Chapter 03
Studying hard was easier said than done. Actually doing it was incredibly difficult. I had messed around all through junior year and never studied up to now in senior
year.
All my energy had gone into makeup, chasing celebrities, and going out clubbing. I truly found studying boring.
My family was rich, so even if I didn’t get into college, my parents would find a way
to send me abroad..
Why should I work myself to the bone studying?
For a year and a half of high school, I never did a single assignment. On tests, I
either turned in blank papers or scribbled randomly, stably ranking in the bottom
three.
I thought for a while and decided to start by catching up from junior year material. But the moment I opened a textbook, I recognized all the characters individually, yet together they became incomprehensible.
I forced myself to read for ten minutes before giving up, my head spinning and
yawns coming nonstop.
It was too hard, truly too hard.
When I watched Jason Brooks do problems, he could write answers down without
much thought. It didn’t seem this difficult!
I started having second thoughts.
My family had money anyway. So what if they went to Harvard? Maybe they’d end up working for me in the future.
Just as I was about to put my book down, my mom suddenly knocked and came in. She was holding a plate of fruit, her face full of surprise.
“Emily, you’re studying…”
Her expression quickly turned anxious. She gave a strained smile and awkwardly
put the fruit on my desk, wiping her hands.
“Oh dear, am I disturbing you? Keep studying!”
She hurried out, gently closing the door without a sound.
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I stared blankly at the fruit on my desk.
Grapes, cut with the stems, washed multiple times with flour until spotless, not a single rotten one.
Every day before, my mom was like this.
She was afraid the maid wouldn’t wash the fruit properly or cook food I liked, so
she personally took care of me.
My mom’s expressions kept flashing before my eyes. One moment she was saying sadly “Make your mom proud.”
The next she was nervous about interrupting my studies.
I gripped my pen and flipped the book back open.
Dammit, I’ll read a bit more.
Studying was truly torturous. But after getting through that excruciating beginning, it seemed to get a bit less agonizing.
I even found history somewhat interesting.
I had seen the Terracotta Warriors with my mom before, but I never learned what
Emperor Qin did after conquering the six states.
I never imagined such vision and boldness. It was stunning.
I had never taken any notes before. My books were full of doodles from class.
I had drawn a mustache and new hairstyle on the portrait of Emperor Qin.
At the time, it was to kill time. But now, reading seriously, I felt a bit uneasy.
I flipped through the history book page by page, forgetting when I actually fell asleep.
When my alarm went off the next day, I found myself passed out on my desk. There were still imprints from the pages on my face.
Looking at myself in the mirror, I was a bit amazed.
I never thought there would be a day when Emily Anderson would fall asleep reading.
When my mom called me for breakfast, she was especially nice, piling food in my
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bowl.
“Eat more, studying takes a lot of energy!”
“My girl is so smart – with just a bit of studying, she’ll leave that little brat in the dust. What’s he got to be so cocky about? One day we’ll get into Harvard and show
‘em!”
I stared at the chicken leg in my bowl, a whirlwind of emotions swirling inside me. Mom always had this unwavering faith in me. Even if her daughter was a pile of dog crap, she’d still think it was the most amazing dog crap in the world. The slightest bit of effort on my part would fill her with uncontainable joy. So easily satisfied.
I gazed at my mom’s shining eyes. Guess I’ll hit the books again tonight…
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Add to Library – Read Anytime.
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