"Plus, the essay topic this time is so simple, 'The Most Unforgettable Silhouette,' you could write a high score even with your eyes closed, but what did he write—
"'My father's silhouette looks as towering as an ivory clam, but I'm still just a sea cucumber. I need to strive to grow as big as my father and support this family.'
"Can you believe it, what a load of nonsense! And he dared to write it on the exam paper?!"
Mr. Ban Shrimp burst out laughing as soon as he heard this, then said half-jokingly, "Well, isn't he quite talented?"
On hearing Mr. Ban Shrimp's words, Lady Peony Shrimp quickly realized the implied attitude of the other party.
Lady Peony Shrimp reconsidered, remembering that Mr. Ban Shrimp and Emperor Crab Principal shared similar values—they didn't care about study attitudes and were fixated only on scores.
Due to this mindset, even if there were big problems with Jun Beibei, they would scold her yet still treat her as a treasure.
Now there's Ye Shenshen, who just transferred over, sleeps all day, only scores 10 in the essay, yet manages to rank in the top fifty of the grade in the monthly test. In Mr. Ban Shrimp's eyes, he's an invincible potential far exceeding Jun Beibei.
This kind of potential is surely something Mr. Ban Shrimp envies.
Thinking of this, Lady Peony Shrimp changed her tone and agreed with the other party, saying, "Mr. Liu treasures talent, like a judge finding a thousand-mile horse, should he take him under his wing?"
Mr. Ban Shrimp nodded joyfully, "Feelings good."
Lady Peony Shrimp sighed with relief; as the saying goes, "One man's poison, another man's honey." If she had known it could be resolved this easily, why had she fretted?
"Alright, let's settle it like this, everyone's happy?" Lady Peony Shrimp grinned, promptly began preparing, "Ye Shenshen, hurry back, write a transfer request, and submit it as soon as possible."
This was finalized at noon, and by afternoon, Wen Nan packed his bag, strutted across an entire corridor, and swaggered into Class Two's classroom.
Class Two was indeed the Olympiad class, completely different from the transition class full of sea urchins; here it was full of shellfish—razor clams, scallops, oysters—it could make a barbecue medley at a seafood stall.
However, all these shellfish reeked and had a brown-black shell, covered with algae and parasite carcasses, each looking more unsightly than the next.
This made Jun Beibei, a pure white Arctic Clam with a laser sheen, appear utterly out of place.
Wen Nan's gaze landed on Jun Beibei and didn't move away, a spine carrying his backpack shuffled over to the desk beside him.
"Hey! Where are you going!" Mr. Ban Shrimp shouted loudly from the podium.
Wen Nan's spines paused, turned his head back, "Looking for a seat."
"Who told you where to sit? You think this is your living room, just finding a seat on your own?"
Wen Nan raised his spine, pointed to the desk next to Jun Beibei, "I see there's just an empty seat here, teacher, can't I sit?"
Mr. Ban Shrimp waved his claws, "There's someone there, come here, sit in the first row, special VIP spot, right under the podium."
Wen Nan glanced at the dusty vacant spot under the podium and said brazenly, "Teacher, I like to sleep in class, sitting too close might be inconvenient."
"Hahaha."
"Hahahahaha."
As soon as the words fell, it elicited a burst of laughter among the shellfish in class.
Mr. Ban Shrimp pretended to be stern and restored order, "Quiet down everyone," then said, "Are you afraid the teacher's voice during class will disturb your rest?"
"What! No way," Wen Nan tactically leaned back a spine, "I'm worried my snoring will disturb your class."
"Hahaha."
"Hahahahaha."
Even Mr. Ban Shrimp couldn't hold back this time, he joined in the laughter. Afterward, he raised one claw, pointing at the lazy sea cucumber before him, "Don't joke with me, hurry up and sit down."
Just then, a Gulf Scallop sprinted through the back door of the classroom, screaming, "Mr. Liu, I'm sorry, I overslept at home, and I'm late."
Mr. Ban Shrimp sternly criticized, "Hai Xiaobei, how many times have you been late this week?"
Dejected, Gulf Scallop said nothing, just kept her head low.
Mr. Ban Shrimp waved his claw, "Alright, hurry up and sit, don't just stand there."
Gulf Scallop immediately rushed to the desk beside Jun Beibei, opening her scallop shell widely, its wavy edges almost touching Jun Beibei.
Jun Beibei said coldly, "Keep your distance, you smell."
Gulf Scallop's action froze, she turned her head, "What did you say?"
"You have a scallop smell." Jun Beibei repeated without pity.
Gulf Scallop's flesh suddenly flushed red, looking like tiny pearls would fall any moment.
She sobbed twice and shouted toward Mr. Ban Shrimp, "Mr. Liu! Jun Beibei is bullying, I want to apply for a seat change!"
In usual circumstances, Mr. Ban Shrimp wouldn't agree to a sudden seat change request, but just today Ye Shenshen transferred, allowing some seat adjustments, plus Jun Beibei just caused trouble for discriminatory acts in the morning, which vexed Mr. Ban Shrimp. Considering this, Mr. Ban Shrimp nodded exceptionally,
"Alright, Hai Xiaobei, trade places with Ye Shenshen, sit in the first row, Ye Shenshen, you go next to Jun Beibei."
That sea cucumber had his wish granted, swung his backpack onto his bouncy back, his body wobbled like jelly as he swaggered towards Jun Beibei.
An entire classroom of scallops opened their mouths, watching him walk across the classroom, heading back, whispering:
"He's strange."
"Yeah, feels like he's different from us."
"You don't need to feel it, he does have issues, don't you know?"
"Huh? What problems?"
Wen Nan seemed completely aloof to the scallops' whispers, nonchalantly seated in the vacant spot, turned to Jun Beibei, extended a spine,
"Jun, we'll be desk mates from now on, please take care."
Jun Beibei glanced down at the spine extended toward her, didn't shake it, but stared at it for a moment, then said:
"There's a problem."
"Hmm? What problem?" Wen Nan retracted the spine, turned it over to inspect, put it under his nose and sniffed, "No smell, relax."
Jun Beibei said in a steady voice, "I didn't mean that."
"Then what did you mean?" The sea cucumber turned his head toward the white shell.
Jun Beibei said, "When you were in the office earlier, you were still frozen stiff, now..."
With Jun Beibei's reminder, Wen Nan realized the issue—
He had been stiff at noon, but now he seemed to have softened?
Lowered his head again, scrutinized his spine, Wen Nan understood what the other wanted to convey...
Just as he was pondering this, Jun Beibei boldly opened her shell toward Wen Nan, extending the scallop flesh inside toward him, "Feel mine."
Wen Nan lowered his head, peered at the soft scallop fringe, swallowed hard, thinking this tender white scallop fringe paired with seafood sauce, cold-tossed, would be delicious.
No, what nonsense.
Wen Nan wanted to express that this wasn't something you casually touched, could she not treat him like an outsider?
Turned his head, noting the classroom's collective eyes on them, Wen Nan smiled but didn't touch, only extending his spine, saying, "No need, I understand what you mean."
If Wen Nan's guess was right, Jun Beibei was warning Wen Nan that they... were rapidly thawing.
Indeed, Jun Beibei nodded, lowered her voice, said:
"The climate here is rapidly warming."