Chapter 63

"Let's talk this out calmly. This is a public place; it wouldn't look good if we make a scene." Liu Meng hurriedly tried to calm down the enraged Liu girl, thinking to himself how strong her grip was.

"Hmph," Liu Ruyi finally released him, her brows still furrowed in anger. "It's all your fault. I didn't have a good time during the National Day holiday. If it were anyone else, I would have beaten them up long ago."

"Yes, yes, it's all my fault. I apologize. Let's just put this behind us. Actually, if you look at it, it's not a big deal. It was all a misunderstanding. You engineering girls are all very cute. I'm just a typical case of sour grapes."

Liu Meng belittled himself to persuade Liu Ruyi, thinking to himself how unlucky he was. Posting something out of boredom could get him into trouble with this person. Last time, he was already knocked out.

"No way, that would be too easy on you. I need to think of a good way to deal with this." Liu Ruyi thought that letting it go like this would be too lenient on San Pang. Her eyes darted around as she thought, and then she giggled.

Liu Meng felt a chill run down his spine. What was wrong with her?!

"Let's do it this way. You confess to me in public, and then I'll reject you harshly." Liu Ruyi said smugly, "How about that?" This way, she could save face for the girls.

"Not a chance! What's wrong with me, am I asking for punishment? Anyone can confess, but I won't. I still have some dignity, okay!" Liu Meng spoke more casually to Liu Ruyi, knowing that she was a straightforward girl who read a lot of martial arts novels.

Her small fists clenched again. "No way, you have to confess! Dare you not confess? I'll beat you until you do." Liu Ruyi said angrily.

The surrounding classmates broke out in a cold sweat at her words.

What was going on here?

"I don't know how to do it, I can't!" Liu Meng acted like a dead pig, determined to stick to his stance no matter what.

Liu Ruyi was at a loss. She didn't want to use violent means on her friends.

She pinched Liu Meng hard, making him wince in pain, but he didn't make a sound.

"Alright, that's enough. If you keep this up, I'll get angry." Liu Meng was also getting annoyed. It was such a small matter, she was being too childish.

Liu Ruyi was indeed a bit childish, probably due to her simple upbringing and limited exposure to the outside world. She had a rebellious streak, and if you told her not to do something, she would do it, no matter how trivial it seemed to others.

"You're a big bad guy..." Liu Ruyi pouted.

Liu Meng ignored her, gathering his materials and starting to write his speech. He was already quite experienced in dealing with such capricious girls.

He wrote and rewrote, never quite satisfied. He deleted and revised, finding the usual clichés too nauseating. Talking about lofty ideals seemed too hollow.

Suddenly, he felt a bit overwhelmed by the opportunity. Putting on a show was also a skill.

The Foundation Department had 3,890 students from all over the country, all gathered in the square in front of the main building. At this moment, Vice President Chen had already begun his passionate speech, and the atmosphere was electric.

Liu Meng, in the restroom, tidied his appearance. The young man in the mirror had bright eyes, a spirited demeanor, and a confident smile. He smiled to himself, feeling a bit self-deprecating. "I've come a long way."

He was a bit excited and nervous.

Honor, something that money couldn't buy, who wouldn't love it?

The time was right, and Liu Meng walked out steadily, the speech already memorized.

After Vice President Chen finished, the students applauded loudly. He paused and then said, "Talents emerge in every generation. You are all young and talented. Now, let's welcome our student representative, Liu Meng, to speak. In this mid-term exam, Liu Meng achieved a perfect score, which is very impressive..."

Vice President Chen, who had already finished his speech, started rambling again.

Ten minutes later, Liu Meng finally stepped onto the stage. Looking at the sea of students and their competitive eyes, he felt a surge of excitement. He took a deep breath and smiled as he walked to the front.

His heart raced with excitement. Liu Meng suddenly realized how much he loved the feeling of being the center of attention. Standing on the high platform, looking down, a long-hidden ambition within him was unleashed, making him want to achieve more and be more admired.

He tested the microphone, paused, and was about to start speaking when he suddenly felt that the usual clichés were too nauseating. He decided to say what he truly felt.

