Xu Ming hadn't expected his homeroom teacher to do that, but after a brief moment of stunned silence, he calmly met everyone's gazes.
At that moment, he felt an incredibly clear sense of accomplishment welling up inside him.
The classmates in the class were mostly just curious, whispering to each other and discussing in low voices.
"I remember Xu Ming's math score on the final exam was the same as mine. How did he suddenly improve so much?" Yang Huijuan nudged her deskmate with her arm, wanting to confirm her memory about this matter.
Chen Lu looked up and said, "Maybe he's been studying harder these past few days."
She remembered Xu Ming getting up at five o'clock, confirmed that she was right, and then continued to work on the difficult problem.
Wang Qingtao's attitude towards Xu Ming had already undergone a huge change, and he was happy to have found a good talent.
"Tomorrow I'll bring a few more test papers. You can find time to do them. You don't need to come to my office anymore," he said softly, turning around. Seeing that most of the people had returned to the classroom, he walked towards the podium.
Qian Hong didn't just barely make it to class this time. He had finished using the restroom early and, after seeing the homeroom teacher through the window, he consciously stood outside in the corridor for a while.
But when he heard that Xu Ming's practice test score had become 130, his eyes instantly widened.
No way.
How could he play like that?
As soon as the homeroom teacher left, he immediately darted back, his face almost pressed against Xu Ming's paper.
"That doesn't make sense. Why did I only get eighty-something?"
He naturally knew that Xu Ming had redone this paper.
After all, on the day of the exam, Xu Ming had just broken up with Zhang Yingxin, so it was completely normal for him not to be in the mood to answer the questions. But this current score was really a bit frighteningly high.
They had been deskmates for two and a half years; who didn't know each other well?
"Is reviewing Math with your method really effective, or did you secretly study hard during the winter vacation?" Qian Hong looked up and stared into Xu Ming's eyes as he asked.
Xu Ming retorted, "Why don't you try following me for a few days?"
Hearing this, Qian Hong seemed to think of something and immediately shook his head vigorously, as if his whole body was refusing.
"Let's just forget it. I can't get up that early, and there's nothing wrong with a junior college."
Seeing this, Xu Ming didn't push him. When the class bell rang, he continued to enter his review mode.
Anyway, his score was almost a perfect score, so there was no need to waste time listening to the homeroom teacher repeatedly explain things.
In a blink of an eye, the key class's evening self-study ended.
Inside the classroom, it was still Xu Ming and Chen Lu, holding out until the very end.
Just as Xu Ming was packing his things, ready to return to the dormitory, he saw Chen Lu actually walk over to him.
"Xu Ming… why don't you take the keys from now on?"
Looking at the key in Chen Lu's palm, which had a small rabbit charm attached to it, Xu Ming was first stunned, then smiled and shook his head.
"You keep this one. The homeroom teacher said he would give me the one from his office tomorrow."
Yes.
Since he had improved his relationship with the homeroom teacher through his grades, there was no reason not to use it, so he brought it up when the regular classes were dismissed.
"Oh, I see," Chen Lu responded.
But for some reason, as she put the key back, she felt a little inexplicably disappointed.
However, it only lasted for a few seconds, and her expression returned to normal. She specifically said goodbye as she left.
"See you tomorrow then."
"Mhm." Xu Ming nodded politely.
—
Li Wenhui had held back in class and ultimately didn't look at the test paper to question it.
Mainly, he hadn't spoken to Xu Ming for two days.
However, when he returned to the dormitory and lay on his bed, he felt like something was weighing on his mind, and if he didn't figure it out, he probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
So, when Xu Ming pushed the door open and came in, he blurted out:
"Xu Ming."
"I remember you handed in a blank paper, didn't you? How come the homeroom teacher said you scored 130 points during evening self-study?"
And this topic clearly became the hot topic in class today, with roommates on the adjacent beds also joining the discussion.
"I'm quite curious too."
"That score is almost as high as Chen Lu's."
Xu Ming looked up and glanced at Li Wenhui, but then immediately shifted his gaze to the others, sitting on his bed and slowly untying his shoelaces as he replied.
"I was in good form tonight, so I just redid the paper."
"So that's what happened." Li Wenhui was the first to speak, "I really didn't expect you could score so high."
His tone was visibly tinged with sourness.
Xu Ming didn't indulge him and simply smiled and retorted.
"Didn't the class monitor say this paper was very simple? What did you score again?"
Li Wenhui was speechless.
He wanted to get back at him, but the key was that he only scored 120 points on the paper he claimed was easy.
After a long pause, he just brought up the homeroom teacher's words again.
"Discussing single-subject scores is meaningless. The key is still to pass the total score line, otherwise, at most, you can only get into a trashy undergraduate program."
"Isn't it too early to say that? There are still a hundred days until the college entrance exam. Who in our dorm gets up earlier than Xu Ming? Maybe he can improve by a hundred points or so." Qian Hong took off his headphones and spoke up for his good friend.
Everyone had long adapted to the atmosphere of Dongping No. 1 High School, where comparing study scores was a perfectly normal thing.
No one was truly angry.
At most, they were just a bit heated.
Soon after the lights went out, the topic ended.
Only Li Wenhui, as if stimulated, buried his head under his blanket and secretly read with a flashlight.
Xu Ming woke up on time in the morning.
As he headed to the classroom, he encountered a familiar figure on the way, none other than Chen Lu, the top student in the class.
"Why are you up so early today too?" He looked at Chen Lu and initiated a conversation, asking.
In his sight, Chen Lu hadn't had time to tie her ponytail yet, and there were still water stains on her bangs from washing her face. Although students of this era mostly just applied face cream, her fair skin was still visible under the streetlights.
Xu Ming looked from her forehead to her neck and couldn't find a single blemish.
Whether she felt Xu Ming's gaze or for some other reason, Chen Lu turned her head and softly replied,
"The second mock exam is next month, so I thought I'd get up a few minutes earlier."
The two walked together to the classroom door. Chen Lu took out her key and opened the door. After Xu Ming went inside, she breathed a sigh of relief.
…
A new week began, and on the back wall blackboard in the classroom, the countdown to the college entrance exam was already written.
Every day, the class monitor updated the number.
During the long break in the morning, all third-year high school students carried their stools and gathered on the playground, forming lines by class.
They were attending the Dongping No. 1 High School 2006 College Entrance Exam 100-Day Sprint Pep Rally.
According to the procedure, the principal, teacher representatives, and outstanding student representatives would all give speeches. However, since all the selections were from the key classes, for the other regular class students, it was merely about following along and taking the oath at the end.
Xu Ming cared even less; he simply brought that textbook, "Five Years of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Mock Tests: physics."
After the rally began, he placed the book on his lap and continued to review.
In addition to the gradual recall of content related to heat and electromagnetism, all physics formulas and theorems from high school were completely understood and mastered, so much so that while the outstanding student representative on stage was giving an impassioned speech, the physics subject experience points on his panel were rapidly increasing.
【After diligent study, your 【physics】 level has increased, and you have gained 5 experience points.】
…