Chapter 108: A Sense of Harmony

“Competing over grades is meaningless. Let’s compete over progress instead,” Zhang Ye said with a faint smile. “Let’s use last semester’s final exam rankings as the baseline. Whoever improves the most wins. Fair enough?”

He never considered himself superior or looked down on others just because he was a bit different. Precisely for that reason, he wouldn’t arrogantly agree to a challenge he had no chance of winning.

He hated losing. In his past life, he had lost to power, lost to money, lost his very life. This time around, he genuinely didn’t want to lose. Even in a trivial contest, he wouldn’t give others the chance. Especially when the other party was clearly targeting him.

“Ha, that’s a good idea. Let’s compare progress. Improvement is the most direct way to measure who’s truly putting in the effort and studying seriously,” Zhao Haidong laughed heartily, casting a mocking glance at Shi Lei.

Everyone knew that since Shi Lei joined Class Three, although he had stood out in the first exam and made his mark with excellent scores, there was one person who seemed like a divine barrier, forever blocking him from ranking first. He had tried hard, even during the time Zhou Tingting sat the exam while ill, thinking he could finally claim the top spot—but in the end, he was slapped with a harsh reality.

Compared to that, making real progress was like climbing a mountain for him.

Shi Lei’s face flushed red with anger as he snapped at Zhao Haidong, “Trash like you has no right to talk.” The words instantly offended everyone.

Those who sat at the back sometimes relied on him to cover for them when handing in assignments or passing answers. If it was something minor, they would accept the help since he had aided them before. But those who sit at the back cared deeply about their pride. They admitted their poor grades, but if anyone looked down on them or treated them as worthless, though they might not say much because of limited friendships, the resentment would linger and they would gradually distance themselves.

“You…” Zhao Haidong clenched his fists but surprisingly fell silent.

Zhang Ye glanced at him, not blaming his silence. He knew Zhao Haidong felt somewhat inferior, aware of the gap between himself and Shi Lei. Academic achievement didn’t mean everything, but in school it was the standard recognized by countless teachers to measure one’s status. Though Zhang Ye found it ridiculous, it was an invisible rule that always existed.

Shi Lei’s expression also shifted. He noticed that those who once supported him now looked at him differently. He regretted his words but stubbornly refused to explain.

Not far away, Li Qianqian watched with concern, wanting to say something but feeling shy and hesitant.

“Let’s compare scores on the next exam, see who performs better,” Zhou Tingting said, frowning as she stood beside Zhang Ye, casting a disdainful look at Shi Lei.

She looked different from the last time Zhang Ye had seen her; at least her hair seemed shinier. Previously, her hair was always messy and dull, unkempt. Perhaps spurred by a teasing comment Zhang Ye had made when he left, she had made some changes. To her, it was a significant step forward. Her smooth hair added much to her appearance, though some dryness remained. The black-rimmed glasses still hid her face, but the difference was marked.

She looked prettier, more pleasant to the eye.

Her words were a great insult to Shi Lei. All eyes in the class turned toward them. He was mortified, his face burning with shame as he glared resentfully at Zhang Ye and Zhou Tingting.

Originally, he had wanted to see Zhang Ye embarrassed, to surpass him in grades so that Li Qianqian would notice the difference between them and choose him sensibly, instead of paying attention to someone with average scores. But the outcome made him feel like the real clown, performing a clumsy act with no awareness of how ridiculous he appeared.

What shocked him even more was why Zhou Tingting would side with Zhang Ye. This girl who had always been absorbed in her studies, never looking away from her books—when had she been swayed by Zhang Ye’s charm?

This puzzled not only him but most of the class.

The bell for class interrupted their speculation, but the classroom remained anything but calm.

“Thank you,” Zhang Ye said to Zhou Tingting. “But if you took off those glasses, you’d probably look even more beautiful.”

A flicker of delight crossed Zhou Tingting’s eyes. She nodded firmly and returned to her seat. When Zhang Ye had once gone to see Zheng Fan, he had casually remarked something that struck her deeply: “You’d actually be quite beautiful if you dressed up a bit.” He said this after witnessing her remarkable transformation, a sincere admiration that stayed with her.

The class proceeded without incident. When the final bell rang, Zhang Ye did not leave immediately. He waited until most students had gone before rising and walking over to Li Qianqian’s desk.

She was slowly packing up, as if by some unspoken agreement deliberately delaying her departure, seemingly waiting for something.

“Let’s walk together,” Zhang Ye said. At that moment, his feelings were complicated and hazy—emotions he had never really experienced before.

Li Qianqian nodded silently, not refusing. She didn’t know how to say no, or rather, she simply didn’t want to. Zhang Ye’s appearance felt like a god descending, delivering a profound shock. She hadn’t expected him to be so bold, coming directly to her home and giving her an instant sense of support.

Her father’s illness weighed heavily on her and her mother, leaving her exhausted. Zhang Ye’s help brought a ray of hope when they were most desperate.

They walked quietly side by side, neither speaking. A subtle, ambiguous feeling blossomed between them. Zhang Ye, usually quite eloquent, found himself at a loss for words.

After all, his experience with love was scant.

“I’m heading home now,” Li Qianqian suddenly said as they reached the school gate, each holding their bicycles, walking side by side.

They didn’t live in the same direction—at the road crossing at the gate, she would go left, he right. It was funny that the very thing that first caught their attention was the series of chance meetings at the school gate, the perfect timing that sparked a silent connection.

The first was pure chance, the second an accident, but the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth were definitely fate.

Those consecutive moments of perfect timing made hearts flutter and feelings quietly grow...

P.S.: Today, while talking with a friend about first love, I suddenly recalled that feeling from the past—the kind of coincidence described in this chapter, where we kept running into each other at the school gate. It felt so magical then. Now, looking back, I miss it so much... but it can never come back. Such a pity I never confessed; by the time I understood, it was already too late...