Chapter 5: You Should Help This Pitiful Me

After our school's morning exercise, we went back to our classrooms with our chemistry teacher as the first two hours on a Monday morning are chemistry, followed by a session of Chinese and then a math lesson until the bell for lunch time rings.

In all four of the lessons, I seriously listened and memorised every key point the teachers talked about even if I did not understand much since my basic knowledge is still very poor. I wrote notes in my workbook with neat and strong handwriting, very seriously and attentively.

'I will definitely use these notes later when I revise' I thought to myself as I listened to the math teacher talk about the problems from our holiday homework that probably no one in this class has done.

"Xue Wei, go to the front and write the answer to the last question on your holiday homework pack. Teach this class of scoundrels that you should revise, otherwise there will be consequences!" Said Teacher Tang as she banged on the table with a ruler.

Even though Teacher Tang said it like she wants me to teach them how it should be done, I could feel the scorn in her gaze when she looked at me.

Teacher Tang is actually not an evil woman. She only like to vent her anger on me because of Teacher Rong. Everyone in school knows that she likes him and waits for an opportunity to get closer to him, but Teacher Rong is always either busy, or he stays with me in the counselling office so I'm not surprised if she wishes to vent her anger on me since I'm like a third wheel in their relationship. QAQ

While I look at the board that's filled with God knows what kind of magical language that is, I suddenly have a vision.

No, no, it's not a vision, It's more like a part of my memories from my past. In these memories, Teacher Tang told me to go to the front and solve his exact same math question, when I said I couldn't do it, she gave me a long speech on how bad of a student I am and told me to stand in the corner and reflect on my actions.

She embarrassed me publicly and then solved the question as she said "Look at how easy this is! All you have to do is divide this square root first and then subtract this and this then add this to the second solution in order to get the first solution which is the answer! If you carefully read the textbook pages I told you to read, you would have known!"

As I remembered this, I didn't stop walking towards the front of the class.

'Fuck, what kind of magic is this?! I know that my IQ and memory is very handsome, all right. But it was definitely not to the point that I can remember how many times saliva spit from the teacher's mouth when she was busy scolding the kids in the classroom!'

I take a piece of chalk from the teacher and walk towards the chalkboard and write my answer slowly, but with full confidence. While Teacher Tang stares at me with disbelief as she says quietly "good, good, at least one of you learned something. Okay you can go back to your seat, I won't pick on you anymore this week"

I hear gasps of amazement behind me from my classmates as I walk through them.

"No way, the class loser knew how to do this math question? Impossible!"

"He was definitely cheating! How can someone who has always barely passed the minimum mark for an exam, solve a problem like this so easily!"

"He must have cheated!"

"Yeah, it must have been luck that he probably saw this answer to this question before!"

"Aiyoo, I still envy him since the teacher won't ask him about anything for the rest of the week!"

"Tsk, what a shitty dog luck"

As the people in the class started the discussion about me and the noise got louder, the bell suddenly rang, announcing the end of morning lessons and the start of a lunch break.

I ignore all the sceptical looks my classmates are giving me while walking past me to go to the canteen, and pack my books to make some place on my table for my packed lunch.

I realised that if I want to start exercising and gain more fat to have muscles, I need to eat more protein, therefore for lunch, I made some roast pork pastry puffs, chicken meatballs cooked in a spicy chicken sauce together with some stir-fry vegetables and a portion of white rice.

I slowly enjoy my cooking for the second time since I was reborn whole sipping on warm chrysanthemum tea and look around this classroom of mine. I spent 3 years in here and most of my memories are unpleasant, but now, it seems like the most relaxed time in my last life was in middle school.

At that time, there was no one who wanted to scheme against me other than some rebellious kids who used petty tricks to bully me from time to time. This was definitely the most peaceful time in school since the time my parents died.

As I finished my lunch, I put a mint in my mouth to freshen my breath and packed my lunchbox away. I then quickly got rid of any trash, and walked out of a classroom towards the teacher's building.

I now stood in front of Teacher Rong's counselling office and waited for someone to go out so that I can come in after their session finishes.

When a girl opened the door from the inside and walked off, I knew that I can now go in.

"Han Xue Wei?" Teacher Rong asks as he looks at me, caught off guard since it's been a long time ago that I have visited his office.

"Yes, hello teacher" I bow as a form of greeting.

"Teacher I have a few things I want to tell you" I say straight of the bat as he looks at me with surprise and curiosity.

"Tell me then, we have enough time until lunch hour ends so take your time Xue Wei." He smiles at me

"Teacher, First of all, I am deeply sorry!" I say, my voice full guilt and honesty as I make a big bow towards the now astonished teacher. "I hope you can forgive my past self that treated a great teacher like you so unfairly!"

