Nine Percent

O N E

Cai Xukun's life was fine before Chen Linong. He was the best in his class- the best in school. He had the grades, the friends, and everything in between.

"Xukun, congratulations on receiving top marks on the exam, " Yixing said, praising his star student.

There was a round of applause from his classmates, and a couple of envious looks were sent his way.

Xukun smiled at the praise and thanked his teacher, feeling proud to have earned the recognition of Zhang Yixing, the most beloved teacher in the whole school. It almost made the late nights studying worth it.

Almost.

He still felt the exhaustion weighing on his chest from sleep deprivation. His body ached for some rest, but he still sat up with his brilliant smile that hid away any signs of distress.

"Congrats," muttered Ziyi from next to him.

His best friend looked half asleep, and dark circles hung under his eyes. Wang Ziyi didn't try to hide how tired he was. He laid his head on his desk, using his arms as a pillow.

"Thanks," Xukun murmured. "Are you okay?" He felt concern growing for his friend, but Ziyi shook him off with a lazy eye roll.

"I'll be fine after I get some sleep tonight." He yawned before sitting upright, stretching his arms above his head.

The response was something he had heard so many times before. But perhaps since it was a Friday night, they would actually get some sleep. Or maybe they would actually have some fun, and go to Dong Yanlei's "secret" party tonight.

iQiyi Boarding School was always known for producing the most successful students. Their education was the best of the best. They took their reputation seriously. But then came Dong Yanlei, a student with no drive for being the best of the best, but rather a need for socialization. He wasn't a bad student by any means, but his marks weren't the best, and he didn't seem to be bothered by it. He was always smiling and laughing and coming up with ways to amuse people. His frequent "secret" parties that were held in different classrooms each week were always a good stress reliever for the rest of the student body.

The teachers all knew of his antics, but none ever had the heart to put an end to it. The students were still performing well, and that was all that mattered.

"Kunkun," came a soft voice.

Xukun turned around to see the shy smile of Qian Zhenghao. He felt compelled to reach out and pinch the younger boy's chubby cheeks, but refrained, knowing that he'd embarrass Zhenghao by doing so.

"Can you help me review for the next test we have?" Zhenghao asked sheepishly. He revealed lifted up the paper in front of him and revealed his test grade. "My parents won't be too happy..."

"Yeah, no problem," Xukun replied.

Xukun was the top student. He was number one in the whole school. But his success came from hard work, and he didn't mind helping those who wanted to put in the effort to be better. He liked how others often came to him for help. He liked helping them, and seeing their faces after they receive the test scores they wanted. Besides, teaching others helped him learn the material better.

The only downside was that time was limited.

But he'd make way for Zhenghao. He decided in his mind that he'd find the time to help his friend.

"Thank you so much," Zhenghao grinned.

The rest of the day went by as it usually did. Xukun found amusement watching Ziyi juggle between napping and taking notes. At one point, his best friend gave up and fell asleep during the lecture. When lunch time fell around, he found himself eagerly eating his meal while trying not to choke on his food.