Midterm exams begin
On Monday morning, Ge Ouchen entered the classroom on time as usual.
The boy still had that aloof and taciturn demeanor, with an air of indifference towards others in his eyes and brows.
"Dog Bro's back! How did the competition go?" A male classmate sitting in front of him greeted him and asked.
"Hmm, not bad." He merely moved the corner of his mouth.
"As expected of you, midterms are coming up soon, remember to give your bro a hand too."
Everyone would think that the extremely intense competition was just a routine weekend practice problem for him, without any major setbacks.
Only Jin Can witnessed his minor setback.
During lunch break, a sudden rustling sound of exclamations came from the classroom.
Ge Ouchen carried two large bags of Starbucks to Jin Can's seat and, under everyone's gaze, distributed several Frappuccinos to Jin Can and his four friends who were discussing their studies together.
"It's on me," he said succinctly, but his eyes were earnest. "Thank you."
The meaning is self-evident.
Jin Can paused for a moment, then was the first to react, unceremoniously inserting a straw and taking a big gulp: "Then we won't be polite! Thank you, President Ge!"
Ge Ouchen nodded slightly and smiled at her.
Lin Xiaoxiao joked, "As expected, hanging out with Cancan has its advantages!"
Chao Ningning smiled faintly and took the drink: "It was nothing."
Zhou Yu stared at the drink, her thoughts seemingly wandering. After a few seconds of hesitation, she finally nodded coolly, accepting the gratitude.
"Hehe, you're also quite fascinated by me..." Before Shi Yanxi could finish speaking, Ge Ouchen made a move to take it away.
"Oh no... Thank you, boss! I'll definitely get first place in the exam!" Shi Yanxi accepted the cup respectfully with both hands.
A minor rivalry seemed to have quietly dissipated over these few glasses of iced sweet drinks.
However, the bigger changes occurred after school.
When most of the students had left, and Jin Can and his group of five were preparing to stay and study as usual, Ge Ouchen leisurely packed his schoolbag and sat down in the empty seat next to Shi Yanxi and behind Lin Xiaoxiao.
“…?” Jin Can was stunned.
"...?" Shi Yanxi and the others were also stunned.
"Why are you looking at me?" Ge Ouchen raised his eyelids and glanced at everyone. "Aren't we supposed to be studying?"
He actually joined their after-school study group so naturally and naturally!
[There's a man among us!]
Hahahaha!
In short, this completely changed the atmosphere of the entire Grade 11 (4) class.
The next day after school, the classroom, which should have been deserted, was miraculously left with nearly half of its students, simply because the academic genius was also there.
Ge Ouchen remained seated, his gaze falling on the seat next to Shi Yanxi—the students there had also stayed today, and she was talking with Jin Can and the others.
He lowered his head and sighed.
Beside him, the most active boy in the class who usually went to the playground arm in arm with everyone else was now pretending to take out his workbook, doing practice problems while secretly observing Ge Ouchen's every move.
"Hey, Dog Bro! I heard they've been learning after school for several weeks now. You joined yesterday too. You're close to Jin Can, so tell me some secrets and strategies!"
"Yes, Jin Can's math score improved very quickly last time, he must have some connections."
The two students in the front row turned around and smiled as they spoke to Ge Ouchen.
Ge Ouchen frowned: "If you don't know how, wouldn't it be faster to ask me?"
"You don't understand. There's a natural gap in thinking between academic underachievers and academic high achievers, and the teaching methods are different."
Recalling Jin Can's smile when he was with them, Ge Ouchen pondered, and found that this statement might not be entirely without merit... perhaps by a factor of 0.5.
In the end, he simply replied, "If you work as hard as she does, you can do it too."
No one joked around anymore, and gradually the classroom quieted down.
Pens scratched, test papers turned, and hushed discussions occasionally broke out. For a moment, the entire class was filled with an unprecedented learning atmosphere, quiet and focused.
"This problem should be solved like this..."
"Don't forget to add 's' to the third digit..."
Anxiety filled the air.
With only one week left until the midterm exams, the first major exam of the second semester of the second year of high school is of paramount importance.
Everyone calmed down, like a clock wound up tightly, not daring to relax in the slightest.
Amid this collective atmosphere of tension, Jin Can was surprisingly calm; in fact, one could say she was quite enjoying it.
She looked up, gazing at the deepening twilight outside the window, at her classmates buried in their studies, and at her surroundings:
Chao Ningning was marking something on her test paper with a red pen;
Zhou Yu held her forehead, seemingly summarizing the notes she had made;
Lin Xiaoxiao is diligently practicing her math problems.
Shi Yanxi muttered something under her breath, but Jin Can couldn't hear her clearly.
Looking back at Ge Ouchen, he was discussing a difficult problem with the student in front of him.
This scene was especially precious to her.
Only after experiencing the most utter failure can one truly appreciate the preciousness of the ordinary moments before them.
In the last "math cycle," she did so many practice problems that she felt like throwing up. She was also mentally broken and utterly defeated by Zhou Yu's words, "You can't do it." The pressure was so great that she couldn't breathe.
