After My Rebirth, I Stole Away the School Genius - Chapter 5

Yanning No.1 High School had two evening self-study sessions. The first was supervised by rotating subject teachers, while the second was overseen by homeroom teachers. For first and second-year students, the second session ended at 9:30 PM, but third-year students had to stay until 10:50 PM before being dismissed.

Though it was called self-study, many teachers used the time to review exams or administer tests. Students groaned at this practice because their daily homework was already overwhelming, and now their self-study time was being taken up. Unfinished assignments had to be taken home, forcing them to burn the midnight oil.

Shi Zhuang was deeply dissatisfied with the weekend homework submissions. In his frustration, he asked Liang Hongying for permission to use the second self-study session, combining both sessions for a test.

When Lu Shinian received the test paper, she carefully wrote her name and class in neat strokes before turning her attention to the questions.

The first five multiple-choice questions were answered, albeit with some struggle. But beyond that, what the hell was this?

The world didn’t need profanity until math problems existed.

The reality was that two days of studying couldn’t magically transform her from an academic disaster into a genius. Unless the heavens decided to bless her with supernatural abilities—but what were the odds of that?

Lu Shinian rubbed her face and reluctantly guessed her way through the remaining multiple-choice questions. The first two free-response problems were manageable, but for the ones she didn’t know, she dumped every relevant formula she could recall, treating it as a last-ditch effort. Either way, Shi Zhuang’s scolding was inevitable.

She glanced up at the clock.

Huh, only forty minutes had passed.

Bored, Lu Shinian started spinning her pen, her eyes wandering around the room.

Because of the test, Shi Zhuang had spaced out the desks, splitting the class into two sections. Wang Jingjing sat to her right, scratching her head in frustration but undoubtedly performing better than her. In front was Xu Man, who excelled in Chinese having won numerous essay competitions but struggled with math.

Lu Shinian didn’t want to look at her, so her gaze shifted sideways, landing on Yu He.

Yu He was as composed as ever. Beneath her test paper was a workbook, and while others were still working on the exam, she had already moved on to exercises. Her focus was unwavering unlike others who would glance around or zone out while working. She was like a pre-programmed robot, entirely absorbed in her own world, yet without any trace of irritation or complaint. Just calm.

A strange thought crossed Lu Shinian’s mind: What would happen if someone pressed her “off” button right now?

Occasionally, Yu He would pause, tapping her left index finger lightly against the desk as she thought. The moment her finger stilled meant she had arrived at an answer, almost like a system loading.

Lu Shinian propped her chin on her hand, watching idly, when she suddenly heard a cough. She turned toward the sound.

Wang Jingjing had ducked behind the person in front of her and was sliding her test paper toward Lu Shinian, letting half of it hang off the edge of the desk.

Lu Shinian instantly understood, what a reliable desk mate.

She didn’t waste time agonizing over the ethics of copying. After confirming that Shi Zhuang wasn’t looking their way, she subtly craned her neck to peek. Unfortunately, years of late-night novel reading had ruined her eyesight, and she had to squint to make out the answers.

“B, C, D, C…”

The last letter was written so oddly that Lu Shinian couldn’t decipher it for the life of her. Her eyes were practically crossing from the strain.

“Student over there, I can see your neck craning out. Be careful, or I’m afraid you might accidentally break it.”

Lu Shinian turned her head only to receive a killing glare from Shi Zhuang, quickly lowering her head as shame overwhelmed her, tears streaming down her face.

This was the first time in her life an exam had left her feeling so humiliated.

Just give her a little more time.

Next time, next time she would definitely do better. At the very least, she could score some points on the basic questions.

The next day, Lu Shinian arrived at the classroom at the same time as before. Unsurprisingly, everyone was already seated, scribbling away. Scanning the room, she noticed Yu He was also at her front-row seat.

She set her bag down and took her seat. Yu Jingjing didn’t pause her writing, glancing up at her. “Need to copy the homework? Math.”

Lu Shinian smiled. “No, I’ll take the mistakes. I’ve accepted it.”

Last night’s homework covered the day’s lessons, and for once, Lu Shinian wasn’t completely lost. She’d stayed up late, finishing what she could. Some questions required knowledge from freshman year, so she’d referred to Yu He’s notes to find the relevant concepts. Though she only half-understood, she managed to fill in the answers.

Pulling a bottle of orange juice from her bag, Lu Shinian walked over to Yu He’s desk and placed it down.

“As promised, a drink for you.”

Yu He looked up from her English book, eyeing the juice. “No need. Take it back.”

“It’s really good.”

“I don’t want it.”

Unfazed, Lu Shinian grinned. “If you don’t like it, throw it away or give it to someone else. I’ll bring you a different one next time. If you still don’t like that, I’ll keep buying new ones. There are so many drinks out there, one of them has to be your favorite.”

