Chapter 5 — A True Academic Ace Has No Time for Love

The day of the national college entrance examination arrived with relentless speed. Lin Zhen and I were assigned to the exact same testing center, and our paths crossed the very moment we stepped out of the school gates. Her face radiated absolute confidence, as if victory was already secured in the palm of her hand. Seeing me still lingering on the phone with Giang Tu, she let out a cold, mocking laugh. "What a fool, a top-tier student seed who ruins her own future just for cheap romance." With that, she strode through the gates. Meanwhile, Giang Tu and I executed the final act of our elaborate performance. "Wishing you the best of luck." "How far we have come was never a matter of luck."

The final bell of the last exam echoed through the courtyard. Everything was settled. True to our agreement, the moment I walked out of the examination room, I completely severed all ties with Bui Thac and returned to the orphanage to throw myself into volunteer work. This routine continued until the day the university entrance examination scores were officially announced. Lin Zhen's score was more than enough to secure direct admission into a top-tier university. The Lin family was so ecstatic they rushed everywhere to contact the media, eager to broadcast the news and meticulously build her image as a beautiful, brilliant academic prodigy, all to pave the way for their family enterprise. Before the flashing cameras, Lin Zhen wore a delicate, minimal layer of makeup, feigning deep emotion as she shared her thoughts. "Actually, back in school, the person who always held the top rank in our grade was another girl. It is just such a pity that she fell into early romance and let her studies deteriorate. I am afraid she will barely scrape by into an average college." She even offered earnest, big-sisterly advice to all the young female students, urging them to focus purely on their studies and never make foolish mistakes during the most crucial years of their youth. In just a short span of time, she went viral across social media platforms.

Not stopping there, Lin Zhen purposefully leaked photos of Giang Tu and me holding hands on campus, alongside blurry snapshots of our backs entering a hotel. It did not take long for netizens to begin digging up dirt on me. "What a heartbreaking waste. An orphan girl who used to be a top student, only to ruin herself over puppy love." "How utterly cheap. Entering a hotel with a boy while still in high school—does she have any shame left? Figures, though, raised in an orphanage with no proper upbringing or guidance." "I heard that in the tenth and eleventh grades, she was always ranked first in the grade. If she had stayed on track, she probably could have easily made it into Tsinghua or Peking University by now." "Young girls, please do not follow her example. Do not throw away your future for foolish romance." "Honestly though, how many points did this couple even score on the exam?" "Wait a minute... something does not seem right here. That boy's name is Giang Tu, and he ranked 107th in the entire province?" "Holy crap! That high? Didn't they say he could only barely manage a second-tier college?"

By this time, Lin Zhen finally realized something was terribly wrong. Ever since the scores had been released, she had been entirely consumed by interviews and basking in public praise, completely forgetting about Shen Zhao Zhao or Giang Tu. Why did Giang Tu score so well? And what about Shen Zhao Zhao? She was not the only one asking these questions. A handful of tech-savvy netizens took it upon themselves to dig up my official test scores. The moment the results loaded on their screens, everyone fell into stunned silence. Out of a total of 750 points, I had scored 745, claiming the title of provincial valedictorian. "Wasn't it claimed she could only get into a third-rate school?" "Are you kidding me? This is the absolute provincial top scorer!" "She is infinitely more impressive than that Lin girl, that's for sure! Playing the pig to eat the tiger all along? I am bowing down in sheer respect."

Lin Zhen was utterly dumbfounded. She rushed to find Giang Tu, but he had already taken his entire family abroad on vacation. Before she could even process what was happening, a completely different narrative began sweeping across the internet. The hotel that Giang Tu and I used to frequent quickly capitalized on the publicity, boldly marketing itself as a place of supreme geomantic energy—the ultimate birthplace of top scorers. "Student Shen and Student Giang studied in our standard rooms every single time they visited. They told us the rooms were quiet and kept the mind exceptionally clear, making them ideal for studying. Everyone is warmly welcome to come and experience it for yourself."

