After Lin Chujing's batch of students graduated, I welcomed a new group of first-year middle school students.

Each innocent face was full of expectation for the future, but looking throughout the entire grade, there was no student as dazzling as Lin Chujing.

These three years, I have always worked hard; I wanted to cultivate another top student, to achieve something, and to change my position in the school, but good students are really not something you can just teach out of nowhere.

Lin Chujing was indeed a once-in-a-decade "talent".

Three years later, the new batch of third-year classes graduated, and Lin Chujing's class also completed the college entrance exams.

After the results came out, several students who scored well had agreed to come to the school to see me. They brought their acceptance letters, most to 211 universities, with two admitted to 985 universities, all better than me, which made me very happy.

At such times, I regain a bit of my original passion for teaching.

After the students left, I noticed someone lurking outside the classroom door. I thought it was a mischievous student but found out it was Zhang Lei.

I was quite surprised that he came to see me too.

Ever since he stole the English teacher's phone, he had basically been blacklisted by all the teachers in the grade. My expectations for him were not high; as long as he could graduate peacefully, whether he went to a vocational school or directly to work was of no concern to me.

However, as the high school entrance exam approached, he surprisingly began to work hard, shamelessly asking questions in the office every day. At first, the teachers were reluctant to tutor him, but he seemed to suddenly understand, and his grades improved dramatically.

Seeing his real progress, the teachers were also willing to teach him more. Before the high school entrance exam, his grades climbed from the bottom to average. He astonishingly got into an ordinary high school.

Later on, teachers often mentioned Zhang Lei, along with Lin Chujing, with much nostalgia. The outcomes of these two were truly sigh-worthy.

"How's Lin Chujing doing now?" Zhang Lei asked after a few words of small talk.

"I don't know." I was reluctant to mention her.

"She actually..." Zhang Lei hesitated, "She wasn't that bad of a person."

Students like Lin Chujing and Zhang Lei were two parallel lines that would never intersect in school.

For the entire three years, Zhang Lei couldn't even say a single word to Lin Chujing. His defense of Lin Chujing baffled me.

"You don't understand her," I said.

"No, the reason I said that is because I do understand her. She changed my life, and I... I harmed her... Teacher Xu, I harmed her..."

I recalled that day when Zhang Lei told me in the office that Lin Chujing stole the test papers. It was from that moment my trust in Lin Chujing began to crumble.

Could he have been lying?

"I lied," Zhang Lei said.

Zhang Lei's parents divorced when he was young, and neither wanted him, but he was never short of money. For a student like that, it's really hard to study well out of self-discipline.

When he was in his second year, Zhang Lei's father was swindled, and his mother ran away with someone. Zhang Lei’s father returned and told Zhang Lei, "You need to study hard, don't be like me, uneducated and bullied."

Zhang Lei repeatedly looked at the contract that tricked his father, not understanding a word, but at that moment he understood that he had no choice but to study hard.

But just making up his mind was useless. His foundation was too weak, and he had fallen too far behind.

Zhang Lei asked teachers questions, and when they saw how simple the questions were, they would glance at him and say, "What were you doing in class?"

He was too embarrassed to ask his classmates; for someone like him, suddenly studying seriously was shameful and would be mocked.

During that time, he always asked the English teacher questions and was ridiculed for it. To save face, Zhang Lei stole the English teacher’s phone, claiming that was his real purpose.

After all, he was a bad student, and that's what he was supposed to do.

After that, he became the most unwelcome student among the teachers, and no one believed he really wanted to study.

Until Lin Chujing noticed him.

Lin Chujing would find out exactly which knowledge points he didn’t understand and explain to him from the basics.

Lin Chujing taught him when to approach teachers with questions, how to ask so that teachers would patiently explain step by step.

With Lin Chujing's help, Zhang Lei's grades improved rapidly. But Lin Chujing told Zhang Lei not to thank her but to thank the teachers instead; this would make the teachers feel accomplished and more willing to tutor him.

Zhang Lei was very grateful to Lin Chujing but didn’t know how to repay her.

Upon learning that Lin Chujing's father had died and her mother was the culprit, Zhang Lei gave all his saved pocket money to her.

"You study well. Once I graduate from middle school, I'll go to work and support you through college!"

