Zhou Yi replied in a detached tone, "That's none of your concern. Focus on yourself."
The school bell rang.
Xu Cong entered the classroom carrying a math textbook, his laptop, a stack of test papers, and a thermos. He scanned the room briefly before instructing the class monitor to take attendance.
Class 3's performance in advanced mathematics was indeed subpar, which could partly be attributed to Xu Cong's lackadaisical teaching style—but only partly.
He taught all three classes simultaneously, so if there were issues, they weren't solely his fault.
Overall, most art students devoted the majority of their time to mastering their specialized subjects, leaving little room for studying math—a subject where they naturally lagged behind.
It wasn't that they lacked ability; it was simply a matter of insufficient time dedicated to learning.
Among the three Visual Communication classes, Class 3 had the highest proportion of art students, resulting in the lowest average math scores. However, they excelled in other specialized courses compared to the other two classes.
Securing spots in the mathematical modeling competition against those classes wouldn't be easy.
Each major within the arts department was allocated only one slot, and in Xu Cong's eyes, Class 3's chances were slim at best.
The original host of Zhou Yi's body had been relatively diligent in his studies, but he squandered too much time working part-time jobs and pursuing romantic relationships.
In addition to studying his own major, he often helped Xia Qiuzhi and Su Ning with their assignments, requiring him to secretly learn material from their respective fields. As a result, precious little time remained for his own academic pursuits.
Failing courses became commonplace for him, relegating him to the bottom of the class rankings.
Zhou Yi understood what Su Ning valued above all else: grades.
To capture the attention of the campus beauty, he first needed to impress her.
Good looks alone did not make a man perfect; true excellence was essential to earn such admiration.
Zhang Wu dismissed Zhou Yi's behavior as mere posturing. With a derisive snort, he fell silent.
"Our major's results last semester were far from satisfactory—we ranked near the bottom of the school. I'm nearing retirement age, so don't let my final year teaching you end in embarrassment," Xu Cong remarked bluntly, though his expression betrayed no trace of anger.
He wasn't the type of teacher who preached tirelessly. For those willing to learn, he taught earnestly; for those unwilling, he saw no point in wasting energy trying to persuade them.
Everyone forged their own path; no amount of lecturing would change the minds of those indifferent to learning.
Both advanced math and English exams used standardized tests across the school, making comparisons straightforward.
"Alright, everyone, let's begin with a quick quiz. It's tied to eligibility for the mathematical modeling competition, so give it your full attention."
"Any volunteers to solve problems on the blackboard? I'll grade them immediately and use them later for explanations to identify areas of improvement."
The implication was clear: those interested should step forward. Checking each paper individually would be too tedious.
Several top-performing students raised their hands, including Su Ning.
Xu Cong selected five students to come up and fill in their answers, then descended the podium with his thermos in hand.
He circled halfway through the classroom.
When he reached Zhou Yi's desk, he noticed his test paper was completely blank—not even a single stroke of the pen.
"You haven't attempted a single problem. Have you given up on studying?"
"Teacher, these questions are too simple. I see no reason to bother."
Zhou Yi's response elicited laughter from the entire class.
True, Zhou Yi had grown more handsome, but one's academic performance and intelligence didn't skyrocket overnight.