Chapter One, the Unprecedented Senior Three Zero Class

Han Zhang shook his head, "I was just about to check the rankings to see which new classmates there are"

Upon hearing her unreasonable remarks, Han Zhang could only smile wryly and retorted, "It's not like my dad was the one who tore it down!"

The three of them hurriedly made their way to the bulletin board, where a dense crowd of heads was still visible in front. He Ru, while pushing his way in, remarked, "No wonder so many people are gathered here; I have no idea about this matter at all!"

Han Zhang, come here, I want to ask you, why did your father tear down those snack shops

Lowering my head, I discovered a barely visible red mark on my wrist, as if it had been scratched by a piece of paper. It was not until much later that I realized it was not; it was her hair

As she raised her head for the first time, she let out a long sigh. Her hair was pulled askew, messy and tangled like a bird's nest. Annoyed, she yanked off the silk ribbon and casually tossed it into the nearby trash bin. She ran her fingers through her hair a few times. Just as she was about to say thank you, Han Zhang squeezed over, patting her on the back of the head and scolding, "Why are you always so troublesome? You can even make a fuss over looking at a ranking. He Mama was right; you really are a troublemaker!"

The two people stared wide-eyed at each other, He Ruchu was in a daze, still not reacting much, when Dai Xiao suddenly stood up with a "bang" and urgently asked: "Am I in? Did I make it into the zero class?" It is evident that being able to enter the prestigious zero class of the senior year, which is an all-star lineup, is a tremendous honor

In fact, it is not the case; "Shanglin No. 1 High School" is not a failing school, but rather the best high school. Everyone says: "Once you enter 'Shanglin No. 1 High School', you have already stepped one foot into the threshold of a key university." Therefore, parents spare no effort to send their children here. It is said that during the new student registration, on one side are the school's financial staff, and on the other side are the bank's cash counters, with armored cash transport vehicles parked outside.

To the right of the square in front of the office building, there is a long yet narrow tree-lined path, where the walkway, originally paved with green rectangular tiles, has now been replaced with mica marble. The sycamore trees on either side, with leaves the size of a palm, show no signs of movement, appearing to be on the verge of dying. At the end of the path, the glass display window is filled with a crowded promotional board, overflowing with people.

Han Zhang shrugged and shook his head, indicating that he did not know either

Han Zhang would not take her threats to heart, smilingly saying: "I am here to discuss serious matters with you. My mother said a new senior year zero class has been opened, led by the notorious Xu, with the Chinese teacher being the talented Wang, the English teacher being Director Fan from the English department, the physics teacher being the old man Gao, and as for chemistry, it goes without saying, it is of course Yang Xiaoru, and the biology teacher is my mother"

Can you compare yourself to Ding Xu and Zhang Yanyan? They are individuals who achieved high scores but did not get accepted, only aiming for Tsinghua or Peking University

As for He Ruchu, she is certainly not a newcomer; she is about to enter the hellish life of the third year of high school, which she has long heard about

Han Zhang stumbled back after being pushed by her, quickly retreating to the steps to steady himself. He clicked his tongue, glared at her, and said: "What is wrong with you, you shrew! Be careful or you might not get married in the future!"

After a summer of renovations, the newly refreshed "Shanglin No. 1 High School" has welcomed a new cohort of eager students

Young people seem to always hold onto their peculiar ideas, which often contradict those of others, especially adults, even though sometimes the reasons are truly childish and laughable

The registration area for new students was bustling with activity, with crowds flowing like water. Parents, sweating profusely, lined up with their children to register. The long queue twisted and turned like a dragon or snake, extending from the crowded office building along the polished black marble steps and into the spacious square. The heat was intense, and the noise of voices was overwhelming.

In the past, on both sides of the entrance to "Shanglin No. 1 Middle School," there were a series of dilapidated, low, narrow buildings, their walls covered with dark soot stains, and in the corners, a line of dark brown moss—mostly various small snack shops. When evening self-study sessions ended, it was truly bustling. This time, the school undertook extensive renovations, demolishing all the small shops nearby that affected the school's appearance, transforming the area into a flower garden, where large patches of red flowers, resembling clusters of pearls, were blooming vigorously in the summer.

Han Zhang mocked, saying, "The last place still has the audacity to laugh, their skin is thicker than usual"

How could he push him hard at first, angrily saying: "How could it not be? Wasn't it your father who sent someone to dismantle it?"

Han Zhang has always been outstanding, somewhat concerned, snorted, patted her head with considerable force, and scolded: "Worry about yourself, and you still have the mind to meddle in others' affairs!"

