A girl raised her hand. "Because you're handsome, of course?"
Ye Chen smiled. "True, I am handsome, but that's not the main reason."
He went on. "Looks are just the entry ticket; the real trump card is my grades."
"Think about it—when my marks were lousy, wasn't I still a single dog?"
At that, every eye in class turned toward Gao Qian.
Gao Qian's head drooped, green with regret.
She'd been blind; she'd let a treasure of a boy slip away.
The class remembered—yes, that was exactly how it had been.
Back then Ye Chen had chased Gao Qian, and she hadn't even given him the time of day.
Now he was someone she couldn't reach.
Put like that, it sounded pretty convincing.
"So," Ye Chen continued, "study hard and you'll get into a good University. The better the University, the more gorgeous girls—right?"
Heads nodded all over the room.
It was true: the more prestigious the school, the more beauties on campus.
"And that's not all. A top uni lands you a great job. 'In books there are beauties and golden houses.' Hit the books and—well—money and girls… ahem, career and love will both welcome you with open arms."
Teacher Wang was delighted with Ye Chen's Pep Talk.
As a teacher he couldn't preach like that himself.
But Ye Chen could.
And judging by the yearning in the students' eyes, the Pep Talk had gone down a treat.
Especially now—every pupil's gaze burned with fight.
Many were even a bit moved.
"So Ye Chen's motivational speech was all for us."
"He's bending over backwards for us, and we still accuse him of PDA."
A wave of guilt washed over the class.
"All right, sermon over—back to the lesson. Oh, and forget about Li Sitong and Xia Yingluo; girlfriends this perfect are one-of-a-kind. They're mine alone."
The students, who'd been floating on inspiration, snapped awake.
"Pah—pretty words, but you're still flaunting your love life."
Even so, Ye Chen's teaching was superb.
Apart from constantly calling on Li Sitong and Xia Yingluo and scattering dog-food, the class was flawless.
In the corner, Teacher Wang listened intently.
The students heard the content; he studied the delivery.
Ye Chen's grasp of the problems was profound—he always found a shortcut to pull the class in.
A knotty question, once he'd explained it, became crystal clear.
The same topic might leave them baffled, but after Ye Chen's version they got it at once.
That was the gap.
The class even felt his lessons were exhilarating, never dull.
With Li Sitong and Xia Yingluo acting as Living Props, every minute was gold—far better than Teacher Wang's own classes.
Wang Chao, notebook in hand, jotted down every brilliant point Ye Chen made.
Listening to Ye Chen was a learning experience for him too.
He planned to review every technique once he got home.
Master those tricks and, once Ye Chen graduated, he'd crush that Jerk Chen Tao.
From then on he'd be Jiangzhou Middle School's top math teacher.
"Excellent Class Adviser"? He scoffed at the title now.
Wang Chao's sights were set higher: Grade-Level Head of the Teaching and Research Group.
He already pictured Chen Tao bowing and scraping and the principal all deference before him.
For a moment Wang Chao felt himself floating.
"Teacher Wang, you're taking notes too?"
The voice shattered his daydream.
He turned—Sun Tao was eyeing his notebook.
Normally Sun Tao would tremble if Teacher Wang stood beside him.
But Wang hadn't even glanced at him; the teacher's eyes had been glued to Ye Chen.
His concentration on the lecture had outdone any student's.
Not only listening, Wang Chao had been scribbling notes the whole time.
Whenever Ye Chen hit a highlight, an enigmatic smile flickered across Wang's face.
Wang Chao frowned. "I'm logging where Ye Chen slips up and needs correction."
"Oh…" Sun Tao still looked sceptical.
If it was wrong, why did the teacher look so happy?
Being caught red-handed, Wang Chao felt his face burn.
He glared at Sun Tao. "Did you grasp the point Ye Chen just made? I'll question you in a minute—if you can't answer, watch how I deal with you."
Sun Tao: "Sure this isn't revenge for me discovering your secret?"
The forty-minute period ended in the blink of an eye.
The class still wanted more.
Wang Chao hauled the meddlesome Sun Tao up first.
"Explain this problem."
Sun Tao: "…"
That was one swift payback!
…Wang Chao questioned several students in a row—and every answer was correct, even from some usual stragglers. His respect for Ye Chen's teaching soared. After school Xia Yingluo packed her bag.
Ye Chen walked over.
"Yingluo, what's bothering you today?"
Xia Yingluo shook her head. "I'm fine."
Ye Chen frowned. "Really nothing?"
She shook her head again. "Really nothing."
Ye Chen felt she was hiding something.
He messaged Song Yuyu.
"Did anything happen to Yingluo at the Orphanage?"
Song Yuyu replied: "Yingluo's okay, but the Orphanage has a problem. Our long-time sponsor just pulled out because of money trouble."
Now Ye Chen understood her gloom.
Xia Yingluo regarded the Orphanage as her home.
Government Funds were limited; the sponsor had been the lifeline.
The kids made little desserts for the company and earned pocket money.
Many saved that cash for school fees.
Yingluo had already saved enough for University, but what about the other orphans?
Once he saw the situation, Ye Chen's eyes lit up.
Here was another chance to Fleece the System.
He could open a food shop and invest in the Orphanage.
Losses didn't matter—ten-fold rebate from the system. Lose money, reinvest, and keep the rebates rolling.
Perfect!