Chapter 36: Chapter 35: Be Good, and Do Your Problems.

Perhaps to her classmates, the idea that Xi Zirong might have a crush on her was huge news, but Xu Su herself didn’t think it was anything special.

With a blank expression, Xu Su walked back to her seat. She didn’t sit down. Instead, she rummaged through her desk cubby for the math worksheet from that morning, grabbed a pen, and went over to Huang Feng’s desk to work on it. Huang Feng’s deskmate was a boarding student who went back to the dorm to rest after lunch.

Xu Su only returned to her own seat when Huang Feng’s deskmate came back.

There was still about an hour before the afternoon classes started, but the classroom was already almost full.

Xu Su was working on the last long-form problem on the first worksheet when Chen Huiyu, her deskmate, suddenly handed a worksheet over to her.

“Susu, can you help me with this problem? I’m stuck.”

Xu Su took it. It was a worksheet she hadn’t started yet.

After reading the problem carefully, Xu Su frowned. She hesitantly pulled out some scratch paper and tentatively started to work through the calculations.

A little while later…

And a little while after that…

She put down her pen in frustration and looked at the expectant Chen Huiyu. “I’m not quite sure how to solve it either. Let me think about it for a bit.”

’This isn’t an actual exam, just a practice worksheet they handed out. Did Teacher Wu really have to be this ruthless? Making a problem this difficult!’

The thought that her teacher had said the midterms would be based on these four worksheets made it all the more crucial to master every single problem.

“Which one?” Xi Zirong’s voice came from behind her.

Xu Su stiffened but didn’t turn around.

Chen Huiyu, however, excitedly handed the worksheet over to him. “It’s the proof problem at the end. Hey, Academic Ace, could you write out the steps for us?”

The person behind them didn’t say anything, presumably nodding in response.

The classroom was quiet, and Xu Su could hear the constant scratching of a pen on paper. It wasn’t long before a piece of scratch paper, densely covered in writing, was handed to them.

“There are three different methods. I wrote out the steps for all of them.”

Xu Su refused Chen Huiyu’s offer to look at the solutions. As the math class representative, she couldn’t believe there was a problem based on what the teacher taught that she genuinely couldn’t solve.

’I’m just not as quick on the uptake as he is, that’s all.’

With the midterms just a week away, the class’s already thick atmosphere of studying grew even more tense.

But the teachers stopped giving pop quizzes. As if by an agreement with Teacher Wu, the teachers for the core subjects all handed out several worksheets for the students to complete on their own time.

During actual class time, they stuck to their usual rhythm, reviewing what needed to be reviewed and teaching new material as scheduled.

As the language arts teacher put it: “We’ve taught you half a semester’s worth of material. This exam is to test how much of it you’ve actually learned. It’s all down to your own effort now. You’re old enough that we shouldn’t have to chase you down to make you study.”

As a result, the students had almost no free time for the next few days. During the morning and evening self-study periods, and even during their lunch breaks, everyone was hunched over their worksheets.

If they got stuck on something, they’d first ask the representative for that subject. If the representative was also stuck, their only remaining option was to ask Xi Zirong.

After all, having an academic ace in their midst was certainly more convenient than being in any other class.

Thus far, there hadn’t been a single test problem that Xi Zirong couldn’t solve.

While other students had no problem asking him for help, Xu Su, sensing a shift in her classmates’ attitudes, became reluctant to approach Xi Zirong herself.

After three straight days of cold medicine, Xu Su’s symptoms had finally almost disappeared.

During evening self-study, Xu Su scribbled furiously, and after finishing the last language arts worksheet, she let out a faint sigh of relief.

She had completed everything she knew how to do on the worksheets the teachers had handed out. Given her abilities, she was still unsure how to solve two of the long-form math problems. In addition, she was clueless about one major problem in physics and another in chemistry.

Language Arts was fine; she had a strong foundation. Once she finished the essay, all she needed to do was check it for mistakes.

English was her smallest concern. In her previous life, she had passed a high-level college English proficiency exam, so current high school English was no challenge for her.

Xu Su put away her language arts worksheet and took out the math one again. Finding the difficult problem she hadn’t yet cracked, she began to ponder it.

Xi Zirong watched the girl in front of him, who hadn’t moved for a full half hour. After a moment’s hesitation, he dug four worksheets out of his desk, rolled them up, and poked her in the back.

It was almost December, and the weather was cold. Xu Su left home early and returned late, so she was bundled up, wearing a full three layers underneath her school uniform jacket.

The innermost layer was a cotton thermal shirt, followed by another layer of thermal wear, and on top of that was a turtleneck sweater Grandma Xu had hand-knitted for her last year. It had a beautiful pattern, was warm and thick, and Xu Su treasured it dearly.

Through all those thick layers, Xu Su didn’t feel anything until Xi Zirong poked her for the third time with the rolled-up worksheets.

She turned around without a word, her eyes asking the question for her.

Seeing that she was finally willing to look him in the eye after so many days, Xi Zirong held out the worksheets and whispered, “Do you want to use these for reference?”

Xu Su glanced down. It was the math worksheet she needed, all right.

She hesitated for a few seconds before reaching out and taking them.

’The teachers did say we could ask classmates for help with problems we can’t solve.’

“My handwriting is a little messy,” he said. “If there’s anything you can’t read, just ask me.”

Xu Su glanced up at him and nodded. “Thanks.”

’He was just being modest,’ she thought as she opened the worksheets.

The handwriting on the worksheets was incredibly neat—good enough to serve as a model for others. Xu Su skipped past the first few pages, going straight to the problem that had stumped her.

There, she found a detailed solution, written out meticulously.

A single glance at the beginning of the solution was enough for Xu Su to grasp the general approach. A spark of insight hit her, and she stopped looking at his answer, turning to solve it on her own.

A lot of the time, it wasn’t that she couldn’t solve a problem, but that she couldn’t see the forest for the trees. All she needed was a little hint, and the rest would fall into place.

Only after she had finished solving the two long-form math problems did Xu Su begin to compare her worksheet with Xi Zirong’s to check her answers.

Then, a slow smile spread across her face.

Xi Zirong had written out two different solutions for each problem, and Xu Su’s own method matched one of them perfectly.

’I’m no match for the Academic Ace, but at least I solved it on my own.’

Xu Su felt a deep sense of satisfaction. She was discovering the joy of learning; solving one difficult problem after another brought a true sense of accomplishment.

She handed the worksheets back to him, thanking him once more.

It was as if Xi Zirong had been waiting. He was already holding out several physics worksheets, and he even asked thoughtfully, “Want the chemistry ones, too?”

“…” This time, Xu Su ignored the subtle glances from those around them and nodded honestly. “I do.”

’If it can help my grades, why shouldn’t I take them?’

When she turned back around with the worksheets from Xi Zirong, she saw a small folded note on her desk. It was from Chen Huiyu.

AHHHH!! The class president is pursuing you, right? He has to be!

Xu Su glanced at Chen Huiyu out of the corner of her eye. Her friend had her head down, pretending to be working, but her face was bright red with excitement.

Xu Su scribbled a few words on the note and passed it back.

Be good. Focus on your work.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep