72 Chen Le

“Who are you? Why aren’t you apologizing after bumping into someone? Do you know how much the sneakers I’m wearing today cost?”

A boy in high-end sneakers was reprimanding someone loudly outside the competition venue. The girl standing in front of him was dressed in plain clothes. She lowered her head and apologized in a low voice.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

“What’s the use of saying sorry? These are limited-edition sports shoes from Dis, a brand under Jinyue Group. You’ll have to pay for it!” The boy’s voice was very loud, and everyone looked over.

Guo Miao looked in the direction of the noise and realized that the girl who was being reprimanded was none other than Zhao Nan.

They had just arrived at Wancheng, a prefecture-level city in the province where Haicheng was located. Wancheng Third Middle School was very famous here.

Every year, the number of students who got into Huaqing and Beijing University in Wancheng was the second highest in the province while the number of people who won the competition was comparable to that of the high school affiliated with Haicheng University.

Last year, there was an outstanding student from Wancheng who participated in the provincial competition in her first year of high school, Chen Le.

Chen Le was brilliant and was practically a genius. In this city-level competition, his score was far ahead of the others, only three points away from the full score.

And he was giving Zhao Nan a hard time.

Guo Miao stood between Chen Le and Zhao Nan. “It’s time for the exam. What are you doing?”

Chen Le sneered when she saw that the person was wearing the Haicheng University uniform. “You’re just a student from Haicheng University. I defeated you all last year.”

Last year, Guo Hu, the seed of Haicheng High School, had a sudden physical problem and could not participate in the provincial competition, so Chen Le took first place.

However, in Chen Le’s eyes, this was just a way for the people from Haicheng High School to be afraid of the competition.

“The students of Haicheng High School have always been losers. Don’t claim that you have health problems when you go to the exam hall later.”

Chen Le laughed evilly as he looked at Zhao Nan. “And you… You’re from the countryside. You definitely can’t beat me. I’ll forgive you for stepping on my shoes.”

Hearing the words “from the countryside,” Zhao Nan’s face turned as white as a sheet. She bit her lip tightly.

Most of the students present were from the city, and students like Zhao Nan who came from the county stood out.

Guo Miao looked at Zhao Nan’s expression and felt a bit of heartache.

Once upon a time, she was also a “country bumpkin” in other people’s words. The feeling of being looked down upon because of her birthplace made her lose her dignity and sink into contempt for her birth all day long.

“It’s fine. Don’t listen to him.” Guo Miao patted Zhao Nan’s shoulder.

A few other students from Haicheng also came up and surrounded Zhao Nan.

“The competition is all about capabilities, not your background. Besides, I have the same shoes as you. I was just stepped on. If you want me to compensate you, I’ll do it.” The person who had spoken was Tian Sa whose family was in business. He was a shoe enthusiast and had a lot of shoes at home.

“So what if you have money to buy shoes? How did you get into the city competition this time? You dare to show off in front of me?” Chen Le looked at Tian Sa’s shoes, which were twice as expensive as his own, and stopped talking about the shoes. Instead, he started asking about Tian Sa’s results.

“Why are you talking about your grades when you’re talking about shoes? If Tian Sa’s grades aren’t as good as yours, you’ll have to compete with someone else again. Why are you practicing double standards?” Fu Meng thundered.

“You didn’t do well on that exam. You’re only here to get a consolation prize. Don’t talk so much,” Chen Le knew Fu Meng’s results and said to her in disdain.

“The results of the preliminaries are not permanent. Chen Le, you are looking down on others. Aren’t you afraid that your results will be worse than theirs?” Guo Miao asked.

Chen Le looked at Guo Miao from head to toe. “Who do you think you are? How many points did you get in the provincial competition? You didn’t get in by accident, did you?”

Guo Miao looked at Chen Le’s expression and laughed out loud. “I slipped in. What’s the matter? Didn’t I also stand with you on the stage at the provincial competition?”

Chen Le snorted, “You’re just here to sightsee. You won’t be able to participate in the national competition in the future, so why are you standing up for someone else?”

Guo Miao didn’t pay any more attention to Chen Le. Even though his level of competitiveness was not bad, he was as mature as a child. Guo Miao didn’t want to argue with him. Instead, she pulled Zhao Nan to the stairs and used a tissue to help her wipe away the tears on her face.

Watching Guo Miao leave, Chen Le revealed a proud smile. “Haicheng students don’t have much strength, but they’re quite good at being losers.”

Someone tugged at Chen Le’s sleeve. “Chen Le, have you not seen Guo Miao before? That’s her.”