The third time that Gu Yusheng had heard the words "Qin Zhi'ai" was at an award ceremony after the midterm exam.
She was a sophomore while he was a senior. The juniors were sitting between them, so there was some distance between them.
The principal began by announcing the top 10 seniors, describing their social studies, and then proceeded to the top 10 juniors and sophomores.
As the principal was announcing the juniors, Gu Yusheng and Wu Hao left to use the restroom, where they leaned against the wall and smoked half a cigarette. By the time they returned to the ceremony, the juniors had received their awards, and the principal was announcing the sophomore awardees.
The principal announced the sophomores starting with number 10 to finally the top student in the entire class: It was Qin Zhi'ai.
