The second and third days saw a gradual increase in students, with the class of fifty reaching thirty students at its peak.
Most students appeared tired or hungover, heading straight for the back rows upon entering, the further back the better.
Once seated, they engaged in various activities: sleeping, playing cards, chatting, snacking, touching thighs, and doodling on paper. Some even smoked by the windows. There was no limit to their audacity.
The front half of the classroom was occupied by only two figures.
The teacher standing at the podium.
And Jiang Ye, seated below the podium.
Jiang Ye had completely grasped the unwritten rules of the place. As soon as the class bell rang, he would grab his textbooks and wait outside. When the teacher emerged, they would inevitably hand him the final exam papers, which he would discreetly tuck into his books and take back.
In the evening, he would pore over his textbooks, tackling the exam papers he had obtained.
The teachers were quite generous with their questions; 98% of them were direct quotes from the textbooks, while the remaining 2% were open-ended questions that allowed for any reasonable answer.
After three days, Jiang Ye was invincible!
He had completed all the exam papers for every subject, scoring remarkably close to full marks!
What he had initially anticipated as a daunting academic task was unexpectedly finished so early.
However, despite no longer worrying about failing exams, Jiang Ye continued to study diligently.
He attended every class and reviewed his notes in the evenings, filling entire books with them, a truly formidable effort.
Before he knew it, a week of classes had concluded.
The classroom now saw over forty students attending, likely because most had grown tired of their antics and were making a symbolic appearance as the end of term approached.
The first day of the second week.
Jiang Ye arrived at the classroom ten minutes early, as usual.
The moment he stepped through the door, he froze.
His usual seat had been taken.
It was occupied by a beautiful woman, around twenty years old, wearing a short black skirt that revealed her fair, long legs and arms, engrossed in her phone. Half of her hair was dyed blonde, the other half a soft green, styled in a voluminous manner that, perhaps due to her pretty face, surprisingly suited her.
The seats were public, and since she had arrived earlier, she was entitled to sit there. Jiang Ye moved to a front-row seat by the window.
He took out his book and buried himself in pre-reading.
Just as he finished the first page, someone sat down directly beside him, exuding a floral fragrance.
Jiang Ye turned his head, coming face-to-face with the green-haired beauty.
"You're quite the studious one, aren't you?" the beauty extended her hand. "My real name is Yue Qilan."
"Hello, I only have one name, Jiang Ye," Jiang Ye politely shook her hand, then attempted to withdraw his.
To his surprise, Yue Qilan held his hand tightly, preventing him from pulling away.
A long leg was casually placed on Jiang Ye's thigh; it was indeed long, fair, with clearly visible veins, and appeared exceptionally supple.
"Do you have the questions from the teacher?" Yue Qilan whispered close to his ear, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
"No, how could that be," Jiang Ye's face flushed. He tried to pull his hand back but failed. "Don't do this, classmates will be here soon."
"Listen to me." Yue Qilan stubbornly held his hand. "I've observed you before. I noticed you leave right after class. At first, I thought you had a problem, but the teacher wouldn't even be outside for ten seconds before you came back in. That's not enough time to ask a question. Yet, you always leave."
"I've made a guess. Do you have some kind of relationship with the teachers? Or perhaps with the school? Outside the classroom, where no one can see, the teachers must have given you something, or told you something, right?"
Jiang Ye's heart skipped a beat.
As expected, those who reached the rank of General were no simple folk; they were incredibly sharp-minded. She had guessed directly that he possessed the exam questions.
"You're overthinking it, it's really just about asking questions," Jiang Ye explained. "When I ask a question, the teachers are very familiar with the textbooks, and they directly tell me the page numbers, telling me to look at it myself when I get back. That's why I return in just a few seconds. And please, respect yourself and stop pulling me..."
"You're not being good, not being good at all. We're all classmates. As the saying goes, the best camaraderie comes from facing battles together and sharing classrooms." Yue Qilan reached out and hugged Jiang Ye's neck. "Give me the questions, and name your price."
"I really don't have the questions."
"You do, you definitely do!"
"This is a classroom, is it appropriate for you to act like this?"
"Give me the questions. Tell me what you want. Sister here has both looks and money. What can't I give you? It's just a few silly questions!"
Jiang Ye stopped being polite. He forcefully pulled his hand back and then grabbed her leg, pushing it away.
"I guarantee on my honor, I absolutely do not have any questions on me!" Jiang Ye said seriously, grabbed his textbook, stood up, and returned to his original seat.
Yue Qilan was taken aback, frowning as she stared at him from her seat, one hand propping her chin, the other tapping rapidly on the desk.
A few minutes later, the classroom door kept opening, and students entered, yawning.
Soon, more than half the classroom was filled.
An unusually large number of people were present today because everyone had received a notification the previous night about a short meeting that morning to announce "major news," and attendance was mandatory.
The surroundings buzzed with activity, but Jiang Ye remained steadfast, engrossed in his studies, the quintessential top student in any class.
The empty seat next to him was soon occupied.
Jiang Ye turned his head to see Yue Qilan, legs crossed, propping her chin on the desk, observing him with a meaningful gaze.
Damn it, it seemed this woman was convinced he had the questions and was prepared for a protracted battle.
Jiang Ye lowered his head to study, resolutely refusing to look at her.
Suddenly, a hand gently caressed his backside.
Jiang Ye's eyes nearly bulged out; he was utterly startled and turned to look at his deskmate.
Yue Qilan let out a snicker, burying her face on the desk and laughing uncontrollably, slapping the table dramatically. She probably found Jiang Ye's reaction immensely amusing!
"Is this appropriate? This is not appropriate!" Jiang Ye glared at her sternly. "Please respect me!"
"I won't respect you." Yue Qilan stopped laughing, her expression turning serious. "I will bully you. I'll bully you however I want, bully you, bully you until you die! Are you wronged? Cry!"
After saying that, she couldn't hold back and burst into laughter again, slapping the table until tears streamed from her eyes. She likely found teasing a good student to be a particularly wicked pleasure.
Jiang Ye was furious and cursed, "Scoundrel!"
To think there were people so depraved!
She was practically a hooligan! How could someone like this be a General? How much suffering must her planet's citizens be enduring!
He shifted his stool to the side, creating distance, and continued to study.
Based on his experience, the best way to deal with such a petty rogue was to scorn her, ignore her, and wait until she eventually lost interest and left on her own.
"Slap!" His backside was slapped heavily.
"Get lost!" Jiang Ye was about to lose his mind. "Are you sick?"
Yue Qilan threw her head back and roared with laughter, nearly falling off her chair.
The classroom door suddenly opened, and the old professor entered.
The noisy classroom quickly fell silent. Yue Qilan lay on the desk, covering her face, stifling giggles.
Jiang Ye was so angry he wanted to hit her, but with the teacher present, it was inconvenient to act. He sulked silently.
"Since most people are here, let's have our class meeting," the professor scanned the classroom.
"This class meeting is to bring you some good news."
"For this final exam, students with higher rankings will receive substantial additional rewards and subsidies!"