Chapter 53: Yucai High School
The classroom was packed with students. Though the teacher hadn’t arrived yet, everyone was already engrossed in their books and practice problems, exuding the atmosphere of an elite class.
Li Zhi’s deskmate happened to be Tan Manyu. The two seized the opportunity to pretend they knew each other, exchanging names in front of the "audience." Tan Manyu’s voice carried a hint of excitement, as if meeting an idol: "I’m a singing streamer from Douya. This is my first time entering this server—I’ve been a huge fan of your streams!"
Li Zhi glanced at her, thinking her acting was surprisingly convincing.
The classroom was eerily quiet, even the back rows devoid of any chatter. Li Zhi observed the students, noticing their calm expressions. They weren’t studying out of fear. Even as players whispered and looked around, the students remained unfazed, not a single one glancing up to watch the commotion. Everyone was focused on their textbooks, diligently immersed in their studies.
Tan Manyu whispered, "This is way too unnatural."
Li Zhi nodded in agreement.
Indeed, no player who had experienced school life would find this normal.
Even in an elite class, such uniform diligence was rare. And this was only sophomore year—far from the intense, teacher-driven sprint of senior year. The moment evening self-study began, with the teacher not even present yet, all the students, including those in the back rows, had immediately slipped into study mode, oblivious to the outside world. It was completely at odds with the usual high school experience.
Of course, maybe this was just the world of top students—a whole class of them.
As the players murmured to each other, heavy footsteps suddenly echoed down the hallway outside the classroom. The dull thud of low-heeled leather shoes striking the floor was startlingly clear in the silence, growing louder as they approached from the far end of the corridor until they stopped at the classroom door.
A middle-aged woman in glasses stepped inside. She didn’t look as stern as expected, her expression relatively mild, but the moment she entered, Li Zhi noticed the students who had been studying diligently suddenly lower their heads even further.
No matter how many years had passed since graduation, seeing a teacher still instinctively triggered reverence—especially now, trapped in a school instance, sitting in a sophomore classroom. Even the players, long out of school, found their memories of student life resurfacing, falling silent like startled quails.
The female teacher stood at the podium, slowly surveying the students below. Her gaze, hidden behind her lenses, eventually landed on the players. She asked, "Are you the transfer students assigned to my class?"
Zhou Jianzhang, who had taken the role of team leader, stood up. "Yes, teacher."
The teacher’s voice carried a tone of admonition and reminder. "I’m your homeroom teacher, Liu. Since you’ve transferred to our school, you must follow Yucai High’s rules—respect your teachers, discipline yourselves, be polite, and study diligently. Here, your attitude toward learning matters more than your grades."
The players nodded in unison.
The homeroom teacher’s expression softened with satisfaction. "Alright, you may begin evening self-study. Study quietly, no talking. If you fall behind, you can ask the teachers after class. Our class progresses quickly—after all, you transferred here for our high college acceptance rate."
With that, she left. The corridor, lit by flickering fluorescent lights, echoed once again with the thud-thud-thud of her footsteps. The pink-haired player, whose stiff back had been tense until now, finally relaxed and turned to whisper to Li Zhi, "I almost suffocated—that terrifying high school memory!"
Before he could finish, the distant thud-thud-thud abruptly returned, now right at the classroom door. Before Li Zhi could signal him, the homeroom teacher’s cold voice cut through the air: "No talking during self-study. What are you doing?"
Li Zhi felt the pink-haired player’s hair stand on end in that instant.
His face paled as he slowly turned around, only to meet the homeroom teacher’s gaze. "Stand in the hallway until self-study ends."
The pink-haired player sat frozen in his seat, seemingly too shocked to move.
Li Zhi subtly nudged him, lowering her head to mouth, "Go."
Only then did the pink-haired player stiffly rise, shuffling step by step toward the classroom door. The homeroom teacher watched him approach, her eyes narrowing as they lingered on his hair. The pink-haired player, sensing that piercing stare, nearly burst into tears.
Fortunately, she didn’t comment on his hairstyle. She simply said, "This is your first lesson at Yucai High. Stand properly!"
The pink-haired player snapped to attention like a soldier.
The homeroom teacher lingered by the door for a while, saying nothing, her gaze behind her glasses so intense it was impossible to ignore. The players hunched their shoulders, afraid to look up. After what felt like an eternity, the deathly stare finally vanished.
In the dim corridor, the aging fluorescent lights buzzed faintly.
Inside the brightly lit classroom, not a sound could be heard. Though every desk was occupied, the pink-haired player standing there felt an eerie silence more unsettling than any desolate wilderness.
Suddenly, the system’s voice jolted him:
—Encountered a key NPC. Triggering current quest: You are transfer students assigned to Class 1-2 of Yucai High’s sophomore year. Complete your assigned study tasks here. Follow Yucai’s rules and maintain a diligent attitude toward learning.
—Current Quest: Achieve a passing grade on the test to clear the stage.
Both the players and the audience watching their screens heard the system’s announcement, and everyone’s expressions turned dramatically varied.
A passing grade on the test clears the stage?
What test? There were so many in high school—pop quizzes, weekly exams, monthly tests, midterms, finals. Which one were they supposed to pass? And what subjects? The core required ones like Chinese, math, and English?
If that was the case, forget it—everyone except Lian Qinglin, the pink-haired player, and the white-haired player had graduated over five years ago. Who even remembered high school material anymore?!
Sun Siyuan, sitting next to Lian Qinglin, shot him a pleading look.
Lian Qinglin: "…………"
Dude, did you forget how you used to mock our idol for having low academic qualifications? Sure, he was only nineteen, but he’d spent most of those years as a trainee!!
Unease settled over the players, but with the pink-haired player’s example fresh in their minds, no one dared to speak. They could only force themselves to stare at their textbooks, desperately trying to recall any fragments of knowledge buried in their memories.
Li Zhi rummaged through her desk, finding the standard high school textbooks. A sophomore-year Chinese literature book lay open on her desk, and the passages she had once memorized came rushing back. She could probably relearn them quickly—but the test wouldn’t be that simple. She had no confidence in recalling all her high school knowledge.
The word "Scores" on the nameplate in the upper right corner seemed to stare at her silently.
After forty-five grueling minutes, the bell finally rang. The previously silent classroom stirred with movement—some students heading to the restroom, others getting water, a few whispering quietly.
Seeing this, the players quickly huddled together to discuss.
"What do we do? This quest is about taking a test, and I was a total failure back in school!"
"It’s not just Chinese, math, and English, right? The system can’t seriously expect us, adults, to handle this. Throwing us into this quest goes against its usual logic."
"What about physical fitness tests? Those are part of high school too, aren’t they?"
At this, everyone turned to Zhou Jianzhang. He chuckled. "If it’s a fitness test, then it’s easy."
Yeah, for a physical education teacher, that would be a piece of cake.
After some fruitless discussion, the bell rang again, signaling the start of the next class. Li Zhi calculated that their break had only been five minutes. The students hurried back to their seats, and the room fell silent once more.
Evening self-study consisted of three sessions. By the time the final bell rang, the sky outside had already darkened.
Through the classroom windows, the dim, flickering streetlights on the sports field were visible. As everyone packed up their bags and chatted, the classroom finally regained some semblance of a normal high school atmosphere. A boy in a blue-and-white uniform even waved across the aisle to Li Zhi and asked, "Where did you transfer from?"
Li Zhi gave the name of her old high school. The boy nodded solemnly, as if he’d heard of it before, then suddenly lowered his voice, eyes gleaming with excitement. "Later, we’re going to play a game on the sports field. Wanna join?"