On the night after school, Sunny Xu and Starry Lin were eating at the table when suddenly the phone rang.

Starry Lin put down her chopsticks and walked to the side of the table to pick up the receiver.

After a while, she whispered, "I see," and hung up the phone. The girl looked up at Sunny Xu with a strange expression.

"What's going on?"

Sunny Xu wiped his mouth and curiously asked.

"Did my help to that aunt in the morning have an effect?"

"Hmm?"

He was still a bit puzzled.

"Our homeroom teacher called and said that the school has made a decision to suspend classes for a period of time. The specific date for resuming classes has not been determined yet."

Before she finished speaking, the corners of Starry Lin's mouth had already uncontrollably lifted up.

"...So, it seems that the parents' feedback did have an effect?"

Sunny Xu remembered the scene he saw at the police station that day.

Based on the private car and the way Wang Yue's parents were dressed, they could be considered influential figures in society. Moreover, his mother's attitude showed that she was the type who doted on her child.

Find the original at "pawread.com".

Not to mention, it wasn't just him. The parents of the other members of the study group would also contribute. The congestion at the school gate in the morning was caused by these parents. By the time the students returned home today, this news would spread and brew in over a thousand families. There would definitely be a large number of people calling to inquire about the situation.

The school's leadership may have been hesitant about how to handle this sudden event, but once the news spread, they would not be able to withstand this kind of pressure and it would be natural to choose to suspend classes temporarily.

Grades are important, and to a large extent, they determine the future prospects of an ordinary person. But for the majority of parents, the safety of their children comes first.

Until that monster that broke into the school is caught or found, the parents would probably not be able to rest assured.

"That's great!"

While Sunny Xu was analyzing the reasons, Starry Lin had already opened her arms and cheered, spinning several times in the room like she was dancing.

Sunny Xu put down his chopsticks, smiled, and murmured softly.

"It is indeed good news."

After hearing this, Starry Lin stopped in her tracks and stared at him curiously.

"A good student like you, who can't attend regular classes, is still happy?"

"Of course, I'm happy."

Sunny Xu's attitude in answering was natural.

"In fact, by this time, the new content taught in high school courses is almost finished. What's left is repetitive memorization and practice, constantly improving oneself through tests. So, the later it gets, the more important self-discipline and self-study skills become..."

Once he started talking about this topic, he would become unstoppable.

"Wait, wait, don't give me a long lecture." Starry Lin raised a hand with a headache. "Just answer what I said. I just want to know why you're still so excited after hearing about the suspension of classes... Do you mean to say that it's better to review at home without a teacher in school?"

"Of course, it's better to have a teacher present. On one hand, they can supervise you, and on the other hand, they can explain the knowledge in a more understandable and digestible way. But on the flip side, most of the students in our class are serious about attending classes. So, if we can't differentiate ourselves in terms of understanding, then the only opportunity to truly stand out is when the teacher is not around."

Sunny Xu smirked.

"Although during this period, the teachers will definitely still assign homework, whether someone is supervising or it's the teacher or parents supervising, the levels are suddenly separated. In this process, the individual attitude of the student becomes especially important. Every time during this kind of period—like long holidays and summer vacations—it's an opportunity for me and other good students to widen the gap. As long as I can maintain the same level of seriousness during this period... no, even if it's half the level of seriousness, I can leave others far behind!"

Starry Lin finally understood the central point that this long string of words was trying to express and couldn't help muttering:

"...You're so cunning."

"What do you know," Sunny Xu snorted lightly. "This is called 'doing whatever it takes to achieve victory'."

Isn't that the meaning of being cunning!

Starry Lin tilted her head and thought for a while before suddenly asking:

"By the way, do some high-achieving students really have the idea that 'if others can't study well, then I can succeed'?"

Starry Lin had heard that even good students have conflicts and hidden motives among themselves. For example, some people intentionally drag others around to play, but in reality, they study hard at home every day; some people use various means to disrupt others before exams; and there are even those who form cliques and exclude those who study hard in the classroom.

But she had always looked down on these things. If she wasted her thoughts on scheming against others, how could she have the mood to focus on studying?

"...Cough, don't worry, the suspension of classes is only temporary." Sunny Xu answered somewhat awkwardly. "Moreover, everyone understands this. It's just that some people really can't do it. This is the difference between having a teacher or not. Clearly, you can buy teaching materials and study on your own, so why go to cram school? It's just to find someone to supervise you."

"No, I understand what you mean. Your way of doing things is upright and admirable when spoken out loud."

In Starry Lin's mind, Sunny Xu was the perfect example of an excellent student.

She knew that Seigetsu Zhu's grades were even better, but even so, it couldn't erase the impression of Sunny Xu being the model "three good student" in her heart.

Perhaps it was because they lived under the same roof and were very close, so she could observe more carefully."I mean... have you ever encountered those little people who want to trip you up?"

Sunny Xu was stunned for a moment.

"Maybe, I'm not sure. I was too focused on studying and didn't pay attention to such things. But, this kind of approach is actually meaningless. One or two exams cannot determine success or failure."

After all, in the three years of high school, whether it was monthly exams, major exams, mock exams, or regular quizzes, they were all just tests and exercises.

The real battle, in fact, only happens once.

If someone is really bored, they can deliberately perform poorly in every exam during the three years of high school, leaving a bad impression on everyone around them, and then surprise everyone in the college entrance exam.

