"Oh? Can't you introduce him to me now?" Mrs. Tao's eyes glimmered. "You know, I'm competing with Hu Youbin to see who has a child first."
"Aiya, no matter how anxious you are, that guy will only come back next month~" Tang Zhifei picked up her phone and tapped on the profile of a man from her friend list. She then displayed a photo of him. He was standing in a gym, and was quite muscular. "He studied Artificial Intelligence and just graduated with his doctorate. A few large companies in the country have already sent him job offers."
Mrs. Tao looked at his toned muscles and became a little faint. "Then… Wouldn't my qualifications be…"
"Your qualifications are great. Also, even though he's handsome and muscular, he isn't tall. He doesn't even meet your requirement of 180 cm."
"Sigh… That. Actually, it's enough if he's around that height. I'm not too strict about that." Mrs. Tao was completely smitten.
"Anyway, I'll immediately arrange for a date between the two of you when he comes back."
"A million times yes!" Mrs. Tao now felt incredibly spirited. She waved her teaching material around and said, "Don't worry, leave this bunch of mischievous brats to me."
"Go!"
Tang Zhifei silently took out a book and crossed off a name after she sent Mrs. Tao away.
"Hehe," she thought.
That morning...
There were hidden forces at work in Cherry Lake High School.
The Queen of Traps had been unsealed.
…
That morning, Li Zheng suffered.
He still had some energy left, but he couldn't study.
All he could do was read unrelated books or close his eyes to rest.
What was even more uncomfortable for him was...
The students around him had all started to study.
The class participation rate during the Physics lesson was terrifyingly high.
Mrs. Xiaotao seemed to have been doped up. She put a great deal of effort into her lecture and posed many questions. Most of the students in the class had been asked a question.
Class 2-4 had the weakest studying spirit.
However, currently, the class seemed to have some spirit.
Li Zheng was anxious.
"Zhang Xiaoke, please show up soon," he thought.
"Even Liu Xin knows that F = MA now."
"It'll be too late for you if you drag it out any longer."
Li Zheng had no choice, and neither could he afford to be anxious.
All he could do was be the best version of himself.
After lunch, he arranged his past Chemistry papers and carried a bundle of notebooks and teaching materials as he climbed to the fourth story.
The territory of the third-years was still enveloped by a studious authority.
Li Zheng respectfully walked to the door of class 3-1, then ducked his head inside to have a look.
Most of the students inside were taking an afternoon nap, while a few were revising.
Only Qiao Bixia was practicing her planks in front of the stage.
However, no one thought this was strange.
At that moment, a girl sitting in the front row spotted Li Zheng. She squinted, then turned to the back and said joyfully, "Mengxi, your little puppy of a junior is here~~"
Everyone, both the people who were resting and the people who were revising, stopped what they were doing when they heard this. Even Qiao Bixia trembled and stood up.
The bunch of them simultaneously looked at Li Zheng, who was standing by the classroom door.
Li Zheng felt very uncomfortable.
"Why do the straight-A third-year students have such poor manners?" he thought.
Xu Mengxi gulped as she was startled awake. She quickly put down her Totoro bolster and ran over. Her face was red.
Along the way, she pinched the ear of the girl who riled up the class and said, "Don't talk nonsense…"
"Haha, who asked you to help him with your Chemistry notes~~"
Xu Mengxi lowered her head and went out of the classroom. Just like last time, she only stopped after bringing Li Zheng far away.
'Was I disturbing you?" Li Zheng was a little embarrassed.
"It's alright… It's alright…" Xu Mengxi looked down and waved her hand exaggeratedly. "She was talking nonsense. Don't mind them."
"What does little puppy mean?"
"Ah, that, that means… A young, cute boy."
Li Zheng was unhappy.
He didn't like the description "cute."
"Am I not macho?" he thought.
Xu Mengxi rubbed her face for some time before looking up. "This, you can just return the teaching materials and year-three notes to me. I'll give them to you again after school and you can return them to me again next Friday."
