Chapter 83: Rivalries in the Classroom

A single word jolted them awake. The three girls blinked in unison, staring at the girl’s retreating figure until she vanished, then turned back to Lin Zheng Ran.

Han Wenwen was the first to speak, her tone gentle: “Lin Zheng Ran, you’re so lucky~”

The little fox’s claws were practically out, her face full of fierce intent.

Only because Lin Zheng Ran usually had the upper hand over these girls. Otherwise, anyone else would have crumbled on the first day of school.

After that lighthearted banter, they all headed into the school to register and face the first exam of the semester in the afternoon.

Once the girl named Jiang Qian entered the campus, the assistant girl named Fang Meng following behind reminded her:

“Qianqian, the class placement exam starts this afternoon. If you’re feeling nervous, you can rest a bit at noon.”

Jiang Qian kept walking, her voice cool: “No need. The class placement exam is just a bit harder than the middle school one. For me, it’s not even worth getting tense about.”

“Well, as you say. Anyway, that Lin Zheng Ran guy was just lucky.”

“I don’t care.”

Fang Meng, who had grown up with Jiang Qian, thought about how the second miss had stayed up late last night cramming for this exam. She didn’t know how to judge it. Jiang Qian was someone who cared deeply about winning and losing, yet always acted like she didn’t.

The afternoon class placement exam dragged on longer than expected.

Before the exam, based on the abilities of those three girls, Lin Zheng Ran figured they might end up in the same class.

But none of them believed it.

Heqing clenched her little fist, full of determination: “I’ll study hard and make sure I’m in your class!”

Lily puffed out her chest confidently: “I was always in the middle of the pack in junior high, so I’ll definitely get into the top class.”

Though the little fox didn’t want to admit it, she knew her own limits: “Maybe I’ll have a lucky break and do better than expected?”

Lin Zheng Ran didn’t want to discourage them: “Good luck, all of you.”

Everyone sat in the seats assigned by the teachers. Lin Zheng Ran found his spot and was surprised to see the long-haired girl from that morning right next to him.

Her pretty yet aloof face was hard to forget.

Jiang Qian sat down, pulled out her pencil, and glanced at Lin Zheng Ran with a mix of curiosity and surprise.

She thought, Isn’t this the boy named Lin Zheng Ran? He looks exactly like in the photo.

Most boys would avoid eye contact with a pretty girl, but Lin Zheng Ran, with his second life experience, wasn’t bothered. Jiang Qian wasn’t either, so they just stared at each other silently for a moment.

Once the exam started, they both looked away and began answering questions.

The girl was sure she wouldn’t lose to anyone.

She quickly scanned all the questions, a slight smile curving her lips. She thought, This opening exam is nothing special.

Getting first place on these would be easy.

But she didn’t notice that Lin Zheng Ran was breezing through, scribbling answers almost absentmindedly. He’d memorized these kinds of questions back in third grade, and high school ones were pretty standard, so his brain wasn’t even fully engaged.

It was all muscle memory.

Of course, everyone else was treading carefully through the exam.

Heqing was biting the end of her pencil, finding the questions tough.

Lily was sweating, shocked at how some questions were completely new to her.

Han Wenwen just propped her head up with her hand, giving up: “Studying’s not like playing games. If you don’t know it, you don’t, and luck doesn’t help much.”

After several hours of intense battling.

Outside the exam hall, Lin Zheng Ran saw the three girls coming out looking disappointed.

He asked curiously, “How did it go? You all seem unsatisfied.”

The three exchanged glances and sighed quietly.

Their dreams shattered.

Sure enough, when the class assignments were posted, Lily, Han Wenwen, and Heqing were all in the same class.

When Lin Zheng Ran got to his assigned class, he spotted the familiar aloof girl and the one always trailing her with a side ponytail.

The exam results were announced a few days after classes started.

The teachers posted the scores on the wall.

Everyone crowded around to check their results, but Lin Zheng Ran just glanced and moved on.

As expected, he was first.

Jiang Qian was already standing there, staring at the scoreboard in disbelief, her lips pressed tight.

Her assistant, Fang Meng, widened her eyes unusually and murmured, “Second place Jiang Qian, first Lin Zheng Ran. And it’s not just language this time—math’s a few points behind too. This guy got full marks everywhere except maybe language.”

Jiang Qian slowly clenched her fists.

Fang Meng asked, “Qianqian, are you okay? Maybe he just got lucky again.”

Jiang Qian turned to look at Lin Zheng Ran, casually reading by the window, and recalled their eye contact during the exam. She took a deep breath, as if convincing herself.

She unclenched her fists and walked back to her seat: “What could be wrong? I’m fine. It’s just a little class exam. Maybe he has a natural talent for studying, that’s all.”

The girl chattered on: “Besides, I’m all about being well-rounded. In a few days, there’s military training, and I hear there are sports competitions too. I bet someone who’s great at studying won’t be as strong in sports, right?”

Fang Meng agreed: “True. Bookworms probably spend more time reading and less exercising. Someone like you, who balances studying, sports, and piano, is on a whole different level.”

Jiang Qian sat by the window, her cool eyes gazing out: “So, not matching someone in scores isn’t a big deal.” She added firmly, “I really don’t care at all.”

Military training life kicked off a few days later.

The school handed out uniforms, and the first-year students began two weeks of military-style drills.

The sports competition Jiang Qian mentioned happened a week into training. To boost exercise and team spirit, the school organized intense athletic events.

Boys and girls competed separately. The first event was the sprint, with Lin Zheng Ran watching from the sidelines.

He saw the girls lining up with ponytails, and Jiang Qian’s eyes burned with determination.

That look suggested she was betting everything on winning.

And Jiang Qian was indeed skilled. Lin Zheng Ran could tell from her starting stance that she’d had professional coaching.

She pulled ahead right from the start, so it was no surprise she took first place easily.

The PE teacher timed it: “Wow, Jiang Qian, you’re fast! Fourteen seconds and thirty-five—another second off and you’d match a third-tier athlete. Even some boys can’t beat that!”

Jiang Qian relaxed at the result, and Fang Meng, checking her own timer, smiled at her, meaning she’d nailed it for sure.

Next up was the boys’ sprint.

The boys were pumped for this physical challenge, but Lin Zheng Ran took it casually.

He’d tested it back in his hometown; the system’s strength boost had amped up his legs. At level forty, he’d run a hundred meters in 3.7 seconds.

Of course, that was before. Now at forty-nine, he was even faster.

But he had no interest in showing off. He didn’t want to ruin his laid-back high school life.

He’d just hold back a bit.

With the PE teacher’s starting call, Lin Zheng Ran dashed off, way ahead of the others.

The teacher and the boys were stunned.

Even after he crossed the finish line, the teacher cursed in surprise while checking the timer: “Damn, eleven seconds and eleven—that you, Lin Zheng Ran? With some training, you could make the national team!”

Lin Zheng Ran heard the time and felt speechless. He thought he’d run lazily, but still ended up that fast.

Nearby, Jiang Qian overheard the result and stared at his speeding form, frozen in place.

Fang Meng, with her timer in hand, was too shocked to speak, muttering, “This guy is seriously strong. And it’s not just brains—he’s handsome too.”