344 - I Don’t Want to Be Turned Into the Female Protagonist by the System

**Chapter 344: Xiao Xiao, the Little Top Scholar** August 1st, the school was unusually quiet today. Every student had already left the campus, including Xiao Xiao, who had departed this morning. After all, having completed her exams, there was no longer a reason to attend extra classes. To ensure the exam results were ready in time, all teachers were putting in extra hours to grade the papers. Su Qi, a temporary English teacher, was among them. Unlike other subjects, English teachers had a relatively lighter workload. This was because, aside from the essay, all the exam questions were multiple choice. Thanks to advanced technology, papers could simply be fed into a machine for automatic recognition. Su Qi’s responsibility, alongside her fellow English teachers, was to grade the essays and tally the scores from the multiple-choice sections, recording the total. The second-year cohort comprised about 500 students. Su Qi, along with three other English teachers, divided the exams among themselves. After noting some grading tips and observing several experienced teachers correct a few exams, Su Qi began grading the English papers herself. Su Qi couldn't help but reflect, as she quickly completed a stack of papers. Just a month ago, she had taken an exam herself, never imagining she’d become the head teacher within weeks. She marveled at how she had adapted to her new role. It was almost noon by the time Su Qi finished her batch of exams. It wasn't the volume that slowed her down but her conscientious pace—she didn't want the other teachers to think she was being careless as a temporary worker. After a simple lunch, Su Qi joined her colleagues in sorting the exams by class. Following that, each teacher recorded the scores into the system. After finishing scores for other classes, Su Qi, driven by curiosity, approached Jian to check the results for Class 212. Jian was momentarily taken aback by Su Qi’s inquiry and remarked, "Su Teacher, you're quite fast!" Although meant as praise, Su Qi found she couldn’t take pleasure in the compliment. She nodded in acknowledgment and helped Jian finish entering scores for the last class. Once their task was complete, Su Qi used the computer to view the results for Class 212. Jian, who hadn’t noted much earlier during entry, was astonished to see her problematic Class 212’s average score sitting at an impressive 81 points. “This can't be right!” Jian exclaimed in astonishment, believing it must be an error. She hurriedly retrieved the stack of exams for Class 212 and began cross-referencing them frantically with the records. Two other English teachers, having finished their entries as well, noticed Jian’s unusual behavior and joined her to investigate. They were equally shocked when Jian shared that Class 212’s English average was indeed 81. Considering the challenges of teaching English, they found it hard to believe that Class 212 could achieve such a high average—one that even rivaled the top classes. Initially suspecting that Su Qi might have leaked the exam questions in advance, they meticulously compared the answer sheets and rough papers of Class 212 students. What they discovered was that the markings indicated genuine contemplation from the students. The three teachers were incredulous. Although Su Qi’s popularity in the second-year office had soared thanks to her innovative techniques, this outcome exceeded all expectations. As the teachers continued reviewing the papers, one exam took them by surprise with a perfect score of 150. They scrutinized it and confirmed, from the computer's records, that it belonged to Xiao Xiao from Class 212. Upon repeated checks, they found the paper to be flawless, with impeccable handwriting, grammar, and even content that was surprisingly profound. At this point, they began to wonder about the enigma of Xiao Xiao. Just then, Mr. Jin, the physics teacher, excitedly approached Su Qi, inquiring from a distance, "Su Teacher, can you guess your class’s average in physics?" Noting his excitement, Su Qi confidently guessed, “Sixty points?” Mr. Jin corrected her with enthusiasm, "It’s actually 65! Well above passing! And guess who scored the highest?" Before she could respond, Jian interjected, "Could it be Xiao Xiao again? Did she get another perfect score?" Mr. Jin paused in surprise, "How did you know it was her?" Just as he spoke, Mr. Dong, the math teacher, remarked, "What’s this? Xiao Xiao aced both physics and English too? That would make three subjects she has max scores in!" The staff room buzzed with interest as teachers gathered around, eager to glimpse this extraordinary student. The final exam item was notorious for its difficulty and only the very best could solve it. Upon realization that the student achieving three perfect scores was from the previously lagging Class 212, the teachers were astounded. They scrutinized every piece of work for signs of cheating but found none. A flawless paper could never result from dishonest practices. Acknowledging that Xiao Xiao genuinely earned her scores, she impressed many teachers who began taking note of her academic prowess. With nothing pressing to attend to, the teachers lingered, curious about the remaining three subjects Xiao Xiao had undertaken. Mathematics, unsurprisingly, was another perfect score; chemistry only slipped by two points due to a minor oversight. Finally, the Chinese language, notorious for its scoring difficulties, yielded a modest 132 for Xiao Xiao. Interestingly, five points were lost on ancient poetry recitation. The Chinese teacher was exasperated by this. However, Su Qi understood; Xiao Xiao, being a true ‘prodigy,’ efficiently allocated her time to maximize scores rather than memorizing ancient prose. Abandoning those five points seemed a strategic trade-off for extra practice on other subjects. Thus, with an impressive total of 730 across six subjects, Xiao Xiao emerged as the top scholar for this term’s second-year finals. Looking at the young girl's results on the computer screen, Su Qi couldn’t help but feel an affection for her—a thought of gaining a fellow mentee didn’t seem so bad at all.