Chapter 12: Don’t You Know How to Count Between A and C?
Everyone became excited, quickly gathering their books and changing seats.
The student who ranked third was the first to get excited—didn’t this mean he could now sit at the same desk as “Study God Xu”?
But after a moment, his excitement faded. Wait… if he sat with Xu Nianshen, then where would the Lin Yuejiu sit? She’d been at the same desk as Study-God Xu for two whole years, she…
Lin Yuejiu looked up at her desk mate and smiled lightly. “Looks like I have to go first.”
Xu Nianshen’s expression was obscure, hard to read. “Mm. I’ll be waiting for you to come back soon.”
Lin Yuejiu froze for a moment, then faintly curved her lips.
She was just packing her books when someone suddenly appeared at the classroom door.
“Excuse me, teacher.”
The homeroom teacher paused, looked toward the door, and saw Mrs. Lin bringing in a girl.
“Oh, it’s… a parent from the Lin family. Is there something you need?”
Mrs. Lin smiled. “Here’s the thing—my daughter is new here and not used to the place, so I brought her myself. I just wanted to speak to you and ask if you could arrange a seat for her.”
Hearing that familiar voice, Lin Yuejiu’s hands trembled, almost dropping her Chinese textbook. She quickly finished packing up and left her seat, finding the one that matched her new rank.
Mrs. Lin clearly saw Lin Yuejiu, glanced at her once, then withdrew her gaze.
The homeroom teacher also noticed that glance but kept smiling. “We’re in the middle of rearranging seats, but since your daughter didn’t participate in the exam, I can’t randomly assign her. What do you suggest?”
Mrs. Lin looked at the empty seat beside Xu Nianshen. “How about she sits next to Nianshen?”
The second-place student, already done packing and ready to move over: “???”
Then where am I supposed to sit??
The teacher looked a bit troubled. “Seats in our class are arranged strictly according to results. Nianshen earned his seat himself. We’d have to ask him if he’s okay with it.”
Mrs. Lin turned to Xu Nianshen. “Nianshen, what do you think?”
Xu Nianshen didn’t even frown. “My seat is mine, but the seat next to me isn’t. Auntie, you’ll have to ask the person who’s supposed to sit there.”
Second place: “???”
Mrs. Lin then turned to the boy who was just about to walk over. “Classmate, could you give this seat to my daughter, Mengmeng? She’s new here, doesn’t know anyone, and I feel more at ease with her sitting beside Nianshen—he’s someone I’m familiar with.”
Hearing that, Xu Nianshen frowned. Familiar? Familiar with who? I’m only familiar with your daughter—oh no, correction—your former daughter.
The second-place student gave an awkward smile. “Then let her have it. I’ll find another seat.”
What else could he do?
He couldn’t just refuse—respecting elders and caring for the young is a traditional Chinese virtue, and he was a traditional, patriotically-minded man. He had to comply.
Mrs. Lin smiled warmly. “Thank you so much, classmate. I’m truly grateful, and sorry for the trouble.”
She looked back at the teacher on the podium. “What do you think?”
The homeroom teacher smiled. “Since the seat’s rightful occupant has agreed, I have no objections.”
Mrs. Lin nodded, then turned to the girl behind her. “Mengmeng, go sit down.”
“Okay, Mom.” Lin Rumeng obediently hugged her newly issued books and sat beside Xu Nianshen. As soon as she placed her books on the desk, she gave him a sweet smile. “Hello, Brother Nianshen.”
Xu Nianshen frowned, but since everyone was watching, he replied politely with a quiet “Mm.”
Mrs. Lin smiled with satisfaction. “Mengmeng, Mommy’s going to leave now. Remember to wait at the gate at noon—there will be a driver to pick you up.”
Lin Rumeng obediently replied, “Okay, Mom.”
Most people didn’t notice, but Lin Yuejiu’s hand, which was wiping the desk, trembled slightly.
Not far away, Chen Qianxi saw the trembling and felt a pang of heartache. That auntie had probably once called her “Jiujiu” in the same affectionate tone… but now, she was calling someone else’s name.
The seat change was almost complete when the homeroom teacher, standing at the podium, glanced at Lin Rumeng. “Since we have a new classmate joining us, let’s welcome her with a self-introduction.”
Lin Rumeng walked to the podium, bowed to everyone, and said, “Hello, everyone. My name is Lin Rumeng—‘Ru’ as in the grass radical, and ‘Meng’ as in dream. This is my first time here, so I’m still getting used to things, but I’ll try to blend in quickly. I hope everyone will take care of me, and I hope we can all become good friends in the future.”
The class was silent for a moment, then applause broke out. During the clapping, many stole glances at Lin Yuejiu. Her expression was normal, and she clapped along as well.
“Alright,” the teacher said, letting her step down, “we have two new classmates in the class today. I hope everyone gets along with them. Absolutely no bullying. We must…”
Before he could finish, a student below continued for him: “Unite as one and live in harmony!”
The teacher smiled. “As long as you understand that.”
“In addition, this was just a monthly exam. A temporary setback doesn’t mean anything. Don’t dwell on it—work hard, and you can do better next time.”
These were the same encouraging words the teacher gave after every exam, so normally the students wouldn’t think much of it. But this time, they felt as though he was speaking directly to Lin Yuejiu.
“Lin Yuejiu, come with me to the office.”
She stood and followed the homeroom teacher out.
“I bet the teacher’s going to talk to her about her grades,” someone whispered.
“No kidding—she dropped so much this time.”
“Looks like the incident really hit her hard.”
“No kidding. Imagine if one day your parents told you you weren’t their biological child, and then kicked you out of the house—how would you feel?”
Hearing them, Lin Rumeng realized they were all talking about Lin Yuejiu. She turned and asked, “Is my sister’s academic performance good?”
The others didn’t immediately react, and they didn’t have much fondness for this “real daughter” anyway—especially since they had just been gossiping about her family.
“Yes. She’s always been tied for first with Study-God Xu, or sometimes in second place.”
“And this time?”
“This time… she’s eighteenth.”
Lin Rumeng looked surprised. “Huh? How did her ranking drop so much?”
The person she asked gave a dry laugh inside. Why her grades dropped? Don’t you already have a pretty clear idea between A and C?
Though he mocked her in his head, on the surface he smiled politely. “Maybe something happened that affected her.”
Lin Rumeng’s small face showed sudden understanding. “Oh, I see. Well, I hope she gets over it soon.”
The boy gave a polite smile, said nothing more, and looked down at his most hated subject—math.
Even though no one else joined the conversation, they had all heard it. Everyone knew the real-vs-fake daughter situation. Watching her act so clueless made them instinctively resistant toward her, and their first impression of her wasn’t very good.
Honestly… we all know the story, and she still pretends like that.
Lin Yuejiu followed the homeroom teacher to her office.
She thought the teacher was going to ask about her grades, but the first question was: “Are you settling in well at the school dormitory?”
