The Slacker Academic Always Gets Caught (SLACKER)
As Chi Ning’s words landed, the dean’s face twitched.
If your relationship is "nothing special," why would he give you a gold medal?
The paparazzi’s stories might be fake, but the photos were real, weren’t they?
This student looked sweet and innocent, but when it came to lying, he didn’t hesitate at all.
The man couldn’t suppress a cold sneer. "I’ll be waiting to see your midterm exam results."
Chi Ning raised an eyebrow and understood.
This guy had it out for him—he was here specifically to cause trouble.
"Oh," Chi Ning nodded, his fluffy, soft hair swaying slightly as he lifted his lashes. "Go ahead and watch."
The dean choked.
Chi Ning reminded him, "The exams start this afternoon and finish the afternoon of the day after tomorrow. Results will be posted on Friday, and the rankings will be displayed on the bulletin board after school. Make sure to check them then."
Wang Quan nearly laughed out loud.
This was one of Chi Ning's good points—he always spoke his mind. When he was obedient, he was truly well-behaved, but when he was infuriating, he was truly infuriating.
The department head had been met with a soft rejection. He snorted coldly, turned on his heel, and was about to leave when he noticed half of Class 18 standing on the track with their eyes fixed on the scene.
He took a step back and barked, "What are you all staring at?!"
Qin Heng turned to leave, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chi Ning making no effort to explain and instead tilting his head to talk to a bespectacled boy.
They were standing close—from this angle, their heads were nearly touching.
Suddenly, Qin Heng didn’t want to leave anymore. His jaw tightened, and he ground his molars.
If he had known it would turn out like this, he should have at least coaxed Chi Ning a little when he called to ask, even if he didn’t outright say what was on his mind.
He should have… should have… damn it.
"Qin-ge, skipping class to play ball today?" Zhang Qiuwen asked.
Qin Heng tugged at his collar and enunciated each word, "Play my ass."
Zhang Qiuwen: "..."
Wasn’t I just trying to distract you because you seemed pissed?
"No ball, then what?"
Qin Heng: "Study."
Zhang Qiuwen: "Huh?"
He blinked in confusion. "What?"
But Qin Heng didn’t answer him again, turning and walking away.
He used to think studying was pointless—better to learn a trade and better to earn money through labor. At most, it was just for reputation.
And he didn’t care about reputation.
But now it was different. He didn’t want people’s first thought when they saw him and Chi Ning together to be, How could Chi Ning like someone like him?
He had to get into university. He had to stand beside Chi Ning openly, without shame. The paparazzi wouldn’t think Chi Ning was going astray just because he accepted Qin Heng’s gold medal.
The placement exams began in the afternoon.
Chi Ning took the time to skim through the review sections in the senior-year textbooks. Some concepts were fuzzy, but a quick glance was enough to refresh his memory.
Before the exam started, Wang Quan handed out seating slips. "Your seats are arranged according to last semester’s final exam rankings. The seat numbers are already pasted on the corners of the desks—find yours and sit down."
Class 1 was filled with students determined to fight for their college entrance exams. Chi Ning, a pre-admitted student, stood out like a sore thumb. When the test papers were handed out, the proctor couldn’t help but glance at him a few extra times.
Before senior year, Chi Ning had always had good grades but kept a low profile. Now, he was the center of attention.
The tabloid stories, complete with photos, had stirred up endless curiosity. Even the teachers had privately discussed that if Chi Ning could maintain his grades, all the rumors would collapse on their own.
Staying at the top of the rankings at First High wasn’t easy. If Chi Ning really was as the tabloids claimed, his grades would have plummeted.
The proctor’s eyes kept drifting toward Chi Ning and kept watching as the tip of his fountain pen glided smoothly across the paper, filling line after line with numbers.
An hour later, Chi Ning set down his pen.
Looking at this 2001 placement exam, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of nostalgia.
Back when he was a student, he hadn’t realized it, but now that he looked again—the exams from 2001 were really simple…
In the future, college entrance examinees would be desperate to master advanced mathematics just to score full marks.
But now?
Double-checking the paper would be an insult to his doctoral degree.
Might as well hand it in early.
The invigilator: ?
Looking at the exam paper Chi Ning handed over, he whispered, "The school prepared dinner in the box outside. Take it and eat somewhere far away so the smell doesn't distract others. There's another exam at 6:30 after you finish."
Chi Ning gave a quiet acknowledgement and tiptoed to fetch the meal box in the bamboo grove.
The school still cared for its students—today's meal box contained neatly arranged preserved vegetable braised pork, with thin slices of layered pork covering the rice, the grains thoroughly soaked in savory juices.
He took a few bites while sitting on the steps by the bamboo grove when he suddenly felt someone's gaze on him. Turning his head, he met Qin Heng's eyes.
With a piece of pork still dangling from his mouth, Chi Ning glanced at the lights from the opposite classroom and realized the bamboo grove was behind Class 18. Though rarely visited, it was close to Qin Heng's classroom.
He turned his back, shielding the meal box as if guarding his food.
Qin Heng: "..."
What? Like I’d snatch your food or something?
He chuckled inwardly, scolding himself: Look at how pathetic you are. They already said the relationship is nothing special, so why keep staring?
While mentally reprimanding himself, Qin Heng swiftly pulled the classroom curtains shut.
After a moment’s hesitation, he couldn’t resist leaving a tiny gap—just enough to catch a glimpse of Chi Ning eating quietly.
The frustration of being unable to finish his exam paper eased considerably.
