Welcome to the Classroom of Grade Supremacy

After teasing the soft and easily bullied Li Zhiyi, Chen Zhi began to scan the classroom.

Class One was the top class, after all; even during the break, most of the seats were occupied.

Only the space behind Li Zhiyi was completely empty.

It was a single desk, sitting all alone in the very last row of the classroom, right next to the back door and the water dispenser. It offered warmth in the winter and a breeze in the summer. You could grab water when thirsty and sleep when tired. It was practically tailor-made for slacking off.

Chen Zhi pointed at the spot and turned to Cheng Jun, who was still mourning his exploded nexus on his phone screen. "No one sits there, right?"

Cheng Jun was in a depressed mood, having just lost a team fight miserably. Hearing Chen Zhi's words, he jerked his head up, looking horrified. "You want to sit there?"

"Why? Can't I sit there?" Chen Zhi raised an eyebrow. "Or is the Feng Shui bad?"

"Not exactly..." Cheng Jun shoved his phone into his pocket and sized Chen Zhi up with a weird look. "Are you really staying in Class One?"

"Dean Xie has already spoken, would I dare not to?" Chen Zhi shrugged. "Besides, I think your class has a pretty good vibe."

Cheng Jun's mouth twitched. Could this guy not tell good from bad?

He sneered, pointing to the front of the classroom and then to the back, his tone carrying a hint of superiority. "Chen Zhi, don't think you can just comfortably slack off just because you got into Class One. Let me educate you: our Class One is a 'grades are everything' classroom."

"What do you mean?" Chen Zhi was intrigued.

Cheng Jun lifted his chin, looking proud. "See those people in the front row?"

Chen Zhi looked in the direction he was pointing.

The first three rows of the classroom were indeed fully packed. Even during the break, that group of people sat as still as monks in meditation, not even lifting their heads. Their pens flew across the paper as they studied incredibly hard.

"In our class, seats are assigned based on grades."

Cheng Jun lowered his voice. "Those with poor grades, or who have significantly dropped in rank, have to sit in the front rows—the heavy supervision zone. It's closest to the podium, where you eat the most chalk dust, and the teachers' spit can land right on your face. You have to be terrified even to take a quick nap."

After saying this, he pointed to himself and the others sitting in the back row. His expression instantly shifted to the calm confidence of the strong.

"Meanwhile, those with good grades get to sit in the back row, also known as the 'VIP Lounge'."

Cheng Jun patted his desk, which was fully stocked with snacks, comic books, and his phone. "As long as we don't disrupt the class, the teachers turn a blind eye to whatever we do back here. Here, grades dictate everything! If you have good grades, you're the boss. You can sleep all day and no one will care!"

Chen Zhi was dumbfounded.

He took a sharp breath and sighed from the bottom of his heart, "To think there's such a beautiful system..."

"Scared now?" Hearing Chen Zhi gasp, Cheng Jun snorted smugly, assuming he had terrified him. "Take me, for example. I got a perfect score on the comprehensive science weekly test last time, ranking fifth in the grade! That's why I have the right to sit on this throne, and I've held it for half a month!"

"Holy crap..."

Chen Zhi slapped his thigh and grabbed Cheng Jun's hand in excitement. "Isn't this my fucking dream class?!"

Cheng Jun: "Huh?"

"As long as my grades are good, I can play however I want? And no one will care?" Chen Zhi confirmed excitedly.

"Uh... theoretically, yes." Cheng Jun was completely thrown off by his reaction.

"That's amazing! It's absolute paradise!" Chen Zhi said, acting heartbroken. "Why didn't I apply to transfer here earlier? In Class Ten, I have to battle wits and courage with those idiots, but here all I have to do is take a test?"

Damn it, I came too late.

I took so many detours!

If he had known Class One was so humane, he would have brought his bedroll over on the first day of school!

Cheng Jun looked at Chen Zhi like he was an idiot.

Is this guy crazy?

Are the exams in Class One meant for normal humans? The try-hards here are all like freaks. To secure a spot in the back row requires fighting like gods!

