The dawn broke.
Shen Ye yawned and began to freshen up.
Last night, he had originally planned to head to the Elf Territory for an adventure after midnight, intending to earn a trait entry.
But his stamina wouldn’t allow it.
Having just awakened his abilities, he had used them several times in quick succession, even performing “Moonlit Deer Steps.”
His body had reached its absolute limit.
It was as if he hadn’t slept for several days. He had barely managed to summon the energy to hide the mask and medal before collapsing onto his bed.
He slept straight through to the next morning.
Now he could only wait until he got to school, hoping to find a quiet spot to earn the evaluation entry first.
Yes, school.
Today, he needed to attend a review session and inform his teachers that he would continue with the high school entrance exams.
In short, there was a lot to do.
“Xiao Ye, hurry up and eat breakfast—you’re going to be late!”
“Coming, coming!”
Shen Ye placed his packed schoolbag in the living room and then quickly sat down at the dining table.
“Here, have some eggs.”
Zhao Xiaoshang set two boiled eggs in front of Shen Ye.
Shen Ye picked up one egg, tapping it gently to crack the shell, his eyes drifting toward the table.
Today’s breakfast was porridge, steamed buns, and pickled vegetables.
Shen Shian sat across the table, alternately eating pickled vegetables, taking bites of steamed buns, and slurping down porridge with relish.
While breakfast wasn’t usually lavish, it hadn’t come to the point where only he could eat eggs.
It seemed that the Essence Replenishing Pill had indeed strained the family’s finances.
Zhao Xiaoshang watched intently as Shen Ye ate the eggs before finally shifting her focus to her own meal, seated next to the two of them.
“Did you take the Essence Replenishing Pill last night?” Shen Shian asked.
“I did—look at me, brimming with energy!” Shen Ye flexed his arm, pretending to show off nonexistent muscles.
“Good. Are you feeling any discomfort?” Zhao Xiaoshang asked.
“None. All set for the exams,” Shen Ye replied.
Seeing his confident demeanor, his parents exchanged a glance and let out a sigh of relief.
“Focus on preparing for the review. Do your best in the exams,” his father said.
“It’s okay if you don’t do well. Your dad and I can always support you, and we’ll figure things out slowly,” Zhao Xiaoshang added.
Warmth surged in Shen Ye’s heart.
In his past life, as an orphan, he had weathered countless storms alone. No one had ever cared for him like this.
He set down his chopsticks, his eyes wide.
“What are you saying? Have some faith in me! Even if I don’t make it into a top high school, getting into an ordinary one won’t be an issue.”
—In truth, missing one exam made getting into high school highly unlikely.
He would need outstanding scores in the remaining three subjects to have a chance at passing the cutoff.
But Shen Shian and Zhao Xiaoshang tacitly avoided mentioning it.
“Finish up; I’ll drive you to school,” Shen Shian said with a smile.
“I’ll go on my own,” Shen Ye replied.
“You’ve just recovered. I’ll take you,” Shen Shian insisted firmly.
Twenty minutes later.
Qingzhou No. 2 Middle School.
The teachers’ office.
“It’s really a pity, Shen Ye. But with your grades, there’s still hope for getting into an ordinary high school,” said Jiang Hantao, his homeroom teacher, with a hint of regret.
“That’s why I’ve returned to review and prepare for the second exam the day after tomorrow,” Shen Ye replied.
“If you make it into high school, given your talent and grades, your prospects could still be bright. I’ll talk to the principal and the examination committee. You can head back to your class for now,” Jiang Hantao said.
“Thank you, Teacher Jiang,” Shen Ye said sincerely.
“Focus on your studies; don’t overthink things.” Jiang Hantao patted him on the shoulder before leaving the office.
Shen Ye headed toward his classroom.
Grade 9, Class 5.
The classroom was on the fourth floor, the first room to the left of the staircase.
He pushed open the door.
A quiet murmur of “Shen Ye is here” rippled through the room before everything fell silent.
