Chapter 8: A Double Blessing
Xu Ming finally relented and took a break. The experience points in the physics section on his panel had risen to 37. Stretching lazily, he glanced beside him and saw that the seat next to him was still empty. He doubted whether his deskmate would make it to class on time.
"Could Qian Hong still be at the internet café? Doesn’t he fear Li Wenhui noting it down and reporting to the homeroom teacher?" he muttered to himself. Turning his head, he noticed it was nearly six o'clock and decided to fill his stomach first.
“Better go eat now.”
No sooner had he spoken than he picked up his lunchbox and got up to leave.
Perhaps fate had its own designs, for as Xu Ming entered the cafeteria and was still searching for a place to sit with his tray, two familiar figures suddenly appeared before him.
It was Zhang Yingxin and her deskmate Zhao Xin.
He calmly looked up and said, “Excuse me, may I pass?”
He did not avoid them.
Zhao Xin clearly came over on purpose, her face burning with anger, looking every bit like someone ready to defend her friend’s honor.
She took a sudden step forward, blocking his path with a fierce demeanor.
“I really didn’t expect you to be this kind of person. Only three months left and you’re already impatient, forcing Yingxin to define your relationship.”
“And now you’re deliberately avoiding her.”
“Do you realize that since Yingxin started interacting with you, her grades have dropped drastically?”
Hearing these accusations, Xu Ming’s brows furrowed deeply. He couldn’t understand what Zhang Yingxin had said to make Zhao Xin think he was playing some kind of teasing game—like a piece of chewing gum that just couldn’t be shaken off.
He had seen Zhao Xin several times before when helping Zhang Yingxin get food; she was the loyal, righteous type.
His impression of her was still fairly positive.
In his previous life, when Zhang Yingxin quit school immediately after military training to get married, Zhao Xin had even stood up for him.
But now, Xu Ming had no interest in being lectured.
“When you accuse others, I suggest you clarify the facts first. Zhang Yingxin and I have no relationship, and never will. Besides, her grades have always been stable,” Xu Ming replied coldly and decisively.
His words were absolutely true. Zhang Yingxin had bought her way into Dongping No.1 High School during the entrance exam. Even before the academic tracks were divided, she was already trailing behind.
He really couldn’t fathom where she found the nerve to blame him. In fact, he was the one whose grades had truly declined.
Zhang Yingxin remained silent, but the evasive look in her eyes betrayed a tinge of guilt.
Though Zhao Xin’s anger had cooled somewhat, she still refused to relent.
“Yingxin, let’s go. He’s not worth your time,” she said, pulling Zhang Yingxin toward the cafeteria exit.
Suddenly, Xu Ming called after them, “Wait a moment.”
“What now? Having second thoughts?” Zhao Xin turned back, smirking.
Ignoring her, Xu Ming fixed his gaze on Zhang Yingxin and decisively switched to collecting a debt.
“Can you repay me the twenty yuan I lent you?”
Before Zhang Yingxin could respond, Zhao Xin fished out two ten-yuan bills from her pocket.
“Isn’t it just twenty yuan? I’ll pay you on Yingxin’s behalf. Just don’t come bothering our class again.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take it,” Xu Ming said generously, accepting the money.
Not only had he completely severed ties with Zhang Yingxin, but he had also retrieved his money—a double blessing.
It neatly covered the cost of the textbooks he had bought that afternoon.
Having closed that chapter, Xu Ming found no reason to say more and turned to leave.
Zhang Yingxin watched him go, still wearing a wronged expression, convinced she had done nothing wrong.
“I really don’t know where I went wrong to deserve this from Xu Ming.”
“This isn’t so bad now. Let’s focus on reviewing for the remaining time,” Zhao Xin sighed, then offered some weary but sincere comfort.
...
After the meal, Xu Ming returned to the classroom and spent a while more flipping through the five-year gaokao and three-year simulation physics book. Soon, he witnessed Qian Hong slipping into class just on time.
Panting heavily as he sat down, Xu Ming asked, “You didn’t even eat?”
“Not enough time. I’ll figure something out during evening self-study,” Qian Hong replied helplessly.
On Sunday evenings, teachers rarely came for self-study.
Xu Ming thought he could quietly review physics, but when the class bell rang, homeroom teacher Wang Qingtao entered holding a stack of graded test papers.
“Let’s use these classes to go over the practice test from the other day.”
Standing at the podium, his sharp gaze swept over the class, silencing everyone instantly.
The atmosphere alone suggested the math practice results had not pleased the homeroom teacher.
“Before handing out the papers, let me say a few words.”
“Some very simple questions are still being missed repeatedly. It makes me question my own teaching methods.”
“I hope after today’s review, everyone will learn a lesson. Otherwise, I might have to say you’re the worst class I’ve ever taught.”
Wang Qingtao’s words lightened the mood, and amid the laughter, he began calling out names and scores for students to collect their papers.
“Sun Jie, 96 points.”
“Yang Huijuan, 101 points.”
...
“Li Wenhui, 120 points.”
“Chen Lu, 134 points.”
“Qian Hong, 83 points.”
As each name was called, students rose to receive their tests.
When Wang Qingtao called Xu Ming’s name, he paused for two seconds and did not announce a score.
“Xu Ming.”
Qian Hong, who was looking at his own paper with a goofy smile, nudged Xu Ming with his arm.
“The homeroom teacher’s calling you.”
When Xu Ming finally stood up, the expression on his face was one of resignation—it could have been mistaken for someone bidding farewell.
“Good luck, brother.”
Qian Hong knew better than anyone that his best buddy had handed in a blank test. This trouble was unavoidable.
Wang Qingtao was visibly angry.
He had seen Xu Ming flipping through the textbook during the exam, thinking he had forgotten some formulas. Though his scores had dropped, it was still within an acceptable range, and he planned to talk to him later.
But when grading the test, he discovered Xu Ming had only answered the multiple-choice questions.
It was practically a blank paper.
In all his years teaching this class, Wang Qingtao had never encountered anything like it.
Yet when Xu Ming came to the podium, the teacher suppressed his anger and spoke calmly.
“Why didn’t you answer the rest of the questions?”
Xu Ming was silent.
Taking back the paper, he didn’t know how to explain and chose to remain silent.
“Go back to your seat for now. Come to my office tomorrow,” Wang Qingtao sighed and waved him away.
Li Wenhui, sitting in the front row, saw Xu Ming’s predicament and felt a surge of satisfaction rush to his head—two words summed it up perfectly: relief.
The anger he had felt from Xu Ming’s earlier retorts seemed to vanish.
He was already planning, as class president, to urge Xu Ming to study harder and seek his help more often.
Xu Ming returned to his seat, looking down carefully at the test paper. He realized the teacher had only graded the multiple-choice section and hadn’t written any score.
A sudden thought popped into his mind.
“I might as well redo this entire test.”