High score secrets
Time quickly came to the first class meeting of Class 1, Grade 1.
The blackboard in the classroom was spotless, with a line of large characters written on it in chalk:
"Learning Experience Sharing Session"
A row of chairs was added in front of the stage; they were temporarily moved in and arranged neatly, with the front row empty for the upcoming guests.
Li Yingjun pushed up her glasses and said gently, "High school years go by in a flash. Before you know it, you might already be standing at the entrance of the college entrance examination hall. So, I invited a senior to our class meeting today, hoping his experience can help you get into the zone more quickly."
Let's welcome him with applause!
A round of enthusiastic applause erupted in the classroom. Someone thought the name sounded familiar and exclaimed in a low voice, "It's the first place on the red list on the wall!"
Before the applause had even subsided, the young man who had been waiting at the door for a long time walked in.
He was wearing a white shirt with the cuffs rolled up twice, and a blue folder was tucked under his arm. He had a cool and aloof demeanor.
Li Yingjun introduced with a smile: "This is Xu Jianing from Class 1 of Grade 11. She was the top student in the grade at the end of last year. Jianing, just come to the center of the podium to speak."
Xu Jianing nodded, walked onto the podium, and glanced casually at the faces below the stage. Her gaze paused for a moment in a certain direction before she looked away nonchalantly. "Hello everyone, I am Xu Jianing."
He stood on the podium, his left hand hanging at his side, his right hand holding a folder, his posture upright and his expression calm, as if he had been prepared for this.
Li Yingjun smiled and nodded from below the stage, and the students quieted down, their eyes falling on him in unison.
“The most important things in learning are planning and perseverance. Many people think that doing well in learning depends on talent,” Xu Jianing paused, then smiled almost imperceptibly, “but I think habits are more important than talent.”
"For example, spend ten minutes reviewing the day's knowledge points before going to bed each night. You don't need to be comprehensive, but you should at least go through what you've learned today to form a closed loop of memory."
"If you have time, you can try making a collection of your wrong questions. That's what I did."
"However, sleep is the most important thing. Go to bed early every day, so you'll be in good spirits and your mind will work faster."
Xu Jianing looked down at the "manuscript" in his hand.
Actually, it was a blank A4 sheet of paper, completely clean, without a single word on it. To avoid giving himself away, he had specifically borrowed a folder from Xue Pingsheng beforehand to hold it, making it seem as if he had come prepared.
Wen Sheng lowered her head and carefully copied down every point he made. She felt that every sentence made sense, and even secretly made up her mind: she would try it when she got back to the dormitory.
Looking at the students below diligently writing, Xu Jianing, standing on the podium, felt somewhat helpless and sighed silently.
For him, the most important thing was actually the last sentence: "Sleep is the most important thing."
While others studied late into the night, he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow; while others stayed up all night memorizing, he would promptly crawl into bed and sleep more soundly than anyone else.
He never read by candlelight, nor did he ever cram at the last minute.
To put it bluntly, he just loves to sleep.
However, he absolutely could not say this out loud. If he told his younger schoolmates that "sleeping more will help you get first place," the entire grade's teachers would probably come after him and hold him accountable.
Xu Jianing's gaze swept across the crowd, finally settling on Wen Sheng's row. Li Changshui's casual remark popped into her mind:
"Don't always have a cold face, smile."
So, he slightly curved the corners of his mouth.
However, the smile was too awkward, as if it were forced out of a habitually indifferent expression, making Xu Jianing feel a little uncomfortable.
Wen Sheng was writing notes with her head down when she keenly sensed a gaze falling on her. She subconsciously looked up and met Xu Jianing's somewhat unnatural "polite smile," then quickly lowered her head again.
Xu Jianing clearly saw this scene.
He then changed the subject: "Actually, the person who is really suitable to share his experience is my deskmate, Li Changshui. He went from the bottom of the grade to the top ten, which is a much bigger improvement than mine."
Xu Jianing glanced at the door and said calmly, "That's why I brought him along too."
No sooner had the words been spoken than the person outside eagerly pushed the door open and entered.
Li Changshui greeted everyone with a smile and a wave: "Hello, Teacher Li! Hello, classmates! I'm Li Changshui, Xu Jianing's deskmate!"
He immediately stood next to Xu Jianing as if they were old friends, and even squeezed in a little space: "Let me also bask in the glory of being the top student in the grade."
Li Qingmiao buried her face in her arms and whispered to Wen Sheng, "Is that my brother on stage? How embarrassing."
“My deskmate is usually quiet, but he can scold me with just one look,” Li Changshui laughed. “Once I only got a single-digit score on my physics test. He didn’t say anything, but went straight to the convenience store and bought a bag of walnuts, saying it would help me improve my brainpower.”
Everyone laughed even louder, and even Li Yingjun couldn't help but smile.
Li Changshui pressed his advantage, changing the subject and adjusting his expression: "But to be honest, I'm not the kind of person who can learn everything just by looking at a book. I envy my deskmate, but I'm not like that. My grades improved little by little by doing practice problems, by the teacher's comments, and by my deskmate watching me memorize."
