Chapter 6

After the first monthly exam of the new semester, Huang Jingyao officially took over the Chinese class of Class 3-5 after the original substitute teacher, Song Chong, had gone over the test papers.

This transition was uneventful. In the office with twenty to thirty colleagues, both male and female, old and young, half of them were neither enthusiastic nor harsh towards him, just nodding in acknowledgment. Occasionally, some of the more senior colleagues would assign him tasks like sweeping the floor or changing the water, but most of the time, they observed him with a mix of disdain and amusement.

The 64 students of Class 3-5 were also not particularly surprised. When he first entered the classroom, some were puzzled, some ignored him, and a few even suggested that the new teacher should perform a show to liven up the atmosphere. However, the class quickly returned to its usual calm.

After taking over, Huang Jingyao was a bit nervous for his first class, but he quickly adapted. He had been teaching for over a year and had an internship before graduating from university. Apart from his first time teaching senior high school, he was not unfamiliar with the lectern.

He did not rush to make an impression. Such things cannot be hurried.

For the first few days, Huang Jingyao taught steadily, neither putting on airs nor being overly friendly. He got up very early for the three morning study sessions each week, arriving early to observe the class.

Yes, he was observing.

His personality was to plan thoroughly before taking action, ensuring he was well-prepared for any task.

Time flew by, and the National Day holiday arrived. The first-year students had a seven-day break, the second-year students had six days, and the third-year students had only two days!

After the National Day holiday, Huang Jingyao had been in charge of Class 3-5 for over a week. He entered the classroom at 5:40 AM for the morning study session, scanning the young faces below the podium, feeling a bit nervous.

"Observation is almost complete. It's time to take action. Among the 36 girls, Zhang Ting and Liu Yuanyuan have better grades and the best talent in Chinese, so there's no rush. The girls at the bottom are He Fang and a few others, who scored around 40 in the monthly exam. Their grades are poor, but they have a lot of room for improvement."

"Among the 28 boys, Wang Hao is the most troublesome, but he's not stupid. He just thinks he's an athlete and doesn't want to study much."

...

In Class 5, with 64 students, Wang Hao and Du Tianhang were sports specialists, while He Fang and another girl named Zhang Linlin were art students. These two were also considered the class beauties, but to Huang Jingyao, they were just pretty young girls.

Over the past few days, he had observed and formulated a complete plan in his mind.

After the morning exercises, all the students returned to the classroom. Most were yawning, and some were even sleeping openly on their desks. Only a dozen or so were seriously reciting and reading their textbooks. Huang Jingyao walked to the back of the classroom. Wang Hao was still sleeping, but he woke up when Huang Jingyao approached, looking at him curiously without any fear.

"Come with me."

Wang Hao, still without fear, rubbed his eyes and followed, while his desk mate, Du Tianhang, grinned.

"Mr. Huang, you're not going to scold me, are you? I remember you didn't care when I slept in class a few days ago." Outside the classroom, Wang Hao leaned against the railing on the fifth floor, grinning nonchalantly.

Huang Jingyao looked at this guy who scored 17 in the monthly exam. He was tall and muscular, standing over 1.8 meters at 18 years old. His short sleeves barely covered his well-built arms, giving him a very masculine appearance. His face wasn't handsome, but with fashionable clothes, he had a certain charm. It was rumored that he had already had his second girlfriend in just over a month of his senior year.

At the same time, Huang Jingyao saw Wang Hao's various talents.

Chinese: 4

English: 3

Math: 3

History: 3

Politics: 2

Geography: 2

Physical Education: 5

...

Huang Jingyao looked at the row of numbers, feeling a bit reflective. This guy's talent wasn't too bad. Zhang Ting, who scored the best in Chinese in the last monthly exam, had a talent of 5.

Yes, the best and the worst students in Class 5 had only a 1-point difference in talent. Zhang Ting scored 128 in the monthly exam. Even in the small class of 40 absolute elites in the first year, the best talent in Chinese was 7, and there was only one person, rumored to be a candidate for Peking University, the undisputed top student in the six liberal arts classes!

9 was the highest talent, and 9 was considered full talent. If one studied hard, they could be among the best in the country or even the world. It was clear that 4 was not bad, and Huang Jingyao knew that the students in Class 5 who scored over 100 had a talent of 4.

Having talent but not studying was no different from not having it at all. Wang Hao's monthly exam essay was blank, which was why his total score was only 17.

"Why don't you pursue He Fang if you like her?" After reflecting, Huang Jingyao suddenly spoke, his tone matter-of-fact. Wang Hao blushed, "What the hell are you talking about?"