His classmates looked at him with mixed emotions.
Shen Ye casually walked to his seat, took out Volume 3 of Body Movements and a practice book, and began flipping through them.
“Ye-ge, I’m sorry.”
A voice came from behind him.
Shen Ye turned to see a tall boy looking at him with a face full of guilt.
He remembered now.
This boy was Chen Haoyu, one of his close friends.
A few days ago, it was because Chen had been hospitalized with a fever that Shen Ye had visited him, leading to the incident.
Now, he understood. The whole thing had been no coincidence.
Someone had wanted him dead.
“It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault—I just had bad luck,” Shen Ye said with a smile.
Chen Haoyu was moved. “Ye-ge, lunch is on me. Let’s have something good!”
“Sure,” Shen Ye replied.
He flipped through Body Movements, glanced over the practice book, and set them aside.
In middle school, the body movement knowledge in textbooks was all foundational.
Advanced martial techniques weren’t introduced until high school.
Now, having absorbed the Elven race’s movement techniques and learned the battlefield-ready “Deer Walk Under the Moon,” this material seemed almost childish.
The real challenge lay in the next two exams.
—Introduction to Mental Power and Language and Science Knowledge.
Mental power was manageable.
Thanks to his attribute point, his mental power stat had already reached 1.7.
This far exceeded the exam’s requirements.
All he needed to do was familiarize himself with the exam format and focus his efforts to achieve the desired score.
The real difficulty was Language and Science Knowledge.
This subject combined middle school-level language arts, math, foreign language, history, physics, and chemistry into a single course.
The content was extensive.
The exam lasted four hours.
What a nightmare!
Even in a different world, he couldn’t escape these subjects. Worse, the exam standards were even higher.
Shen Ye opened Language and Science Knowledge and began reading quietly.
The language section featured articles he had never seen before. History was completely different, too.
Fortunately, the other subjects were similar to his past life.
He had been a good student in his previous life, and in this life, Shen Ye’s grades were already among the top in his year.
—He just needed to practice a few more sets of questions to get into the groove.
Shen Ye pulled out a practice book and started working on it diligently.
In the classroom, everyone was focused on their studies.
After all, the exam that would determine their futures was only two days away.
Morning self-study ended.
Students left their seats, gathering in groups of three or five to chat in the hallways.
Shen Ye stayed at his desk, absorbed in his practice.
Suddenly, he heard a tapping sound and looked up to see a few girls knocking on the window.
His train of thought disrupted, Shen Ye reluctantly put down his pen.
“What is it?”
“Zhao Yibing wants to see you at the stairwell,” one of the girls said.
Zhao Yibing?
Shen Ye thought for a moment before recalling a beautiful girl.
Zhao Yibing from Grade 9, Class 2, who also had excellent grades. She often came to him for study discussions.
There had even been some vague chemistry between them.
—Why is she looking for me?
Oh, right. I’m Shen Ye.
Shen Ye didn’t really want to waste his study time, but remembering the relationship between his previous self and Zhao Yibing, it would seem odd not to go.
“Just go.”
He stood up reluctantly, leaving the classroom and following the girls to the stairwell.
Zhao Yibing stood seductively in the hallway.
She had a ponytail, a slender figure, and features as delicate as a painting. Although she wore an ordinary school uniform, her graceful demeanor made her irresistibly attractive, drawing eyes to linger a bit longer.
Even Shen Ye couldn’t help but marvel—
Youth truly is the best beauty treatment; she looked beautiful without much effort.
“Are you looking for me?”
Shen Ye asked directly.
There were only ten minutes for the break.
If he could quickly resolve this matter, he might still have time to tackle a difficult question.
“Shen Ye,” Zhao Yibing said with a sympathetic expression, “I heard you’re still preparing for the exams?”
“Yeah, what’s up?” Shen Ye asked.
“I did well in the first subject, and I’m confident about the rest. I should be able to get into a provincial top school,” Zhao Yibing replied.
