Colorful years

As the curtain fell on this math exam and the results were announced, the entire class was instantly enveloped in a heavy silence.

Only one student in the class barely passed the exam; all the other students failed. The worst result was even more shocking—someone submitted a blank paper.

This has never happened before.

It goes without saying that everyone knew perfectly well who the lucky one who passed was—Zhang Cong, who was hailed as a genius by his classmates.

However, even this highly anticipated talent's performance this time was truly disappointing, barely passing the passing mark by a mere 61 points.

On the podium, Teacher Li's face was solemn, and her eyes were sharp as she scanned each student below the stage. Her piercing gaze seemed to be able to see into the inner world of each student.

After a moment of silence, Teacher Li finally spoke, his voice steady and powerful: "Students, what does this exam result really mean? Does such a genius who learns without studying truly exist in this world? The answer is clearly no!"

No matter how high a person's intelligence, if they cannot calm down, delve deeply into their textbooks, and diligently memorize the essential knowledge, they will ultimately be no different from an ordinary person.

Unexpectedly, even though I secretly studied at home for three days before the exam, the result was still so bad.

Hearing the teacher's barbed criticism, Zhang Cong, who had been sitting upright in his seat, turned bright red, like a ripe apple, so red it was almost dripping blood.

He felt a wave of heat rise from his ears, quickly spreading across his entire face; the burning sensation made him wish he could disappear into a hole in the ground. Shame and embarrassment surged through him, causing him to involuntarily lower his head.

For him, who has always been proud of his excellent grades, this exam was undoubtedly a heavy blow.

Not only did he do terribly in math, but even in his best subject, Chinese, he only scored in the 80s, while his scores in other subjects fluctuated between 60 and 70.

This was the most painful failure he had experienced since entering the school.

You should know that this was the first time he had been severely criticized by his teacher! Although the teacher did not name him directly, it was clear to anyone with eyes that the main target of the criticism was Zhang Cong.

This kind of criticism, which doesn't name names, makes him feel even more ashamed than being criticized in person. After all, being criticized by name in public at least gives you a chance to argue, but this kind of veiled accusation leaves him no room for rebuttal and he can only silently endure the embarrassment and awkwardness.

Therefore, when Teacher Li continued, "The school has now reinstated the closed-book examination system, aiming to focus on improving the quality of education and teaching, and no longer emphasizes work-study and agricultural activities as much as in the past. Here, I hope that students can quickly refocus and devote their main energy to their studies."

These earnest words, however, were like a breeze passing by him, completely ignoring his thoughts.

At this moment, his thoughts had already drifted far away, back to that same moment in his past life. Teacher Li was standing on the podium, explaining the details of the closed-book exam; those scenes were still vivid in his mind.

In that closed-book exam, Zhang Cong's performance was abysmal. Apart from barely passing Chinese, all his other subjects were below 60 points, with his worst subject, physics, scoring only 37 points.

When the gears of fate turned once more, and time flowed backward, Zhang Cong returned to this life. He knew he had paid a heavy price for neglecting his studies, and therefore resolved to change that situation.

Before the teacher announced the closed-book exam, Zhang Cong made some preparations in advance. For the first time ever, he squeezed out three days at home to review his lessons, hoping to make up for any knowledge gaps he had missed in the past.

However, reality gave him a heavy blow.

It turns out that the school arranges long agricultural learning activities every academic year, which greatly reduces the time students have to learn from books.

Moreover, the open-book examination system, which had been in place for more than two years prior, had fostered bad habits among many students, leading them to rely on materials and neglect memorization and comprehension.

The sudden change to a closed-book exam is undoubtedly a heavy blow to everyone.

Despite Zhang Cong's tremendous efforts, three days were simply not enough for him to fully grasp all the knowledge. The complex formulas, numerous concepts, and difficult problems requiring deep thought to solve remained like insurmountable mountains standing before him.

Ultimately, despite his best efforts, his exam results were still unsatisfactory.

This negative impact on education can be traced back to the period when educational reforms were overly left-leaning, leading to the abolition of the college entrance examination system.