The future is uncertain.
Despite the apparent ease on the surface, a sense of unease and anxiety permeated the classroom.
The two days after the exam felt like an endless torture. The results were like a guillotine hanging over every high school student's head, ready to strike at any moment and hurt them.
The second week, Monday lunch break.
"They're out! They're out!" the class monitor shouted, posting the rankings of the students' grades.
The classroom erupted in chaos as dozens of students rushed toward the bulletin board next to the blackboard.
The crowd was a dense, dark mass, with shoving and screaming mixed together, and the whole classroom was shaking.
Jin Can and Lin Xiaoxiao were also caught up in this torrent.
At that moment, Jin Can's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was about to burst out of his chest.
Although practice makes perfect, if the fate of endless exams were to strike again, she would certainly find it difficult to remain calm and composed.
After all, this time—
Six subjects to be retaken
Whether it's another dungeon weapon or a "normal test a hundred and eighty times," it'll cost her her life!
Taking advantage of her petite and agile figure, Lin Xiaoxiao nimbly squeezed forward.
Jin Can was jostled around so much that he couldn't even see the list clearly. He was being swept along by his classmates, his heart pounding in his chest.
"Holy crap! Dog Bro is amazing! 564 points! Is he even human?!"
A gasp of surprise erupted from the crowd.
They are still in their second year of high school, and each of the six subjects has its own set of questions, with a total score of 600 points.
What does 564 points mean?
That's almost a perfect score, except for a few points on the essay and the final question!
That's incredible.
"The second place is from the class next door, 563! They're neck and neck!"
"Chao Ningning is third?! That transfer student is amazing!"
Discussions and exclamations arose one after another, filled with astonishment.
Suddenly, a sharp scream rang out amidst the noise.
"Chanchan! Chanchan!!"
Lin Xiaoxiao's voice was filled with almost screaming joy, "I saw your name!"
Jin Can's breath hitched, and his palms were covered in cold sweat.
"How many?!" Her voice was hoarse, her heart almost leaping out of her throat.
"Tie... tenth place! Total score 528 points!!" Lin Xiaoxiao almost roared.
These words were like a bomb, exploding suddenly in the crowd of onlookers.
"Who? Jin Can?!"
"That can't be! Wasn't her grade always in the lower middle range of the class?"
"528?! What were her scores in each subject?!"
Countless pairs of shocked, doubtful, and inquisitive eyes fell on Jin Can, who was stunned by the crowd.
A sense of disbelief and disorientation welled up in Jin Can's heart, and an unreal feeling surged within her. She subconsciously pushed through the crowd to get a closer look.
Tenth place?
She actually...did it?
--bite!
[Final exam assignments are being processed...]
[Based on testing, the host ranked tenth overall in the science-related grades; however, after considering the humanities grades, the host did not rank in the top ten.]
[Task Assessment: Failed.]
[The program is starting up and downloading resources. Please wait: 0%]
The chilling notification sound exploded in her mind, like a bucket of ice water poured over her head, instantly extinguishing the flame that had just been ignited.
"etc!"
Jin Can was so anxious that he immediately shouted in his heart:
"The humanities class and I are not even on the same track. In the college entrance examination, there are top scorers in humanities and top scorers in science. Wouldn't it be a bit unethical to count us together?"
"Besides, why doesn't a tie for tenth place count as being in the top ten?! The rules don't say it has to be a 'one-man show'! This is a loophole in your rules! You can't declare me a loser!"
[...System rules under review...Ambiguity detected in the judgment criteria...]
"That's right!" Jin Can pressed his advantage, going all out. "I call this a 'close call'! A close call is still a goal, and as long as it goes in, it's a point! You can't go back on your word, give me the reward now!"
The system remained silent for a long time, seemingly engaged in a fierce game of 0s and 1s.
[...Review successful. Host barely passed. Mission verdict: Successful.]
