Until after the first monthly exam.

The day after all subjects were taken, the grades were all released.

The first class was physics. As soon as the physics teacher entered the classroom, he excitedly said, "The top student in the grade is in our class."

The students asked him who it was, and he said he didn't remember. The students began to guess: Fourth in the county? The physics teacher said no. Sixth in the county? The physics teacher shook his head. Eighth in the county? The physics teacher said, "The name doesn't sound like it. Do you have anyone else outstanding in your class?"

The physics class representative became anxious. Instead of waiting for the teacher to check each paper, he directly snatched them and started announcing the grades. When he reached the fifteenth paper, he froze. It was the only score above 90 so far. He looked around and said, "Xia Yiran, 95 points. Who is Xia Yiran?"

Upon hearing the name, I obediently stood up.

The whole class became excited. Who is this? We haven't heard of them. Where did this dark horse come from?

I obediently replied, "From Lao Hu Village."

The whole class, including the teacher, burst into laughter. "No wonder they're so good. They're from Lao Hu Village."

The tone was partly admiration and partly teasing, sounding both respectful and malicious.

I was being observed by the crowd, but I didn't react. I just stared at the paper and the five-point question I missed: How dare you mark it wrong for me! Isn't this increasing the distance between me and Beijing!

The physics class caused a sensation, but everyone quickly calmed down and listened to the lesson.

During the break, everyone continued to discuss, mostly about me. However, no one would think that I was truly talented. The most likely explanation was that I accidentally performed well once.

The second class was chemistry. As soon as the class bell rang, the chemistry teacher walked in confidently.

As soon as he entered the classroom, he said, "We did well this time. The top student in the grade is from our class."

This time the students were smart and didn't guess the famous three. They asked directly, "Could it be Xia Yiran?"

The chemistry teacher was surprised. "Yes, it's her. How did you guess? Is she famous? I don't remember her being in the top ten in the county."

This time, the students didn't burst into laughter. They all showed expressions of surprise. If being first once was a coincidence, then being first twice was a display of strength.

After they found out that I was Xia Yiran, the chemistry teacher came up to me and said, "Study hard. You have a talent for chemistry."

The classmates around me looked at me with admiration in their eyes.

In their eyes, I saw worship, similar to how they would look at a master.

My heart thumped, my face flushed, and I silently called out to my family, "Oh, what should I do? I want to be proud."