Chapter 05
History was our first class today.
To be honest, I sucked equally at both arts and sciences. It’s just that back then, I mindlessly signed up for the same history, politics, and biology electives as Jason so we could skip class together.
Only now did I realize why he chose those three subjects.
I watched Natalie sitting in the front row as the teacher bent over to talk to her. Turns out, he picked the same classes as her because she was taking them. Maybe he had always had a thing for Natalie.
I said nothing and flipped open the textbook I had been reading last night. What a coincidence – we were currently reviewing our freshman history material, and today’s lesson was the exact chapter I had gone over the evening before. In the past, I never paid a lick of attention in class. I’d be sneakily playing on my phone, reading novels, passing notes, chatting… anything but studying. But today, as I watched Jason and Natalie diligently taking notes, I couldn’t bring myself to fish my phone out of my pocket.
I cracked open my textbook and forced myself to focus.
Last night I had only skimmed it cursorily on my own, but very strangely, it felt
completely different this time. For once, the teacher’s words were actually sinking
- in.
Usually his lectures went in one ear and straight out the other, making me drowsy as hell.
Now I was stunned to find I could actually understand what he was saying, my brain whirring along as he covered each point.
–
Even more shocking after he finished a section, I realized I could recite the whole thing from memory!
Excitement slowly welled up inside me, my eyes glued to the page, Jason and Natalie momentarily forgotten.
Could it be that I was secretly a genius?
“Starting from this row, I want everyone to recite the measures Qin Shi Huang took
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to consolidate unification.”
Just as I was absorbed in silent memorization, the history teacher pointed at
Natalie. “You first.”
Natalie rose gracefully to her feet and launched into a fluid recitation of the
passage.
“Politically, the central government implemented the Three Lords and Nine. Ministers system. Locally, the enfeoffment system was abolished in favor of counties and prefectures to strengthen control over local administrations and safeguard central authority.
“Economically… weights, measures, and currency were standardized…”
Her voice was crisp and pleasant, not a single stumble as she breezed through the
text.
The teacher pushed up his glasses and smiled in satisfaction. “Excellent. Next.” The students after her weren’t nearly as smooth, forgetting two out of every three. sentences. The teacher was displeased.
“Not well memorized at all! Go back and recite it ten more times. If you still can’t remember it tomorrow, you’ll be standing for the lesson!”
“Next!”
I slowly rose to my feet.
The entire class fell silent in an instant.
Jason turned to look at me, his expression darkening slightly.
Natalie glanced over too, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes.
I knew why they were reacting this way.
As the most consistently bottom–ranked student, I was notorious for my utter lack
of academic effort.
Usually in these situations, I would just pretend not to hear, and the teacher, long used to it, would simply call on the next person.
“Emily, you…” The teacher furrowed his brow.
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Taking a deep breath, I ignored the curious and expectant stares around me and recited the passage I had just memorized.
Although I paused briefly in the middle out of nervousness, it still came out quite smoothly.
Surprise registered on the history teacher’s face, his knitted brows gradually
relaxing.
After a moment, a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
“Very good, excellent. It’s clear you put in the work to memorize this.”
“Keep it up. Well done, have a seat.”
My classmates let out small gasps of astonishment. Natalie’s mocking smile faltered a bit as she shot me a look before turning back around.
I could feel my face heating up as I sat down in a fluster.
My ears must have been bright red.
But deep down, a peculiar sense of joy bubbled up inside me.
This was the first time a teacher had ever praised me. The first time in my life. It was an incredible feeling, completely different from the rush of seeing a cute guy at the bar, or my parents handing me a wad of cash, or splurging on an expensive handbag.
This happiness came from the depths of my heart.
It was like a flower had bloomed in my chest. I even felt a tinge of shyness at the teacher’s recognition.
In that instant, I fell in love with history class.
I didn’t want to be dead last anymore. At the very least, I wanted to score higher in
history!
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