Chapter Twenty-Nine: Skipping a Grade

Wu Tong’s grades were officially released, and her advancement to the next grade was naturally successful.

Luo Zhenping managed to get permission from the principal and wasted no time in seeking out Duan Hong and Chen Qiusheng, personally coming to collect Wu Tong for his class. A genuine prodigy, a future top scorer, had landed in his lap—if he let her slip away, he would fight tooth and nail.

“Teacher Luo, this is Wu Tong!” Chen Qiusheng called Wu Tong over and made introductions.

“Wu Tong, congratulations on another brilliant achievement, and best wishes on your successful grade jump! This is Teacher Luo, the homeroom teacher of Senior Three Class One. Today, you’ll move into the new classroom, and tomorrow you’ll start attending classes with Teacher Luo!”

“Hello, Teacher Luo!”

“Wu Tong, welcome to Senior Three Class One,” Luo Zhenping said warmly, his delight evident. “I’ll have someone help you carry your textbooks.”

“There’s no need, Teacher Luo. I’ll ask the class president for a hand,” Chen Qiusheng interjected. Wu Tong was a source of pride for their class; such a small task shouldn’t be delegated to outsiders.

With that, Wu Tong’s grade jump was settled.

At her desk, besides neatly arranged textbooks and exercise books, she only had her water bottle and backpack left. Lin Yang called over two enthusiastic boys to help carry all her books, leaving Wu Tong only her water bottle and backpack to hold for appearances.

“Let us serve you, so we might absorb a bit of your genius!” the two classmates joked with Wu Tong, grinning.

“Genius, if you have the chance, please guide us. Don’t forget your old classmates, even after skipping ahead!” The class sports committee member, ranked around tenth in the class, glanced at the two teachers walking ahead and, lowering his voice, spoke brightly to Wu Tong.

“Alright!” Wu Tong nodded. She wasn’t adept at initiating conversations, but she welcomed sincere and proactive friendships.

Senior Three Class One was located on the top floor of the Minghua Building. Their school’s teaching buildings weren’t tall, only five floors in total. There was a side corridor connecting two buildings, which extended to the cafeteria.

They crossed directly from the third floor of the Boxue Building through the corridor to Minghua Building, then climbed two flights of stairs, turned east at the corner, and entered Senior Three Class One, which was right next to the teachers’ office at the innermost side.

At this moment, the students of Senior Three Class One were absorbed in intense revision and practice. As the elite class of the senior year, their self-discipline was unwavering even without teacher supervision. Everyone was deeply immersed in their studies, with few paying attention to outside events.

When Luo Zhenping led Wu Tong into the class, only a handful noticed, and Luo Zhenping was quite satisfied with the display of focus.

He clapped his hands together, drawing everyone’s attention, and introduced, “Everyone, please meet Wu Tong. I’m sure you all know her. From now on, she’ll be learning and progressing together with you! Let’s give her a warm round of applause to welcome Wu Tong!”

Thunderous applause erupted as everyone clapped with vigor, though most were inwardly wailing.

Of course they knew her—who didn’t? The sudden top scorer, the dazzling full marks—she was the formidable queen! Now she was parachuting directly into their class? It sent shivers through them all.

Remote dominance wasn’t enough; now the real prodigy was here in person. Her presence was awe-inspiring.

The previously quiet classroom suddenly seemed to boil over, like water poured into hot oil. “Wow, that’s Wu Tong! Old Luo really pulled it off, managed to snatch her up!”

“She looks so gentle and quiet, but her grades are fierce enough to leave no survivors!”

“Haha…yes, progress!”

It was as if they were watching the queen leave everyone far behind, while they struggled desperately just to scrape the edge of her achievements.

“Alright, I know you’re all excited. Wu Tong, this is your seat!” Luo Zhenping clapped again, raising his hand to calm the bubbling atmosphere, and led Wu Tong to an empty seat in the middle of the fourth row, near the edge.

This group—what expressions were those? Did they realize how much effort he’d put in to bring Wu Tong into their class? With such a future top scorer among them, surely they’d benefit from her guidance. They had no idea how fortunate they were. Just look at her cousin—after Wu Tong tutored him in math, his grades skyrocketed as if riding a rocket!

Lin Yang and the other two placed Wu Tong’s books neatly upright on her desk, fastened them with book clips, gave her an OK gesture, and quickly withdrew.

The atmosphere of senior year really weighed on them.

Once Wu Tong was settled, Luo Zhenping called her out for a private conversation.

“Considering your situation—you’re very adept at self-study—you’re free to choose whether to follow the class’s revision pace or pursue more advanced knowledge. I heard from Teacher Duan that you’re self-studying advanced mathematics? That’s excellent. If you encounter anything you don’t understand, feel free to consult the teachers. However, for next year’s college entrance exam, I hope you’ll maintain your current grades—that’s fundamental!”

It’s a good thing when students go deeper than their teachers.

But with someone like Wu Tong, who was so far ahead, they were both delighted and troubled. How should they teach such a student, when they could hardly offer her anything? After much discussion, the teachers decided to respect her self-study abilities but closely monitor her grades, ensuring she did not regress.

They couldn’t have her enter the class as a near-perfect future top scorer, only to falter in next year’s college entrance exam!

“Alright, teacher,” Wu Tong replied, then asked, “I’ve enrolled in the math olympiad competition; can I continue as before?”

“Yes, of course. In principle, students at our school focus solely on the college entrance exam once entering the senior year, foregoing competitions. But your case is special—just follow Teacher Duan’s arrangements,” Luo Zhenping said with a smile. “I wish you even more success in advance!”

With Wu Tong’s math scores and the olympiad performance Teacher Duan had hinted at, she was almost certain to win awards, possibly even higher honors. How could they hold her back? They would fully support her!

“Thank you, teacher. I’ll give it my all!”

She would never let down her teachers’ support and affection, nor her parents’ eager expectations.

...

With her grade jump achieved, Wu Tong began her studies as a senior year student. The elite class’s revision pace was faster than that of regular classes; another round of comprehensive review had already concluded, and now each subject was in a phase of endless practice papers.

Though Wu Tong was permitted to study freely, she still completed every paper the teachers distributed before moving on to her own research.

For each subject’s papers, except for Chinese, Wu Tong now finished a paper in under twenty minutes, barely taking any time at all. Practicing papers helped her maintain a feel for the questions, so she wouldn’t get too far ahead and accidentally use out-of-syllabus solutions on the college entrance exam, which could cost her points. She avoided that pitfall.

One could stand out, but the established rules deserved respect. Chinese, however, was her special focus and demanded even more attention.