"Holy crap, when did Jiang Wei get so good?"
"Is his progress speed on a rocket ship or something?!"
"So Gu Renwen actually dropped out of the top five this time?"
The classroom erupted into a frenzy before Jiang Wei himself could even process the news. Only Tang Zihe seemed unsurprised, leaning his head lazily on his hand as he listened to the noisy discussion.
After the initial shock, an unexpected round of applause broke out.
Since ancient times, exams have always been a source of joy for some and sorrow for others. Naturally, the two people at the center of the discussion were no exception. Gu Renwen’s expression was quite unsightly, while Jiang Wei was practically ecstatic.
"Is it really me?!" Jiang Wei grabbed Tang Zihe’s sleeve and gave it a shake. "I’m not dreaming, am I?"
"I told you that you could do it." Tang Zihe patted his hand, telling him to stay still, and offered a rare, genuine compliment.
"Congrats, Jiang-ge!" Xia Shan, true to his role as the class hype man, was the one clapping the loudest.
"Thanks, thanks." Jiang Wei scratched his head, feeling a bit bashful.
Ms. Yang clapped a few times at the front of the room to signal for silence.
"We don't have much time left for morning self-study. Don't you all still need to switch seats?" Ms. Yang glanced at the clock on the wall. "How about this: everyone head outside. I’ll call your names one by one to come in and pick your seats. Let's try to get this finished before the period ends so it doesn't eat into your break."
The seat-changing process held no suspense. Tang Zihe was far too lazy to stand outside and go through the motions; he simply stayed in his seat without moving. A few seconds later, Jiang Wei sat down right next to him.
As more people trickled back in, Ms. Yang stopped reading the overall rankings, telling the students that anyone who wanted to know their specific score could ask Mr. Shi after class.
Aside from Tang Wanbai, who had made significant progress, the grades of their small group hadn't fluctuated much.
"Not bad, not bad." Xia Shan had always been open-minded about these things, believing that as long as he wasn't regressing, he was progressing. However, he still let out a visible sigh of relief as he patted his chest after sitting down.
Shen Yannan glanced at Gu Renwen, whose face was as dark as the bottom of a burnt pot as he occasionally looked their way. "Even though there were quite a few ties this time, Gu Renwen’s drop is still pretty severe," Shen Yannan remarked casually. "He actually fell out of the top ten in the grade."
"It might be a mindset issue. Whatever, who cares," Tang Wanbai said with a wave of her hand, clearly indifferent.
"Oh, right, I have two more things to announce." Ms. Yang stood at the classroom door, looking like she intended to leave as soon as she finished. "First, registration for the National Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry Olympiads has begun. Interested students can sign up with the corresponding subject teacher or your class advisor. Since the school has a limited number of slots, if too many people sign up, there might be a small internal selection process. Those who want to participate should be prepared."
"Second, remember how you were all clamoring to get into the laboratory back in tenth grade?" Ms. Yang sighed with a smile. "I spent nearly half a year pestering the principal to finally get you a permission slot. If all goes well, one of next week's chemistry classes will be a lab session. However, I still need to go over and check the quantity of equipment and reagents, so I’ll notify you later about the specific time."
A cheer erupted from the class.
"I thought for sure that request had sunk to the bottom of the ocean. I can't believe we're actually going..."
"Being able to go to the lab is so cool!"
"Thank you, Ms. Yang, for making my dream come true."
"Thank you, Ms. Yang, for making my dream come true."
"Thank you, Ms. Yang, for making my dream come true."
The chant echoed through the room.
"Are you guys planning to sign up for the competitions?" Shen Yannan turned to ask.
"Are you?" Jiang Wei looked at his own report card and shook his head. "I don't have any particularly outstanding subjects; I'm more of an all-rounder. I wouldn't be very competitive if I signed up."
"I'm just here to listen to you guys talk. With my grades, signing up would just be turning myself into cannon fodder," Xia Shan said with a shrug. "Shen-ge, do you want to sign up?"
"Why do you call everyone 'ge'?" Shen Yannan replied, caught between laughter and tears. "I want to try Chemistry."
Tang Zihe had been listening to them talk the whole time, and only now did he nod. "You shouldn't have any problem making the provincial team."
Jiang Wei watched the two of them exchange riddles, looking completely bewildered.
Fortunately, Xia Shan kindly filled him in on the situation.
It turned out that Shen Yannan was the type of student who truly excelled in specific subjects while struggling in others. He couldn't memorize a single ancient poem to save his life, nearly driving the Chinese teacher to a stroke on multiple occasions, yet he was a natural at organic chemistry. He could understand and memorize all the mechanisms, experimental phenomena, and results just by reading the textbook once.
The school's chemistry exams were so easy for him that he could practically get a perfect score with his eyes closed.
While Jiang Wei had previously thought Shen Yannan was impressive, he had never grasped the specifics until now. He felt his worldview being refreshed once again.
"Wait, I have another question," Jiang Wei said, raising his hand. "What exactly is the deal with these competitions? Ms. Yang didn't go into detail today. How do you all know so much?"
"Because Mr. Shi introduced it to us back in tenth grade," Tang Zihe explained. "In his words, we first sign up at school, then we likely pass a selection test. After that, we go to a certain school on a specific date for a centralized training camp and the preliminary round. The top scorers enter the provincial team, which qualifies them for the subsequent national-level exams. Everyone who participates in the national exam is awarded a gold, silver, or bronze medal based on their score—by the way, everyone gets one."
