After Becoming the Abused Heroine in a Campus Story - Chapter 17: Except for English, All Her Other Subjects...

Chapter 17: Except for English, All Her Other Subjects…

Yu Yang understood a difficult problem and looked at Zhou Yining with bright eyes. “Wow, your method is so clever, Sister Zhou. I still have a few problems from my homework I can’t figure out. Can you explain them to me?”

Zhou Yining smiled at her. “Sure.”

“I’ll bring you more snacks this afternoon.” Yu Yang grinned happily. Her family had hired a tutor, but the tutor’s explanations were complicated. Zhou Yining’s were much simpler.

Zhou Yining winked at her and nodded in agreement.

She was broke and couldn’t even afford snacks. The hundred yuan from the morning was for the internet café. If explaining problems could earn her snacks, that seemed pretty good.

The second period was Chinese class. The homeroom teacher walked in with the test papers and had the class representative distribute the answer sheets as usual.

Chen Yitong’s face was full of smiles. She said, “Our class did well in Chinese this time. Our average score was even higher than several top classes. Our class’s Zhou Yining got first in the grade for Chinese, scoring 148, only losing two points on the essay.”

After Chen Yitong’s words, the class erupted.

“No way, Zhou Yining’s really soaring?”

“That’s Sister Zhou. She’s amazing, improving so much so fast.”

“Yeah, I thought she cheated at first, but math class proved me wrong. Sister Zhou’s legit.”

“I think so too. Our regular class finally got some glory. No more Zhang Ye always taking first and acting all high and mighty.”

“Exactly, I don’t like Zhang Ye either.”

“Alright, we’ll go over this test today.” Chen Yitong stopped the students’ chatter and started explaining the problems.

The second and third periods were both Chinese. They nearly finished reviewing the test over the two periods. At the end, Chen Yitong read Zhou Yining’s essay as a model example.

She said, “You all heard Zhou Yining’s essay. It was very on-topic, with strong arguments and evidence. Her handwriting was neat too. I deducted two points because Chinese rarely gets a perfect score. She should be mentally prepared that even a great essay might lose points in the college entrance exam.”

Zhou Yining nodded. She knew this, having taken the college entrance exam in her previous life.

Xu Yueming, sitting next to her, looked at Zhou Yining with a complicated expression. His quiet, shy desk mate had changed so much. He was struggling to adjust.

Zhou Yining remained calm. In her previous life, she was outstanding, so she was used to people’s attention. She accepted their gazes without fear.

After class, a few girls brought snacks to ask Zhou Yining questions. These girls usually had no interaction with her, but they had never badmouthed her either. Those who had mocked her before felt too embarrassed to ask for help.

Soon, Zhou Yining’s desk was piled with snacks like a small mountain. She was very satisfied.

Before the next class, Zhou Yining finished explaining problems, drank a yogurt happily, and packed the snacks into a big bag to eat later.

The politics teacher entered the class and saw Zhou Yining organizing snacks. She teased, “Starting a snack shop now?”

Zhou Yining smiled at Teacher Wu, looking obedient.

Teacher Wu was in a good mood. Zhou Yining’s comprehensive exam score was outstanding: 298 out of 300, first in the grade.

She had heard today that Zhou Yining topped not only the comprehensive exam but also Chinese and math. Of course, her English was first too—from the bottom.

Teacher Wu set aside other thoughts and began reviewing the test.

Meanwhile, in the second-year teachers’ office, the grade director, Luo Mei, came to find Chen Yitong.

“Yitong, what’s up with your class’s Zhou Yining? I just checked the grade rankings. Except for English, she’s first in every other subject.”

Chen Yitong nodded. “Yeah, this kid just came out of nowhere these past few days. It feels like she suddenly got it.”

“That’s good if she’s enlightened. But what’s with her English? Even guessing wouldn’t get her a zero, right?” Luo Mei asked.

“She has some conflict with the English teacher. Before, Teacher Cao accused her of cheating on a classroom quiz. Later, he insulted her over the confession wall issue. So Zhou Yining probably has a grudge against him.” Chen Yitong explained.

Luo Mei frowned and nodded. She had just spoken with Teacher Cao, who had completely trashed Zhou Yining. Now she understood there was more to the story.

“But this kid’s really stubborn. Her answer sheet had nothing but her name and class.”

Luo Mei sighed and said, “Xiao Chen, guide her a bit. I’ll try to talk to Teacher Cao. We can’t let such a promising student go to waste. She’s first in every subject except English, where she got zero. I wouldn’t know how to explain this to the principal.”

“Okay, Sister Luo, I’ll try. Zhou Yining’s pretty strong-willed, but I’ll do my best.” Chen Yitong thought of Zhou Yining and said.

“Alright, that’s it for now.” Luo Mei had other matters and left.

Soon, it was time to dismiss. This time, Tian Xue didn’t rush to find Zhou Yining. Zhou Yining packed her things, grabbed two packs of snacks, and walked to Tian Xue’s desk.

“Eat some snacks. I earned these this morning. Let’s go home.” Zhou Yining placed the snacks on Tian Xue’s desk.

Tian Xue quietly put the snacks away and followed Zhou Yining silently. They walked out of the teaching building before Tian Xue spoke.

“Are we still friends?”

Zhou Yining was surprised by the question. “Of course. Why ask that?”

“Your grades suddenly got so good. Now you’re surrounded by top students. I feel the gap between us is growing. If this keeps up, can we really stay friends?” Tian Xue said, her voice low.

“Then work harder to catch up. There’s no gap. Don’t overthink it. If you have math questions you don’t get, I can explain them to you for free. I take snacks from others, but not from you.” Zhou Yining smiled at her and said.

Though Tian Xue was shy and sometimes a bit odd, she was one of the few who had given the original owner warmth. The original owner’s family had hurt her enough, and she was bullied and isolated in class. Without Tian Xue as a friend, with her personality, she might not have held on.

So Zhou Yining gave Tian Xue some leeway and would help her when she could.

Tian Xue looked at Zhou Yining through her thick bangs. After a long pause, she said, “When did you get so close with Jiang Xianzhi?”

“Not really close. We just ran into each other a few times.” Zhou Yining replied.

Tian Xue kept staring at Zhou Yining, her eyes dark. “She’s got a bad temper and a powerful family. I heard from people who were friends with her that she’s hard to get along with. I suggest you be careful. A rich girl like her can crush ordinary people like us with a word.”

“That’s an exaggeration. Alright, let’s not talk about her. Hurry up, I’m hungry.” Zhou Yining changed the subject, not wanting to hear Tian Xue badmouth Jiang Xianzhi.

To her, Tian Xue was the original owner’s friend, while Jiang Xianzhi felt more like her own friend.