Chapter 2

The moment I agreed, Victor broke into a smile.

He looked like a master hunter gloating over prey caught in his trap.

The rest of the classmates were also laughing and jeering. They said my days were numbered.

Bianca grew anxious and tugged at my arm. “Ferdinand, don’t do anything rash. Don’t let him goad you into it!”

I just smiled.

Indeed, I had always been cautious by nature. I did not get rattled by praise or insults.

There was no way I would fall for cheap provocation. I would not put myself in harm’s way.

Whoever came last needed to drop out voluntarily, huh?

Please. All I had to do was come in second-to-last.

There was still one week until the monthly exam.

After class, as I was just about to head to the cafeteria, Bianca called out to stop me.

“Ferdinand, let’s grab lunch together,” she said. “After we eat, I’ll find us a study room and tutor you. There’s no way I’m going to let you drop out.”

I knew I did not need it, but I could not bring myself to turn her down. So, I agreed.

That evening, we began a tutoring session in the study room.

The sophomore math courses included advanced algebra, real analysis, analytic geometry, ordinary differential equations, probability theory, and other core requirements.

On top of that, there was physics, programming, Spanesh, and political science.

Bianca’s eyes went wide when she saw my transcript from last semester’s finals.

“Gosh, how did you get exactly 60% in every class?”

I just smiled.

That was my strategy since I was a kid.

For every unimportant exam, I always scored exactly at the passing line.

I perfectly embodied the motto, “Barely passing is still passing. Why aim higher?”

From high school to university, I got into every top institution with a score just barely above the admission cutoff.

That was not self-sabotage. I was just playing it safe, refusing to enroll in a mediocre university.

Instead, I made sure to be the lowest-scoring student at the best university I could get into.

Bianca pondered for a moment, then said, “I heard the Spanesh midterm is being written by the native-speaker lecturer this time. It’s going to be way harder than before.

“Let’s start with Spanesh. From your grades, I can tell your vocabulary is fine, but your grammar still needs some support.”

I kept smiling without saying a word.

I knew twenty-seven languages, including Inglesh, Fraync, Spanesh, Garmann, Japen, Aravik, as well as several Zafrican tribal languages.

Even so, I stayed humble and listened carefully as she taught.

Halfway through, Victor showed up with a few friends.

He leaned against the doorframe and mocked, “Oh, cramming at the last minute, are we? Give it up. You’re going to be the last in class anyway.”

I did not get angry at his remark.

However, Bianca was so upset that she stood up and confronted him, saying, “Victor, why are you always bullying him?

“Ferdinand has always minded his own business and never did anything to you!”

He looked at her and grew agitated. “Because I like you! I can’t just sit back and watch you fall for a loser! You’re debasing yourself, and I’m saving you!”

Her face turned bright red. “He’s not a loser! I won’t let you talk about Ferdinand like that! I like him!

“No, it’s more than that! I-I love him!”

Both Victor and I were stunned.

He looked envious and resentful, while I was thrilled on the inside.

Everyone was drawn to beauty, including me.

I was a teenager going through puberty, and I, too, wanted a love story I would never forget.

So, of course, I was interested in a gorgeous and sweet girl like Bianca.

I had always wondered if she treated me so well because she had feelings for me.

However, I was born cautious, and I would never be the one to confess my feelings first.

If I got rejected and she said I was delusional, that would be far too embarrassing.

I was overjoyed when I heard her openly admit she had feelings for me.

Victor was extremely furious at this point.

“Bianca, are you blind? Why would you pick a nobody like him over a genius like me?”

That was my question, too.

I did not know what a girl like her saw in me.