After Li Xueping announced the news of the mock exam, he did not forget to specifically mention Qin Tian.
"Qin Tian, I've noticed your recent academic performance has been good. Do well this time and show me your progress."
During the last class before the holiday, Qin Tian's performance had been too unexpected, making him feel that this student was somewhat peculiar. Perhaps something could be revealed through this mock examination.
The entire class cast surprised glances at Qin Tian upon hearing this.
Why did Li Yanwang seem to have such high expectations for Qin Tian's performance in this exam, to the point of saying such things?
Xia Nuannuan, standing beside him, was beaming with joy, secretly pleased. She and her mother had already discussed something, and she had been wondering how to tell Qin Tian! The class advisor's words were like a pillow delivered exactly when one was sleepy.
"Teacher Li, please don't worry. I will definitely perform well this time!" Qin Tian promised with a smile. He had no intention of truly pretending to be a score-controlling prodigy; he had genuinely been a slacker before.
"Good, then I'll look forward to your performance." Li Xueping nodded with satisfaction, feeling a mix of anticipation and curiosity.
Just then, a sudden voice broke the silence:
"Heh, Teacher Li, aren't you expecting too much from him? I recall he was second to last in the last mock exam, wasn't he?"
Everyone's astonished gazes turned towards the speaker. Wu Xin, a top student who consistently ranked in the top three of the class, wore an expression of undisguised disdain, glaring at Qin Tian with hostility.
The classmates who knew about Wu Xin's crush on Xu Ying suddenly understood. Especially those who had just heard Xu Ying's words, their expressions turned a bit peculiar. Wu Xin was clearly diverting his anger onto Qin Tian! With the mock exam about to begin, he intended to target Qin Tian in an area he excelled in.
Li Xueping frowned slightly, looking at Wu Xin with a stern expression. Like the teachers of other subjects in the class, he had high hopes for Wu Xin, believing that with effort, admission to Tsinghua or Peking University was not impossible.
Li Yanwang might have a fiery temper, but he was a genuinely good teacher, not someone who differentiated students solely based on academic performance. He treated all students equally, regardless of their grades. Over his many years of teaching, he had seen many students who struggled academically achieve great success. He had also seen many who were once good students later go down the wrong path. Therefore, he believed that character was more important than academic achievement. Wu Xin's public mockery of a classmate at this moment truly angered him, even more so than seeing Qin Tian sleeping in his class that day. He believed that a promising talent like Wu Xin should not have his life ruined by his character.
"Wu Xin, stand up!" Li Xueping commanded with a deep, angry voice.
Wu Xin trembled and quickly stood up, looking at Li Yanwang with a confused gaze.
"Apologize to Qin Tian immediately." Li Xueping ordered sternly.
Wu Xin froze upon hearing this. The entire class was stunned. In everyone's perception, teachers typically favored students with better academic performance. Yet, Teacher Li was asking Wu Xin to apologize to Qin Tian over just one remark?
A look of amusement flickered across Qin Tian's handsome face. Honestly speaking, Old Li was the class advisor he respected the most during his previous life as a student. Even though everyone considered Old Li to be very serious and hot-tempered, many students remained in contact with him for years. At the class monitor Mu Nan's wedding banquet, Old Li was even forcibly invited and plied with a lot of alcohol. As people grew older, they gradually understood which teachers were truly worthy of respect and affection.
"Why? Impossible! Why should I apologize to him?" Wu Xin, recovering his senses, refused loudly with an unpleasant expression.
Li Yanwang's expression became even sterner. "I've told you all many times, be a person first, then do things. Only when one conducts themselves properly can they succeed. Were those words you just spoke the principles I taught you?"
"I was just stating a fact. What does that have to do with being a good person, as you say?" Wu Xin remained unconvinced.
"Bang!" Li Yanwang slammed his hand down on the lectern with a loud thud that startled everyone. Wu Xin's face turned pale with fright.
"Wu Xin, don't argue with me. I'll say it again, apologize to Qin Tian." Li Yanwang's voice intensified, commanding with an irrefutable tone.
The classroom fell into an eerie silence, as if the drop of a pin could be heard. Cold sweat beaded on Wu Xin's forehead. He clenched his teeth, his face filled with grievance and unwillingness. He couldn't understand why his class advisor, who usually placed high hopes on him, would get so angry over a mere truthful statement. Asking him to apologize to a slacker like Qin Tian? What a joke!
Recalling Xu Ying's words from earlier, Wu Xin's eyes turned red. He hadn't dared to speak up when Qin Tian had bullied Xu Ying before. Now, was he supposed to endure this indignity?
"No! I will absolutely not apologize," Wu Xin said, glaring at Qin Tian with eyes that seemed ready to spew fire. He declared word for word, "Unless he proves me wrong in this exam, I will never apologize, even if I die. A slacker like him, who doesn't study and openly sleeps in class, you shouldn't have such high expectations for him."
"You—" Li Xueping was furious.
The students were all trembling with fear and astonishment. No one had expected that Wu Xin, who usually seemed like a bookworm unable to utter a word, would dare to openly defy Li Yanwang.
Beside Wu Xin, Xu Ying's slightly narrow eyes held a hint of intrigue, and the corner of her lips curved into a slight smile. She was also surprised that Wu Xin was suddenly so bold! However, she also felt a sense of satisfaction. It seemed not everyone was blind like Qin Tian, stepping up for a chubby girl like Xia Nuannuan. If Wu Xin embarrassed Qin Tian today, she might even consider giving him a chance to pursue her.
Beside Qin Tian, Xia Nuannuan clenched her small fists under the desk, her eyebrows furrowed, and her beautiful eyes glaring at Wu Xin. She had never been so angry! She so desperately wanted to tell everyone that Qin Tian was very capable and actually studied well, that he was not a slacker at all. She wished she could emulate Qin Tian's earlier actions, protecting her by taking down those hoodlums with a few punches, and then giving Wu Xin, who was spouting nonsense, a few punches herself to make him apologize to Qin Tian.
"Alright!"
Suddenly, a calm voice rang out. Everyone's astonished gazes immediately focused on Qin Tian.
"What standard do you mean by proving it?" Qin Tian asked Wu Xin with a composed smile.
Wu Xin was taken aback.
"Never mind, how about this? If I score better than you this time, then you will apologize to me publicly, and more importantly, you will also sincerely apologize to Teacher Li," Qin Tian continued, speaking to himself with a smile.
His words caused the classroom to become even quieter. Everyone was dumbfounded, their faces etched with disbelief. Qin Tian actually thought he could score better than Wu Xin in this exam? One was in the bottom three, the other in the top ten of the grade? Everyone felt as if they had misheard. Only Xia Nuannuan, beside Qin Tian, had eyes shining brightly, her chubby cheeks flushed with excitement. She was the only one who had absolute confidence in Qin Tian.