Where the heart finds no home, every step is wandering.

Likewise, without a will to do good, every place becomes just another battlefield.

Schools have always been microcosms of society—since their very first brick was laid.

Long ago, in my previous life as this class’s "model student," I never grasped how harsh the hierarchy truly was. I didn’t know Lan Zhuoyue—the truant who fought teachers and skipped class—had such fierce loyalty. I never imagined Tan Lijiang, always grinning as he leaned over to ask me questions, would say those words to a classmate.

*Thwack.*

After tidying my desk, the morning bell chimed. I pulled out my English textbook, feigning nonchalance. "When you copy homework, change a few answers. Don’t copy everything."

"Got it. Not my first time," Lan Zhuoyue muttered, scribbling furiously. He paused. "But seriously, Yi Yao—you really have the answers for this test?"

"No."

"Then why bet against Tan Lijiang?"

"I won’t lose."

"Seriously?" He dropped his pen. "Don’t tell me you faked your grades all these years just to shock everyone in junior year?"

I glanced at him. "Problem?"

"Nah, no problem." He grinned. "Just saying—if that’s true, I’m sticking to you like glue from now on."

"Fine, fine. I’ll protect you." I swatted his head with my textbook. The *thwack* echoed—and I froze. That gesture felt too much like Yi Yao’s old, girlish habits.

Lan Zhuoyue just laughed it off. "Brother Yi Yao, you’ve changed so much today."

"More adorable?"

"Pfft. Let’s say… more bossy big sis. Or, less nicely—"

I rolled my textbook into a tube. "Or what?"

"You think I’m stupid? Not saying another word." He nudged me, nodding toward the podium. "Teacher’s here."

"Put your books away. Test time."

Ms. Pang, our early-twenties English teacher, fresh out of college, had little authority. Students mocked her surname behind her back, calling her "Crabby." Sometimes, they even shouted it in class.

"Seriously, Crabby? It’s still reading period!" a boy protested.

"Quiet. One hundred multiple-choice questions. Two classes to finish. Put. Books. Away." She glared, handing test papers to the front-row students. "Four sheets. One answer card. No listening section. No essay. First to submit gets graded first."

"Hey Yi Yao—need help?" The two boys ahead of me turned, sliding my papers over. "We’ve hated Tan Lijiang for ages. What you said earlier? Chef’s kiss. Don’t lose."

They were from Li’s faction, eager to see Tan humiliated.

I waved them off coolly. "No thanks."

They stiffened, turning back with awkward shrugs.

"Did Yi Yao’s aura just… shift?"

"Yeah. Two days gone, and she’s totally different. Used to be so meek."

*Think what you want.*

"So what’s your plan?" Lan Zhuoyue whispered after filling his name. "Google the answers?"

For us third-years, tests were routine—monthly exams, weekly quizzes, mock finals. We were numb to them. Especially unit tests like this.

I picked up my pen. "I’ll just write them."

He jerked his chin toward Tan Lijiang’s group. "They’re taunting you."

Sure enough, Tan and his cronies were making faces at us from the third row.

"Sleep or scroll your phone," I said, focusing on the paper. "I’ll wake you when I’m done."

"Damn, bro. First time seeing you this confident."

*I’ll stay this confident.*

Silence fell as I began writing.

I remembered scoring 146 last time. With only multiple-choice questions and no essay, class averages ran high. Tan Lijiang had gotten 142—second place.

*Perfect.*

I flipped straight to the two questions I’d missed before, filling in the correct answers first.

*Full marks secured.*

Minutes ticked by. Trusting me, Lan Zhuoyue hid his phone behind a textbook stack, reading web novels. Ms. Pang noticed but didn’t intervene. To her, Lan Zhuoyue was beyond saving—*even cheating won’t get him to pass*.

I finished in thirty minutes. After double-checking every answer, I filled the answer card.

My pen dropped just as the first-period bell rang.

"Bathroom breaks now. Others keep working," the teacher said without looking up.

I slid my answer card to Lan Zhuoyue. "Change a few answers when you copy."

"Yeah, yeah. You’ve said it five times." He snatched it, glancing at Ms. Pang’s bent head.

"I mean," I sipped salt water from my thermos, "this is a perfect score. Change more. Or she’ll notice."

"Holy crap—you serious?" His face paled. "I’ve never seen a perfect score in this class."

I shot him a look. "Aren’t we brothers?"

"We are."

"So you don’t trust me?"

"No! I trust you!" He forced a grin, grabbing his pen. "I’ll change a third. Test the waters after I submit."

