Chapter 2: Four Corners Road Champion

As soon as she walked out of the unit door, Lin Xinci's long-dormant desire to preach was revived along with the noise around her.

Yan Ning continued to listen quietly, while also looking around.

It was still early and there were not many people walking in the community.

The sun was shining, the breeze was gentle, and the temperature felt cool.

Yan Ning took a deep breath of fresh air and exhaled, and his sleepiness and dizziness immediately felt much better.

Walk all the way to the entrance of the community.

Lin Xinci made a concluding statement:

"In short, these three years of high school are the most important. You must focus all your energy on studying. Do you understand?"

Yan Ning raised his eyes and looked at the teaching buildings not far away that were shining brightly in the sunlight.

Then she nodded and answered seriously:

"I see."

That is Wancheng No. 1 Middle School.

This is where Yan Ning will study and live for three years.

Next to her, Lin Xinci was finally very satisfied. She withdrew her gaze from her daughter, took out the access card from her bag, and swiped it to open the sensor door.

Went out the door.

The streets are a familiar scene, with cars flowing continuously and pedestrians hurrying on the road.

At the breakfast shop across the street, the heat from the food turned into white smoke.

The store was busy and full of people. There was still a long line at the door. Most of them were students wearing the blue and white uniform of No. 1 Middle School, but there were also a few in red and white uniforms.

This red and white school uniform belongs to Experimental Middle School, and Yan Ning also has it.

Yan Ning moved to Huize Community with Lin Xinci last summer. In her third year of junior high, she transferred from her former high school to the nearby Experimental Middle School.

Lin Xinci's attention was attracted by the blue and white school uniforms of the large group.

She was very pleased with the vigor and vitality of the students at Wancheng No. 1 Middle School, the best performing school in the city. As soon as she walked out of the community gate, she praised them several times in succession.

Yan Ning continued to walk quietly beside him.

But at this moment, seeing students from the same school, her thoughts, somewhat uncontrollably, recalled everything that had happened a few minutes ago.

Also, the boy I met in the corridor.

Does he live in this building too?

She had never seen him here before.

However, there are many students renting in Huize Community, and new people often move in.

But he came in so early, his hair slightly damp, and he looked like he had come from somewhere else. Could it be that he was going to the next unit's after-school care like those people before, but went to the wrong place...

The guesswork was fruitless.

The white sneakers gently kicked a small stone on the road, and Yan Ning suddenly thought of another thing -

So, is that...

It is possible.

Also, do you often meet him?

My heart suddenly started beating fast.

It was as if some unknown emotion was spreading, making Yan Ning unable to tell for a moment whether she was happy or worried about the emergence of this possibility...

The pebble came to a stop at the curb.

at the same time.

Lin Xinci had just finished saying another compliment when, for some reason, she suddenly stopped.

Yan Ning looked up and realized that they were almost at the traffic light.

Following Lin Xinci's line of sight and looking forward, Yan Ning roughly understood the reason at this moment -

Next to the zebra crossing, among the crowd waiting for the red light, there was a tall boy in a No. 1 Middle School uniform who was particularly conspicuous.

He was carrying a sports bag slung across his shoulder, hooking his arm around the shoulder of the boy next to him, and was talking playfully. Perhaps getting excited, he used his free hand to slap his companion's chest twice, without saying anything. The man immediately covered his chest and coughed.

Of course, none of the above can be considered too outstanding.

The tall boy, the most eye-catching one——

Or his permed corn silk afro.

"What were you thinking about when you made your hair look like a chicken coop?"

Lin Xinci clearly didn't understand this look and immediately frowned in disdain, "How can No. 1 Middle School tolerate students messing around like this? He won't be able to keep this messy hair for even a day!"

Yan Ning looked at the eye-catching hair for a few more seconds.

Not really, she also has opinions on other people's unique styles.

However, she had heard from Xin Jing before that the appearance of students in No. 1 Middle School was strictly controlled. There were teachers on duty patrolling the school gate and campus every day. If anyone was caught unqualified, the class teacher would be notified directly, and the deadline for rectification was only one day.

