In the evening, the monthly exam ended.
In the classroom, the long fluorescent lights on the ceiling emitted a soft white glow, lighting up the entire space.
Students in the front row discussed answers, while those at the back played gas, creating two opposing camps.
Wu Xiaoqi, cradling a basketball, strutted in through the front door. Normally, he entered through the back, but today he ca through the front, all because of his new basketball.
Guo Kunnan caught sight of him with the basketball and exclaid in surprise, "Whoa, Brother Wu got a new basketball!"
Dan Kaiquan teased him, "How's the quality of the new ball, not gonna explode again, is it?"
"Exactly, I was nearly scared to death yesterday," added Hu Jun, joining in on the ribbing.
Wu Xiaoqi hugged the basketball, smirked arrogantly, and slapped it a couple of tis before pointing to the logo on its surface:
"See this symbol? That's what you call an international brand."
"This is an international brand basketball, bought for over eight hundred bucks!"
"Hiss..."
At the ntion of such a terrifying price, the boys at the back couldn't help but gasp in shock, then turned their astounded gaze towards the basketball in Wu Xiaoqi's hands.
"It's so expensive!"
"My phone only cost seven hundred."
Many students were hearing about such a price for the first ti.
Wu Xiaoqi stood proudly, taking in everyone's amazent with just a faint smile.
In truth, Wu Xiaoqi felt a twinge of pain in the wallet; he usually played with basketballs priced around two to three hundred, and this was the first ti buying such an expensive one. If it weren't for the fact that a poor-quality basketball had nearly deafened him, he probably wouldn't have been willing to fork over so much money.
Hu Jun sheepishly asked, "Brother Wu, can I touch it?"
Wu Xiaoqi hesitated for a second, "Alright, go ahead."
He handed over his treasured basketball to Hu Jun, watching nervously without blinking, fearing for the well-being of his precious basketball.
Hu Jun reached out with his rough hands and gently caressed the basketball, extrely tenderly, in order to feel the texture of its surface. He closed his eyes, his expression one of utter bliss.
Wu Xiaoqi's eye twitched. He suddenly felt his beloved basketball had been defiled.
"Brother Wu, I feel like I can dunk now," Hu Jun stated solemnly.
Guo Kunnan, upon hearing this, was astonished, "Really?"
"Yes, it has a great grip. With this ball, my skills are definitely skyrocketing."
"Can I try it?" Guo Kunnan looked at Wu Xiaoqi.
Indifferently, Wu Xiaoqi said, "Sure, have a go."
Guo Kunnan took the basketball, weighed it in his hands, and had to admit that for more than eight hundred bucks, the feel was indeed impeccable.
Dan Kaiquan, who also played basketball, didn't ask for a turn due to his disagreents with Wu Xiaoqi; he didn't want to embarrass himself and instead pretended to disdainfully go back to playing with his phone.
The basketball was passed around at the back, touched by many hands.
Finally, Wu Xiaoqi took his basketball back.
Secretly, Wu Xiaoqi rubbed the basketball several tis, hoping to erase everyone's traces and restore its purity.
...
The night before the next day's evening self-study.
Since last night, talk of the monthly exam results had been growing louder and louder in the class.
Even the backbenchers, like Dan Kaiquan and his group, started comparing answers.
It was clear that each student was very concerned about their grades, except for Ma Shicheng.
People like Chen Qian discussed their grades with one another, understanding their competition and practically had the class ranking figured out, exuding an air of authoritative discussion.
Their clique was undoubtedly the most high-end group in the class, only accessible to those with good grades. When ordinary students tried to join in, they were rarely entertained, leaving such interjectors to slink away in defeat.
Geng Lu turned around and asked, "Jiang Ning, when do you think we'll get our grades?"
"The Chinese exam was graded first, so we should have the results tonight," Jiang Ning replied, as the teachers at Fourth Middle School were known for their quick marking.
"That's fast," Geng Lu remarked, and she believed Jiang Ning; his information was always accurate.
"I wonder what rank I'll get this ti. Next ti, seating will be arranged by grades," Geng Lu fretted, worried about Jiang Ning ending up elsewhere.
After so hesitation, Geng Lu asked, "Jiang Ning, can we still sit together when the seats are reassigned?"
