The Teacher’s actions were always swift; Wang Qiqi had always agreed with that point. Just yesterday the final exams had concluded, and today, upon stepping into the classroom, she saw everyone clustered around the blackboard. “It can’t be this fast—the results and rankings are already out, right?” Zhu Lina had hoped for at least half a day of reprieve, never imagining the teachers would work overtime to grade the papers, calculate the totals, and even sort out the rankings.

“Exactly, sigh.” Someone let out a long sigh. Naturally, she didn’t open her schoolbag, instead sitting down and tidying up the books she’d stashed inside the desk. Judging by this action, it was clear her rank had plummeted out of the top fifty in the grade, meaning she was no longer a student in the elite class.

Whether leaving or staying, everyone’s mood was far from good. They all knew that today it might be her or him leaving, but next time it could easily be their turn. Everyone felt uneasy, though more than that, they felt an unwillingness to admit defeat. Silently, they all vowed to stay in the elite class, knowing that the parallel classes simply didn't have access to many of the resources the fast track offered—otherwise, why would they study so desperately just to enter or remain in it?

Seeing her packing her schoolbag and textbooks, Zhu Lina suddenly grabbed Wang Qiqi’s clothes. “Qiqi, I feel terrified. My heart is pounding so fast. I’m worried I’m going to be kicked out of the elite class this time.” She knew that person’s grades had always been better than hers; even in the last placement exam, she had ranked ahead of her. Now that even she was leaving, could she possibly remain? Zhu Lina held out little hope.

Although it wasn’t her own arm being held, Wang Qiqi could sense Zhu Lina’s intense nervousness. Even though she’d had a glass of milk before bed last night and slept soundly, she hadn't said a word on the way over, indicating how worried she was. “Relax, relax. Don’t scare yourself. What if you’re still in the top fifty?”

“No way, no way,” Zhu Lina abruptly released the hand clutching Wang Qiqi’s clothes and rushed back to her own desk, preparing to pack her things as well.

“Zhu Lina, why are you packing your desk?” Zhu Lina’s deskmate, having just seen the list and turned back to review her notes, didn’t believe that results meant one could relax. Only after the Gaokao scores came out and she had her acceptance letter could she truly feel at ease. Seeing classmate Zhao Lina packing up was strange; she hadn't heard anything about her changing seats.

“Packing up to change classrooms,” Zhu Lina said, reading the look on her deskmate’s face and realizing she was one of the ones who remained.

“What? Change classrooms?” Her deskmate looked at Zhu Lina in astonishment. “Who told you you were outside the top fifty? That’s ridiculous. Congratulations, you actually placed in the top forty this year—exactly fortieth, in fact.”

Fortieth? Zhu Lina couldn't believe she had ranked that high. Her mouth dropped open in disbelief. “I’m fortieth? You’re not kidding me?”

“Would I lie to you for a meal?” her deskmate retorted testily. “Don’t worry, we’ll be deskmates until at least winter break.” The silly girl hadn’t checked the scores herself but instead believed someone else’s rumors. What a fool.

Zhu Lina stopped packing and ran to the crowd, slowly squeezing her way in. She confirmed she was indeed fortieth. Then, she checked the results for Wang Qiqi and Shi Man as well. The scores were excellent: Qi Qi ranked in the top ten, and Shi Man in the top twenty. While their ranks hadn't improved much, maintaining that standing was difficult, given how everyone was fiercely competing. As for herself, Zhu Lina was quite happy; at least it was progress.

Wang Qiqi and Shi Man were confident about their results. Though they didn't know the exact total score or rank, the one certainty was that they would remain in this class. “Safe harbor reached,” Wang Qiqi murmured.

“Yes, safe harbor reached. I hope we keep up the good work for the final exams,” Shi Man said to Wang Qiqi with a small smile. “I heard our final exam will be the last placement test; there won’t be midterms next semester.”

The school, in fact, had its reasons. Frequent class reshuffling provided motivation for students, but it also placed significant pressure on teachers, especially during the second half of the senior year. Both faculty and students desired a stable, peaceful environment rather than students cycling through classrooms like a revolving door.

Shi Man watched Zhu Lina visibly deflate with relief. “I told you Lina wouldn’t drop out. She gets too nervous,” Shi Man said, offering a belated assessment, completely forgetting how pale her own face had looked when she saw someone packing their desk earlier.

Wang Qiqi pulled out the textbooks needed for the next period and then stretched her arm. That sudden grip when someone pulled her clothes had really squeezed her wrist. “You were pretty tense just now, weren't you?”

Shi Man pouted. “Why would I be nervous? Lina studies so diligently; if she dropped out of the elite class, would there be any justice left in the world?” Even if she worried about Zhu Lina, she wouldn't express it so directly; that would crush her friend’s feelings.

