Smack, smack!
Two crisp slaps echoed in the study.
Xia Yingluo and Li Sitong's faces were crimson.
For a moment, the room fell into dead silence.
Gulp!
Ye Chen's swallowing sound broke the silence.
The two girls, blushing, hurried back to their seats, heads lowered, not daring to look at Ye Chen.
Ye Chen took out a test paper.
"Do this paper properly. If you don't score above 95, there'll be another punishment."
The girls' hearts tightened; they lowered their heads and scribbled away.
Forty minutes later, they handed in their papers.
Ye Chen marked them with a red pen.
Li Sitong and Xia Yingluo were on edge.
They secretly watched the graded paper.
They never wanted to endure that punishment again.
Soon, Ye Chen set down his pen.
"Sigh, I'm so disappointed," Ye Chen lamented.
Li Sitong and Xia Yingluo's hearts leapt once more.
"What did I get?" Li Sitong asked anxiously.
"You did well—98," Ye Chen said.
Li Sitong exhaled in relief, giving Xia Yingluo a sympathetic glance.
"W-what about me?" Xia Yingluo stammered.
"You scored a perfect 100," Ye Chen replied.
Li Sitong rolled her eyes. "We both cleared 95—what are you sighing about?"
"Of course I sigh; I hadn't had enough fun yet."
"You rascal, you bullied us on purpose! Yingluo, should we let him off?"
Li Sitong and Xia Yingluo pounced like tigresses.
Outside, Mother Ye shook her head at the commotion.
"Kids these days—unbelievable!"
For three straight days, Ye Chen tutored Li Sitong and Xia Yingluo.
The stocks also hit their daily limit every single day.
Ye Chen checked the time—two days left before the trend reversed; it was time to sell.
In two days the hype team would dump the stock, leaving countless retail investors trapped.
Rumor had it some even jumped to their deaths.
That same day, the second Mock Exam began.
The school treated it seriously, following National Higher Education Entrance Examination standards.
Students were tense about this Mock Exam.
Its results usually mirrored the final exam…
Xia Yingluo: "Si Tong, I'm a bit nervous."
"Me too—that jerk Ye Chen set that rule," Li Sitong said, blushing.
Ye Chen had vowed: miss the top three, get ten swats.
"Relax—I believe in you two," Ye Chen said, beaming.
Unbeknownst to them, his intensive training had boosted their skills dramatically.
Li Sitong and Xia Yingluo had always scored well; Ye Chen had simply taught them tricks.
So he figured sweeping the top three was likely.
Li Sitong rolled her eyes. "Easy for you—last time you beat second place by over a hundred. If I had your score, I wouldn't worry."
Ye Chen sighed. "Actually, I'm anxious too."
"What do you have to be anxious about?" Li Sitong asked curiously.
"Think about it: you two ranked in the teens school-wide—plenty of room to climb. Me? I can't improve; I can only stay where I am. Sigh."
Li Sitong said to Xia Yingluo, "Yingluo, I really want to smack him."
Xia Yingluo nodded. "Same here."
…The second Mock Exam ended.
Afterwards, students wailed in despair.
"I'm doomed—the questions were brutal."
"Yeah, that last proof—prove your sister! I couldn't do it."
…Li Sitong ran into Xia Yingluo.
"Yingluo, did you find today's paper hard?" Li Sitong asked.
"Pretty easy," Xia Yingluo replied.
Li Sitong nodded. "Same here. Why's everyone complaining?"
Many top students were among the groaners.
Hearing the two girls, everyone fell silent.
Heart pierced!
The crowd dispersed, leaving Li Sitong and Xia Yingluo bewildered.
"Si Tong, why do I feel everyone's looking at us with resentment?" Xia Yingluo asked.
"We only told the truth—the paper was simple!" Li Sitong said.
The next day, results came out.
The Office buzzed with undercurrents.
Especially Wang Chao and Chen Tao, the Class 2 form teacher.
They cared most about the results.
Since first year, they'd been rivals, comparing class scores.
Old Wang had lost every time—badly.
But this round, he sensed victory.
His confidence came from Ye Chen.
This exam mattered hugely to Wang Chao.
Year-end Outstanding Form-Teacher selection weighed both Mock Exams plus the final National Higher Education Entrance Examination score.
Winning meant, if nothing else, a 5,000-yuan bonus—two months' salary.
Of course, it wasn't about money but a teacher's pride.
"Old Wang, how do you think our classes did?" Chen Tao probed.
Wang Chao smiled faintly. "No idea about yours, but I'm confident in mine."
Chen Tao sneered. "One Ye Chen isn't enough for your class."
Wang Chao said nothing; his aces weren't just Ye Chen but also Li Sitong and Xia Yingluo.
Ye Chen had said they'd sweep the top three.
Wang Chao saw the two girls studying like mad lately.
Still, he felt uncertain.
After all, Li Sitong and Xia Yingluo had hovered around tenth school-wide.
In Senior Year, scores usually stabilize.
Breaking through in so short a time was hard!
Just then, the Dean of Studies walked in.
"Congrats, Old Wang—your class swept the school's top three!"
The Office fell deathly silent.
Everyone stared at Wang Chao, eyes full of envy.
Chen Tao's face turned ashen, utterly ugly.
Wang Chao savored Chen Tao's expression, feeling fantastic.
Thirty years east, thirty years west—finally Wang Chao's turn.
He suddenly recalled Ye Chen's words.
"Sweep the top three?"
Had Ye Chen really pulled it off?
Wang Chao asked nervously, "Who are the top three?"
The Dean read the list: "First place: Ye Chen; second: Xia Yingluo; third: Li Sitong."
Wang Chao gasped.
They really swept the podium—how on earth did Ye Chen manage it?!