And when graduation comes, they can proudly show off their grades in front of teachers and classmates, performing a grand act of "the three-year period has arrived, welcome the god of learning"...

In short, Sunny Xu knew very well that at the end of it all, the competitors he would face were not just the familiar faces of his classmates, but also peers from the entire city, or even the whole province, whom he had never met before.

If he only focused on the school, whether it was because he couldn't surpass others and felt discouraged, or because his grades were better than others and he felt proud, it would be like tying his own hands and feet, becoming a frog in a well.

"Ah, if my grades improve in the future, will I encounter such things?"

Sunny Xu looked at Starry Lin, who was holding her cheeks with a worried expression, and couldn't help but ask in surprise:

"Starry, what was your rank in the last monthly exam?"

"...430th."

"Oh~"

Sunny Xu suddenly realized and nodded.

"I think no one would be bored enough to trip up students who are ranked in the bottom few, right?"

"Enough, stop it!"

Starry Lin slapped the table with a flushed face.

"Not now, doesn't mean it won't happen in the future! After this exam, someone might come and disrupt my studies! For example, someone who claims to be my friend, buys me food, and goes out with me, but actually wants to tempt me into decadence, making it impossible for me to compete with her. A wicked girl with such evil intentions!"

You're thinking too much, Sunny Xu thought.

"Don't worry, Starry. At least during this period, you don't have to worry. I will supervise your studies because I also plan to work hard."

Sunny Xu said this and thought about his ranking in the previous exam, suddenly feeling a surge of excitement.

He clenched his fist as if he had grasped that ambition.

He didn't plan to say it out loud, just silently kept it in his heart, waiting for the moment it became a reality.

"The monthly exam is coming soon, and I won't let your time go to waste. Let's work hard together!"

Although it was said that as an excellent student, one should aim for the whole province or city, when you are in a school with a relatively good learning atmosphere, and when there is a student among your classmates who is a genius-level learning god, it is not impossible to set that person as your goal.

For Sunny Xu, Seigetsu Zhu was that goal.

No matter how outstanding Seigetsu Zhu was, he would not be discouraged. This unexpected break was undoubtedly the best opportunity for improvement before the next exam.

Sunny Xu even felt like he was facing Xiang Yu, who escorted Emperor Qin, and if he could see Seigetsu Zhu in person, he would definitely say, "He can be replaced!"

...Of course, he didn't have that opportunity. After all, Sunny Xu had already planned to seclude himself at home for a few days to focus on studying.

"You... you want to work even harder?"

Starry Lin looked at Sunny Xu, who was excited, with a surprised expression and opened her mouth slightly, suddenly feeling a bit scared.

She didn't want to go against her best friend's wishes, so she had quietly sighed and given up on her plan to have fun these days, preparing to study diligently under Sunny Xu's supervision.

However, it seemed impossible for her to feel happy about studying like Sunny.

"Ring ring!"

The phone behind them rang again.

"It must be about assigning homework, or maybe we need to go to school to get some notifications..."

Starry Lin walked over and picked up the receiver.

After she put it down and looked at Sunny Xu again, she found that her friend's expression was even more strange than before.

"Um, what's wrong this time?"

"...I'm afraid you're too happy too soon."

Starry Lin sighed and answered helplessly.

"This time, it's Teacher Yang, the homeroom teacher of Class 5. He said that during this break, you need to go to him for extra classes."

*

The next day, Sunny Xu arrived at a residential building near the commercial street according to the address provided by Teacher Yang.

He looked up and saw a five-story building with several air conditioning units hanging on the walls. The bricks and tiles were gray, indicating that it had been around for some time. The bottom floor was still occupied by a flower shop, a breakfast shop, and a convenience store. Not far away was the bustling commercial street and the road.

When he woke up this morning and was organizing his school bag, he couldn't help but feel that the school couldn't possibly overlook what he had thought of.

It's easy for ordinary high school students to indulge themselves when no one is watching, even those good students who perform well in class.

Just like how parents worry about their children's safety, schools also worry about their students' grades.

Of course, not everyone has the opportunity to catch up and make up for their shortcomings when they can't go to the classroom.

So, the grade group came up with a temporary solution to have some of the top-performing students come for extra classes. It was said that only the top fifty students in the grade had this opportunity after the combined results of the last two monthly exams.

...Although it was a bit unfair, it was a norm everyone had already gotten used to. Under the premise of limited resources, students with good grades indeed had a bit more privileges than the average students.

He got up a bit earlier than his usual routine because he had to take the bus to an unfamiliar location.

—"Sunny Xu, have you arrived too?"

Just as Sunny Xu was lost in thought by the roadside, he heard a familiar voice coming from not far away.

He turned his face and saw a short-haired girl with a bright smile waving at him from a distance.

...Actually, he didn't need to turn his head to know that it was Seigetsu Zhu.

Sunny Xu felt a bit awkward.

Because he suddenly remembered his grandiose declarations at the dinner table last night, he even thought that if he could see Seigetsu Zhu, he would loudly tell her, say "I can..."—

No, no, no, no, he would absolutely never say such words.

The person Sunny Xu had in mind was now lightly stepping towards him, who was tensing his face. Seeing him unconsciously turn his head away, she waved her hand curiously in front of his eyes.

"What's wrong, are you ignoring me?"