Right after Shu Ran, the math class representative Tian Ke handed in his paper, followed by the class monitor Shen Meng and Gao Yuanyuan.
Seeing his three favorite students submit their exams, Old Lu pushed up his glasses and began grading. This paper was twice as hard as previous ones—if they could manage scores around 80, he would already be impressed. As he finished marking the three tests, a satisfied smile crept across his face.
Gao Yuanyuan scored the highest with an 83, followed by Chen Chen's 74, and Shen Meng with 71.
The rest of the class was still agonizing over the questions—it would be a while before anyone else turned in their papers. Feeling bored, Old Lu reached for Shu Ran's exam, assuming she had handed in a blank sheet. But to his surprise, every question had been answered. The handwriting was neat, the steps clear. He started grading with the mindset of killing time.
But the further he went, the more his expression shifted from indifference to shock.
This test was equivalent to a first-year middle school level paper—yet Shu Ran scored 99.5. The only half-point deduction was for not filling in her student ID.
Old Lu stared in disbelief. The difficulty of this paper was off the charts—no one should've been able to get a perfect score. And yet, someone had nearly done it. Not just anyone, but a girl who'd always struggled with basic arithmetic. And she had finished it in just over ten minutes. Could it be… she had been hiding her true abilities all along?
Something about this didn't sit right with him. Holding the four graded exams in his hands, Old Lu left the classroom.
As soon as the door closed behind him, the classroom slowly buzzed to life again.
"Did Old Lu just leave like that? So… is this a real exam or just a practice test? Isn't he worried we'll cheat?" Wang Hailiang, sitting behind Shu Ran, leaned toward his desk mate and whispered.
"Doesn't matter. These questions are so hard, even cheating might not help," Jin Zexi grumbled. His elegant brows were furrowed, and his thin lips were clenched around his pen in despair. "Maybe Shu Ran was the smart one. Knew she couldn't do it and just handed in a blank paper. Now that Old Lu's gone, I'd like to hand mine in blank too, but I missed my chance."
Meanwhile, Shu Ran had made her way up to the rooftop. The open sky stretched endlessly above her, and her mood lifted. This place was rarely visited—once a quiet haven where she had cried in secret, it had now become her peaceful escape from the world.
She stretched lazily, walked slowly to the edge of the rooftop, and leaned against the railing. Tilting her head up, her beautiful eyes followed the drifting white clouds. The sun was blinding, lulling her into a sleepy haze. Resting her chin on her arms, she gazed down at the lower-grade students having PE class on the field below. Their high-pitched laughter echoed upward.
Just as she began to close her eyes, a shadow approached.
Startled, Shu Ran turned sharply—only to be met with a puff of cigarette smoke from the man standing behind her. For a split second, she caught the faint curve of a smile at the corner of his lips.
"Cough—cough!"
She choked on the smoke and coughed twice, her eyes narrowing in disbelief. She'd seen countless celebrities in her past life, but none with this kind of dangerous charm. In her memory, no teacher at her school looked like this man. Her gaze shifted to the student roster in his hand, and she frowned. "Teacher, smoking is strictly prohibited on school grounds."
"Mm." The man responded with a soft hum, yet continued smoking as if her words meant nothing. There wasn't even a trace of shame from being caught by a student. He smoked with such effortless elegance, it was almost… mesmerizing.
Shu Ran glared at him, then turned to leave.
"Shu Ran, Class 6-3," the man's low, magnetic voice drifted behind her.
She paused, a faint gloom dimming her eyes. A self-mocking smile tugged at her lips. She hadn't realized she was so well-known.
She ignored him and kept walking—until his next words stopped her cold.
"After your father passed away, your mother raised you alone. Later, she married real estate developer Gao Jianjun. You're now in the same class as your stepsister Gao Yuanyuan. Did I get that right, Miss Shu?"
This time, there was unmistakable amusement in his tone.
Shu Ran turned slowly to look at him, her guard going up. She had to admit—the man was absurdly handsome. His features were sharp and refined, like a sculpture come to life. Under thick, jet-black hair were long, foxlike eyes—seemingly gentle, yet gleaming with a predatory sharpness. He stood there with an air of detached dominance, utterly out of place in a school setting.
Her past life had taught her one thing clearly: this man was dangerous.
"What do you want?" Shu Ran asked bluntly.
In this life, she would never again live under anyone's scorn. She knew the truth of this world: the more you gave in, the more people trampled you. Weakness only invited cruelty.
"Oh?" The man looked genuinely surprised by her tone. A dazzling, wicked smile curved his lips. "Nothing in particular. Just… curious about you."
Shu Ran said nothing, holding his gaze in silence. In a situation like this, saying less was always safer.
His eyes narrowed slightly, his smile deepening. After stubbing out his cigarette, he turned and walked away. At the door to the rooftop, he looked back at her, expression cool and breezy. "Smoking is bad for your health, Miss Shu. Please refrain from doing it on school property."
By the time Shu Ran processed what he'd said, he was gone.
She glanced down at the cigarette butt by her feet, her mouth twitching.
Was that guy seriously a teacher? Framing a student like that without a shred of guilt? Isn't he worried about setting a bad example?!
She hurried off the rooftop—if anyone saw her, it'd be hard to explain. She didn't want to cause her mother any more trouble. As she reached the stairwell, students were beginning to trickle out of classrooms, forming little clusters while waiting for the exam to end. Shu Ran quietly retreated to a sunny corner and soaked in the warmth.
At a window not far away, Gu Yichen sipped his coffee as his gaze fell on her figure. There she stood—serene and solitary, like an orchid blooming in the shade—utterly different from the noisy students around her.
"Did this student really solve it all on her own?" the head of teaching asked in a voice just loud enough to draw attention from the staff room. "This is genius-level work."
Old Lu nodded, clearly emotional. In all his years of teaching, he had never witnessed something like this.
"What's going on, Mr. Lu?" a female teacher asked softly.
"This test was actually the entrance exam for Experimental Middle School's new first-years," Old Lu explained, barely hiding his excitement. "It's much harder than the standardized tests. We use it to help determine class placements. Someone from our class actually got a perfect score."
He looked around meaningfully. "As far as I know, only one student from Experimental Middle School ever scored full marks on this test—Shen Yuyu."
The mention of Shen Yuyu made every teacher in the office take notice. The boy was already a legend—a once-in-a-century genius, and heir to the Huashi Group, destined for greatness. A name that stirred awe, envy… and more than a little jealousy.