Redemption from the Abyss: The School Beauty Insists on Pulling Me Out of the Mire

The next day, early in the morning.

Xie Wang staggered into Class 1 of Grade 11 as the morning reading bell rang.

As soon as he entered the room, he sensed that something was wrong.

The bookworms who used to bury themselves in their books were now whispering among themselves, their eyes occasionally drifting towards the third row.

There sat a pale-faced boy.

Jiang Yue is back.

After a day of rest to recover from heart problems, the student council president finally felt fully recovered. However, his complexion was even worse than when he was sick.

Because he saw Xie Wangzheng strut in and sit down in the seat diagonally behind his, the seat behind Su Qinghe.

That was his forbidden zone.

Now it's been taken over by a stray dog.

"Bang!"

Jiang Yue slammed the English book in his hand onto the table.

As soon as the morning reading session ended, and the homeroom teacher, Ms. Li, entered the classroom to assign tasks, Jiang Yue suddenly stood up.

"Teacher Li, I have something to say."

Jiang Yue's voice was loud, filled with suppressed anger, instantly attracting the attention of the whole class.

Teacher Li was taken aback: "Jiang Yue? What happened? Are you feeling better?"

"Teacher, I think this is unfair."

Jiang Yue pointed to Xie Wang in the last row, speaking with righteous indignation and a face full of heartache, "Class 1 of Grade 11 is the top class in the whole school, the reserve force for entering Tsinghua and Peking Universities. Each of us sat here based on our hard work and exams, day and night."

He paused, his gaze piercing Xie Wang like a knife:

"But now, a hoodlum who consistently scores single digits on tests and only knows how to fight and sleep is allowed to sit here simply because he knows a little bit of shady computer repair skills. Isn't this an insult to those of us who work hard to study? Isn't this a trampling on educational fairness?"

The classroom fell into a deathly silence after he said that.

Immediately, Jiang Yue's henchmen understood and began to shout:

"That's right, teacher! One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel!"

"Ever since he came, the air in the classroom has gotten worse; it's always filled with the smell of smoke!"

"If someone like that can stay in Class 1, then what's the point of all the hard work we put into getting in?"

Teacher Li looked somewhat embarrassed.

He was about to explain that this was a special approval from the principal, and also for the sake of the competition, but before he could even speak—

"Thump!"

A loud bang shook the girl in the front row so much that her water cup jumped up.

That was the sound of a basketball slamming hard onto the floor.

The burly sports committee member, Shen Hao, stood up with a dark expression. He kicked the chair aside, pointed at Jiang Yue's nose, and began to curse:

"Jiang Yue, watch your mouth!"

Shen Hao was a straightforward person and couldn't stand this kind of sarcastic talk. "We're all classmates, who's more superior than whom? Brother Wang was admitted through a special technical admission program, that's his skill! If you're so capable, why don't you go and fix that infinite loop code? If you're not capable, don't be so sour here!"

"Shen Hao, you..." Jiang Yue was furious that this muscle-bound guy dared to talk back to him in public. His face flushed red with anger. "I was talking to the teacher, what's it to you? You're just a brainless brute!"

"Say that again?!" Shen Hao rolled up his sleeves and was about to rush over.

"Enough!" Teacher Li quickly shouted, "You're all in your second year of high school, what's all this noise about! What kind of behavior is this!"

Jiang Yue took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and turned to look at his teacher, his true intentions revealed:

"Teacher Li, since everyone is dissatisfied, I propose that we decide based on grades."

He looked at Xie Wang with a cold smile, "The midterm exams are in five days. If Xie Wang can get into the top 100 in the grade, we'll acknowledge that he deserves to stay in Class 1. If he doesn't... then he can go back to Class 8, or go to vocational high school!"

Top 100 in the grade?

The whole class gasped.

There are 1,200 students in the second year of high school at No. 1 Middle School. The top 100 students are nothing special for Class 1, but what about Xie Wang, who is last in the grade?

How can a student who consistently ranks last in their class turn around and enter the top 100 in just five days?

This is practically pushing people to their deaths.

"This...this is a bit harsh, isn't it?" Teacher Li frowned, trying to smooth things over.

"I also think it's harsh."

A clear, cold voice suddenly rang out in the noisy classroom.

It's not big, but it's extremely penetrating.

Su Qinghe, who had been working on the problem with his back to everyone, slowly put down his pen.

Lin Lu, who was standing nearby, turned around and hurriedly tried to grab Su Qinghe: Qinghe, what are you doing!

She turned around.

He didn't stand up, but simply pushed up his silver-rimmed glasses. His innate aura of refined elegance instantly overwhelmed the furious Jiang Yue.