So, if nothing unexpected happens, this boy with the unusual afro will not have this hairstyle when he goes to school tomorrow.

"Students should act like students."

At the intersection, we must say goodbye.

Lin Xinci took out the car keys from her purse and, at the same time, glanced disapprovingly at the afro-haired man who had already stepped onto the zebra crossing. Then, she turned back and said to her daughter:

"It would be better if all the boys in your class were like that good student we just met."

Yan Ning looked into the distance and paused.

Those black eyes with a faint smile suddenly appeared in her mind again.

he--

Are you good?

An inexplicable intuition comes online.

Yan Ning felt that the answer to this question should be no.

But Lin Xinci's gaze had not yet moved away.

Yan Ning paused, then whispered, "Yeah."

-

Classroom of Grade 1 and 2.

It was still early and only a small number of students were in the class.

As soon as Yan Ning entered the classroom, he found Xin Jing chatting enthusiastically with the person sitting in front of him.

There is no other reason.

Xin Jing, who was clapping her hands on the table and laughing so hard that she fell over, was really eye-catching among this small group of people.

Xin Jing also noticed her and immediately waved excitedly:

"Ningning, come here! I've signed for you!"

Yan Ning was of course very happy to see her good friend whom she hadn't seen for a long time. She walked briskly to the seat at the same table that Xin Jing had reserved for her.

As soon as Yan Ning sat down, the round-faced girl who had been chatting with Xin Jing turned around to look at her with some curiosity.

"You're completely different from what I imagined. Just by hearing your name, I thought you were aloof and cool. But you're so cute in person!"

This was not the first time Yan Ning had heard that a name was different from the person himself.

The surname "Yan" has a serious connotation, and the character "Ning" is relatively neutral. The two characters "Yan Ning" together inevitably give people a feeling of being a little difficult to approach.

And Yan Ning himself——

She has almond-shaped eyes, fair skin, a slightly childish face that hasn't lost its baby fat, short hair that reaches her ears, and a height that is below average for girls of the same age.

She looks petite and well-behaved.

Regarding the comment "cute".

Yan Ning put away his schoolbag, turned around, and smiled shyly at the girl in the front row, "Thank you."

Xin Jing, who was standing by, immediately felt a sense of pride that "I have a daughter in my family". She hugged Yan Ning tightly, swayed her left and right, and said proudly:

"Right! My Ningning is such a cute girl!"

The round-faced girl agreed, "That's right!"

The round-faced girl is called Shi Caimeng, whom Xin Jing met at a cram school at the beginning of the year.

Shi Caimeng is from Class 1 and she came from another class to play with Xin Jing.

Both of them were extroverted and talkative people, and soon they started talking to Yan Ning about a lot of things during the holiday.

Yan Ning spends most of his time as a diligent listener.

After spending almost the entire summer in tutoring classes, she really didn't have much material to say.

When the topic turned to the rumors about No. 1 Middle School, Yan Ning basically listened the entire time.

Because he has always been a commuter student and the use of electronic devices is restricted, Yan Ning knows very little about the school except for those related to his studies.

Then, in just a few minutes, she learned—

This year, there are only two key classes in Grade 11, Class 11 and Class 12.

The head teachers of these two classes, one teaching chemistry and the other teaching biology, entered No. 1 Middle School in the same year and were also the head teachers of the key classes at the same time. However, they were not in harmony with each other and had been competing openly and secretly for the performance of the classes for several years.

The principal of No. 1 Middle School is named Wang. Although he is middle-aged and a little pot-bellied, he is still known as the "Eagle-Eye King".

He caught all kinds of violations, especially young couples who lived in the dormitory together after evening self-study. He would catch them all...

After the teacher finished talking, it was the student's turn.

No. 1 Middle School has a wide range of students, and all kinds of gossip are mixed together, just like a big pot of hodgepodge.

