Chapter 4: Romance? Not even a dog would bother

"I’ve told you all so many times: for odd changes and even stays, look to the quadrants for the sign. The conditions for this problem are already laid out so clearly."

"You only need to use your brain a little bit—just a little, just this tiny bit—and you’d be able to solve this."

Xie Jun, standing at the podium, looked utterly exasperated. He held up his right hand, pinching his thumb and index finger together to show just a sliver of space.

On the blackboard was a trigonometry problem.

The students below were either burying their heads, pretending to read their books to avoid looking at the board, or staring blankly at it with eyes full of clear, unadulterated stupidity.

Wang Donglai was among them.

If there was one subject Wang Donglai was worst at, it was definitely mathematics.

He didn't know when it started, or which specific lesson it was, but suddenly, he just couldn't understand math problems anymore.

After graduating from elementary school and entering middle school, Wang Donglai had never passed a math exam.

His high school math grades were even more disastrous. After wasting his first and second years, Wang Donglai could at most finish the multiple-choice section on a math paper. He would just scribble random answers for the fill-in-the-blanks, and as for the long-form problems, he would only ever write a big "Solution" at the top.

His highest math score had only ever been fifty-six.

At his worst, he had scored in the single digits.

It was easy to see just how poor Wang Donglai’s foundation in math was.

It wasn't that Wang Donglai didn't study hard; it was just that when a teacher was guiding him through simple problem types, he could understand the logic and solve them.

But the moment he was left without guidance, if the problem type changed even slightly, Wang Donglai would be completely lost.

So, watching the math teacher fly into a rage, Wang Donglai sighed inwardly.

"I’d better just stick to my own study plan."

Thinking this, Wang Donglai pulled out his math textbook, starting from the first-year compulsory volume, and began to carefully memorize the concepts within.

However, as he read, Wang Donglai discovered a terrifying fact.

He could understand the words and formulas in the math book, but when they were put together, he couldn't make sense of them at all.

Having been reborn, he had long since forgotten the little math knowledge he once had. Looking at the textbook in his hands now was undoubtedly like reading a heavenly script.

Furthermore, unlike literature or history books, the math textbook wasn't just dry and boring.

It was impossible to read; it felt like chewing on a bitter, hard rock.

Even when Wang Donglai gritted his teeth and pushed through, he couldn't last long.

His mind would wander, drifting far away from the math book.

At the same time, the speed at which he gained experience points was shockingly slow.

After reading for a full fifteen minutes, he had only gained one experience point.

Wang Donglai knew this was because he couldn't comprehend the material, so his progress was sluggish. And even that single point was only gained through the system’s forced accumulation.

Otherwise, he would have gained nothing at all.

Thinking about his current math level and the rate at which he was gaining experience, he did a quick mental calculation: if he wanted to level up, even if he didn't eat or sleep and studied for twenty-four hours a day, it would take over ten days just to reach Lv. 3.

And that was only Lv. 3. It went without saying that this level wouldn't be enough to pass; at most, it would just raise his score a little.

The higher the level, the more experience points would surely be required.

With only 98 days left until the college entrance exam, Wang Donglai didn't have much time. It could be said that he needed to relearn every single subject.

And liberal arts subjects weren't like the sciences, where right was right and wrong was wrong.

Enduring the boredom, whenever he felt he couldn't go on, Wang Donglai would viciously pinch the soft flesh of his thigh to stimulate his mind and force himself to stay awake.

Wang Donglai’s actions startled his deskmate, Huang Cheng, who sat beside him, wondering what kind of madness had taken hold of him.

In a forty-minute class, Wang Donglai had only gained three experience points—a result that was truly miserable compared to his other subjects.

But Wang Donglai never thought about giving up.

Heaven had already given him a chance at rebirth, along with a golden finger; if he couldn't even overcome this small difficulty, he would look down on himself.

After class, Wang Donglai closed his math book and reached up to press hard against his temples.

