Reincarnation: Trying to pretend to be ordinary, but it turns out it's really impossible.

Su Ningning felt a sudden pang of guilt, her eyes darting around.

Su's father also seemed a little flustered, scratching the back of his head as he handed over the food he was carrying:

"Xingbai, we just bought you some delicious food. You must be starving after taking the exam all day. Try some!"

Su Ningning quickly followed and stepped forward, excitedly saying:

"Yes, yes, yes! This is super delicious! I've tried it and it's amazing. I saved it especially for you!"

Shen Xingbai looked down at her, sauce still clinging to the corner of her mouth, her eyes full of expectation. A faint smile appeared in his eyes as he softly replied:

"Thanks."

Upon hearing this, Su Ningning's eyes immediately curved into a smile, and the corners of her mouth turned up high, feeling secretly delighted.

Just then, Zhang Tianyu, who had just stepped out of the school gate, hurriedly came over, grabbed a piece from Shen Xingbai's bag, stuffed it into his mouth, and smacked his lips as he mumbled something.

"Hmm, not bad, not bad, Su's purchase is really delicious."

Shen Xingbai's face darkened, and he reached out and grabbed the remaining bag of pastries, clutching it tightly in his hand.

Zhang Tianyu tried to reach out again, but found the bag was already tightly gripped, and he couldn't touch it at all. He couldn't help but mutter, "Stingy."

Su Ningning scratched her head: "I have other snacks in my bag, want to share some with you?"

Just as Zhang Tianyu reached out to take it, Shen Xingbai firmly intercepted his wrist.

He said casually, "He can buy it himself; we don't need to give it to him."

"You're such a traitor!" Zhang Tianyu was furious.

Shen Xingbai raised his eyes and gave him a cold, indifferent look.

Su's father, who was standing nearby, saw everything clearly and couldn't help but lower his head and chuckle.

Upon seeing this, Shen Xingbai's face flushed slightly, and she looked at Zhang Tianyu with even greater displeasure.

Seeing this, Zhang Tianyu didn't dare to really provoke the person, and quickly said:

"Okay, okay, I give up. My dad's here to pick me up, I'm not going to mess around with you guys anymore."

After Zhang Tianyu left, the three of them found a place to have a good meal, and then went home.

Next, we just have to wait for the results.

At the end of September, the final list of provincial teams was released on time.

The result was no surprise: a total of twelve people were selected from the province. Shen Xingbai was firmly in eighth place, while Zhang Tianyu barely made it to twelfth.

Despite not being among the top students, the two managed to stand out from over a thousand top students, far surpassing ordinary people.

Zhang Tianyu stared at the list several times, and then jumped up and down with joy.

Without saying a word, his dad immediately transferred a huge red envelope to him.

After the results came out,

The school held a special award ceremony for the two students who won prizes in the provincial competition and also gave them extra bonuses.

When it was Shen Xingbai's turn to go on stage, all eyes were on her.

He calmly accepted the prize money, and the principal patted him on the shoulder and smiled:

"Xingbai, winning the provincial award is truly commendable! You've brought honor to the school! Continue to stay humble and steady, keep striving for excellence, and inspire your classmates. Your future is bright!"

The principal's eyes were filled with joy. Their school had an excellent reputation and teaching staff in Ancheng, and was quite well-known. However, once outside the city, it remained unknown in the province.

How can I not be happy that two outstanding students have made it to the provincial competition?

This will instantly make Mingcheng Middle School famous throughout the province, and the quality of its students and top-notch teachers will improve again, allowing the school to take another big leap forward.

Thinking of this, the principal was so happy that he didn't sleep all night, and he was still full of energy this morning.

Shen Xingbai bowed slightly and said humbly, "Thank you for your praise and expectations, Principal. I will definitely work hard and live up to the school's expectations."

Everyone around her looked on with genuine admiration and envy. Shen Xingbai was truly amazing; winning a provincial award meant his future was limitless.

