Evan Lin went home.
Originally, Stella Huang and Irene Xu had been waiting for Evan to come home so they could gossip about his relationship with Lynn Chen. But when they saw Evan had no intention of talking, they sensibly kept quiet, afraid to make him angry.
The next morning, when Evan arrived at the school gate, he ran into Lynn Chen, who was just coming in.
Instead of her usual slight frown, Lynn smiled, waved at Evan, and greeted him.
This move left all the boys nearby staring in shock.
But after greeting Evan, Lynn didn’t slow down or say anything extra. She simply walked straight back to her own classroom from the other side of the hallway.
This was just a minor episode at Capitalview First High, but it made even more people speculate about Evan and Lynn’s relationship.
But for Eric Yu, the once-popular star caught in the middle, things were more than a little awkward.
He used to be a celebrity with his own aura. Before enrolling at Capitalview First, his future looked bright, he was surrounded by beauties, and his confidence was through the roof.
But after starting at Capitalview First, he kept getting shot down by Lynn, and even dragged his dad Quentin Yu into repeated fiascos with Evan—making a fool of himself so many times, he was starting to doubt his own life.
Things got even worse after Linda Guan brought Quentin Yu and the others to try to force Evan out of Jinnan. Since then, Quentin’s company, which usually ran smoothly, started to sense vague threats from outside.
Even his prized connections were quietly cooling off, leaving Quentin scrambling—he was now considering shifting his company’s business.
By contrast, Charles Chen’s Wansheng Properties (Capitalview), run by Charles himself, was soaring. Thanks to Major Hu’s phone call, project approvals went through, demolition and construction ran like clockwork, and business was booming.
This only made Quentin Yu more desperate for Eric to ‘win’ Lynn Chen.
Quentin even felt that, at this rate, it might only take a few years for Charles Chen’s family to secure a real place in Jinnan’s business circles.
Compared to all the outside drama, the teachers at Capitalview First were just as tense.
There are twelve high schools in Jinnan, from Capitalview First to Capitalview Eleventh, plus Peiying High.
Of the twelve, Capitalview First and Peiying High are always at the top for grades. But beyond these, there are fifty-six provincial key high schools across Jinnan’s counties and cities, plus dozens more in neighboring provinces—over a hundred in total.
Every year, as usual, at the end of the first semester of senior year, each key high school sends veteran teachers to help compile the unified Hundred-School Joint Exam.
The exam covers every possible topic that could show up on the college entrance exam—it’s like a massive practice run. Every year, the results of the Hundred-School Joint Exam are a matter of face for each school.
That’s why Capitalview First takes it so seriously.
"It’s time for our annual war—second only to the college entrance exam! Capitalview First has always held steady in the Hundred-School Joint Exam, usually grabbing two or three spots in the top ten. This year, I hope every teacher will push their students to fight for glory!"
At the routine teachers’ meeting, Principal Damon Deng was full of fighting spirit. He took a sip of tea to clear his throat and cheered the teachers on.
When the meeting ended, Damon Deng stopped Byron Yang just as he was about to leave.
"Mr. Yang, your Class 12 made a lot of progress on the last exam."
Damon Deng looked at Byron with a big smile.
"The students have been really motivated lately. I’m sure this time our Class 12 won’t drag the school down."
Byron nodded repeatedly, looking a bit embarrassed.
Most teachers, when talking to Damon Deng, would promise to fight for the school’s honor. But Byron just didn’t have that kind of confidence.
Everyone knew Class 12’s average grades were just too lousy.
"I believe you, I do." Damon Deng patted Byron’s shoulder and smiled. "The other students’ grades don’t worry me much—they’ll mostly perform as usual. As long as they don’t mess up too badly, it’s fine."
"But that student in your class—Evan Lin..."
Damon paused for a moment.
Byron’s heart skipped a beat: "Evan might not always follow the rules, and he skips class a lot, but I think he’s studying at home—he told me so, and I agreed."
Byron was just about to argue on Evan’s behalf.
He thought Damon was going to punish Evan for skipping class and make an example out of him.
"No, Mr. Yang, that’s not it. After class, could you talk to Evan and make sure he takes the Hundred-School Joint Exam?" Damon saw Byron’s confusion and waved his hands. "This student has huge potential."
"His results on this exam are really important—they could directly affect his future. But as the principal, there are some things I can’t say myself." Damon waited until most teachers had left, then quietly told Byron, "I heard some news—Clearwater University is already interested in him."
"His math talent is off the charts—a true genius. But if he wants a special recommendation, he needs a legit record. He won the Seacrest Olympiad, which is enough for an ordinary top university, but not for a ‘double-first-class’ direct admission. The Hundred-School Joint Exam is different, though. This year’s math paper is set by a real authority."
Damon spoke like it was a secret, then smiled at Byron, who still hadn’t processed it all, and patted his shoulder. "Mr. Yang, if you can get Evan to show his true strength and secure a top rank, this will be settled."
"If your Class 12 produces a student who gets recommended to Clearwater, that’s your achievement. I won’t promise anything else, but if you pull it off, next year you’ll get to lead an Experimental Class!"
Damon’s words made Byron’s face light up with joy.
Getting to lead an Experimental Class would mean real recognition—it was something Byron had never even dared to dream of.
But Byron quickly realized something and asked, a bit confused, "Principal, you could just talk to Evan yourself. He’s not unreasonable."
"Ahem, let’s just leave it at that—I can't afford to provoke this student... No, I mean I don’t want to." Damon shook his head and smiled, his eyes showing something between pride and something else Byron couldn’t quite name, leaving Byron with a strange feeling.