When the bell signaling the end of the exam rang, Qin Heng picked up his lunchbox and, almost as if possessed, turned down Zhang Qiuwen’s invitation to eat together, heading instead for the bamboo grove.
The lingering aroma of braised pork with preserved vegetables still hung in the air, but Chi Ning was nowhere to be seen.
Sitting in the spot Chi Ning had occupied, Qin Heng took a bite of his food and asked himself: Are you really that hung up on him
He took another bite, and the Little Wolf in his heart howled: Why care so much about pride? If you cling to pride, how are you ever going to get a wife?!
Fair point.
Having convinced himself, Qin Heng, for the first time ever, didn’t skip class. He sat properly through evening self-study and completed an entire Chinese exam paper.
He knew most of his answers were probably wrong, but he wrote every character with care. After enduring three days of exams, he felt utterly drained—tests were far harder than training for a Gold medal.
In contrast, Chi Ning turned in his papers early every day and went straight to the bamboo grove to eat.
..........
Friday.
At the high school senior division’s grading office.
Wang Quan stared blankly at the science exam paper in his hands. He recognized Chi Ning’s handwriting.
But the score… Chi Ning’s physics had never been as strong as his chemistry or biology. How did this happen…?
“What’s wrong, Teacher Wang?” The head of the academic office poked his head through the doorway, gleefully anticipating some schadenfreude. “You look upset. Did Chi Ning do poorly? Oh dear, what did I say?”
Wang Quan shot him a glance and sighed theatrically. “Yeah, this score… I’m not sure how to calculate it. No matter how I tally it, it just doesn’t seem right.”
The head leaned in closer. “Let me see?”
The sea of red checkmarks on the paper was blindingly uniform.
Wang Quan could barely suppress his grin. “Ahem, no matter how I count, there’s nothing to deduct. Guess I’ll have to reluctantly write 300.”
Head: “?”
“Are you messing with me?”
Wang Quan rubbed his bald head. “Not at all.”
A few of the younger teachers in the senior division couldn’t hold back their laughter.
Teacher Wang was oddly charming and hilarious.
Who’d have thought they’d live to see the words “white lotus” embodied by a middle-aged male teacher? No wonder the students adored the rambling Teacher Wang.
The head refused to believe it. He snatched Chi Ning’s paper, glaring as if he could bore a hole through it.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t make heads or tails of the questions—he had no idea where to even start nitpicking.
A young, stylish English teacher walked in carrying a stack of A4 papers. “Head, once the science scores are finalized, the overall rankings will be ready. Want to come with us to post them on the bulletin board?”
The head’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. “What’s Chi Ning’s total score?”
“Ahem.” The English teacher, who loved indulging in pulp fiction after work, blew on her manicured nails and waved a hand in mock regret. “Points were deducted, actually. Three off for the Chinese essay. Such a shame… so close to full marks.”
The young teachers from the senior year group burst into laughter again, but upon seeing the dean's livid face, they immediately suppressed their mirth with low coughs—some sipping water, others pretending to be engrossed in books, all feigning busyness.
The English teacher glanced at her wristwatch and smoothed her hair. "Oh dear, the students are about to finish class. If the dean won't help, I'll have to leave first."
She strode away in high heels while clutching the A4 papers. Though it was Chi Ning who had scored high and dealt the dean a silent blow, she walked off as triumphantly as if the entire senior year teaching group had won a battle.
That dean was a nepotistic fool with a head full of lard—they'd all been sick of him for ages!
In previous years, after posting results, people would check them in batches. But this time, everyone was more curious about Chi Ning's score and ranking.
Some feared Chi Ning might have performed poorly and would face bullying.
Others eagerly anticipated seeing Chi Ning's downfall, hoping to witness his fall from grace.
Li Qiuhe squeezed to the front and immediately spotted Chi Ning's name.
First place!
"I told you God Chi would be first!" He grabbed the arm of the person next to him, happier than if he'd aced the exam himself. "Chi Ning's first! See? Those paparazzi were full of crap! There's nothing between him and that Qin Heng guy!"
Ye Xinran looked at his tightly gripped arm and, for once, didn't get angry. "You're right."
His gaze shifted to the second name on the list—Ye Xinran, pressed right beside Chi Ning's name. The sight pleased him immensely.
In the past, he'd been upset that Chi Ning always took first place. But not anymore. Now he hoped Chi Ning would always remain at the top, with his name right beside it.
He withdrew his arm and calmly walked to the bottom of the list. Qin Heng wasn't last, but he wasn't far from it either.
With a light chuckle, Ye Xinran muttered, "How dull."
Nearby, murmurs rose from the crowd: "Didn't the papers say Chi Ning slacked off all summer? How'd he still get first?"
"What did you expect?"
"So he really has nothing to do with Qin Heng? Though that makes sense—Qin Heng's such a mess..."
"Not necessarily. What about those photos?"
"Don't they have that thing abroad—P, P..."
Ye Xinran interjected, "Photoshop."
"Right, right! Those photos might've just pasted Chi Ning's face on someone else. Pure slander..."
"Why isn't Chi Ning here to check his results?"
"Pfft, he already knows. Doesn't need to look."
Upstairs, Chi Ning watched the packed crowd around the bulletin board, his eyes downcast as he thought: Three days without bayberry juice. Why hasn't Qin Heng made a move? Shouldn't a seller be more proactive?
Is he doing this on purpose?
•───────•°•❀•°•───────•
Advanced chapters are now available up to chapter 65 (End) on my Ko-fi page!
If you appreciate what I do, please consider supporting me on kofi. Thank you!
•───────•°•❀•°•───────•