What does the gap between people have to do with me

Li Shiyan instantly switched to battle mode, smiling brightly.

Two people at odds with each other, and someone actually dared to grab the other's hand in such an ambiguous way?!

Can we just fast forward to the kissing part?!

Xia Yanchun's expression wasn't great; she frowned, looking annoyed, and grabbed Li Shiyan's hand. "Shiyan, let's go eat!"

"Ah, okay." Li Shiyan replied cheerfully, not bothering with Shen Nian, and trotted after Xia Yanchun with small steps.

Once they reached the corner of the stairs, Li Shiyan's curiosity couldn't be contained anymore, her tone tinged with poorly concealed excitement. "Xiao Chun, is Shen Nian pursuing you?"

"Of course not..."

"Then... then how dare he grab your hand like that!"

"Oh, it was just a touch, pretty normal, right? We're not strangers, after all... um... you, just consider it him harassing me."

Touching her hand without her consent could seriously be considered harassment, but she didn't mind that much. Given how familiar she was with Shen Nian, this level of harassment was completely within acceptable limits.

Just like touching her hair—if another boy did it, it would definitely be harassment. But if it was Shen Nian, then it was just everyday sibling stuff...

If it were just the two of them in the classroom, she'd let Shen Nian do whatever. But with Li Shiyan present, she couldn't possibly let him have his way. That was the only thing she cared about in that moment.

"Was it really harassment?"

"What are you doubting?" Xia Yanchun used her two little pincers to pinch Li Shiyan's cheeks and pull them outward. This little troublemaker actually dared to entertain wild thoughts? Asking for trouble.

Li Shiyan whimpered and pushed her hands away, cupping her own face, not daring to make another sound.

Anyway, she didn't believe it. Xia Yanchun clearly wasn't angry at all.

If you get harassed and aren't angry, it can only mean the person being harassed and the harasser have an extraordinary relationship, to the point of completely ignoring that level of harassment.

It couldn't possibly be that she was harassed and didn't dare get angry, right? Who could be that much of a pushover?

The processing power of Li Shiyan's brain was now far exceeding what she used for physics problems. Perhaps, for a fleeting moment, her intelligence had surpassed Einstein's.

After the two girls left, Shen Nian sat in the classroom for a while before slipping off to the teachers' office.

Yan Yuzhu wasn't there, but Su Kexi was still busy in the office, typing away furiously on her keyboard.

Shen Nian knocked on the door. "Hello, teacher."

Su Kexi glanced over and merely nodded. She only spoke when Shen Nian approached. "What do you need, student?"

"Where's Teacher Yan?"

Su Kexi's hands paused.

Teacher Yan again? Yan Yuzhu, what have you done to my student? They come looking for a subject teacher first instead of their homeroom teacher when something's up??

Not happy at all. Next time we go for hot pot, I'm making Yan Yuzhu pay.

"Teacher Yan isn't on duty today. She probably went home to rest. You can tell me directly if you have something."

"Haha, I'm afraid of troubling you, teacher."

"Then you're not afraid of troubling Teacher Yan?"

Shen Nian pinched his chin. "Should be fine, I've troubled her a few times already."

"..."

Hard to bear.

Quite honest, admitting that asking another teacher to help find other schools' test papers is a bother.

But what's with this righteous attitude? Talking as if troubling others is perfectly normal!

Su Kexi snapped back to attention. "So, what is it you need?"

"Haha, I'll just try to find another teacher."

"..."

You'd rather ask another teacher for help than your own homeroom teacher?

Su Kexi was really about to cry.

Had she already been rated by her students as the most useless, most incompetent teacher?

Shen Nian scanned the office. Well, only Su Kexi was on duty today.

"I didn't want to disturb you, teacher, but since you're the only one here, I'll have to trouble you after all. Please finish what you're doing first, teacher."

Hearing this, Su Kexi's mood improved considerably.

So Shen Nian just didn't want to disturb me and that's why he wanted to find another teacher? I thought he disliked me or thought I was too incompetent to help.

"I'm not busy. Go ahead, what is it?"

"Really not busy?"

"Really." Su Kexi immediately saved and closed the unfinished grade spreadsheet.

"Uh, okay then. Teacher, do you have the first mock exam results list from No.1 High? I want to see roughly what my provincial ranking is this time."

"Then you've come to the right person."

"Great, teacher! I knew you'd have it. You're the best teacher."

"I don't have it."

Shen Nian: "..."

Has the genius retirement home run out of humans?

Good thing Su Kexi is a teacher, otherwise Shen Nian would have to show some aggression.

"I don't have it, but someone else does. Wait a moment, I'll get you a copy from No.1 High. You probably don't need to see the ones from No.3 and No.4 High; I checked before. No.3 High has a 700-pointer, but a bit lower than yours. The others don't have any 700-point scores."

