On Monday morning, the dormitory buildings were buzzing with excitement. The reason was simple: after much anticipation, the students were finally going to witness the "Study God" being disciplined by the school. It was an event practically worth setting off firecrackers for.
"I have to ask—is your reputation actually that bad?" Jiang Wei watched the Alpha boys they passed, all of whom were wearing mysterious, gloating smiles. His lips couldn't help but twitch.
"If my reputation were bad, no one would bother making eyes at me," Tang Zihe said, throwing an arm around Jiang Wei’s shoulder. "Let’s go get breakfast. I’m starving."
"Have you decided on a talent yet?" Jiang Wei asked curiously. The guy had been completely clueless yesterday; had he found inspiration in his sleep?
"I told you, I’ll just wing it with something perfunctory."
"Fair enough." Jiang Wei shrugged, only then belatedly peeling the other’s hand off his shoulder.
Perhaps because Jiang Wei had already broken the ice last time, Mr. Shi didn't look nearly as angry today. In fact, there was a faint glimmer of anticipation in his expression.
Jiang Wei could now tell that the entire school—both faculty and students—was looking forward to seeing what kind of "surprise" Tang Zihe, the perennial Study God, would deliver.
The person in question, however, seemed completely oblivious to the pressure.
The two of them handed their self-reflection essays to Mr. Shi early that morning. He gave them a cursory glance before stuffing them into his pocket without further questioning. That hurdle was cleared.
As the flag-raising ceremony drew to a close, the students' excitement only mounted. When the host finally called Tang Zihe’s name to the stage, the atmosphere reached its peak.
The tidal wave of applause and suppressed screams made one wonder if this was actually a pop star's concert.
Down in the crowd, Jiang Wei joined in the cheering and clapping with great enthusiasm.
On stage, Tang Zihe composedly took the microphone from the host and gave a polite "Thank you."
"Last week, I committed a serious error by violating Article 5 of the school regulations: skipping class without cause. I have reflected deeply on my mistake and have accepted the corresponding punishment by standing here today." He cleared his throat. Though his face remained expressionless, he somehow managed to look incredibly solemn and upright. "I hope all my juniors and classmates will take this as a warning. Study hard and make progress every day."
Hearing this stiff, official tone, Jiang Wei couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Of course, he wasn't the only one.
"To this day, I still have to marvel at Brother Tang’s ability to act like a total hotshot. It’s a level we mere mortals can never hope to reach," Xia Shan said from the front, cupping his hands in a mock gesture of deep respect.
"Image is everything to him," Shen Yannan commented succinctly.
"The talent I will be performing..." Tang Zihe scanned the crowd, suddenly flashing a smile. "Don't get your hopes up. It’s a poetry recitation."
"I will recite 'Exhortation to Learning' for everyone. I hope we can all encourage each other in our future studies."
The group from Class 1 couldn't hold it back anymore. Even the laughter from Yang Xiangtong and the other girls standing on the other side was audible.
Naturally, a chorus of jeers and mock boos erupted from the audience. After waiting so long with bated breath only to be met with a textbook recitation, it was only natural for people to feel the sting of disappointment.
Then again, there were plenty of Betas and Omegas who felt they could handle it. Forget a poem—even if the Study God just stood there in silence, they would be happy to watch him a little longer.
Some had even already started a new thread on the school forums.
By now, almost no one was actually listening to what the Study God was reciting, except for the students secretly recording with their phones. Even then, they were just admiring his looks; even if Tang Zihe started mixing up the lines, no one would probably notice.
Jiang Wei noticed that Tang Zihe was looking at him. When their eyes met, the guy even quirked an eyebrow at him.
*When did he add this to his list of grudges?* Jiang Wei thought, caught between laughter and tears. This guy really was petty, finding a way to provoke him even in a situation like this.
But Tang Zihe was right—this move was indeed incredibly perfunctory. Jiang Wei couldn't think of a lazier method if he tried. Yet, Mr. Shi and Director Li seemed satisfied—perhaps they truly believed his attitude toward admitting his mistake was sincere.
***
The excitement only lasted as long as the assembly. Once they returned to the classroom, everyone plunged into the high-pressure state of reviewing for midterms.
Tang Wanbai went as far as to take Jiang Wei’s physics notebook directly from him.
"All my notes are in this book. Look through it yourself, and if there’s anything you don't understand, feel free to ask," Jiang Wei said, finally fishing the notebook out of his drawer and handing it over.
He remembered... the last time he had opened this notebook was about two weeks ago.
He suddenly started to wonder if he was being a bit of a slacker...
Tang Zihe watched from the corner of his eye as the person beside him fidgeted restlessly like he had ADHD. This state continued for over ten minutes with no sign of stopping, so Tang Zihe finally put down his pen. "Do you have fleas?"
"You're the one with fleas. This is called pre-exam anxiety," Jiang Wei huffed, clearly dissatisfied. "You wouldn't understand. You don't get like this."
