"Su classmate, do you remember who was ranked first?"
The principal felt his eyelids twitch, instantly realizing the gravity of the situation.
As the principal, he also recognized the core of the problem!
"Her name was Zhou Ruishu."
Su Xiaotian certainly remembered the name.
At the time, she had been puzzled by how formidable this person named Zhou Ruishu was.
After all, a score of 396 was not something an ordinary person could achieve.
Wasn't the second-place student more than 50 points behind this student?
But at that moment, Su Xiaotian didn't find it particularly unacceptable.
A place like the capital was bound to be full of hidden talents, so it wasn't strange for someone to have a better academic record than her.
Just because she could read extensively didn't mean others lacked the ability to do so.
But at this point, what else could Su Xiaotian not understand?
If Su Xiaotian could understand, Principal Gu certainly could too.
He was furious internally but dared not show it on his face.
Zhou Ruishu was the daughter of Zhou Yuan and Wan Hongying. They had previously approached him with a request, stating that her exam results might not be good this time and asking for his consideration.
He had not agreed at the time. He wanted the best students for this gifted program, the cream of the crop!
He hadn't expected them to resort to such methods.
He had just seen Zhou Ruishu's results; she hadn't even ranked in the top forty.
This meant that, according to this exam's results, Zhou Ruishu would not be admitted to Seventh Middle School.
"Principal, you should know who Zhou Ruishu is, right?" Su Xiaotian asked calmly.
The girl who had opposed them several times before was nicknamed Xiao Rui.
She had repeatedly claimed to have connections.
And this incredibly high-scoring first-place student was named Zhou Ruishu.
Su Xiaotian absolutely did not believe there was no connection between the two.
Although he didn't want to admit it, Principal Gu nodded with difficulty.
"Yes, I know. This student, Zhou Ruishu, is the daughter of Zhou Yuan and Wan Hongying!"
At this moment, Principal Gu didn't consider whether Chen Zi'an and the others knew who Zhou Yuan and Wan Hongying were.
Chen Zi'an indeed did not know.
However, whether he knew or not was not important.
It was enough to know that this couple might be the masterminds behind this incident.
"Principal Gu, I'll leave this matter to you. I only want a satisfactory answer! Of course, if you have any other ideas, you can come to me to discuss them."
He had other matters to attend to in the afternoon and couldn't stay at Seventh Middle School because of this issue.
"Please rest assured, I will handle this properly. I will arrange for a few children to register first, and I will report the other matters to you as soon as possible!"
Principal Gu's attitude was clear: he intended to resolve the issue thoroughly.
Chen Zi'an was somewhat satisfied with this outcome and nodded, saying, "Good!"
"Xiaotian, you few go register first. We'll discuss the rest later."
Su Xiaotian and the others agreed.
After Chen Zi'an finished speaking, he left his address and departed.
After seeing Chen Zi'an off, Principal Gu found an intern female teacher to take Su Xiaotian and the others to register.
"My young students, you go register first. I have some matters to attend to," Principal Gu explained specifically, lest they feel he wasn't putting in his full effort.
When the young female teacher learned of Su Xiaotian and the others' scores, her mouth gaped in surprise.
She scrutinized these children carefully several times.
She began to wonder what kind of children she had encountered.
The principal had mentioned earlier that these children were all from the remote northwest border.
She had heard that the teaching conditions there were very poor, yet these children's scores were even better than those of children who grew up in the capital.
For the first-year gifted class, the three siblings were ranked first, fifth, and sixth.
In the second-year group, the two Su siblings were ranked third and fourth.
"Teacher, you keep looking at us, I'm getting shy!" Xiao Jiu said timidly.
The female teacher smiled awkwardly.
"Would your previous teachers have been willing to let you leave?" she couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, trying to strike up a conversation.
If they were her students, she wouldn't want to let them go, would she?
Which teacher wouldn't want to guide good students to bring them honor?
Su Xiaotian smiled and said, "Teacher, our teachers are very open-minded. As long as it's for the students' benefit, they won't stop us!"
The female teacher was deeply impressed by Su Xiaotian's words.
She felt ashamed of her own thoughts.
She was a teacher in the capital, yet she was not as understanding as a teacher from a county school.
She had lived in vain for so many years.
