"Ah... it's nothing, really..." Xu Mengxi quickly changed her tone. "I'm the chemistry class representative. If you don't understand something, feel free to ask."
"My apologies, my apologies." Li Zheng was delighted and nodded even more vigorously. "I have a question right now."
"Alright, don't be so formal." Xu Mengxi, worrying that their classmates might see, pushed Li Zheng into the hallway, blushing, and then asked, "What's the question?"
"Everything. Even if I memorize the book, my chemistry is still terrible. I can't find any pattern to it."
"Huh? But I heard from Jingjing that you're a good student..." Xu Mengxi propped her chin with her hand and then asked, "Are you good at math and physics?"
"So-so, just better than chemistry."
"Hmm, then it's not about comprehension, it's about methods." Xu Mengxi gestured with her hands. "When studying physics, do you grasp the principles easily and score well without doing many problems?"
"More or less." Li Zheng replied, a bit embarrassed.
"That's it. People who are good at math and physics can easily grasp patterns, and naturally, they can handle any problem. But chemistry is different. The knowledge points are more scattered, and it's hard to extract concise rules. You need to accumulate knowledge and get a feel for it. Chemistry is more like a language subject, like Chinese or English."
"Really?"
"For example," Xu Mengxi hopped a bit and raised her hand with some excitement. "When you talk to me, do you think about the rules of language? Do you organize sentences in your mind based on grammatical structures?"
"Of course not... I just say it."
"The same goes for chemistry. Don't always think there's a simple set of rules. Understanding chemistry problems requires accumulation. Once you've accumulated enough, you'll naturally discover patterns, just like speaking. The syntax and structure will become second nature, and you won't have to think about the rules to speak."
!
Treat chemistry like a language subject!
What an enlightening idea.
Brilliant thought process.
It makes sense. You don't summarize rules when learning Chinese.
Accumulate enough, and you'll get it.
But the English teacher always tried to analyze sentence structures and find patterns.
Yet the students who were good at English had a strong sense of language and accumulated a lot.
"We're running out of time, so I'll briefly explain. The knowledge points in chemistry are relatively isolated and not as clearly structured as physics." Xu Mengxi picked up a notebook and showed it to Li Zheng. "I have some methods and mind maps here. After learning them, try summarizing your own mind maps to find a structure that suits you."
Looking at the notebook filled with annotations and highlights, Li Zheng wanted to cry.
This is a treasure, a chemistry treasure.
If it weren't for the intense schedule in his third year, Li Zheng would have begged her to give a class in the forum.
Xu Mengxi waved her fist and nodded, "Don't lose heart. Memorizing by rote is also meaningful, like memorizing vocabulary. You'll suddenly have an 'aha' moment where everything clicks. Keep going!"
Li Zheng's eyes reddened.
He eagerly anticipated that "aha" moment.
Ring, ring, ring~~
"Oh no, there's no time left." Xu Mengxi quickly turned around. "I can explain more at noon."
"No, no, you've already given enough guidance. Don't let it affect your own study." Li Zheng, holding the notebook, nodded again. "Your great kindness is beyond words."
"Oh, if you keep saying things like that... I won't give it to you." Xu Mengxi blushed and ran into the classroom.
What a selfless angel.
Li Zheng hurried back to his class.
Second period was still math.
Hu Chunmei saw a student arrive late and was about to scold when she realized it was Li Zheng, carrying a stack of materials, and could only shake her head with a smile.
As soon as Li Zheng sat down, he wasted no time diving into Xu Mengxi's notes.
As expected, Xu Mengxi had reconstructed the textbook knowledge.
She had created a structure that suited her, listing very few things to memorize mechanically.
Most of the knowledge was condensed into mind maps.
Li Zheng felt a sudden awakening and eagerly started digesting them one by one.
.....
Time passed astonishingly quickly.
With his vitality value at [24/27], Li Zheng forced himself to end his study session early.
He also adjusted his study speed back to normal.
He reserved the remaining 3 hours for today's classes.
When he looked at the clock again, the second period was nearly over.
As for chemistry...
Li Zheng still felt uncertain.
During those few hours of study, he hadn't actively reinforced any memories.
Instead, he followed Xu Mengxi's organization and went with the flow...
He also went through the selected exercises from Xu Mengxi.
He wasn't sure if it was useful.
He checked briefly.
[Chemistry: 74↑]
It had increased by 9 points.
But Li Zheng couldn't figure out where he had improved.
He was eager to try some mock exam questions.
But the problem was... he was out of vitality.
Damn it.
He wanted to do test papers.
Damn.
He had to relax double today, no holding back.
Only then could he study more tomorrow.
With that in mind, Li Zheng took out "Sci-Fi World" and started reading intently.
He read until the next class started.
Third period, chemistry class, without the teacher's permission, he couldn't self-study anymore.
The chemistry teacher, Yu Hong, was a woman in her fifties, tall and fond of wearing bright long dresses. When she walked, the fabric billowed, and she had a somewhat arrogant demeanor, even speaking with a parrot-like tilt of her head.
It was said that her illustrious family background gave her this attitude since childhood, which had stuck with her over the years.
However, her teaching was very steady.
She almost always read from the textbook verbatim.
Hence, she had the nickname—Recorder.
By the way, Hu Chunmei's nickname was Old Mother Hu.
At that moment, Teacher Yu, as usual, made a high-spirited entrance, sweeping her gaze across the room with an air of superiority.
"This class, we'll review the monthly exam paper."
"Before we start, I'll report the scores."
"Your class's average score is 56.8, ranking last among the science classes."
"Class one, which I also teach, has an average score of 72."
"Identify the problems yourselves, I won't say more."
"Additionally, your class has always had a characteristic."
"The good get better, the poor get worse."
"Don't look around. Yes, I'm talking about you, Liu Xin."
"You scored 3 points. Fine."
"But you actually filled out the whole paper."
"Such effort, yet only 3 points, quite a feat."
Amidst the laughter, Liu Xin scratched his head awkwardly.
On the platform, Yu Hong turned her gaze slowly to the window. Her proud, stern face softened a bit.
"The good get better, naturally pointing to Lin Yujing."
"Honestly, this chemistry exam was tough. Many hard-working students didn't pass."
"Especially the last question, which was near Olympiad level. I didn't expect anyone to score on it."
"I just wanted to see if there's a one-in-a-million talent in the second year."
"This question wasn't in vain."
"I found such a talent."
"Lin Yujing, full marks, leading the second place in the whole school by 12 points."
"This isn't just about hard work or not."
Yu Hong nodded approvingly. "Lin Yujing, your future in chemistry is limitless. For the college entrance exam, I suggest you seriously consider the chemistry department of my spouse's alma mater, Ji University."
Though Yu Hong was a "Recorder," she had always been extremely strict with her students and never held anyone in high regard.
Lin Yujing was the first student she praised.
And this time, the praise was so significant.
It was almost as if she was begging Lin Yujing to study chemistry.
The students of Class 2-4, though already tired of the teachers' praises for Lin Yujing, couldn't help but all turn to look at her.
For an academic god like her, there was nothing to be jealous of, only admiration.
This time, Lin Yujing didn't act up.
She buried her head, trying not to be seen, looking very shy.
Humph, a pretentious woman.
If Li Zheng were praised like that, he would proudly accept it.
Just like a soldier receiving a medal, there's no reason to avoid honor.