With Tan You's level of emotional intelligence, could she even understand that the other girl was showing off? So, sometimes, having low EQ has its perks. At least it keeps you from getting upset.
While Tan You was methodically carrying out her well-laid plans, the second-year junior high teachers were discussing the dark horse who had emerged in this month's exam. But the test papers hadn't been unsealed yet, so no one knew the student's name.
"I've looked closely, and so far, I haven't seen a higher Chinese score than hers," said the Class One Chinese teacher, pushing up his glasses. "It's just this handwriting... It really needs some work."
The English teacher spoke up as well. "Her English score is also very high. Some of the grammar and phrases she used are things we don't teach until the third year. And she used them very skillfully. When did a student like this pop up in the second year?"
After the Chinese and English teachers finished, they looked toward the math teacher. The math teacher looked up. "I don't know who it is either, but one paper left a very deep impression on me."
"This paper also used a lot of concepts from the third year, especially on the final, major questions. You could say her grasp of the fundamentals is decent, but it's clear this student's scientific way of thinking hasn't been fully developed. The moment she hits a difficult problem, she's completely lost."
The Chinese teacher went over and glanced at the handwriting. "It's this student. This handwriting really needs work."
Wang Lanfeng had also overheard the teachers' conversation. She leaned in to take a look, but when she saw the handwriting, she felt a flicker of doubt. 'Why does this handwriting look so familiar?'
The English teacher tallied the scores. "By this calculation, this student's exam results are excellent. She should be in the top ten of the grade. Her Chinese and English scores really pulled up her average."
The math teacher said wryly, "You can be a little bolder with your estimate. Her math score isn't that high, but this test was very difficult. The grade's average score was less than 80, and she got a 115."
"This is a true dark horse! Mr. Qin, can we see who this student is?" The English teacher was excited. To score 115 on such a difficult test... 'If her math scores improve later on, couldn't we start thinking about her being in the top five of the grade?'
Mr. Qin was curious too. Although it wasn't time to unseal the papers yet, there were ways to take a peek. After all, there were small gaps where the papers were stapled. Soon enough, he 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 shot to her feet. "Is it really Han Tingting?"
The Chinese and English teachers saw the name too. "It is her! I see she wrote Class Three. Teacher Wang, how come we've never heard you mention her before?"
Wang Lanfeng forced a smile. "Her grades are usually poor. For her to score so high this time, could there be a... possibility of cheating?"
The Chinese teacher found this funny. "Cheating? Who would she copy from? In her exam room, almost everyone is at the bottom of the grade. Who could she have copied?"
The English teacher shook the test paper. "If you ask me, it looks more like others copied from her. A few students in her exam room actually passed English."
The math teacher became very serious. "We can't just throw around the word 'cheating.' I wrote this test, and I can guarantee that I was the only one who knew its contents. 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 should definitely give them more attention."
Wang Lanfeng fell silent and said no more. The other teachers in the office exchanged a look before returning to tallying scores and analyzing the test papers.
Tan You, however, knew nothing of this. After dinner, she slung Han Tingting's backpack over her shoulder and went to the classroom. It wasn't even five-thirty yet, so there were only a few people there. Tan You was happy for the quiet, settling down at her seat to read and work on problems.
'There are some difficult problems I really don't understand. So, if the math teacher has time later, maybe I can go ask for her help?'
Sunday evening's study hall happened to be supervised by the math teacher. Teacher Shi was busy at the front of the room, tallying scores. She had overheard some of the talk in the office, but she still hadn't seen Han Tingting's paper herself.
So when she got the math papers for Class 3, she specifically pulled out Han Tingting's. Just as the head of the second-year math department had said, Han Tingting had a good grasp of the fundamentals; she had earned all the points that were within her reach.
But her thinking was indeed not flexible enough. If a problem was altered even slightly, she didn't know how to solve it. After carefully examining the paper, the math teacher got a good sense of Han Tingting's current level.
In short, she simply hadn't done enough practice problems; her exposure was too limited. Many students were naturally adept at the sciences, but for those who were a bit slow on the uptake, the only way was through brute-force practice.
As long as she did enough problems, her math score would eventually improve. Thinking this, the math teacher glanced in Han Tingting's direction. She was staring down at her desk with an expression of deep-seated agony.
Teacher Shi smiled to herself. She was almost done analyzing the tests anyway, so she decided to get up and walk around. Strolling casually over to Tan You's side, she saw her staring at a math problem, looking utterly conflicted.
There happened to be an empty stool next to Tan You, so Teacher Shi sat down beside her. After she explained a couple of things, she saw the furrow in Tan You's brow relax.
Teacher Shi was pleased. 'See? She's not really slow on the uptake. She's quite clever, isn't she?' She casually patted Tan You's head and smiled. "Keep it up. I have high hopes for you."
Stunned by Teacher Shi's gesture, Tan You froze for a moment, then her eyes curved into a smile. She had never been so close to a teacher before. From that moment on, Tan You swore that she would study the sciences with all her might. She would absolutely, positively not let Teacher Shi's high hopes be in vain.
During the second period of evening study hall, Teacher Shi began going over the math test. She didn't have a habit of announcing scores. Even underachieving students had their dignity, and Teacher Shi would never do that.
That was why even the underachievers, who were usually as mischievous as little monkeys, were all very fond of Teacher Shi. Even if they couldn't take in a single word, they would still sit quietly in their seats, making sure not to disrupt the class.
Tan You got her test paper back as well. When she saw the score of 115, she was a little surprised. 'I remember the math test being so hard,' she thought. 'How did I score so well?'
That's right. Tan You, who had spent years hovering around the passing line, had pulled off a miracle this time, exceeding the passing score by 25 points. She didn't have a showy personality, so she covered the score after seeing it.
Looking at Teacher Shi's comments on the test paper, Tan You smiled faintly. The panic she had felt since arriving in this world suddenly vanished like smoke. As long as she worked hard, she could definitely set Han Tingting on a completely different path from her previous life.
Sunday was still calm and peaceful, but after Monday morning passed, Han Tingting's name became known throughout the entire grade for the first time. It wasn't just because she had placed first in the grade for both Chinese and English on the monthly exam, but more importantly, because she had become a role model for underachieving students.