Chapter 57: A Passing Grade and a Provocation

The midterm exam results, like a final verdict, were finally posted on the bulletin board at the back of the classroom. Students gathered around, three deep, some cheering with delight, others sighing in dismay.

Jin’s palms were sweating with nervousness, and she was practically half-dragged by Xia Yue as they pushed through the crowd to the front. Her eyes anxiously darted across the dense rows of names and numbers, her heart thumping wildly in her chest.

She found it!

Jin: Chinese 72, Math 68, English 71, History 65, Physics 63… Total Score: Just barely scraping by with a passing grade!

“Whoa—!!!” Jin froze for a mere two seconds, then erupted into an earth-shattering cheer.

She spun around like a joyful koala, utterly disregarding everything else as she lunged to embrace Xia Yue, who stood closest to her. “I passed! I passed! Xia Yue, I passed! I didn’t fail a single subject!!”

Xia Yue stumbled back half a step from the impact, a flicker of surprise instantly crossing her usually impassive face.

That surprise quickly melted into a soft, indulgent smile of resignation as she gently returned the embrace of the wildly bouncing Jin. “Mm, I see,” she murmured.

“Jin, you’re amazing!” Lin Wan chimed in, leaning closer and playfully ruffling Jin’s hair. “I told you that you could do it!”

“Senior is incredible!” Yu Niannian clapped her hands cheerfully, her eyes twinkling with admiration.

Immersed in a wave of immense joy and relief, Jin, still brimming with excitement, released Xia Yue.

She then turned to give Lin Wan and Yu Niannian a big hug in turn. “Thank you all! Thank you for helping me with my studies!”

Finally, her gaze landed on Huo Hualan, who stood a little distance away, hands tucked into her pockets, sporting an expression that screamed ‘I couldn’t care less’.

Perhaps it was the sheer elation, or perhaps the ‘joint struggle’ they’d endured recently had made Jin feel closer to this fiery woman (a delusion, perhaps?), but in a rush of impulsive warmth, Jin flung open her arms.

She then launched herself straight towards Huo Hualan!

“Thank you too, Huo Hualan!”

Huo Hualan: ‘!!!’

She had absolutely not anticipated Jin’s sudden move; her entire body froze on the spot.

She watched, wide-eyed, as the ‘noob witch’ barreled into her arms like a small cannonball, her arms wrapping around Huo Hualan’s waist!

A faint scent, a mix of Jin’s shampoo and sunshine, wafted into Huo Hualan’s nostrils.

Her body instantly tensed, and her cheeks flushed crimson at a visible pace, the blush spreading all the way to her earlobes.

She stood there, utterly flustered and rigid, unsure whether to push Jin away or to remain still.

Her amber eyes were wide saucers, and her mind went utterly blank.

‘W-what is this idiotic witch doing?! Who gave her permission to hug me?! And… and why does she… smell rather nice?’

Just as Huo Hualan’s ‘CPU’ was on the verge of overheating and crashing, Jin released her.

Jin’s face was still alight with a brilliant, ‘survived-a-catastrophe’ smile.

However, the smile momentarily froze as Jin’s gaze inadvertently swept over Huo Hualan’s report card, then swiftly transformed into a mischievous, almost devilish grin.

“Oh-ho-ho~” Jin deliberately drew out her words, then tiptoed closer to the still-bewildered Huo Hualan.

She poked a finger at the total score on the report card—a score that was only one point higher than her own.

Jin then blinked innocently, speaking in a tone designed to infuriate without consequence:

“So, it seems our great, almighty ‘Blaze Blade’ Lady Huo Hualan, after all that desperate, painstaking tutoring, only managed to score one—single—point higher than me, the ‘Magic Fundamentals class-skipper’ and ‘brain-as-decoration’ noob witch, huh?”

She deliberately emphasized the ‘one point’, her smile growing even more ‘pure and harmless’.

Boom—!

The string of ‘sanity’ in Huo Hualan’s mind snapped instantly!

That inexplicable flutter and stiffness from moments ago were instantly replaced by towering rage.

She violently slapped Jin’s hand away, her cheeks flushing crimson with indignation and fury, bristling like a cat whose tail had been stepped on:

“What nonsense are you spouting?! Who, who was ‘desperate and painstaking’?! My performance was affected by my injury! It was a mistake! Understand? A mistake!”

“It’s you, of all people! You, who barely passed by cheating (referring to the three-person tutoring sessions), what right do you have to mock me?! A mere single point! I could score higher than you with my eyes closed!”

“And your math score was only 68! Not even 70! What are you so proud of?! My math score was 72!”

“And Physics! I…”

She began to frantically list all the subjects where her scores surpassed Jin’s, desperately trying to salvage her dignity.

Gone was her usual haughty, aloof demeanor; she now resembled a petty elementary schooler squabbling over grades.

Watching Huo Hualan’s flustered, crimson face, Jin wasn’t angry at all; instead, she found it utterly amusing.

She continued to add fuel to the fire with a mischievous grin: “Yes, yes, you’re so formidable~ What a pity though, your total score was only one point higher~ One point is still more, isn’t it~ Are you mad, hmm?”

“You—!” Huo Hualan’s chest heaved violently with rage as she pointed at Jin.

She sputtered ‘you’ for a long moment, unable to conjure a more potent retort.

Finally, she stomped her foot hard and flung out a completely harmless threat: “You… you just wait! Next exam! I’ll leave you fifty points behind! No! A hundred points!”

Having said her piece, she seemed to fear that staying any longer would cause this detestable ‘noob witch’ to literally infuriate her to death.

She turned to leave, but her abrupt movement pulled at her still-unhealed injury, causing her to gasp sharply in pain and stumble for a moment.

“Pfft—” Lin Wan, standing nearby, finally couldn’t hold back her laughter.

Xia Yue’s lips also curved into an almost imperceptible arc as she shook her head.

Yu Niannian, meanwhile, wore an expression of pure adoration, as if thinking, ‘Senior is so amazing, she even dares to provoke Sister Huo Hualan!’

Jin watched Huo Hualan’s disheveled yet defiant retreating back, her mood wonderfully bright.

‘Hmm, barely passed, and I even managed to infuriate that perpetually foul-mouthed fiery woman.’

‘Today truly is a good day.’

As for being left a hundred points behind in the next exam?

Jin watched Huo Hualan’s huffing figure, secretly making a face.

‘Well then… I’ll worry about that when the time comes!’

‘For now, being happy is all that matters!’