Chapter 27: You Call This Just Okay?

Because of Xu Ming’s score, the other students in the class lost interest in the subsequent rankings. As Wang Qingtao continued to read out the results, the room was filled with whispers and discussions.

Qian Hong suddenly turned his head to look at Xu Ming, his eyes wide, and immediately questioned him, recalling Xu Ming’s earlier answer.

"Didn't you say you did okay on the other subjects?"

"I did do okay," Xu Ming nodded and said.

"A grade-level top score of over seven hundred points, and you call that 'okay'?" Qian Hong suddenly raised his voice, unable to describe his current mood.

As a deskmate, he was naturally happy for his good friend's improvement, especially since he had witnessed how hard Xu Ming had been working lately. However, despite knowing that Xu Ming was answering in all seriousness, he couldn't shake the urge to punch him. After taking a few deep breaths, he managed to calm himself down.

Soon after, Wang Qingtao finished reading the scores and rankings, then casually handed the grade sheet to the students in the front row.

"I’ll leave the score sheet in the classroom for you all to pass around. We'll go over this exam in class tomorrow."

With that, he didn't linger in the classroom. As if he had something urgent to attend to, he walked out in a hurry. If one were to lean out the window and look closely, they would see that the head teacher didn't head back to the office, but instead walked straight toward the honors class, a smile already tugging at the corners of his mouth, barely contained.

"Old Cui should be in his classroom right now," he muttered to himself, his pace quickening.

...

As the head teacher left, the classroom immediately became lively. Some students took the initiative to greet Xu Ming, offering congratulations while not forgetting to ask for the secret to his rapid score increase. Xu Ming did not turn them away, sharing some tips he had summarized during his review on how to quickly master knowledge points and theorems.

Li Wenhui, the class monitor, should have been maintaining order at this time, but he sat at his desk as if his soul had been drained, his body a mere shell, unable to muster any spirit or focus.

"Xu Ming is actually the top student in the entire grade? He surpassed Zhou Junhao?"

As he repeated this to himself, his mind drifted to Xu Ming’s previous final exam scores. He had improved by over a hundred points. Others might not understand, but as a senior in high school, he knew exactly how terrifying that kind of growth was. However, he wasn't about to be defeated. After gradually regulating his emotions, he began to analyze the reasons for Xu Ming's rapid progress.

"Can just working hard really have such a big effect?"

Recalling the recent period, Xu Ming was always the last one to return to the dormitory, and every morning when he woke up, he would see Xu Ming’s bed already empty. Based on diligence alone, he had to admit he was indeed inferior to Xu Ming. He had even been slacking off, relying on his own previous grades.

As this thought took hold, his gaze suddenly sharpened, as if he had made a decision.

After receiving the grade sheet, Xu Ming reviewed his scores in detail. He wasn't entirely satisfied with the ten points deducted from his English, nor with his comprehensive science score, which indicated that there were still areas he hadn't paid enough attention to during the exam.

"I need to spend more time reviewing."

After calculating this in his mind, he handed the grade sheet to Qian Hong beside him. For others, they might be very satisfied with this result, as it was enough to choose almost any university they were interested in. But his goals went far beyond that. At the very least, he wanted to be the top science student in the province, which meant he needed to increase his score by another twenty or thirty points to be safe. He hadn't forgotten his plan to fulfill his parents' wish and buy a house for the family in the county seat.

Just as he was pondering these things, Qian Hong’s voice reached his ears.

"Speaking of which, it was your influence that got me back on track recently. I didn't expect my scores to actually improve."

Indeed. After taking the grade sheet, Qian Hong quickly noticed that his total score had increased by nearly thirty points compared to the final exam. Although it wasn't a huge amount, it provided him with real positive feedback. People fear working without seeing results, but with Xu Ming as an example and his own progress, his motivation for future study would only increase. Even the others in the class would unconsciously look to Xu Ming as a benchmark.

Although Xu Ming didn't think too much about it, he was happy for Qian Hong; getting into an undergraduate program would be a good thing regardless.

Before long, the bell rang for the end of the period. Xu Ming, having already put the results behind him, prepared to immerse himself back into advanced algebra. As for his math test paper, he had already lent it to another classmate.

Just then, a familiar figure approached—Chen Lu, who rarely interacted with others in the class.

"Congratulations, Xu Ming."

Hearing this, Xu Ming looked up. Chen Lu was standing by his desk. Although her expression was calm, her hands, hanging by her pant legs, were tightly clenched, revealing her inner tension. Despite being surprised, he smiled the next second and thanked her graciously.

"Thank you."

Qian Hong, who had been listening to their conversation, suddenly interjected with a chuckle.

"Chen Lu, Xu Ming snatched the top spot in the class from you. Aren't you angry?"

"Why should I be angry? Xu Ming arrives in the classroom earlier than me every day. He worked so hard to get first place; it’s what he deserves." Chen Lu gave her answer without a moment's hesitation. It was precisely because of this that she had spent so long building up the courage to congratulate him.

After hearing Chen Lu’s words, Xu Ming didn't say anything, but he agreed in his heart. He could achieve today's results only because of his own hard work and diligent review.

In the blink of an eye, the honors class finished their self-study session. Perhaps because she had taken the initiative to talk to Xu Ming that night, Chen Lu hesitated slightly as she packed her things to return to the dormitory before calling out to him, mostly because they were the only two left in the classroom.

"Xu Ming... aren't you leaving yet?"

"I’m leaving right now," Xu Ming replied, his head still buried in his work.

Chen Lu nodded. "Then I'll head back first."

With that, she stood up and walked toward the door, leaving the door lock on the front desk as she had been instructed. Once Chen Lu was completely gone, Xu Ming finally looked up, stretched, and checked his status panel.

—
【Through diligent study, your [Mathematics] level has improved, gaining 5 experience points.】

"I wonder if I can raise my math level to level 2 before the college entrance exam."

He was quite satisfied with the day's achievements. After putting his things away, he turned off the lights, locked the door, and headed back to the dormitory to sleep.

However, as soon as he pushed open the dormitory door, Li Wenhui suddenly stood in front of him. Just as Xu Ming was looking at him with caution, he heard the other boy ask with sincere earnestness:

"Xu Ming, could you wake me up when you get up tomorrow morning?"

Waking someone up when he got up in the morning wasn't a problem, but coming from Li Wenhui, it felt strange. He was quite puzzled as to why the guy had suddenly had such a change of heart.

He looked him over carefully and said, "Are you sure you want me to wake you?"

At this moment, Qian Hong couldn't help himself. He looked over and kindly warned Li Wenhui:

"Class monitor, I think you should forget about it."

Others might not know what time Xu Ming got up every day, but he knew perfectly well—there was simply no possibility of replicating his schedule.