Chapter 43  Answer Me! Look in My Eyes!

Youth is fearless!

Just like Xie Wanghe now, just like Shao Xingchi now. They act cool, play hard—it’s flashy and attention-grabbing.

But Mr. Xu doesn’t think so!

Because time doesn’t turn back.

Miss this phase, and it’ll be too late to really study.

“Zhou Haikuo…”

“Tell everyone your English score on this test.”

“Reporting, teacher—I got a forty-four.”

“You sound kind of proud, huh? Not even half the passing mark.”

“Shao Xingchi, stand up… Zhou Haikuo, did I tell you to sit down?”

Everyone immediately lowered their heads, afraid of becoming the target of Mr. Xu’s anger. Shao Xingchi was probably just being too flashy, now being used by Mr. Xu as an example.

“Say it—how many points did you get in math?”

“Twenty-eight!”

“Louder!”

“Twenty-eight!”

“You guessed five multiple-choice questions correctly—lucky you.”

Shao Xingchi grinned.

“Not bad!”

“Not bad? You’ve got some nerve! You didn’t get a single fill-in-the-blank right.”

“You only attempted the first sub-question of the first three major problems, and two of those were wrong. For the rest, all you wrote was ‘solution’ and ‘answer’! Are you trying to teach me how to do my job?”

Pfft!

Hahaha!

“Lowest single-subject score in the entire grade! Are you proud?”

“How did you even manage that? I’m the one teaching math!”

“Bai Zimo…”

“You at least passed. I didn’t plan to call you out.”

“But tell me—why’d you leave the rest blank?”

“Didn’t know how to do it!”

“What do I always tell you? Even if you don’t know the answer, fill it in!”

Mr. Xu slapped the desk.

“Class, you’re in your final year. You need to buckle down—there’s not much time left.”

Shao Xingchi muttered, “Teacher, I won’t get into college anyway. Not planning to go!”

“Have you ever thought about what happens if you don’t study now and can’t get into college later?”

_____

What happens?

You just wing it!

Most students in class hadn’t really thought about it. Or maybe they had, but assumed they’d still find work.

Like their parents—or go try their luck in a big city.

“Then let me ask you again—what can you do at your age? No education, no skills.”

“Answer me! Look in my eyes! Tell me why, why! You can’t do anything—and you still don’t want to study!”

Everyone: “…”

Mr. Xu’s acting a bit off.

Did the principal hype him up or something?

“You think I don’t want to teach well?”

“You think I’m losing my temper for no reason?”

“Your parents spend money. You spend time.”

“In the end… what do you gain? Don’t tell me about youth—youth doesn’t come back.”

Mr. Xu!

You could say he’s harsh, but not that he doesn’t care.

Just like countless homeroom teachers across this land. He can hype you up—or break your heart with the truth.

Xie Wanghe raised his hand.

“I think college isn’t the only path. If I can’t get into college, I can start a business!”

“Bill Gates, the richest man in the world, didn’t even get a diploma!”

“Okay! Let’s talk about Bill Gates. He got into Harvard before he dropped out.”

“He chose not to go. That’s very different from not being able to go.”

“Well said, teacher!”

Xia Fenghua led the applause.

She was now firmly on the side of supporting school. And she was not a fan of Xie Wanghe’s attention-seeking antics.

“Zimo, I think their mindset is a total mess now.”

“Yeah, they’ve surrendered before even stepping onto the battlefield.”

______

Xie Wanghe still had some fight in him.

Just not for studying!

“Alright, let’s not talk about Bill Gates. Let’s talk about successful entrepreneurs here in China.”

“They didn’t have education or background, but they still made it.”

Mr. Xu shook his head.

“That was the past. Today, only knowledge can change your fate.”

“Mr. Xu actually, never mind.”

“Say it, go ahead! I won’t blame you if you’re wrong.”

“If you’re right, no homework today!”

“Really?”

“Of course!”

At this point, Mr. Xu still didn’t realize how serious things were. The Great Huckster Xie was about to start selling his dream!

“I think you’re right—knowledge can change your fate. But it’s not just the rote memorization in textbooks.”

“If studying alone guaranteed success, then wouldn’t everyone who studies hard be successful? But why are so few successful?”

“Class, this isn’t about the wrong role models. It’s a false equivalence.”

“No, no, Mr. Xu. What I mean is: compared to textbook cramming, what’s more important is our thinking.”

Xie Wanghe passionately waved his arms.

“Our creativity, foresight, and future vision.”

“By observing and analyzing, we can discover patterns in industries.”

“Then use those patterns to ultimately succeed.”

“Bravo!”

The whole class cheered—not that they understood it, but it sure sounded exciting!

“Zimo, did you get that?”

“Yeah!”

“So, what’s Wanghe trying to do?”

Huazi looked confused. His buddy seemed the same—and yet, totally different.