Chapter 24

At 7 o'clock, Liu Meng still decided to get up. After a good night's sleep, he felt refreshed and invigorated.

In the early morning of the Ice City, the sun rose very early. By 7 o'clock, the sunlight was already quite strong, shining through the narrow gaps in the curtains and sprinkling on the young man's body. He couldn't help but sniff the scent of the sunlight, instantly feeling a surge of energy throughout his body.

Yesterday's outburst gave him a sense of achievement, making him even more determined to strive for excellence.

He decisively threw off the quilt, quickly brushed his teeth and washed his face, and headed to the stadium to run.

After running five laps, he checked the time and was truly amazed. He also whistled a cheerful tune. His running speed had increased significantly, completing a 400-meter lap in less than a minute, and his endurance was also quite good.

In a moment of excitement, his training time was a bit longer.

When he returned to the dormitory and saw the others rushing to their math class, he realized there was a math class early in the morning. Actually, Liu Meng could have skipped the class, but he had promised Gu Pan, and as a man, he should keep his word.

Before leaving, he tidied up his clothes. Although his attire was rather simple and somewhat shabby, he still wanted to maintain a neat and tidy appearance.

When he hurriedly arrived at the classroom, Teacher Kong Jidao was already there, flipping through the students' homework, his brows furrowed deeply. This left him puzzled.

Almost all the students could complete the homework every time, which was very unusual.

Yesterday, Zheng Zhong had called him and mentioned that there was a student in the Electrical Engineering Department with a remarkable talent for math. Could it be that this student was the one who completed the homework for the others?

However, Zheng Zhong didn't specify who it was. Teacher Kong Jidao glanced at Zheng Wen, who was sitting obediently. Next to her was Gu Pan, whom he had met privately. Could Zheng Zhong be referring to his own daughter? This girl had always been smart and clever, so it wasn't impossible.

With less than ten minutes before class started, and Zheng Wen sitting in the front row, Teacher Kong Jidao walked over and said, "Zheng Wen, how do you find the exercise book?"

Zheng Wen didn't expect Teacher Kong to speak to her and was momentarily at a loss for words. She then respectfully replied, "The questions set by Teacher Kong are very well-designed. Each question requires a deep understanding to solve."

"Oh, really? I noticed that all your answers in the exercise book are standard. Did your father help you?" Teacher Kong Jidao looked at Zheng Wen with a hint of amusement.

"No, I complete them at school. I only go home on weekends, and he hasn't seen them at all. We discuss them with a few classmates; it's easy to get stuck in a rut when thinking alone." Zheng Wen quickly defended herself.

"Oh, a few classmates, who are they?" Teacher Kong Jidao asked with great interest.

Zheng Wen was embarrassed, "It's just me, Gu Pan, and Liu Meng, that's all."

Just as she was speaking, Liu Meng rushed in. Seeing Gu Pan sitting there with an empty seat next to her, he ran over and sat down, panting heavily.

Teacher Kong Jidao looked curiously at this sweaty young man, who was short and somewhat thin. It was normal for Zheng Wen and Gu Pan to be together, as they were both proud girls. For this young man to join them, he must be exceptional.

"Hello, Teacher Kong." Liu Meng greeted him. He genuinely respected Teacher Kong, who was an outstanding professor known for his rigorous academic standards.

Liu Meng sat down, and Gu Pan discreetly passed him a box of milk and a piece of bread from under her seat. When Liu Meng took it, he accidentally held her hand as well.

Her smooth, soft hand, though not boneless, had a fleshy feel, very soft.

Teacher Kong was still standing at the front, and Gu Pan's face turned red with embarrassment. She tried to pull her hand away, but Liu Meng, worried that the milk would fall, had to hold on tighter.

"Boy, what's your name? I haven't seen you before." Teacher Kong Jidao asked Liu Meng.

Liu Meng was slightly embarrassed but decided to be honest, "Teacher Kong, my name is Liu Meng. I rarely come to class, as I often have other things to do."

Teacher Kong Jidao didn't show any displeasure but became even more interested. A student who never attended class could still do the homework with Zheng Wen and Gu Pan, which was a clear indication of Liu Meng's unique abilities.

"So, you study on your own. How do you find the exercise book?"

"The questions are very well-designed, covering all the key points comprehensively. Once you complete the exercise book, you have a solid grasp of the material and can solve any problem, no matter how it's presented." Liu Meng spoke honestly, as the questions were indeed very well-designed.

Zheng Wen and Gu Pan nodded in agreement. They could also tell that the questions were good, but they didn't understand them as deeply as Liu Meng did. He had hit the nail on the head with their feelings.

Teacher Kong Jidao was excited, like discovering a piece of pure jade. Most people who loved math were a bit "eccentric." The bell for class rang, and he said to Zheng Wen, "Wen, find some time this week to bring Pan and Liu Meng to my house for a visit."