"Student in the corner—don’t push it," Ms. Pang called suddenly. "I know your grades. These answers aren’t on Baidu. And you, girl—stop staring blankly after guessing. Review vocabulary."

*She thinks I rushed through guessing. And Lan Zhuoyue’s cheating too obviously.*

Chastened, Lan Zhuoyue hunched over my paper. I pulled out a notebook, listing security flaws I’d found infiltrating Skyfire Corp—and fixes.

The first student approached the podium.

*Ding.*

"Luo Xiaoning. 129. Improvement. But use extra time to check your work."

"129? On this nightmare test?"

"Shut up and tell me question 110!"

Murmurs rippled through the room.

*Ding.*

"Liang Bin. 131. Good."

"Feng Rongxiao. 125. Could’ve been higher with checking."

More students lined up.

"Zhao Guoqiang. 89… Why not check? Time won’t kill you."

"Wang Jie. 105. Rushing to reincarnate?"

Her tone sharpened for scores under 110.

Twenty minutes before class end, our group leader submitted his paper.

"Ding."

"Liang Tong. 135. Highest so far. Top three material."

Passing Lan Zhuoyue’s seat, Liang Tong flipped him off.

"I’ll beat him up after class," Lan Zhuoyue growled, copying my last answer. He stood, returning the gesture as he walked to the podium.

*Immature brats.*

*Ding.*

"Lan Zhuoyue… one hundred… *points*?"

Ms. Pang shot up, grabbing his shoulder. "Who did you copy from?"

"Maybe I just wrote it myself?" He shrugged her off, bored.

*You ignored my cheating earlier. No proof now.*

"You—" She deflated. "Go. Just… no phones next time. I’ll confiscate."

"I was checking the time." He ignored the wall clock, darting back to his seat.

"Yi Yao." He spun, gripping my shoulders. "Tell me this isn’t real."

"It’s real. Not a dream."

"This is a perfect score? All your own work?" He waved my answer card. "I only changed fifty points’ worth—and got exactly 100."

I pried his hands off. "I’ve said it three times."

"Done…" Tan Lijiang stood abruptly, voice loud enough for the whole class. "Skipped a few questions. Probably failed again." He strode to the podium, eyes locked on us.

"Check your work?" Ms. Pang pointed at the clock. "Ten minutes left."

"No need." He smirked at our direction. "I’ve done enough compared to *some people*."

"Fine." She took his card.

*Ding.*

"Tan Lijiang. 140 points. Heh. Excellent. A perfect score was within reach."

*140? Did I throw you off? You scored worse than your past self.*

"140?!"

"Highest in Class 11 history?"

"How’s Yi Yao supposed to beat that?"

"There's no time to look up everything on Baidu..."

"Sigh, if Bro Tan were in a better mood, he'd probably get a perfect score."

The class descended into chaos again.

"It's fine. It's enough."

On the podium, Tan Lijiang waved at me. "Yi Yao, haven't you finished checking the answers yet?"

"Hahaha..."

Immediately, several classmates below burst out laughing.

I closed my notebook, picked up the answer sheet, and walked up.

"Yi Yao."

After I stood beside the podium, the English teacher finally couldn't hold back. "I saw you finish in under half an hour. What were you doing during these two classes?"

I said matter-of-factly, "Reading."

"You act like this every day. Do you deserve your parents? Relying on luck for exams, can you luck out a perfect score in the high school entrance exam? Even Azure Excellence got 100 this time. How much do you plan to guess?"

Tan Lijiang said with a smile, "According to probability, with four options ABCD, guessing on a 150-point test gives an expected score of 60 points—hey, Yi Yao, are you sure of getting sixty?"

Liang Tong, the group leader leaning against the wall sipping a drink, added, "Don't get 59—that'd be awkward. Then you wouldn't just belong to Bro Tan; even African tribes wouldn't take you in."

"Hahahaha..."

The mocking laughter echoed relentlessly in the air.

The room was thick with hostility.

"My affairs don't need your concern."

Speaking calmly, I handed the answer sheet to the English teacher. He sighed and placed it on the scanner.

Having witnessed the farce, most of the class's eyes were now fixed on me and Tan Lijiang.

The classroom fell eerily silent.

"Student Yi Yao..."

"Beep."

In the cold classroom, the sound of the machine successfully scanning the sheet rang out.

I saw the teacher's pupils dilate noticeably beside the scanner.

"Student Yi Yao... 150 points."

His trembling voice dropped like a bombshell on everyone in the classroom.