Only Zhang Yuchuan, sitting in the corner, had a somber expression, his heart feeling a jumbled mess of emotions, both bitter and stifling.

He and Shen Xingbai lived in the same old neighborhood, where most of the residents were not well-off.

He had looked down on Shen Xingbai from the bottom of his heart since he was a child.

Shen Xingbai had a very difficult childhood. His father would beat and scold him at the drop of a hat, his mother didn't like him, and he was often hungry, so thin that he was skin and bones.

Back then, Zhang Yuchuan would sometimes casually toss his unwanted things to Shen Xingbai, looking down at him with utter contempt.

At that time, he thought that Shen Xingbai's life would just be like this.

Once he started elementary school, Zhang Yuchuan's grades remained consistently above average in this old and financially strained neighborhood.

It should have been a source of unique pride, something that would have earned it praise and admiration from neighbors wherever it went.

But it was Shen Xingbai—the one who never had enough to eat as a child and was always filthy.

While others had brand-new stationery, he could only pick up broken pens that others had used down to just a small section.

While others went home to do their homework in peace, he had to collect scraps to earn a few cents to make ends meet, struggling every day to survive.

Even someone who lacks stable learning conditions manages to stay far ahead, leaving everyone else far behind time and time again.

By junior high school, the gap had widened to an extreme.

Shen Xingbai always held the top spot in the grade without exception, never even touching second place.

Zhang Yuchuan consistently ranked around the top 100 in his grade, which wasn't considered bad, but he was overshadowed by Shen Xingbai, appearing utterly insignificant and lackluster.

Jealousy and resentment rekindled, and he deliberately caused trouble for Shen Xingbai, spreading rumors everywhere.

I thought Shen Xingbai would be just like she was in elementary school, all alone, isolated and ostracized by everyone, suffering cold looks and ridicule.

But then Su Ningning suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

With Su Ningning protecting and accompanying her, Shen Xingbai was not isolated at all; on the contrary, she became the most popular person in the class.

Everyone wanted to come over and ask him for tutoring or help with difficult problems.

Zhang Yuchuan felt his heart burning with unease, and his senses became increasingly unbalanced.

He tried several times to suppress him again, but he couldn't find a way to do so. Instead, his reputation plummeted at the school, and he was looked down upon everywhere.

After finally making it to high school, Shen Xingbai was no longer the top student he used to be, and his brilliance had diminished considerably.

Zhang Yuchuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, finally feeling a bit more at ease, thinking he could finally catch his breath and no longer live in the other person's shadow.

Who would have thought that in just two short years, Shen Xingbai would once again make a name for himself, achieving great success in the provincial competition and standing in the center of everyone's attention.

Zhang Yuchuan clenched his fists, his eyes swirling with resentment, jealousy, and a lingering sense of powerlessness.

It seems that no matter how much he chases or how much he fusses, Shen Xingbai can always easily surpass him and effortlessly live the life that everyone looks up to.

After receiving the red envelope, Zhang Tianyu insisted on treating Shen Xingbai to dinner.

After all, Zhang Tianyu struggled with many difficult problems during the second half of the training camp, and it was only through Shen Xingbai's patient explanations and guidance that he was able to understand them.

Without Shen Xingbai's help, his twelfth place would have been in serious jeopardy.

Shen Xingbai didn't refuse and readily agreed, even pulling Su Ningning along, clearly intending to give Zhang Tianyu a good beating.

Zhang Tianyu immediately wailed, "Shen Xingbai, you're not human!"

Su Ningning immediately said with a serious expression:

"How is he not human? Shen Xingbai is clearly a very good person!"

Zhang Tianyu was amused by Su Ningning and lost his temper, waving his hand:

"Okay, okay, you're all good people, alright?"

After a lively meal, the two officially entered a state of preparation.

On National Day, twelve members of the provincial team gathered at a closed training base.