Locking away my heart and love! Going back to 2000 to be a top student again.

After the monthly exam results came out, Ms. Wu rearranged the seating in the class.

Xu Su moved from her original position to a row back, right in front of the class monitor, Xi Zirong.

Although Mr. Wu also teaches math to Class 16, he is still angry about the results this time.

"Don't think that you can rest easy just because you've been admitted to the top class at the start of the semester. This is the first major exam. You should all know whether your grades have improved or declined. I've explained many of the key points in class several times, but some of you still made mistakes. Is it because you didn't understand, or because you weren't paying attention?"

Teacher Wu said, "You are all about to become adults. I don't want to say anything harsh, but if some of you still don't have the right attitude towards learning before the end of this semester, don't blame me for asking you to leave my class."

"You all had a very good foundation before. If your grades slipped, you can still catch up as long as you work hard. But if your attitude towards learning changes, then there's no hope. Learning is like sailing against the current; if you don't move forward, you fall behind. Think about it carefully."

Wherever Teacher Wu's gaze swept, the students there all felt that she was talking about them.

Xu Su, who entered the top class with the fifth highest entrance score in the entire grade, was terrified to be out of the top ten this time. She believed that her attitude towards learning was very good, but if her grades did not improve, her classmates would think that the title of the top scorer in Kang County's high school entrance examination was not very prestigious.

He showed his true colors as soon as he entered high school.

In short, after this monthly exam, everyone in the class was on edge, and no one wanted to actually be kicked out of the top class.

Even Huang Feng, who is usually very active, didn't go to the convenience store for several days in a row. During breaks, he only went to get water and go to the toilet, and spent all his time studying.

When the top students get into the zone, the learning atmosphere in the classroom becomes incredibly intense.

After Xu Su changed seats, she was closer to Xi Zirong, the exam genius. She was surprised to find that, compared to the daily routine of the other students in the class who were diligently doing practice questions, this class monitor rarely did homework.

Every time he returned to his seat to get water during breaks, he would occasionally glance at the students behind him and see that they were reading different extracurricular books, which had absolutely nothing to do with high school knowledge.

After doing this several times, Xu Su remembered a famous saying from his previous life: Some people get 100 points because the test paper only allows for 100 points, while you get 99 points, which means your ability is only 99 points.

...I felt a pang of sadness for no reason.

~~~~

As November slowly approached, the weather grew colder day by day, and the days became longer and longer, making getting up a very difficult task.

Every morning, Xu Su leaves home before dawn. Sometimes it rains, and while other students might have their parents take them to school, she can only put on her raincoat and ride her rusty bicycle through the rain to school.

When Xu Su returned from evening self-study, it was usually close to 10 p.m. At first, she insisted on taking a shower every day, but after the weather got cold, heating water for a shower became a hassle, as water heaters were not yet common at that time.

The Xu family uses an electric kettle for bathing, which is not only unsafe but also extremely wasteful of electricity. Chen Shulan had mentioned it to her several times, telling her not to take a bath late at night every day.

Not only does it disturb their sleep, but it's also bad for their health.

As a result, Xu Su stopped taking a bath every day and started taking one every two or three days. Usually, she would just wipe herself down and go to sleep on the sofa.

Sometimes Chen Shulan would leave hot water for Xu Su to wash up in a kettle, but most of the time Chen Shulan wouldn't remember.

If you want hot water to wash up, you have to boil it yourself. There is a kettle at home, but it is very noisy when boiling water, especially late at night.

After being told off by Xu Weiping twice, Xu Su had to wash up with cold water if there was no hot water available when she came home at night.

Sleeping on a cramped sofa, covered with the blanket Chen Shulan had prepared for her, Xu Su slept on one side of the blanket and covered herself with the other. Every time she moved slightly, a cold draft would sneak in through the gaps.

Thanks to her grandmother's excellent health, Xu Su withstood the conditions for more than half a month before finally catching a cold after another drop in temperature.

When Xu Su woke up early in the morning, she found that her nose was stuffy and her throat was very sore. Despite the discomfort, she rode her bicycle to school. As soon as she sat down in the classroom, she slumped over her seat.

Her deskmate changed from Luo Huayang to Chen Huiyu, an extremely gentle girl who spoke softly. Like Xu Su, she was admitted from Kang County, but she attended Kang County No. 2 Middle School.

The two had been deskmates for over a month and had developed a good friendship. Xu Su was usually very enthusiastic about studying and never lay down in the classroom as soon as she arrived, so this sudden change was a bit strange.

After glancing at Xu Su a few times, Chen Huiyu couldn't help but reach out and touch her forehead, exclaiming, "Su Su, your forehead is a little hot. Are you sick?"

Her hands were cold, and Xu Su couldn't help but lean in and touch them. After feeling a bit better, she sat up straight and explained, "It seems like I have a slight cold. I'll drink more hot water."

Chen Huiyu looked at her with some concern: "Your voice is hoarse, why don't you take a day off and go home to rest?"

Xu Su shook her head: "My throat is a little sore, and I won't be able to rest properly when I go back. I might as well stay here and attend the class. The midterm exams are coming up soon."

Chen Huiyu didn't try to persuade her anymore. She took Xu Su's water glass and said, "I'll get you some hot water. Drink more."

During the morning self-study session for the advanced class, Teacher Wu rarely checked discipline; the students were usually left to read on their own. Xu Su had been severely sleep-deprived lately, and became even more lethargic when sick, spending the entire morning self-study session half-lying down and asleep.

When the bell rang to signal the end of morning self-study, Xu Su remained slumped in her seat, not moving.

Huang Feng and Qian Jia ran over to call her to go to the cafeteria for breakfast. Seeing that Xu Su looked listless, they told her to go to Qian Jia's bed in the dormitory and lie down for a while. "We won't go to morning exercises. Ask the class monitor for leave, go to the dormitory to sleep for a while, and come back after class."

Xi Zirong, who was still in the back seat, heard this and glanced at Xu Su, saying, "If you want to sleep, go to the dormitory and sleep for a while. It's okay if you oversleep. Old Wu said I have the authority to approve half a day's leave. When Teacher Li asks, I'll just say you asked for leave."

The first two periods in the morning were English classes, which was Xu Su's only consistent subject. Missing one or two classes wouldn't have a big impact, so she hesitated for a moment.

While they were hesitating, Xi Zirong said to Huang Feng, "You guys go have breakfast first, it's almost time for morning exercises."

Huang Feng and the others looked at Xu Su with some concern. "Do you want me to take you to your dorm?"

Xu Su shook her head and said, "It's just a little cold, I can handle it myself. You guys go and have breakfast."

Qian Jia took a key out of her pocket and handed it to Xu Su: "Okay, go to your dorm and get some sleep."

After Huang Feng and the others left, the classroom was completely empty, leaving only Xu Su and Xi Zirong.

Xi Zirong left her seat and walked to Xu Su's side, helping her put away the books on the table. She looked at her and said, "Let's go, I'll take you to the infirmary to get some cold medicine."