“The first one was incomplete. This is the report card for our class.”


  Meng Yang’s face contorted with anger, and the veins on his neck bulged as he slammed the report on a nearby desk.

  Then he turned to glare at Lu MingandYan Yu, as well as the others whose names had been missing from the first report card.

  “What the hell is wrong with you? Were you feeling unwell on the day of the exam or something?”


  But the five people only hung their heads and said nothing.

  A beat of silence followed.

  The air in the room grew heavy.

  When Meng Yangcouldn’t hold it in any longer, he strode over and stood in front ofLu MingandYan Yu. “I always thought you guys were amazing. So this is all you’re capable of! I really overestimated you.”


  Lu Ming started at that, and he took a step forward.

  Just when everyone thought he was finally going to explain himself, he opened his mouth and said, “Move aside! I need to use the bathroom!”


  This only infuriated his classmates even more.

  In the next second, Meng Yangplanted his fist onLu Ming’s face. The latter reeled from the impact and had to take a few steps back.

  The class immediately sprung into action, and someone hurriedly pulled Meng Yangaway to keep him from landing another punch.

  “No, Brother Yang! Stop hitting him!”


  “Calm down! Brother Lu is a good person. I’m sure this is all just a misunderstanding. Let’s cool down and discuss this calmly, all right?”


  “Yes, there must be a perfectly good reason why things turned out like this.”


  “Come on, Lu Ming. Just tell us already. What happened, exactly? Why did you guys do poorly in the exams?”


  To their credit, most of the students defended Lu Mingand coaxed him and his friends to explain themselves. They didn’t want the exam results to put a dent in their friendship, so they were hoping that the boys would speak up and explain themselves.

  After all, they were all good friends with Lu MingandYan Yubefore this incident.

  The one thing they were mad about was the fact that they had been working hard to do well in the exams, but these other five just wasted their efforts. At the very least, they deserved to hear an explanation.

  But Lu MingandYan Yurefused to give them anything.

  To some of their classmates, though, the persisting silence meant that their friendship didn’t account for anything to the other five.

  This, in turn, served to compound their feelings of being wronged.

  Lu Ming straightened and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He glared atMeng Yang, but still said nothing.Yan Yukept his mouth shut as well.

  “Yan Yu,” someone tried again. “Did you maybe have a stomachache on the day of the exam?”


  Once someone had said it, the others joined in to echo the suggestion.

  “Oh, that reminds me! I think I saw them clutching their bellies that day. They even rushed to the toilet at the last minute. It really must have been a stomachache.”


  “Right, right, I remember that, too!”


  Hearing this, Meng Yang’s rage slowly subsided. “So that was it, then? Why didn’t you just say so in the first place? Anyway, this is just a weekly exam. Let’s not make a big deal out of it.”


  He had barely finished speaking when Yan Yuflashed him a disdainful smirk. “That’s not the case at all,” he said in a cold voice. “We were all in good health that day.”


  His words flipped the mood in the room all over again. Everyone was at a loss. They could only stare at the five boys in a mix of confusion and disgust.

  Yan Yu andLu Mingexchanged a look. They stepped towardMeng Yang, with the other three following suit behind them.

  Lu Ming’s gaze was filled with scorn, but when he spoke, his voice was calm and steady. “Tell Teacher Xithat the five of us are dropping out of school.”


  Another pregnant silence fell over them.

  Before anyone else could recover from the shock of their announcement, the five boys had already pushed past the crowd and marched out of the classroom.

  A couple of students tried to stop them and call them back, but Meng Yangkicked a chair and sent it spinning in the direction of the door.

  “Let them go! Stop caring about those punks and let them do whatever they want!”