That afternoon, the teacher gave the class a set of problems. After dinner, they had until the end of the first evening study period to work on them. The final period was reserved for students to go up to the board and explain their solutions while the teacher listened below. Some problems were difficult ones they’d already studied; others were completely new, and they’d have to figure them out on their own.

Lin Ran really couldn’t handle this kind of study atmosphere. It was downright terrifying. He’d spent the whole day just trying to keep up. Forget today—he wouldn’t get used to it tomorrow, either. He’d need at least three days. But the teacher had only given him one.

He finally made it to the end of the school day. Lin Ran felt completely drained, his head stuffed with everything the top students had talked about—things he’d studied and things he hadn’t.

After school, Teacher Cui kept him and Li Sisi behind.

“It’s your first day in Class S. How do you feel?” Teacher Cui asked with a cheerful smile.

“I’m having a little trouble keeping up.” Li Sisi gave a wry smile.

Teacher Cui nodded, then looked at Lin Ran.

“I really like the study atmosphere. Everyone pushes one another and learns from each other. But honestly, most people couldn’t handle this way of learning. One day isn’t enough to get used to it. I think I’d need at least three days to fit in.” Lin Ran spoke frankly.

“You’ve already done pretty well. I thought you both did a good job today. But a day is still just a day. This is Class S—we want the best of the best. If you can’t keep up, someone else will take your place. And just like with the problems in class, students usually go up to the board and explain things themselves. Teachers rarely call on anyone; it’s all up to you. You’ve probably noticed during evening study, too: even when the teacher doesn’t call on anyone, plenty of students are eager to solve the problems. That’s Class S,” Teacher Cui said.

“Maybe I’m not good enough yet, but I believe that in a week, I won’t be any worse than anyone else in Class S,” Lin Ran said.

“Good! It’s great that you’re confident. But I still have to put some pressure on you. There are thirty students in Class S, ranked from first to thirtieth in the whole grade. Every single one is a top student. To put it bluntly, any one of them could transfer to another high school and rank in the top two. That means nobody’s willing to accept being outdone, and everyone wants a higher rank. If you want to surpass them, you’ll have to work even harder. But honestly, I think it’d already be impressive if you could surpass half the class. Haha! Of course, I hope you can do even better.” Teacher Cui smiled.

“Also, don’t take Shen Qingyuan as an example. I honestly don’t even know what to call that girl. She’s incredibly good at studying—even some of us teachers have to admit it—but she’s a little… difficult to keep in line. Honestly.” Teacher Cui brought up Shen Qingyuan with a pained look.

“All right, I won’t keep you from getting home. Take your things and hurry back to work on your homework.” Teacher Cui smiled.

“Okay. Goodbye, teacher!” Lin Ran said, then picked up his schoolbag and walked out of the classroom.

Li Sisi quickly caught up with him.

“Lin Ran, I heard you transferred straight from Class B to Class S?” Li Sisi asked, sounding a little puzzled.

Lin Ran nodded.

“That’s impressive!” Li Sisi gave him a thumbs-up.

Lin Ran didn’t comment. After going downstairs, he walked straight over to Lin Ruixue. They exchanged a couple of words, then headed home together.

“Did that woman say anything to you this afternoon?” Lin Ran asked.

“No. But she doesn’t seem to like me very much,” Lin Ruixue said.

“It doesn’t matter whether she likes you or not. You can’t make everyone like you. Just be yourself. If she gives you trouble again, tell me,” Lin Ran said calmly.

“Mm!” Lin Ruixue nodded. She hesitated, then looked at Lin Ran. “Brother Lin Ran, I heard you got into Class S. Congratulations!”

“Mm.” Lin Ran simply nodded, still as calm as ever.

Lin Ruixue pressed her lips together and said nothing more, quietly following behind Lin Ran.

When they got home, Lin Ran went straight to his room to do his homework. Getting into Class S was something to be proud of, sure, but the amount of homework was seriously insane!

