Chapter 29

After the sports festival, the teachers had assumed it would take several days for students to get their focus back.
To their astonishment, it took less than a week for the entire senior year to plunge headfirst into study mania.
The teachers were equal parts relieved and thrilled, and immediately started handing out even more test papers.
Yan Xiao, fully consumed by her studies, didn’t notice or care what anyone else was doing.
She had only one thought in her head:
I’m going to surpass Qiu Li.
Her single-minded determination soon became a household topic. Even her aunt, Chen Zilu, heard about it.
Several times after work, her aunt stopped by the house, only to find Yan Xiao either solving problems or preparing to solve them. She’d gotten thinner, her focus so intense it bordered on dazed.
At first, Chen Zilu wanted to step in and talk to her, but after some thought, she let it go.
At that age, kids were pure-hearted; they cared about nothing but doing well. If she wanted to give it her all, so be it.
Meanwhile, Zhou Hang somehow managed to split his time between studying like mad and gathering intel on how the other two were progressing.
He was utterly stunned by how relentless Yan Xiao had become, and that shock only made him double down on his own efforts.
With the entire grade buzzing with tension, the midterm exams arrived in no time.
That morning, Yan Xiao and Qiu Li had breakfast together before Yan Hao personally drove them to school.
Ever since their second year, it had become common for them to study together. Qiu Li often stayed for dinner at the Yan house, sometimes even breakfast. Going to school side by side had become part of their routine.
Not just the Yans, even the Qius were used to it.
On the way to school, Yan Xiao didn’t review. She just leaned back in the seat with her eyes closed, resting.
Qiu Li glanced at her, wanting to ask how her revision was going, then realized what a pointless question that was.
They’d been studying together every day; if anyone knew how her prep was going, it was him.
He hesitated, then stayed quiet.
Since Qiu Li didn’t speak, Yan Hao didn’t dare either.
Watching his daughter’s increasingly obsessive study state these past few days, he was afraid that one careless word might upset her and throw off her focus.
So when they arrived at the school gate, he simply rolled down the window and said softly, “Good luck.”
Yan Xiao’s face was calm as ever. She simply nodded and said “mm,” before turning to walk into the school.
Qiu Li gave Uncle Yan a reassuring gesture, then turned and followed after her with his usual long strides.
“What do you want for lunch?” Qiu Li asked casually, as if today weren’t exam day at all, just another normal morning. “I’ll get it ready ahead of time.”
Yan Xiao raised her hand, about to reach into her pocket, but his hand was already there, palm open.
Without hesitation, she took the cotton candy he was offering, tore it open, and popped a piece into her mouth. “Pork cutlet rice,” she mumbled through the sweetness.
“Alright.” Qiu Li smiled lightly.
Hearing that laugh, Yan Xiao turned to look up at him, her chin tilted. “Don’t get too confident!”
“Hm?” Qiu Li tilted his head, pretending not to understand.
Yan Xiao could tell he was doing it on purpose, but the problem was, he’d gotten so tall that she practically had to crane her neck just to glare at him.
It was impossible to even lift her chin high enough to challenge him properly.
After staring at him for a few seconds, she furrowed her brows and muttered, “What’s the point of being this tall anyway…”
Qiu Li laughed out loud. He reached out and ruffled her hair. “You tell me, what’s the point of being this tall?”
Yan Xiao: “!”
Her good mood instantly exploded. “I told you, !”
“Mm.” Qiu Li withdrew his hand, smiling like sunshine after rain. “Don’t touch your head.”
Yan Xiao was furious. “Then why did you do it again?!”
At least now she looked more lively than she had that morning, which eased his mind a bit. He lowered his gaze, still smiling. “Forgot.”
Yan Xiao: “…”
She glared at him, cheeks puffed. Liar! You totally did it on purpose!
The two of them split ways at the front of the academic building.
Without looking back, Qiu Li could already picture her glaring holes into his back. He didn’t turn around, just raised his hand in a casual wave and walked upstairs, backpack slung over one shoulder.
Watching his easy stride and obviously good mood, Yan Xiao clenched her fists. Just wait till I knock you off that throne, let’s see if you can still smile like that!
The exams lasted two full days, finishing on Wednesday afternoon. There were no night classes that evening, but instead of going home right away, Yan Xiao stayed in the classroom for a self-study session before leaving.
While everyone else took a day or two to relax after the exam, Yan Xiao didn’t.
The very next morning, she walked into class and immediately resumed her previous study rhythm, if anything, even more focused than before. The others, sensing the intensity, instinctively toned down their chatter.
Two days later, the results were posted.
Usually, Yan Xiao didn’t pay much attention to the rankings, but this time, the moment the bell rang, she sprinted straight for the bulletin board.
Zhou Hang arrived right behind her.
“Holy!”
The second he saw the honor roll, his eyes went wide.
He didn’t even dare to look at Yan Xiao’s expression.
Two thoughts were screaming in his head:
What now?
Is Qiu Li even human anymore?!
More and more students gathered around the board.
“Wow! First place again, Qiu Li! Total score, 733! That’s practically full marks!”
As the crowd grew, so did the chorus of admiration. Zhou Hang would’ve joined in any other day, probably the loudest cheerleader of all, but right now, cold sweat was trickling down his back.
