Chapter 131: National Rankings Released

Chapter 131

Although the exam was over, the finals were still ongoing, with academic presentations scheduled for the next two days.

On November 28th, the closing ceremony of the finals would be held.

Not only that, but the results of the finals would also be announced at the closing ceremony, which was what everyone cared about most.

In fact, on the day they finished the exam, the finals group chat had already started discussing potential answers. As usual, Jiang Zhi and Qi Yibin would have dragged her along to study together, but this time...

Looking at the unusually quiet trio over the past few days, Ji Ruochu felt there was a high probability that their later performance hadn't gone too well.

It was understandable, really, since the difficulty this time was truly inhuman.

Since that was the case, she didn't bring it up. Everyone was focused on the academic presentations until the day of the closing ceremony when the final results were announced and then—

"Full marks?"

Jiang Zhi and Qi Yibin, the two top-scoring buddies tied for first place, eyes wide open in surprise. Then they looked at her accusingly,

"You both did so well, why have you been moping around with long faces these past two days?!"

"Moping around with long faces?" Ji Ruochu was puzzled.

"I didn't do that," Jiang Zhi scratched his head.

"How can you say you didn't?" Qi Yibin said angrily. "You didn't even twist your Rubik's cube. You kept sighing all the time. How is that not moping?"

"Huh?" The accused boy blinked and slowly looked at the person next to him. "I thought Ruochu was preoccupied after the exam, assuming she had messed up.

I was sympathizing with my buddy, wondering how to console her..."

"But I didn't mess up," Ji Ruochu was confused.

"Then how come you were in a daze after the exam?" Jiang Zhi counted off on his fingers, "Dropping spoons into soup, lifting chopsticks into thin air, stuffing chili peppers into your mouth but dropping the meat onto the table..."

Qi Yibin and MiaoMiao next to him also nodded in agreement.

Ji Ruochu: ...

"Well...what if I said, after preparing for the finals for so long, it ending so simply—”

"Simply?!"

Qi Yibin's face clearly showed: How dare you?!

"Change today's main dish to 'Zhuangyuan's Triumph'!"

...

Half an hour later.

The Ji family car stopped at the entrance of Ji's Hotel.

Ji Ruochu, thinking she had arrived home, took off her headphones and grabbed her school bag to push the car door open, and then—

Bang!!!

Fireworks burst open instantly.

Ji Ruochu, rarely caught by surprise, froze as she was stuffed with a bouquet of flowers. When she slowly lifted her eyes...

???

What was going on?

Why were there so many people?

Why was there a welcoming party?

Could it be someone was getting married?

Three seconds later.

Staring at the huge bright red banner with words like "Ji Family's Little Princess", "National Competition", and "Gold Medal", Ji Ruochu was...expressionless.

Glancing back, she saw the two masterminds beaming from ear to ear, one holding her certificate and the other holding her gold medal, flanking her left and right behind her back.

There were also ten video cameras capturing this spectacular scene from every angle.

Ji Ruochu: ...Very well, it seems I have no choice but to put up with this today.

[Small Theater]

How Ji Ruochu saw her three buddies: Low morale, vacant looks.

How the three saw Ji Ruochu walking out of the exam venue: Spiritually disoriented, not herself.

The four of them: She/He seems to not have done well, must not poke at her/his wounds.