Punishment.

The track field was slightly hot today. When I stepped on the track, I could feel how large it was, and somehow, it made my heart more anxious. 'Am I coming here for the next two weeks?' I had thought to myself. Running on the track was not my leisure. After all, I would not do it purely for the soul's enjoyment. Looking at the situation, I was sure to be tormented for no reason. I couldn't even bother my soul exercising. Why do I have to stress over this trivial matter? It made me feel wrong. When I have the chance, I must clear some obstacles.

I wore blue joggers setting off my demeanor as harmless. Although that was barely the truth, however, who cared about that? My long black hair fluttered with the wind making my face alluring and cute, completely contrasting my behavior and manners. As I intended to begin my race, I saw three students already running. I understood these people were the least to do bothersome exercises, were they punished? I pondered. Having some partners would make the situation cozy.

Suzhou senior high school had the credibility to maintain because its students were among the best in the country. So they had to compile different ways to deal with the low-level student because failures were not allowed, and near-failures were even more despised. In fact, what a rubbish reputation. But of course, my appearance had to ruin something, and some laws naturally had changed. 'Why must I play on the same pedestal as others.' My thought was louder than the cry of an eagle. Ironically, their reputation failed the moment they admitted me.

This week was the first week starting our summer break, and it was usually a six-week vacation. Of course, two weeks had been taken out for my punishment, while the other four weeks were for community service. If I recollected correctly, the boys on the field with me were Heng Da, Jin Hai, and Hong Peizhi. They were the quietest people in our class, and the three of them were probably a group of kooks. Whatever they did have nothing to do with this lord. Anyway, I wouldn't have noticed their ghost had I not seen them—they should count it as a blessing. Somehow, I felt such people were easier to forget because of their unnoticeable lives.

When I saw them, I merely waved at them. Regardless, these three guys must have nearly failed, and this action served as a warning to read harder. As if Heng Da read through my mind, He frowned with a snort. "even if we nearly failed, what about it? How come you came to observe the same punishment if you weren't the same as us?"

'The same as you? How could this lord fail? I was completely uninterested in the whole mid-term test. That's different from failing.' I was amused.

However, before I could attend to that question, I heard a soft voice. Regardless, it sounded like the person was bored. "He did not score that low. Although not that high either. He just blatantly marked some spots in the options after he had already chosen his answer. The school viewed it as disobedient to instruction, and thus he was punished." Her voice was flat—she did not have any interest in the conversation. Then I followed the voice and saw a shadow under the dark parasol shade stand. The stand had a fabulous design, and it had a simple bench. This figure sat inconspicuously hidden that I had thought I was alone with the three boys.

"What do you mean, Xiu Ying?" Heng Da was obviously irritated as Xiu Ying had treated them like wastes. However, she smiled slyly.

"What do I mean? His situation is different from yours." With this, she began her explanation. When she went to answer the call of the homeroom teacher, she understood everything. As she got to Jian He's office, it was wide. In fact, this condition appeared expected of a typical Chinese modern office. Regardless, the office was plain as anticipated for a gloomy person like Jian He. No one could understand such surly glum—they thought different from bright and cheerful people.

"You called for me, sir." Xiu Ying cried.

"Yes! Seat down." Jian He commanded.

As Xiu Ying was about to sit, she glanced through Jian He's table. She saw a script that had already been marked and singled out. The name on the writing was Guang Fang. These made her puzzled. Obviously, my name was not that foreign to her. So she wondered why the teacher singled it out. Jian He seemed not to pay attention to her line of sight and was probably disinterested in talking about the annoying fellow, Guang Fang.

"You know these three fellows, Heng Da, Jin Hai, and Hong Peizhi?"

"Yes, sir! They are my classmates. But they are incredibly plain and ordinary." Xiu Ying wanted to understand this conversation, but she could barely comprehend a gloomy fellow like Jian He.

"These three boys are too bad, and the worst is that they can barely survive independently. Their parents have sought help from the institute."

"Huh? Sir, what do you want me to do with this story." Xiu Ying cried—she wanted a breakthrough because she knew where the unusual story was heading. Who would want to entangle themselves with dumbs? They were nothing but trouble. Worst of all: they never understood their situation and would drag down anyone that tried to help them.

"What do I mean? You are going to tutor them to attain higher academic qualifications. In fact, you can see that if educational attainment is money, they are truly miserable."

"Then, sir, who owns that script brought out for special consideration," Xiu Ying asked, drawing attention away from the three students.

"Yes. This person is a notorious miscreant who had decided never to allow people to breathe peace. He desperately and deliberately marked out some options after finalizing his answers already. I don't know what he hoped to achieve, and it was obvious he did these on all his tests. So he has special attention." Jian He was noticeably irritated when he thought of Guang Fang.

As she reflected on her experience, Xiu Ying smiled wickedly at Heng Da, Jin Hai, and Hong Peizhi, and she looked at me as if curious about my intention. It was as if she was asking, why did you do it? Noting her curious expression, I ignored her. It had nothing to do with her anyway. Why bother explaining. I started my punishment.

Regardless, in the principal's office, Li Min met up with the principal in his office.

"I never expected anything great from that lout after all." She crossed her arms on her chest, seemingly disgusted.

"At first glance, I thought the same as you, my lady. Although this was an open declaration of war; however, it was an ingenious work after all." Li Min did not want to understand what principal Liu Huan meant, but it clearly sounded like praise.

"What do you mean?" Li Min asked, confused.

"He deliberately drew a line in his score. The average score of Suzhou senior high school is 64%. He scored 64% at the dot on mathematics, 65 on the English language, 66 on the Chinese language, 67 on history, and 68 on general science. Then, if you check all these faint markings, you will determine that none of them were wrong. Of course, if it were random guesswork, I would have known it." Principal Liu Huan explained respectfully.

"If he could score everything, why did he fail deliberately?" Li Min was curious. After all, everyone needed acknowledgment.

"Perhaps he felt it must have been boring to show himself as too colorful, and also, it must have been a hard work keeping such a profile as the most brilliant person in the school. I guessed he must have determined you had a connection with a higher staff. A staff capable of highlighting his result. So he thought you must see the real situation."

Li Min lost herself in thought. 'How could he determine my connection at first glance. How did its person find out about my unusual relationship with staff in this school?' she knew the moment she decided to show her interest in front of Guang Fang, her trouble days bloomed. In fact, she couldn't believe how he figured it out so fast. In any case, Guang Fang was not about to act the way Li Min wanted him to. He wanted to demonstrate he was capable without attracting too much unnecessary attention.

As if seeing through the mind of Li Min, the principal smiled. "I think the moment he came to this school, he had been paying attention to different things. Most especially people who stand out a lot. I believe he must have concluded you were no simple person when you told him his family name was strange too."

"But anybody could have said that as well?" Li Min was uncomfortable, and it was unbelievable that someone calculated her.

"Well, do what you must. I will talk to the higher echelon about his punishment so that they can be lenient. I leave the rest to you." The principal bade Li Min farewell. He had already concluded Guang Fang was gifted but decided to conceal himself. Such people were hard to win over. He prayed that Li Min could be masterful in dealing with him.