"Dear fellow students and teachers, good afternoon. I am Liu Meng from the Electrical Engineering Department. My name is ordinary, and so is my appearance. I feel honored to be speaking as a student representative. The department originally wanted me to share my study methods, but everyone here was once a top student in high school, each with their own methods. To be blunt, my methods wouldn't even be considered useful. So, I'll share my personal journey."

Liu Meng spoke confidently, gradually getting into the flow. Initially a bit nervous, he soon became eloquent, his speech becoming more and more engaging.

Liu Ruyi stood below, watching Liu Meng speak enthusiastically, and pouted. "He's such a show-off. I'll find a way to reject him and make him feel bad. It must be so satisfying to reject someone, and it's so face-saving."

Gu Pan watched Liu Meng on stage with a calm expression, sighing lightly. "He has changed so much!" When they first met, Liu Meng was a clumsy, unsophisticated boy. Now, though not dressed expensively, he looked neat and appropriate, exuding confidence and intelligence. Gu Pan's eyes narrowed in appreciation.

Zheng Wen clicked her tongue and whispered to her friends, Guo Yu and Ji Hai, "Look, how handsome Liu Meng is, so charming. He really makes us proud as his classmates."

Guo Yu nodded, feeling a mix of admiration and envy. He cursed inwardly, never expecting to rank fourth in the class. "What kind of class is this? There's even a perfect score. Thinking of this, his envy turned into deep helplessness."

Ji Hai rubbed his eyes, thinking, "What's the use of good grades? In the end, we all have to find jobs after graduation. I might end up better than him. Having a good father is really an advantage."

Old Ma watched Liu Meng speak eloquently, trying to maintain his usual calm. He told himself he had done his best, but he sighed, realizing that despite his high score, he still couldn't match Liu Meng. The feeling of being second was truly unpleasant.

Yuan Chaohui was quite happy. He had passed all his exams and was very satisfied. He chose a seat near Class 2 and kept talking to Bai Jingjing, telling her some light-hearted jokes.

Lao Da and Dong Dong looked at Liu Meng on stage with pride. "This guy is in our dorm, we're proud of him."

Cheng Cheng didn't show up. He was already on the train back home. Before leaving, he sent Liu Meng a message, "Go ahead and show off, use my share of the show too." Liu Meng replied, "You have too much, I can't use it all. You should take it back. Have a safe trip." "......"

Li Yue couldn't find Jiang Weixin in the crowd.

Jiang Weixin was watching Liu Meng on stage, thinking, "It's all my fault for being distracted by women. This time, my grades weren't good. Honor is more satisfying than women, and the consequences are endless. It's all because I couldn't resist my brother's temptation. I failed so badly..."

Liu Meng spoke for nearly twenty minutes, and as he began to wrap up, he felt a sense of satisfaction. He had always thought that speeches were boring and never-ending, but now he understood the feeling. It was truly wonderful, and who would want to end it quickly?

"Students, let's work hard together. Youth is meant for striving and fighting. Let's be full of positive energy and challenge our limits."

His closing words were powerful and inspiring, and the audience applauded enthusiastically. The Electrical Engineering Department clapped the loudest, feeling a sense of pride and honor.

After Liu Meng's speech, he returned to his class. Vice President Chen praised him a few more times, but this time without a long speech. The department's mid-term exam assembly ended.

The top students continued to prepare for their next courses and dispersed.

The students of Class 3 welcomed Liu Meng like a hero. Yuan Chaohui loved to stir things up and gathered a few classmates around Liu Meng, shouting and cheering. Soon, they lifted him up and threw him into the air, catching him and throwing him again.

The students got more and more excited.

Students from other departments also stopped to watch. The top student of their department huffed and walked past, vowing to surpass Liu Meng and reclaim the honor, heading straight to the study room.

After a while, the students finally put Liu Meng down. They had thrown him so high that his face was a bit pale, worried that they might drop him and he would fall with an acceleration of 9.8 meters per second squared.

Guo Yu watched enviously. As the class president, he was proud of Liu Meng but also wished he could achieve such results himself.

As they walked together, Guo Yu approached Liu Meng. Being from Northeast China, he was straightforward and admitted Liu Meng's superiority. He gave him a thumbs up and said, "Liu Meng, you're really amazing. I truly admire you. You even got a perfect score in English composition. Damn!"