Upon glancing at the boy beside her, whom she neither recognized nor had any impression of, she felt somewhat reserved and found it difficult to act. She abruptly interrupted, saying: "Alright, go ahead and look at your new classmates!"

Han Zhang said irritably, "I am not a wandering scholar, so I don't know what is so extraordinary." Although he said this, he was thinking about going back to inquire about it.

Han Zhang mocked her, saying, "What do you know? Just wait to sit comfortably and eat ice cream."

Listening to the gradually fading sounds of the quarrel between the two, I couldn't help but look up in search, just in time to see He Ruchu bouncing forward, her flowing hair behind her resembling a waterfall blown by the mountain wind, soaring up, appearing like smoke, mist, and dust in the sunlight

Dai Xiao leaned weakly against the pillar due to the intense heat, lacking the energy to argue with her. She merely let out a slight "tch" as a sign of disdain, then turned her gaze towards the school gate. After a while, with a mournful expression, she said: "If the school is going to be renovated, so be it. But why must they demolish the small shops on both sides of the entrance?"

Before the words were finished, Dai Xiao had already called out: "What is going on? Are we going to a concentrated training camp? What is this 'Senior Three Zero Class'? I have never heard of it before!" These teachers are all distinguished educators from 'Shanglin No. 1 High School', yet they have all gathered in one class; I wonder what kind of 'bloodbath' awaits.

Han Zhang, with the tip of his right foot touching the ground, fearlessly said, "Who is cursing whom!" His body swayed slightly, secretly ready to slip away at any moment

Han Zhang replied, "Then you should check the rankings, they are posted there in red on white paper!" Yet his eyes were fixed on He Ruchu, wearing a cheerful smile. The three of them were all students in the key class. Han Zhang, needless to say, always ranked among the top three, while He Ruchu and Dai Xiao were not far behind, generally maintaining a position within the top ten.

First, extract a few long hairs embedded in the zipper, then untangle and straighten them one by one. It feels as if my hand has been gently bitten by an ant, a slight pain akin to the wind, faint and elusive, at that moment I even thought it was an illusion

She shouted loudly, "Who is being so vain! My hair is coarse and stiff, cutting it short makes it look like a hedgehog, each strand stands up like a chili pepper. Do you think I want this? On a hot day, wearing a black veil on my head, how unlucky can it get!"

At a glance, I saw the name at the top—"Zhong Yue—who is that?" I tilted my head and thought for a long time, but I had never heard of this name. It should not be from the key class; could it be from the regular class? This is quite strange. So I turned back to ask Han Zhang.

She clapped her hands and laughed, saying: "Haha—are you jealous? You have been outdone!" Han Zhang's name happened to be listed right after Zhong Yue's.

Upon reviewing it again, apart from the renowned Ding Xu and Zhang Yanyan—who certainly do not count—I indeed find myself at the very bottom. Seeing his expression filled with disdain and his words laced with mockery, I couldn't contain my anger and retorted, "Are you really that impressive? Then why aren't you at the top of the rankings? Get lost!" I pushed through the crowd and stormed out.

"Who are you scolding?" The young girl with a tender face could hardly withstand such teasing. He Ruchu immediately became furious and shouted, staring at him intently, her expression one of indignation, as if she were on the verge of losing her temper and resorting to violence.

The person was studying the rankings when suddenly he heard a girl cursing loudly, employing the utmost sarcasm. Just as he was frowning, he noticed that the girl from earlier was tilting her head, flustered and aimlessly rambling. The dark ends of her hair, like black satin, spread out over her body like a celestial maiden scattering flowers. After a moment of surprise, he carefully took off the backpack from his shoulder, unable to bear the sight any longer. He stopped He Ruchu, who was tugging at her hair without any method, and said, "Don't move for now, I'll handle it."

As if using a fan for the first time, she desperately waved it towards her face, causing the small round floral pattern on the back of her shirt to become completely soaked, while only a few beads of sweat glistened on the tip of her nose. Meanwhile, Dai Xiao beside her was already dripping with sweat, beads rolling down her cheeks like pearls. The two of them sat awkwardly on the steps in front of the library.

In fact, she has a head of dark and shiny curls, as beautiful as a sea anemone and as lush as seaweed, neither coarse nor split, with a natural beauty that compels any adult who sees her to offer compliments. However, since these compliments come from adults, she, being in a rebellious phase, naturally scoffs at them and remains indifferent. Moreover, having once pricked her finger while playing with her hair as a child, she has developed a strong dislike for it, especially in summer, when she vehemently complains about having a walking furnace on her head. She prefers short hair like Audrey Hepburn's, soft as silk, appearing light brown in the sunlight, as if faded by the sun, and can be easily styled with just a little water.

