CHAPTER 51: CHAPTER 51: INSTANT FACE-SLAPPING 7

However, what followed was baffling; Gu Nianyang’s name still wasn’t on the pre-selection list, and now everyone was unsettled!

"This is really strange. Now the top 350 list is out, and Gu Nianyang isn’t on it? That makes no sense!"

"Could it be that Gu Nianyang made it to the top 50? That’s impossible, right? She used to be the last place; how could she suddenly make such a dramatic improvement!"

Zhao Yi, who was panicking before, suddenly had a flash of insight and said smugly, "Oh, I know, it’s definitely because Gu Nianyang did so poorly that the school didn’t even want to rank her, that’s why she’s not on the list!"

Yang Haiyan: "Right, right, that’s definitely it. I remember on the exam day, Gu Nianyang almost showed up late, and she even handed in her paper early. She must have found many questions too tough, so she gave up!"

Gu Youlan loosened up at these words, having been worried that Nianyang had really pulled off a miracle. It turned out this was the real story!

The crowd also showed expressions of realization, confirming that this suited Gu Nianyang’s image as an academic failure after all. They had been out of their minds!

Nianyang, seeing everyone making assumptions and setting her up with such certainty, couldn’t help but sigh; no matter the era, the imaginations of fellow countrymen are always powerful!

Finally, it was time for the main event of announcing the top 50 outstanding students. Everyone was curiously staring at the red list; those who made it cheered, while those who didn’t looked on enviously, secretly vowing to do better next time!

Jiang Tian was ranked 50th; she had prepared herself, but was still secretly delighted.

Gu Youlan was 48th; she was very satisfied with this score, as it was worth her diligent study!

Yang Haiyan was 35th, an ideal score, and she was quite pleased!

As for Zhao Yi, it was even more remarkable; he was 8th in the entire school. Though he performed slightly worse than his top 5 ranking during the midterms, it wasn’t too disgraceful, still earning others’ envy.

"Zhao Yi, you did really well." Gu Youlan looked at Zhao Yi with adoration. She liked using her delicate charm to dazzle the boys, yet she neither accepted nor rejected them, which basically made her a flirt!

Zhao Yi was quite swollen with pride, "It was alright, You Lan, you did well too; I’m proud of you."

"Now that the results are out, shouldn’t you kneel, Gu Nianyang?" Yang Haiyan turned her spearhead towards Nianyang, gloating.

"Yeah, hurry and kneel!" Zhao Yi said with relief, as he had been startled earlier, almost thinking Gu Nianyang had luckily gotten into the pre-selection. Otherwise, it would have been too embarrassing to have to clean toilets. Thankfully, it was just a false alarm.

"But aren’t the top three not out yet? Why are you in such a hurry?" Nianyang said, gently patting Jiang Tian’s back to reassure her.

The top 3 are akin to the champions of the sophomore year, so the school puts up a separate list for them, as it’s a matter of school honor.

Zhao Yi laughed. "Your name isn’t on the list; it’s obvious you didn’t even qualify. Do you really think you got into the top 3?"

Yang Haiyan and Gu Youlan also laughed with disdain.

Other students were also talking, mostly mocking Nianyang for overestimating herself.

However, in the next second, Gu Nianyang’s name, specially circled with a big red flower, appeared on the list with a perfect score, first place, as if it materialized and choked everyone’s throats!

In an instant, the world seemed to change color, and the scene plunged into a dead silence, with everyone’s faces showing a dazed expression.

A moment later, the surroundings erupted in chaos, "Oh my God, Gu Nianyang actually got first place? Is it my eyes playing tricks, or has the world gone magical?"

"It must be magical! The first-place throne always belonged to our genius Song Zheng, and no one ever surpassed him. Now even underachiever Gu Nianyang has outdone him?"

"What’s most shocking is that Gu Nianyang got a perfect score? Are they joking? Wasn’t she always bottom of her class? How could she suddenly become an overachieving academic star?"

Everyone was going crazy, feeling like they were witnessing a fantasy tale!

Zhao Yi, Gu Youlan, and Yang Haiyan were close to fainting from the shock!

"How, how is this possible?" Zhao Yi’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. He thought he had seen it wrong, wiping his eyes and looking multiple times, only to find that Gu Nianyang was indeed in first place, and he was completely floored.