PCJ – Chapter 494 Facts Speak Louder than Words

Zhang Jiaohua didn’t have time to pay attention to this, “Where can I buy this? I really don’t have time to look at it now.”

Jiang Yuyang nodded, “I’ll give you this book. It’s of no use to me now, you can look at it when you have time.”

Zhang Jiaohua didn’t refuse and put the book into his drawer.

Every move Zhang Jiaohua made was closely watched, with many waiting to see him fail, while some were curious if he could truly create a miracle.

Even the class monitor, Xu Xiaoting, who had always been the top student in the class and among the top five in the school, started to view Zhang Jiaohua differently. She naturally didn’t believe that someone could drastically improve their grades in such a short time—it was impossible. Learning required gradual accumulation. The reason she was able to dominate the top spot in the class was due to her continuous effort. Zhang Jiaohua claimed he would jump into the top ranks in the class with less than fifty days of cramming, but that was just too far-fetched.

The female scholar’s notebook read her life motto: “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”

As the class monitor, Xu Xiaoting always set an example for the class. She felt she should offer some help to the new student, so she walked up to Zhang Jiaohua’s desk.

“Hello, Zhang Jiaohua. I’m Xu Xiaoting, the class monitor of Class 3-2. May I have a word with you?” Xu Xiaoting asked.

Zhang Jiaohua nodded, “Of course, but it shouldn’t take too long. I have a tight schedule with my studies.”

Xu Xiaoting nodded, “Zhang Jiaohua, I think you shouldn’t set your goals too high. Perhaps you should set a smaller goal first, like making sure you pass all subjects and aim for an average high school. That might be a more suitable goal for you. Chasing something too ambitious will only leave you with nothing.”

Zhang Jiaohua glanced at Xu Xiaoting and smiled, “Is this what you want to tell me?”

Xu Xiaoting nodded, “I think you should be more realistic. That way, you won’t do something that will make all the teachers and students look at you strangely.”

Zhang Jiaohua smiled slightly, “I don’t find it strange. Although I’m not interested in any top high schools, setting a higher goal doesn’t hurt. I think I can do it.”

“And what are you basing that on? What use is it other than to grab attention?” said a boy named Zhou Qimu, the long-time second-best student in the class and the class’s League branch secretary. Zhou Qimu was very displeased with Zhang Jiaohua because his presence had made Class 3-2 the laughingstock of the entire school.

Zhang Jiaohua glanced at Zhou Qimu but said nothing, picking up his book and continuing to read.

Xu Xiaoting frowned and said to Zhou Qimu, “We’re all classmates, you don’t have to target Zhang Jiaohua like that.”

“Target him? I can’t be bothered with him. If he hadn’t come to our class, how would Class 3-2 have become the joke of the school? I can’t even hold my head up in front of my friends,” Zhou Qimu glared at Zhang Jiaohua.

Some other students in the class grumbled as well, but Zhang Jiaohua ignored them.

However, Jiang Yuyang couldn’t take it anymore. “You guys are speaking too soon. Zhang Jiaohua will blind your eyes with his results!”

“Give it up, Jiang Yuyang. You’re just happy to have someone to back you up now. You’ll never have to worry about being last again. I finally understand what ‘birds of a feather flock together’ means,” Zhou Qimu sneered.

Jiang Yuyang angrily stood up, ready to argue with Zhou Qimu, but Zhang Jiaohua stopped him with a hand. “Facts speak louder than words.”

Zhang Jiaohua simply said this, and Jiang Yuyang immediately fell silent, sitting back down. “Zhang Jiaohua, you must slap them in the face with your results!”

“Don’t worry. What’s meant to come will come,” Zhang Jiaohua smiled.

Zhou Qimu was about to continue mocking Zhang Jiaohua and Jiang Yuyang when Dong Peijun walked in.

“Have you all reviewed enough? I could hear you all arguing from far away. How many days are left until the high school entrance exam? If you don’t make the most of your time now, when will you? Though I don’t think fifty days is enough to cover all the junior high content, fifty years will definitely improve your grades by a level. Whether you enter a key high school, an average high school, or even a technical school depends on your performance in this period,” Dong Peijun’s words seemed to carry a hint of meaning directed at Zhang Jiaohua.

Zhang Jiaohua’s joke had become a subject of ridicule for the whole school, and Dong Peijun had also been quite frustrated these past few days.

“Zhang Jiaohua, come out with me for a moment,” Dong Peijun called Zhang Jiaohua out of the classroom.

