Yao Ran’s Score

Just as Yao Tang had said, the future could wait. No matter what he wanted to do later on, no matter what position he would end up with, he was still in high school. He should cherish his youth and take the days as they came.

He could amass a fortune, but a time might come when he would have to spend it all. There was no guarantee that his family’s business would always be afloat. Regardless of the crises that might occur, his knowledge and experiences would remain his own. No one would be able to take those away from him.

Knowledge was power, as the saying went. Now, with the significant improvement in his grades, he was eligible to get into a top university. If this had been in the past, such a thing would be inconceivable.

Meng Yang was simply treating them to a meal. It was nothing compared to everything Yao Tang had done for him, and he held the utmost respect and admiration for her.

The class cheered upon hearing his offer.

“Ah, the handsome Meng Yang is so generous! In that case, we won’t hold ourselves back!”

“This is great! We get to have a sumptuous feast again!”

“If you ask me, I say we owe it all to Yao Tang. She helped us with the review, and did any of you realize that every key topic she emphasized turned up in the college entrance exams?”

“That’s right! Thank you, Yao Tang! You are a godsend to our class.” “Not just our class, but the entire school in general. Haven’t you guys heard? The top universities are already calling No. 1 High School in hopes of taking our top student under their wing.”

“Say, Yao Tang, please let us know which university you decide to attend. We’d like to be in the city as you.”

“Yes, yes, I feel the same way! Having her nearby would certainly motivate me to do even better at college.”

“No way!” one of the students wailed. “We’ve already worked our butts off during high school, and now, you’re saying that you want to do it all over again? Did you ever think about taking it easy for a change?”

Yao Tang sat in silence and just listened to the lively chatter around her. She would respond when a classmate spoke to her, but other than that, she maintained her usual distance.

Soon enough, the matter of the top universities vying for Yao Tang spread throughout the campus.

In one of the classrooms, Yao Ran stared at her report card, her hands clenched into fists so tight, they crumpled the paper.

She had only scored 550 points in the college entrance exams, which didn’t even qualify her for a respectable college.

She had set her sights on the most prestigious institutions, yet she couldn’t even get into the ones generally considered the second best.

Yao Ran’s heart raced, and her breathing grew labored, as her classmates flocked around her and asked about her score. “How many points did you get, Yao Ran? Wait, are you embarrassed to say it out loud? It’s okay, just tell us.”

“That’s right, Yao Tang, hurry up and tell us your score.”

The teacher had just said that Yao Ran did not rank first, not in their class or the entire grade. Her classmates thought that she must be ranked second or third. Whatever the case, they were sure it wasn’t a low ranking, at least not so low that she would be ashamed to share it.

Seeing that Yao Ran seemed to be in distress, a student spoke up and tried to comfort her. “Oh, it doesn’t matter if you didn’t perform as well as expected. It’s okay, we care more about you. Just tell us what your score is. We want to know if we’d be able to get into the same university as you.”

Yao Ran’s expression turned ugly at that. She shot up to her feet and glared at her so-called friends. “Why are you all hounding me? You already know that I scored low, didn’t you? You’re doing this on purpose to make fun of me!”

The students were stunned by her sudden outburst. It took them a while to come to their senses, but when they did, they were just as unhappy with Yao Ran as she was with them.

“Why are you yelling at us? We were just asking about your score. It’s all right if you don’t want to tell us, you don’t have to get so nasty. We’re your friends, not your enemies.”

“Exactly! And why would you think that we would laugh at you? Watch yourself, you’re projecting your malice on others.”

“Just tell us how many points you got already. Why are you being so weird about it?”

It was then that Li Yue, a carefree and arguably lazy student, spoke up. “They’re right, you know. I mean, I only scored 560, but I’m not hiding it from everyone like it’s some deep, dark secret. Why can’t you tell us your score?”

Most students might think that Yao Ran had turned over a new leaf, and now viewed her in a good light, but Li Yue thought differently. To her, Yao Ran was still petty and duplicitous. She still spoke and acted like a victim, she had just gotten much better at it.

Why was she so worked up, anyway? Everyone in the class was talking about their scores. What was the issue?

Something occurred to Li Yue then, and her lips curled into a mocking smirk. “Yao Ran, don’t tell me that you’re refusing to tell us your score because it’s low. Perhaps, even lower than mine?”