"According to Article 3 of Chapter 12 of the 'Jiangcheng No.1 Middle School Student Handbook's Regulations on Academic Affairs Management."

Su Qinghe spoke calmly, as if reciting an axiom: "The special talent students will be streamed based solely on their final exam scores, and they have the right to retain their original class status during the competition period."

She raised her eyes, her phoenix eyes coldly fixed on Jiang Yue:

"Jiang Yue, as the student council president, you should know the school rules better than anyone else. Now you've bypassed the academic affairs office and privately made a rule that 'those who don't rank in the top 100 in the midterm exam will be expelled'..."

Su Qinghe's lips curled into a faint, mocking smile:

"Are you trying to be above the school rules? Or has this school changed hands to the Jiang family?"

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

The whole class was so shocked that their mouths dropped open, and some even dropped their pens.

God!

Is this the same Su Qinghe who is oblivious to everything around him and as aloof as a deity?

She actually confronted Jiang Yue in public for the sake of a poor student? And her confrontation was so logical and well-founded that no one could refute it!

Jiang Yue's expression instantly became extremely interesting.

From red to white, and then to iron blue, it felt as unpleasant as swallowing a dead fly.

He stared intently at Su Qinghe, his voice trembling: "Qinghe, you...you actually spoke up for someone like that? Do you know what kind of person he is outside? I'm doing this for your own good!"

"I only follow the rules." Su Qinghe turned around, leaving him with a cold back view. "Also, don't call me Qinghe, we're not familiar with each other."

Those last four words were absolutely devastating.

Jiang Yue stood there, feeling the mocking gazes of the entire class fixed on him, his face burning with pain.

In the last row, in the corner.

Xie Wang stared at that slender, upright figure, his hand under the table unconsciously clenching.

It felt like something had hit my heart hard.

It's both sour and bloated.

In all his life, apart from his mother who died young, no woman had ever stood firmly in front of him like this.

That's enough.

Xie Wang suddenly spoke.

He pulled his long legs out from under the table and stood up lazily.

Despite wearing a loose-fitting school uniform, his 1.87-meter height and the wildness that emanated from his bones instantly made him the focus of the entire scene.

He didn't look at Teacher Li or Shen Hao, but went straight to Jiang Yue, whose face was ashen.

"Isn't it just the top 100?"

Xie Wang curled the corners of his lips. "Sure, I'll take it."

"Xie Wang! Don't be impulsive!" Shen Hao exclaimed anxiously, "That's the top 100! Not the bottom 100! There are only five days left!"

Teacher Li also wanted to advise, "Xie Wang, actually according to the rules you don't need to..."

"Teacher, I don't like listening to flies buzzing."

Xie Wang interrupted the teacher, his gaze fixed on Jiang Yue. "Since Chairman Jiang insists on offering his face for me to slap, wouldn't it be impolite of me not to grant his wish?"

Jiang Yue was trembling with anger at his use of the word "fly": "Fine! Xie Wang! You said it yourself! The whole class can witness it! If you don't pass the test, you can get out!"

"What if I pass the exam?" Xie Wang asked back.

"Heh, if you can pass the exam, I'll write my name backwards!" Jiang Yue sneered.

"No need, that would be too ugly."

Xie Wang pulled a piece of candy from his pocket, unwrapped it, and slowly delivered the final blow, stabbing Jiang Yue in the lungs:

"Jiang Yue, instead of worrying about my grades, you should worry more about that spot in the national computer science competition."

Xie Wang flicked the candy wrapper into the trash can, his eyes filled with disdain:

"Didn't Teacher Li inform you? Because your code was so terrible, you're no longer the one representing the school in the national competition..."

He pointed to himself. "It's me."

"What?!"

Jiang Yue suddenly turned to look at Teacher Li, his face full of disbelief.

He had reserved that spot for a whole year! It was also his key bargaining chip for getting into a prestigious university!

Teacher Li coughed awkwardly, avoiding Jiang Yue's gaze: "Well... Jiang Yue, the school does indeed feel that Xie Wang has more talent in algorithm architecture. This is the principal's decision."

boom--

Jiang Yue felt as if a string in his mind had snapped.

My face was swollen from being slapped; I lost all face and dignity.

He staggered a step, looking at Xie Wang's ambiguous smile, his eyes almost overflowing with resentment.

Xie Wang ignored this loser.

He sat down again and kicked the leg of the chair in front of him.

Su Qinghe tilted his head slightly.

Xie Wang lowered his voice and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:

Thanks.

"But next time, for such a small matter, you don't need to do anything; I can handle it myself."

Su Qinghe didn't turn around, but just looked down at his physics book, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips.

"Let's get into the top 100 first, X."