Adults Are Not Meant to Attend High School Unless They’re Cheating!

Feeling refreshed and hopeful, Zhou Rui arrived at the familiar yet unfamiliar school gate with Li Wenqian, his little shadow, trailing behind him.

On both sides of the street, the shops were lined up in a chaotic yet somehow orderly manner. Posters for the online game Audition decorated the walls, while pirated DVDs of the popular TV series The Legend of Sword and Fairy hung conspicuously for sale.

At the school gate, a stern-faced security guard scrutinized the students' appearances, checking his watch every five seconds, as if waiting to catch the next unlucky student who arrived late.

Nearby, many students fidgeted with their uniforms before stepping into the gate, tying the jackets they'd slung around their waists or otherwise ruining their attempts at looking "cool." Others, ordinary but vibrant, shuffled past, yawning yet brimming with youthful energy.

Zhou Rui took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, as if trying to purge more than a decade of wasted time from his lungs. He resolved to face this new life with determination.

Still sulking about breakfast, Li Wenqian rolled her eyes at Zhou Rui and quickened her steps, entering the school gate without him. Although childhood friends, they instinctively kept their distance at school to avoid rumors of being a couple.

In the past, Zhou Rui would have tacitly gone along with this separation, fearing gossip. But now, after his rebirth, he simply found it amusing.

The little girl is shy. I'll let her be.

The two of them weren't even in the same class. Zhou Rui vaguely remembered he was in Class 7, while Li Wenqian was in Class 5 or 6.

On his way, he passed the bathroom and leaned into the mirror to inspect himself. Having been reborn on the way to school, he was curious to see how he looked now.

He was young, clean-faced, and stood 179 cm tall—a typical high school boy. His bright eyes gave him a slight edge in the looks department. However, his oversized school uniform and badly cut short hair screamed immaturity.

Well, that's youth for you. No right to choose your hairstyle. At least it means endless possibilities.

When Zhou Rui reached his old classroom, the delay from breakfast made him the last to arrive. The class was almost full.

The faces were familiar, but many names escaped him. Worse still, Zhou Rui couldn't remember where he used to sit. He vaguely recalled it was somewhere in the back row.

Standing at the door, unsure what to do, he suddenly felt something poke his lower back. Turning, he saw it was a rolled-up book wielded by none other than the homeroom teacher, Huang Dewei.

"Late again, Zhou Rui?" Huang said sternly.

Caught off guard, Zhou Rui blurted out a nickname he'd used years later, "Old Huang?"

Huang's expression faltered, but he chose to ignore it. This was senior year, and he had no time for such trivial matters. Walking around Zhou Rui, he addressed the class.

"Today, we're rotating seats. Everyone stand up."

The students rose from their seats in unison. Huang pointed to a direction and barked, "Zhou Rui, what are you waiting for? Return to your seat!"

Following Huang's gesture, Zhou Rui spotted the one empty desk in the classroom. Only then did he remember: in high school, seats were rotated monthly to prevent students from getting too comfortable—or too close to certain classmates.

The seating arrangements were usually based on grades, attitude, and height. Tall students like Zhou Rui were always in the back rows. But since he'd worked hard and shown progress in senior year, he was usually placed closer to the middle.

Zhou Rui walked to the seat and saw his old books lying on the desk. His deskmate, a boy staring straight ahead, barely glanced at him. Zhou Rui vaguely remembered his surname was Cao, though they'd never been particularly close.

Sitting down, Zhou Rui felt a strange sense of excitement. Everything was fresh and interesting. Unconsciously, a small smile played on his lips.

Huang called out names row by row for the new seating arrangement: "Ai Bo, Wang Yumei, Zhang Jing… Zhou Rui, Cao Yang, Wang Zikai."

Zhou Rui grabbed his belongings and moved to his new spot in the back row by the window.

Not bad. Great lighting, a view of the playground… but I'll probably roast in the summer.

He settled into the new seat without drawing much attention. But when the second row came up, something unusual happened.

"Leave the seat next to Zhou Rui vacant," Huang announced. "A transfer student will be joining in two days. No need to reshuffle again then."

A transfer student? Zhou Rui was stunned. Why don't I remember this?

Transferring schools two months before the college entrance exam? That screamed "college entrance exam immigrant." Only someone with money, connections, or both could pull off something like that.

Yet Zhou Rui had no recollection of this happening back then. Was this something I simply forgot?

He brushed the thought aside. Forget it. What matters now is gaining experience points and leveling up.

Huang, a physics teacher, wasted no time diving into class.

Zhou Rui opened his book and prepared to tackle the material.

High school physics. Let me, Zhou Rui, take a shot at you!

The problem on the board read:

"In a vertical plane, a smooth circular track ABC with radius R is tangent to a horizontal smooth track PA at point A..."

What in the world? This is insane. Could I solve this back then?

Actually, Zhou Rui remembered he could. For most people, senior year is the peak of their academic knowledge—afterward, it's all downhill.

Yet, having worked years in the real world, Zhou Rui felt his brain had been entirely rewired for survival, not academics.

I know nothing anymore!

Then, a voice echoed in his mind:

"Task entry: Concentration. Experience +1. Current progress (1/100)."

Zhou Rui perked up, his fatigue melting away.

Thank goodness for this cheat system!

All he needed to do was focus and try his best in class. Whether or not he understood the material, as long as he maintained concentration, he could earn experience points!

Encouraged, Zhou Rui pulled himself together.

"Task entry: Self-Disciplined. Experience +1. Current progress (1/100)."

Reject distractions. Overcome difficulties. Stick to your goals. That was self-discipline.

The immediate feedback from the system was deeply satisfying—a stark contrast to the aimless confusion of his previous life.

This is the right path. This is how I'll achieve fame, wealth, and everything else I desire. It all starts here.

Ignoring the system's pop-ups, Zhou Rui immersed himself in the challenging lecture, his mind laser-focused.

I will be a top student! Watch me!