“Congratulations,” Shen Ye said.
“I mean… don’t come to me anymore,” Zhao Yibing said.
She stepped back, as if fearing Shen Ye might make some drastic move.
Other girls glanced at Shen Ye.
Passing classmates perked up their ears.
Shen Ye began to take this seriously for the first time.
He carefully reviewed his memories, starting to confront the relationship between Shen Ye and this girl.
Zhao Yibing further explained:
“Shen Ye, I mean—let’s each go our separate ways and stop developing our relationship, but we can still be friends.”
“Although…”
“We will inevitably drift apart due to different social standings, and there won’t be much we have in common.”
Shen Ye listened silently.
Yes,
This world is just so realistic.
Starting from high school, countless people get stuck in a particular grade, unable to advance, and end up going out to find work.
Each grade improvement means greater strength, a broader range of employment opportunities, and a more prestigious status.
But—
This is just middle school.
Shen Ye had already missed one exam, and now she’s trying to cut ties in front of everyone. Isn’t that a bit too much?
Zhao Yibing whispered:
“Don’t come to me anymore. I’ve deleted your contact information. I hope you can lead a good life from now on.”
She observed Shen Ye’s expression, her peripheral vision catching the other classmates.
Shen Ye, however, tapped his ear and casually said:
“I remember all these years you came to our class to find me. I don’t think I ever sought you out.”
Zhao Yibing froze, her face suddenly turning bright red.
She noticed the strange looks from the surrounding classmates as well.
Yes, Shen Ye was the top student in his grade, and Zhao Yibing had always been clingy towards him. Now, Shen Ye had missed an exam.
You Zhao Yibing are immediately trying to distance yourself in front of everyone.
Isn’t that a bit too much?
“I, Zhao Yibing, have never wanted to be friends with you,”
Shen Ye continued, “I’m serious about my studies and hope you’ll honour your words and stop bothering me, so you won’t interfere with my preparation.”
Straightforward and decisive, he turned to leave.
Zhao Yibing stood still, both anxious and helpless.
Originally, she intended to publicly announce that she was officially distancing herself from him—
But how did it become that he was the one pushing her away?
She wanted to keep Shen Ye from leaving.
But if she spoke up now to keep him, wouldn’t that prove she was still trying to cling to him?
“Wait a minute, don’t rush to run away!” one of the girls said.
“Zhao Yibing has given you many gifts, and you’re just talking to her like that?” another girl said.
“Shen Ye, you’re so disappointing,” a third girl said.
They blocked Shen Ye’s path.
Shen Ye looked at the girls, then at the surrounding classmates, and finally looked back at Zhao Yibing.
Damn it.
What do you want?
I told you I need to study, didn’t I?
Zhao Yibing tearfully said, “Shen Ye, I thought we were friends.”
Feigning pity… not letting him leave…
It seems she’s determined to hold onto him no matter what.
But—
She’s being a bit immature.
Shen Ye, expressionless, said:
“Zhao Yibing, I’ve accepted your gifts, but accepting gifts doesn’t mean accepting you.”
The surrounding classmates were stunned.
Shen Ye crossed his arms and coldly said, “You gave gifts willingly, and I didn’t force you. If you can’t be my friend, it’s your own lack of ability.”
A few girls were taken aback.
“if you truly care about me, you shouldn’t use gifts to bind me. I deserve to pursue something better,”
He finished speaking, staring fixedly at Zhao Yibing, as if waiting for an answer.
Zhao Yibing had no idea whether to respond, how to respond, or what to say.
It was over.
His level was higher, simply unattainable.
“I have nothing more to say to you. If you want your gifts back, I’ll compensate you, but don’t even think about being my friend.”
Shen Ye finished speaking and turned to leave.
“Scumbag!”
“Shen Ye, you’re such a scumbag!”
“Bad guy!”
Several girls angrily shouted.
Even a few boys started cursing him.
Shen Ye “hummed” and walked upstairs confidently.