Su Kexi fiddled with her phone, sending a message to someone. Soon, a file came through—the school-wide ranking of Cinan No.1 High.

"Awesome, teacher, you even have a mole over there."

"What mole? It's perfectly normal for us teachers to know each other. Besides, schools comparing grades is completely commonplace; it's not some secret."

Su Kexi smiled and handed her phone to Shen Nian for him to look.

No.1 High's results were better than No.2 High's. Their top score was 713, second was 711, and third was only 706—just a difference of one or two multiple-choice questions.

For this first mock exam, Xia Yanchun was solidly the provincial third place. Shen Nian had someone with the same score, so they could be tied for provincial seventh place.

For some people, improving by one point can push down a thousand others. For Shen Nian, improving by one point would only push down the person tied with him.

What a bargain for the person he'd push down—can't beat him but still get stepped on by him. Be content with such good fortune.

Shen Nian looked over the guys at the top again.

Incredible. How are you guys so strong? I've been grinding for three months and still haven't caught up. Are you guys grinding too?

Some people can casually score 600 points, while others give it their all, with their ancestors' spirits practically smoking, and barely manage to hit 600...

It's really... the gap between people is like clouds and mud...

Shen Nian couldn't help but sigh.

Good thing he's a grinder. If three months isn't enough to catch up, he'll just grind for another month.

What does the gap between people have to do with me, the grinder?

Consider it me holding back that I haven't packed my bags; otherwise, I'd already be on the track breaking long-distance running records.

"So, now you know how many people are ahead of you."

"Provincial seventh. Not bad."

"'Not bad' for provincial seventh..." Su Kexi's mouth twitched. "With that score, there's no need for modesty. You're allowed to be proud."

"It really is just 'not bad.' I'll be proud when I surpass Xia Yanchun."

A score of 705 is certainly something to be proud of. However, he had thought he could surpass Xia Yanchun in this first mock exam. Although he crossed the 700-point threshold, he didn't meet his expectations, so the sense of pleasant surprise was significantly diminished.

Be happy for now. There will be plenty of time for pride after surpassing Xia Yanchun.

That moment probably isn't too far off. A three-point gap is just the difference of one multiple-choice question. He and Xia Yanchun are now competitors on the same level. Maybe next time he'll be first, and the time after that, it'll be Xia Yanchun's turn to sit in the top spot again.

"Would the you from back then have ever imagined the you of today?" Su Kexi propped her chin on her hand, smiling faintly.

"It really is quite unexpected. No one can predict the future."

He could never have foreseen that he would obtain a system, that he would one day score 700 on an exam, that he would fall for Xia Yanchun. The future truly is... no one can say for sure.

"Then you must keep working hard from now on, firmly grasp your own future in your hands."

Grasp the future, huh? That's kind of interesting.

Shen Nian didn't reply and made a quick exit.

When he reached the classroom door, he turned back and said, "I'll still come find you if I have any trouble in the future, teacher."

"......"

Su Kexi leaned back in her chair, momentarily unsure whether to laugh or cry.

Clearly, she was the one being troubled, so why did her mood feel rather pleasant?

A student like Shen Nian—articulate, cheerful, driven... it's very hard to dislike him. He's too well-liked by teachers. Sometimes, even when he causes trouble, you don't really feel like scolding him much.

He really has a lot of student charm.

...

After lunch, waving goodbye to Li Shiyan at the dormitory entrance, Xia Yanchun returned to the classroom alone.

The classroom was empty and quiet, with only her inside. Shen Nian was also nowhere to be found.

She took a sip of the goji berry water Shen Nian had brewed for her, propped her face in her hands, and sat dazedly for a few minutes before she heard footsteps approaching from a distance. The back door suddenly swung open, and Shen Nian scurried back in, looking somewhat sheepish.

"Whoa, it's freezing, absolutely freezing. Washing my hands felt like rubbing them with ice." Shen Nian rubbed his hands together briskly like a fly and exhaled a puff of warm air, a wisp of white mist shooting from his nose.

Since it didn't create a draft, the cold wind from outside couldn't reach Xia Yanchun. Xia Yanchun gave him a sleepy glance.

"Where did you go?"

"Went to see the homeroom teacher."

"Oh." Xia Yanchun nodded. "What for?"

Closing the door, Shen Nian plopped down into Li Shiyan's seat. "The first mock exam was taken province-wide, right? Same test paper. I just went to ask the homeroom teacher if I could see the scores from other schools. Do you know how amazing you are? Province-wide third place, girl!"

Being praised so abruptly by Shen Nian, Xia Yanchun's youthful chest puffed out slightly.

"What did you expect? I've always been this good."

"Yes, yes, yes, Chunbao is the best."

·

(There's still one more chapter that hasn't passed review yet, everyone please wait.)

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