This was the most romantic thing I had ever heard from a middle school boy.

But Lin Chujing refused Zhang Lei's offer; she only asked Zhang Lei to do her a favor.

"Tell Teacher Xu that I stole the test papers."

Zhang Lei didn't understand why Lin Chujing asked him to do this, but he never dared to refuse anything Lin Chujing asked.

He completed the task perfectly, but after that, Lin Chujing no longer paid him any attention.

Zhang Lei was confused, not knowing what he had done wrong.

Soon, Lin Chujing was caught for stealing test papers.

He then realized he had ruined her.

"I should have refused Lin Chujing at the time. Maybe she was just under too much pressure, or she was testing me."

Zhang Lei regretted deeply.

"Teacher Xu, can you speak to the principal for me and tell him she didn't steal the test papers? Can you retract her punishment?"

I shook my head; what use would saying these things now be?

"She wasn't punished just because you told on her; she really did get caught stealing the test papers."

Zhang Lei scratched his head anxiously: "I don't understand; she can do everything, her grades are so good, why would she steal the test papers?"

After sending Zhang Lei off, I fell into deep thought as well.

Whether a student is a genius or not, a teacher cannot solely judge by exam results. Their behavior in daily life, interactions with teachers in class, and unique ways of solving problems all provide clues.

Sometimes exams are not even necessary; on the first day of school, just meeting these students can fully capture your attention with the brilliance they radiate, filling you with joy.

Thank heavens for granting you a good student.

Lin Chujing was such a person.

For the first two and a half years of her middle school, she was a flawless, impeccable good student. But in the one or two months after her father died, everything changed.

Because she bullied students, because she stole test papers, because she gave false testimony, everyone believed she was a fake. Even when she got into a vocational school, everyone thought it was deserved.

But what about the two and a half years before that?

I thought of the class monitor, who had been bullied by Lin Chujing since the third year of middle school. She should know more.

I found the class monitor in the QQ group and asked about Lin Chujing's bullying. The class monitor did not reply immediately but sent me a long self-reflection essay the next day.

In short, the class monitor also lied.

Lin Chujing hadn't started bullying her right from the third year, but only after her father's death.

Before that, Lin Chujing often discussed problems with her, praised her essay format, and gave her many suggestions for improvement.

But after her father's death, Lin Chujing suddenly changed, becoming extremely violent. She cornered the class monitor in the restroom, verbally abusing and bullying her to the extreme. The class monitor was terrified and said she would tell Teacher Xu.

Lin Chujing laughed: "Do you think the teacher will believe you or me? Last time when the class leader reported to Teacher Xu, guess what he said? He said, were you jealous of Lin Chujing?

"Besides, with my family in turmoil, even if the teacher believes you, he won't blame me. His biggest worry now is me having no outlet for my stress. He will tell you to understand Lin Chujing; she needs your help now!

"Moreover, how many times have I actually bullied you? Without ongoing bullying for more than a term, do you think this counts as bullying in the teacher's eyes? It's just a class dispute! Guess how the teacher will handle it? Both sides get a slap on the wrist!

"But do you think the teacher's punishment for you and for me will be the same? Now the whole school is counting on me to be the top city student. They treasure me! And you? Who are you?"

Lin Chujing was right. If the class monitor had told me the truth, I really wouldn't have taken it seriously. I would have been more worried about Lin Chujing and more concerned about her mental health.

So, the class monitor lied to me, extending the timeline of the bullying, making me think that Lin Chujing had always been bullying her and thus emphasizing the severity of the matter.

But she said this because Lin Chujing led her to.

Why did Lin Chujing do this?

Why did her personality suddenly change after her father’s death?

Why did she lead the class monitor to lie and report her?

Did she tear up her books on the rooftop deliberately for me to see?

Why did she want Zhang Lei to report her for stealing answers?

Why, when she was about to sign a contract with a top high school, did she get caught stealing answers?

She could help Zhang Lei get into high school, so why did she only go to a vocational school herself?

What was she planning?

Countless questions flooded my mind.

I asked the classmates in the group if anyone still had contact with Lin Chujing, but no one responded.

She had cut off contact with everyone.

Such a once-in-a-decade genius girl left me with a bunch of questions and then disappeared.

What really happened to her in that third year?