Hearing too many unfamiliar names inevitably makes one confused. Yan Ning replaced all the names with a, b, and c in his mind once and for all, and the connection was indeed much clearer.

Other gossips are just discussed in a few sentences.

When the love affair gossip was mentioned, Yan Ning clearly noticed that the eyes of the two people beside him suddenly lit up.

a=school beauty, b=young gentleman, c=athletic student.

A and B attended the same private school. B fell in love with A at first sight and launched a fierce and high-profile pursuit. A and B often traveled together, and everyone around them assumed they were a couple.

But in fact, A has never made any statement about his relationship with B.

At a birthday party after the high school entrance examination, love at first sight happened again, but this time the object was different: C, who was brought by a friend, was shocked by A after seeing her. After learning from her own mouth that A "had no boyfriend", he also embarked on the path of pursuing A.

The triangle relationship is already eye-catching enough because the people involved are all influential figures in the school.

When the fourth corner appears, it is like adding a large ribbon of special effects and dazzling spotlights to the stage.

One day at the end of summer vacation.

On the basketball court, love rivals B and C met on a narrow road. On the sidelines, A and his friends happened to be watching the game.

As a result, both sides on the field were immediately caught in a fierce battle, neither side giving in.

A wonderful basketball game ended, with B and C taking the top two spots in points, each having their own limelight.

But, the dramatic thing is——

The water in a's hand was finally delivered. He only played for a few minutes at the beginning of the game and then sat in front of d on the bench.

d=

Lu Chen.

When this name was mentioned, Xin Jing and Shi Caimeng were extremely excited. They immediately held hands together, shook them, and screamed and shook their bodies.

After shaking for a few times, the two men did not forget to take one hand each and lead Yan Ning. Yan Ning's hands were restricted, so he could not help but passively follow the shaking and formed the shape of waves.

Lu Chen.

Yan Ning also knew this name.

Or, it can be said that for the students who just passed the junior high school entrance examination and became high school students, "Lu Chen" is so well-known that nine out of ten people have probably heard of him. This person——

The top scorer in the senior high school entrance examination who emerged out of nowhere from No. 12 Middle School.

There are top scorers every year, but no one has ever been so famous before.

The reason why this year's champion stands out is because of his "prefix":

No. 12 Middle School.

No. 12 Middle School is located on the edge of the old city. Since the city's business district was divided to the other end of the diagonal twenty years ago, the school's annual enrollment has been declining year by year, and its performance has also been getting worse and worse.

Due to such a vicious cycle, No. 12 Middle School has long been synonymous with a gathering place for poor students in recent years, and its average scores have consistently ranked last in the city.

Even in the inter-school joint examination before the high school entrance examination, No. 12 Middle School was expelled.

But this year is really strange.

The results of the high school entrance examination are always sent to each school first. People will often see the top scorer's results on the street first by posting them on the banners.

But this year, three days after the results came out and the candidates were able to check them, the banners of several key schools, contrary to their usual practice, had not yet been put up.

People speculated whether there were two top scorers who shared the top spot, or whether there was a dispute over the scoring. There were even unreliable rumors that the city was recently short of banner resources.

Until the third night.

A screenshot of a post by an online user named "Brother Lu is the coolest!!!" suddenly went viral in QQ groups of various middle schools.

【Brother Lu is the best!!! :

I've been patient for three days. Even if I get scolded to death, I still have to come up and yell——

Fuck cheating!!!

Fuck that "There's no way the scumbag from the twelfth middle school could possibly get the highest score, 20 points higher than the second place, unless the high school entrance exam papers were stolen and the answers happened to fall into his hands"!!!

Lu Chen is the top scorer!!!

My brother Lu is undoubtedly the most awesome one!!!]

A screenshot of the results is included below.

On the official query interface, the rest of the personal information was censored, but it was clearly written:

[Candidate’s name: Lu Chen]

[City ranking: 1]

One night, the news that the top scorer in this year's high school entrance exam went to No. 12 Middle School, along with the name "Lu Chen," spread throughout the streets and alleys...