38: Chapter 38 First Place: Chen Fan

As he passed Lin Xi's seat, she looked up at him.

Chen Fan winked at her.

Lin Xi was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but chuckle. She quickly lowered her head and pretended to read, though her ears quietly turned red.

Lin Xi's deskmate, a girl wearing glasses, saw this scene and leaned over to whisper, "Do you two know each other?"

"Um... we were deskmates before," Lin Xi whispered back.

Chen Fan had already walked to the last row and sat down.

Two rows ahead, some people were whispering.

Chen Fan had good hearing and could hear them talking about him.

"Do you think he can really get first place in the class?" one of the boys asked.

"He's just bragging. First place in the class? He was in my class during freshman year, and his grades were about the same as mine. Maybe he even cheated to get ninth place last time. I don't get why the school would let someone like that into the experimental class," another boy said.

Hearing what the boy said, Chen Fan was a bit surprised. This person was actually his classmate from freshman year, but he had absolutely no memory of him.

He stood up and patted the boy on the shoulder.

"Buddy~"

The person stiffened, slowly turned his head, and a flash of panic crossed his face: "W-what is it~"

"Your mouth smells terrible. Remember to brush your teeth."

The person froze, his face instantly turning bright red. He opened his mouth to say something, but Chen Fan had already pulled his hand back and turned around to continue reading.

The few people nearby who heard it lowered their heads to stifle their laughter. Some were shaking with suppressed amusement, struggling to hold it in.

Hearing the stifled laughter around him, he turned his head and glared at Chen Fan, his chest heaving as if he wanted to stand up and start a fight.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Fang, who was at the podium, saw this and walked down.

The person's movements instantly froze, and he quickly turned his head back, pretending to read.

"Nothing, Teacher. Just having a friendly chat with a classmate."

Zhao Fang's gaze swept between the two of them, then she looked at Chen Fan and said, "I let you into the experimental class for you to study hard, not to cause trouble."

"Teacher, don't worry. Like I said, I'll definitely take first place next time."

"Fine, I'll be waiting."

After saying this, she turned and walked back to the podium, clapping her hands: "Continue with morning study."

Morning study ended, and break time began.

As soon as class ended, Lin Xi came over to Chen Fan's seat.

"Why did you suddenly come to the experimental class?" Lin Xi asked, looking at Chen Fan.

"Because you're in the experimental class."

Lin Xi was stunned for a moment, her face instantly turning red, and she reached out to swat him: "Be serious!"

"Just kidding. Mostly because the study environment in the experimental class is better."

Lin Xi looked at him, the red on her face hadn't faded, but the look in her eyes changed slightly.

It was as if she were relieved, yet also a bit disappointed.

The boy whom Chen Fan had called out for having a stinky mouth earlier saw this scene, and an expression of anger appeared in his eyes.

As the class beauty of the experimental class, Lin Xi was the "white moonlight" for almost every boy—although her grades were only in the middle range, she was pretty, had a good personality, and spoke in a soft, gentle voice. But he had never seen her be this close to any boy before.

"By the way, why does it feel like you've grown taller again?" Lin Xi looked at Chen Fan as he stood up and asked in surprise.

"Maybe it's because I've been eating well lately."

It had been a month and a half since Chen Fan obtained [Secondary Bone Development]. There were only about ten days left.

And Chen Fan's height had already grown to 184cm.

"You won't keep growing, will you? By then, I won't even be able to reach you."

"I don't think so."

After chatting for a few more minutes, Lin Xi returned to her seat.

As for the gazes of others, Chen Fan did not care.

...

For the next period of time, Chen Fan did not take the initiative to look for Lin Xi.

But she would occasionally come to chat with Chen Fan.

The classmates in the class also noticed that their class beauty, Lin Xi, seemed to have a good relationship with this new male student.

Especially the male students; the looks in their eyes were all filled with hostility.

However, none of them took the initiative to provoke Chen Fan.

But they were waiting to see Chen Fan make a fool of himself during the first mock exam. They didn't believe that someone from a regular class could get first place in the experimental class.

Soon, the first mock exam arrived.

The students in the experimental class were basically facing a formidable enemy.

Chen Fan, on the other hand, looked relaxed, completely devoid of the tension of an approaching exam.

Because the grading was standardized across the entire county, the results for the first mock exam only came out a week after the exam ended.

It was Monday.

As soon as morning study ended, Zhao Fang walked into the classroom carrying a stack of report cards.

The classroom instantly fell silent, with dozens of pairs of eyes staring straight at the stack of papers in her hands.

Zhao Fang didn't speak. She walked to the front of the podium, put down the report cards, and swept her gaze across the class.

Some people gripped their pens tightly in nervousness, some held their breath, and some secretly turned around to glance at Chen Fan.

Chen Fan leaned back in his chair, his face unreadable.

Zhao Fang picked up the top report card and read aloud: "Our class did well on this mock exam. Our class took all of the top twenty spots in the grade."

Below, some people breathed a sigh of relief, while others exchanged glances.

"First place—" Zhao Fang paused and swept her gaze toward the last row, "Chen Fan, 687 points. He is also the grade-level first place."

A low gasp of surprise erupted in the classroom.

Everyone's gaze turned in unison toward the last row.

Chen Fan stood up and walked toward the podium.

As he passed Lin Xi's seat, she looked up at him, her eyes bright, the corners of her mouth pressed down to hide a smile.

Chen Fan took the report card from Zhao Fang's hand and lowered his head to take a look.

Zhao Fang looked at him and rarely showed a hint of a smile: "You did well."

"Thank you, Teacher." Chen Fan nodded. He paused, then suddenly asked, "Teacher, is what you said before still valid?"

Zhao Fang was stunned for a moment: "What did I say?"

"That if I got first place in the class, you would let me choose my own seat."

The class went quiet for a moment.

Zhao Fang stared at Chen Fan for two seconds, then suddenly laughed.

"Alright then," she said unhurriedly, "when you get first place, you can speak with confidence."

"Third row, next to Lin Xi," Chen Fan said.

Zhao Fang followed his gaze for a glance, then looked back at Chen Fan, a hint of amusement flashing in her eyes.

"Next to Lin Xi?" Zhao Fang raised an eyebrow, "She has someone sitting next to her."

"Then just switch them," Chen Fan said in a calm tone.

Zhao Fang stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly nodded: "Fine, we'll switch them after the results are announced."

After looking at him, Zhao Fang looked at the rest of the class: "It's not just Chen Fan; if anyone else gets first place, they can also choose their own seat."

After saying that, Zhao Fang continued reading the rankings.

"Zhou Wentao, 642 points, second place in the grade."

A boy wearing glasses with a somewhat refined appearance stood up, his face still bearing a look of defiance.

"Liu Li: 634 points, third place in the grade."