His tone was still a bit sour, thinking of how he had previously asked Liu Meng about his scores, feeling a bit embarrassed. He decided never to mention his scores in front of Liu Meng again, as it was too humiliating.

"That was just a coincidence!" Liu Meng said modestly.

But it was indeed a coincidence. If he hadn't taken a risk and written a classical English poem, and if Yang Yun hadn't supported him and invited Nan Huairen to verify it, it would have been impossible.

The chubby Ji Hai laughed like a blooming chrysanthemum, playfully punching Liu Meng's arm. "You're amazing, your English is even better than the students from Jiangdu."

Zheng Wen and Gu Pan walked over, holding hands. Zheng Wen said, "Wow, Liu Meng, a perfect score in everything, so cool!"

Gu Pan also smiled and said, "Congratulations!" Liu Meng smiled and nodded in response.

Old Ma felt a bit bitter but still walked over, his face showing a fake smile. "Did you take some performance-enhancing drugs on the exam day? No wonder you're so amazing!"

Dong Dong, known as the best test-taker from Shandong, ranked twelfth in the class of thirty. He felt that everyone was indeed excellent, thinking about how he often played table tennis and video games with Lao Da. He asked Lao Da, "Lao Da, you're amazing. You played a lot but still got the fifth rank. How do you do it? Teach me."

Class 3's ranking: Liu Meng, Old Ma, Zheng Wen, Guo Yu, Deng Jinyue, Jiang Weixin, Ji Hai...

Lao Da, the most experienced student in exams, studies, and life, was always the most enthusiastic about playing. He never missed a class and took detailed notes, ranking fifth in the class, just one point behind Guo Yu.

"Damn, why learn from me? Learn from Liu Meng. He got a perfect score in all three exams. That's mission impossible!" Lao Da laughed and scolded.

"Hey, everyone, we all worked hard for the mid-term exams. Let's go out and have fun tonight!" Lao Da suggested.

Guo Yu, seeing Deng Jinyue organizing the activity, glared at him, feeling annoyed. "I didn't do as well as the top students, and now he's trying to steal the spotlight in organizing activities? Damn, he didn't even score higher than me, and he's so happy!"

He didn't back down and shouted, "Any suggestions? I'll treat everyone to dinner tonight, no need to be shy."

Deng Jinyue cursed inwardly, "Idiot, I knew you'd try to take the lead. After dinner, I'll treat everyone to karaoke, saving face and money!"

"Hi, Liu Meng, I also love math. Can I ask you for help if I have any questions?" A pretty girl asked, speaking in a sweet, Jiangnan accent.

The boys around her looked at her with envy, admiring her beauty and Liu Meng's achievements.

Liu Meng recognized her, remembering the girl from Jiangdu he had met on the first day. He recalled her mother calling her Xiao Qi.

Just as he was about to answer, Zheng Wen rushed over, holding Xiao Qi's hand and said warmly, "Classmate, we have other good math students in our class, like Old Ma and me. You can also discuss problems with me."

Zheng Wen had noticed Gu Pan's different gaze when she watched Liu Meng speak, recognizing the admiration in her eyes. She knew Gu Pan well, a girl with high aspirations and a strong personality.

She hoped Liu Meng could win over Gu Pan, so her brother Du Yi would notice her. With Gu Pan around, she had no chance.

Happiness is something you have to fight for. Zheng Wen wouldn't let another girl interfere.

Xiao Qi looked at Liu Meng, still wanting to talk to him. Blocked by Zheng Wen, she pouted in disappointment.

At this moment, Lao Da, Deng Jinyue, saw the girl and his eyes lit up. He quickly approached and said, "Hi, beautiful lady, I'm the class study committee member, and I also have good grades. I share a dorm with Liu Meng. If you have any questions, you can tell me first, and I'll help you ask him. He's often busy and hard to find, but I can reach him with a phone call."

"Really? Let's exchange phone numbers then." Xiao Qi, understanding the strategy, spoke sweetly, making Lao Da feel all warm and fuzzy. He glanced at Liu Meng, grateful for the benefits of sharing a dorm with a top student. "It's great to be in the same dorm as a genius, so cool!"