Right before the SATs, my new homeroom teacher suddenly decided to implement "pressure cooking" education. I scored a 1550 on the mock exam, but my math score dropped by a measly 5 points. She still publicly roasted me in front of the whole class: "Today you drop 5 points, tomorrow you’ll score a 300. Keep slacking on math, and you won’t even get into community college!" Every class, she targeted me with impossible questions. If I couldn't answer, I had to stand in the "shame corner" for the entire day. When I got bullied, she said, "It takes two to tango," and told me to reflect on my own issues. When I called in sick with a fever, she bombarded the class group chat: "Being poor is one thing, but lying about being sick to skip class? Pathetic." "If you can't handle this little bit of pressure, just drop out. You're better suited for flipping burgers!" Eventually, the psychological torture broke me. I bombed the SATs and didn't get into any colleges. Meanwhile, the guy who was always second to me—Kyle—ended up as the state Valedictorian and snagged a massive scholarship. The day I went back to school to pick up my transcripts, I saw my teacher hugging Kyle, beaming. "That poor loser thought he could beat my son? The Valedictorian title belongs to you, honey." I stormed in to confront them. In the struggle, they pushed me down the stairs. I broke my neck and died. When I opened my eyes again, I was back. Back to the day the new teacher transferred in. 1 After failing to get into college, I felt like a walking corpse. My mind was consumed with thoughts of ending it all. My therapist diagnosed me with severe depression. I didn't get it. I had grinded for twelve years, only to lose everything in the final battle. All my past glory instantly became worthless. Like my soul had been sucked out, I walked back to school to get my files. As I approached that office I both hated and feared, I heard a laugh. It sounded familiar. Suspicion pricked at me, and I moved closer without thinking. The voices became clearer. "That poor loser thought he could beat my son? The Valedictorian title belongs to you, honey." "Haha, Mom, you're amazing. You crushed him just by talking. I heard he's clinically depressed now and wants to kill himself!" "Hmph, let him die. Anyone who can't handle a little pressure deserves to be played." Those words froze me to the bone. In an instant, everything clicked. Kyle, the guy I always beat, was Mrs. Lee's son. The news always celebrates the Valedictorian. Who remembers the Salutatorian? So, there was no "pressure cooking" education. Mrs. Lee was targeting me on purpose! She wanted to break my spirit so her son could take the top spot! Rage instantly fried my brain. I kicked the door open and stormed in to confront them. Mrs. Lee immediately shielded Kyle behind her, denying everything. "Jason, stop talking nonsense! When did I target you? Failing the SATs is your own fault!" Kyle peeked out from behind her, hurling insults. "Ten years of sharpening a sword, only to find out it's a needle when it's time to fight. Hahaha, Jason, you're a waste of space. Just admit it!" I roared in frustration, pulling out my phone to expose them. Mrs. Lee rushed over to grab it. In the struggle, they shoved me. I tumbled down the stairs, the back of my head slamming against the concrete steps. Lights out. Terrified, the two of them fled the scene. Later, Mrs. Lee destroyed the security footage and spread rumors online, claiming I "committed suicide at school due to depression." I became a trending topic, a cautionary tale for the whole internet. My parents, forced to bury their child, cried until they had no tears left. Their hair turned white overnight, aging decades in a single day. I wasn't ready to go. My soul wandered in limbo for who knows how long— When I opened my eyes again, I saw Mrs. Lee clicking into the classroom in her high heels, carrying a messy stack of mock exam papers. I stared at her in disbelief. She tossed the papers onto the podium, leaned forward on her hands, scanned the room, and locked eyes with me. "No pressure, no diamonds. We're handing back the mock exams now. "Some students whose grades have tanked... go squat in the back corner yourself!" This familiar scene. It stopped my breathing for a second. Wait, I can breathe? I'm alive again! 2 The class knew a new homeroom teacher was coming. Rumor had it Mrs. Lee was a fan of "tough love." Her students were always stressed out of their minds. Right now, everyone was stiff as a board, holding their breath, terrified of being made an example of. The mock exam was our lifeline. Those who weren't confident were already sweating bullets. As scores were read out, Mrs. Lee ignored students who dropped dozens of points, just like in my past life. But when she got to my score, her brow furrowed instantly. "Jason! As the number one student in the class and the grade, why did your math score drop so much?!" "Today you drop 5 points, tomorrow you score a 300. With this kind of imbalance, you won't even get into community college!" The rage from my past life was still burning. I almost stood up