But perhaps because she had experience, her mindset was different this time.
Every exam is actually a way to identify and fill in the gaps in your knowledge, and an opportunity to verify your learning outcomes and improve your abilities.
Jin Can, on the contrary, began to look forward to each step that would take next.
If you're going to study hard, you can't stay confused any longer. You need to identify your weaknesses in the knowledge points and overcome them one by one. Only then can your grades really improve.
I hope to catch up with Brother Gou's pace soon and become the next generation of academic superstars on campus!
Before we knew it, it was Friday.
This is the last day before the final exams. Starting next week, all classes will be suspended for three days for the exams.
After school, at the class monitor's command, all the students sprang into action, rearranging the originally neat desks and chairs into the examination room layout.
"Keep it up, bro! I owe my chemistry score to you this time!"
"You too! And don't forget the techniques for English reading comprehension!"
"Can Can! You have to achieve even greater success this time!" Lin Xiaoxiao shouted to Jin Can as she struggled to move the table.
Jin Can smiled and gave her an "OK" sign.
Inside the classroom, the sounds of desks and chairs being moved rose and fell, and amidst this lively hustle and bustle, there surged the tension and passion unique to youth.
Jin Can and Ge Ouchen were assigned to different examination rooms because their examination numbers were very different.
Their seats, one at the southernmost end of the classroom and the other at the northernmost end, were far apart.
The two barely chatted all weekend.
Only on Saturday nights did Jin Can call him to ask him a few challenging math problems. He not only answered them carefully, but also provided her with some additional knowledge.
All the students were in their respective corners, making the most of the last moments to hone their skills and get into top condition.
Monday, the day of the decisive battle, finally arrived.
The sun was not yet warm, and a sense of unease lingered in the air.
The candidates filed in and took their seats one after another, quietly waiting for the start of the first subject, Chinese.
Jin Can sat in the unfamiliar seat, took a deep breath, and adjusted his mindset.
She checked the stationery in her pencil case to make sure everything was in order.
Just then, a small commotion arose at the entrance of the examination hall.
Jin Can subconsciously looked up and saw Ge Ouchen standing at the entrance of their examination room.
He was wearing a clean school uniform sports jacket, exuding a steady aura, and stood out among the nervous students.
Wasn't he in the first examination room? What's he doing here?
Amidst the curious gazes of the crowd, Ge Ouchen walked straight through rows of tables and chairs to stand in front of Jin Can.
He stretched out his hand, and in his palm lay a black mechanical pencil that looked quite new for marking answer sheets.
"Here's yours back." He said succinctly, his voice cold.
Jin Can was stunned: "Huh? This isn't my pen... Where's my lucky pen?"
Ge Ouchen's eyes darted around for a moment, and a barely perceptible blush appeared on his ears, which he covered up with a light cough.
"Ahem. That pen... my mom thought it was trash and accidentally threw it away," he lied without batting an eye.
In fact, after hearing his parents' teasing about it being a "token of love" and a "family heirloom," he inexplicably found himself unable to bear returning the pen.
He looked into Jin Can's clear eyes, which were filled with doubt, cleared his throat, and explained in a serious, academically logical tone:
“I’ve thought about it carefully. A ballpoint pen represents your hard skills; whatever your skill level is, that’s what you write, and you can’t change that. But a marking pen is different.”
He paused, then placed the pencil into Jin Can's hand, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, with a hint of barely perceptible teasing:
"What if it helps you guess a few more multiple-choice questions correctly? Luck is sometimes a part of ability."
Jin Can: "..."
She looked down at the mechanical pencil in her hand, still warm from his body, then looked up at the top-ranked boy in her grade, who was seriously talking to her about "exam-taking strategies," and suddenly burst out laughing.
This reason... actually made a lot of sense to her!
She solemnly held the marking pen in her palm and, imitating the ancients, respectfully bowed three times to it.
"By the God of Pen, please accept my bow! Please bless me so that I can guess all the multiple-choice questions correctly! Please!" Her actions were comical and cute, which made Ge Ouchen's lips curl into a very faint smile.
However, behind the joke, a thought flashed through Jin Can's mind like lightning.
just in case……
If I fail again this time, the "cycle" will start all over again...
What will happen to this pen?
Will he make a special trip from the first exam hall next time to give it to me with such a lame excuse?
This thought made Jin Can's heart clench suddenly.
no.
Absolutely not!
She gripped the pencil tightly in her hand; the hard texture seemed to give her boundless strength.
This time, we must pass it on the first try!
For myself, for this pen and the person who gave it to me, and for... to never experience that kind of despair again.
She looked up and met Ge Ouchen's deep eyes, her gaze blazing with an unprecedented, fierce fighting spirit.
"Do your best on the exam, I'm leaving," Ge Ouchen said.
"Yes, yes!" Jin Can said earnestly, "I will."
Ge Ouchen looked at the fire in her eyes, nodded in satisfaction, and turned to leave.
The bell rang.
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Jin Can focused his gaze on the exam paper; the battle had begun!
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