The Almighty Campus Prodigy

Yang Yu had sat in a daze for a full ten minutes before he finally realized this was no mere dream — he had been reborn. All this time, his eyes had been fixed on the girl sitting in front of him, tangled emotions churning deep inside his chest. Her name was Yu Yi, the goddess who had haunted every year of his school life. It was because of her that his entire life had plunged into an irreversible tragedy. He had loved Yu Yi for a whole decade, from junior high all the way through college graduation. It was only as they neared graduation that she finally agreed to be his girlfriend. Yet that was only the start of his nightmare. Once they were together, Yang Yu discovered she was the mistress of a powerful man. She had accepted him only to use him as a shield, to hide her affair with that wealthy figure. Yang Yu had tried to fight back, but Yu Yi and the man threatened his parents. If he refused or exposed their secret, unspeakable disaster would befall his family. Endless humiliation, contempt and betrayal wore down his spirit. Even so, he clung on like a dog, clinging to a fragile hope. He waited for the day the powerful man would grow tired of Yu Yi, so he could finally be free. But that day never came. Yu Yi, the woman who ruined his whole life, got pregnant from another man. When the powerful man found out, Yu Yi shifted all the blame onto Yang Yu. Yang Yu could swear on heaven and earth. After they married, he had never even touched her, not once. Her accusations were nothing but slander. Enraged, the powerful man had him dragged to the rooftop. After being pushed off the building, Yang Yu woke up, transported back to the spring of his sixteenth year, back in ninth grade. In his old life, Yang Yu had barely scraped through the high‑school entrance exam, landing in the second‑tier school. His grades stayed mediocre for years. It was only near college graduation, facing the pressure of finding a job, that he finally understood the value of studying — yet it was already too late. Driven by the regret of his own wasted youth, he founded a tutoring center after graduation and became a well‑regarded tutor. Even with his small career success, the inferiority complex rooted in his poor academic performance never faded. That was exactly why Yu Yi had targeted him. Yang Yu could barely believe he was back at this critical turning point of his life. Had heaven given him a second chance to become someone different? He clenched his fists. This life, he would never live such a cowardly existence again. The class was having an English quiz. If he wanted to change his fate, he would start right here, on this exam. Yang Yu glanced at the clock. Less than twenty minutes remained. He looked at his half‑finished test paper and let out a bitter laugh. How could he have been so stupid back then? Ninth‑grade English did not demand an enormous vocabulary. Yet in his past life, out of 150 total points, he could barely score 90, a passing grade. To him now, those questions were as simple as a college student solving first‑grade arithmetic. Setting aside the listening section he could no longer answer, he was certain he could nail the remaining 130 points. Yang Yu grabbed his pen and wrote furiously. He corrected several wrong answers and raced through every remaining question. The thrill of this newfound advantage washed away much of the pent‑up resentment from his previous death. When he finished the composition, time was nearly up. After the papers were collected, Zhao, their English teacher and homeroom teacher, cleared her throat. “I’ve just received notice. Neptune High School is launching a special‑talent class for early admission before the high‑school entrance exam. Our school has five spots. Anyone interested can sign up for the interview. This is a rare opportunity, so please sign up enthusiastically.” Yang Yu was genuinely shocked. He had returned to this exact moment. He remembered Neptune High’s special‑talent class only ran once. It admitted fewer than thirty students, and even the lowest‑scoring graduate from that cohort got into Fudan University. The classroom erupted in excitement. Top students raised their hands. It was a golden chance; no one could be sure how they would perform in the official exam. Getting accepted meant a guaranteed spot at Neptune High, and there was no loss if the interview failed. Ms. Zhao jotted down names. Once the high‑achieving students had registered, she asked politely if anyone else wanted to join. Yang Yu snapped out of his daze. Back then, this opportunity had been completely out of his reach. His grades were only average, and only five students from their school ever got in. But things were different now. Since fate had sent him back, he would fight for this spot. Yang Yu looked at Ms. Zhao and raised his hand. “Teacher, I want to sign up.” The noisy classroom fell completely silent. No one expected Yang Yu to volunteer. He was the most invisible boy in class — quiet, average‑graded, and obedient. To his classmates, his grades were mediocre. Even if interview performance mattered more than test scores, Yang Yu was not good at speaking. Going to Neptune’s interview would be nothing but a joke. Yu Yi turned around to look at him. Her usually cold eyes held a mix of shock and disdain. “Yang Yu, you should give it up. Don’t humiliate yourself.” Yang Yu froze. Humiliate himself? So even in this lifetime, she still looked down on him. No wonder she had treated him so cruelly years later. He met her gaze. “Humiliate myself? I don’t think so. I’m confident I can get accepted.” He had every reason for that confidence. He had been a professional tutor. Even after all his suffering in his past life, if he could not handle junior‑high‑level