Chapter 6

When Tang Xiu arrived at the classroom, most of his classmates were engrossed in writing, tackling one test paper after another. A few were loudly reciting their textbooks, and the classroom was filled with a tense atmosphere.

With only three months left until the college entrance exam, after the head teacher and subject teachers repeatedly emphasized the importance of the exam and conducted weekly and monthly tests, these teenagers, aged seventeen or eighteen, couldn't help but feel nervous.

Looking at the bright and eye-catching countdown to the college entrance exam on the blackboard and the tense students in the classroom, Tang Xiu felt out of place with this world.

"Since I'm only here to fulfill my mother's wish and not to study seriously, I don't need to care too much about everything around me." Tang Xiu quickly retracted his wandering gaze and walked quickly to his desk.

What Tang Xiu didn't expect was that as soon as he stepped into the classroom, the originally busy classmates almost simultaneously put down their work and focused their gazes on him.

Those gazes were filled with disdain, mockery, and even hatred, leaving Tang Xiu feeling bewildered.

"Tang Xiu, you're not welcome here. Get out!" Suddenly, a voice like a broken gong rang out in the classroom. It was a tall and thin boy who looked at Tang Xiu with disdain and ordered him imperiously.

Feeling the intense hostility emanating from the tall boy, Tang Xiu's eyes turned cold, and a murderous intent emerged from his body.

The tall boy's name was Yang Jian, the class study committee member. He had harbored jealousy because his admission score was lower than Tang Xiu's and had been opposing Tang Xiu ever since. After Tang Xiu's grades declined, Yang Jian took every opportunity to belittle and suppress him.

"Tang Xiu, you're not welcome here. Get out!"

"Tang Xiu, you're not welcome here. Get out!"

"Tang Xiu, you're not welcome here. Get out!"

Before Tang Xiu could question Yang Jian, the classroom suddenly erupted in a cacophony of sharp shouts, wave after wave, leaving him stunned at the door.

Just as Tang Xiu was about to figure out what was happening, a loud "bang" echoed through the classroom.

Tang Xiu looked over and saw a fat boy standing up from the last row, smashing his chair onto the desk.

The fat boy's action was so forceful that the classroom trembled slightly. With the loud noise, the classmates who had been hysterically condemning Tang Xiu were suddenly silenced, and the classroom fell into a deathly silence.

"Is it just because Tang Xiu's exam scores are low? This isn't something he wanted. Do you really need to target him like this?"

"I sit next to Tang Xiu. I've seen his efforts over the past year. I can assure you that Tang Xiu is the most diligent student in the class. If it weren't for the car accident a year ago, you wouldn't even be able to catch up to him. What right do you have to shout at him?"

"Even if Tang Xiu's grades are a bit lower, this class isn't run by you. He can come and go as he pleases. What's it to you?"

Seeing all the gazes focused on him, the fat boy indignantly defended Tang Xiu.

The fat boy was very fat, over 1.8 meters tall, with a round belly like a pregnant woman. His already small eyes were almost reduced to slits under the pressure of the fat on his face, making it impossible to see his eyeballs.

Perhaps the fat boy's size intimidated everyone, or perhaps his fierce appearance was too threatening. The entire classroom was silenced by the fat boy.

"Yuan Chuling, what are you showing off? The reason our class's average score is the lowest among the key classes is because of you two. As the saying goes, one rat can ruin a whole pot of soup. With two rats, it's even harder to improve our average score." After a long silence, Yang Jian weakly muttered.

"Yang Jian, who is the rat? Say it again if you dare!" Yuan Chuling kicked over his desk with a loud "bang," his eyes blazing with a predatory light as he fiercely demanded.

Yang Jian's face turned pale with fear, and he avoided eye contact with Yuan Chuling.

"Yang Jian, I'm not saying you're a coward, but even if your grades are good, you'll still end up working for others in society. Do you really think your good grades make you great? If I wanted to, I could take you down in a minute." Seeing Yang Jian back down, Yuan Chuling sneered and ignored him, using his foot to pull his desk back up and sitting down.

Whether it was due to the desk being old or Yuan Chuling's forceful action, the originally sturdy chair broke.

When Yuan Chuling sat down, there was a loud creaking sound, and the chair gave out. Yuan Chuling flailed his arms and legs, and finally landed on the ground with a scream of pain.

The tense atmosphere in the classroom was instantly diffused by Yuan Chuling's antics, and some people couldn't help but laugh.