Back in Class B, he’d had plenty of homework, but he could finish it by eleven thirty at the latest. Now that he was in Class S, by eleven thirty he’d only finished half.

At twelve thirty, Lin Ran finally finished his homework. His fingers were sore, and he found himself missing Class B.

After finishing his homework, he went to the bathroom to wash up, then hurried back to his room and collapsed into bed. But the top students in the class group chat had started their daily debate over problems again, and it woke him right up. So Lin Ran looked through some of the study materials in the chat and only went to sleep once he felt tired.

It seemed Lin Ran had forgotten something…

The next day, Lin Ran sat down in the classroom and remembered that it was his turn to lead the class reading at the front. But he hadn’t prepared a thing! Luckily, they were reading the words and sentences their English teacher had taught them the day before, and Lin Ran still remembered them.

He took his textbook to the front of the class. The other students all pulled out their own books, ready to follow along, as if by tacit agreement.

Lin Ran coughed to clear his throat, then began leading the reading.

Reading aloud in the morning was good for you, too. It helped wake you up, and it let you breathe out the stale air that had built up in your body overnight. The students read especially loudly during morning reading.

After morning reading, Lin Ran returned to his seat. He stayed there until morning study ended, then went to the cafeteria to eat.

But while he was eating breakfast, Bao Xinrou got into an argument with another girl on the main road outside the cafeteria. Lin Ran didn’t pay it any mind. The only person at school who’d dare pick a fight with Bao Xinrou was that Li Li girl. He wasn’t interested in watching, so he went straight into the cafeteria to eat.

After buying breakfast, he found a seat. A little while later, Si Qing and Lin Ruixue came over with their breakfasts and sat down. Lin Ran nodded to them.

Then Su Shijie came over, happily chewing on a baozi, and dropped into the seat beside Lin Ran. Judging by how pleased he looked, it was definitely because Bao Xinrou and Li Li had clashed.

“Hey, I’ve gotta say, Li Li’s got no sense. Of all people, she had to pick on Baozi. If Baozi didn’t go easy on her because she’s a girl, I bet he’d have beaten her up eight hundred times by now. Still, it feels so good to see Baozi get chewed out!” Su Shijie said cheerfully.

“You’re really enjoying this, huh?” Lin Ran said with a laugh.

“How could I not? The only time you get to see Baozi get chewed out at school is when this happens. It kills me! Bao Xinrou’s got something wrong with her, too, with that whole ‘I’m a gentleman, so I won’t fight with women’ act. Hmph!” Su Shijie snorted, then looked at Lin Ran. “How’s Class S?”

“There’s a lot of pressure, but honestly, it’s way better than Class B. Nobody makes a racket after class, and even when people chat, they keep their voices down. It does feel a little too quiet, though. You should come to Class S sometime and keep me company.” Lin Ran smiled.

“Me? I don’t stand a chance. I’m not like you top students. Oh, right—have you seen Shen Qingyuan these past couple of days?” Su Shijie said with a pout.

“No.” Lin Ran shook his head.

“Brother Lin Ran, is the second-year Class S the same as the first-year one? Is there a ton of homework, and do the teachers only care about grades?” Si Qing asked.

“Hey, when did you start calling Lin Ran ‘Brother Lin Ran’? Didn’t you always just call him Xiaoxue’s brother?” Su Shijie teased.

“So what if I do? Brother Lin Ran was so cool yesterday! By the way, what happened to your face? Who hit you?” Si Qing turned her face away as she spoke, then looked at Su Shijie.

Su Shijie’s expression stiffened. He didn’t say a word and just kept chewing on his baozi.

After they finished eating, Su Shijie suddenly burped right at Lin Ran. Oh, for crying out loud—the stench nearly made Lin Ran sick. He kicked at Su Shijie but missed, and Su Shijie waddled off with his butt swaying. The smell of chives filled Lin Ran’s nose. It was disgusting.

After walking Lin Ruixue and Si Qing back to their classroom, Lin Ran hurried back to his own. Starting today, the teachers wouldn’t go easy on him anymore. He had to take things seriously.