What to do?
Yan Xiao hadn’t said a word. She hadn’t even moved!
Seriously, was it really necessary for Number One to go that far? Fine, take the top spot, but did he have to widen the gap that much?
Couldn’t he have spared a thought for the fragile hearts of the people below him?
No, at least for his little sister’s feelings?!
The longer the silence stretched, the more Zhou Hang panicked. He finally turned toward her, ready to offer some kind words of comfort, only to freeze.
Her small face was full of determination, not disappointment.
Yan Xiao’s brows were slightly furrowed, her eyes fixed on the list, on their two names side by side.
After a long moment, she finally spoke: “I lost too many points in Chinese. I’ll need to spend more time on it. Physics too, I need to practice more problem types there.”
Zhou Hang stared at her in dawning horror.
She wasn’t upset. She was calmly analyzing their score gap and mapping out her next attack strategy.
He looked from her to the board again.
#1 Qiu Li – Total 733
#2 Yan Xiao – Total 713
He himself had improved, up to sixth place with a total of 686, but standing beside the two of them, he suddenly felt like he still had a lot of room to grow.
Across the school, everyone was celebrating, the pride of Yanwen!
Two students with scores above 700 in a citywide exam, where only five people had reached that level in total, and their two ranked even higher than the others. The teachers were glowing with pride, and the students shared in the glory.
The only ones completely unfazed were the two people at the top.
Qiu Li, if anything, was slightly regretful. He’d miscalculated, the gap was too wide. He’d worried that might discourage Yan Xiao, but seeing the fire in her eyes burn even brighter, he felt a shift inside himself too, a new sense of focus.
As for Zhou Hang, he didn’t even have time to breathe. Now he was obsessed with one thought: if he couldn’t be first or second, he’d at least fight tooth and nail for third.
“The people better than you are working harder than you.”
That wasn’t motivational poison, it was just the truth.
Anyone who took a walk through the Gifted Class or International Class could see it.
Pressure, after all, could be the best kind of fuel. Under that collective intensity, the third-year students of Yanwen quickly slipped into full exam-prep mode. Even those who’d planned to “just get by” found themselves studying like their lives depended on it.
The following month brought another round of exams.
Qiu Li held his top spot, Yan Xiao stayed second, but the gap between them had noticeably shrunk.
By the time the second monthly exam came around, everyone had noticed.
First and second weren’t just studying anymore, they were competing.
To be more precise, Yan Xiao was openly challenging Qiu Li for first place.
And at Yanwen, that was practically the stuff of urban legend.
By the time finals came around, Yan Xiao’s progress was impossible to ignore.
She had closed the gap,
Only seven points now separated her from Qiu Li.
Seven points.
Two questions.
Unlike the lower grades, the senior year students didn’t go on winter break as early. Before the holiday, there was still one last mock exam, a full practice run for the upcoming college entrance exams. And besides their studies, the entire school’s focus had shifted to one burning question:
How many points apart would Yan Xiao and Qiu Li be this time?
Some even started betting on it.
Even Zhou Hang, who’d been buried in his own desperate quest to stand “shoulder to shoulder with his brilliant friends,” couldn’t resist placing a small wager with his deskmate.
He bet three points.
Not because he doubted Yan Xiao, but because Qiu Li was just that terrifying. In Zhou Hang’s eyes, Qiu Li had long since transcended the category of “human.”
If not for the annual medical checkups proving everyone’s test results looked about the same, Zhou Hang might’ve truly believed that Qiu Li was a bionic lifeform from the future.
On the day before the break, when the mock exam results came out, the campus was nearly empty. The other grades had already gone home; only the seniors remained, and the halls felt oddly quiet.
The moment the bell rang, Yan Xiao shot out of the classroom like an arrow.
By the time she reached the bulletin board, it was already surrounded.
She squeezed through the crowd, heart pounding, and lifted her gaze.
Rank 1: Yan Xiao.
She didn’t even bother looking at the score before her eyes dropped automatically to the next line.
Rank 2: Qiu Li.
Yan Xiao: “!!”
“Whoa, she actually did it!”
“Number One’s been dethroned!”
“I thought I’d never live to see someone beat Qiu Li!”
“Holy crap, why do I feel kind of emotional?”
“Yan Xiao’s amazing!”
The chatter around her was deafening, but Yan Xiao didn’t hear a word. Her eyes were locked on the board.
Total Score: 725.
Qiu Li: 724.5.
Half a point.
Just half a point,
But she’d done it. She’d actually beaten him.
Her heart thudded wildly. After all that hard work, all those sleepless nights, it had finally paid off. The rush of satisfaction and pride washed over her, overwhelming everything else.
Then suddenly, a warm pressure pressed down on the top of her head.
Qiu Li had walked past the bulletin board, not stopping, just pausing for a heartbeat to gently ruffle her hair as he passed.
“Good job,” he said.
His voice carried a soft, amused warmth.
When she turned around, he’d already lowered his hand, walking away, one hand raised lazily in a wave.
Yan Xiao blinked, frozen for a second, then found herself staring at his retreating back.
For the first time, she thought, maybe being patted on the head wasn’t that annoying after all.