Once mid-April passed, the “owls” returning to the classroom on Sunday night weren’t nearly as boisterous as usual.

As soon as the self-study bell rang, Hu Xiujie pushed open the door, a thin sheet of paper in hand, which she slapped onto the blackboard with a magnet—snap.

“Mid-terms are this week. Everyone put down what you’re doing for a moment; let’s go over the exam schedule.”

Xie Lan set aside the classical poetry fill-in-the-blank exercise he was halfway through and looked up.

He had asked before and knew the spring semester mid-terms were usually in late April, so he was mentally prepared.

“The exam is on Friday, and seating will be arranged according to your ranking from the last all-subject assessment. The order is Chinese, Math, Comprehensive Science, then English. Boxed lunches will be distributed at noon—no nap break—and we finish in one day.” Hu Xiujie paused for a moment. “The exam itself is routine, but I have some rather unfortunate news. First, let me name a few students.”

“Mao Lengxue. Wang Gou. Xie Lan.”

The names called were all students who had recently entered the class after the placement exam due to high math and science scores.

Xie Lan turned his head in confusion to look at Wang Gou, who looked equally bewildered.

Hu Xiujie sighed. “The Education Bureau has been cracking down on ‘competition classes’ recently. Principal Wang tried to coordinate with them several times, but the final verdict is this: Key High Schools can retain competition classes until the second semester of senior year, but students in these classes cannot have ‘short legs’ (significant weaknesses). In other words, for every major exam, you must ensure you pass every single subject. Otherwise, you may face a class transfer.”

The moment the words fell, before Xie Lan could even process them, Dou Sheng stood up.

“Teacher, that’s unreasonable. Yingzhong has never shifted classes based on mid-term results, and it’s only been half a semester since the division. If you move people again now, what will the students who get moved out think? And once they’re moved out, are they supposed to continue with the competition training or not?”

He rarely got this agitated during class discussions. Hu Xiujie was stunned for a moment, then frowned. “Sit down and listen to me finish.”

The people in the front rows turned to stare. A few looked at Dou Sheng, but most were staring at Xie Lan.

Dai You spoke up, “I also think it’s unreasonable. Let’s be honest—Xie Lan and Wang Gou are practically guaranteed to win medals in Math, and Mao Lengxue has a very good shot at Physics. The curriculum and homework in the competition class are different from other classes. If they leave, how many fewer awards is Yingzhong going to take home this year?”

Dong Shuijing seconded the sentiment: “Did the principal say this is final? Is there no room for negotiation?”

It wasn’t just the class officers; other students began to chime in, saying it was unfair. Xie Lan sat there in a daze, partly blanking out due to the sudden twist, and partly surprised that so many people were interrupting Hu Xiujie’s class meeting.

Hu Xiujie sighed. “The school has considered everything you’re saying. But with the pressure from the Education Bureau, Principal Wang has already fought for you as much as he could. I’ve looked into it—Wang Gou’s weakness is English; he scored an 84 on the placement exam, six points shy of passing. Mao Lengxue’s weakness is Chemistry, scoring a 57, but she passed the recent quizzes, so she should be okay. I think if you two push yourselves, it won’t be a big problem.”

She turned toward Xie Lan, hesitating.

Dou Sheng immediately asked, “If there is to be a class transfer, what are the rules?”

Hu Xiujie waved her hand. “Specific rules haven’t been set yet. Those with ‘A’ grades in Math/Science or ‘A’s in all subjects can’t stay [if they fail a subject], though other classes might let students choose based on personal circumstances. But let’s focus on staying in the class, not choosing a new one. Regarding Xie Lan, we communicated with the principal. Since he returned from abroad and has a language disadvantage, his Chinese scores won’t be counted in this class-transfer rule.”

Xie Lan let out a long, heavy sigh of relief.

It felt like being dragged back right as he was staring death in the face.

The murmurs below died down, and Hu Xiujie smoothed out the grade sheet. “On last week’s weekly test, Xie Lan passed all three science subjects, but Biology is unstable. For the next few days, I need the three of you to give it your all. You worked hard to get into Math/Science A; I don’t want to see anyone leave after the mid-terms. Understood?”

The class chorused “Understood,” and Hu Xiujie waved for the three of them to sit down.

