, Hsu Lee read out Zhou Shuai's name.
At the mention of 115 points, Zhou Shuai felt a deep sense of disappointment.
“Zhou Shuai, if you persist in hanging around with Ye Hao, you might not even secure a spot in an undergraduate university,” Hsu Lee remarked as she handed the exam paper to Zhou Shuai.
Ye Hao couldn't help but be taken aback.
He directed a disdainful look at Hsu Lee.
Zhou Shuai didn't utter a word; he simply accepted the exam paper silently and returned to his seat.
Seeing that Ye Hao remained silent, Zhou Shuai nudged him with his elbow and asked, “What's eating at you?”
“I'm not in the best of moods.”
“Don't take Old Witch's words to heart,” Zhou Shuai grinned and said, “It's very possible I'll be leaving the Key Class this time, but I'm not feeling disheartened.”
“We've gone through countless monthly exams, and you're still here in the Key Class. I don't buy it,” Ye Hao retorted with an eye-roll.
Just as Zhou Shuai was gearing up to reply, Hsu Lee's voice resonated in the classroom once again.
“Ye Hao, 38 points.”
The entire class erupted in a mix of astonishment and laughter.
Ye Hao stood up with composure.
Of course, he couldn't completely ignore the jeers from his classmates.
Nevertheless, he had grown accustomed to it, so he felt a sense of relief.
Hsu Lee passed the exam paper to Ye Hao and inquired, “Still confident about making it to the top six universities?”
“Yes.”
Hsu Lee couldn't help but chuckle, saying, “Are you pulling my leg?”
Ye Hao didn't reply to Hsu Lee. He picked up the exam paper and turned to leave.
Zhou Shuai wished to console Ye Hao but was unsure how to proceed. He could only let out a deep sigh.
Unperturbed by Hsu Lee's explanation of the exam paper, Ye Hao held onto the first-year high school math exercise book and perused it quietly.
If Ye Hao aimed to secure a spot in any of the top six universities, he couldn't afford to waste time.
Hsu Lee was delving into the comprehensive test details, leading to many concepts that Ye Hao couldn't grasp at all.
Hence, he shifted his focus to the first-year math material.
With the bell's chime, an older teacher entered the room, holding the test papers.
The elderly teacher displayed a kindly smile and remarked, “I understand your concerns. So, I'll be distributing the exam papers now.”
“Xia Ming, 76 points.”
“Tang Ann, 68 points.”
“Zhou Xian, 78 points.”
With a somber expression, Zhou Xian received his exam paper and silently returned to his seat.
“Humanities subjects are undoubtedly Zhou Xian's weak point.”
“If it weren't for his struggles in humanities, Zhou Xian would have easily made it to Class 1.”
The hushed conversations of students irritated Zhou Xian, but he had no choice at the moment.
“Zhou Shuai, 90 points,” announced the old teacher, capturing the attention of the entire class, their gazes directed at Zhou Shuai.
After all, he was the first to ever score 90 points in history.
Zhou Shuai accepted the exam paper with a smile of contentment.
“Don't put me on a pedestal,” Zhou Shuai proudly remarked.
“It's uncertain who will be looking up to whom,” Ye Hao retorted with a cold snort.
Ye Hao had long been aware of Zhou Shuai's proficiency in history and politics, which was why he remained in the Key Class.
Zhou Shuai was taken aback. “Could it be that you scored higher than me?”
“Ye Hao.” The old teacher hesitated briefly after reading Ye Hao's name. He then looked at Ye Hao, who was approaching with a surprised expression. “98 points.”
The entire class burst into a commotion.
Despite his classmates' skepticism, Ye Hao maintained his composure.
The history exam's answers were fixed, and he just needed to memorize them to achieve a high score.
Ye Hao scrutinized the exam paper and realized that there was an issue with his response.
The history textbook lacked the essential information needed to complete the blanks. Otherwise, he could have secured a perfect score.
“Strive for a perfect score next time,” the old teacher patted Ye Hao's shoulder, smiling.
“I'll put in the effort,” Ye Hao affirmed with a nod.
Upon returning to his seat, Ye Hao noticed that many students were still casting glances his way.
“What's happening?” Zhou Shuai snatched Ye Hao's exam paper, closely inspecting it before asking, “How did you pull this off?”
“I memorized the material.” Ye Hao responded with a faint smile.
“That's absurd,” Zhou Shuai retorted with an eye roll.
“Do you believe in shortcuts for history exams?” Ye Hao casually set the history paper aside, then picked up his first-year exercise book and began studying it attentively.
Observing Ye Hao, Zhou Shuai felt a tinge of unfamiliarity for the first time.
When all the test papers had been distributed, Zhou Shuai found himself utterly stunned.
Ye Hao scored 125 in Chinese, 65 in English, 97 in geography, 92 in biology, 93 in politics, 52 in physics, and 62 in chemistry.
Calculating, Zhou Shuai realized Ye Hao's overall score had reached 722 points, while his own total was merely 718.
As Zhou Shuai grappled with disbelief, Hsu Lee, armed with the name list, wore a similar expression.
“He actually managed 722 points?” Hsu Lee remarked, a thought occurring to her. She mumbled, “Ye Hao, did you actually dare to cheat?”
Hsu Lee's speculation seemed plausible.
After all, just six months ago, Ye Hao's total score was a mere 460.
After half a year of unconsciousness, his total score had unexpectedly skyrocketed to 722 points.
Who would find that easy to believe?
Fueled by her thoughts, she stood up and walked toward Class 2 of Key.
After nudging the classroom door open, Hsu Lee directed her gaze at Ye Hao, seated in the back row. She commanded, “Ye Hao, stand up.”
Ye Hao, who was engrossed in his exercise book, rose to his feet and inquired, “Miss Hsu, is there a problem?”
Disappointment was evident on Hsu Lee's face as she uttered, “Ye Hao, you truly let me down.”
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