"No! Teacher, are you mistaken? Am I in love?"
In the teacher's office, Huang Dewei wore an expression of disbelief, thinking to himself: This kid, can he still fool me? His mother already told me everything.
"You don't need to explain yourself. Did I mention your name? What? Are you nervous?"
Huang Dewei was no fresh-faced teacher—he had seen enough of life's ups and downs. Anyone caught in a relationship by the teacher would usually confess, "Teacher, you're right. XXX and I are together."
But Zhou Rui? He'd never hear the truth straight from students. After years of teaching, Huang Dewei had learned that students never admit it when caught in the act.
Now, he was more certain than ever—Zhou Rui was in love.
Zhou Rui frowned, "You think I'm in love, so you called me out here alone?"
Huang Dewei rolled his eyes. "Do I need a reason to ask you out? Your grades have dropped significantly. What's wrong with asking you about it?"
Zhou Rui was left speechless. The worst part? He couldn't even deny it. Old Huang had wrongly assumed that his grades had plummeted because of a romantic relationship, but in truth, Zhou Rui didn't want to tell him about his rebirth. Telling him that he was reborn and didn't remember anything wouldn't be believable.
So, Zhou Rui just let the misunderstanding stand.
After a few moments of silence, Huang Dewei's tone softened, and there was a hint of sincerity in his words.
"Zhou Rui, I've taught you for three years. I saw what you were like in your first and second years of high school. In your third year, you worked hard and made progress. I know better than anyone how much effort those results took."
He adjusted his glasses, which were a little worn from years of use, and pulled out Zhou Rui's test paper, placing it in front of him.
"You may not believe me now, but believe me—everything you think matters more than studying won't even be a footnote once you graduate. Emotions, relationships, even me as your teacher—none of that will matter. Only your grades will carry you forward into the future."
Zhou Rui listened to the words of a man who had seen countless students pass through his hands. It touched him in a way he hadn't expected.
He thought to himself: No, teacher, I already know all that.
Huang Dewei's earnest words struck a chord in Zhou Rui, who had initially only wanted to quickly escape the conversation.
Who cares about who you were close to in high school, who you had a crush on, or who you dated? Four years later, those things fade into the background.
But the college entrance exam? That's the one thing that could change your future and influence your life forever. Zhou Rui knew this better than anyone.
It was already 8:00 PM. On Huang Dewei's desk sat an aluminum lunchbox with half-eaten cold food spilling from the gap in the lid.
Zhou Rui, suddenly recalling his past life, remembered how he used to eat carelessly and always felt worn out. But then, he shook his head.
He couldn't compare himself to a teacher like Huang Dewei. This is a man who doesn't even have the concept of "overtime."
When students had questions, Huang Dewei would stay well beyond his working hours to help, never complaining.
In his past life, few people cared about him in the way that Huang Dewei did. He might have been one of the very few who truly wished him well.
Zhou Rui exhaled and said earnestly, "Mr. Huang, I know my test scores dropped significantly, which probably disappointed you and the other teachers. But I promise you, I'll turn things around before the college entrance exam!"
I will also activate my cheats and aim for the top schools in Shanghai!
Huang Dewei finally smiled. "Good! That's the right attitude! But you need action too! Your foundation is still there. If you adjust your mindset, you'll improve quickly. You can come to my office for self-study every day. Ask me anything you don't understand. I'll even talk to the other teachers on your behalf. We'll all work hard together in these last forty days!"
"Okay!"
Huang Dewei's face became serious again as he picked up the test paper. "Now, let's go over this test. A lot of your mistakes were simple ones. You missed the easy questions—pay attention."
Zhou Rui slowly began to lose focus on the mistake he'd just made. The one-on-one guidance from Mr. Huang was already starting to feel different.
He couldn't deny it—this kind of personal attention worked better than large classes.
This was why so many families were willing to pay big money for private tutoring: more than just extra time, it was the effectiveness of individual teaching.
Zhou Rui was sure of one thing—any physics tutor in Qinghe County could never match Huang Dewei's expertise. As the class teacher, Mr. Huang never took on private tutoring, even though the income from it could far exceed his salary.
As Huang Dewei continued to explain each question in detail, Zhou Rui gained three valuable points of experience in [Self-Disciplined Person], pushing his progress to (90/100). That was more than he'd gained in an entire afternoon.
While Huang Dewei stepped out briefly, Zhou Rui received a text message from Li Wenqian, telling him that her mother had come to pick her up, so he didn't need to worry.
With that, Zhou Rui's mind was completely at ease, allowing him to focus on his studies.
Soon after leaving school, Zhou Rui received another message.
"Dear customer, RMB 57,800 has been credited to your bank card 6222XXX91723 in real-time."
So fast?
It was the first after-tax payment for Starry Sea—the copyright fee for being included in the "Celebrating Birthday" album!
Zhou Rui's eyes lit up.
He was the last student to leave school, and by the time he looked at his phone, the streets were quiet.
57,800 yuan—this was a huge sum for a high school student, and even more so for Zhou Rui, who had lived a life as a social worker for over two decades in his past life.
He remembered the promise he'd made to Li Wenqian and Song Bin. Of the total, he controlled 80%, which amounted to 46,000 yuan.
Though it was a little less than promised, Zhou Rui didn't mind the small loss. After all, he had made a commitment, and he intended to honor it. Li Wenqian was practically family to him, and the money given to Song Bin didn't even cover the cost of his gear.
It seemed like Song Bin had bought even more new equipment lately—he was addicted to it.
Although the amount still wasn't enough for Zhou Rui to buy the house at No. 277 Tianhe Road, it would certainly solve many other problems.
Zhou Rui began to plan his next moves.
In his past life, Zhou Rui had taken a few financial management classes. The teacher had spouted nonsense most of the time, but there was one thing that stuck with him:
Only those who know how to spend money can make money.
Money sitting idle in your bank account doesn't do you any good—it becomes yours only when you spend it.
But spending doesn't mean squandering. It means investing in yourself, making smart, strategic decisions that will pay off later.
At his age, and with his reborn advantage, why would he need to save? His best investment now was in himself.
Have you heard of the term "consumer god" before?