Chapter 12: Zhao Shuang's Good Intentions

In the last monthly exam, aside from Lu Zhiyao, there were a few other students in the class who scored in the seventies or eighties in physics.

However, it was clear that no matter how much they outperformed their usual performance, it was unlikely for them to break the 90-point barrier in this exam.

Dong Chao, being in the know, was secretly pointing at Xu You, indicating that Xu You was one of these two top performers.

"Alright, no more suspense. This time, Lu Zhiyao scored 93 points on the test. Considering the difficulty of the questions, 93 points is a very impressive score citywide."

This announcement was met with enthusiastic applause from the class.

Scoring 93 points on such a difficult test was truly commendable and deserved heartfelt congratulations.

Lu Zhiyao, however, showed no signs of joy, even appearing a bit disappointed.

After a pause, Zhao Shuang continued:

"Another student has shown even more remarkable improvement. Xu You, your score this time is—96 points! Let's give him a round of applause to encourage him!"

Upon hearing this news, the whole class was abuzz.

"Wow, 96 points? Higher than Lu Zhiyao? How did he manage that?"

"Did I hear that right? Scoring 96 on such difficult physics questions?"

"Amazing, our class really does produce some remarkable talents."

This time, the applause for Xu You was even warmer than what was given to Lu Zhiyao.

Zhao Shuang gestured for everyone to quiet down.

"In the past month, Xu You has been very active in his physics studies, nearly always scoring full marks on quizzes. His efforts alone have raised our class's average score by more than a point, placing our physics grades fourth in the grade. Of course, the top three are classes one, two, and three, and the gap between us and them is still significant."

Hearing this, everyone finally understood why Zhao Shuang was in such a good mood today.

Even though class six only had two passing scores, the difficulty of the questions meant lower scores across other classes as well.

Ranking fourth in the grade meant being the top among the regular classes, a result that naturally made the teacher happy.

"Of course, don't rest on your laurels; this achievement is largely due to Xu You's effort. Everyone should aim to emulate Xu You. With hard work, anything is possible."

Feeling the praise from the teacher and classmates, Xu You was somewhat embarrassed.

It had been a long time since he had received such universal acclaim in class.

To be honest, it felt pretty good.

After all, it was a recognition of his achievements.

Still, Xu You quickly controlled his emotions.

Pride leads to setbacks, and these results were nothing to be complacent about.

Now, Xu You was preparing for competitions.

Having mastered the material covered in class, Xu You started working on his own problems.

Since Xu You had achieved nearly perfect scores, he naturally had the right to study more important content on his own, just like Lu Zhiyao.

During the break, Zhao Shuang called Xu You and Lu Zhiyao out.

"Did Teacher Gao talk to you about the competition yesterday?"

Zhao Shuang's mood had changed from the joy of the class to a more serious demeanor.

Xu You and Lu Zhiyao nodded, confirming the conversation.

"As your teacher, there are some things I must clarify with you."

Zhao Shuang's serious tone made Xu You and Lu Zhiyao tense up.

"The competition landscape has changed; many universities have canceled their bonus points policies. Essentially, if you don't achieve at least a national silver medal, participating in competitions might not be very meaningful. I know both of you have excellent physics grades, but competitions are not like college entrance exams; they are a higher level of challenge."

"Teacher Gao's invitation to join the competition is certainly a recognition of your abilities. Of course, as the teacher responsible for physics competition coaching, he surely hopes our school will achieve outstanding results."

"I'm telling you this not to discourage you from competing. Whatever you decide, consider it carefully and don't let it interfere with your college entrance exam preparations. With your grades, you both have a good chance of getting into top universities."

Hearing Zhao Shuang's words, Xu You understood the underlying message.

Though Zhao Shuang emphasized not discouraging them from competing, his concerns suggested otherwise.

In essence, Zhao Shuang's advice was: The chances of placing in competitions are slim; focus on preparing for the college entrance exam instead.

Xu You knew Zhao Shuang had their best interests at heart.

"Thank you, teacher. I'll consider it carefully."

Xu You had already made up his mind but still expressed gratitude for Zhao Shuang's concern.

"Thank you, teacher."

Lu Z

hiyao also appreciated Zhao Shuang's good intentions, especially since she hadn't planned to sign up for any competitions.

Soon, the scores for each subject were released.

As Xu You had expected, his grades improved across the board.

"Total score 649, I might even make it into the top 20 this time."

Such results not only met Xu You's initial goals but far exceeded them.

However, Xu You was unaware of the scores achieved by students in the top three classes.

He would have to wait for the final rankings to be announced.

During the lunch break, Liu Yanli entered the classroom with a stack of printouts.

Eagle-eyed students immediately recognized them as the final rankings.

The classroom quickly came to life with anticipation for the results.

Since this was the first exam within the scope of the college entrance examination and a city-wide joint exam, everyone was keenly interested in their rankings.

Liu Yanli didn't wait for everyone to fully awaken before clapping her hands for attention.

"The final rankings are out, and I'll start announcing them now."

As Liu Yanli's voice filled the room, even those still half-asleep perked up.

"Because this is a joint exam, there's also a city-wide ranking. I'll only announce class and grade rankings; you can check the details after class."

With the entire class's attention, Liu Yanli began reading the end-of-term exam rankings.

"Lu Zhiyao, first in class, first in grade."

As usual, Lu Zhiyao maintained her top position in both class and grade, a result that the class had come to expect and didn't overly dwell on.

"Xu You, second in class, sixth in grade."

At this, the class briefly fell silent before erupting into excitement.

"Xu You... sixth in grade?"

"Wow, that's rapid progress!"

"Xu You's scores in math, physics, chemistry, and biology are so high; I knew he could make the top 10."

All eyes turned to Xu You, marking a moment of collective admiration.

(End of Chapter)