Zhang Qian didn't speak, just stared intently at Shi Man, muttering, "Okay, okay, I admit I was a little worried about Lina. You know how hard she works. Did you know I often found her secretly getting up after we were asleep to read in the study?” Shi Man hadn't intended to reveal this.

Wang Qiqi genuinely hadn't known this. Every time she lay down, she slept until morning and had no idea how serious Zhu Lina was. Moreover, if Zhu Lina didn't do well on the Gaokao, she could still study abroad; she didn't need to be this intense. “No wonder she started taking naps recently.”

If Zhu Lina was so driven to improve herself, she wouldn't listen to persuasion regardless of what anyone said. Still, Wang Qiqi admired Zhu Lina; managing to keep up this pace on both fronts without appearing exhausted was incredible stamina.

Shi Man shrugged. “She definitely wants to go to the same university as us.” Her and Qi Qi’s weakness was math. Their previous high performance relied on other subjects carrying the load, but now that their math was slowly improving, they weren't as concerned about the overall ranking. As Wang Qiqi had said, their focus shouldn't be on staying in the elite class, but on the exam in July next year.

Those who were leaving looked dejected and sad, while those waiting by the door with their schoolbags held an air of smug relief. But they were cautious not to provoke public outrage, especially since there was still one more placement exam. If they couldn't secure their spot next time, would someone mock them when they finally had to move out of this classroom?

“They arrived fast,” Shi Man remarked, watching the newcomers clutching their books and bags. Though they weren't rushing in, the smugness on their faces was evident to anyone.

Shi Man stared out the window for a long time, then suddenly nudged Wang Qiqi’s arm. “Qi Qi, four people left this time, and four people came in, but not a single one is someone we knew from our old class.”

Many people had expected that if anyone was promoted from the parallel class, it would be someone who had previously been kicked out of the elite class. But unexpectedly, while there were promotions, none were former classmates. Was it true what Qi Qi had said—that it was easy to drop down, but hard to climb back up?

Wang Qiqi nodded. “It’s normal. A lot of people fall and stay down for a long time. But the people below see hope; they’ll definitely study hard to get back into the elite class.” It was purely a matter of mindset: a downward-tending mindset versus an upward-tending one. You didn't need to compare to know who would win.

Shi Man let out a sound of agreement. Indeed, among the four who dropped out this time, only one was a newcomer who had just been promoted. Instead, three established elite class students were lost. “Three more left this time. With several former elite students leaving overall, the teachers upstairs will likely see this placement exam as a successful policy and continue it indefinitely.”

“Extra! Extra!” The gossip king rushed in from outside the classroom. “We can’t go out for lunch anymore!”

At this announcement, the classroom, which had been buzzing about the midterms—especially those ranked in the bottom ten who were especially anxious—fell quiet. The former elite students were most concerned. At first, they had assumed the so-called elite classmates who left would quickly return, but now it seemed they had been too careless. Yet, all these musings suddenly felt trivial compared to this news: the departed were gone, the new arrivals were here, but the inability to leave for lunch was the real bombshell.

“What? Why aren’t we allowed to leave for lunch?”

“Exactly! Does this mean we can only eat that disgusting slop at the school cafeteria from now on?”

Going out for lunch didn't necessarily mean spending much more money; perhaps an extra yuan or two, which was definitely better than the school food. But now the school was sealing the gates at noon, forcing everyone to either eat the slop, instant noodles, or bread.

Hearing this, Wang Qiqi’s face turned pale. No way. How could things have changed so much in the short time since her rebirth? First, the placement exam, and now the school lockdown? She remembered her alma mater hadn't forbidden students from going out for lunch until several years later, and that was only after the school cafeteria had been thoroughly renovated.

Shi Man followed up with a mournful cry. “I’m eating instant noodles today!” Even bad instant noodles were better than cafeteria slop. “Tomorrow, let’s bring our own food.”

Bringing food wasn't the issue, but the problem was, “It’s not spring or autumn now; the food will be cold.” They couldn't carry three thermoses back and forth every day, and vegetables steamed inside for a whole morning would kill anyone’s appetite.

Shi Man was dumbfounded, but quickly thought of a solution. “Have my auntie buy food and bring it to us?” They couldn't go out, but couldn't they smuggle it in from the outside?

This was indeed a good idea, but the issue was, “Isn’t that a bit conspicuous? But never mind, how others live, we can live too.” Hmph, there were plenty of princes and princesses at the school; what they lacked was someone to take the lead. Did they really need to be that person now?

Shi Man pouted. It really was a bit showy.

The author, rushing to meet the deadline, forgot today was Gaokao day. Wishing all examinees smooth testing and acceptance into their desired universities.

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