Chapter 12: Riding the Wave of Influence

"Second place," Teacher Liao was about to announce, and the whole class held their breath, especially Shen Wei, whose heart felt like it was about to leap out of her chest.

She silently prayed in her heart, "Please, don't let it be me, don't let it be me..."

"Second place goes to Shen Wei, with a total score of 634, 135 in Chinese, 120 in Mathematics, 121 in English... ranked second in the entire grade."

Shen Wei: "…"

The entire classroom fell into a hushed silence, where even a pin dropping could be heard.

But this was followed by enthusiastic applause.

A total score of 634 was an outstanding achievement. Based on the past few years, with this score in the college entrance examination, Shen Wei had a very good chance of getting into Yenching University or Shuimu University.

Teacher Liao looked at Shen Wei with pride and said, "Shen Wei, you've really outdone yourself this time. Just remember not to become arrogant and stay focused. Continue to maintain this level of dedication and strive for even better results in the college entrance examination!"

Su Qiao's eyes were filled with complicated emotions! He had thought that he had performed exceptionally well this time and would surpass Shen Wei, but he didn't expect her to surpass him by over 30 points.

The gap was truly daunting.

And then the whole class suddenly had the same question in mind.

If Su Qiao is third in the class and Shen Wei is second, who is the first?

Could it be...

Soon, Teacher Liao revealed the answer, "This time, there's a student in our class who achieved an impressive score of 650 points. This score not only places him first in the school but also in the entire Jiangcheng City."

The classroom erupted into excitement.

"Oh my god! 650 points! He's a true scholar!"

"This... this can't be anyone else but Chen Xiao!"

Teacher Liao continued:

"This student used to have some serious weaknesses in certain subjects, but he overcame them through his own efforts and did his best. I hope the entire class can learn from him. In the next six months, let's grit our teeth and make a breakthrough!"

Teacher Liao announced, "Chen Xiao, with a total score of 650, 117 in Chinese, 145 in Mathematics, 147 in English, and 241 in Science, is ranked first in the class and the entire grade!"

"I hope Chen Xiao can maintain this level and strive for excellent results in the college entrance examination!"

The entire class erupted into applause!

Deng Chao and Jiang Wei clapped the hardest, and the two of them were both moved and teary-eyed.

"Awesome! Chen Xiao!"

"Chen Dashen, Chen Xueba, I'm going to follow you from now on, you're amazing!"

Shen Wei's eyes were filled with disbelief. She knew Chen Xiao was good at Science, but his English was weak. Yet, this time, he scored 147 in English!

Incredible!

Shen Wei looked at the gentle and modest Chen Xiao with a mix of emotions in her eyes.

The most awkward and uncomfortable person was Su Qiao. After all, before the exam, Su Qiao had expressed his hope that Chen Xiao would fail. He didn't expect that Chen Xiao's English score was nearly perfect and even higher than his own. Wasn't this a slap in the face?

How could a person who could barely score a few points in English improve by this much in just a month? It was unbelievable!

[Influence +7, cumulative influence 9.]

In this wave, Chen Xiao earned a full 7 points of influence, a historic high.

Teacher Liao was also very pleased. This time, his third class had truly made him proud!

When the results were announced, the other class teachers in the staff room looked at Teacher Liao with admiration. According to Chen Xiao's scores, he might become the top science student in Jiangcheng.

If Chen Xiao and Shen Wei could maintain their performance during the college entrance examination, Teacher Liao felt that his chance of becoming a senior teacher next year was quite promising.

Teacher Liao asked, "Chen Xiao, do you have any study tips you'd like to share with your classmates? Feel free to speak out."

Seizing this opportunity, Chen Xiao knew it was time to execute his long-term plan to gain influence. He said:

"Mr. Liao, I believe that the key to learning, whether it's in English or Science, lies in understanding the concepts rather than rote memorization. Once you understand the fundamental principles, you can handle more complex questions with ease."

Teacher Liao nodded, agreeing with Chen Xiao's perspective. Many students tend to focus on practicing questions without understanding the underlying principles.

Chen Xiao continued, "Starting today, I'm going to set up a study group in our class. Participation is voluntary and free for all subjects except Chinese. We'll help each other clear up doubts and go through important concepts together."

Chen Xiao said, "Regardless of your current grades, everyone is welcome to join the study group. We'll assist those with lower grades and learn from those with higher grades. Let's progress together."

After hearing this, the struggling students were overjoyed and cheered.

The teachers in the third year were always busy, and students had to wait in line to ask questions. However, when poor students asked the better-performing students for help, they were often met with impatience or outright refusal.

But now, with Xueba Chen Xiao offering to help, everyone was ecstatic.

Shen Wei and Su Qiao looked at Chen Xiao in disbelief. They thought Chen Xiao had gone mad!

The third year of high school was an intense period with limited time for self-study. How could he possibly set up a study group? It would just be a waste of his time!

Teacher Liao also had doubts and said, "Chen Xiao, your kind gesture is apparent to all, but time is scarce in the third year. Self-study is crucial. The students can always turn to teachers for assistance."

Chen Xiao was stubborn and insisted, "Mr. Liao, give me one month. I promise that within a month, the students in the study group will improve their grades, and I won't lag behind either. If there's no progress after a month, I'll disband the study group."

Seeing Chen Xiao's determination, Teacher Liao finally agreed, "Alright, I'll give you one month."

The majority of the class burst into warm applause, deeply admiring Chen Xiao.

[Influence +2, cumulative influence 11.]

A true scholar wasn't just someone who excelled in learning; it was someone who could help and lead others in their learning journey.

Su Qiao glanced at Chen Xiao, who was now admired by the class, with a disdainful expression and muttered, "He just passed the exam once, what's so great about that."