After a period of reading the math book, his head was filled with mathematical symbols and incomprehensible formulas. He felt dizzy and bloated, as if his head were about to explode.

The end of this class also marked the start of lunch.

The students in the classroom left their seats one after another, grabbing their utensils and heading toward the cafeteria.

"Let's go, Old Wang. What's wrong with you today? You've been acting weird since morning reading. Don't tell me you're actually planning to study hard and get into college?"

Huang Cheng asked curiously, his eyes full of intrigue.

As his deskmate, how could Huang Cheng not know Wang Donglai’s math grades? In the past, if Wang Donglai could understand the math lesson, he would listen, but if he couldn't, he would play on his phone or read novels just like him.

But today was different. No matter the subject, Wang Donglai was studying with extreme focus.

Huang Cheng noticed that Wang Donglai hadn't even pulled out his phone once today.

In the past, that was something that simply never happened.

Hearing Huang Cheng’s question, Wang Donglai glanced at him, then looked at the classmates heading toward the cafeteria, nodded slightly, and turned his attention back to his book.

"What kind of shock did you get? Why the sudden urge to study hard? There are only 98 days left; it's too late. Besides, with your grades, getting into a third-tier college shouldn't be a problem, and there's no difference between a third-tier college and a vocational school anyway. Why tire yourself out in these final days?"

Huang Cheng shook his head, unable to understand Wang Donglai’s mindset, and spoke dismissively.

Just then, a girl with short hair walked past the podium. Huang Cheng’s eyes lit up, and he lowered his voice to say to Wang Donglai, "Don't tell me you're dating Chen Mengni and you two made a pact to go to the same school?"

The girl walking past the podium was about 1.6 meters tall with a round face and delicate features. While not a great beauty, she was certainly attractive in a modest, girl-next-door kind of way.

As a liberal arts class, there were many girls, and there were indeed a few beauties among them.

Hearing Huang Cheng’s words, Wang Donglai looked up, but after just one glance, he withdrew his gaze.

To be honest, for most of his classmates, Wang Donglai had lost touch after entering college in his previous life; he had almost never contacted them again.

The only news he ever got was through WeChat Moments.

However, he did know a bit about Chen Mengni’s situation because, in his previous life, he had a bit of a crush on her. He just never said it until graduation, and after starting college, he let it go.

They were friends on QQ and WeChat, so he had seen updates on her life.

Chen Mengni had attended a vocational school in another province, returned to Anshui County after graduation, spent two or three years studying at home, and eventually got into a public institution in a township under the county. After working for a year or so, she was transferred to the county office.

Examples like this were not rare; some went to hospitals, some to schools, some to banks, and others to local state-owned enterprises.

As Chen Mengni’s information flashed through his mind, Wang Donglai looked at Huang Cheng seriously and said, "Don't talk nonsense. I only want to focus on my studies now. Unless it's something important, don't disturb me!"

Huang Cheng hadn't expected Wang Donglai to say that. For a moment, he felt a bit embarrassed, his expression turning slightly ugly. Without another word, he turned and left the classroom.

Wang Donglai had long anticipated Huang Cheng’s petty reaction and could see it clearly, but he didn't care.

Because in his previous life, he had already seen through it all.

Most of the classmates in this room weren't worth the effort he was putting in now.

During his second and third years of high school in his previous life, the fifty-six people in the class were like loose sand, with absolutely no class cohesion.

After graduation, they never contacted each other again. Later on, if they met on the street, some would even pretend not to know him and turn their heads away.

Having been given a second chance, Wang Donglai naturally wouldn't waste his energy on such things.

Sitting at his desk, he read for another half hour before finally getting up to head to the cafeteria.

On the way, Wang Donglai was busy calculating his progress in gaining experience points.

Throughout the morning, the total reading experience he had gained was only 87 points.

He was still a long way from leveling up.

Faced with such a situation, how could he possibly have time to bother with girls?

Romance? Not even a dog would bother with that!

Big bosses, throw a vote my way...

(End of chapter)