Tang Xiu almost laughed too, but remembering Yuan Chuling's brave defense, he held back his laughter and quickly walked over to help Yuan Chuling up.

Most of the students, led by Yang Jian, didn't dare to laugh, fearing Yuan Chuling's temper.

"Are you done? If you're done, be quiet!" As everyone's attention was drawn to Yuan Chuling in the back row, a cold voice suddenly rang out from the front door of the classroom.

Hearing the authoritative voice, the classroom instantly fell silent, and even Yuan Chuling stopped groaning.

Tang Xiu looked at the almost intact chair on the ground and the unharmed Yuan Chuling, his face full of surprise.

Seemingly reading Tang Xiu's thoughts, Yuan Chuling winked at him.

If not for the improved vision Tang Xiu had after his soul was restored, Yuan Chuling's already narrow eyes would have been useless.

"This fat guy is a real smart one." Seeing Yuan Chuling's winking, Tang Xiu instantly understood the deeper meaning behind his fall and couldn't help but admire Yuan Chuling's high emotional intelligence.

Yuan Chuling's target was just Yang Jian, not the entire class. However, his actions were too arrogant and could easily cause resentment among the classmates. By staging a fall, he effectively downplayed his earlier arrogance and instead left a lasting impression of his comedic side.

"The entire campus can hear your noise. Aren't you ashamed? Do you still have any sense of being students in a key class?" Seeing that he had successfully intimidated the sixty or so students, Hu Qiusheng's expression eased slightly.

Hu Qiusheng's gaze swept over the students, making them all tremble with fear and lower their heads in guilt. Only Tang Xiu, Yuan Chuling, and Yang Jian stood tall, unaffected by Hu Qiusheng's glare.

Hu Qiusheng's disdainful gaze skipped over Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling and finally landed on Yang Jian, a smile appearing on his face. "Yang Jian, what exactly happened just now? Why was the classroom as chaotic as a market?"

"Mr. Hu, Tang Xiu didn't attend self-study last night and was late for morning self-study today. I said a few words to him, and then Yuan Chuling started smashing chairs and kicking desks, mocking us. He said that even if our grades are good, we'll only end up carrying bags for others in society. He also said that he could take us down in a minute..." With the support of the head teacher, Yang Jian became more confident and added details to his story.

Hu Qiusheng already disliked Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling. After hearing Yang Jian's account, his disdain for them grew even more.

"Tang Xiu, the results of last month's monthly exam have been tallied. Do you know your score? Thirty-seven points!" Hu Qiusheng's eyes locked onto Tang Xiu, and he shouted sternly.

"Thirty-seven points! The total score for the exam is 750 points, and you only scored thirty-seven. You're the last in the entire grade. Do you know how many people have laughed at me because of this? If your mother hadn't repeatedly begged me on her knees, do you think I would have let you stay in this class?" Hu Qiusheng shouted at Tang Xiu.

"You always promise me that you'll study hard and do well in the next exam, but every time the results come out, you're always the last. And your scores keep getting worse!"

"Tang Xiu, I've already submitted an application to the principal's office. Either you will be expelled, or you will be transferred to another class. Our class cannot continue to tolerate you. Otherwise, I would rather resign as the head teacher!"

...

By the end, Hu Qiusheng was almost roaring at Tang Xiu, his face contorted with extreme anger, his eyes bloodshot, as if Tang Xiu had committed an unforgivable sin.

Faced with Hu Qiusheng's scolding and insults, Tang Xiu's lips moved slightly. He wanted to explain, but after a moment of staring at Hu Qiusheng, he gave up and stood silently, letting Hu Qiusheng continue his tirade.

On the side, Yuan Chuling seemed to have suffered a great insult. His face turned red, and his body twitched restlessly. He opened his mouth several times, wanting to speak up for Tang Xiu, but he was ultimately intimidated by Hu Qiusheng's authority and remained silent.

After nearly ten minutes of relentless scolding, Hu Qiusheng's anger was almost spent, and his gaze turned to Yuan Chuling.

When Hu Qiusheng saw the faint mocking smile on Yuan Chuling's lips, he chose to ignore him and began criticizing other underperforming students.

The bell signaling the end of morning self-study finally rang, and Hu Qiusheng ended his speech and quickly left.

Although Hu Qiusheng had left, the atmosphere in the classroom remained heavy. Except for a few who went to the bathroom, most students stayed in the classroom to correct their test papers.

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