Chapter 14: Jealousy

“First in the class, fifth in the grade?”

‘What an eyesore.’

In the corner of the classroom, Si Mengjia, the Academic Representative, stared at the posted grade report.

Her jaw was clenched so tight the words seemed to squeeze through the gaps in her teeth.

At Linchuan Fifth High School, grade reports weren’t worth much.

To most students, they were no better than toilet paper.

You received it, glanced at it, crumpled it into a ball, and acted like it never existed.

But there were always exceptions.

Good grades meant quotas.

School recommendations, priority for awards and honors, titles like “Excellence in Student Leadership,” as well as grants and poverty subsidies—all of these followed the grades.

To students whose grades were beyond saving, these benefits were naturally out of reach.

Thus, they simply gave up, comforting themselves with the idea that scholars were useless anyway before settling into a life of “rotting.”

Si Mengjia did not think that way.

Her grades were still competitive.

If she pushed just a little harder, gritted her teeth just a bit more, she would have the chance to escape this small county town of Linchuan.

She could go to a larger, brighter city.

At the very least, she wouldn’t be like so many others, trapped here for a lifetime.

She had understood long ago what education truly meant.

No matter how much the official narrative dressed it up, they couldn’t hide its essence.

Education was cold-blooded screening and elimination.

It was an ultimate battle royale that ignored good and evil.

Quotas were limited, and those with higher scores could climb upward over the corpses of those with lower scores, snatching away their illusions of a future.

Effort wasn’t romantic, either.

To put it bluntly, effort meant using a knife or your teeth to struggle for a higher position amidst a bloodbath…

On the surface, Si Mengjia showed sympathy for those weaker than her, but deep down, she felt nothing but contempt.

As for those stronger than her, she had to find a way to break them—whether mentally or physically.

As long as her final score surpassed theirs, nothing else mattered.

“What’s wrong, Mengjia?”

A hand rested somewhat heavily on Si Mengjia’s shoulder.

The voice of the person behind her carried a hint of flippancy.

Moreover, as soon as he approached, he brought with him the constant stench of cigarettes.

Si Mengjia didn’t actually like him, but having him as a boyfriend was very “cost-effective” at this school.

“I’m not satisfied with my grades this time.”

Si Mengjia didn’t look back.

Her voice was steady, but it suppressed a surging rage.

“Let me see.”

The guy behind her, Huangmao, walked up to the grade report.

“The one who beat you… it’s that guy named Gu Yebai, right?”

“Can’t you see for yourself?”

It was that damned Gu Yebai.

That person had almost no weaknesses.

Even in Chemistry, his worst subject, he had still beaten her by a full ten points.

Gu Yebai had taken leave frequently over the past year.

He only came to school for exams occasionally.

While his grades had been decent, they had never reached this level.

Back then, Si Mengjia hadn’t taken him seriously; she had been the immovable first place.

During that time, Si Mengjia often dreamed.

Like the female lead of a movie, she imagined going to Tsinghua University, Yanda, or Zheda with immense prestige.

She dreamed of her parents holding their heads high in front of relatives, and of meeting the young, wealthy heir of a famous corporation at an alumni association—or simply meeting someone who could uproot her from this mud.

She had felt so powerful back then.

But now, her dreams had been brutally dragged back to reality by a single name…

Gu Yebai’s existence was like a thorn in her throat.

She had to find a way to ruin him.

She could not allow anyone to have better grades than her.

She turned around and looked at Huangmao, her eyes shimmering with tears.

“I really won’t stand for this! Gu Yebai definitely cheated, or… he stole the answers from a teacher! Either way, the top spot should have been mine.”

“Right, right. My Mengjia is the one who deserves first place the most.”

Huangmao, a student-athlete, nodded quickly.

Huangmao was one of the people at the very top of the social ladder at Fifth High.

Not only did he have a gang of followers, but he was also a brutal fighter who preferred fists over words.

Even if he stabbed someone, he had the connections to get them out of the detention center.

His family had money, and his parents were prominent figures in the local area.

A single phone call from them could command respect from both the legal and the criminal worlds.

Linchuan had once been a resource-rich city.

Later, it became a resource-depleted city.

Where had those resources gone?

Most had ended up in the pockets of Huangmao’s parents and their circle of cronies.

It was said that Huangmao would eventually go to the United States to study.

He owned a Harley motorcycle and existed at the peak of the ecological hierarchy in Fifth High—and perhaps all of Linchuan.

“I hate him so much! Mao-mao! How is this fair?”

Si Mengjia didn’t love Huangmao.

Rather than love, she felt more repulsion and disgust.

He had no real talent, yet he thought himself incredible simply because he had been better at “reincarnating” than most.

However, Si Mengjia had still chosen to sleep with him.

To her, her first time hadn’t involved any pleasure; it was more like an investment.

By becoming his girlfriend, she had gained the latest Apple phone.

In a sense, it wasn’t a loss.

She imagined herself as a figure like Diaochan.

Hadn’t Diaochan also slept with Dong Zhuo, who held power over the court, and Lu Bu, who possessed unmatched martial might?

Hadn’t she still ended up as one of the four great beauties of ancient times?

To achieve her goals, her body was merely a card to be played.

Some men valued the “first time,” but if she met someone better in the future, she could always get repair surgery.

No one would see the flaw.

She could continue playing the role of an ambitious, pure girl with a clean romantic history.

“I understand.”

“What do you understand?”

“I’ll find a time to invite this Brother Gu for a meal. We’ll have a good ‘chat.'”

As Huangmao said the word “chat,” a glint of sinister malice flashed in his eyes.

“Hmph, at least you have some conscience.”

She would never allow anyone to surpass her…

She had to get out of this place.

To do that, she had to snap everyone else’s spine.

With the Huang family’s local influence, they could settle things even if someone happened to die.

But it didn’t need to go that far.

Giving him a little lesson would be enough.

As they spoke, a pair of purple eyes hid in the corner, faintly emitting an ominous glow…

‘Foolish and evil Earthlings, only capable of harming their own outstanding kind…’

Gu Yebai was unaware that he had already been marked as a thorn in someone’s side.

This day of school was just another ordinary day.

“See you tomorrow, Lian.”

“See you tomorrow, Classmate Gu.”

School had ended.

“Lian, is something on your mind? You don’t seem very happy. It’s fine; victory and defeat are common in war. You’ll definitely improve next time. Just take it slow.”

“I know.”

Ailian nodded.

“Classmate Gu, be careful on your way home.”

After saying goodbye at the school gate, Gu Yebai walked toward the route five bus stop.

Heavy snow continued to fall from the sky.

Having finished his studies for the day, Gu Yebai needed to think seriously about how to write today’s novel chapter…

“Sigh.”

In truth, the novel gave Gu Yebai a bigger headache than his actual responsibilities as a student.