Rebirth: I Am Not the Movie Queen This Time-Chapter 52: Falling Behind Means Getting Beaten

By Tuesday, the test scores were published promptly, just like the ones from the previous monthly exam.

This time, Chuchu ranked third in Class Four of Senior Two, advancing one position from the last exam, placing her twenty-eighth in the entire grade.

She also saw Zhuo Yao’s name on the score report, right above hers, ranked twenty-seventh in the grade. After glancing at Zhuo Yao’s name, she shifted her gaze but accidentally caught sight of a familiar name: Huang Rufe.

She remembered on the day of her rebirth, Zhang Xiaoyu had insulted her for being shameless, harboring thoughts about Huang Rufe.

Huang Rufe’s name was listed as eighth. Chuchu raised an eyebrow; so he was a top student after all.

She scoured her memory but had no recollection of what Huang Rufe looked like, nor did she understand why Zhang Xiaoyu would accuse her of fancying Huang Rufe; there must be some misunderstanding.

After finding out what she wanted to know, Chuchu squeezed out of the crowded area and returned to the classroom where, as usual, she flipped open her textbooks and continued with her study plan.

In the afternoon, as always, there was an extra pink envelope on her desk.

Presumably, Zhuo Yao had also seen the ranking list. Chuchu thought to herself, curling the corner of her mouth. She opened the envelope and pulled out the letter inside.

"Meet me at the top of the teaching building at 6:30 PM."

The envelope contained only this one line. It seemed Zhuo Yao couldn’t sit still once more.

Chuchu, looking as composed as ever, carefully folded the letter and put it back into the envelope.

Evening self-study began at seven o’clock, and 6:30 PM was just when the students had free time.

During the last period of self-study in the afternoon, Teacher Zhu summarized the exam results again and continued to encourage everyone to keep pushing forward.

This time, she even mentioned Chuchu by name, saying, "This exam, many students in our class have improved, like Wan Chu’er."

When everyone heard the name Chuchu, they were momentarily stunned and turned to look at her. Now, Chuchu had a nickname in her class, known as the extinct master, and no one dared to provoke her.

Seeing everyone’s gazes focusing on Chuchu, Teacher Zhu felt inspired and smilingly said to Chuchu:

"Chuchu, do you have anything to share with everyone, about how you managed to move up from fourth to third place in our class in just one month?"

Progressing further up the ranks was more challenging, so moving from fourth to third, though only one position, pleased Teacher Zhu greatly.

Chuchu hadn’t expected Teacher Zhu to call on her, nor had she anticipated being asked such a question; she thought for a moment, stood up calmly, and spoke with composure:

"I’m very happy to share with everyone. The motivation for my progress comes from a famous quote," she paused slightly, her lips curving into a faint smile.

A famous quote? What quote? Everyone in the classroom was captivated by Chuchu, wanting to know what that famous quote was.

Liu Li, who was seated with her head down in the back, suddenly felt an ominous feeling. She quickly lifted her head, staring intently at Chuchu’s back.

Wan Chu’er slowly said a phrase: "Those who fall behind get beaten up!"

The people in the classroom were bewildered, and someone in the crowd asked: "Does that mean your parents will hit you if you don’t do well on the exams?"

Good question! Wan Chu’er inwardly praised the person who asked this, turning her head to look around the classroom. When she saw Liu Li and the other three, she deliberately paused.

"Two months ago, I was bullied and beaten up, many in our class should know about this. My motivation to advance comes from here: those who fall behind get beaten up, and when you are beaten, no one will stand up for you, no one will come forward to stop it, because you are behind!"

"That’s why I need to become stronger, not just academically stronger, but physically stronger, and even stronger in other aspects so that no one will foolishly come up to bully me again. If I were the top student in the whole school, whoever bullies me, the school will probably be the first to disagree, and by then, there will be plenty of people to stand up for me."

In the dead silence of the entire class, Wan Chu’er composedly sat down, then slowly opened a book and began to read seriously.

Liu Li, Zhang Xiaoyu, and a few others felt many glances linger on them, their heads gradually lowered, wishing a hole would appear before them so they could vanish on the spot.

After a long while, everyone came back to their senses. No one had ever shared their study experiences in such a forthright manner! Wan Chu’er’s words left everyone in the classroom with complex emotions.

Those who wanted to make friends with Wan Chu’er hesitated; they were the very same people who had been indifferent and unhelpful before. Now that Wan Chu’er had pointed it out, they were too embarrassed to try to mingle with her.

Those who had bullied Wan Chu’er in the past were anxious and nervous, fearing an endless vendetta from Wan Chu’er. Given the current situation, where the homeroom teacher looked upon Wan Chu’er favorably, it was not impossible for the teacher to stand up for her.

The troublemakers at the back felt like they had watched a performance and found Wan Chu’er quite an interesting person.

Teacher Zhu didn’t know what to say for a moment. She had suppressed the incident of Wan Chu’er being beaten and had not given Wan Chu’er fair treatment. Now, it seemed that Wan Chu’er must still hold grievances.

Eventually, she cleared her throat and said: "Indeed, what Wan Chu’er said is right, those who fall behind get beaten up, whether it’s our country or individuals. I hope everyone will learn from history, strive upward, make yourself stronger; getting into a first-class university is the first step in becoming stronger. I hope everyone continues to strive."

Teacher Zhu quickly ended the self-study session and then left the classroom.

After the self-study class, Wan Chu’er went home to have dinner, telling Bai Zhixi about her midterm exam results.

When Bai Zhixi heard that Wan Chu’er ranked third, she was so delighted that she couldn’t stop smiling, clasped her hands together, and murmured:

"May the heavens bless, bless Chuchu to keep it up. Shi Guo, did you hear that? Chuchu has finally become a good student again; she actually ranked third this time, and she’ll surely have no problem getting into a first-rate university in the future..."

Wan Chu’er quietly watched Bai Zhixi with a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Although she did not agree with Bai Zhixi’s talk of divine blessings – her current achievements were the result of her own efforts, having nothing to do with any deity – she let it slide, seeing as Bai Zhixi was happy.

After Bai Zhixi finished whispering to her father, Wan Chu’er took Bai Zhixi’s hand and said:

"Mom, it’s just third place in the class this time, but for the next final exam, I will definitely get the third place in the whole grade to show you. When it’s time for the college entrance exam, getting into the first university in Beijing is very possible."

Bai Zhixi took it as consolation from her daughter, smiled, and then pulled out US$ 100 from her pocket, "Take this money, it’s a reward from mom. Keep studying well, and go buy some materials if you need to."

Rarely seeing Bai Zhixi so happy that she was willing to pull out US$ 100 at once, Wan Chu’er happily accepted it: "Thanks, Mom, next time I will definitely get even better results."

After dinner, Wan Chu’er hurried back to school. There was a big show waiting for her later.