work, he might as well give up. To the rest of the class, his words sounded like stubborn bravado. They stared at him, ready to laugh. “Get accepted? Don’t make me laugh! You’re blowing your own trumpet. Yang Yu, what are you going there for? To make everyone else look good?” Li Cai, one of the more brash boys in class, spoke up. He was the one who organized all their class reunions after graduation. The classroom exploded with laughter. His words were sharp and provocative. As a reborn man, Yang Yu knew Li Cai also had a crush on Yu Yi. His hostility came purely from Yang Yu standing up to her. Yang Yu simply shrugged, ignoring Li Cai’s taunts. He turned back to Ms. Zhao and repeated firmly, “Teacher, I want to sign up.” “Yang Yu… maybe you should think this over. I know your academic record. I’m worried this might hurt your performance in the high‑school entrance exam.” Ms. Zhao truly cared for him. Yang Yu could hear the concern beneath her words. She feared he would be crushed by disappointment and fail to get into a regular high school. Yet her words also carried unspoken doubt. It was true that his old self could never have pulled this off. But heaven had given him a second chance. He would not live a pathetic life again. Yang Yu nodded with quiet self‑assurance. “Teacher, write my name down. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” Perhaps his confident smile convinced her, or perhaps there was no harm in adding his name. Since he insisted, she had no right to refuse. Ms. Zhao gave him a long look and wrote his name on the registration sheet. She rapped her desk to quiet the rising commotion. “Quiet. Anyone else?” No more hands went up. The whole class was already stunned by Yang Yu’s bold move. Ms. Zhao gathered her materials. “All of you who signed up, get ready. Representatives from Neptune High will come to hold assessments this Friday afternoon.” Friday. Yang Yu glanced at the blackboard. Today was only Wednesday. He had two days to prepare. Though he was rusty on the exact textbooks and exercises, the core knowledge never changed. Two days would be more than enough to catch up on the three years he had wasted. After Ms. Zhao left, Yang Yu slung his bag over his shoulder to leave. He noticed Li Cai glaring at him. Li Cai was clearly angered by his defiance and was plotting to get back at him. Yang Yu paid it no mind. To him, Li Cai and the others were no more than children. A grown man had no reason to fear kids. His earlier irritation was only triggered by the memories of how Li Cai and Yu Yi had treated him in the future. Just as he was about to walk out, Yu Yi spun around and spoke coldly to him. “Yang Yu, what is the meaning of this letter?” She pulled an envelope out of her desk drawer. It was decorated with a gaudy drawn‑on heart. It all came flooding back to Yang Yu. This was the love letter he had mustered all his courage to give her back in ninth grade. A headache washed over him. How could this happen at such a moment? He also noticed something important. In his previous life, Yu Yi had never publicly humiliated him with this letter. She was bringing it out now only because he had dared to contradict her. He never expected her to pick a fight over this. It was a stark warning. The butterfly effect: a butterfly flapping its wings in the sss rainforest could trigger a tornado in Texas two weeks later. He was that butterfly. Every choice he made was rewriting the future. Yu Yi’s outburst drew every pair of eyes in the classroom. Before Yang Yu could reply, she tore open the heart‑decorated envelope, pulled out the letter, and began reading it aloud. “Roses are my passion, candies are my sweetness, stars are my eyes, moonlight is my soul. I give them all to you, my beloved…” Good heavens, was this really the love letter he had written as a teenager? Yang Yu felt burning embarrassment, made far worse by being read out in front of the whole class. The other students snickered. It was hard not to laugh at how overly sentimental the words were. Li Cai roared with laughter. “This is the toad lusting after the swan! Yang Yu, look in the mirror! ‘My beloved’? Do you think you’re some movie star?” Yang Yu ignored Li Cai’s jeers. Beneath his embarrassment, a bitter feeling settled in his chest. It was clear Yu Yi had looked down on him ever since junior high. Otherwise she would never have exposed this private letter for everyone to see. The old him would have wanted to die on the spot. This was almost psychological murder. And she had truly murdered him once before. He had been such a fool back then. Terrible grades, cringey love letters, and worst of all, he had worshipped a woman like Yu Yi as his goddess, loving her blindly for ten whole years. Then Yu Yi did something that shocked the whole class. She crumpled the letter into a ball and hurled it straight at Yang Yu’s face, her face twisted with disgust. “Honestly, your writing makes me sick to my stomach!” I make you sick? How dare you say that. You are the truly disgusting one. But this was not the time to argue. Yang Yu laughed coldly. “Are you done? If so, I’m leaving. Don’t keep me from going home.” He spoke calmly, not wanting to exchange another word. To the stunned stares of his classmates, he slung his bag over his shoulder and walked straight out of the classroom, as if the public humiliation had meant nothing to him. Once outside the school gates, his expression turned icy. He truly wanted nothing more to do with Yu Yi. At this point in time, she had not yet hurt him. Getting revenge on her now would be unfair. Yet he was no saint; he could never be on good terms with her either. The best outcome would be for them to remain complete strangers. But if Yu Yi insisted on picking fights with him for no reason…