Chapter 9: Tingting 7

Of course, Tan You wasn't so heaven-defying as to jump to first place in the class immediately; she placed fourth in the grade, missing third place by only one point. Naturally, some questioned these results, but no one could produce any concrete evidence.

In the very examination hall where Tan You took her test, everyone else was at the bottom of the class—who could she have possibly cheated from?

Tan You had become famous throughout the grade, but things were a bit awkward for her in Class 3. First and foremost was the former math group leader, Wang Hong, who was not only the group leader but also the math class representative.

Yet, this time in math, she had actually scored lower than Han Tingting. Could she let that slide? A poor student who constantly copied homework had actually performed better than her on this monthly exam; Wang Hong was certainly unconvinced.

In their student days, even if one was unconvinced, they would only work harder in secret, not knowing how to resort to petty tricks. Tan You’s monthly exam results had truly stung Wang Hong, and the student who was already hardworking became even more diligent.

Except for going to the restroom after class, she spent almost all her time at her desk, thinking only of washing away her shame during the final exams.

Tan You had no idea she had become Wang Hong’s rival; she continued studying at her own steady pace. Perhaps it was because she had studied this material once before, or perhaps she was gradually becoming enlightened, but Tan You’s math grades were steadily improving.

By the time of the next weekly quiz, Tan You was already able to score 120 out of 150 in math. Tan You herself was somewhat dissatisfied with this score. She was a competitive person, and during one's student years, grades were the most important thing.

Just as she loved Chinese and English and wanted to be the best in those two subjects, now that her math grades were gradually improving, Tan You hoped to be the best in that as well.

Nowadays, many people were paying attention to Tan You; she was a true, textbook example of a late bloomer.

The head of the math department was pleased: "I’ve said it before, the graduation rate isn't as important as the students themselves. Even if their grades are poor, as teachers, we shouldn't be the first to give up on them."

A Chinese teacher from the neighboring class also smiled: "During the stage of compulsory education, we must ensure they complete it regardless of anything else. As teachers, we cannot deprive others of their right to education."

Both teachers were speaking with hidden meanings. The rest of the teachers in the office fell silent, but their gazes drifted involuntarily toward Wang Lanfeng.

Wang Lanfeng gripped her fountain pen tightly, remaining silent. She knew she couldn't hide her thoughts from these colleagues she spent every day with, and she hadn't expected Han Tingting to have such a massive transformation.

She had clearly been very unremarkable before, always a tail-ender. Yet, in just two short weeks, she had staged a comeback from the bottom to the top five in the grade.

If you were going to be like this, why not do it sooner? Could it be that you were just pretending all along?

Tan You didn't care what Wang Lanfeng thought. As her grades stabilized, Tan You was confident she could help Han Tingting finish middle school smoothly.

As for high school... Tan You shook her head; she would deal with the future when it came. As long as her grades were excellent enough, schools would take the initiative to want her.

As for Han Tingting’s biological parents, Tan You didn't count on them at all. Comparing them, Tan You was once again convinced that compared to Han Tingting’s parents, her own parents had done quite well.

At the very least, they worked hard to earn money to support her education and never let her drop out. Of course, this didn't cover up their other flaws, but those were two different matters.

Putting these thoughts aside, Tan You buried her head in her studies again. She was someone who could settle her mind very easily; even if the dormitory was noisy, it didn't affect her in the slightest.

She was currently sitting on a small stool, hunched over her mattress, working on exercises. She put almost all her focus into math and physics. The mere thought that there would be chemistry in the third year gave Tan You a headache.

But thinking of the Beauty System, Tan You had to pull herself together. What she wanted most was Intelligence points. By the way, how many Intelligence points would she get for this task?

There were two other third-year girls studying with Tan You. Third-year students didn't finish evening self-study until ten o'clock. When they returned, Tan You was still doing homework, and they had heard of Tan You’s name.

Therefore, after returning from evening self-study, they gathered with Tan You to study. Those who attended this middle school were basically village students. They all understood the importance of the high school entrance exam, and everyone studied until around twelve o'clock at night.

Tan You was the same, so after the three of them sat together to study once, they gathered every night thereafter.

"Tingting, help me look at this problem. I’ve thought about it for a long time and still can't figure it out..." Just as Tan You put down her pen, a girl to her right nudged her elbow.

Tan You was just about to speak when a girl suddenly said impatiently, "So annoying, are you going to let people sleep or not?"

The girl to Tan You’s left was about to open her mouth, but Tan You pulled her back: "Let’s go downstairs; other classmates need to sleep."

The girls all lived on the second floor, and the first floor was where they ate. The dining tables were usually kept clean, and if they stayed downstairs, they wouldn't disturb the other students.

Zhou Wen and Cao Xia didn't say much; they packed up their homework and carried their schoolbags downstairs. The landlady of the shop was about to go back to her room to sleep, and she couldn't help but be surprised when she saw the three girls come down.

"You aren't allowed out at night," she said with a scowl, but when she saw Tan You, she smiled: "Tingting, where are you going?"

Tan You hugged her schoolbag, looking very well-behaved: "We’re going downstairs to do our test papers; everyone upstairs is sleeping. Auntie, we’ll turn off the lights when we’re done."

The landlady was in a particularly good mood when she saw Tan You. "How much electricity can you use in an hour or two? Wait here, I’ll get you a desk lamp; the living room light isn't bright enough."

After the landlady brought the desk lamp, she went to the front room to sleep. The three girls sat under the lamp doing their homework, discussing things from time to time, their voices kept extremely low for fear of disturbing others.

The landlady yawned as she went to the front room. Her husband was also preparing to sleep and was surprised to see her come in: "Wasn't it just to turn off the lights? Why were you gone so long?"

"Tingting and those two third-year girls are doing homework on the first floor, so I found a desk lamp for them," the landlady said softly after lying down under the covers.

Her husband was surprised: "I see you really like Han Tingting. I’ve never seen you be this good to those other girls before."

"I do like her," the landlady didn't deny it. "She’s a very good girl, and she’s observant. When I’m busy, she helps out. She doesn't talk much, but she’s very polite."

"Life at home is a bit bitter, but she’s motivated, and now her grades are good too. In the future, this girl will definitely turn out well."

Her husband smiled: "Good, I know you’re a good judge of character. Go to sleep early; we have to get up early to make breakfast tomorrow."

New book, please add to your library, please recommend!!!

(End of chapter)