Chapter 3
The school bell tolled like a redemptive strike, temporarily escaping Li Ming from the scrutinizing gazes from all sides. He practically fled as he packed his bag, declined Zhang Hao's invitation to play basketball, and, enduring countless overt and covert stares, quickly left the classroom.
The road home felt both familiar and strange. The setting sun cast a long shadow, a stark contrast to the hunched, dejected middle-aged figure he remembered. He walked quickly, but his heart was not as calm as it appeared. That brief moment of brilliance in math class had been like a shot of adrenaline, confirming that his reborn advantage was not unfounded. But after the euphoria came a deeper calm.
A miracle born from a "dream" is ultimately just a castle in the air. The high school entrance exam is a real battle, involving multiple subjects such as Chinese, English, physics, and chemistry, requiring solid knowledge accumulation and a massive amount of practice questions. He had long forgotten most of his knowledge from his previous life; English vocabulary, classical Chinese poems, physics formulas, chemical equations... he needed to relearn and memorize them like a real sixteen-year-old.
"Just by 'predicting' a few questions, I won't get into the top high school in the province." Li Ming gripped his backpack strap tightly, his eyes sharp. "I need absolute strength, an overwhelming advantage, to be absolutely certain of success."
The drive and execution skills he honed in his past life, honed through the trials and tribulations of society, began to manifest themselves. A vague plan gradually took shape in his mind, becoming clearer and clearer, and also increasingly... ruthless.
Pushing open the creaking wooden door, the atmosphere at home was a little more relaxed than in the morning. Mother Wang Xiuqin was busy at the stove, and the aroma of stewed potatoes and green beans wafted from the pot. Father Li Jianhua, unusually, didn't immediately pick up the wine bottle, but instead sat on a small stool, using the last rays of daylight from the window to repair an old hoe.
"You're back?" His mother turned and glanced at him, her tone casual. "How was school today?"
Li Ming's heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm: "It's alright, the same as always."
He dared not say much; the story of the math class had probably already spread to some extent, but he didn't want his parents to have unrealistic expectations too early. The higher the expectations, the greater the blow of disappointment. What he wanted was that final, unwavering result.
At dinner, his father remained silent, but the atmosphere at the table was noticeably less tense than in the morning. His mother occasionally placed a piece of food on his plate, hesitant to speak, but ultimately didn't ask anything. Li Ming knew they were waiting, observing.
This silent expectation put him under more pressure, but also motivated him more than a direct question.
Late at night, as the snores from his parents' room next door gradually became more even, Li Ming turned on the dim, yellowish incandescent desk lamp on his desk.
He opened a brand new notebook, on the cover of which were two words he had written forcefully: "Comeback".
The pen tip scratched across the paper, making a clear, rustling sound in the quiet night. He wasn't writing in a diary; he was drafting a battle plan, a "devil's pact" for himself and for the next 95 days.
This plan is so detailed it's outrageous:
5:00-5:30 AM: Force yourself to get up and wash your face with cold water to wake yourself up. Memorize 30 English words and 10 phrases.
5:30-6:30: Conquer mathematics, focusing on weak chapters and challenging problems, and ensuring that you complete one set of past exam papers for multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank questions every day.
During the 10-minute break between classes: Instead of playing around, use this spare time to memorize 5 chemical equations or 3 physical laws.
30-minute lunch break: eat quickly, and use the remaining time to read a classical Chinese text or recite ancient poems.
After school until dinner: Focus on science subjects, alternating between physics and chemistry, and complete the specified number of pages in the accompanying workbook.
From dinner until 10:30 PM: Chinese and English take center stage – reading comprehension, accumulating writing material, and reinforcing grammar…
22:30-23:00: Review and summarize, list tomorrow's plan, and organize the questions that were wrong.
Even on his way to and from school, he would assign tasks—listening to English listening exercises on an MP3 player (if his family could afford one), or silently reciting classical Chinese texts.