"Then, the top fifty gold medalists enter the National Training Team and are granted guaranteed admission to any major at any university. After that, the National Training Team selects four people to participate in the International Olympiad."
"That's the general process."
Jiang Wei took a few seconds to process this before nodding in realization.
"But Shen-ge, why do you actually want to do the competition? I heard life in the training camp is terrifying. They have classes in the middle of the day and elimination exams every morning and evening. It sounds haunting," Xia Shan said, making a face as if he had a toothache.
After all, Shen Yannan’s situation was different from most students who specialized in one subject. Even if he took the Gaokao normally, he could easily get into any school he wanted.
"Do you really want to know?" Shen Yannan hesitated. Based on that look, Jiang Wei was certain that whatever came out of his mouth next wouldn't be anything "good."
Naturally, Xia Shan nodded with an innocent face.
Shen Yannan first chose a reason that was easier to swallow: "Obviously, it's because I don't want to take the Gaokao."
"But why?"
Jiang Wei decided to observe three seconds of silence for Xia Shan’s relentless spirit of inquiry.
"Hmm..." Shen Yannan propped up his chin, blinked, and said with a smile, "Because I want to avoid the peak travel season during the holidays and go on a trip with my boyfriend early—specifically, during the time when the rest of you are reviewing for and taking the Gaokao."
Xia Shan: "..."
Jiang Wei silently pressed his palms together in prayer for his friend.
Xia Shan raised his hands to cover his ears, his face a mask of grief and indignation. "Shen-ge, you really are my 'ge.' I beg of you, please show some respect to the Gaokao, okay?"
Shen Yannan looked innocent. "You were the one who asked."
"Does my current score not show enough respect? I respect it very much."
"I must be crazy to have asked that question," Xia Shan grumbled, looking a bit aggrieved. "I'm offering a massive reward for a pair of ears that have never heard what was just said."
Shen Yannan doubled over with laughter.
"Are you really not going to take a competition?" Jiang Wei looked at Tang Zihe with some confusion.
"Which competition do you think suits me?" Tang Zihe asked back nonchalantly, still working through a practice paper as usual.
"I think you could take any of them," Jiang Wei said seriously. This guy had scored over 700 on the joint exam again; with those grades, there wasn't a competition he couldn't handle. "Besides, if you don't sign up, Mr. Shi will probably come and 'invite' you to join the Physics Olympiad by force."
That actually sounded very plausible.
"You're right," Tang Zihe nodded in agreement. "I do need to consider it."
"Quiet down, everyone!"
The late-arriving Mr. Shi knocked loudly on the classroom door and taped a document to the wall beside it. "The specific arrangements for each subject's competition are out. Interested students can come take a look."
Shen Yannan was the first to walk over.
Jiang Wei, in the mood to see the commotion, decided to take a look as well, followed by Tang Zihe.
"The Chemistry and Physics training camps are around the same time," Shen Yannan noted, checking the dates carefully. "Math is the shortest; it finishes before the New Year."
"Are you guys planning to sign up too?" Ding Banfan’s voice suddenly rang out from behind the three of them, giving Jiang Wei a start.
"How do you walk without making a sound?"
"I was just at the door; I just finished playing ball and came back to class," Ding Banfan said, sounding a bit defensive. "What are you signing up for?"
"Shen Yannan is doing Chemistry. I'm just looking. He's still considering," Jiang Wei explained briefly. "What about you?"
"Physics." Ding Banfan’s face was long, with "unwilling" practically written across his forehead. "My mom said I should go to broaden my horizons and gain some experience. She doesn't actually expect me to make the provincial team or get a medal."
"Well, that's good. It saves you from having any psychological pressure."
"I'm under a lot of pressure right now," Ding Banfan said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "It would be really embarrassing if I didn't even pass the school's internal selection."
Jiang Wei: "..."
This group really were best friends; every single one of them was as obsessed with their image as Tang Zihe.
"Are you really not signing up?" Tang Zihe finally finished browsing the entire document and turned his head to ask.
Jiang Wei shook his head and gave a casual smile. "I'm not like you guys. Even if I took the exam, I probably wouldn't make the provincial team. I'd rather just focus on preparing for the Gaokao."
"Have you decided? Which one?"
"Yeah." Tang Zihe’s gaze lingered on the schedule column. "I'll sign up for Math."
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
联考 | Joint Examination | A standardized test conducted across multiple schools or regions.
省队 | Provincial Team | The elite group of students chosen to represent their province in national-level academic competitions.
国家集训队 | National Training Team | The top 50 students in a national competition who are often granted guaranteed university admission.
保送 | Guaranteed Admission | The process of being admitted to a university without having to take the National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao).
竞赛 | Olympiad / Competition | Academic subject competitions (Math, Physics, Chemistry, etc.).
施总 | Mr. Shi | A nickname for the teacher, Mr. Shi; "Zong" (Boss) implies he is a formidable or authoritative figure.
小杨姐 | Ms. Yang | A friendly nickname for the teacher, Ms. Yang; "Jie" (Sister) implies a close, approachable relationship.
