Back to the 70s: My Childhood Sweetheart Spoils Me Rotten-Chapter 721 - 723: Breaking News

On the first day of school, Zhuge Mingshan was already a bit downcast because things at home were getting worse.

Even worse, the issues couldn’t be contained internally anymore and started to spread. Some friends, who she used to be close with but had drifted apart, now ignored her completely.

Zhuge Mingshan knew she didn’t have deep feelings for them anyway, but the thought of not being able to join their circle anymore, let alone becoming the center of attention, left her in a bad mood.

Before Zhuge Mingshan could even mourn her sense of loss, she heard some news that struck her even harder.

"Did you hear that Gong Ruini and Zhao Guangran didn’t report in?"

"Huh, what happened?"

"How could they not have reported in?"

"Exactly, maybe something kept them from coming today."

Ever since Gong Ruini and their group appeared, the honors class really struggled against their class in all aspects. Forget regaining the first place in the year; they were working hard just to keep up and not fall too far behind.

Their minds often wished that Gong Ruini and their group wouldn’t come to class, but did their wishes ever work?

Unless Gong Ruini and their group willingly stopped attending school, they would still have to suppress them.

"It’s not just that they’re absent today; they won’t be coming back anymore." The informer took a breath and shared news that would excite everyone.

Oh no, what do you mean they won’t be coming back? Everyone was confused; the group that had been chatting earlier suddenly stopped, all staring at the informer.

They were filled with anticipation, but didn’t know if they were being tricked.

"It’s true. Gong Ruini and Zhao Guangran took the graduation exams before summer break, and they’ve already moved on to middle school."

No way, everyone was shocked. While they had been hoping not to face Gong Ruini and their group, learning the reason for their absence left each of them utterly surprised.

"They actually went to middle school?"

"Wait, they didn’t even attend sixth grade." Although everyone knew Gong Ruini and their group’s grades were good, it didn’t mean they could pass with flying colors.

"I wonder how they did on the graduation exams." Once someone brought it up, everyone was filled with anticipation.

After all, hearing that Gong Ruini and Zhao Guangran did well was normal; the surprising news would be if they did poorly.

This topic intrigued everyone, and they began guessing their possible scores—probably around 60 or 70 points.

It’s not that they wanted to say a failing score because if they truly failed, how could they graduate from elementary school?

Even so, they were quite envious, thinking even if they got such scores, it might cause quite a laugh.

"They didn’t need to attend sixth grade; their grades frustrated quite a few sixth graders." Although the one spreading the message wanted to see Gong Ruini and their group make a fool of themselves, there needed to be something to laugh at first.

No way, everyone was dumbfounded. Could Gong Ruini and their group have achieved excellent results? While they thought it impossible, there was no need to lie; such scores could easily be verified.

"Top five in the grade, apparently good enough for the honors class." Though not too impressive, a fifth-grader scoring like that was like a slap to many sixth-graders.

"Impressive." Despite many speaking sarcastically earlier, upon hearing Gong Ruini achieved such results, those who wanted to see them fail were left in awe and admiration.

Zhuge Mingshan snapped out of her initial shock. She was indeed astonished, but their scores made sense; perhaps their reason for skipping grades was to utterly outclass her, showcasing the gap between them.

Even if they hadn’t skipped grades, the gap between them was already significant.

"Why didn’t you skip grades, Miss Zhuge?" Zhuge Mingshan wanted to stay low-key, but someone wouldn’t let her.

She knew they wouldn’t let her off easily; for those followers who abandoned her, Zhuge Mingshan kept her composure. Getting mad at them wouldn’t help, and she wasn’t about to let them see her anger.

Zhuge Mingshan cleared her throat, "Their grades are excellent; mine? Not so much."

"Comparing with them would make many feel ashamed." Zhuge Mingshan nodded gently; they shouldn’t make fun of her because everyone was in a similar boat—no need for tit-for-tat ridicule.

Those who were ready to laugh at Zhuge Mingshan couldn’t show anger at her words, so they shifted the conversation to other topics.

Zhuge Mingshan felt a bit worried. Though it seemed like she was often bullied by Cao Na, nothing serious happened, but this was the first time she was truly bullied, and unexpectedly swallowing her pride made it pass.

Right, that’s how it should be; not staying silent prevents giving them a chance to bully. Once you show more aggression, they won’t dare act up.

Zhuge Mingshan was planning how to interact with classmates when she heard them talking about Cao Na.

She was curious why they were discussing Cao Na. That girl was low-key, keeping family matters under wraps, which said a lot.

Upon eavesdropping, she wished she’d never heard Cao Na’s name, sparking an insatiable curiosity.

And now, curiosity led to regret.

"No way, she got into middle school too?"

"Her grades are okay?"

Shocked, truly shocked. Competing with Gong Ruini was impossible, but everyone knew Cao Na’s reputation for not being academically strong.

Yet she successfully skipped grades into middle school, so maybe if they put in the effort, they could too?

This realization stunned everyone, sparking regret, "Ah, if I’d known, I’d have tried harder."

"Exactly, maybe I could’ve gotten into middle school too."

"Cao Na got into middle school; there’s no reason we couldn’t either."

"Ah, do you think Gong Ruini’s question collections are good? Might consider buying one."

These question collections from Gong Ruini sold like hotcakes, but in this class, it wasn’t something flaunted. Even if some had secretly bought one, they never mentioned it.

But now, with strong demonstrators, ignoring the collection might be their loss.

This revelation shocked those who disregarded Gong Ruini’s question collections, making them eager to buy quickly.

Although they missed the chance for middle school this time, they could aim to skip straight to the eighth grade.