SS-Class Goddess Xie Tingwan

"It's actually Xie Tingwan!?"

"Oh my god, she's so beautiful I'm dizzy."

"Her face is so tiny, I'm so jealous."

"How can someone be both talented and gorgeous? The heavens are truly unfair."

"Finally getting to see her in person!"

"I don't even dare look into her eyes—one glance would feel like sacrilege."

"My goddess!!!"

The arrival of a young woman sparked a wave of chatter.

Zhou Yi followed the crowd's gaze and saw a girl walking toward them, surrounded by a small entourage.

She wore a simple white dress with a small camellia pinned at the collar, a backpack slung over her shoulders, and a few books cradled in her arms as she approached.

Her jet-black hair fluttered in the breeze, her steps graceful and poised. Her beauty was breathtaking, eclipsing even the other pretty girls around her.

Her features weren’t the bold, striking kind—instead, she carried an ethereal, snow-like purity, yet her demeanor was warm and gentle, a soft smile playing on her lips, exuding calm and grace.

Just by her aura alone, she radiated an unmistakable air of intellect—the kind that came from someone who had spent years immersed in books.

Wang Yuyan couldn’t help but gasp, "Oh my god, she’s stunning. This is the first time I’ve truly understood what ‘goddess’ means."

Lu Youyou asked curiously, "Do you all know her? She seems really famous."

Jiang Cong explained, "She’s the campus belle of A University. Ever since she enrolled, the school’s admission posters have featured her exclusively."

"Host, Xie Tingwan is your target for conquest—SS rank."

The system’s voice suddenly reminded Zhou Yi.

SS?

This was the highest-ranked target he’d ever been assigned.

Zhou Yi narrowed his eyes. It wasn’t surprising—with looks like that, anything below S-rank would be an insult.

But Xie Tingwan’s SS rating wasn’t just because of her appearance.

She wasn’t an easy conquest, and often, the difficulty of winning someone over correlated with their rating.

"Host, for S-rank and above targets, the system can provide favorability hints."

"That’s pretty convenient. Someone like her wouldn’t be easy to read."

"Activation requires 100,000 attribute points."

Zhou Yi: "..."

Of course. Nothing good ever came for free.

Still, 100,000 points wasn’t unreasonable—after all, a single heartbeat point from an SS-rank goddess was worth that much. No pain, no gain.

Zhou Yi reluctantly made the purchase.

.

Xie Tingwan was famous—but unlike Su Ning, she wasn’t the aloof type.

She was gentle, approachable, always willing to help her peers. Her grades were stellar, earning her scholarships every year, and she consistently won competitions.

A University frequently invited her to events, and she’d given speeches at many other schools, making her well-known among students—though mostly within A Province.

In short, she was A University’s golden girl.

She was a year older than Zhou Yi, already in her third year.

This time, she was A University’s ace player in the mathematical modeling competition.

The students around her—both male and female—looked at her with admiration, showering her with concern the moment they reached the venue.

Zhou Yi lowered his gaze, considering how to approach her.

"Team leader, we can go in now."

Lu Youyou’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he followed the group into the competition hall.

.

While Zhou Yi was taking the exam, rain began to fall outside. He paused briefly to glance out the window before returning to his work.

The mathematical modeling competition announced results on the spot, with the judging panel seated at the front, observing the participants.

Five judges took turns grading the papers before passing them to a statistician for final scoring.

"Time’s up."

Zhou Yi had finished early and was simply waiting. Even after the papers were collected, everyone had to remain seated for the grading process.

His gaze drifted to the left, where Xie Tingwan sat by the window.

She was turned slightly toward the rain, her profile serene and picturesque—like a painting set apart from the rest of the classroom, blending seamlessly with the downpour outside.

Many in the room couldn’t help but steal glances at her.

Including Zhou Yi.

As the two most striking figures in the room, they naturally drew the most attention.

The classroom was silent except for the sound of rain and the rustling of papers as the judges worked.

Xie Tingwan recalled the young man she’d noticed earlier—Zhou Yi, was it?

When she’d walked in, nearly everyone had been staring at her.

But Zhou Yi had stood out in the crowd—tall, dressed in sportswear, watching her with a detached expression.

No awe, no infatuation—just a simple, assessing look.

That was rare.

And then there was his face.

Unbelievably handsome.

She’d recognized him instantly—the young CEO of Huanyu, the one his father had publicly berated as "not knowing his place."

Outside, the rain continued. Finally, the judges finished grading.

"Now, I’ll announce the results of this competition."

Xie Tingwan lifted her head, refocusing on the task at hand.

She’d participated in countless competitions like this—nerves were a thing of the past.

Last year, she’d missed the modeling competition due to a scheduling conflict, but this year, she was determined to take first place.

Even at a top-tier institution like A University, her academic record was among the best.

She’d lost count of how many times she’d taken first place—but the number of times she’d placed second? She could count those on one hand.

Since entering university, she’d never ranked below first.

Until today.

She lost to Zhou Yi.

"First place—Zhou Yi."

Applause broke out, followed by murmurs.

"No way, it wasn’t Xie Tingwan?"

"Zhou Yi isn’t from A University, right? Never heard of him."

"I think he’s from Huai University."

"That’s just a second-tier school! And he took first? A University must be humiliated."

"I thought Xie Tingwan would win—she’s always first in these competitions."

Xie Tingwan’s expression remained unchanged, though her eyes lowered slightly.

It was a small habit—her way of masking emotion.

When she looked up again, she was the same poised, gentle figure as always.

"Second place—Xie Tingwan."

Another round of applause. She offered a faint smile, composed and unruffled.

As the teacher called out the remaining rankings, the final results took shape.

Four students from S Province had placed.

Zhou Yi—first.

Yang Hong—seventh.

Kong Xiaohe—tenth.

Lu Youyou—fifteenth.

The top three received first prize, the top ten second prize, and the top twenty third prize.

All ten participants from A University had placed—six of them in the top ten.

But not a single one had taken first.

The A University faculty couldn’t hide their disappointment. They’d been certain Xie Tingwan would win—until Zhou Yi appeared out of nowhere.

And he’d scored a perfect result, two points above Xie Tingwan.

"Now, please come up to receive your awards and take a group photo."

As names were called, Zhou Yi and Xie Tingwan stood, one after the other.

When they stepped onto the stage, Zhou Yi found himself standing right beside her.

The girl turned to him with a gentle smile. "You're quite impressive, Zhou Yi."

Zhou Yi returned her gaze with a faint smile of his own. "You're not so bad yourself, Xie Tingwan."

Just then, the system's announcement chimed in:

"Xie Tingwan's favorability: minus 10."