Chapter 715: A Lesson Learned

By the end of dinner, all the food Cao Haiyan’s mother had brought was gone. However, there were quite a few braised pork bones, with nearly half a pot left.

Tan You looked at the rice cooker. "Let’s have it for a late-night snack after the evening study session. That should finish it off. We can leave the rice cooker here, and I’ll take it back after class."

"No problem!" Gu Qiuxia was thrilled. "We get to mooch another late-night snack tonight."

Cao Haiyan’s mother gathered the dishes. "Alright, you girls head to your classroom. I’ll clean up here. Thank you all for taking care of my Haiyan at school."

She genuinely liked Tan You, Yin Xiu, and Gu Qiuxia. They were hardworking, down-to-earth, and could inspire her own daughter to improve. As a parent, she was delighted to see her daughter befriend girls like them.

Yin Xiu felt a little embarrassed. "We look after each other."

Gu Qiuxia said, "It’s more like Tan You takes care of us. She often helps us with our problem sets. Our grades have improved a lot."

Tan You smiled. "Not really, we learn from each other. Let’s go. We’ll have to trouble you to clean up, Auntie."

’It wasn’t that she was kind to just anyone; it was that these girls were genuinely good people. Everyone needs a few friends they can really talk to, and she wanted to have true friendships of her own.’

Cao Haiyan’s mother’s mood brightened even more upon hearing this. She smiled and waved her hand. "It’s no trouble, no trouble at all. You girls hurry along."

The four girls left Cao Haiyan’s dorm room. Not long after entering the main campus area, they ran into some other girls from their class. Their group quickly grew, and by the time they reached their classroom, there were nearly ten of them.

Once inside the classroom, everyone began studying on their own. The learning atmosphere in Class 3 was excellent these days, and it was rare to see students misbehaving. Because of the tracking that happened after the high school entrance exam, most of the students who just wanted to slack off had gone to vocational schools or entered the workforce early.

But the students who made it to academic high school, no matter what, still had a bit of ambition. Coupled with the good learning atmosphere in class, where they could ask classmates for help anytime they didn’t understand something, very few students actually went out to have fun.

Furthermore, Tan You was now the one teaching most of the science evening study sessions, so everyone could use that time to clarify things they didn’t understand. Thanks to this positive feedback loop, the studious atmosphere in Class 3 grew stronger by the day.

Tonight was Li Fugui’s turn to supervise the evening study session. Before it began, he spoke with Tan You. "I’m heading to No. 2 High in a bit. You’ll be in charge of the session."

Tan You looked at Li Fugui. "To get exam papers?"

"You’re a sharp one," Li Fugui said with a smile. "I’m not going alone; the principal is coming too. How can we let a student our school has so carefully nurtured be poached by someone else?"

"Besides, if the principal goes along, everyone will see how much our school values you, and it’ll be harder for them to say certain things."

Tan You smiled and shook her head. "I’m sorry to trouble you and the principal."

"It’s no big deal for me, I’m just running an errand," Li Fugui chuckled. "There’s just one thing I’m worried about. What if they approach your parents? Will they agree?"

"They won’t," Tan You said with certainty. "I make my own decisions about my life. They know that, so you don’t need to worry."

Li Fugui was slightly surprised. "Is there a story behind that?"

"Not really," Tan You said softly. "My parents are under a lot of pressure, and since I can earn my own money now... you could say we’ve split the family. My grandparents will be with me from now on, and my parents will just have to raise my little sister."

"As you know, my dad’s eyesight is poor, so he can’t go out to work."

Li Fugui thought of Tan Lin and couldn’t help but smile. "Alright, as long as you can make your own decisions. Teach the evening session well. If any student acts up, I’ll deal with them when I get back."

Suddenly, a few heads popped up from behind the window. "We won’t, Old Li! We’ll definitely listen to the class president."

"Don’t worry, Old Li, go do what you need to do. We’ll definitely study hard."

Li Fugui pointed at the students. "Get back to your seats. You all did well on this week’s quiz, but don’t get arrogant."

"Don’t worry, Old Li! If we dared to get arrogant, the class president would be the first one to take us down a notch!"

"No joke, the class president is getting more and more intimidating. When she looks at me, my knees start knocking."

After listening to the students for a few more moments, Li Fugui headed to the principal’s office and soon disappeared from their sight. As soon as Li Fugui left, Tan You walked into the classroom.

She had just taken her place at the lectern and hadn’t even started speaking when a student asked curiously, "Class President, where’s Old Li going tonight?"

Tan You gave a vague answer, "To pick up some test papers."

"Huh? More papers? We already have so many!"

The students immediately started to groan. Tan You shot them a glance. "They’re not for you. The homeroom teacher has other plans for them. Alright, let’s start going over this week’s quiz. We’ll begin with the last major question..."

As soon as Tan You started explaining the problem, the classroom fell silent. The only sound was her voice, cool yet sweet, flowing through the room and seemingly seeping into everyone’s very soul.

When Tan You taught, she didn’t stick strictly to the exam paper. She would use a major question as a starting point to explore related concepts, reinforce the extended knowledge points, and even create new problems on the spot. All of this was to ensure everyone truly understood and could integrate the material.

By the end of the period, Tan You hadn’t written much on the blackboard—only a few key formulas. The students’ notebooks, however, were filled with notes. They might not absorb everything in one class, but by reviewing their notes later, their grades would inevitably improve.

While Tan You was teaching the evening session, Li Fugui and Principal Hu arrived at No. 2 High. When the teachers from No. 2 High’s competition class saw that even the principal had come, they knew their school’s little plan was dead in the water.

But if it wasn’t meant to be, it wasn’t meant to be. In the end, their appreciation for talent won out. The other side gave them the competition syllabus, a pile of practice papers, and even a handwritten summary of competition strategies and experiences. It was an incredibly thoughtful gift.

Even Li Fugui had to admit they were being genuinely good to Tan You. For a moment, he felt a little embarrassed, wondering if he had been too cynical.

Principal Hu, however, was far more seasoned. He took everything that was offered but remained tight-lipped. His words were full of gratitude for their high opinion of Tan You, reassurances that his school also valued her greatly, and promises that they would absolutely not hinder her academic progress.

This chubby principal was like a fat fox—smooth-talking, yet somehow not off-putting. The teachers from No. 2 High could only watch in awe.

When Li Fugui came out, he was still a bit dazed. "I’ve learned a lot."

Principal Hu started the car. "Not bad, right? Don’t be swayed by their small favors. Helping Tan You is one thing, but at the end of the day, Tan You is our student. That’s not going to change."