Looking at the attentive first-year high school students below the stage, he became less playful and more sincere: "When I first entered high school, I really couldn't keep up. Back then, I felt every day that this was just how I was, that I wasn't suited for studying."
"The number of tests in our warehouse is ridiculously high, but it is precisely because of the sheer number of them that I have come to know my common mistakes."
He scratched his head and said with a smile, "I'm not telling you an inspirational story, I'm just telling you the truth so you don't make the same mistakes I did."
Li Changshui patted Xu Jianing on the shoulder: "Don't let my sharp tongue fool you, my deskmate has never refused to answer my questions."
Xu Jianing then spoke, saying calmly, "Not all questions deserve to be answered. But if you're willing to learn, I won't be stingy with my knowledge."
"One last thing," he said to the younger students in the audience, "Don't copy my and Li Changshui's methods. Finding your own rhythm is more important than listening to a hundred experience sharing sessions."
Li Yingjun clapped her hands: "Okay, thank you both for sharing."
When the applause broke out, Wen Sheng hadn't fully recovered. She suddenly realized that she was always in a hurry to keep up with other people's pace, as if falling behind by even one step would leave her behind. The harder she tried to catch up, the more anxious she became.
But Xu Jianing's words, "Finding the right way for yourself is more important than listening to a hundred experience sharing sessions," seemed to suddenly pull her back, making her stop slightly from that blind run.
Just as she lowered her head, a line of words, almost worn away by scratches, came into view:
So it goes.
It's unclear who carved it; perhaps it was a senior who failed an exam, or maybe it was just a casual scribble done out of boredom.
She stared at that sentence for a long time, feeling both heavy-hearted and clear-headed.
The past cannot be changed, but the future can be written slowly.
She had just thought of those words when she looked up and met the gaze of the person on the podium.
Xu Jianing was standing on the side of the podium, just about to step down. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, he glanced at her again. His eyes didn't show any particular emotion, but Wen Sheng couldn't understand them.
Applause rang out again, and many students whispered about their notes. Li Yingjun took the opportunity to announce, "Today's sharing session is over. You are welcome to ask questions."
The students immediately surrounded the podium. Xu Jianing was not flustered by the sudden enthusiasm. Surrounded by the crowd, he maintained a slightly reserved but proper smile and patiently answered their questions one by one.
"Senior, how did you categorize your error notebooks? Can I use it as a reference?"
"I take notes by chapter and also organize them according to the type of error."
"Senior, do you have any recommended workbooks?"
Someone handed over a notebook. Xu Jianing took it, bent down, and carefully wrote down the titles of several books. His handwriting was neat and strong. As he wrote, he gave a brief explanation: "These books can be borrowed from the library, especially this one. The exercises are quite systematic and suitable for people who need to build a foundation."
"If you need to cram, I suggest buying this book from an outside bookstore; the questions will be a little more difficult."
Seeing a classmate frown, Xu Jianing added, "Don't worry, you don't need to go to the city to buy it. There are small book stalls near the school gate, and they're cheaper there too."
On the other side,
"Senior Li Changshui, I'd like to ask you how many hours you study each day?"
"Oh my, that's a good question! I'd also like to know how long it takes others to learn!"
How did you catch up on your math in your first year of high school?
"Having a patient deskmate."
Li Changshui spoke with a joking tone and exaggerated expressions, gesturing as he spoke, making the surrounding students laugh non-stop.
Li Qingmiao leaned on the table, looking at the two people on the podium, and muttered softly, "That's all my brother is good for."
"Alright, alright, we're not celebrities, stop crowding around us," Li Changshui said with a smile, waving his hand. "We still have to go eat later."
"Hey, senior, please say a few more words!"
"We'll talk about it another time if we have the chance!" Li Changshui shrugged, looking nonchalant.
Xu Jianing finished answering the last question, politely nodded to the students gathered in front, then withdrew his hand, looked up at Li Yingjun, and said, "Teacher Li, we'll be going now."
"Okay, thank you for your hard work." Li Yingjun waved with a smile, her smile full of satisfaction and gratitude.
Just then, it was dinnertime.
"After we finish eating, come with me to the bookstall near the school gate, okay? The workbooks that Senior Xu recommended should still be available."
"Take me with you, take me with you."
"Me too! Me too! I'll grab a bottle of orange soda while I'm at it!"
"He recommended a practice book for intensive review. Can someone like me with a weak foundation use it?"
"Buy it first, you never know when you might need it. What if you become the top student in your grade someday?"
The group chattered as they walked toward the door, rummaging through their schoolbags for change. They managed to gather a few crumpled bills, which they carefully folded and put into their pockets.
As Li Qingmiao packed up her books, she called out, "Let's go, Wen Sheng, let's go—"
She paused, looking around, before finishing her sentence.
"Huh? Where did everyone go?"
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