Simultaneously, a surveillance video began circulating online. It dated back to our sophomore year, showing Lin Zhen cornering a female student in a dark school storage room and brutally beating her. In the video, she puffed on a cigarette while ruthlessly grinding the heel of her shoe against the girl's hand, her face twisted into a ferocious, demonic expression. The person who uploaded the video claimed their older sister had simply scored higher than Lin Zhen in a campus beauty pageant, and as a result, she was subjected to such severe school bullying that she was forced to transfer schools. That video was extraordinarily difficult to acquire. I had utilized a modest amount of "financial leverage." Lin Zhen was never a simple person; I had understood that crystal clear since the tenth grade. I had witnessed the scene in that video with my own eyes. Back then, I was utterly powerless, terrified that if I took away her top ranking, I would instantly become her next target for relentless school violence. Therefore, I had to devise every possible strategy to protect myself. My first line of defense was maintaining the absolute top rank in our grade to secure the favor of our teachers. That served as my first protective umbrella. My second umbrella was Bui Thac. Lin Zhen had always firmly believed that the Lin and Bui families would eventually enter a political marriage, and since the Bui family held immense power, she constantly maintained a docile, obedient persona whenever she was around him. I clung to Bui Thac, acting like his loyal shadow. Terrified that I might whisper something unfavorable to him, she never found a suitable opportunity to strike at me, ultimately shifting her target to Giang Tu and attempting to resolve the matter with money. As the old saying goes: walk long enough on the muddy road, and you will eventually have to pay the price.

Once Lin Zhen's scandals were completely exposed, all the media attention she had previously garnered instantly backfired. The Lin family's business rivals seized the opportunity to pour oil on the flames, each one eagerly stepping on her while she was down. Lin Zhen was cursed at so severely online that she did not dare to surf the web or show her face in public. Left with no other choice, the Lin family had to pay a hefty sum in compensation to the victims of her past bullying, followed by spending a massive fortune to ship Lin Zhen abroad. There was no denying that after the storm blew over, Lin Zhen would eventually return from overseas wrapped in gold and luxury, continuing to live a glamorous life. But this was already the most powerful counter-attack Giang Tu and I could possibly deliver. Living our own lives to the fullest was what truly mattered. The three million that Giang Tu split with me, combined with the two million in cash Bui Thac's father had wired over, was more than enough for me to meticulously plan a brilliant future.

Giang Tu ended up enrolling in a university located in the exact same city as mine. On the day of orientation, he conveniently offered to give me a ride. Someone recognized us and excitedly gossiped, "Hey, you two are that famous top-student power couple!" Giang Tu and I exchanged glances, and I put on a look of profound regret. "We broke up." "Huh? Why?!" I replied with absolute calm. "He hates cilantro, and I am a massive fanatic of it. Our culinary values simply did not align." Giang Tu added, "I checked our astrological charts; she drains my financial luck. We were fundamentally incompatible." The stranger stared blankly, utterly speechless.

Not long after the semester began, Bui Thac tracked me down. Word had it that the Bui family had spent a fortune sending him to study in France, and for the life of me, I could not understand what he was still stubbornly clinging to. Right outside the classroom door, he stood there with a look of exhausted frustration, his eyes flickering with a mixture of unwillingness and stubborn pride. "Did you seriously never like me, not even once?" Students passing by immediately stopped in their tracks, crowding around to watch the free drama. I had another class to attend and zero patience to waste dragging this out with him. I answered him flatly and directly. "That is correct." "Then why did you even step into my life?" "Because of money." "What?" "Your father hired me to tutor you. Every single time you climbed a rank, I received ten thousand. I acted as your personal babysitter for an entire year, obediently following your orders, enduring your arrogance and insults, and in the end, I didn't even make a fortune. Honestly speaking, Bui Thac, you are the most dim-witted student I have ever taught in my life."

Bui Thac froze in absolute shock. Everyone standing around struggled to hold back their laughter, their faces turning bright red. He truly never expected me to expose him so bluntly and mercilessly. Seeing me gather my books and rush off to my next class, he instinctively chased after me, relentlessly demanding answers. "Can you really not like me?" "Impossible." "Why? I am handsome, come from an influential background, and I was always willing to spend money on you." I stopped in my tracks, turned my head, and stared straight into his eyes. "Do you remember the parents' meeting during the first semester of tenth grade? You walked right past an elderly woman wearing a gray cotton jacket in the hallway, and when she asked you for directions, you couldn't even be bothered to look at her. Before you even reached the corner of the hallway, you immediately peeled off the jacket that had brushed against her and threw it straight into the trash can because you thought it was dirty. But do you know who that was? That was my grandmother. To come and attend the parents' meeting for me, she wore a coat she normally saved for special occasions, a coat she didn't even dare to wear often. She had washed it clean and dried it twice under the sun. My grandmother wasn't dirty. The truly filthy one here is you."

Bui Thac stood frozen, staring at me in profound disbelief. He parted his lips, but not a single sound came out. "Go back," I said, delivering my final words. "Go back and continue playing the sheltered young master in your glass greenhouse." Right now, I am exceptionally busy. Busy studying, busy making friends, busy mapping out every detail of my future. I do not know what tomorrow will bring. But without a doubt, there will surely be storms and rain ahead. Yet, there is nothing terrifying about that. Because the rainbow that appears after the storm is always the most breathtaking. Such a radiant future lies ahead, and I intend to walk toward it entirely on my own.