Chapter 14: The Gap Between a Failing Student and a Genius

Tang Susu took the school badge from him with her delicate, fair hands and hung it around her neck.

This time, she absolutely could not lose it again.

With a soft smile, she leaned in close to He Zhimou’s face. “Thanks!”

The next second, the boy’s peach blossom eyes slightly lifted, gazing at her intently.

She froze. His gaze was too intense—deep and sharp, laced with an indescribable emotion. She instinctively took a step back.

The novel had shaped her perception of He Zhimou as gentle and kind. But after these few days of interaction, she realized he wasn’t gentle at all—on the contrary, he was gloomy and brooding.

How could someone’s personality change so drastically?

What had happened to transform him from a sullen, withdrawn teenager into a calm, elegant man?

Whatever it was, it must’ve been something beautiful—something that brought him hope.

It made sense. The author couldn’t have been so cruel as to leave He Zhimou without a sliver of light.
If he hadn’t had hope, he would’ve become the kind of ultimate villain who lashes out at the world.
Instead, he turned into a philanthropist who gave back and helped countless people.

Having reasoned through that, she tilted her head and smiled.

She wasn’t exactly a classic beauty, but her eyes were clear and pure. Coupled with her distinct presence, her smile was enough to captivate a whole city.

Just then, the elevator stopped on the sixth floor.

A male student entered and caught her momentarily daydreaming.

Beside her, He Zhimou lifted his eyelids slightly.

The boy instantly felt a chill down his spine and averted his gaze, not daring to look again.

Soon, they arrived on the first floor.

Tang Susu helped He Zhimou out of the elevator, completely unaware of what had just happened.

“He Zhimou, let’s move into the new place today, okay?”

“Alright.”

The apartment Tang Susu had rented was close to school—safe and conveniently located.

It was on the sixth floor of a building with an elevator. The place was clean, bright, and well-lit.

There was even an extra room next door, which she had specially reserved for He Zhimou’s bottles and jars.

The two of them stood in the living room.

Tang Susu glanced sideways at He Zhimou, who leaned on his crutch and calmly surveyed the space.

She smiled and started introducing the place. “This neighborhood has great security. The guards do regular patrols…”

Before she could finish, He Zhimou suddenly handed her a stack of cash.

Tang Susu blinked, surprised.

“It’s what’s left over from the surgery,” he said. When she didn’t take it, he simply placed it on the table with his slender fingers. “I’ll pay the rent for next month.”

Tang Susu waved her hand. She was going to say he didn’t need to, but halfway through, she changed her mind.

She smiled. “There’s no rush. I used my pocket money for it anyway. Just pay me back whenever you can.”

Boys at this age were proud.
The injury was her responsibility, and she had to take care of that.
But when it came to rent, if he wanted to pay for himself, she understood.

They weren’t relatives or anything. It made sense that he didn’t want her to bear all the costs.

And honestly, that just proved something: He Zhimou was someone worth helping—he wasn’t blindly accepting charity.

She looked at the boy’s broodingly handsome face and tilted her head thoughtfully.

Then she stood in front of him, smiling sweetly. “If you want to thank me but don’t know how… could you maybe share some of your study techniques with me?”

At noon, she had tried calling her homeroom teacher to ask for leave, but he didn’t answer, so she sent a text.
Later, just before He Zhimou’s surgery, the teacher called back.

He didn’t believe she was at the hospital with He Zhimou and told her to return to school in the afternoon, reminding her that she’d been working hard lately and needed to keep it up.

Tang Susu couldn’t leave He Zhimou, so she pleaded with the teacher.

Eventually, he agreed—on one condition: she had to improve her ranking by ten places in the next monthly exam.

Even though she’d been studying hard recently, it hadn’t been for long, and she didn’t know how strong her classmates were. Improving by ten ranks was going to be tough.

Her friend Che Jinghan had taught her basic, steady study methods, but she didn’t have the luxury of time.

She wanted a shortcut.

The novel never explicitly stated He Zhimou’s grades, but the author hinted that he was a top student—just keeping a low profile.

Maybe his method could help her make rapid progress.

Her eyes sparkled with anticipation as she looked at him.

He lowered his gaze and asked, “You think learning requires a method?”

Tang Susu was startled. Doesn’t it?

Wait, was he messing with her?

Was this his way of saying no?

Then suddenly, she remembered how others used to ask her if there were any tricks to learning piano.

She had earnestly replied: “Just play.”

So what tricks? There weren’t any. You just had to play.

Now she finally understood why her classmates looked at her like she was impossible back then.

Yeah… she had been a bit annoying.

With a deflated sigh, she flopped onto the sofa. “Forget it. I’ll figure it out myself.”

He Zhimou limped over, those dark eyes fixed on her. “Give me a question.”

Tang Susu froze. “You can’t give me study methods, but you’ll help me solve problems?”

The boy nodded.

She was thrilled.

Unfortunately, her backpack—and her test papers—weren’t with her right now.

But wait—she did have a math problem she’d been stuck on for ages. She had taken a photo of it on her phone to search online later.

Now, she showed it to He Zhimou. “This one—I’ve been stuck on it forever.”

He took the phone, grabbed some paper and a pen, and with slender, elegant fingers, quickly jotted down the answer. Then he handed the sheet to her.

“That fast?” Tang Susu took the paper.

On the pure white A4 sheet, his ink danced boldly. He had written down a formula she didn’t recognize, followed by the final answer.

“What? You don’t believe me?” His eyes narrowed.

Tang Susu shook her head quickly. She would never question a study god. “What about the detailed steps?”

He Zhimou pointed at the unfamiliar formula.

At first, he’d only planned to write the final answer. But remembering it was Tang Susu, he added the steps too.

“That’s the steps?” she tried to keep her voice steady.

He Zhimou sensed something was off—but still nodded.