After saying this to Zheng Wen, Teacher Kong Jidao returned to the podium to start the class.

Zheng Wen nodded, thinking, "This isn't an invitation; it's an order. People who love math are all like this."

Gu Pan whispered to Liu Meng, "If you don't let go, I'll pinch you."

"Sorry, I was afraid the milk would fall," Liu Meng said, taking it with his other hand and then letting go.

"What are you two whispering about?" Zheng Wen tilted her head and asked quietly.

Gu Pan, blushing, scolded, "We weren't saying anything, just focus on the class."

Liu Meng looked at Gu Pan's cold side face and sighed. How did he make her angry again? Holding the bread and milk, he felt a warm feeling in his heart and involuntarily considered Gu Pan as a close friend.

During the break, Zheng Wen took Gu Pan to the restroom, and Liu Meng didn't get a chance to explain.

Teacher Kong Jidao wanted to talk to Liu Meng during the break but was interrupted by a few students asking questions. He had to stop and answer them seriously.

In the second half of the class, Gu Pan didn't give Liu Meng any good looks, clearly still angry.

Seeing her tense face, Liu Meng was a bit anxious. He really didn't mean to take advantage of her. Connecting this with the incident in the small forest, he must have seemed like a villain to her.

The math class finally ended, and Zheng Wen and Gu Pan hurriedly left. Liu Meng still didn't get a chance to explain.

Next was the dreaded English class. Liu Meng was immediately dispirited. The English teacher, Yang Yun, was full of energy, and her classes were a torture.

Today's class was in a multimedia room, focusing on listening and speaking. The students had to listen to a passage and answer questions. Liu Meng usually stayed at the back, pretending to be dead.

Yang Yun, seeing Liu Meng sitting like a meditating monk at the back, was very displeased. She had a deep impression of this student, having remembered him from the placement test. She thought he was talented, but he had answered a few questions incorrectly in class, saying he didn't understand.

He was like a dead pig not afraid of boiling water. What could she do? She thought about giving him a failing grade on the upcoming midterm to see if he would panic, as he was clearly disrespecting her authority.

Yang Yun had her own plans.

She glanced at Liu Meng, who had his eyes closed, seemingly about to fall asleep. She was very unhappy and called out in a high-pitched voice, "Liu Meng, what does the passage just read explain? Why did the author plant so many blueberries?"

Of course, she said this in English.

Liu Meng was immersed in the passage. Hearing his name, he shifted his body and stood up, speaking for ten minutes without stopping.

After speaking so much standard American English, Liu Meng took a deep breath, as if releasing years of pent-up frustration.

English listening and speaking had always been his pain. He had worked so hard, watching the classic American TV show "Friends" countless times, memorizing most of the lines, reciting VOA, and almost being able to recite the New Concept English. But he still couldn't improve his listening and speaking skills.

He couldn't understand and couldn't speak.

But today, after listening to a passage, he suddenly felt as if a missing piece in his brain had been filled. All his accumulated knowledge seemed to connect, and he was very excited. He closed his eyes and listened carefully to confirm that he really understood.

When Yang Yun suddenly called him, he spoke without thinking, and once he started, he didn't want to stop. If Yang Yun hadn't called out "stop," he would have spoken for the entire class.

This feeling was incredible!

Yang Yun looked at the student in amazement. His English was so fluent, even using American slang smoothly. She was confident that he might be better than a native speaker.

She couldn't understand why such a talented student would perform so poorly in exams. She felt a bit ashamed for placing him in a regular class.

For the entire class, Yang Yun was preoccupied, feeling she had made a mistake.

Liu Meng was also dazed, wondering if he was dreaming. As soon as class ended, he rushed to the stadium and shouted English loudly.

As he shouted, his eyes became slightly moist.

No one could understand his feelings at that moment.

A top student who had always struggled with English listening and speaking. If it weren't for his poor English, he could have easily been admitted to the top university in China, Tsinghua University.

During his master's degree, he worked extremely hard. If it weren't for his weakness in English listening and speaking, he might have studied abroad and then returned to teach at the university.

This was a challenge he had always wanted to overcome but never managed to.

He had once dreamed of speaking English as fluently as his native language.

After so many years, he had given up, but now, he had actually achieved it.

After running for a while, he gradually calmed down. If someone hadn't experienced what he had, they couldn't understand his feelings.

At the end of the run, Liu Meng laughed out loud, feeling incredibly refreshed.

In the afternoon, Liu Meng did nothing but brought his computer, bought a few DVDs of American TV shows, removed the subtitles, and watched them in the corner of the stadium for the entire afternoon.

This wasn't about watching the plot; it was about overcoming his loneliness.

When the computer battery ran low, he glanced at the time and was suddenly startled. It was the 26th, and he still hadn't gotten his phone number.

"Damn!" He cursed, packed up his computer, and rushed to the service center, hoping it wasn't closed yet, as it was almost 5 o'clock.