Byron Yang arrived at the door of Class 12 and instinctively glanced inside. When he saw Evan Lin sitting at his desk, he felt an inexplicable surge of excitement in his heart.
When the class ended, Byron Yang called Evan Lin out of the classroom. He first asked about Evan’s recent life, if he’d run into any troubles, and only then brought up the matter of the Hundred-School Joint Exam.
“That’s basically the situation. I think with your ability, you can definitely achieve a great result on the Hundred-School Joint Exam. When the time comes, you could secure a special recommendation spot at Clearwater University.”
“This opportunity is really rare, Evan. I hope that on the day of the Hundred-School Joint Exam, no matter what happens, you’ll come and take the test. As long as you perform normally, your math score is guaranteed, plus English and science are your strengths too. Even if your Chinese is a bit weak, as long as you get a passing grade, your total score will be enough to crush the competition!”
The more Byron Yang spoke, the more excited he got. Back in his own student days, he’d dreamed of being a top scholar, admired by all and entering one of China’s elite universities to achieve something great.
But limited by his own talent, he’d only managed a decent score and entered a teachers’ college. After graduation, he became a teacher.
For all these years, Byron Yang hadn’t been especially happy at Capitalview First High School. After all, he was stuck with the worst-performing Class 12, constantly at odds with Henry Wang, the head of the math department. Now, thanks to the sudden appearance of a genius like Evan Lin, Byron finally felt hopeful about the future.
To teach a student with such heaven-defying grades is the best badge of honor a teacher could hope for.
“When does the Hundred-School Joint Exam start?”
Evan asked curiously. As for the special recommendation from Clearwater University, he didn’t care much. With his current grades and speed of learning, getting into top schools like Clearwater or Beijing University wouldn’t be hard at all.
On the other hand, if he did get the recommendation, it might make Joy Zheng happy for a while. On that point, Evan was happy to go along with it.
“The Hundred-School Joint Exam is usually scheduled for the last monthly exam of the first semester in senior year, so it’s around early January.”
Byron Yang thought for a moment and gave an approximate date. "But every year, the Hundred-School Joint Exam is known for its high difficulty, and it’s the closest thing to the real college entrance exam. That’s why every school takes it so seriously."
"To prepare for the Hundred-School Joint Exam, there probably won’t be any other monthly exams from now until the exam itself. The big monthly tests will be split into weekly quizzes for training."
After listening, Evan nodded. “If nothing comes up, I’ll take part in the whole Hundred-School Joint Exam.”
If nothing comes up, then he’ll participate?
Byron Yang heard Evan’s words and wanted to say more, but looking at Evan’s expression, he could only shake his head and give a wry smile. “Alright then, just try to participate as much as you can. After all, a special recommendation to Clearwater isn’t just about a spot—it’s recognition of you as a student.”
No matter how Byron looked at Evan, he felt that Clearwater University held no appeal for him, which made Byron sigh even more.
Evan returned to his seat. The other students in the classroom were diligently reading, but compared to Evan’s relaxed attitude, their academic pressure was much heavier.
At noon, Evan made a trip to Peiying High School.
Because of what happened earlier at Jingwei Peak, Selina Shi had been confined. Evan wasn’t sure if she’d returned to school, or if—as Martin Wu had said—she’d soon be sent straight to the Guan family in Oceanport to apologize to Gavin Guan.
Arriving at the gate of Peiying High School, Evan entered and casually grabbed a student to ask about Selina Shi’s whereabouts.
The boy Evan stopped looked him up and down, full of disdain. “You’re looking for Selina Shi? She hasn’t come to class lately, probably off having fun somewhere.”
“Also, bro, no offense, but do you really think you have a shot at Selina Shi? Maybe go home and check yourself out in the mirror. There’s a whole army of guys lining up for her, stretching from the classroom to the business district. Even if she was at school, you wouldn’t stand a chance—I’m just trying to save you from embarrassing yourself.”
It had been a while since the Peiying High School gala, so Evan’s name was still unfamiliar to most of the students there.
“Do you know where she lives?” Evan didn’t get angry at the boy’s words.
Honestly, a girl like Selina Shi getting chased by guys was normal. With her background, looks, and figure, she stood out—and she didn’t have the usual spoiled attitude of most rich girls.
“Her house? You want to chase her all the way home? Damn, that’s bold, bro.” The boy exaggerated his expression, then sighed. “Look, I really don’t know where she lives, but even if I did, do you think you could get through her front door?”
Forget the door—even the windows probably wouldn’t open for you. And if her brother Warren Wu is home, he might just break your legs!
The boy mentioned Warren Wu with a hint of fear—Warren’s reputation at school was clearly formidable.
With a look of disdain, the boy had just finished speaking when a group approached the gate. He changed his tune, grinning at Evan: "I don’t know where Selina Shi lives, but that guy probably does."
"If you’ve got the guts, go ask him yourself."
He spoke while glancing toward the school gate behind Evan.
At the entrance to Peiying High School, a group was walking in.
Five boys and three girls.
The boy leading them wore a white T-shirt and dribbled a basketball, head slightly lowered. The others seemed to orbit around him.
They had only walked a few steps when, just as Evan looked over, several classroom doors beside the entrance suddenly burst open.
From one of those doors strode a boy in a black jacket, chewing on a piece of wild grass.
He stepped forward, and the students behind him surged ahead, surrounding the five boys and three girls who had just entered.
"Ben Chen, what are you trying to do?"
Seeing the situation, the boy with the basketball’s face darkened and he stared hard at Ben Chen.
"What am I doing?" Ben Chen’s eyes glinted playfully. "Hugh Hu, I told you before to watch yourself, but you didn’t listen. I even warned you to stay away from my Selina Shi, but you wouldn’t. You thought that with Zack Guang backing you, I couldn’t touch you."
"But now Zack Guang’s gone, so of course I’m going to settle things. I hear he’ll be away for a long time, and with Warren Wu and Allen Ju also gone, all I have to do is deal with you. When Selina comes back, she’ll be mine."
"As for you—heh—how about pledging loyalty and becoming my lackey? If you agree, nothing will happen to you today."