Xie Lan took two deep breaths after sitting down, quickly finished the remaining poetry fill-in-the-blanks, and swapped his book for the Biology textbook.

If Chinese wasn’t a factor, he felt his odds were decent. Recently, he had been scoring over ninety in Physics and in the low eighties for Chemistry—no issues there. The main problem was Biology. He hovered around sixty; it was, after all, a subject he was learning from scratch, unlike the subjects where you just needed to recognize words and memorize vocabulary.

For two whole evening self-study sessions, Dou Sheng didn’t say anything. It wasn’t until they were walking back to the dorms that night that he asked casually, “So, how confident are you?”

Xie Lan thought about it. “If I took it right now, it’s fifty-fifty. But if I cram for four days, there should be hope.”

Walking ahead of them, Wang Gou twisted his head back. “Lan, I plan to wake up early to grind English starting tomorrow. You want to join?”

“Yes,” Xie Lan nodded hurriedly. “I’m dropping Math for this week. Every study hall, plus mornings and noons—I’m looking at nothing but Biology.”

Wang Gou nodded vigorously. “Let’s go, let’s go!”

Dai You sighed. “You guys really need to push. Two out of the four in our dorm aren’t safe… my scalp is tingling just thinking about it.”

Dou Sheng remained silent the whole way. While going up the stairs, he slowly lagged a few steps behind Dai You and the others. Xie Lan lagged behind with him, sensing he had something to say.

“Actually, there’s no need to push yourself so hard,” Dou Sheng said when no one was around. “I just thought it through carefully. Since they’re forcing people out, moving back in after passing later isn’t hard; the school is just putting on a show of compliance for the Education Bureau. Moreover, you don’t have a true ‘short leg’—it’s mainly a matter of time. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

Xie Lan was stunned. He mulled it over for a long time before asking incredulously, “You’re saying it’s okay if I get moved out?”

Dou Sheng glanced at him and hummed an affirmative. “If you get moved out in the mid-terms, you can come back in the finals.”

Their voices were so low that the sound-activated light in the stairwell suddenly went out. Xie Lan turned to continue walking up.

He couldn’t describe the taste in his mouth at that moment. He felt betrayed, yet he had no solid ground to stand on, leaving him feeling ridiculous and nursing a vague sense of grievance.

His backpack strap hit the handrail behind him with a thud, and the sensor light flickered back on.

Xie Lan said expressionlessly, “Thanks for analyzing that for me.”

Just as the words left his mouth, Dou Sheng spoke calmly from behind him. “Anyway, think about it yourself. If you really want to stay in Class 4, we fight for it together. If you don’t want to be too tired, just tell me before the exam.”

Xie Lan paused in his tracks.

He looked back blankly. “What does that mean?”

Dou Sheng didn’t make a sound. Sllinging his bag over one shoulder, he walked up and stood beside him again.

Xie Lan pondered this for a good while. “I don’t understand. can you be more blunt?”

“That is very blunt.” Dou Sheng smiled, pressing a hand on his shoulder. “Either way, the two of us will definitely be in the same class. We won’t be split up.”

Xie Lan looked at Dou Sheng in total confusion, but Dou Sheng offered no further explanation. He simply returned to the dorm calmly, washed up, and took out his Biology book to organize notes.

The sudden threat of class reshuffling disrupted their rhythm.

Xie Lan’s planned math livestream was canceled, and a new game review Dou Sheng intended to rush out was left hanging. Both of them buried their heads in Biology. Xie Lan followed his own pace, waking up at 5:00 AM every day to head out with Wang Gou. Wang Gou occupied the sink room to listen to English tapes, while Xie Lan took over the windowsill to memorize Biology concepts.

This week, Dou Sheng joked noticeably less than usual. Before evening self-study every day, he would pull out a few pages of Biology notes for Xie Lan. It was strange; Xie Lan hadn’t told Dou Sheng his progress, yet Dou Sheng seemed to know everything, always providing the exact summary notes he needed at that moment.

The four days of cramming passed quickly. On Friday, the day of the exam, Xie Lan opened his eyes and instinctively reached under his pillow for his phone, finding a message from Zhao Wenying.

—Lan Lan, good luck on the exam! Do well, and I’ll let Bean take you out to play during the May Day holiday.