"It's alright, I've already understood your study technique." Li Zheng graciously nodded his head. "Recently, I've unexpectedly gotten some money, so I've already bought all of the third-year Chemistry study materials online."
"Then… Do you still have anything you don't understand?"
"I understand all of the key points. All I need to do now is practice questions." Li Zheng then changed the topic and asked, "Are you familiar with Mr. Sun Leyang? My homeroom teacher arranged for me to have a supplementary lesson with him. Is there anything I should be aware of?"
"Wow, your homeroom teacher sure is reputable." Xu Mengxi tapped on her chin, thinking as she said, "That is, Mr. Sun's appearance is a little… How should I put it? He doesn't look friendly. I was afraid of him at the start, but he's actually a very good teacher. It's just that time is tight for him, so he only comes for half a day every week."
"It's alright. I don't judge people by their appearances…"
"Then your relationship with Jingjing…" Xu Mengxi covered her face and laughed. "Is our Jingjing evil-hearted?"
"Her heart is truly evil."
"D*mn…"
A giant figure lumbered over while they were speaking. "What are you guys talking about?"
"How I judge people by their appearance." Li Zheng quickly stuffed a large bundle of study material toward Qiao Bixia. "Help me bring these back, thank you."
"Why are you being so polite to me?" Qiao Bixia didn't mince her words. She took the study material and laughed lecherously. "You come to our class every day. What are you trying to pull?"
[Energy: ↓↓↓ ]
"Bear with it!" Li Zheng thought.
Li Zheng turned around and ran.
"Hehe, this lad." Qiao Bixia's face was red. She felt very comfortable. "He's so shy when he sees me. He even deliberately avoids my gaze when we're playing basketball. Isn't he forcing me to think too much into the matter?"
Xu Mengxi gave a friendly reminder. "That, Sister Xia, actually all of the boys are like that around you."
"No, that lad is different from the rest. He's exceptionally avoidant." Qiao Bixia licked her lips and turned around. "Aiya, if it wasn't for me being in my third year, I would have tussled around with him."
Xu Mengxi smiled as she pushed Qiao Bixia back toward the class. "Isn't tussling with Handsome Jiang and Oil Barrel enough? Leave some for the rest of us."
"It's complicated, it's complicated…" Qiao Bixia couldn't help but look behind her. "That lad has wretched energy, which makes me especially want to tussle around with him."
"Haha, you should focus on preparing for the college entrance examination." Xu Mengxi turned Qiao Bixia's head back around. "Li Zheng plays such good basketball. The juniors will have their eyes on him when he plays during next week's basketball tournament."
"What a joke. Have the juniors played basketball with him? Can they fend him off?"
"You sure live up to your reputation, Sister Xia. You know men so well…"
…
Li Zheng only dared to look back after he escaped all the way to the Chemistry department on the west side of the school.
He had already tried his best to avoid Qiao Bixia just now, but she still managed to find him.
He calmed himself down and caught his breath, then raised his hand to knock on the door.
A bright female voice rang out from within the room. "Please enter."
Li Zheng felt a little uneasy when he heard this voice.
But he had no choice. He was already here. He pushed open the door and entered the room.
In the office, only Yu Hong was sitting behind her desk. She was eating the roast duck that she had ordered for takeout.
"Yes? Do you have any questions?" Yu Hong glanced at Li Zheng, then went back to forming her duck spring roll. "Your scores for the monthly examinations have already been changed, but we aren't going to issue another result slip. You can just do the calculation on your own."
"It's been hard on you, Mrs. Yu." Li Zheng then steeled his nerves and asked, "That… Will Mr. Sun Leyang come to this office before his lesson?"
"Yes, he'll come and sit around." Yu Hong only sensed that something was off after she replied, "You're looking for him?"
"Yes."
Yu Hong's gaze swept toward the paper in Li Zheng's hand.
"Li Zheng, you can speak your mind if you have any opinions." Yu Hong finished her spring roll in three mouthfuls, then wiped her hands and said, "Am I not qualified enough to teach you?"
The change happened too quickly.
Li Zheng was extremely flustered.
"You're asking me?" he thought.
"The answer is definitely yes."
