Chapter 20: Tingting 18

Tan You had just gone through the High School Entrance Examination, so she remembered almost everything from the second semester of her eighth-grade year. After going through the textbooks once, she began working on the exercises at the end of each chapter.

While she was immersed in a sea of problems, she didn't even notice her roommate leaving. If the landlady hadn't come up to call her for dinner, Tan You probably would have kept grinding through problems indefinitely.

The landlady patted Tan You on the shoulder. "So serious just as the semester starts? No matter how hard you study, you have to look after your health. I've set aside a separate portion of your dinner over here. Don't worry, I gave you extra rice."

Tan You snapped back to reality. "Thank you, Auntie. I've been feeling especially hungry lately."

"That's for sure. Studying takes a lot of brainpower; if you don't eat enough, your brain won't even turn." The landlady felt that Tan You was very easy to feed—she ate a lot of rice but very little side dishes, and could get full just by mixing rice with gravy. She wasn't like those other girls who ate such tiny amounts and were so picky.

How could anyone have the strength to study without eating their fill?

As she walked downstairs, Tan You was a bit dazed. "Is everyone gone?"

"Isn't it? You're the only one studying upstairs." Carrying the food over to Tan You, the landlady said with a smile, "Eat up quickly. Once you're done, head straight to the classroom, or you'll be late."

"Being late on the first day of school isn't good."

With the landlady's reminder, Tan You finally stepped into the classroom at the very last second. Fortunately, the headteacher hadn't arrived yet, so Tan You avoided gaining a reputation for being late right at the start of the term.

Exams were held at the beginning of every semester to help students settle their minds and prevent them from becoming completely slack after a month of playing during winter break. Generally speaking, the difficulty of the first exam of the semester would be increased.

It was meant to be a wake-up call to help students quickly refocus their minds on their studies.

But even as the difficulty rose, Tan You's grades remained incredibly stable. Ever since she ranked first before the New Year, she had never once slipped from the top position in any exam.

Everyone felt somewhat hopeless regarding her grades. Her Chinese and English were consistently stable. Although there were occasional fluctuations in Math and Physics, they were always trending in a positive direction.

A month into the semester, it was time for the first monthly exam. That day, when Tan You went to the office to hand in her homework, Teacher Qin "dangled a carrot" in front of her again: "Teacher Shi officially returned to teach the eleventh grade yesterday."

Tan You's eyes lit up, and she felt an urge to run toward the high school department. Teacher Qin pulled her back. "Stay put right here. Do you think anyone can just walk into the high school teaching building?"

Tan You felt discouraged, but seeing Teacher Qin's expression, she knew he was saying that on purpose. She smiled at him. "Teacher, I want to go see Teacher Shi."

Seeing his usually silent and expressionless star pupil smiling so pleasantly at him, Teacher Qin felt exceptionally gratified. "You may."

Tan You was suspicious. Was it really that simple?

Sure enough, the condition arrived in the next second: "It depends on your performance in the monthly exam. This time, it's a joint exam among several schools in the city. I remember you ranked ninth in the whole city last semester. My requirements aren't high; just move up one rank."

Tan You pursed her lips and agreed without hesitation. "I will definitely work hard to do it!"

Without Teacher Qin leading the way, how could she easily get to the high school department? The gates to the high school department were closed most of the time, and everyone had to register to enter or exit. Moreover, Tan You wanted Teacher Shi to know that her grades were doing well now, proving that Teacher Shi's teaching had not been in vain.

The other teachers watched as Teacher Qin "dangled carrots and pumped Han Tingting with adrenaline." Once Han Tingting left the office, the Chinese teacher from the neighboring class laughed, "Teacher Qin really knows how to motivate her. Look how excited Han Tingting got."

"There's going to be a good show during this exam."

"Expecting her to move up another rank—isn't that a bit too high a demand?"

Teacher Qin remained composed. "A student like Han Tingting needs guidance. It seems Teacher Shi returning to the high school department is a good thing. With her there to set the pace, why should we worry about Han Tingting not making progress?"

The Politics teacher joked, "You're describing Teacher Shi like she's a carrot hanging in front of a donkey's nose."

The office erupted in laughter; clearly, the metaphor was quite apt.

Teacher Qin added, "This student is stubborn and has her own fixed ideas, but stubbornness has its benefits. Once you find the right way to handle her, you'll get exactly what you want."

With Teacher Qin's words motivating her, Tan You was indeed exceptionally diligent during the subsequent monthly exam. In the past, she rarely checked her work after finishing a paper, but this time, she reviewed it carefully three times to ensure she secured every possible point.

Effort indeed yielded results. When the monthly exam results came out, all the teachers were excited.

"Teacher Qin really has his ways. I didn't expect Han Tingting to make such great progress this time; she's ranked third in the whole city!"

The Math teacher from the neighboring class felt a bit jealous. "Why isn't Han Tingting my student? I could do what Teacher Qin does too."

Teacher Qin was very proud. "That's because I have a keen eye. I knew back then that Han Tingting had potential. Look at how much she's changed now? A model student—self-disciplined and hardworking. Although her scientific reasoning is a bit weak, she's willing to put in the work."

The Politics teacher remarked, "I think she'll find it easier if she pursues liberal arts in the future. High school science is very difficult."

"That's not necessarily true. Teacher Shi is a Math teacher for the science stream." A teacher suddenly laughed. "I wonder, when it comes to choosing subjects in the tenth grade, will Han Tingting choose liberal arts or science?"

"I think there's a high probability she'll choose science, since Teacher Shi will be there."

Teacher Qin smiled. "Who can say for sure about the future? Now that Han Tingting has arrived, I must fulfill my promise. Since it's lunch break, I'll take her for a walk in the high school department."

Tan You had come to inquire about her grades, and she had already decided: if she hadn't met the target, she would... she would just work harder next time, but even if she had to be a bit shameless, she would make Teacher Qin take her.

But before she even entered the office, she saw Teacher Qin coming out. He was holding a grade report in his hand. Tan You's heart suddenly skipped a beat. "Teacher Qin?"

Teacher Qin rolled up the grade report and tapped Tan You on the head with it. "I am a man of my word. Let's go. Today is Teacher Shi's lunch break for the science classes; I'll take you to see her."

Tan You was so happy she felt like she might faint. She became uncharacteristically talkative. "Really? Can I really go see Teacher Shi? Teacher Qin, hurry up..."

Listening to Han Tingting's voice gradually fade away, the teachers in the office exchanged glances, clearly in high spirits. Wang Lanfeng's feelings were complicated; even though she was the headteacher, Han Tingting's heart was set entirely on the Math teacher who had already returned to the high school department.

The psychological gap was indeed quite large.

"I've never seen Han Tingting so lively." The English teacher smiled. "She's usually so introverted."