Xie Lan’s heart warmed, and his sleepiness vanished. He immediately replied: Thanks, Auntie Zhao.

After replying, he looked at the chat box again and added a lively cat sticker.

Actually, after these few days of cramming, Xie Lan felt quite steady. He just wanted to get it over with so the dust would settle and he could make Dou Sheng finish that delayed game review.

Before getting out of bed, he habitually refreshed Bilibili. The top post on his feed was actually from Dou Sheng, posted five minutes ago. It was a nine-second short video.

@PeerlessHandsomeDou_dm: #HardcoreHighSchoolSurvivalLog·Teaser2# The two cats preparing nervously for exams for the first time.

The video showed Xie Lan’s silhouette standing by the window in the early morning, reading Biology. Xie Lan was leaning one side of his body against the windowsill, holding a book in his left hand, his right hand tapping a ballpoint pen lightly against the page. His head was raised, muttering words under his breath. Perhaps due to the dim morning light and the distance of the shot, the whole scene looked hazy and soft.

The comments were full of “Go for it!” and “Fighting!” In just a few minutes, there were already two or three hundred of them.

Xie Lan threw off his covers and sat up, only to realize Dou Sheng’s bed was empty. His quilt was folded neatly according to regulations and placed on the pillow.

“Where is he?” Xie Lan asked, bewildered.

Dai You, holding a washbasin below, said, “Oh, he went to buy breakfast.”

No sooner had he spoken than the dorm door was pushed open. Dou Sheng, carrying over a dozen plastic bags in both hands, casually handed the soy milk, buns, and tea eggs to Wang Gou, then distributed coffee and sandwiches to Xie Lan and Dai You. “It’s exam day. The box lunch at the exam venue isn’t great, and the cafeteria is crowded in the morning. You guys read for a bit longer in the dorm, then head straight to the exam hall later.”

Wang Gou clasped his hands together in a gesture of gratitude on the spot. Dai You laughed, “We get this kind of treatment?”

Xie Lan stared for a moment before taking the food. He wanted to say thank you but suddenly felt it was unnecessary, so he just nodded and opened his Biology notes.

Because of this, their departure time was a bit tight.

Xie Lan had ranked 470th in the placement exam, putting him in Exam Hall 18, one floor up from Hall 1. When the four of them ran to the floor where Hall 1 was located, there was only one minute left before the preparation bell. Xie Lan quickly said “Bye” and ran upstairs, only to realize upon reaching the top that Dou Sheng was still following him.

The preparation bell rang, yet Dou Sheng still followed Xie Lan all the way outside Hall 18.

The room was already full of people. Dou Sheng peered inside, counted the rows to Xie Lan’s seat, and then withdrew his gaze.

He was panting slightly from the run. “We aren’t allowed back to the dorms at noon, and I was afraid I wouldn’t have time to say this, so I’m telling you now. After you finish the Comprehensive Science paper this afternoon, make sure to calculate how many points you can get in each subject. If Biology is hovering right on the passing line, just cross out a few questions.”

Presumably because he was anxious about the exam, he spoke quickly. But then, realizing Xie Lan might not have caught on, he slowed down. “Remember, if you aren’t sure [if you can pass], then just don’t pass. And before the English exam, you must, must send me a message telling me how you did on the Science Comprehensive. Got it?”

The proctor inside urged, “Which one of you belongs to this hall? Get in here, hurry up. Papers are being distributed in three minutes.”

Xie Lan nodded to the teacher, then looked back at Dou Sheng, the corners of his lips curving up.

“I got it. Hurry back and take your test,” he whispered. “Have a little faith in me.”

“I have a lot of faith.” Dou Sheng turned and sprinted toward the other end of the corridor, raising his hand to wave as he ran. “Good luck!”

---

Author’s Note:

Egg Dorm Quality Control is finished. The keyboard typist found Dou-Egg holding a stack of grade slips.

A, B, C, D, F—all five types were there.

The typist was shocked: “This behavior is theft!”

Shh! Dou-Egg whispered softly: “It’s not theft. I just took them to have a look. I’ll return four of them later.”

He paused, looking expectantly toward the door.

I’m so looking forward to Lazy Egg coming back. I want to see what letter is stuck on him.