Chapter 21

In an instant, the entire classroom fell into an eerie silence.

They stared blankly as the girl, guided by the homeroom teacher, walked to the most inconspicuous corner, took the backpack off her shoulders, and arranged her books neatly and orderly.

Only then did a few people hazily retract their gazes.

"Is she that transfer student?"

"She's actually kind of pretty..."

"Kind of? Honestly, I don't think Ren Lingwei even compares."

Ren Lingwei looked over, her hands tightening.

Hearing this, Shen Danxue curled her lips in a sneer. "She’s just a transfer student who got in through family connections. How could she compare to our Goddess Ren?"

Ren Lingwei was outstanding in both character and academics, consistently ranking first in the class, and was also a young lady of the Ren family, one of the top elite families in Jin City. She had entered the Elite Class through her own genuine ability. But Ye Chunxi? A backdoor hire—could they even be compared?

What the Elite Class despised most were those who relied on their family background to easily obtain what they had to work so hard to achieve.

Steward Kong, who was standing at the back, showed his displeasure upon hearing these remarks. He had anticipated that the classmates might have prejudices against Miss Ye, but he hadn't expected to encounter such blatant malice the moment she arrived.

Seeing that Ye Chunxi had finished organizing her desk, he placed the remaining items from his hands onto her table and called her outside after she had finished settling in.

"Miss Ye, if you feel uncomfortable in this class, just let me know."

Ye Chunxi had naturally heard the gossip. She didn't really care, but not wanting to dismiss Steward Kong's intentions, she replied, "Thank you, Uncle Kong. I will."

Steward Kong remained worried, though he hoped that once the students spent more time together, their relationships would improve.

Upon returning to the classroom, Ye Chunxi clearly sensed the surrounding gazes. Ignoring them, she sat in her seat, glanced up at the class schedule written on the blackboard, and took out her textbook in preparation for the lesson.

Less than ten minutes into the lecture, Ye Chunxi found it uninteresting; she rested her chin on her elbow, lost in thought.

The subject was chemistry, taught by a woman in her early thirties named Zhou. Her teaching style was notoriously strict, striking fear into the hearts of her students. Such a teacher would never tolerate a student zoning out, especially not in the Elite Class.

Noticing Ye Chunxi’s lack of focus, she picked up a piece of chalk and threw it.

Ye Chunxi sensed it and did not dodge. The chalk flew past her and accidentally landed on Shen Danxue, who was sitting next to her, leaving a mark on her school uniform sleeve.

Shen Danxue trembled, staring at the blackboard, dumbstruck and afraid to even breathe. She had seen Teacher Zhou’s ruthlessness before and was instantly drenched in a cold sweat. Yet, she had been listening attentively the whole time and hadn't done anything else.

"The student in the back row by the door, stand up!"

Seeing the direction of Teacher Zhou’s finger, Shen Danxue realized she was talking about Ye Chunxi and let out a long sigh of relief. At the same time, she felt a sense of schadenfreude. Other students in the class looked over as well, silently mourning for the transfer student.

Ye Chunxi stood up.

"What are you thinking about instead of listening to the lecture?" Teacher Zhou scrutinized Ye Chunxi, realizing she didn't recognize this student. Her appearance was so striking that even a single glance left a deep impression. A student so memorable would not have escaped her notice, so she asked, "Why haven't I seen you before? Did you transfer from another class?"

Shen Danxue, sitting nearby, quickly fanned the flames. "Teacher, she’s a transfer student from another school who just joined our class."

"A transfer student?" Teacher Zhou’s expression shifted. "Transferred directly into the Elite Class?"

Her class atmosphere was extremely stifling; a wrong answer usually resulted in a lecture, and if it were a topic she had explained multiple times, she would resort to corporal punishment. Even the students of the Elite Class had experienced this. Hearing this, the students below murmured in agreement.

Teacher Zhou frowned, her gaze turning from admiration to contempt. She pointed at the blackboard and said sternly, "Come here and explain this problem to me."

Students had transferred to Hengde before, but they usually went to ordinary classes and worked their way up through their grades. This was the first time she had seen someone placed directly into the Elite Class. Unless they had a significant background, they were likely headhunted by the principal—though the latter was highly unlikely.

In all of Jin City, Hengde was the best high school, holding the title of a top-tier national institution. Every year, the top-performing middle school graduates made Hengde their first choice.

Ye Chunxi looked up at the blackboard; it was an organic chemistry problem. After a few seconds of silence, the students, convinced she couldn't solve it, began to gloat.

A girl whispered to the student beside her, "Lingwei, did you solve it?"

Ren Lingwei looked at her draft paper, which only contained a few scattered ideas, and shook her head. "This problem is a bit difficult; I haven't figured it out yet."

"If even you can't solve it, this transfer student definitely can't. It’s her bad luck to run into Teacher Zhou on her very first lesson."

Ren Lingwei pretended to be deep in thought, but her mind had drifted to the seat by the back door.

Teacher Zhou watched Ye Chunxi, her patience gradually wearing thin. Just as she was about to question how she had the nerve to even show up in the Elite Class, the girl moved.

She walked straight to the podium, picked up a piece of chalk, and began to write on the blackboard, with Teacher Zhou standing right beside her.

In less than a minute, Ye Chunxi put down the chalk, dusted off her hands, and walked off the stage.

Teacher Zhou froze for two seconds before letting out a surprised laugh.

"You actually got it right. It seems you are indeed clever; no wonder you were able to get into the Elite Class."

This problem was quite difficult, even for students in the Elite Class. She had asked Ye Chunxi to solve it partly because she was distracted and partly to test her level, expecting at most a rough idea. Now, it seemed this student had truly exceeded her expectations.

Ren Lingwei whipped her head around, the draft paper in her hand crumpled into wrinkles. The entire class was in disbelief.

Ye Chunxi returned to her seat, propped her chin on her elbow, and twirled her pen with her other hand, radiating an air of aloof pride.

"She actually got it right?"

Hearing the murmur of doubt, Teacher Zhou generously explained, "This problem is highly complex. One of the concepts involved wasn't covered in detail, and I intended to use this question to expand your knowledge. I didn't expect this student to solve it the moment she arrived."

The class was silent; no one dared to speak. While Teacher Zhou was strict, she was famously biased, never stingy with her praise for high-achieving students.

She tapped the blackboard. "Since this student has already solved it, we will proceed according to her steps."

Shen Danxue glanced at Ye Chunxi, her expression ugly. She had hoped to use this opportunity to make her realize the gap between her and the Elite Class, but she hadn't expected her to solve it. Her jealousy toward Ye Chunxi deepened.

The class was still in session, so Shen Danxue didn't dare linger and hurriedly turned back to listen to the lecture.

As soon as the bell rang, Teacher Zhou called Ye Chunxi to her office.