"You're right. Teachers should have no ulterior motives. As long as it's for the students' good, what's wrong with letting go?"
Su Xiaotian had merely said it casually, but unexpectedly, it touched the young female teacher.
As they walked and talked, they bumped into someone at a turn in the teaching building.
When Su Xiaotian saw the person in front of her, she had only one thought: what a narrow encounter with an enemy!
In such a large place, why did she have to run into that Xiao Rui who was always causing them trouble?
This young girl's mind was perhaps broken; no matter when she met her, something bad always happened.
Xiao Rui's face lit up with smugness when she saw Su Xiaotian and the others.
Although she wasn't entirely clear about some things, after seeing the rankings, she knew that these annoying siblings would not have a chance to attend Seventh Middle School.
"You didn't get in, did you? I told you long ago, you don't deserve it!"
Su Xiaotian glanced at her and said nothing.
"I knew it. A bunch of country bumpkins, and you still want to study in the capital. I advise you, it's faster to dream!"
As Xiao Rui spoke, she deliberately glanced at Chi Yiyuan, who was standing beside them.
In the future, this boy would be her classmate in the same school. She was determined to work hard and show Chi Yiyuan her excellence.
This boy was destined to be hers!
Of course, Xiao Rui was doing these things secretly from her mother, Wan Hongying.
Wan Hongying looked down on Chi Yiyuan, who worked as a helper in the restaurant, but Xiao Rui inexplicably found herself thinking about him.
The female teacher glanced at the two girls facing each other. Did they know each other? Why was there such tension?
"Zhou Ruishu?" Su Xiaotian suddenly spoke, calling out the name loudly.
Xiao Rui was very surprised but still asked, "How do you know my name?"
"Aren't you the first-place finisher in this exam? Of course, I know!"
As Su Xiaotian said this, her face was filled with a cold smile.
It was truly astonishing to see someone erase others' scores and then shamelessly claim them as their own.
A flicker of discomfort crossed Zhou Ruishu's face, followed by an apparent sense of relief.
She provocatively raised her eyebrows at Su Xiaotian.
"What, you're not convinced? If you're not convinced, try scoring first place and show me!"
Zhou Ruishu's smug expression made those who already knew the inside story feel utterly disgusted.
How could such a young girl be so shameless?
Did she know what she was doing? This was theft.
They believed that Zhou Ruishu knew the source of her scores.
Yet, even knowing the origin of her scores was illegitimate, she could still treat the stolen scores as her own.
The most terrifying thing was to flaunt them in front of the original owner of the scores!
The young intern female teacher didn't know any of this. She knew Su Xiaotian was first place, and now another first place had appeared.
She instinctively assumed that this exquisitely dressed girl in front of her must have a score lower than Su Xiaotian, perhaps second place.
Such a score was still quite good.
Just as she was about to mention that Su Xiaotian was the true first-place winner, she heard Su Xiaotian speak again.
"I only hope you can still smile later!"
After saying this, Su Xiaotian turned and left, not wanting to argue further with Zhou Ruishu.
Zhou Ruishu felt a pang of unease from Su Xiaotian's parting glance, but her words remained sharp.
"What do you mean by that? What right do you have to say that?"
She shouted hysterically.
Chi Yiyuan cast a cold glance at Zhou Ruishu.
"If you don't want anyone to know, don't do it. Remember this: what goes around comes around! It's not that retribution isn't coming, it's just that the time hasn't arrived."
He had never had a good impression of Zhou Ruishu before, and after witnessing her behavior today, he didn't just lack good feelings; he found her presence disgusting!
"Where am I inferior to this country girl? Why are you so nice to her and so cold to me?" Zhou Ruishu, unable to bear Chi Yiyuan's coldness, shouted at him unyieldingly.
Su Xiaotian heard this heart-wrenching cry and couldn't help but roll her eyes.
This was truly...
How could she compare to Xiaotian? And on what grounds did she think she could compare to Xiaotian?
"Brother Yiyuan, is this a case of unwanted attention?" Su Xiaotian teased Chi Yiyuan.
Chi Yiyuan's face turned dark.
He stopped in his tracks, then turned and looked at Zhou Ruishu fixedly.
Zhou Ruishu, thinking her words had had an effect, immediately showed a smile on her face.
"Are you willing to talk to me now?" Zhou Ruishu asked happily.
