Wen Ying’s academic success was the reason she could be so carefree.
For a student, a minor, boasting about earnings or achievements held no weight with parents. Wen Ying’s ability to communicate with her parents wasn’t built on the money she made running “Shrimp King” or the books she sold, but on her steadily improving grades. In Chen Ru’s eyes, this was staying true to her role as a student.
With good grades, she could talk about hobbies and interests. That was Chen Ru’s logic.
Failing grades while talking about multi-field development? That was nonsense.
Chen Ru’s logic, simple yet powerful, was shared by most parents.
To maintain Wen Ying’s “good grades” advantage, Xie Qian thoughtfully prepared two exercise books for her.
“Science is still your weak spot. No shortcuts, just practice with problems.”
“…”
Fine, Xie Qian was right. Without practice, she couldn’t identify her gaps.
But Xie Qian’s swift, practiced motion of pulling out exercise books was too much.
Wen Ying accepted them reluctantly, unaware that Peng Guoji was green with envy.
Though Peng Guoji shamelessly joined their group, showing up at Xie Qian’s house every weekend, he’d never received a personalized study plan from Xie Qian.
Xie Qian tutored Wen Ying and two others, and Peng Guoji could listen in.
He could look at and photocopy the test papers and exercise books Xie Qian gave them.
But listening and copying were useless. Wen Ying and the others had their own progress, and Peng Guoji couldn’t keep up with any of them.
He was a true academic failure.
His foundation was worse than Wang Shuang’s had been.
Wang Shuang at least had some junior high knowledge. Peng Guoji hadn’t even grasped that.
Freeloading on lessons was futile. School was like hearing gibberish, and tutoring sessions were the same. With the college entrance exam looming, Peng Guoji hadn’t even touched the basics of learning. No matter how gifted, time was running out.
Facing such a failure, Wang Shuang never missed a chance to mock Peng Guoji, who fired back without hesitation. The two bickered constantly, neither yielding.
As Li Mengjiao put it, studying was exhausting, but with Wang Shuang and Peng Guoji around, you got free “monkey show” entertainment.
Of course, neither admitted to being the monkey, and to prove the other was, they’d spark another fight.
Wen Ying quietly asked Xie Qian if he’d help Peng Guoji. Xie Qian shook his head slightly.
“Not yet.”
So he would help eventually?
Though Xie Qian didn’t say what would make the timing right, Wen Ying could guess his thinking.
Peng Guoji, with access to unmatched learning resources, still flopped because it wasn’t about intelligence—it was that he didn’t want to learn.
Self-indulgence.
Terrible self-control.
That was Xie Qian’s assessment.
Peng Guoji claimed he’d turn over a new leaf and study hard, but Xie Qian took it lightly.
Was it just a fleeting whim?
Even if not, Peng Guoji’s habit of waiting to be spoon-fed, not changing himself, was something Xie Qian disdained.
Wang Shuang, despite a weak foundation, had hired tutors during breaks, showing initiative, even if less effective than Xie Qian’s help.
When would Peng Guoji figure it out? Would he make it for the college entrance exam? This year’s was out of reach, so Peng Guoji wasn’t in a rush, and Xie Qian was even less so.
Unaware of Xie Qian’s thoughts, Peng Guoji felt slighted by his coldness, nursing a small grievance.
He couldn’t vent to Wang Shuang, who’d only mock him.
His dad was indifferent.
His mom sent money twice but was off burning incense in the south.
His friends, like Tai Wu, were still mad about his secret transfer to Rongcheng, speaking sarcastically. Prideful, Peng Guoji claimed he was doing fine, unable to share his struggles.
After much thought, only Xie Tang seemed approachable.
They shared a secret, after all.
After pouring out his woes to Xie Tang, she was speechless. “If Xie Qian won’t teach you, you don’t study? Your family can afford tutors. Get someone to build your foundation, then ask Xie Qian about problems. Would he chase you away?”
Xie Tang was sure Peng Guoji would be clueless with any test paper.
No starting point, no knowledge, no teacher, not even a deity, could help.
From her understanding of Xie Qian, he wouldn’t bother with Peng Guoji.
Peng Guoji took Xie Tang’s advice and hired a tutor.
This time, he was smarter. After sizing up Xie Qian’s group, he asked Wen Ying for help finding a reliable tutor.
Wen Ying blinked.
Green Hair was finally getting it.
Thinking it over, besides Xie Qian, the tutors Wen Ying knew post-rebirth were the three Chen Li arranged through Lin Lin after the high school entrance exam. So, Wen Ying recommended Teacher Liang to Peng Guoji, stressing he must respect the tutor. If he drove them away, she wouldn’t help again.
Peng Guoji wouldn’t dare.
Wen Ying was the kindest in the group. If she gave up, he’d be out of options.
Teacher Liang, a math teacher at the provincial key school and Lin Lin’s colleague, checked Peng Guoji’s monthly exam results and darkened. “How did he get into a key school?”
Wen Ying, chuckling, smoothed things over. “Does how he got in matter? He’s here now. With grades like that, if you ignore him, he’ll drag down our school’s admission rate.”
Exactly!
Teacher Liang’s blood pressure spiked.
He couldn’t let such a failure tank the school’s admission rate.
Wen Ying had misled him.
When tutoring her after the entrance exam, Liang thought she was a hopeless case. Yet, in high school, her grades climbed steadily, now hovering just outside the top hundred—a remarkable transformation.
Liang thought he’d saved a failure.
He didn’t know Xie Qian’s immense effort and Wen Ying’s hard work were key.
So, starting with Peng Guoji, after gauging his level, Liang’s head buzzed. Looking at the meek, obedient Peng Guoji, he blurted, “You lost your memory too?”
“…?!”
Peng Guoji, nervous, asked, “Do you think I need to lose my memory?”
Wen Ying had said to respect the teacher, and Peng Guoji swore he would.
What now? Did the teacher want him to lose a billion?
Maybe it was Liang’s secret technique, like in martial arts novels where you forget old skills to learn new ones. No wonder it was Xie Qian’s chosen school—so impressive.
Peng Guoji’s nervousness turned to resolve. “Yes, I lost my memory. I forgot everything I learned. I’m a new me now.”
Teacher Liang nearly spat blood.
“Lost your memory, my foot. You never learned anything to begin with!”