"Alright, enough talk." Chen Zhi was now full of energy and patted Cheng Jun on the shoulder. "Thanks, bro, this intel is crucial. Save that empty seat for me, don't let anyone take it. I'm going back to pack my things!"

With that, Chen Zhi turned and left, his steps as light as if he were going to receive an award.

Cheng Jun stood frozen in place, watching Chen Zhi's retreating back. After a long while, he finally managed to squeeze out, "...Psycho?"

...

When he returned to Class Ten, the atmosphere in the room was a bit weird.

News that Chen Zhi had been taken away by Dean Xie had probably already spread. Everyone was whispering, guessing whether this prominent figure who had only been here for a few days was about to meet his doom.

Chen Zhi ignored their probing gazes and walked straight to his seat.

His desk-mate, Pei Ningxue, had her head down, holding a book in her hands.

The pages hadn't been turned for a long time.

Hearing the movement beside her, Pei Ningxue's fingers trembled slightly, but she didn't look up, maintaining her aloof posture.

Chen Zhi glanced at the copy of Five Years of Gaokao, Three Years of Mock Exams she was holding upside down but didn't expose her. He simply started packing his bag briskly.

Textbooks, test papers, water bottle...

There wasn't much, and he stuffed it all in a few quick moves.

"You're leaving?"

A cold voice came from beside him, void of any discernible emotion.

Chen Zhi paused his movements and turned his head.

Pei Ningxue finally put down the book she was pretending to read. Her beautiful eyes looked at him quietly, her gaze somewhat complex. There was surprise, reluctance, and a trace of grievance.

Even though they had only been desk-mates for a few days.

This person was already leaving.

Her heart felt empty.

"Yeah." Chen Zhi slung his backpack over his shoulder, sighed, and said with mock solemnity, "I originally wanted to stay in Class Ten and be lovebirds with you, but Dean Xie insisted on exiling me to Class One. There's nothing I can do, an imperial decree cannot be disobeyed."

Pei Ningxue pursed her lips, her eyelids drooping slightly. "Class One is pretty good. It's suitable for studying."

"What's good about it? I heard it's full of bookworms over there. It doesn't have the human touch of our Class Ten." Chen Zhi leaned in a bit closer, looking at her with a grin. "Especially since they don't have a pleasing desk-mate like Beauty Pei. How am I going to survive the days ahead?"

Pei Ningxue's ears turned red, and she glared at him. "Stop being so glib. Just go."

Seeing her saying one thing but meaning another, Chen Zhi felt amused.

"I'm sorry, good bro."

Chen Zhi dropped his playful smile, his tone becoming a bit more serious. "I'm off to Class One to wreak havoc... oh wait, I mean to shine and bring warmth. Even though we aren't in the same class anymore, our revolutionary friendship will last forever."

Pei Ningxue snorted and turned her head toward the window. "Who is your good bro? Get lost already so you stop being an eyesore."

"So heartless?"

Chen Zhi wasn't angry. He leaned down by her ear and whispered, "Don't worry, even though my body is leaving, my heart is still here. From now on, during morning exercises every day, I'll come find you."

The warm breath brushed against her ear, making Pei Ningxue's body stiffen for a second.

She whipped her head around, only to meet Chen Zhi's smiling eyes.

"Who... who cares if you come look for me!"

Pei Ningxue bit her lip, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks. "The formations for Class One and Class Ten are so far apart. Don't go running around, or you'll get points deducted."

"Who cares about a few points? To see my best bro, it's worth losing them all."

Chen Zhi straightened up and gave a casual wave. "I'm off! Don't miss me too much, you'll give yourself wrinkles."

With that, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and strode out of the classroom without looking back.

Only when Chen Zhi's silhouette vanished past the back door did Pei Ningxue slowly look away.

Staring at the empty desk and chair beside her, she felt as if a small piece of her heart had gone missing.

"Liar."

Pei Ningxue muttered under her breath, the rims of her eyes growing slightly red.

She picked up her pen, fiercely sketched a turtle on her scratch paper, and scribbled the name Chen Zhi right across its shell.