"You don't want to leave this class and leave Shi Li behind, do you?"

Without being able to hear Shi Li's inner thoughts, they wouldn't be able to enjoy the drama together anymore.

Everyone fell silent at this deafening statement.

Class Teacher, what a harsh way to motivate students!

Indeed, everyone had become dependent on hearing Shi Li's thoughts.

Having had their latent gossip genes activated by Shi Li, how could they bear not hearing her inner voice?

If everyone together couldn't hear it, that would be one thing. But to be the only one unable to hear Shi Li's thoughts and miss out on the drama due to poor grades and being moved to a different class - how was that any different from a death sentence?

It was too terrible to even imagine.

The Class Teacher closed his mouth before Shi Li returned, and the whole class was eerily quiet, stunned by his words.

Shi Li came back holding a lottery box, which she placed on the podium.

She couldn't understand why the Class Teacher had asked her to fetch it.

This so-called first place prize was rather strange - it was the kind of box used for raffles, which didn't seem like a reward for her at all.

What was especially odd was that the Class Teacher called students up to draw lots in order of their rankings, starting from second place, leaving only Shi Li out.

Shi Li watched in confusion, completely baffled.

By the time everyone in the class had gone up to draw lots and the box was empty, Shi Li still hadn't been called to the podium.

Each student held a ping pong ball with a number written on it in marker.

After drawing a number, the Class Teacher would write the corresponding number next to the student's name.

Once everyone had drawn, the Class Teacher turned on the projector's slideshow function.

"I've prepared a little winter break gift for everyone. The numbers you're holding correspond to the gifts I'm giving you all. They're just small tokens, so I hope you won't find them too meager."

Not just Shi Li, but everyone was confused about what the Class Teacher was up to.

But they all had a feeling this wasn't going to be anything good.

The slideshow showed a table, with gift descriptions next to each number.

Things like "Winter Break Gift Pack", "Happy New Year Gift Box"...

It really did look like he was giving students presents.

Shi Li, who hadn't been allowed to draw, felt disgruntled. [What made the stingy Class Teacher so generous?]

[No, he's still stingy. Everyone else gets a gift except me.]

Class Teacher: Be patient, dear. You'll say that again in a moment.

The Class Teacher then pulled out many boxes from behind the podium and arranged them on top. These boxes were all beautifully wrapped, and most importantly, they were large. Just looking at the size of the boxes, one would think the gifts inside must be quite valuable.

Shi Li felt even more upset.

It wasn't that she needed the gift, but it's human nature to feel bad when everyone else gets something and you're the only one left out.

Shi Qiuyu had great luck and drew number one. Her prize was called "Happy Winter Break".

Just hearing the name, one could tell this gift was sure to be especially delightful, something to make her winter break truly happy.

While still at her seat, she had already spotted the number one box among the pile of gifts. It was an particularly large box, and she could hardly believe how many wonderful things it might contain.

She struggled a bit to carry the gift back to her seat. Not only was the box large, but it was also quite heavy. She really felt that this number one gift must be a big surprise.

She slowly began to open the box. The entire class's attention was focused on her, even the student going up for the number two gift was watching her.

As she gradually opened it, a thick stack of brightly colored workbooks came into view.

Shi Qiuyu herself: ! What the hell kind of "happy winter break" is this? Who could possibly be happy facing so many workbooks! (Class Teacher: The parents will be happy)

Others: !!

The student returning to their seat with the number two gift: !!! Suddenly their gift box didn't seem so appealing anymore.

Shi Li: !? She suddenly understood why the Class Teacher had said this was her gift, yet she wasn't allowed to draw lots. Not letting her participate was the biggest gift of all.

The student who drew number three was no longer in a hurry to go claim their prize. Seeing that number two had also received a box full of practice exams, they raised their hand and asked, "Teacher, can I give up my prize and let someone else have it?"

The Class Teacher smiled and shook his head, "I'm afraid not. Once you've chosen to play the game, you have to see it through."

The number three student walked to the front with tears streaming down their face. Their gift box was even bigger than Shi Qiuyu's, because their gift was called "Happy Winter Break Plus Edition".