After cursing, he remembered Huang Jingyao was his teacher and awkwardly lowered his head, looking embarrassed.

"I hear you often change girlfriends, but I find it strange that you don't dare to pursue the one you like. Instead, you show off your new girlfriends in front of He Fang. Isn't that silly? Do you think it will make He Fang jealous?" Huang Jingyao casually shared his observations.

Wang Hao's face changed, but he remained silent.

"From my observation, even if you pursued her, you wouldn't succeed." Huang Jingyao smiled again, and Wang Hao glared, looking不服气 (unconvinced).

"He Fang is an art student, aiming for an artistic career. She wants to be a star, so she ignores your provocations."

Huang Jingyao's words made Wang Hao mutter, "Mr. Huang, why are you telling me this? It's nonsense."

His tone was bitter. He had tried to pursue He Fang in private, his first love, but she ignored him. He Fang indeed dreamed of becoming a star, which was no secret.

In other words, at 17 or 18, many young men and women idolize their favorite stars and dream of becoming like them. This period is when they most crave recognition from the outside world or believe they are unique and hope to be noticed.

"I think if you study Chinese well, pursuing He Fang shouldn't be a problem." Huang Jingyao patted Wang Hao's shoulder.

Wang Hao looked dazed, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Her dream is to be a star. You're too ordinary, so she ignores you. If you became a star, it would be different. Given your conditions and age, acting isn't feasible, and the sports path is too narrow. The simplest and most likely way is through talent, like becoming a famous screenwriter or a young writer, which requires a solid foundation in Chinese."

"Not just Chinese, but also a strong foundation in history, creativity, and imagination. You need all these to have a chance. Without a solid foundation in Chinese, you can't even write a proper sentence, let alone an essay. How can you achieve anything else?"

Wang Hao's face darkened, "Are you trying to persuade me to study hard? Mr. Huang, you're amazing. I've never met anyone as ridiculous as you."

Huang Jingyao laughed. What he said was indeed grand and vague, and his purpose was not hidden.

Even adults would quickly see through it, and clever teenagers wouldn't fall for it immediately.

Huang Jingyao didn't expect to convince Wang Hao right away. Instead, he took out a pack of cigarettes, "Want a smoke? Oh, I forgot this is outside the classroom. You'd be scolded for smoking, but since you're going to sleep anyway, let's chat. I'll analyze various situations for you, and you can check them online if you don't believe me."

"The most direct example is screenwriters like Ning Caijin, who are considered stars with many fans. You can't deny that, right? There are also writers... These people aren't handsome or well-connected, but they rose from the grassroots through their writing skills. If they couldn't even use words properly, could they write so much?"

"You're not stupid. Your grades in primary school were probably good, and you didn't do badly in junior high. You only fell behind in high school, but it's not because you can't learn; it's because you don't want to. Don't you want to be like a star?"

...

Huang Jingyao kept talking, trying to spark Wang Hao's interest and belief in learning. If he were an adult, no matter how much he talked, they would quickly see through it or just laugh it off.

But Wang Hao was just a senior high school student.

Near the end of the morning study session, he was still dazed. As Wang Hao left, Huang Jingyao used his ability to increase Wang Hao's talent.

This was the first time he used this ability. A visible, ethereal cloud wall suddenly appeared, and a majestic golden aura flowed into Wang Hao's body in thirty streams, each as thick as a pinky finger.

Wang Hao was unaware of the process and entered the classroom in a daze.

Huang Jingyao sighed in relief, "One class isn't enough. I talked so much my mouth is dry, but he'll only be confused for a while. I'm not a professional, but if I keep this up, it should work. With his talent now at 7, on par with the top student in Class 6, if he puts in some effort, ..."

"I need to work hard too. Wang Hao is just the beginning, and I need to study more."

...

After the morning study session, Huang Jingyao's daily life had a new addition: various books ordered online, such as "Psychology and Life," a textbook used at Stanford University for many years.

"Techniques and Strategies in Counseling," "Psychology: A Different Approach," "Adolescent Psychology," and more.

He now taught only one class, with ten lessons a week, leaving him plenty of free time. Even though self-study was not as effective as having a teacher, after a day or two, Huang Jingyao realized that his first attempt to use Wang Hao's dream to motivate him was too crude.

If he studied psychology for a while, his techniques would improve, and the results would be better.

But it wasn't too late. He could often chat with Wang Hao, the tough case, and use these conversations as practice. These psychological techniques would become more proficient with use.

Wang Hao was just the beginning.

Huang Jingyao believed that with Wang Hao's talent now on par with the top student, if he put in some effort, his Chinese grades would improve rapidly.