Class 15's classroom.
Shen Yuan turned around to ask Pan Hao, the math class representative sitting behind him, for help.
"Let me copy the math homework."
"English."
"Didn't do it."
Pan Hao shook his head. "No deal, then."
The trade failed.
Shen Yuan's gaze fell upon Li Zhi.
Seeing Shen Yuan's pleading eyes, Li Zhi sighed helplessly. She knew that if she refused, Shen Yuan would probably keep pestering her.
After all, not many people had arrived early.
So, Li Zhi pulled the test paper out of her schoolbag.
"This is the last time."
Shen Yuan took the test paper and blew a kiss through the air. "Love you, sis!"
...
"Perfect buzzer-beater!"
Just as the bell rang, Zhou Shaojie plopped down into his seat.
Seeing Shen Yuan frantically copying homework, Zhou Shaojie craned his neck over and glanced at the paper. "The last multiple-choice question is B."
Shen Yuan didn't even look up. "It's Li Zhi's."
"Oh. In that case, just pretend I farted."
If Shen Yuan was the English-only god, then Zhou Shaojie was the math-only god.
When it came to math, Zhou Shaojie could get away with playing on his phone during the head teacher's class.
When Zhou Shaojie scored 150 on the math test, it wasn't because 150 was his limit; it was because 150 was the maximum possible score.
Authoritative.
And then, next to these two sat Li Zhi, the god of every single subject.
Even more damn authoritative.
A few moments after the bell rang, a woman wearing slacks and a white blouse walked in.
This was Class 15's English teacher, Yang Yishui.
Her nickname was Sister Shuishui.
Of course, most of the time, people just called her Shuishui.
Because it sounded nicer.
The moment Yang Yishui entered, her gaze subconsciously fell on a certain spot, where she saw that little brat with his head buried, rushing his homework.
Amidst the sounds of Class 15 students reading English aloud, Yang Yishui walked over to Zhou Shaojie's side, then raised her hand and snapped a photo of Shen Yuan.
After doing this, Yang Yishui knocked on Shen Yuan's pile of books.
Shen Yuan looked up at Yang Yishui, his eyes full of confusion.
Yang Yishui tilted her head, signaling for Shen Yuan to follow her out.
Shen Yuan pointed at his desk; he still had homework to copy.
Then he saw Yang Yishui hold up her phone, which displayed the picture of him with his head buried, catching up on homework.
Shen Yuan let out a soft "TSK."
Then, he followed Yang Yishui out of the classroom.
Yang Yishui crossed her arms, a smug look on her face. "Doing homework during the morning reading session. Tell me, what should we do about this? Should I tell Old Zhou, or should I tell my younger uncle?"
Yang Yishui was Shen Yuan's Eldest Female Cousin; Shen Yuan had to call her mother "Great-Aunt."
There was a ten-year age gap between them; Yang Yishui had watched this little brat Shen Yuan grow up.
Shen Yuan's proficiency in English was inextricably linked to Yang Yishui.
Faced with Yang Yishui's threat, Shen Yuan looked completely unfazed. "I owe you one class."
"Two. I have two evening self-study sessions this Saturday. They're all yours!"
Shen Yuan's English level was plain for everyone in Class 15 to see.
After all, Yang Yishui had already made Shen Yuan teach a few classes for her.
Shen Yuan felt that the person happiest about him getting into the honors class wasn't his parents, but his Eldest Female Cousin.
"You're just skipping two whole classes? When it comes to ditching class, you're the real pro."
The corner of Yang Yishui's mouth lifted as she argued confidently, "Morning reading is only for English and Chinese. I get to school earlier than the other teachers, so what's wrong with me skipping two classes?"
"A blind date?" Shen Yuan asked curiously.
"Nope. Just sleepy."
"What the hell..."
What else could Shen Yuan say?
His Eldest Female Cousin could already predict she'd be sleepy during Saturday's evening study session; at this rate, she'd soon be able to predict the day of his death.
"I'm starting to feel like the only reason you forced English down my throat back then was for this very moment."
First, she gets the job. Then, she makes sure her little bro tests into her school. Finally, she gets her little bro to sub for her.
What a grand chess game you've been playing, Yang Yishui.
Yang Yishui chuckled. "Two classes. Go over one test paper, and you can manage the rest of the time yourself. And I won't assign any English homework that day."
"That's my sis for you!"
