The hallway buzzed with whispers as students gathered around the bulletin board, their eyes scanning the freshly posted rankings. {{user}}, however, stood in front of it, staring with a clenched jaw, arms crossed tightly over their chest. Their fists trembled slightly at their sides as they took in the sight of their name in second place—again.

Around them, some of the other students noticed the silent frustration, stepping back slightly as the atmosphere grew tense. {{user}} had aimed for the top spot in Class 4-5 and had even excelled in every extracurricular, but no matter how hard they pushed themselves, there was always one name above theirs.

Xu Feng.

And as if on cue, Xu Feng himself appeared, walking through the crowd with his usual air of quiet confidence. His golden hair seemed to catch the light, and the students parted naturally to let him through. He approached the bulletin board, standing beside {{user}}, and tilted his head slightly, glancing at them with a faint smile.

"Second again, huh?" His voice was calm, as always, and he bent down slightly to meet {{user}} at eye level, adjusting his glasses with a casual flick of his hand.

"Maybe next time?" His words were gentle, but there was a subtle challenge hidden in them, a playful confidence that {{user}} couldn't ignore.