The 1 hour and 45-minute class finally ended, and Zhou Rui exhaled deeply, relieved.
Qinghe No. 1 Middle School operated on an intensive eight-hour schedule, with two long sessions in both the morning and afternoon. Boarding students also endured early morning and late-night reading sessions.
For nearly two hours, Zhou Rui had been swimming—or rather, flailing—in the vast ocean of knowledge.
Though it felt like he had nearly drowned, the steady stream of notifications from the system reassured him:
> "Task Entry: Concentration, Experience Value +1, Current Progress (7/100)"
"Task Entry: Self-disciplined, Experience Value +1, Current Progress (5/100)"
"Task Entry: Inspiration, Experience Value +1, Current Progress (2/100)"
These three synergistic tasks had proven complementary. Zhou Rui had done nothing but focus on the lesson, yet he was racking up experience points in three categories. It reminded him of playing strategy games in his past life—crafting the most efficient route to maximize resources.
[Concentration] was the easiest to level up, while [Inspiration] was the hardest.
Judging by the system's timestamps, it seemed [Inspiration] only appeared during rare moments when a recalled life experience helped him understand a tricky physics concept. Unfortunately, these flashes of insight were so fleeting that he could barely remember them. Still, the system registered them, which was all that mattered.
He noted, however, that gaining experience was getting harder as time passed. Was it due to diminishing returns from repeated efforts, or simply his mental fatigue by the second half of the class? Likely both.
The mental strain from two straight hours of physics left Zhou Rui feeling like his CPU was overheating. He even started to feel lightheaded from low blood sugar.
If you asked him what he'd learned so far, the answer would be... not much. Compared to his classmates, who'd been steadily building their knowledge, he was still leagues behind. But considering his starting point, he'd made some progress—he'd clawed his way from dead last to merely second-to-last.
As for the looming college entrance exam in two months, everything hinged on whether the system would keep delivering results.
Crunching the numbers, Zhou Rui estimated that if he maintained this pace through four classes today and tackled his homework tonight, he could hit (15/100) in both the [Concentration] and [Self-disciplined] categories by the end of the day.
But he also recognized that progress would slow down over time. If each subsequent level took longer, he might need over ten days to unlock a new [entry].
For someone with a golden finger, that wasn't bad. But for a reborn social animal with a blank slate and only 50 days to prepare for the college entrance exam? Time was still unbearably tight.
---
During the break, Zhou Rui didn't waste time. He scanned his classmates, mentally pairing their faces with names from his fragmented memories.
Most of these familiar faces hadn't crossed his mind for years—some for over a decade.
"Alright, let's see," he mused, silently identifying them one by one.
Yao Yanhui: Former sports committee member. His career peaked in second year when PE classes still existed. By third year, even the PE teacher became a mythical figure, always "sick." Later, Yao became a real estate agent, promoting apartments at a class reunion.
Zhang Xin: Perpetual top student. He'd also ended up in Shanghai, but at a far better university. They hadn't kept in touch, and Zhang hadn't bothered attending reunions. Brilliant but aloof.
Tong Xin: The rumored "school belle." She wasn't a knockout, but her figure—hidden now under the shapeless school uniform—had turned heads at reunions. She later married the son of a local tycoon and had a child before most male classmates even had their first girlfriend.
Lu Xubo: Leader of the "bad boys" clique. Zhou Rui had been close to him during their rebellious phase but drifted apart in senior year. Lu disappeared entirely from Zhou Rui's life after graduation.
Song Bin: The class punching bag. Though he was jovial and easygoing, he bore the brunt of teasing—mostly from mediocre students rather than the actual delinquents. Zhou Rui never joined in but couldn't recall much about Song's life after school.
Looking at them now, Zhou Rui reminded himself not to let his post-rebirth judgments color his view of his young classmates. People change, after all.
Just like himself—once a burned-out office worker, now a fresh-faced high schooler eager to rewrite his fate.
---
As Zhou Rui discreetly studied his classmates, he felt a few pairs of eyes on him too.
He was somewhat of a mystery in Class 7. In his first two years, he'd drifted aimlessly, hanging out with troublemakers like Lu Xubo. But in his third year, he'd turned things around, leaping from the bottom of the pack to somewhere in the middle.
And today, something about him seemed... different. He radiated an unfamiliar calmness and confidence, as if he wasn't just another high schooler.
Tong Xin, ever attuned to attention, felt Zhou Rui's gaze linger on her briefly. Stretching languidly, she pretended to adjust her uniform, subtly highlighting her figure before glancing back at him.
To her mild disappointment, Zhou Rui had already moved on, cataloging someone else.
Tong Xin frowned thoughtfully. Could he be interested in me? The more she considered it, the more convinced she became.
---
With seven minutes left before the next class, Zhou Rui felt his lightheadedness intensify. Food was a must if he hoped to maintain efficiency.
He left the classroom and made his way to the next one. Amid the noisy chaos of the break, he spotted Li Wenqian resting her head on her desk in the third row.
Li Wenqian was a quiet, reserved student. Except for Zhou Rui, she rarely interacted with others and had few close friends.
"Li Wenqian," Zhou Rui called softly, earning a startled look. When she saw him, her face turned red.
It was rare—and bold—for students to visit peers in other classes. For someone of the opposite sex? That practically screamed scandal.
Zhou Rui ignored the stares from her classmates, including a couple of jealous glares from boys who viewed him as an unwelcome intruder. His calm demeanor sent a silent message: What are you looking at? She's from my garden.
Blushing furiously, Li Wenqian hurried out. "What's up, Zhou Rui?" she asked nervously.
"Do you have any snacks in your bag?"
"Two pieces of fruit leather... but I was saving those for lunch."
"I'll pay you back. Consider it conscripted."
Li Wenqian blinked. "You're hungry already? It's just the first class."
"I didn't have breakfast," Zhou Rui replied shamelessly, rubbing his forehead. "Now hurry up before I pass out."