This was more than just a schedule; it was a brutal form of self-exploitation. He deprived himself of almost all time for entertainment, rest, and socializing, squeezing every single day to its limit. He knew he had started late and had a weak foundation, and only by putting in several times more effort than the average person could he achieve that seemingly unattainable goal.
Looking at the densely packed, relentless schedule on the paper, a cold, stern smile curved Li Ming's lips. The maturity of an adult had endowed him with a self-discipline beyond his years and a relentless pursuit of his goals. Compared to the cold shoulders and failures he had suffered in society in his previous life, what was this little hardship?
Just as he was concentrating on refining the method for tackling a particular knowledge point, the door was gently pushed open.
The mother, Wang Xiuqin, quietly entered, carrying a bowl of steaming sweet egg soup. She clearly saw the "plan" spread out on her son's table, covered with writing, and the focus and determination on his face that were beyond his years.
"Mom, why aren't you asleep yet?" Li Ming instinctively tried to cover the schedule with his hand, but it was too late.
Wang Xiuqin didn't answer immediately. She gently placed the bowl on the corner of the table, her gaze falling on the notebook titled "Counterattack," then sweeping over the schedules accurate to the minute. Her eyes were extremely complex, containing heartache, worry, but more than anything, an indescribable shock.
She saw the faint blue under her son's eyes, and the weight in his brows that didn't belong to his age.
"Mom..." Li Ming was a little uneasy, unsure how to explain his sudden "striving for self-improvement".
Wang Xiuqin reached out, her rough fingertips gently tracing the two boldly written words on the notebook: "Comeback." Her voice was soft, with a barely perceptible tremor: "My child...did something happen to him at school?"
She wondered if her son had been bullied or severely criticized by his teacher, which was why he was resorting to this almost self-destructive method to prove something.
Li Ming felt a pang of sadness, shook his head, looked into his mother's eyes, and said with unusual firmness, "No, Mom. No one is making me suffer. I just... I've figured it out." He paused, then said with unprecedented seriousness, "I want to get into the top high school in the province. I want you and Dad to be able to hold your heads high in the future. I want our family to have a different life!"
Wang Xiuqin was stunned. She looked at the flame burning in her son's eyes, something she had never seen in Li Ming before—a kind of "ambition" and "determination." It didn't seem like a spur-of-the-moment impulse; it was more like a well-thought-out, all-or-nothing decision.
She remained silent for a long time, the dim light casting soft shadows on her face. In the end, she didn't ask any more questions, but simply pushed the sweet egg soup towards Li Ming again, her voice returning to its usual gentleness, yet with a hint of strength: "Eat it while it's hot. Don't stay up too late, your health is important."
She turned around and gently closed the door.
Outside the door, Wang Xiuqin leaned against the cold wall, tilting her head back, trying hard not to let the tears well up in her eyes. She didn't know what had happened to her son, but she could sense that the son who had once seemed somewhat lost and lazy was truly different.
In the room, Li Ming stared at the bowl of golden, soft, sweet egg soup, the steam blurring his vision. He picked it up, took a sip, and the sweetness spread from the tip of his tongue to the depths of his heart, dispelling the chill of the deep night and giving him boundless strength.
He knew his mother understood. Perhaps not completely, but she chose to support him.
This silent support is more precious than any words.
He finished the egg in a few bites, put the empty bowl aside, picked up the pen again, his eyes more determined than before. The lamplight cast his shadow on the wall; the shadow was no longer thin, but resembled a warrior about to go to war, polishing his armor and sword, preparing for the battle after dawn.
The plan for a "comeback" had been formulated, and the call to the top provincial high school had officially sounded in his heart. The first step was to conquer the mountain of textbooks and exercises before him.
However, this arduous path of self-discipline is destined to be anything but smooth. Physical exhaustion, mental fatigue, barriers of knowledge, and... the potential distractions from the surrounding environment will all pose enormous challenges.
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