Chapter 62: Getting Closer to the Wish

Class 204 had 64 students, of whom 52 ranked within the school’s top 120.

The overall level of the neighboring Class 205 was about the same as Class 204.

This meant nearly all students eligible for the scholarship exam were concentrated in these two elite classes, while other classes averaged only about two spots each.

Since almost everyone had a test paper, the teachers used the last two evening classes to go over the papers right in class.

During the break after the second evening class, class monitor Liu Hui burst in, panting, carrying a stack of history papers; unlike the math teacher, he didn’t call out names one by one to distribute them—he walked straight to each student’s desk to hand them out personally.

Liu Hui was short and unattractive—though “unattractive” might be too harsh a word.

Yet many classmates felt a visceral discomfort the first time they saw him.

His protruding forehead and thick, upturned lips made people instinctively think: Good heavens! How can someone be this ugly?

But after three years of seeing him daily, everyone gradually got used to it.

They even affectionately nicknamed him “Longevity Lord” because of his large forehead.

Since Liu Hui’s grades were always at the bottom of the class, he always showed great respect to high-performing students:

“Song Yu and Mai Sui, you both scored 96—the highest in the class.”

He then turned to Li Heng and said: “Lao Heng, you got 94 in history—one point higher than Liu Yejiang. Keep it up!”

Li Heng took the paper with a smile and asked: “Longevity Lord, you know everything—do you know Xiao Feng and Luo Zhijie’s scores in the other class?”

Liu Hui patted his chest. “You call me Longevity Lord—how could I not know? Xiao Feng got 97, Luo Zhijie got 94.”

Hearing those scores, Li Heng couldn’t help but sigh—damn, top students really were top students. He felt the pressure. He hoped Chinese and English would pull their weight, or the top scholarship might slip through his fingers.

As he silently calculated his total, the English teacher finally appeared after much anticipation.

Wang Run stood on the podium, pressed her hand down, and spoke in her signature rich voice:

“Quiet down. I’ll call your name—you come up to collect your paper. Students who went to the restroom, have your desk partner pick it up for you.”

“Mai Sui: full mark 100. Song Yu: full mark 100. Chen Lijun: 98. Peng Yan: 96. Sun Manning: 95. Li Heng: 95…”

When the class heard Li Heng scored 95 in English, they erupted in a loud “whoosh!”

Everyone turned to stare at Li Heng, eyes wide with disbelief.

In the past, English had been Li Heng’s weakest subject—he’d never scored above 85 since the subject split. Now, suddenly jumping to 95, many couldn’t adjust.

After all, English had been the one subject where classmates could still feel superior to Li Heng—and now that was gone, which was infuriating.

The angriest was Liu Yejiang. Li Heng’s 95 had just sent him straight to the deepest hell—with no hope of redemption.

Overcome with emotion, Liu Yejiang raised his hand and asked: “Teacher, are you sure you didn’t misread it?”

Because of the gossip incident, Wang Run had never liked him and never called on him in class; she merely glanced at him coldly and said:

“Your papers were graded by the Grade 11 English team. The scores were entered personally by the vice principal. If you have issues, go talk to them.”

This icy reply left Liu Yejiang limp and suddenly sober—he realized the teacher despised him, and he slumped onto his desk, silent.

Wang Run continued: “Li Fang: 94. Wang Shubin: 92. Wang Lirong: 92. Zou Aiming: 92. Liu Yejiang: 90…”

After distributing all the papers, the English teacher walked down and asked Li Heng: “Have all the papers been handed out?”

Li Heng replied: “Only Chinese remains.”

The English teacher said: “Chinese takes longer, but it should be here soon. What’s your total across five subjects?”

Li Heng had already calculated it: “496.”

The English teacher asked: “How much do you think you’ll get in Chinese?”

Since it had so many subjective questions, he had no confidence estimating it and shook his head: “Hard to say. Let’s wait and see.”

Hearing this, the English teacher turned to Song Yu and Mai Sui: “What about you two? What’s your five-subject total?”

Song Yu answered calmly: “486.”

The English teacher turned to Mai Sui.

Mai Sui quickly calculated on scratch paper, then looked up: “484.”

Behind them, Liu Li sucked in a sharp breath, leaned over, and grinned:

“I only got 83 in English. Li Heng, are you seriously going to take first place in the whole school?”

Seeing everyone turn to look at him, Li Heng humbly said: “Chinese hasn’t been released yet, and there’s still Xiao Feng and Luo Zhijie in the other class.”

Hearing this, Wang Run shook her long hair and said: “I’ll go ask Teacher Yang.”

Without another word, she walked out briskly.

Three minutes later, Wang Run returned, smiling: “Xiao Feng’s five-subject total is 487. Luo Zhijie’s is 476. Li Heng, you still have a shot at first place.”

As she said this, Wang Run’s tone was not entirely certain.

After all, Li Heng’s Chinese score, like his English, still lagged behind the four top scholars and wasn’t guaranteed.

The closest competitor, Xiao Feng, was nine points ahead—he felt he still had a real chance.

But he also felt a bit frustrated.

Damn it—he’d been so far ahead in math, and yet they’d still managed to claw back.

If he hadn’t been reborn, and his English had stayed at his usual 84 or 85, he’d already have been overtaken.

How unfair!

Thanks to deliberate rumors spread by Zhang Zhiyong, Zou Ai, and others, everyone in Class 204, Class 205, and all subject teachers now knew about Liu Yejiang’s bet and his vow.

Too bad, the fantasy was beautiful—but reality was cruel.

Just as Zhang Zhiyong shouted from the back of the classroom: “Liu Yejiang, your five-subject total is exactly 444—that means death, death, death! It’s because you’ve been too arrogant—Heaven is punishing you! Ohhh…!”

Zou Ai’s face beamed like a groom’s as he threw his head back and howled: “Ohhh…!”

In an elite class like 204, entertainment was scarce, studies were heavy, pressure was high—and rare moments of absurdity like this made many students laugh like pigs.

Liu Yejiang was furious! He was seething! His back molars were grinding so hard they might shatter! His right hand clenched under the desk, veins bulging, blood rushing to his head—he nearly exploded. But amid the waves of laughter around him, his courage slowly drained away.

The promised third evening class was supposed to release the Chinese papers—but he stared at the door until the bell rang, and still none came.

Curious about who would be the school’s top scorer, Wang Run went straight to the academic office to check.

The answer: the papers hadn’t been graded yet. The names were sealed shut with staples—no one could see them.

In truth, Wang Run recognized Li Heng’s handwriting—she didn’t need to read the names to identify his paper.

But considering the gossip she’d once been involved in with a student, and the presence of so many administrators and colleagues, the English teacher ultimately suppressed the urge and let it go.

(End of Chapter)