C4 The First Place in the Class!

Upon returning to the classroom, Zhang Ze found many students clustered around Yan Xin, yet his own seat was conspicuously empty.

Zhang Ze couldn't fathom how the underachievers in his class had managed to score full marks just like him.

Liu Ying sidled up to Yan Xin and inquired, "Hey, deskmate, could you show me how to work through this problem?"

Yan Xin didn't hold a grudge against Liu Ying for her previous taunts.

After all, as his deskmate, she had lent him a hand in the past.

"Trigonometric functions aren't that tough," he assured her.

Yan Xin jotted down the solution steps on the test paper. Many other girls nearby, equally puzzled by the problem, gravitated toward him.

His gaze fell on their modestly developed figures, and Yan Xin felt a thrill of excitement.

When Yan Xin finished the answer, his classmates were left in awe.

This test had shifted the perspective of half the class on Yan Xin.

"Kudos from Wang Xia. You've earned 5 points!"

"Cheers from Lee Ming. That's another 5 points for you!"

"Applause from Zeng Ming. And that's 5 more points!"

Yan Xin beamed at the questioner, "Thanks to all of you!"

The students preparing to leave gave Yan Xin puzzled looks. They were unsure why he was thanking them when it was they who owed him thanks.

In reality, Yan Xin was grateful for the bounty of points they had bestowed upon him.

Eagerly, Yan Xin accessed the system interface.

Host: Yan Xin

Scholar Level: 5

Morality: 10

Intelligence: 30

Stamina: 10

Charm: 0

Skill Mastery: Photographic Memory, Extrapolation Skill

Points: 120

Mathematics: Lv 50 / 100

Literature: Lv 5 / 100

English: Lv 5 / 100

Science: Lv 0 / 100

Mission: Pending

Lost in the thrill of accumulating points, Yan Xin remained oblivious to Zhang Ze's envious glare.

A mock exam was scheduled for the following Monday, and Zhang Ze was determined not to let Yan Xin overshadow him.

Zhang Ze's fists tightened in silent resolve.

If Yan Xin were aware of Zhang Ze's thoughts, he'd surely be taken aback.

Why was Zhang Ze fixated on outdoing him instead of the top student in the grade?

When the topic of valedictorian came up, Yan Xin's face lit up with a wistful expression.

He couldn't help but think of Lin Hui, the renowned prodigy from Yan City No.1 High School's 12th-grade class 5.

Lin Hui was strikingly beautiful and statuesque. What truly sparked envy was her consistent rank as the top student in the entire grade.

A girl blessed with both brains and beauty was a magnet for many high school crushes, and Yan Xin was no exception.

But a girl as exceptional as her wouldn't spare a second glance for someone like Yan Xin.

On campus, he wasn't exactly a favorite among the girls.

Yan Xin was acutely aware of the chasm between him and Lin Hui.

Unlike Zhang Ze, who would go to any length to get close to Lin Hui, Yan Xin wouldn't bother. He believed that accumulating points was the better strategy.

That evening, Yan Xin hunkered down in his bedroom to strategize for the upcoming mock exam.

In the last two mocks, he had finished dead last in his class and third from the bottom in the entire grade.

Monday arrived.

At Yan City No.1 High School, the senior building was a haven of silence. Every student was engrossed in their exam, except for one room where eyes roamed restlessly.

The proctors were well-accustomed to the usual cheating antics.

But this year, a boy in the third-to-last row caught their attention by writing non-stop since the moment the papers were distributed. It was Yan Xin.

He blazed through the Language, English, Mathematics, and Science sections, completing each in just an hour!

The school's grading process was impressively swift, with results ready by the following day.

Fong Guode stood at the podium, report cards in hand, ready to reveal the outcomes. "Let's discuss everyone's performance," he began.

Zhang Ze, with a smug look, glanced back at Yan Xin.

"I want to stress the importance of this mock exam. While some scores were less than stellar, others showed remarkable improvement!" Fong Guode announced.

"Now, brace yourselves for the results!" he said, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Zhang Ze's heart raced as he watched Fong Guode's face, a sense of unease creeping in.

"The top student in our class is Yan Xin," Fong Guode announced, scanning the paper before him. Despite having spent time the previous evening coming to terms with this reality, the news still sent a shock through him.

"And he's ranked second in the entire grade!"

The classroom erupted in astonishment.

"What?!"

"Yan Xin is the top of our class?"

"Second in the whole grade?"

"He jumped from third-to-last in the school year to second place?"

Every student swiveled to gaze at Yan Xin, who was blissfully unaware and still asleep.

"Yan Xin! Wake up!" Liu Ying couldn't contain her excitement, her heart racing even more than when she herself had clinched first place.

"Also, Yan Xin, please stop by my office after class," Fong Guode added. "Now, continuing with the rankings: second in the class is Zhang Ze, fifth in the grade, and third in the class is Zeng Ming."

Yan Xin stretched lazily. He had been burning the midnight oil for several nights, poring over questions, and had finally mastered all the topics.

Congratulations on securing first place in the mock exam! Reward: 60 points!

You've earned the teachers' encouragement and your classmates' admiration! Reward: 10 points!

Meanwhile, Zhang Ze's expression darkened.

It was beyond his wildest dreams that Yan Xin would overtake him to become the class valedictorian!

And to think he had plummeted from second to fifth in the grade!

For Zhang Ze, who had always studied with unwavering diligence, this was a crushing blow.

Fong Guode's words echoed in Zhang Ze's head, and by the time he snapped back to reality, the class was over.

When Zhang Ze turned to look for Yan Xin once more, his seat was empty.

In frustration, Zhang Ze pounded the desk with his fist.