Jin Can let out a long sigh of relief, almost bursting out laughing on the spot.
She could even bargain down the price herself; her eloquence and logical thinking skills improved by leaps and bounds.
The biggest contributor to this "extreme close call" was actually mathematics.
She scored 93 in math! Ranked third in the class, only behind Ge Ouchen and Chao Ningning.
This score left even the math teacher speechless.
In the office, the math teacher excitedly showed the test papers to his colleagues: "Look! This bonus question, it's a competition concept, way beyond the syllabus! Almost no one in the entire grade, except for the competition students and Chao Ningning, could come up with the solution. But guess what? My student got it right too!"
"Although she only wrote down the thought process for the first sub-question and got 3 points, leaving the rest blank, her logic was clear, and she wasn't just guessing. You can tell she at least understands the concept!"
"Is that the girl you said made a lot of progress last time? The one from Class 4 who got a boy's haircut?"
When a colleague asked, the math teacher immediately replied, "Yes! It's her!"
Jin Can's sudden rise to prominence made her the focus of attention in her grade.
When her teachers bumped into Jin Can in the hallway, they would always smile and say, "Jin Can, you've made great progress lately! Keep it up!"
Jin Can scratched his head, a little embarrassed, and said, "Yeah, I will."
"Is she the one the math teacher was talking about?"
"Is she the one who's always hanging out with Ge Ouchen, arm in arm? I only realized she's a girl because her hair's gotten a little long recently and she hasn't cut it." Students from other classes whispered among themselves.
Jin Can suddenly understood Dog Brother's aloofness from his "high position," his face full of speechlessness, and only one thought remained in his mind:
I can't be bothered with it!
Overnight, he transformed into a top student. The teachers and students looked at Jin Can with admiration and encouragement, as well as curiosity.
Another afternoon self-study session, the last row of the classroom.
Ge Ouchen actually produced Jin Can's final report card from last semester, ready to fulfill their bet of "who can help Jin Can improve more".
The six people sat in a circle, and the atmosphere... was not tense at all.
"It seems I'll be responsible for tutoring and answering Jin Can's physics questions... Oh well," Zhou Yu convinced herself. As they spent more time together, her cold expression softened slightly, as if she was waiting for some fun.
"Brother Dog! Where did you come from?!" Jin Can's eyes widened.
"You just threw it away carelessly, and I accidentally brought it home," Ge Ouchen said innocently.
Last semester, Jin Can scored 436 points, and now he has 528, a full 92 points more!
"Can Can, you're amazing!" Lin Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up as she sincerely praised her.
“Xiaoxiao, you also ranked 15th in the whole grade! Everyone in our study group has improved!” Jin Can retorted, smiling and giving her a high five.
Everyone stared at the two report cards and began comparing them subject by subject.
"I improved my math score by 21 points. This time, I got all the questions right except for the last one."
"Physics improved by 20 points."
The result is settled—Chao Ningning won.
"Hahaha! Ge Ouchen, do you admit defeat or not!" Chao Ningning stood with her hands on her hips, her aura overwhelming.
The audience was silent for three seconds, then erupted in thunderous applause and laughter.
A crack finally appeared on Ge Ouchen's calm expression.
"I went to take the math competition, otherwise it would have been impossible!"
However, nobody paid any attention to the loser!
He never expected to lose in such a subtle way, completely forgetting that he had only highlighted the key points a few times and hadn't bothered with reviewing them.
Jin Can was more excited than anyone else.
She pounced on her, hugged Chao Ningning tightly, and excitedly gave her a loud "smack" on her fair cheek.
"That's amazing! Sister Ning is my goddess!!"
The kiss was crisp, passionate, and filled with the joy of victory.
Chao Ningning's face instantly flushed red, both surprised and shy, but she couldn't help but smile.
This scene, as seen by Ge Ouchen, caused the surrounding air to suddenly cool down.
He watched helplessly as Kim Chan kissed his "opponent"!