"I understand the words well enough," Tang Zihe said. "Who says I don't get pre-exam anxiety? I’m constantly on edge, terrified that one of those people will snatch my throne away one day."
This comment earned a massive eye-roll from Shen Yannan, the perennial second-place student sitting in front of them, and a silent middle finger from Jiang Wei.
"What do you have to be nervous about?" Tang Zihe flipped through his exercise book, acting nonchalant. "As long as you don't lose ten points to another 'accident,' you have a good shot at breaking into the grade's top five this time."
The expression on Jiang Wei’s face was one of pure shock, as if he had just witnessed Tang Zihe being possessed by an angel.
Since they were kids, he had always had to work incredibly hard to get a single direct compliment out of this guy. Yet now, after just a few complaints, he had received one so easily.
It was like a massive dose of reassurance.
Jiang Wei blinked, feeling the gloom that had been hovering over his head vanish instantly, replaced by a bright, sunny sky.
Because these midterms were part of an eight-school joint examination, they were extremely important. They measured not only individual student strength but also the overall teaching quality of the schools. Consequently, Mr. Shi and the other teachers were lecturing much faster than usual, seemingly trying to cram as much as possible into the students' brains in these last few days.
The amount of homework naturally skyrocketed. Even Shen Yannan, who usually acted like he didn't know what homework was, was buried in his work during evening self-study.
This state continued until Thursday's evening self-study, when Tang Wanbai became the first to face a total breakdown.
"I can't take it anymore. I feel like I'm going to die." Tang Wanbai slumped against the back of her chair. Her right hand, hanging down, couldn't even straighten its fingers immediately due to the long hours of gripping a pen; they were even trembling slightly.
"Then take a break." Yang Xiangtong put down her pen and reached out to massage Tang Wanbai’s knuckles, helping her relax. "Want me to go outside with you for some fresh air?"
"Forget it, I don't want to move." Tang Wanbai’s gaze swept around the room. The only two people who looked like they had nothing to do were the two sitting in the very last row.
Jiang Wei was fiddling with a small box on his desk.
Tang Wanbai quietly slipped behind them and poked Jiang Wei, giving him a start.
"Brother Jiang, what is this thing?"
"This?" Jiang Wei handed the object over. "It’s a finger trainer. It’s used for practicing the guzheng. I just bought it to play around with."
"Oh." Tang Wanbai took it and looked it over.
It was an unremarkable wooden box with five taut strings stretched across the top, held up by small wooden blocks on either side to create a hollow space in the middle. The words "Guzheng Special Finger Trainer" were engraved on the surface.
It looked like a miniature, simplified guzheng.
"How do you play with this?" Tang Wanbai’s curiosity was fully piqued. She plucked one of the strings with her index finger, producing a tiny sound. "The strings are so tight. Does it actually make a sound?"
"Of course." Jiang Wei rubbed his index finger and casually plucked a few notes. "I can't play it too loudly; I don't want to disturb the others."
But the sound was already several times louder than what Tang Wanbai had produced, though only those in the immediate vicinity—Tang Zihe and Shen Yannan’s group—could hear it.
It was only then that Tang Wanbai realized the difference between this thing and a real guzheng. The sounds produced by these five strings were honestly hideous—worlds apart from the musical tones a guzheng could make. Hearing it made one want to dig at their ears to ensure no permanent damage had been done.
She looked up at Jiang Wei and Tang Zihe, who seemed unbothered, and then at Xia Shan, who had turned around with a complicated expression. She immediately found her kindred spirit.
"What are you guys doing? How can you make such an awful noise?" Xia Shan asked in a low voice.
"Finger trainer," Tang Wanbai explained this time. "Want to try?"
Jiang Wei took the opportunity to glance at Tang Zihe, noticing that he didn't seem repulsed by the sound at all.
"Not bad. You're not afraid of this sound anymore," Jiang Wei chuckled softly. The twanging of the strings from Xia Shan’s plucking filled his ears, but it didn't distract him at all.
"After hearing a certain someone practice so much, it shouldn't be surprising that I've developed some immunity." Tang Zihe had clearly heard the racket Xia Shan was making, and a faint, almost imperceptible crack finally appeared in his composed expression.
Jiang Wei nodded with a grin, choosing not to call him out.
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
学神 | Study God / Academic God | Slang for a student who is naturally brilliant without seeming to try.
《劝学》 | Exhortation to Learning | A famous essay by the philosopher Xunzi about the importance of education.
施总 | Mr. Shi | "Zong" (CEO/Boss) is a common student nickname for a teacher.
装13 | Acting like a hotshot / Showing off | Slang (zhuang bi) for pretending to be cool or impressive.
八校联考 | Eight-school joint examination | A standardized test taken by eight affiliated schools to compare rankings.
练指器 | Finger trainer / Finger exerciser | A portable device with strings used by musicians to build finger strength and calluses.
