Chapter 8: Tingting 6

With Tan You’s emotional intelligence, could she even understand the girl’s showing off? So, sometimes, having low emotional intelligence has its benefits; at the very least, it keeps you from getting upset.

While Tan You was methodically completing the plan she had set for herself, the eighth-grade teachers were also discussing the dark horse that had emerged in this month’s exam. However, the test papers hadn't been unsealed yet, so no one knew the specific name.

"I’ve looked carefully, and so far, I haven't seen anyone with a higher Chinese score than her," the Class 1 Chinese teacher said, pushing up their glasses. "It’s just this handwriting; it really needs some serious practice."

The English teacher spoke up as well: "The English score is also very high. There are some grammatical phrases that aren't usually learned until the ninth grade. And they were used very cleverly. When did such a person appear in the eighth grade?"

After the Chinese and English teachers finished, they looked at the math teacher. The math teacher looked up: "I don't know who it is either, but there is one paper that left a deep impression on me."

"This paper also used a lot of ninth-grade knowledge points, especially in the final long-answer questions. You could say her foundation is decent, but you can tell that this student’s scientific thinking hasn't been fully established yet. As soon as she hits a difficult problem, she’s lost."

The Chinese teacher walked over to look at the handwriting: "It’s this student. This handwriting really does need to be practiced."

Wang Lanfeng also heard the teachers' conversation and leaned in to take a look. However, when she saw the handwriting, she felt a bit puzzled. Why did this writing look so familiar?

The English teacher calculated the score: "By this count, this student’s exam results are very good. She should be in the top ten of the grade, mainly because the Chinese and English scores pulled her up."

The math teacher said softly, "You can be a bit bolder. Although her math score isn't high, this paper was very difficult. The grade average was less than 80, and she scored 115."

"This is an absolute dark horse! Teacher Qin, can we see who this student is?" the English teacher asked excitedly. If she could score 115 on such a difficult paper, if her math scores improved later, could she even aim for the top five in the grade?

Teacher Qin was also curious. Although it wasn't time to unseal the papers yet, there were ways to check. After all, there were gaps between the bound test papers, so he quickly saw the student's name.

"Han Tingting? It’s a girl’s name. Why haven't I heard this name before?"

Wang Lanfeng had a huge reaction. She stood up abruptly: "Is it really Han Tingting?"

The Chinese and English teachers also saw the name: "It’s her! I see she wrote Class 3. Teacher Wang, why haven't you mentioned her before?"

Wang Lanfeng forced a smile: "Her grades are usually poor. You say she scored so high this time, could there be... a possibility of cheating?"

The Chinese teacher found it amusing: "Cheating? Who would she copy from? In that exam hall, almost everyone is at the bottom of the grade. Who would she copy?"

The English teacher shook the paper: "I think others were copying her. Several students in that exam hall actually passed their English tests."

The math teacher was very serious: "The word 'cheating' shouldn't be used lightly. I wrote this paper, and I can guarantee that only I knew about it. If anything, these underachieving students have a lot of room for improvement. As long as they don't give up on themselves, we as teachers must certainly take care of them."

Wang Lanfeng fell silent. She didn't say anything more. The teachers in the office exchanged glances and went back to calculating scores and analyzing the papers.

Tan You knew nothing of this. After dinner, she carried Han Tingting’s schoolbag to the classroom. It wasn't even 5:30 yet, and there were few people in the classroom. Tan You enjoyed the quiet, sitting at her desk reading and doing problems.

There were some difficult problems she truly didn't understand, so if the math teacher had time later, could she go and ask for guidance?

Sunday happened to be the math teacher’s evening study session. The teacher was busy at the podium calculating scores. She had overheard a bit in the office, but she hadn't seen Han Tingting’s paper yet.

Therefore, when she received the Class 3 math papers, she specifically pulled out Han Tingting’s. Just as the eighth-grade math head had said, Han Tingting’s foundation was very solid; she had secured all the points she was capable of getting.

But her thinking was indeed not flexible enough. For some problems, if they were slightly modified, she didn't know what to do. After carefully reviewing the paper, the math teacher grasped Han Tingting’s current level.

In short, she had done too few problems, and her perspective wasn't broad enough. Many students were indeed adept at science, but for those who were a bit dull, they could only rely on the "sea of problems" tactic.

As long as she did enough problems, her math score would eventually go up. Thinking of this, the math teacher glanced in Han Tingting’s direction. She was looking down, her face full of frustration.

Teacher Shi smiled to herself. Since the paper analysis was almost done, she decided to walk around. She walked over to Tan You as if casually and saw her staring at the math problem in front of her, looking completely conflicted.

There happened to be an empty stool next to Tan You, so Teacher Shi sat down beside her. After saying a few words, she saw Tan You’s brow relax.

Teacher Shi felt gratified. It seemed she wasn't truly dull; wasn't she quite smart? Reaching out to pat Tan You’s hair, Teacher Shi smiled: "Keep it up. I have high hopes for you."

Stunned by Teacher Shi’s gesture, Tan You froze, then her eyes curved into crescents. She had never been this close to a teacher before. From this moment on, Tan You vowed that she would study science well and absolutely, definitely not let Teacher Shi’s expectations go to waste.

During the second evening study session, Teacher Shi began to go over the math paper. She didn't have the habit of announcing scores; even underachieving students had their dignity, and Teacher Shi would never do such a thing.

Therefore, even the mischievous underachievers liked Teacher Shi very much. Even if they couldn't take in the lesson, they would sit quietly at their desks, never disrupting the classroom atmosphere.

Tan You also received her paper. Seeing the score of 115, she was a bit surprised. She remembered the math test being so difficult; how did she score so well?

Yes, Tan You, who had hovered around the passing line for years, had launched a satellite this time, exceeding the passing line by 25 points. She wasn't a flashy person, so she covered the score after seeing it.

Looking at Teacher Shi’s notes on the paper, Tan You smiled slightly. The panic she felt after arriving in this world suddenly vanished. As long as she worked hard, she would definitely be able to lead Han Tingting down a path completely different from her previous life.

Sunday was still calm, but after Monday morning passed, Han Tingting’s name was known to the entire grade for the first time. It wasn't just because she was first in the grade for both Chinese and English in this month’s exam; more importantly, she had become a model for the underachievers.

Thank you to my friends for the recommendation votes, thank you everyone!

(End of chapter)