Simon kicked.
For the next week, a substitute teacher came for science class.
That's right, the one pretending to be a specimen was Shao Zhanqing.
He was such a big person, yet he still did such childish things. Simon didn't know how this fool grew up so big.
Such an embarrassing incident was, of course, not revealed to anyone. With Simon's kick, Shao Zhanqing could only swallow this silent loss and quietly submitted a leave request to the administration office.
The most annoying thing was that after Simon's kick sent Teacher Shao, this tool, to the hospital, the modeling work seemed to fall solely on Simon. Although there were professional machines to help, the task itself wasn't difficult, but it was tedious and the volume was huge.
The most terrifying thing was that time was tight. Shao Zhanqing would have to lie in the hospital for at least a week, while the latest submission date for the competition entry was eight days later. 3D printing such a large model would take at least twenty hours, and painting would take another one or two hours.
If they really had to wait for Shao Zhanqing to be discharged to do the modeling himself, it would likely turn into one of those 'protagonist always appears at the last second' scenarios. Simon didn't like that; he always preferred to be prepared in advance.
So, to avoid any time constraints, ultimately, Simon had to do all this work himself.
He had a premonition that he might have to sacrifice his hair volume again.
Damn it, why! My young and beautiful hair!
After spending eight hundred comprehension points to learn a 3D modeling skill, Simon endured another long and painful ten thousand hours. He had vowed not to learn again, but to his surprise, things changed, and he still became the person he hated most.
A new achievement was unlocked.
Achievement: Virtual Sculptor (Rare): You have mastered 3D printer data modeling technology based on practical application. Even if things don't go well in the future, you can still make a living with this skill.
Effect: Linear thinking has slightly improved, eyeball movement speed has slightly increased, wrist flexibility has slightly improved, and hair volume has slightly decreased.
Simon covered his face, weeping silently.
Starting today, he planned to grow his hair long, so that if he went bald in the future, he could still rely on the sides to cover the top. By the way, if it was effective, he planned to learn a hair care skill.
If the process of learning modeling hadn't completely tormented Simon, then when he received the data disk left by Teacher Shao and found that the modeling task was already completed, he felt complete sorrow.
My hair, you died so tragically!
Simon browsed Shao Zhanqing's work with a feeling of indignation and sorrow, finding the quality to be mediocre. From his own professional perspective, there were many errors in the model, and it contained perfunctory content. Many internal details were omitted, which was a good way to save time and mental effort. Shao Zhanqing was not the one who proposed the plan, so he couldn't imagine those intricate details, but Simon could.
This work, in fact, should have been entrusted to him from the very beginning.
So, something as trivial as hair was destined to be sacrificed from the start, because this was…
Simon wiped away his tears with a blissful expression, "This is the destiny of a master!"
Master Simon spent another sleepless night, and then a second sleepless night, and a third sleepless night.
After three consecutive nights of staying up late, he fell asleep multiple times in class, then was made to stand. Standing and sleeping wasn't impossible, and then he was invited for a talk.
Su Xiangli was also with him for the talk.
This stubborn little girl still disliked the English Teacher. Her grades, under her careful control, continued to drop, which frightened Teacher Li.
So Simon saw Su Xiangli's mother in the office.
Su Mama was different from the lazy noblewoman Simon had imagined. He had expected a mother who neglected her child to be affected and arrogant, but Su Xiangli's mother was quiet and elegant, just like the English Teacher. Su Xiangli kept her head down, avoiding looking at her mother, even keeping some distance.
Simon wondered if Su Xiangli disliked her mother, which was why she disliked the English Teacher, who resembled Su Mama in temperament?
The Class Teacher's desk was two desks away from the English Teacher's desk. Simon and Su Xiangli were like two little mice wandering in a forest, barely able to see each other, only seeing the adults who were taller than the "trees." This fear of helplessness is something adults find hard to recall.
Simon stood obediently in front of the Class Teacher's desk. He didn't make excuses for himself, because what the teachers wanted to hear wasn't excuses; they wanted promises.
For example, phrases like "I'll definitely hand in my homework before school ends," "It will never happen again next time," or "I'll definitely score over ninety on the next test."
Even if, many times, these were just lies, another form of excuse, or as the teachers would say, "an attitude."
A learning attitude.
Su Mama's voice drifted from afar, passing through the office partition and echoing off the walls. Simon's keen hearing could detect the delay in the sound's reflection, the fragmented echoes, like countless people speaking the same words. And Teacher Li's words, they were truly so similar, even their tone of voice was almost the same.
"Simon, I know you are very smart, but that doesn't mean you can skip class. Sleeping in class not only affects your own learning but also interferes with the learning of your classmates around you…"
The Class Teacher's lecture ended quickly. This old woman actually liked smart kids like Simon from the bottom of her heart, and her tone was very gentle.
"Yes, Teacher, I will definitely not sleep again next time."
"Alright, you can go."
Simon returned to the classroom. After a while, the class bell rang, but Su Xiangli still hadn't returned. Halfway through a math class, the little girl pushed open the door and came in. She dutifully said "report," her head down, her expression blank.
She returned to her seat, with an entire classroom separating her from Simon. He could only gaze from afar. Su Xiangli wasn't crying, which was good.
After class, Simon immediately ran to the little girl's side.
Su Xiangli frowned and said, "I have to learn dance now."
"Why?" Simon and Zhang Yingxuan, who was beside him, were both very curious. Zhou Ping subtly leaned his head closer.
"My grades are too bad, so I have to learn a special skill. I'll have to be a student with a special skill from now on."
Simon felt it was absurd. Was this what adults thought? To make a top student, who excelled in all subjects except English—and even that was intentionally lowered—become a student with a special skill, instead of trying to solve her declining grades.
It was like a sports car with only a dirty hood, so they welded a steel plate onto it instead of washing the car.
Was a student with a special skill a panacea? Was it some kind of fundamental cure?
Simon suddenly felt a great sense of empathy with Su Xiangli; it was a tremendous humiliation.
Unlike parents who forcibly plan their children's paths, the awfulness of Su Xiangli's parents lay in the fact that all her rebellions were meaningless. There were always countless backup plans to achieve the predetermined goals.
A whole new social ecology slowly rose before Simon's eyes. No, it had already existed; Simon had simply been ignoring it, like the giant hidden behind the display screen.
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