Jiang Ning was about to respond when their Chinese teacher, Mr. Dai Yongquan, entered the class.
The students first looked at Mr. Dai and then noticed the stack of test papers in his hand, their expressions instantly brightening in anticipation.
Mr. Dai walked to the lectern, glanced at the students, and said cheerfully,
"I've been teaching you for nearly two months, and this is the first ti you've looked at like this."
A burst of laughter spread through the class; they rembered Mr. Dai as being quite serious, rarely cracking such jokes.
It was clear he was in a good mood today.
So students asked,
"Mr. Dai, are the Chinese language test papers out yet?"
Their faces were full of anticipation, whether they were top students or underachievers, all eager to know their scores.
Mr. Dai Yongquan flicked the test papers, "They're out."
"Wow, that was fast!"
"That speed, so impressive!"
The classmates exclaid.
"Teacher, please hand out the test papers quickly, we can't wait!" a student in the front row shouted.
Geng Lu whispered to Jiang Ning, "I'm a little nervous."
Her body trembled slightly, "This is my first test since starting high school."
"Don't be nervous, you'll get used to it," Jiang Ning said.
Ma Shicheng glanced at the two and felt a bit sick of it.
Mr. Dai Yongquan looked at the excited students, tapped on the desk, and signaled everyone to be quiet.
Then, holding the test papers, he said, "Before handing out the papers, I have two things to say."
This statent made the classmates pause, thinking, just hand out the papers already, stop the chatter!
"This student's Chinese language score is not very high, but his essay ranked first among the 12 freshman classes, surpassing three experintal classes. Out of 60 marks for the essay, he lost only 3."
Mr. Dai Yongquan's words fell, and are rumble went through the room, several voices of astonishnt rose.
Chen Qian looked at Dong Qingfeng, and Dong Qingfeng looked at Bai Yuxia, their eyes filled with the question, "Could it be you?"
However, when they considered others, they also felt the surprise within, wondering, "Could it be ?"
"Could it possibly be ?" many students thought.
So, everyone's eyes made a round before returning to Mr. Dai Yongquan.
Mr. Dai Yongquan pulled out a test paper and looked towards a classmate.
The students followed his gaze, which finally settled on a student whose appearance was nothing special.
Mr. Dai Yongquan said with a smile,
"Congratulations to Wang Longlong."
The classmates were stunned, how could it be?
Him?
He scored 57 in the essay?
Clearly, during class, when the teacher asked questions, Wang Longlong couldn't respond at all. How could he get 57 on an essay—did he copy soone else's work?
Wang Longlong was taken aback, leaning back as if in a tactical retreat. He didn't expect to have scored so high on an essay.
During the exam, he simply thought the essay topic wasn't difficult, much simpler than the work reports he often wrote for Shan Qingrong, so he wrote with unusual ease, and now he had been praised for it.
Facing many gazes, Wang Longlong actually felt a bit guilty, believing he didn't truly deserve this.
Upon hearing this news, Chen Qian's thoughts shifted rapidly, eventually consoling himself,
'It doesn't matter, it's just a high essay score. His overall Chinese score isn't that high. Even if I only scored around forty on my essay, my Chinese score can still surpass his—there's nothing for to envy.'
Mr. Dai Yongquan said, "Wang Longlong's essay is beautifully worded, consistently sticks to the topic, and his use of language shows the stature of a great writer!"
After praising him, Mr. Dai Yongquan picked up another paper,
"Next, I have another announcent."
"The top scorer in Chinese language for the whole grade, is from our class."
With those words, excitent instantly erupted in the class.
First place in Chinese for the entire grade! What kind of score might that be?
After the previous disappointnt, Chen Qian rallied, wondering,
"Who could that be?"
It definitely wouldn't be soone like Wang Longlong this ti, certainly soone normal.
Logically, the Chinese language top scorer had to be either him, Dong Qingfeng, Bai Yuxia, Shen Qing'e, or Huang Zhongfei.
Which ant, it could be him.
Seeing the Chinese teacher still dragging it out, a student urged,
"Co on, teacher, we can't wait any longer."
Mr. Dai Yongquan was in a very good mood. Having the students who scored first in composition and first in Chinese language from his class, he felt extrely proud.
He cleared his throat and announced,
"Xue Yuantong, Chinese language 143 points, 8 points ahead of the second place."
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