to expose her entire scheme right there. But I snapped out of it quickly. No evidence. Accusing her rashly would only make me look like a disrespectful student, giving her more ammo to target me. In my last life, her private messages robbed me of my future and my life. Just pointing out the truth wasn't enough. How could I be satisfied with just that?! "Jason, go squat in the back!" Mrs. Lee pointed at me from the podium, her voice sharp. I sat in my seat, not moving an inch. "Why?" Mrs. Lee frowned deeper, clearly not expecting me to talk back. "Jason, are you deaf? Didn't you hear me? Anyone whose grades dropped needs to go squat in the corner!" I tried my best to stay calm, forcing a fake smile. "Mrs. Lee, do I need to replay what you just said? You said 'grades dropped significantly.' I don't think I fall into that category." "As the top student, the pride of the class, dropping 5 points is worse than someone else dropping 50!" Mrs. Lee suddenly shouted, pointing to the back again. "I'll say it one more time. Go squat in the back!" 3 I glanced at Kyle in the next row out of the corner of my eye. He was smirking, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards, clearly enjoying the show. In my past life, I was terrified of being scolded by a teacher. I went to the back without complaint, squatting against the wall. The "gaze" of my classmates felt like knives stabbing my heart. Mrs. Lee kept twisting the knife, saying I was arrogant because I was number one, that I didn't even take the questions seriously. She claimed my imbalance was intentional, a ploy for attention. She insinuated I was manipulative and impure, saying if I continued like this, I'd become the scum of the class and a cancer to society. I was belittled into nothingness. Just because I scored 5 points less in math, she painted me as an unforgivable sinner. Some classmates, jealous of my success, looked at me with pure schadenfreude as the teacher tore me apart. I squatted there for a whole period. Even when the bell rang, Mrs. Lee wouldn't let me stand up. She opened the back door, letting students from other classes gawk at me like a zoo animal. I wanted the ground to swallow me whole. I was filled with grievance. Later, my legs were so numb I couldn't stand. I had to be helped to the nurse's office, missing math class. From that day on, I lived like that until the SATs. Every day felt like a year. I hated school. The sight of the building terrified me; the bell made me want to vomit. "I'm talking to you! Do you hear me?!" Seeing no reaction, Mrs. Lee slammed her hand on the desk. The class jumped, looking between her and me. I couldn't get angry. Couldn't be scared. Otherwise, I'd fall into her trap. I kept calm, looked up at her, and held her gaze. "Sorry, I don't think losing 5 points is a 'significant drop,' and I don't believe being number one means I can't lose a single point." "I'm human. I have good days and bad days. Also, test scores depend on the difficulty of the questions." "So, I'm not going." In my classmates' eyes, I was always the nerd who kept his head down and took whatever was dished out. Seeing me fight back now, their eyes widened in shock. A small group looked excited, eager to see what this "tough love" teacher would do. Mrs. Lee was furious, slamming the desk and yelling about rebellion. 4 "Jason! Do you think just because you have good grades, the teachers and students should pamper you?!" "Let me tell you, this arrogance will only ruin the class atmosphere!" "Class! Look closely! The SATs are coming up. Don't let his behavior influence you, or you won't get into college!" Mrs. Lee was trying to turn the whole class against me. I wasn't going to let her win. I immediately fired back. "Mrs. Lee, let's take a step back. What did Kyle, the second-place student, score?" Everyone looked at Kyle. Kyle twitched. "What does this have to do with me?" "Joke's on you. Aren't you in this class? Is Mrs. Lee's new rule custom-made for me? The first place is arrogant, but the runner-up isn't?" Kyle's face darkened. Mrs. Lee immediately retorted. "Kyle's total score increased by 10 points compared to last time. What is there to compare?" "What about the ranking?" I pressed, confident. Mrs. Lee paused. Kyle nervously gripped the edge of his desk. Because the SATs were approaching, the school didn't rank the recent mock exams to avoid stressing the students. But I was too hard on myself. I always kept a mental scoreboard. Once the final math scores were out, I calculated everyone's ranking. We were the honors class. 68 students. We almost always took the top 100 spots in the school. Being first in the class basically meant being first in the school. Ironically... this perfectionism was the main reason for my depression in my last life. But now, I was going to use this. I was going to use Mrs. Lee as a weapon to stab her precious son right in the heart! I couldn't handle it in my last life. Now let's see if Kyle, the eternal runner-up, can handle it!
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "387624", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel