Before school ended on Friday, Ms. Li brought the test papers and handed them out one by one.

"Zhang Ting, 87, you've improved this time. Come up and get your paper."

"Yang Binbin, 80, you did a good job."

"The highest score this time is Pei Ke, with 98 points, who only missed one multiple-choice question."

Upon hearing the score, enthusiastic applause erupted. Many students, even those who weren't in the same class as Pei Ke, knew he was a good student, but they still couldn't help but applaud when they heard it in person.

Pei Ke stood up and picked up the test paper from the podium. Su Xun looked at his deskmate with envy and clapped silently.

The students gradually received their test papers, some happy and some worried.

"Su Xun, 65."

When Su Xun heard the score, he was stunned for a moment, then realized something and immediately stood up to get the test paper.

"Su Xun, keep it up! You seem to pay a lot of attention in class."

"Hmm." Su Xun responded softly, took the test paper, and walked back with her head down.

Her face was so red it looked like it was about to bleed. She wished no one could see her current predicament, and that she could hide away alone.

The short walk from the podium to her seat felt like an eternity to her. She could almost see her classmates watching her. She wished she could lock herself away so no one would notice her disheveled state.

I finally reached my seat.

Seeing Su Xun's distraught appearance, Pei Ke stood up and offered her his seat before she could even speak.

Su Xun sat back down, like a robot, expressionless and without any extra movements, just with his head down.

"Alright, let's dismiss school today. Take your test papers home and review them, get your parents to sign them, and bring them back on Monday. Please be careful over the weekend. School dismissed!" After giving her summary, Teacher Li led the students out of school.

Su Xun packed up his textbooks, carefully stuffing the test paper into his bag, not daring to look at it again.

Pei Ke watched his deskmate's series of actions and originally intended to avoid trouble as usual, but this time he spoke up, "Hey, Su Xun, this exam is nothing, don't worry about it too much, you can always do better next time."

"Thank you." Su Xun only said thank you softly, then picked up his schoolbag and walked out, leaving Pei Ke looking bewildered and a little angry. His comfort had been ignored. He thought to himself that he would never care about this strange classmate again.

When Su Xun got home, she saw her younger brother sitting in the living room watching TV. Her parents hadn't come home yet. She went back to her room alone, took out her test paper, and carefully looked at each question she had gotten wrong. In fact, she could have gotten many of them right, but she was too impatient and made mistakes that she shouldn't have made.

It was already eight o'clock after dinner. The whole family sat on the sofa watching TV, but actually only the younger brother, Su Mu, was watching. The parents sat on the sofa discussing today's income.

Su's father, Su Mu, runs a fruit shop. He usually leaves very early and doesn't return home until six or seven in the evening. He is very tired every day, and the little money he earns is all used to support his two children's schooling. His biggest hope is that his two children can study hard, go to university in the future, and not have to do this kind of physical labor like they do.

Seeing that her parents were still at home, Su Xun went back to her room to get the test paper, and walked over to her mother. "Mom, this is the test paper from this week. It needs to be signed."

The two, who were still discussing, immediately stopped when they heard the word "test paper." Su's mother grabbed the test paper and frowned when she saw the two big red numbers on it. "How come you only got 65 points? Su Xun, how do you usually study at school? Your father and I don't have time to supervise you, so you've become lax."

Su's father then began, "Your grades aren't good enough. I think you don't need to study anymore. Just come home and help out; it'll save money..."

Su Xun's parents knew they would react this way to the score; she was used to it anyway, as these were always the same few words they said whenever she didn't do well on a test.

Su Xun always remembered that in the third grade, she only scored 60 points in each subject in the midterm exam. She was too afraid to take out the test paper when she got home, but her father saw it by chance. She was watching TV at the time, which made her father even angrier. She was beaten by her father that time. Her mother did not stop her, but scolded her from the side. From then on, Su Xun always felt that she was just a tool for studying, to fulfill her parents' regret that they did not go to school.

After silently enduring her parents' complaints, she took the signed test paper back to her room. Looking at the test paper and thinking about her parents' attitude just now, tears streamed down her face. Large drops of tears fell onto the test paper, quickly forming yellow puddle patterns.

When I returned to school on Monday, my deskmate Pei Ke was already there, holding a Rubik's Cube—a simple three-layer Rubik's Cube. He quickly solved the small cube in his hands.

Sure enough, everything was effortless for him, but always required considerable effort for me. Sometimes, Su Xun really envied Pei Ke.

Seeing that Su Xun was still absent-minded, Pei Ke was about to turn around and say something, but then he remembered that he had decided to ignore her last Friday, so he turned his head back.

With some time before morning reading, Su Xun took out draft paper and a pen and started drawing on the paper.

Pei Ke glanced to the side, then quickly turned her head back. Finally, unable to resist any longer, she placed the solved Rubik's Cube on her deskmate's table. "Here, this is for you to play with. Don't be upset."

Su Xun only heard the sound of the Rubik's Cube hitting the table, a crisp and loud "snap," which stirred up a light dust in the sunlight.

Su Xun slightly raised her head, glanced at the Rubik's Cube, and then lowered her head again. The Rubik's Cube was solved, with all six sides neatly arranged.

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