met free Chapter 9: System Upgrade!
Chapter 9: System Upgrade!
Once the exam results for all subjects were compiled and announced, a turbulent undercurrent was actually brewing in the seemingly calm teachers' office.
Aunt Yuan looked at Yuan Baoya's test paper repeatedly, her brows furrowed, filled with disbelief.
She really didn't expect that Yuan Baoya would achieve such outstanding results this time.
Take the Chinese test paper she graded, for example. Yuan Xiaogu examined it word by word and couldn't find a single flaw. She had no choice but to reluctantly deduct 5 points from the composition so that the score wouldn't look so "glaring".
As for the other subjects, she also confirmed with the teachers one by one, and the answers she received were all that Yuan Baoya had a very solid grasp of the knowledge, her papers were clean and neat, her answer ideas were clear and concise, and her steps were rigorous and correct, without any signs of being perfunctory.
Yuan Xiaogu felt a mix of emotions, but she still had to maintain the demeanor of a teacher.
She tapped on the lectern, and only after the noise in the classroom subsided did she raise her voice and say, "This assessment is just your first real test in junior high, and the knowledge points aren't complicated. Although our class has produced a top student in the grade, our overall ranking is only above average. I hope that the student who got first place won't be complacent and get too cocky; and that the students who are lagging behind won't be discouraged and will work harder to catch up."
At this point, her gaze drifted intentionally or unintentionally to Yuan Baoya, and she continued with a veiled meaning, "As you learn more and more advanced knowledge, good grades for a short time are not a long-term asset. The real challenge is to consistently stay at the top of the list. Do you all understand?" A few mischievous students below sensed the sourness in Yuan Xiaogu's words and secretly began to boo.
Yuan Baoya merely raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a faint, indifferent smile.
"Ding! Main quest: Achieve first place in the class in the test, with a score of 90 or above in each subject. Reward: 500 points and one chance to win a prize."
"Side quest: Encourage and help your deskmate Wei Li to study hard. Once the score in each subject reaches 80 points, you will be rewarded with 300 points and one chance to win a prize."
"Currently accumulated: 800 points. Upgrade requirements met! Upgrade now?"
"Two draws, shall we proceed with the draw now?"
Yuan Baoya's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly communicated with 9 Tong in her mind: "Hmm, 9 Tong, will I get better rewards if I draw a lottery after upgrading?"
"My lord, the lottery rewards are all randomly generated, but the higher the system level, the higher the level of the prizes." The system's voice was calm and steady.
"Okay, I got it! Let's upgrade first!" Yuan Baoya made a decisive decision.
"Okay, my lord, this system upgrade will take 2 hours. Please wait patiently."
"Okay, okay, see you later, Commander 9," Yuan Baoya replied softly, her heart filled with anticipation.
Yuan Baoya was worried about her older brother Baoguo's exam results, so she hurriedly ran to the teaching building where the second-year junior high school class was located during the break between classes.
She spotted Baoguo in the hallway and quickly went up to him, asking, "Brother, have your results come out yet? How did they go?"
Bao Guo's face was beaming with pride. He first laughed loudly a few times before saying arrogantly, "I got over 80 points in Chinese and history, and over 70 points in the others. Aren't you amazing?"
"Amazing, amazing! Big brother is really amazing as long as he works hard!" Yuan Baoya praised sincerely.
“Then you’ll keep your word! Your three-month novel writing quota is mine!” Baoguo rubbed his hands together excitedly.
"Yes, no problem!" Yuan Baoya readily agreed.
"But there's a condition!" Yuan Baoya said with a smile, her eyes darting around.
"What are the conditions?" Baoguo looked at her in confusion.
"If a student's score in any subject drops below 70 points in each of the three monthly exams, their spot for the following month will be cancelled."
"Tch~, I thought it was some kind of condition, this is nothing!" Bao Guo waved his hand dismissively.
