"You... you really memorized this in just one class period?"
Finally, Chen Yongchao couldn't hide his shock and couldn't help but ask.
Zhang Zhaomu corrected him. "It's two classes."
Chen Yongchao: "..."
If what the other party said is true, then whether it's one class or two classes, it doesn't seem to make any difference.
He was still a little skeptical, so he pulled a Chinese textbook from his desk, flipped through a few pages, and said, "Recite this ancient poem."
"Okay." Zhang Zhaomu took the textbook.
It is Xin Qiji's "Yong Yu Le: Reminiscing at Beigu Pavilion in Jingkou", which has not yet been taught in the current Chinese language textbook.
Compared to ancient poems with only four lines, this Song Dynasty poem is significantly longer, so Chen Yongchao added, "You have class later, so memorize as many lines as you can."
Zhang Zhaomu nodded, staring at the textbook, and almost instantly entered a state of focused study.
He couldn't possibly have a photographic memory, but with the focus of Academic Ace and his already excellent memory, he only had to recite the Song Dynasty poem a few times in his mind before the content was imprinted in his mind.
"Alright."
Then he snapped out of his concentration and closed his Chinese textbook.
"Is this... all done?" Chen Yongchao checked the time.
Less than two minutes had passed.
He felt a surge of absurdity and said jokingly, "My class monitor, you're not going to tell me you've already memorized it, are you?"
"Um."
Zhang Zhaomu didn't wait for the other person to say anything more and immediately began reciting:
"The ancient rivers and mountains remain, but heroes are nowhere to be found, except for Sun Zhongmou. The pavilions and terraces, once vibrant and elegant, have all been swept away by wind and rain..."
"... Who will ask: Is Lian Po old and still able to eat?"
Just like before, although the recitation lacked emotion, the pace was steady and the words were perfectly accurate.
Chen Yongchao opened his mouth, trying to convince himself that this Song Dynasty poem was very famous and had even been adapted into the lyrics of a pop song, so he might have memorized it before.
But in the end, he didn't dare to speak again.
No matter how unbelievable it may seem, repeatedly questioning one's students is not the behavior of a teacher.
So, after a moment of silence, he revealed a complicated expression and said, "I didn't expect you to be a genius."
Zhang Zhaomu felt a surge of secret pleasure.
Old Deng, finally not being sarcastic this time?
A person should be viewed with new eyes after three days' absence. Before today, you treated me like a slacker and made sarcastic remarks about me at will, and I didn't argue with you. But after today, you'd better think carefully about how to treat me!
However, on the surface, Zhang Zhaomu remained humble, saying:
" Teacher Chen, I just have a good memory."
"Isn't this a good thing?" Chen Yongchao actually sighed. "With your memory, if you had studied harder earlier, you might have even been able to get first place in the humanities."
"I was ignorant before, but thanks to Teacher Chen's teachings, I have completely corrected my mistakes." Zhang Zhaomu didn't mind saying some nice words.
Chen Yongchao blushed slightly.
You little brat, are you trying to sarcastic or mock me?
What did he teach? Everyone in the school knows he's always followed a laissez-faire approach.
He couldn't possibly say that he scolded him for sleeping in class last week and he immediately changed his ways, could he? Only a young person who has just started working would fantasize about such a scenario. As a seasoned veteran, he knows all too well that reprimands are just a formality.
He had seen examples of people who truly reformed themselves, and these were usually driven by strong external factors, such as dramatic changes in their family life that led to maturity, or a promise made in a relationship.
The boy in front of him didn't seem to have any negative emotions, and Chen Yongchao felt that he should belong to the latter category.
Speaking of which, that girl from our class who came to see him before, she seems to have really good grades?
" Teacher Chen?"
Zhang Zhaomu's voice interrupted Chen Yongchao's thoughts, "Class is about to start. If you don't have anything to say..."
"Oh, oh!" Chen Yongchao finally snapped out of his daze. "It's nothing, you can go to class now."
"Okay, teacher." Zhang Zhaomu nodded and turned to walk out of the office.
Just then, a teacher walked in. He was also a middle-aged man. I think I saw him before when he came to the office. His workstation was right next to Chen Yongchao's.
The other person smiled and nodded at him, and Zhang Zhaomu quickly returned the greeting, saying, "Hello, teacher."
"Hello, hello, the bell's about to ring, don't be late." His tone was surprisingly friendly, completely unlike the attitude of a stranger to a student.
After Zhang Zhaomu left the office, he walked up to Chen Yongchao's workstation and asked impatiently, "How did it go?"
Chen Yongchao was taken aback. "What do you mean, how?"
"The thing I asked you to ask for me..." The teacher raised an eyebrow slightly. "I'm going on a blind date this weekend. I've seen the girl's picture, and I'm quite satisfied. I'm just worried she won't like me..."
Chen Yongchao: "..."
Oops!
The reason Zhang Zhaomu was called over was because a colleague requested that Zhang Zhaomu help with a makeover.
As a result, the shock of suddenly discovering that the notoriously bad student in his class was actually a genius made him completely forget about the matter.
"I said..." the teacher leaned closer, looking suspicious, "You didn't forget to mention, did you? This concerns my future happiness!"
"Of course I said it! Ha... haha..." Chen Yongchao replied reflexively, " Old Zhu, how could you not trust me to do things?"
"And then what? Can he reform someone my age?" The teacher, surnamed Zhu, asked somewhat nervously.
Chen Yongchao: "Is it... possible?"
Who knows! I didn't even ask!
"What do you mean 'maybe'?" Seeing Chen Yongchao's expression, Teacher Zhu's heart skipped a beat. "Did he refuse? No way, Old Chen? He's a student in your class, after all. Does he not even give his homeroom teacher face? Didn't you tell him I was willing to pay extra to cut in line?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yongchao reflexively replied, "How could that be! He's the class monitor I personally selected."
He spoke faster than he thought, "I've already asked, how could he refuse?"
"That's good." Teacher Zhu breathed a sigh of relief. "I knew you were a reliable person, Old Chen!"
"Well... of course." Chen Yongchao tried hard to hide his guilty conscience.
He wants to slap himself right now.
What does it mean to be so stubborn and suffer for it? What should we do now?
I heard that Zhang Zhaomu's image design slots are extremely difficult to obtain now, with plenty of people willing to pay a premium to jump the queue. Will my influence as her homeroom teacher really be of any use?
"Okay, what do I need to prepare in advance?" Teacher Zhu asked eagerly.
"Uh... I'm not sure about that either." Chen Yongchao rubbed his face. "You know, I don't know much about image design either. You'll have to talk to him in person."
Okay, when?
Chen Yongchao: "... Wait for further notice."
"Huh?" Teacher Zhu was taken aback. "We still have to wait for a notification? Your class monitor is putting on quite a show."