Shen Yuan immediately changed his tune.
Yang Yishui patted Shen Yuan's shoulder, satisfied. "Go on, back to finishing your homework."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Shen Yuan hurried back to his seat.
Zhou Shaojie immediately sent a jeer his way: "Loser!"
"Get lost!" After saying that, Shen Yuan executed a Great Wilderness Heaven-Imprisoning Finger. "Just you wait for Saturday's English evening self-study!"
Zhou Shaojie panicked. "Shuishui gave you the class?"
"Now you're scared, huh! I'm going to call you up to translate the test paper!"
"That's abusing public office for a private grudge!"
"This is called using public resources for personal gain!" Shen Yuan retorted, looking smug.
With that said, Shen Yuan held out his hand. "Quick, give me the physics homework."
"Bro, here you go."
Zhou Shaojie presented the homework with both hands.
Looking at the physics homework, Shen Yuan patted Zhou Shaojie's shoulder in satisfaction. "When the time comes, I'll give you a heads-up on the English homework."
"That's my bro for you!"
Just as the two were talking, a loud cough sounded from behind them.
Shen Yuan quickly pulled out his English book and started reading aloud, and Zhou Shaojie unhesitatingly began reading as well.
This could be considered a form of tacit understanding that Shen Yuan and his Eldest Female Cousin had developed over the past few days.
He could judge the severity of the upcoming situation based on the intensity of his Eldest Female Cousin's cough.
A single, loud cough meant that Old Zhou was coming.
After Yang Yishui walked away, Old Zhou soon arrived and made a round through the classroom.
As the head teacher, Old Zhou would usually make a round during the morning reading session before heading to the faculty cafeteria for breakfast.
In Shen Yuan's case, his parents were too lazy to get up and make breakfast.
As for Old Zhou, he felt bad that his wife had to wake up early, so Zhongdeng usually got to school a bit earlier to find food at the school cafeteria, inspecting the morning reading session along the way.
This made life bitter for Class 15.
The subject teachers, the head teacher, and the grade-level heads all took turns inspecting them. How very interesting.
But Shen Yuan wasn't worried at all.
Subbing for his Eldest Female Cousin wasn't a simple favor.
If Yang Yishui told on his dad, he'd just tell on his aunt—her mother.
Anyway, once he opened his little mouth, even Shen Yuan himself didn't know what might come out.
It all depended on whether his Eldest Female Cousin dared to take that bet.
...
"I bet this question is definitely C!"
Shen Yuan pointed at the last multiple-choice question on yesterday's chemistry homework, speaking with utter confidence.
Zhou Shaojie immediately refuted him. "C my ass! It's definitely D!"
At that moment, Yang Ze from the front row turned around. "Then I'll choose A! That way we'll have a 75% chance of being right."
Zhou Shaojie immediately shot back, "That's not how probability works! It has to be D! Look at this concentration curve, it's absolutely D!"
Yang Ze: "This isn't a chest, you moron!"
Shen Yuan: "D my ass! It's definitely C! Three short, one long, pick the longest one!"
Yang Ze: "That's for English, you idiot!"
Listening to the three's conversation, Li Zhi shook her head, speechless.
Just then, Shen Yuan turned to look at Li Zhi. "What did you choose?"
"I chose B."
The voice of authority had spoken.
For a moment, the three of them were struggling to keep it together.
The three of them, for fuck's sake, couldn't produce a single correct answer among them.
So much for a 75% success rate.
Zhou Shaojie was the first to burst out laughing, pointing at Shen Yuan. "Idiot! 'Three short, one long, pick the longest one,' my ass!"
The next second, Shen Yuan grabbed him in a headlock.
"Aruba! He chose D for the last chemistry question!"
Yang Ze quickly got up and grabbed one of Zhou Shaojie's legs. "He deserves to die!"
Zhou Shaojie struggled frantically. "The answer isn't D! It isn't D! It's B! We are not a foolish ruler! We are not a foolish ruler!"
Someone in the class looked at Zhou Shaojie's state and sighed, "Another one driven mad by homework."
"Three! Two! One!"
Together, they swung him at the door.
"AHH!!"
The emperor, on the verge of his downfall, pointed at Shen Yuan:
"He chose C! He deserves to die too!"
Shen Yuan roared back, "Foolish ruler! The last chemistry question is clearly B! Continue the Aruba!"