We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

"Li Mubai, Xie Shu, you're here so early?"

Before she arrived, her voice preceded her. Chen Qiuhe plopped down in her seat with her schoolbag on her back.

Li Mubai calmly put away the bookmarks on the table.

"We just arrived too," Xie Shu said softly.

"Oh, Xie Shu, where are we going to practice?" Chen Qiuhe asked without suspicion.

"Let's just stay in the classroom. The other students shouldn't arrive until four o'clock." Xie Shu glanced at the empty classroom.

"Okay, then Mu Bai, Li Mu Bai, call Lan Shi Yu over here."

"OK."

Actually, there wasn't much to train. Chen Qiuhe was lucky last night; they got a bye in their first match. However, Chen Qiuhe still showed them the debate topics from other teams.

Xie Shu suggested that they could simulate how their team would prepare if they encountered this debate topic.

Lan Shiyu arrived and sat down in Wang Rui's seat without any self-awareness of being from another class. Her eyes inadvertently swept over Xie Shu.

"Hello, you must be Xie Shu."

"Um."

"Are you Chen Qiuhe?" Lan Shiyu looked at the girl sitting in front of her who was turning her head to look at her. Eight points, she secretly gave her score in her mind, feeling that their team could be renamed the Handsome and Beautiful Girls Debate Team.

"Are you Lan Shiyu?" Chen Qiuhe asked.

"That should be true, I shouldn't be called Li Mubai."

Lan Shiyu made a joke and laughed to herself. Only after she finished laughing did she realize that the other three people were staring at her expressionlessly. Did they have such a high threshold for laughter?

"Let's simulate what we'd say if we were faced with the debate topic, 'Should high school students focus more on academic performance or overall abilities?' How should we prepare?" Xie Shu took out a brand-new notebook with the two debate topics from last night written on it.

"Li Mubai, you are the first speaker. You can write a speech first, which should be about 800 to 1,000 words, depending on your speaking speed."

"Lan Shiyu, you are the second speaker. You can anticipate the angle from which the opposing side will base their arguments and then refute and supplement our points."

"Chen Qiuhe, you are the fourth speaker and need to give a concluding speech. You can also prepare a draft in advance and supplement it when you go on stage."

Xie Shujing arranged the tasks for the three people in an orderly manner.

"No problem, no problem."

"The first speech is similar to an argumentative essay in Chinese literature." Xie Shu looked at Li Mubai.

"Okay, are we going to watch other teams' matches tomorrow?" Li Mubai asked.

Xie Shu remained silent, waiting for the others.

"I want to go, because the topic for the next round of debate will be drawn on the spot after the competition," Chen Qiuhe said.

"Then let's go too." Xie Shu glanced at Li Mubai and nodded.

"No problem, no problem."

Actually, there didn't seem to be much to train. Xie Shu then mentioned some points to note about the debate competition before ending the brief meeting.

While there was still time, Li Mubai attempted to write a first-round speech based on the debate topic.

"I've finished writing my first speech, class monitor, would you like to take a look?"

"it is good."

Lan Shiyu had already gone back, leaving only the three of them in the classroom. Upon hearing this, Chen Qiuhe put down her vocabulary list and moved closer to Xie Shu.

After watching for a while, Chen Qiuhe sat back down and continued memorizing her vocabulary.

"How's it written? At least give a critique!" Li Mubai muttered to himself.

"It's written quite well, but the supporting arguments need to be supplemented with some factual or theoretical evidence. Look here."

Xie Shu turned to the side, spread his notebook on the table, and turned to face him. Her slender fingers, like white pens, pointed to the argument section of the first argument.

Li Mubai heard the rustling of leaves outside the classroom. The gentle sunlight slanted into the classroom, carrying a faint scent of jasmine. Xie Shu's hair was not tied up, and her light, melodious voice rang out:

"You can use this..."

"Week 5 of Grade 11 is here, and Grade 12 isn't far behind. Students need to seize the time. The exams will only get harder with each one, and we'll be getting closer to the college entrance exam in the end. So don't assume that your current score is the same as your college entrance exam score."

Before evening self-study, Wu Changguo posted a class ranking list from the monthly exam on the bulletin board, then came to the podium and said something earnestly.

"Wow, Li Mubai, you made it into the top ten!" During the break from evening self-study, Yang Kun ran up to take a look and then came to Li Mubai's side in surprise.

Li Mubai hummed in agreement, appearing quite calm on the surface.

"How much am I, Brother Chicken?" Wang Rui asked.

"You are thirteen."

"Alright."

The second period of evening self-study was designated as self-study time. Li Mubai was called to Wu Changguo's office. The latter's gaze remained fixed on the computer screen, his glasses reflecting a faint light, and his tone was calm:

"This time was good. I ranked ninth, and I've also made up for my weaknesses in math and English."

Wu Changguo first offered a word of praise, then changed the subject, adding a warning:

"But as I just said, future exams will only get harder, so don't be complacent if you do well on a test."

"Okay, teacher."

Wu Changguo dragged the mouse, and with a "click," as if he had completed some operation, he looked away from the computer and scanned Li Mubai standing in front of him.

"While maintaining good grades, you should also keep a proper distance from female classmates," Wu Changguo reminded.

"OK."

Li Mubai didn't know who the female classmate Wu Changguo had chosen was. Could it be Xie Shu? But wasn't it Wu Changguo who sent him to find Xie Shu for tutoring? Given the current situation, Wu Changguo was at least half responsible.

"Go to the school print shop tomorrow at noon and pick up the documents I printed. Give a copy to every student." Wu Changguo paused for a moment. "Also, call the other boys over."

"OK."

Is this some kind of public denunciation meeting? He hasn't even paid attention to the other boys' grades yet.

During the quiet evening self-study session, the boys walked out of the classroom laughing and joking; twenty minutes later, they returned one by one, dejected.

Wu Changguo returned to the classroom and sat on the podium.

After evening self-study ended, Li Mubai, unable to contain his curiosity, returned to his dormitory and asked:

"Yang Kun, why did Teacher Wu call you over?"

"What else can we do? Criticize us, say that all the boys have regressed this time," Jiao Yong blurted out.

All the boys have regressed? Was he expelled from the male community? Li Mubai wondered.

"Did Feng Wanli not do well on the exam either?"

"He dropped two places."

"The boys have suffered a Waterloo, only you are going against the grain," Yang Kun joked.

"The main problem is that the questions were a bit difficult this time," Jiao Yong said.

"666, Lao Jiao, have you forgotten what they say about Wuchang fish?"

After Yang Kun finished speaking, he imitated Wu Changguo's voice and said:

"The questions are difficult for everyone, so why are others able to maintain a stable ranking or even improve? Sometimes, can you use your brain to think about the reasons why you're doing this?"

Fortunately, Li Mubai caught up in English and math this time, otherwise he would have ended up like the other boys.