However, the students do not appreciate the school's grand initiative of extensive construction. He is also troubled about where to go in the future to eat fried bananas, hot pot meat slices, grilled lamb skewers, and spicy hot pot. It is said that small stalls are no longer allowed in the surrounding area, and soon there will be no place left for breakfast.

Suddenly hearing others discussing oneself in a public setting, Zhong Yue, standing to the side, listened with great interest to the conversation between the two. He could not help but turn his head to observe closely. The boy, standing among the crowd, was relatively tall, with long limbs, fair skin, and a somewhat slender build. He wore a pair of trendy deep blue wide-framed glasses over his narrow single eyelids, and his lips curled into a half-smile, giving him a somewhat nonchalant appearance. Next to him was a girl with large eyes and long black hair, who was also quite attractive, but her temper seemed to be rather poor.

Han Zhang noticed her expression change and was quite angry, quickly catching up to her: "What are you throwing a tantrum about again? If there's nothing going on, just go home and stay there"

At this moment, Dai Xiao hesitated and said timidly: "Han Zhang, you must have entered—I'm not sure about it, I'm still in suspense—by the way, has Ru Chuxu entered?"

Dai Xiao pointed to the registration area, "Look at those parents, it's so hot! Standing under the blazing sun—" Regardless of wealth or status, the hearts of parents for their children are the same. Even those renowned leaders and presidents, at this moment, stand among the crowd, waiting to receive a registration certificate for 'Shanglin No. 1 Middle School'.

The more anxious one becomes, the more difficult it is to untangle; upon hearing him say this, she obediently quieted down.

Han Zhang still had that rogue demeanor, "It's about time—everyone says it's the newly established Senior Three Zero Class, which certainly didn't exist before. Based on academic performance rankings, we selected the top eight students from two key classes, and then the top eight from the other twenty-eight regular classes, along with a few special cases, to form a completely new Senior Three Zero Class." After saying this, he shrugged and looked at the two in silence

Dai Xiao grabbed the ends of her hair, shook it and said: "Such long hair! Just looking at it makes me feel hot. You don't even cut it, just know how to show off!"

Indeed, He Ruchu's first kick, the "Mandarin Duck Linked Legs," missed entirely. Unwilling to accept this, he could only point at the one who had already slipped into the shade of the tree and said, "Remember this debt; I will settle it with you later, and I won't spare your skin!" He was still filled with indignation.

He nodded absentmindedly, brushed aside the long hair that had slid down with his right hand, and used his left hand to take out a tissue to wipe away the sticky sweat on his neck. The faint fragrance carried by the tissue reached his nose, and after catching his breath, he said irritably: "Shifting resources from one place to another, making do for two months, not a single day of peace; this broken school has finally managed to stay afloat."

While she was complaining, Dai Xiao nudged her and pointed ahead with her lips. She looked up and saw Han Zhang walking from a distance, suddenly clapping her hands and saying: "Let's ask him!" She sprang up nimbly, placed her hands on her hips, and assumed a posture of questioning him sternly

She retorted, "How can that be the last place? There are still two people behind!"

With arms crossed, he smiled and said, "This is quite interesting, where did this nameless hero come from? This Zhong Yue doesn't even know who he is, yet he is surprisingly at the top of the list, and even you are unaware of it."

He Ru Chu was once again the subject of a flurry of whispers, claiming that he had hurt her. One by one, the names were mentioned, and they were all well-known figures. When she saw the three characters "He Ru Chu" awkwardly placed at the end, she raised her eyebrows in triumph, not expecting to find her name among them, feeling quite like she had "passed the imperial examination." Her expression of pride seemed to be a provocation, as if to say, what do you think? Disappointed, right? It was truly satisfying.

Students who have been officially admitted only need to report to the finance office, while those who wish to enter but cannot do so, are merely referred to as students admitted under the guise of expansion. This year, "Shanglin No. 1 High School" has increased its enrollment quota significantly, prompting parents to take action upon hearing the news, resulting in an unprecedented scene of students queuing to pay, although it is not without its drawbacks.

How could I not stare at him: "No wonder people say that nothing good can come from your mouth. All day long, can you not speak a word of human language? Go where it's cool, why stick around and wag your tongue like a dog? Indeed, you are of the same kind."

Han Zhang pretended to teach her a lesson, and she quickly darted inside, tilting her head to the right, exclaiming "Ouch!" It turned out her hair had gotten caught in the zipper of the bag belonging to the person next to her