During the evening self-study period, Jiang Ning could still hear people talking about Zhuang Jianhui. The girl in front of him, Geng Lu, who still had some baby fat on her face, was talking to her deskmate:
"Zhuang Jianhui used to go to Experimental Middle School in the provincial capital during junior high. He was famous on the school's forum back then. You can still see some posts about him now."
"Wow, he's from the provincial capital!" another girl exclaimed in surprise.
The provincial capital of Hui Province was a different league compared to the other cities in the province. Hence, the other cities had mixed feelings about it. Those who liked the provincial capital were proud of it, while those who didn't just refused to admit it was the capital.
At first, Ma Shicheng thought Zhuang Jianhui was awesome. But as more and more girls talked about him, he gradually became annoyed at the name. He grinned and said:
"He used to be from the provincial capital, so why did he come to our Fourth Middle School? Couldn't he get into a high school over there?"
Geng Lu turned her head to look at him and said:
"His high school entrance exam score was over 700 points. He could get into Second Middle School easily. He came to Fourth Middle School because it's closer to home."
"That's what's called being capricious. Clearly able to go to a better school but choosing his high school based on his mood. Really cool, no wonder he came from a provincial capital school."
A girl who looked quite decent was praising another boy in front of a boy, which easily aroused anger.
Ma Shicheng said sourly, "I think the provincial capital is just so-so. Compared to Nan City, which is even closer to us, isn't it still inferior?"
"Then compete with students from the key high schools in Nan City!"
Seeing Ma Shicheng's unfriendly tone, Geng Lu also got angry. She was never the fragile type:
"He can dunk, can you? He's also handsome."
Indeed, Ma Shicheng couldn't dunk. He couldn't even touch the backboard. But when it came to handsomeness, he was displeased. He had bragged about his looks just the other day and was scorned by Geng Lu. Now, with old and new grudges combined, he struck back directly:
"I don't think he's any more handsome than me. People around me always praise my looks."
"Wang Longlong, who do you think is more handsome, me or Zhuang Jianhui?"
The honest-looking Wang Longlong said, "I think Brother Ma is more handsome!"
Ma Shicheng then looked proudly at Guo Kunnan, "Who's more handsome?"
Guo Kunnan was very supportive, "In terms of looks, Brother Ma totally crushes Zhuang Jianhui."
Now it was Ma Shicheng's turn to look disdainfully at Geng Lu:
"Your taste is just bad."
Geng Lu was speechless. She knew some boys were narcissistic, but it was the first time she had seen someone this narcissistic, it was simply ignorant.
She recited a few lines from a classical text: "Master Zou was over eight feet tall and strikingly handsome." Then she forgot the next part and jumped straight to:
"How do I compare to Master Xu from the north of the city? ... How can Master Xu compare to you?"
Those who could get into Fourth Middle School had a good foundation in junior high and naturally knew the meaning of this text.
Geng Lu said, "Do you understand?"
Ma Shicheng's face turned ugly, yet he replied in a peculiar tone:
"A cultured person, a cultured person indeed!"
Seeing him like this, Geng Lu knew he was beyond saving and turned her head back around.
Seeing Geng Lu back down, Ma Shicheng smiled smugly, overestimating himself.
He took out some chewing gum he had bought and handed one to each of the boys who had supported him earlier.
During the study period, Shan Qingrong announced some news:
On the last day of military training, September 9, there would be a training results competition, held by class units. The experimental classes would also participate, and three best-performing classes would be selected to receive honorary banners.
Upon hearing this, the students immediately showed eager expressions. At this stage of high school, class honor was still a strong feeling for the students, unlike college students who didn't care about the class's standing.
"I see you all playing with your phones a lot most of the time!" Shan Qingrong said with a smile, his gaze sweeping across a few students.
Seeing this, those students immediately shrank their eyes, not daring to meet his gaze.
