Chapter 17: To wish to care for one's parents, but they are no longer there to be cared for

A single speech under the national flag turned Wang Donglai into a celebrity at Anshui High School.

Following that speech, the academic atmosphere of the entire school became visibly more intense.

Although experienced teachers knew this situation wouldn't last very long, they were nonetheless overjoyed.

The Dean of Students, who had originally been somewhat annoyed by Wang Donglai's arbitrary change of the speech topic, remained silent upon witnessing this scene.

As for Wang Donglai, he remained unchanged.

In ordinary attire, he continued to read with an extremely serious attitude.

On the surface, there was nothing extraordinary about him at all.

However, once one noticed Wang Donglai's gaze, his extraordinary nature became apparent.

His eyes were firm and full of confidence, as if nothing could ever baffle him.

Gu Xing, who had been sitting next to Wang Donglai for over half a month, was the most astonished.

She was shocked by his frantic attitude toward studying, and equally shocked by his learning progress.

This was because she had seen his grades improve with her own eyes.

There was a change every single day, mechanical and stable, like a robot.

As long as he had mastered a piece of knowledge, he would never get it wrong a second time.

Upon realizing this, Gu Xing began to learn from Wang Donglai.

Whenever she had free time, she would seek him out to ask about problems she couldn't solve.

For Wang Donglai, explaining problems to Gu Xing didn't take much effort, so he never refused.

At this moment, sitting in his seat, Wang Donglai finished a set of exam papers, put down his pen, and closed his eyes to rest.

In reality, he had opened his system panel.

It showed

[Host: Wang Donglai]

[Attributes: Constitution 8, Intelligence 7]

[Level: Level 1 (462/2000)]

[Reading Category: High School Compulsory]

[Skills: None]

[Ability: Sense of Direction]

Chinese: lv4 (1864/2000)

Geography: lv4 (421/2000)

Politics: lv4 (354/1000)

History: lv4 (498/1000)

English: lv3 (974/1000)

Mathematics: lv3 (1997/2000)

Chemistry: lv1 (164/1000)

Physics: lv1 (184/1000)

Biology: lv1 (124/1000)

Chinese, Mathematics, and English were about to level up, but progress in the three Liberal Arts subjects was slow, with the rate of gaining experience points being several times slower.

These experience points were something Wang Donglai had ground out bit by bit through time.

Through these various exams, Wang Donglai had also figured out the relationship between the level data on the system panel and his actual scores.

If English reached lv4, his score should be around 110 to 125.

If Chinese went up another level, his score should rise to around 130.

As for lv4 Mathematics, his score should also be around 110 to 125.

The three Liberal Arts subjects were more difficult.

Because while knowledge points were objective, the grading standards were not like Mathematics or English, which had standard answers; they only had reference answers.

Handwriting would also affect the graders' perception, causing scores to fluctuate.

However, Wang Donglai knew that as long as these three subjects increased by one level, he could score above 270 even at his lowest.

Regarding handwriting, Wang Donglai had actually noticed this. After being reminded by his homeroom teacher, Meng Fang, he had bought ten calligraphy practice books in one go.

He practiced his writing every day, and after much hard work, his handwriting had indeed undergone significant changes.

With 65 days left until the Gaokao, Wang Donglai believed he could improve his handwriting to a level where it would no longer result in point deductions.

Estimating his time and potential scores

If he wanted to be the top scorer in the Liberal Arts category in the Gaokao, his total score could not be lower than 700.

This meant that his total lost points across all subjects could not exceed 50, or perhaps even less.

Therefore, Wang Donglai had to raise Mathematics and Chinese—two subjects with immense potential—to lv6.

Only then would it be most secure.

After a quick mental calculation, Wang Donglai had a clear plan.

With the system by his side, the greatest change for Wang Donglai was not his grades, but the change in his mindset.

He had become more confident, facing the world and interpersonal relationships with composure.

It also made him more resilient. In truth, continuous reading was extremely tedious; reading too much could even cause physical discomfort.

But Wang Donglai overcame all of this.

And growth occurs precisely through the step-by-step overcoming of difficulties.

"Wang Donglai, can you help me review together?"

While Wang Donglai was dozing, a soft voice came from behind him.

Opening his eyes at the sound, he saw it was Chen Mengni, who sat behind him.

"Sure!"

Nodding, Wang Donglai showed no unusual reaction.

Regarding his crush from his previous life, he currently had no such thoughts.

An eighteen-year-old boy only has the sky before him.

Yet, he had seen the prosperity of the world; he knew this world held too much brilliance and too many landscapes to be compared to the mere hormones produced by his current eighteen-year-old body.

It was possible he might change his mind at some point, but definitely not now.

Hearing Wang Donglai's unhesitating agreement, Chen Mengni's face lit up with a bright smile. She said, "Then I'll have to trouble you. From now on, I'll come to the classroom to study with you in the morning, and I'll treat you to breakfast!"

Gu Xing, who was nearby, was also startled by Chen Mengni's words. She couldn't help but glance at Chen Mengni and Wang Donglai, calculating in her heart how she should thank Wang Donglai.

Wang Donglai waved his hand, declining Chen Mengni's proposal.

"No need, no need!"

"Just follow my schedule for studying and reviewing. If there's anything you don't know or don't understand, just write it down and ask me anytime."

Just then.

Huang Cheng walked in from outside, stood on the podium, and shouted loudly to Wang Donglai, "Wang Donglai, someone is looking for you!"

Hearing Huang Cheng's words, Wang Donglai looked toward the classroom door and saw a familiar figure.

His eyes suddenly felt stinging. Before tears could fall, Wang Donglai suppressed the sensation and walked out quickly.

In the hallway, a middle-aged woman about 1.6 meters tall, with an ordinary face and wearing a noticeably outdated red jacket, stood nervously by the window, her eyes fixed on the classroom door.

The moment Wang Donglai appeared, she broke into a smile.

Upon seeing the middle-aged woman, a glimmer of tears appeared in Wang Donglai's eyes.

The visitor was his mother.

Because she had married young, she was only eighteen when she gave birth to Wang Donglai, making her only thirty-six this year. However, because she worked as a laborer on construction sites, she appeared older than her actual age.

"Mom, why are you here? Have you eaten yet?"

He walked up quickly, took his mother's hand, and led her to a quiet spot nearby.

His mother's name was Cao Shuxian. She was gentle by nature; growing up, Wang Donglai had never seen his mother lose her temper with anyone.

She only ever lost her temper in front of his father.

Holding Cao Shuxian's hand, Wang Donglai was suddenly struck by the calluses on them. Her palms did not look like those of a thirty-six-year-old, and wrinkles had appeared on her face, with gray hairs seemingly appearing in her dark hair.

In his previous life, after graduating, Wang Donglai stayed in Tangdu to work.

Because he wanted to help his family pay off their debts quickly, he worked overtime desperately, earning 1.5 times the overtime pay, and even stayed at the company during statutory holidays to earn triple wages.

After working for several years, he only went home once for the Lunar New Year; he never went back for the Mid-Autumn Festival or National Day.

Although he called frequently, there was still a sense of distance.

Now, seeing Cao Shuxian, Wang Donglai was suddenly struck by how much he had missed.

The many helplessnesses of the world—nothing is more regrettable than wanting to care for one's parents only to find they are no longer there.