"So."
"Don't ask me that."
"We all have an answer in our hearts."
"But you just had to ask the question."
"How do you expect me to answer?"
"It's alright, you can speak your mind." Yu Hong nodded and said, "I'm this straightforward with everyone."
Li Zheng could only force out an answer. "I just can't seem to get a feel for Chemistry. I wanted to ask teachers with different teaching styles, so I steeled my nerves and tried my luck."
"Then, does Mr. Sun have time?" Yu Hong asked instead, "Do you need me to talk to him for you?"
"It's alright. He's been notified. Thank you, teacher."
"He's been notified…" Yu Hong thought for a moment, then hummed in agreement. "Mr. Sun is an excellent teacher from the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China. He's brought teams to the Chemistry Olympiad. He's definitely at a level above me. Since you've already notified him, it's alright if you try it out."
Yu Hong then stood up and packed up the takeout boxes. "You can have a seat. He'll be here in a moment."
Li Zheng complied. He didn't dare to say too much.
A moment later, Yu Hong grabbed her takeout boxes and quickly left the office with her head held high.
Li Zheng had survived the crisis. He wiped off his sweat.
Even though Mrs. Yu always taught by reciting the textbook, she had a remarkable personality.
A few minutes later, a weary male teacher wearing a large coat pushed open the door and entered the office.
He had a precise Mediterranean hairstyle and wore silver-framed glasses.
The ends of his brows pointed downward. He had a dazed look in his eyes.
Even though he was a teacher, he had the flippant expression that many men his age wore.
It was him. He couldn't be wrong.
"Mr. Sun." Li Zheng stood up to welcome him.
"Oh, oh, you're Li Zheng, right?" Sun Leyang put down his bag. His nose twitched as he removed his coat. "It's noon. Who was eating roast duck? Is the food in this school that good?"
"A teacher ordered it for herself." Li Zheng took Sun Leyang's coat and placed it on the clothes rack.
"It must be Yu Hong, then. She eats whatever she wants. She never eats the same dish twice in a month." Sun Leyang smiled as he sat down. "How's Chunmei?"
"She's already hospitalized. She'll undergo the operation soon." Li Zheng grabbed his papers, then carried a chair and sat down beside Sun Leyang.
"That's good, that's good." Sun Leyang didn't say anything more. He picked up Li Zheng's papers and quickly scanned through them.
"You score well in questions that test your understanding of concepts."
"You are quite poor with the analysis questions."
"You're a little lost if the equation questions are a little trickily set."
"It's alright, don't be discouraged."
"Chunmei said that you're doing quite well with your other science subjects. That means that it isn't a problem with your understanding."
"Alright, I brought along a year-one examination paper. Do it on the spot for me," Sun Leyang said as he took out a small wad of paper from his briefcase. He chose between the test papers, then picked one out and handed it over to Li Zheng. "The papers I set are very well-rounded and can expose your problem areas. Do it well. I'll take the time to look at your past mistakes and see if I can consolidate a few learning points."
"Thank you, teacher." Li Zheng quickly grabbed the paper, but his gaze stopped at Sun Leyang's briefcase.
Sun Leyang was a top-notch high school Chemistry teacher.
His papers must be extremely enchanting and crafty. Just doing two of the questions he set might give him a decent level of understanding.
"I want to do it," Li Zheng thought.
"I'll be satisfied even just touching them."
Li Zheng couldn't control himself. He grabbed the foundational paper that he was given but didn't move for the longest time.
Sun Leyang smiled when he saw this. "The rest of the papers are for the students of our school. If you want to do them, you might cry when you see the questions."
"I still want to give them a try." Li Zheng lost all of his manners.
"Aiya, you truly…" Sun Leyang scratched his head, elated. "Chunmei was right. I've never seen a student like you… Alright, if you can finish the foundational paper in 15 minutes and score 85 and above, I'll give you another paper to do."
"!!!" Li Zheng pulled on his chair and moved it toward the table beside him. He tore open the cap of his pen and started writing manically.
"D*mn you," he thought.
"Isn't energy supposed to be used like this?"