"Please forgive me teacher. I was simply shortsighted and did not see that you were always there for me, trying to help me when I was in need"

I started to tear up from the moment I saw Teacher Rong and now, tears were flowing from my face, but I didn't stop talking.

"I am deeply regretful of my past behaviour and I really want to change for the better. And now I know that to do this, I must first seek your forginvesnes..."

Teacher Rong states at me, tears filling his eyes as he talks, tenderness filling his voice, "Ah... Xiao Wei...I am very happy that you decided to change, but there is no need to beg teacher for forgiveness like this! Teacher will be happy as long as you realise where you went wrong."

"Please sit down and drink some tea with me as we talk"

In an instant, my foggy and teary eyes brighten as I sit down and show Teacher Rong a silly smile and say "Thank you teacher! You are the best! You are even willing to help this pitful me overcome some of the obstacles in life! I will be forever indebted to you."

Teacher Rong chuckles and stares at me in amusement. "Silly child, of course I will help you, no matter how pitful you are, as long as you are my student and are willing to ask for help, I will also do my best. I'm a teacher after all, it's my job to help students."

"So tell me, Xiao Wei, how do you want me to help you?"

I straighten up and immediately become more serious. This is about my future after all. I can't be negligent.

"Teacher, it's like this. I have enough of being suppressed by my family. I decided to change my life for better. You know that if I wanted to, I would be a very good student, so my goal for the next 3 months is to study, study and study! In this way, I will apply to No. 1 High School"

I look at my teacher with a serious expression and continue. "I am very confident that I will qualify to get into this school as long as I study harder. However there is one silly problem, teacher. I have no idea how to start revising"

We sit in silence for a few minutes as Teacher Rong looks at me with a weird expression and suddenly, starts laughing out loud.

"Ppffft... Hahaha... Xiao.. Haha... Xiao Weiii"

a

"I never knew you were such a funny student"

I stare at him and think that maybe I'm not the only one who got his brain damaged? Otherwise, how can he laugh at something like this?! This is about my precious future!

I think he understood what I'm thinking since he then says "Don't misunderstand Xiao Wei, teacher is not laughing at your goal to attend No. High School. It's just, it's teacher's first time hearing that a student doesn't know how to start revising!"

"Ahhh? But teacher! I really have no idea how to! There is so much material that I can't organise it all by myself, I don't even know where to start. Teacher you must help me!"

I rub my hands together in front of him and stare at him with tearful eyes and a sad expression, hoping to gain some pity and latch onto his golden thigh!

He smiles at me as he takes out some blank paper and pens.

"Okay, okay, teacher will help you. As long as you follow my plan, you may have a chance to get enough marks to get into No. 1 High School. But you have to work ten times harder than other students! So I have to be very clear that you won't give up halfway"

"Teacher, don't worry, I won't give up. I am very determined to make you proud" I laugh happily and nod my head repeatedly to ensure that Teacher Rong can feel at ease.

"Okay, today, teacher will make you a plan on what books you should start with to learn all the basics in subjects like science and maths and then if you understand all of them, you can go and revise from the textbooks that have more complex questions and formulas" He writes down all the textbooks in a particular order for every subject on a piece of paper.

He continues, "For subjects like English and Chinese, it will be different. English will probably be very easy since all you have to do is memorise a certain amount of words and sentences every day. Additionally, you should listen to some English news before you go to sleep to check if you're knowledge is improving with the increasing number of words you can remember"

"For subjects like Chinese it is a bit different. You will have to read these textbooks and memorise all these poems and how you should analyse them." He writes different textbooks and names of poems that I need to remember and continues.

"I will also write the names of workbooks you can buy for a cheap price in the city's library, and in these workbooks, you have to do at least 5 questions every day to increase your Chinese language comprehency. You have to learn how to answer different types of questions since we never know which questions will be on the exam"

And that's how we've been sitting in his counselling room for 30 minutes. One teacher explaining his profound plan and one student, obediently nodding and asking questions when he doesn't understand something.

"Xiao Wei, I will make you some question sheets and give them to you on every Friday before you go home and this will be your additional homework. I will then ask you to give it back to me on Monday and check it. We will do this every week to observe your progress and to see if my plan is suitable for you. Also, please don't overexert yourself. You must tell teacher if it's too hard on you" Teacher Rong looks at me and smiles faintly.

I obediently nod, take away pieces of paper that Teacher Rong wrote on and stand up, ready to go out. "Thank you teacher. I will definitely work hard! I won't embarrass you." I bow one more time today, walk out, full of expectations for the next 3 months and head towards my classroom.