Yu He rarely encountered someone this shameless. Her expression darkened, lips tightening as she repeated, “I don’t want it.”

Her cold stare and sharp tone made it clear: “Stay away.”

Normally, anyone seeing Yu He like this would have already fled in fear.

But Lu Shinian didn’t look away. Call it intuition, but she felt Yu He’s tough act was just that, an act. And her ears were turning visibly red.

Was the top student annoyed, or… embarrassed?

Lu Shinian suddenly wasn’t sure what had triggered this reaction, but she found it inexplicably amusing. She didn’t hold back, laughing outright.

“……”

Yu He stared at her blankly. Why was this person laughing?

Clearing her throat, Lu Shinian tried to suppress her smile. “Just try it. There’s a prize inside, if you’re lucky, you might win another bottle. You can come to me to claim it.”

Yu He pinched the corner of her book, then suddenly said, “x equals zero.”

Lu Shinian blinked. “What?”

Yu He paused, then clarified, “The last problem.”

“Oh!” Lu Shinian realized. “I must have written the wrong value when asking Shi Zhuang. Glad you caught it, did it affect the rest of the answer?”

Truthfully, she had known how to solve the last problem. She’d only lost points for skipping a step, so whether she listened in class didn’t matter.

Well, no reason to reject goodwill.

Yu He turned a page, her tone even. “No. Did you understand it?”

“No, I wouldn’t dare touch such difficult problems with my skills. As long as you understand, that’s enough.” Lu Shinian smiled and asked, “Did you get it?”

“Mhm.”

“…”

She had intended to end the conversation there, but the person before her continued staring expectantly. Clearly, without a definitive answer, this dialogue wouldn’t conclude.

Yu He averted her gaze and said softly, “Mhm, I understand.”

The third period in the morning was math class. Shi Zhuang walked onto the podium with a stack of graded papers, his expression grim. “Hand these out,” he said.

Then he got straight to the point. “I spent the whole night grading these, and they pissed me off the entire time. Such basic problems, yet the answers are absolute garbage. Out of a possible 150 points, only Yu He and Fang Xing scored above 140. The rest of you, what the hell were you thinking? Some of you really opened my eyes, but I won’t name names to spare you the embarrassment.”

He paused briefly, his gaze drifting pointedly toward Lu Shinian.

“Wake up, everyone. You’re already in your second year of high school. In one year, you’ll be seniors. Time is running out, get your act together.”

Lu Shinian kept her head lowered the entire time. The score on her paper was so embarrassing she couldn’t bear to look Shi Zhuang in the eye, afraid his glare alone might kill her.

66 points.

How fitting.

The moment the bell rang, Liang Hongying was already standing at the classroom door, summoning her outside without delay.

Lu Shinian became the first student this semester to be invited for a “chat” with the homeroom teacher, earning herself the curious stares of her classmates.

She had seen this coming. Resigned, she thought, What must come will come. Tucking the test paper haphazardly into her textbook, she stepped out.

Since class had just ended, only a few teachers remained in the office.

Liang Hongying sat in her chair. “Do you know why I called you here today?”

Lu Shinian nodded honestly. “Yeah. Math.”

“I never expected you to score like this. Unprecedented. Unheard of.” Liang Hongying used two idioms to emphasize her shock at the result.

“Even though you’ve always struggled with math, you’ve never performed this poorly before. I think this isn’t just about academics anymore, it’s an attitude problem. Have you been dealing with something difficult lately?”

Lu Shinian sniffled, tears at the ready. “Teacher, to be honest, I recently made a foolish mistake. I developed feelings for a boy and lost focus on my studies.”

At this, Liang Hongying frowned.

“But one day, I had an epiphany. I realized how much I’ve let you and the other teachers down. What are men, really? What’s the point of romance? Studying and improving myself, that’s what truly matters.”

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face. “Teacher, I’ve learned my lesson. I promise to take my studies seriously from now on.”

Seeing the girl’s reddened eyes, Liang Hongying softened. Crushes during adolescence were normal, and since Lu Shinian seemed to have reformed, excessive criticism might backfire.

She handed Lu Shinian two tissues from her desk. “Since you’ve already corrected your mistake, I won’t dwell on it. Focus on your studies, that’s the most important thing for you right now. If you face any difficulties, you can always come to me.”

Lu Shinian nodded obediently, “Mhm, I understand.”

“Improving your math scores won’t be easy. You can ask Teacher Shi or other classmates for help when you’re free. Take Yu He from our class for example, she has excellent grades. Although she’s usually quiet, you’re both girls so it should be easier to get along. You could ask her for help with problems when you have time,” Liang Hongying said.

Lu Shinian wiped her tears. “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely try my best to befriend Yu He.”

Yu He, who had just been about to enter the office to submit her competition form: “……”

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