After a week of dedicated study, he felt more confident. He realized that as long as he listened attentively in class, kept up with the teacher's pace, reviewed the material promptly after class, used evening study sessions to practice problems, and made a summary before bed, learning didn't seem as difficult as he had imagined.
"But little sister, what if I get over 80 points in every subject?" Baoguo asked curiously.
"Then the novel slot for next month will still be yours!" Yuan Baoya replied with a smile.
"Okay, it's a deal!" Bao Guo finally understood that his little sister was trying to motivate him to study hard in a roundabout way. However, he also secretly made up his mind that it was time to work hard and wake up! He couldn't let his little sister look down on him all the time.
When they returned home at noon, the four members of the Yuan family sat around the dining table.
Yuan Baoya and Baoguo were both eager to share their good grades from the monthly exam.
Baoguo spoke first, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense: "Mom and Dad, guess how many points I got on the monthly exam?"
Mr. Yuan chuckled and teased, "You're keeping us in suspense, what score did you get?"
Aunt Yuan chimed in, "That's right, that's right, hurry up and say it."
Bao Guo cleared his throat and said loudly, "I got 85 in Chinese, 89 in history, and all the other subjects were above 70. My total score is 618, and I'm ranked 28th in the class. The teacher praised me for making so much progress!"
Mr. and Mrs. Yuan beamed with joy, praising him repeatedly: "Great! It's good that you've made progress. Keep up the good work! Strive to get into high school next year, and then aim for university!"
Not to be outdone, Yuan Baoya then boasted, "Mom and Dad, your daughter is even more amazing! Guess how many points I got?"
Mr. and Mrs. Yuan smiled even more broadly and asked curiously, "Just how amazing is our daughter?"
Yuan Baoya said mysteriously, "Mom and Dad, buckle up!" Then, with a Versailles-like expression, she said, "Actually, it's nothing much. I just accidentally got over 90 in every subject this time, for a total of 674. I'm first in the class and first in the whole grade!"
Mr. and Mrs. Yuan stared wide-eyed, as if they couldn't believe their ears, and asked in unison, "Really? Our daughter, first in the class, first in the whole grade?"
Seeing Yuan Baoya's affirmative expression, the two were overjoyed: "Great, great, great! You've made Mom and Dad so proud! Hahaha!" "That's wonderful!"
Seeing her parents' excited expressions, Yuan Baoya was also filled with joy.
Thinking back to my ignorant days in junior high school, I neglected my studies and made my parents lose face in front of relatives and friends. Now, I can finally hold my head high.
"Mom and Dad, I'm planning to work harder and try to apply to the school to skip a grade in the second semester. I'd like to let you know first!" Yuan Baoya already had a plan in mind, intending to try to skip to the third year of junior high school in the second semester, but she didn't want to tell her parents too many details yet.
Mr. and Mrs. Yuan were a little taken aback, and after a while they said, "Okay! If you're confident, then give it a try." Actually, they were thinking, "Giving it a try won't hurt."
Seeing that his parents' attention had been stolen by his little sister, Baoguo hurriedly called out, "What about me? What about me? I'm not bad either, okay!"
“Baoguo is not bad either, but he’s a little bit worse than Yuan Baoya. He needs to work harder!” Yuan’s mother teased Baoguo on purpose.
"Sigh~! But being first in the class and first in the grade is a bit more impressive than me! I'll work harder!" Bao Guo sighed, feigning helplessness, but his eyes revealed determination.
"Yes, yes, good! With you two siblings studying hard, we have something to look forward to! This weekend, our whole family will make dumplings and have a lively meal!" Mr. Yuan announced happily.
"Yay! Great! We'll make dumplings this weekend!" Yuan Baoya and Baoguo cheered in unison.
It's important to know that the Yuan family's living conditions were not good at that time. They rarely had the opportunity to make dumplings on ordinary days, and they could only eat them during the Chinese New Year. Now, because of their good grades, they can eat dumplings on weekends, which shows how happy Yuan's parents are.
After finishing her meal and during her lunch break, Yuan Baoya thought the system should be fully upgraded by now, and she was filled with anticipation.