At first, when they saw Shi Qiuyu's gift, they had wondered just how big their own must be.

The reversal came so quickly.

After Shi Qiuyu opened her box of workbooks, they started to imagine how many more workbooks their "gift" must contain, and how long it would take to complete them all.

That's why they had wanted to give up the gift, but the Class Teacher wouldn't allow it.

He said they had to play fair.

In a way, it made sense. Once you've gone up to draw lots, it means you've agreed to the contract. Breaking it midway would incur a penalty.

The gift they opened certainly didn't disappoint - it contained twice as many workbooks as Shi Qiuyu's.

Everyone moved quickly, and in less than half an hour, all the students had received their prizes.

Halfway through, the podium was emptied once, and the remaining half of the class thought they might be spared. Their joy lasted barely a second before the Class Teacher sent someone to his office to bring the rest of the gifts.

He was quite cunning about it too, sending students who had already received their prizes to fetch the rest.

They all had the attitude of "better you than me".

Since they were already doomed, they weren't about to let their classmates off easy. Might as well all go down together.

These students efficiently brought the other half of the gifts to the podium. They couldn't possibly hinder their brothers and sisters from making progress, after all.

After distributing the last gift, the Class Teacher stood at the podium to give an acceptance speech, "These are some gifts I've purchased for you all out of my own pocket. I hope you won't find them too lacking."

Shi Li: [These are truly some gifts that leave one at a loss for words. But fortunately, I didn't get one.]

Everyone else: Is it really okay to be so gleeful about others' misfortune? Then again, considering her grades, she probably doesn't need this kind of gift. Besides, my dear Class Teacher, earning money isn't easy for you either. You take risks of being noticed by the higher-ups, and it's all hard-earned money to support your family. There's no need to spend your own money on us. Really, you shouldn't have.

"You've all worked hard for a semester, and the winter break should rightfully be a time for you to rest. However, I hope you won't completely neglect your studies just because you're home for the New Year. I've looked over the winter break homework assigned by your subject teachers, and it's not too much - much less than your usual workload. So I've given you all this gift, hoping that after finishing your assigned homework, you'll complete the gift I've given you earnestly. I'll be checking when school starts again."

Shi Li: [That last sentence is the key point, isn't it?]

Class Teacher: You've figured it out. How embarrassing.

The Class Teacher sighed like a concerned father, "I'm only thinking of your best interests, hoping you can improve your grades."

Everyone except Shi Li: I don't believe your nonsense, you crafty old man.

When they came to school, everyone's hands were empty. When they left, everyone was laden with gifts.

Except for Shi Li, everyone was carrying heavy workbooks home, understanding for the first time that knowledge truly is power - power as hard as steel and iron. If they got into a fight outside, swinging these workbooks could seriously injure someone. Baseball bats were nothing compared to these.

When Shi Li got home, her father had also returned from work.

"You went back to school today?"

Shi Li nodded and tossed her report card in front of her parents. "The results are out. Our Class Teacher called us in to discuss this final exam."

Seeing their daughter's outstanding report card, Shi's father and Huang Jie could barely contain their smiles. "My girl is so amazing. Tell Dad if you want any reward."

"No need for a reward. Our Class Teacher has already given me one."

Seeing their daughter return home empty-handed, they asked, "What reward did your Class Teacher give you?"

Shi Li replied, "The other students got winter break workbook gift packs. I don't need to do them."

The two were momentarily speechless. "Your Class Teacher... is quite something."

Shi's father spoke again with pride, "My daughter's academic performance is excellent, so of course she doesn't need workbooks to reinforce her learning."

After chatting with her parents about what had happened at school, Shi Li returned upstairs.

When she opened her phone, she was somewhat surprised to receive a message from Fu Huixing.

Fu Huixing rarely sent her messages unprompted, and the last time he had messaged her was half a month ago.

Seeing a message from Fu Huixing, Shi Li's first thought was that it must be about something important.

When she saw the content of the message, it still came as quite a shock to Shi Li.

Good heavens! The school's tough guy was actually reaching out to her for academic advice!