"Well, putting everything else aside, I heard his grades aren't actually that bad." 　　"Whether it's good or bad, the monthly exam is coming up soon, and it would be funny if the results were bad." 　　Just then, Gou Yiyang and the two boys who had met Chen Mo on Friday came in through the back door. 　　Gou Yiyang spotted him immediately. "Young Master Mo, what's up? How did you end up sitting in my dream seat?" 　　The boy with his arm around his shoulder, named Jiang Xu, laughed and said, "Shameless! Isn't your dream spot the sanitation corner in the back? You can play games in that garbage room, even a dog wouldn't notice." 　　The people in the back rows laughed. 　　The front and back of the classroom seemed to be two separate areas, separated from each other. 　　Chen Mo ignored the subtle atmosphere and simply responded to Gou Yiyang and his group, "I have no objection. Let's hold hands in this garbage dump. Whoever crawls away first is a dog." 　　"Who's going to hold your hand? Besides, this spot is way away from the garbage dump." A few people squeezed into the seats in front of Chen Mo and sat down. Gou Yiyang turned his head and said, "But buddy, Lao Xiang said no one is allowed to sit in this seat. How did you convince him?" 　　Chen Mo tidied up the mess on the table. 　　I can't find any familiar feeling from using pens or rulers anymore. 　　Casual: "I didn't say." 　　"...Are you really that brave?" 　　Chen Mo glanced at the lone seat symmetrical to his position, closer to the door, and raised an eyebrow: "Why can't I sit here?" 　　Jiang Xu pushed past Gou Yiyang, mimicking Xiang Shenglong's tone, grabbed Chen Mo's ruler and slammed it on the table: "You all think you're the second Xi Siyan? There are only so many people in the experimental class, there's not enough room for you all at the front, is there?" 　　So that single seat belongs to the class monitor of the experimental class. 　　Chen Mo didn't remember. 　　I only remember that I was studying hard back then, and I changed seats every month for the exam. Except for the first two months, the people sitting next to me came and went, but I can't remember many of their faces. 　　The first lesson was Chinese. 　　The Chinese teacher was an old man. He wasn't curious about why the seat next to the podium was gone, nor did he ask where the person in the empty seat behind him had gone. He just shook his head and recited, "Have you not seen the Yellow River's waters come from the sky, rushing to the sea never to return? Have you not seen the bright mirror in the high hall..." 　　Later on, they said, "Hey, the student at the very back of this row, stand up and translate." 　　No response. 　　The old man repeated, "The student in the back." 　　The whole class looked back. 　　The person who was accused of getting special treatment and paying to get in before the class truly exemplified what it means to pay to get in. 　　The morning sunlight streamed through the glass window, falling on the boy's slightly disheveled hair. He rested one hand on the back of his head, fast asleep, oblivious to the passage of time. 　　Chapter 10 　　The banquet master was delayed on the road for a while. 　　The reason was that when I came out of the office building, I happened to run into people from the Education Bureau who suddenly came down for an inspection. 　　A group of school leaders accompanied several people from the Education Bureau as they walked and talked. 　　When it comes to the teaching staff and campus environment, the leader in charge of investment promotion in the logistics group immediately stepped forward and said: "Our No. 1 Middle School was fortunate to receive funding last year for the renovation of the campus and the expansion of teaching staff. As a key middle school in Suicheng, our college entrance examination pass rate and enrollment capacity have been increasing year by year." 　　When confronted with such self-praise, the education bureau officials gave a very official response: "It is a blessing that society strongly supports education. What we need to do is to cultivate every student well, not just look at their grades, but also ensure their all-round development in morality, intelligence, physical fitness, and aesthetics." 　　“That’s right, that’s right,” the people around echoed. 　　As they were talking, someone spotted Xi Siyan. 　　When the school leaders saw who it was, they couldn't suppress their smiles. 　　Finally, it was Director Lai of the second year of high school who waved and introduced the student to the education bureau staff, saying, "It's quite a coincidence. This student is the most important face of our school. He's from the second year of high school's experimental class, with outstanding grades and excellent abilities in all aspects." 　　Seeing so many prominent figures, the young man, who appeared as brilliant and elegant as a scene from a campus drama, showed no sign of unease. He greeted them and explained why he was still outside even though he was in class. 　　The education bureau leader listened to his assistant say a few words, and when he looked over again, his air of authority and officialdom from the beginning of the inspection was gone. He smiled quite kindly and asked, "Is this the Xi family's child?" 　　"Yes, yes," the school representative replied, "The two new teaching buildings we built last year were also thanks to the Xi family's connections. This child is low-key." 　　The education bureau leader nodded. "Very good." 　　As if casually, she said, "Last year when I saw Jianyu, he mentioned that he had a nephew at No. 1 Middle School, but he didn't say that he was so handsome." 　　Xi Siyan concealed the ambiguous smile in his eyes. 　　With a friendly demeanor, he continued the conversation, which was deliberately trying to build rapport, saying, "My second uncle often mentions that most people in the education system are ambitious individuals who carry on with their beliefs, so he has always strongly advocated for education and has been deeply involved in the field." 　　In fact, Xi Jianyu, the second uncle who was considered the most irresponsible in the family, was a carefree person when he was in school. He finally graduated from a prestigious university with his intelligence. He had no interest in politics or business. It was a twist of fate that he went down the path of education. 　　When he donated the building to the school in the name of his family, he was sitting on the sofa at home and said, "Those old men in the Education Bureau are the most pedantic and opportunistic. They talk a good game but are corrupt inside. Ayan, our family may not have much else, but we have money. Why do you want to be a campus star? The Xi family is more than enough for you to do whatever you want at the school." 　　As soon as he finished speaking, he was slapped by Old Mrs. Xi. 　　Grandma Xi's favorite grandson was this one. She said to her unfilial son with a bad temper, "I don't teach you anything good. I only teach you those shameful things that are shameful and disgraceful. Ayan is such a good child. He has been well-behaved and sensible since he was a child. He is the most considerate." 　　Xi Jianyu collapsed on the spot, rolling her eyes. "I say, old lady, there's a limit to how bad your eyesight is! He's obedient and sensible? He's heartless..." 　　The scoundrel uncle began to recount his nephew's outrageous behavior.

Chapter 21