Leo Liu was one of some 3000 students at Hui Zhi High school in northern Beijing. When the school bell rang after the basketball break, to indicate the 5-minute warning for the start of class, the tall skinny sophomore was dawdling in the building. Quickly messaging the emoji “Sigh” followed by three big helpless dots on his Wechat friend circle, he kicked at some loose gravel, walked into Tony Wang’s physics class, and handed over his mobile phone to the teacher.

A quiet and lanky boy, Leo was always punctual for every class, especially after he aced the English test last semester. But these days, the thought of the elusive physics formulae made him want to run away from the school’s cramming sessions.

Thousands of miles away in Seattle USA, Eve Lovelace snuggled up with her laptop at home. The petite white junior glanced over the Asian history handout on the screen --- a recap of today’s class reading. For the Academics Bowl champ of Washington Mariners High School, the homework was a walkover as usual. Her ponytail of braids swayed gently while she bantered airily with classmates online using funny emoji symbols. Her mobile buzzed in her red backpack, it was Allison Langdon --- the new hired principal of the school, who came across a bold idea. And she needed Eve’s help.