The moment Shen Yi finished speaking, several nearby teachers looked over, including Chen Meng, the homeroom teacher of Experimental Class 1.

Despite being watched by so many teachers, Shen Yi remained perfectly calm.

Sun Guotao took off his reading glasses and asked curiously, "Why don’t you just ask Qin Jiao directly?"

"My score on the last monthly exam was still lower than hers. That’s why I want to surpass her on the college entrance exam, and I’d like to see what goal she’s set for herself."

No one really bought it.

But Sun Guotao never made things difficult for his students. After he briskly told Shen Yi that Qin Jiao was applying to the law program at North City University, Shen Yi turned and left.

Once he had left the classroom, Chen Meng spoke up. "Principal Sun, that student of yours, Shen Yi... is he dating your other student, Qin Jiao?"

The other teachers immediately pricked up their ears.

Sun Guotao calmly picked up his large tea mug and said, "Teacher Chen, you’re overthinking it. Those two kids are just competing with each other, working hard and improving together."

"They’re even planning to go to the same university. How can it be nothing?" Chen Meng had actually started paying attention to the girl ever since Qin Jiao broke into the school’s top ten.

At first, she thought the girl breaking into the top ten was just a fluke. But in the exams that followed, her rank climbed steadily, and Chen Meng realized this girl’s success was the result of a long period of hard work.

She had once suggested to Sun Guotao that they should transfer the girl to the experimental class, saying that their Experimental Class 1 had a very strong academic atmosphere. Sun Guotao didn’t immediately agree or refuse, but instead took Chen Meng to observe his class’s evening self-study session.

Chen Meng discovered that every student was studying diligently. This academic atmosphere was in no way inferior to their Class 1!

Sun Guotao smilingly told her that Qin Jiao got along well with her current classmates and didn’t want to move to Experimental Class 1, so Chen Meng dropped the idea.

She bore no ill will; she was simply offering a reminder. "Principal Sun, Qin Jiao and Shen Yi are both top students in this graduating class. We can’t have them get into a relationship and let it affect their college entrance exams. There aren’t many days left!"

"That’s right! I remember her score on the last monthly exam was just shy of last year’s provincial top scorer. She really has a shot at taking the title this year!"

Forget Ping’an Town—even Bridge City itself had never produced a provincial top scorer!

Sun Guotao, however, said unhurriedly, "I know those two kids have a good relationship, but they are both sensible kids. Whether they will date after they get into college, I don’t know, but right now their priority is definitely their studies. If they were really dating, Shen Yi wouldn’t have had to come and ask me what school Qin Jiao plans to apply to."

The teachers looked at each other, at a loss for words.

Truthfully, you couldn’t really blame them. Forget their era—even twenty years from now, dating in high school would still be a taboo topic.

Even adults who were dating were very low-key, not even daring to hold hands or kiss in public.

Seeing that the other teachers were still obviously worried, Sun Guotao said, "Sometimes, we have to trust our students, trust that they can handle their emotional problems. They’re seventeen or eighteen years old now. Back when we were young, they’d already be considered adults. Of course, not all students are worthy of this trust. They aren’t all as mature and sensible as Shen Yi and Qin Jiao, who know that their studies are what’s important right now. In those cases, that’s when it’s our job to provide proper guidance and education."