Shan Qingrong said, "Alright then, if our Class 8 can win a banner, I will install a power strip in the class, so everyone can charge their devices conveniently at the front."
With these words, the students got excited, especially the boarding students. With no power strips in their dorm rooms, they feared charging in the classroom and had to go to a small shop outside to recharge, which cost one yuan each time; it was terribly exploitative.
If Shan Qingrong could indeed install a power strip for everyone, it would be much more convenient.
"Old Shan, we will definitely bring you a first-place trophy!" several boarding students started clamoring, determined to get into the top three for the legitimate right to charge their devices in the classroom.
After Shan Qingrong left, some boarding students, motivated by the external reward, quickly mobilized. Guo Kunnan approached several boys in a row, urging them to take the military training seriously.
When he got to Jiang Ning, Guo Kunnan glanced at him and moved on to other students. In terms of the standard posture, Jiang Ning was definitely the best in their formation, having been praised several times by Instructor Li.
If anyone should be serious, it shouldn't be Jiang Ning!
Initially, some classmates didn't like Jiang Ning, but now understanding the competition's importance, they began to favor him.
As a result, Jiang Ning received several friendly looks, which made him somewhat amused.
While these boarding students were passionately spreading the word, they ran into a tough nut.
Song Sheng poured cold water, "It's just a power strip. Look at you all acting like it's such a big deal. There are twelve classes in the entire grade, why should we be in the top three? Especially with the experimental classes involved?"
"It's easy for you to say, you're a day student, you don't need a power strip, but we do!" Guo Kunnan retorted unhappily.
"Yeah, I don't need it, so why should I care?" Song Sheng said coldly.
Next to him, Dan Kaiquan mocked, "What an idiot, weren't you humiliated enough the other day?"
He was also a boarding student and couldn't stand people like Song Sheng.
"Say that one more time," Song Sheng stood up, pointing at him.
Dan Kaiquan wasn't afraid at all, standing up alongside Song Sheng, with several boarding students following. The two sides confronted each other, and the class atmosphere instantly became tense.
In the front row, Bai Yuxia frowned at the commotion and said:
"The class teacher just left, what are you doing?"
"If you want to argue, take it outside."
Seeing the prettiest girl in class intervening, Dan Kaiquan didn't persist with Song Sheng, but left a harsh threat:
"I'll let you off today, you fat pig."
Song Sheng, already irritated, immediately lost it upon hearing that. He hated being called a fat pig the most, and with the humiliation he suffered yesterday, the pent-up anger in his heart exploded.
He suddenly charged forward, knocking over several desks with a crash, and swung his fists at Dan Kaiquan.
Song Sheng's sudden outburst startled the classmates, with several getting caught up due to his charge.
Xue Yuantong had been sitting quietly, but got grazed. Not only did her desk fall over, but her arm also got hit by the desk corner. Rubbing her arm in pain, her face showed grievance.
Dan Kaiquan, also caught off guard, hastily raised his arms. Song Sheng's punch caused pain and numbness. Just as he thought of fighting back, Song Sheng's next punch landed on his shoulder.
Seeing this, the surrounding students quickly stepped in to break up the fight. Guo Kunnan grabbed Song Sheng from behind, signaling to Dan Kaiquan.
Dan Kaiquan kicked Song Sheng in the stomach, and before he could kick a second time, Guo Kunnan was thrown aside.
Song Sheng raised his fist to hit Dan Kaiquan again, but more boys intervened, pulling them apart.
Song Sheng looked sinister, "You're a piece of trash."
Dan Kaiquan cursed Song Sheng in his mind as a madman. Fighting so soon after school started, wasn't he afraid of getting a misconduct record?
The key was that this guy was incredibly strong. The punch made his shoulder both numb and painful.
The two exchanged a few more insults but didn't continue fighting. Song Sheng walked back to his seat, fuming.
At that moment, a voice echoed through the class:
"You knocked over everyone's desks, it's not too much to apologize, is it?"