"I am not willing to talk to you. Even seeing you makes me feel sick!"
Chi Yiyuan's words were so harsh that even the female teacher beside them found it difficult to listen.
This young man, who looked so handsome, why was he speaking so rudely?
Girls were sensitive; what if she had a breakdown after being provoked like this?
Chi Yiyuan, however, was not done yet. He continued, "You ask me where you are inferior to Xiaotian. I'd rather ask, where are you superior to Xiaotian? Could it be that your self-righteous thick skin gives you more a sense of superiority?"
"I, I am better than this country girl in every way!" Zhou Ruishu said, her face flushed red.
She considered her family background and appearance to be excellent, yet she was being told she was inferior to a country bumpkin.
She could not swallow this insult!
"You?" Chi Yiyuan glanced at her coldly and turned to walk away.
Seeing Chi Yiyuan approach, the female teacher couldn't help but say, "Young man, even if you don't like someone, don't hurt them!"
Su Xiaotian looked at Chi Yiyuan, then at the female teacher, and burst into laughter.
The female teacher was confused.
"Teacher, in a while, or by tomorrow at the latest, you'll feel the same way about her!"
Although she had just met this female teacher, Su Xiaotian felt that her character was sound.
If she knew what Zhou Ruishu had done, she would certainly not speak up for Zhou Ruishu anymore.
Hearing Su Xiaotian say this, the female teacher suspected there might be some hidden story.
Coupled with the conversation between the two girls just now, she suddenly began to suspect that the girl named Zhou Ruishu might have done something unsavory.
And Zhou Ruishu, after being provoked by Chi Yiyuan, was still filled with resentment.
She watched the group head towards the registration area, thought of something, and immediately hurried after them.
The female teacher led Su Xiaotian and the others to the registration area and quietly relayed Principal Gu's instructions to the registering teacher.
The registering teacher was very surprised, her gaze sweeping over Su Xiaotian and the others several times.
She seemed to find it hard to believe that such a thing could happen.
Could such a malicious incident have occurred at their Seventh Middle School?
If this got out, Seventh Middle School's reputation would be ruined.
One didn't know which rotten apple had spoiled the whole barrel.
"Alright, I'll register these students right away!"
Just as the registering teacher finished speaking, a sharp female voice was heard.
"No, you can't register them. I've checked, and their names aren't on the rankings at all!"
It could only be Zhou Ruishu who would barge in at this moment.
At the registration desk, there were still many students and parents.
Hearing Zhou Ruishu's sharp words, they immediately turned their attention to Su Xiaotian and the others.
The parents looked at the Su siblings with expressions of suspicion and dislike.
From Zhou Ruishu's words, they inferred that these children were cutting in line and using connections.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" the registering teacher frowned.
"Whether I'm talking nonsense or not, you can go outside and check the rankings to find out?"
Zhou Ruishu was certain that Su Xiaotian and the others had not been admitted.
No matter how high their scores were, they had all been invalidated.
"You know best why our names aren't on the rankings, don't you? Zhou Ruishu, daughter of a leader in the education department! You have connections everywhere, don't you?"
Su Xiaotian was almost amused to anger. Her tone became strange and filled with sarcasm as she spoke.
"In any case, you didn't get admitted, so you can't register. Teacher, if you register these people who weren't admitted, I will definitely seek an explanation."
After saying this, Zhou Ruishu put on a very indignant expression.
"What's going on here?"
Indeed, after Zhou Ruishu's interference, someone finally couldn't help but step forward.
Everyone knew how difficult the entrance exam for Seventh Middle School was this year.
Faced with such a challenging situation, both parents and students hoped for fairness and justice. But now, in front of everyone, someone was trying to cut corners, and they naturally couldn't accept it.
"The situation is that these students' scores were forgotten and did not appear on the rankings. It doesn't mean they didn't get admitted," the intern female teacher quickly explained.
Her explanation, rather than helping, caused almost all the parents to become agitated.
All the students also found it hard to believe.
How could such an important exam result in a situation where someone was overlooked?
Who were they trying to fool? Did they think everyone was an idiot?
There was something fishy going on behind the scenes.
[Author's Note]
This is the first chapter of the day! If the ranking reaches 56, I will update with 11,000 characters, no delays!