Zhang Jiaohua followed Dong Peijun to a sweet osmanthus tree outside the classroom.

“Zhang Jiaohua, since you entered our class, I’ve seen that you’ve been working hard, but effort doesn’t mean you can dramatically improve your grades in a short time. I hope you understand that,” Dong Peijun said earnestly.

Zhang Jiaohua nodded, “Teacher Dong, just say what you need to say.”

Dong Peijun gave Zhang Jiaohua a look, “Although your grades won’t count towards our class’s average, everything you do will influence the class’s reputation. So, I hope you avoid making exaggerated claims. Otherwise, I’ll be put in a difficult position. For example, this time, your boast with Teacher Su has made our class the laughingstock of the whole school. I hope this won’t happen again.”

Zhang Jiaohua smiled but said nothing, turning and walking back to the classroom.

Dong Peijun paused, unable to do anything about it. Strictly speaking, Zhang Jiaohua hadn’t violated any school rules.

Time passed quickly, and the countdown in the back of the classroom had reached 30 days. Zhang Jiaohua had already been at Changqing Middle School for 20 days. He had gone through almost all the junior high textbooks. For him, the material was relatively simple, so even though he only skimmed through it, he had already mastered most of it. With his current level, he was at least in the middle-upper range of the class.

With 30 days left until the high school entrance exam, Changqing Middle School was holding a formal mock exam, entirely modeled after the entrance exam format.

Zhou Qimu had been eagerly anticipating this day. He wanted to see Zhang Jiaohua reveal his true abilities. Though there was still some time until the final mock exam Zhang Jiaohua promised, this test would show his real level.

“Just wait. Once the exam results come out, we’ll see some people’s true abilities,” Zhou Qimu said, staring at Zhang Jiaohua, who was reading his book.

Though Zhang Jiaohua had skimmed the textbooks, he hadn’t done many exercises. There was still a gap between his proficiency and breadth of knowledge compared to his classmates. Therefore, Fu Cha Hao Yue had prepared many reference books for Zhang Jiaohua, knowing his learning capacity, and had gathered a large number of books.

Since it was a strict mock of the high school entrance exam, the students were mixed randomly, and the supervision was strict.

Zhang Jiaohua was assigned to a different classroom for the exam. As soon as he entered, other students started pointing at him. Clearly, his reputation at Changqing Middle School had reached quite a level.

Zhang Jiaohua didn’t care about the whispers. He calmly found his seat, took out his stationery, and sat down.

Unfortunately, one of the two invigilators in this classroom was Su Zhenming.

After handing out the exam papers, Su Zhenming kept his eyes on Zhang Jiaohua.

Zhang Jiaohua ignored Su Zhenming, focusing solely on his exam. Su Zhenming thought Zhang Jiaohua was just putting on an act, so he walked over to his side to check. However, he was surprised to see that although Zhang Jiaohua was writing quickly, his handwriting was very neat and beautiful.

Su Zhenming was stunned, thinking, “Even if the handwriting is beautiful, it’s useless if the answers are wrong.”

The first exam was Chinese, and Su Zhenming didn’t know the correct answers, so he just glanced over and walked to the side.

Zhang Jiaohua finished the exam quickly, in just about forty minutes. After a quick check, he stood up.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Su Zhenming said sternly.

“Didn’t you say we could hand in our papers after half an hour?” Zhang Jiaohua asked, confused.

“Ah, you’re handing in your paper?” Su Zhenming was momentarily stunned, thinking Zhang Jiaohua had given up.

“You could check it carefully again. Maybe you’ll remember some answers,” another invigilator suggested.

“Teacher Luo, you don’t know this student. He’s the one who said he’d study for one and a half months and aim to break into the top few of the class, Zhang Jiaohua,” Su Zhenming mocked.

“Can I submit my paper now?” Zhang Jiaohua ignored Su Zhenming.

“Of course, you can,” Su Zhenming replied with a smile.

Zhang Jiaohua handed his paper to Teacher Luo and walked out.

“Teacher Luo, look at that. This student is so arrogant,” Su Zhenming sneered at Zhang Jiaohua’s back.

However, Teacher Luo, who was a Chinese teacher, looked at Zhang Jiaohua’s paper and was immediately captivated by his handwriting. “This handwriting is really good. It’s rare to see students writing so neatly these days.”

Su Zhenming immediately said, “No matter how nice the handwriting is, it’s useless if the answers are wrong.”

Teacher Luo disagreed, “I think all the answers are correct.”