They kissed!
His fists were clenched under the table, and his teeth were grinding.
For the first time, he realized that he was actually... even the girls around Jin Can were jealous of him!
Besides, she was a woman who inexplicably appeared along with the "system" Jin Can mentioned; who knows what her background is?
"Ahem! The teacher is here!"
Someone reminded them, and the six people immediately dispersed, and the classroom returned to silence.
Ms. Yang walked up to the podium with the documents in her hands, gave a brief summary of the midterm exams, and praised the students who had made progress.
Then, her gaze fell on Jin Can.
"Jin Can's progress this time is remarkable. Could you share your learning experience with everyone?"
All eyes in the class focused on the lesson once again.
Jin Can was startled when the teacher suddenly mentioned her, her mind going blank for a moment. But she quickly calmed down.
She hesitated, stood up, walked to the podium, and looked at the dozens of pairs of eyes.
Images of past confusion, hesitation, and struggle flashed through my mind.
She took a deep breath and said in the calmest voice:
"Actually... I don't have any special methods."
Her voice was clear and sincere: "For a long time, I gave up on myself. I felt that I was stupid, that the gap between me and the good students was too big, and that I couldn't catch up no matter how hard I tried, so I simply slacked off in my studies. I would just scribble a few lines on my homework and get by."
Many students were moved, clearly feeling a sense of shared experience.
"Until one day, it was a sentence from Ge Ouchen, the top student in our class, that made me understand."
She looked around, her gaze finally settling on Ge Ouchen's face.
He said that forced effort will only lead to a mediocre life.
"At that moment, I understood. Learning is not for anyone else, nor for awards or rankings, but actually for taking responsibility for oneself. The scenery at the foot of the mountain may be comfortable, but the scenery at the top is different. I want to go and see it, and I want to feel the wind there. Even if it's slow, even if I fall, as long as I keep walking, I will eventually see a more expansive view than before."
"So the only advice I can share is determination. Once you decide to climb, your efforts will not betray your results."
She paused, then smiled brightly: "Of course, I also want to thank my 'guides.' Thank you Chao Ningning, Shi Yanxi, and Zhou Yu, who selflessly paved the way for me; thank you to my deskmate Lin Xiaoxiao, the five of us worked together to achieve what we have today; and also... Ge Ouchen, he inspired me to climb, and let me see the view from the summit for the first time..."
Jin Can's voice grew softer and softer, and his ears turned slightly red.
The whole class fell silent.
The next second, thunderous applause erupted.
...
The exam chapter has now come to an end.
With the school sports meet approaching, the topics of class discussion have shifted from "functions" and "vocabulary" to "100-meter dash" and "rope skipping".
Jin Can was reported for the women's 800 meters, and now he regrets it to the core.
However, while she was focused on running training on the playground, she caught a glimpse of the three transfer students clumsily practicing long rope jumping with other classmates, and she found it inexplicably amusing.
Unfortunately, behind the excitement, in the quiet of the night, another voice resounded in her heart.
[Host: Jin Can]
[Level: Lv.7 (Beginner Academic Star)]
[Empress's Aura: 3880/6000]
[Skills: Photographic memory, mental agility, ability to apply knowledge to new situations...]
The glittering data, which should have been a source of joy, instead filled her with inexplicable panic.
The teacher's praise and the students' admiring gazes, however, became a thorn stuck in her heart, causing her discomfort.
Does she not know whether she is a genius or a top student?
Did her achievements stem from Jin Can's own hard work, or were they granted by this so-called "system" and "copy"?
Without daily training and the skills needed for crucial moments, could she have gotten to where she is today?
If one day the system suddenly disappears... will she immediately fall to the bottom and become that academic failure again, unable to understand the questions, unable to memorize the words, and with a future full of uncertainty?
This thought pierced Jin Can's heart.
The real greatest enemy is the deep-seated suspicion in Jin Can's heart.
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