Watching everyone immerse themselves in their practice problems.
Ethan gently capped his pen.
He rubbed his sore wrist, quietly got up, and walked to the restroom.
After writing problems for Jack for so long, coupled with the hot weather, he'd almost finished the entire bottle of Arizona Iced Tea.
At this moment, his bladder already felt swollen—it was time to hit the bathroom.
The others had their heads down working through problems and didn't notice Ethan leaving.
Inside the restroom.
Ethan stood in front of the sink, cold tap water washing over his fingertips.
He shook off the water droplets from his hands.
After using the bathroom, he didn't rush back to the library.
Instead, he walked over to the side entrance corridor.
The early summer breeze passed through the hallway, bringing a bit of warmth with it.
He leaned against the windowsill, his thoughts like leaves blown away by the wind, wandering.
There were some things on his mind—plans for the future and matters at hand.
He was now looking forward to the arrival of the World Cup, while at the same time hoping his high school days would pass slowly.
Tomorrow was Monday, and they'd be taking graduation photos, which also meant his high school career was coming to an end.
There was still a lot of reluctance in his heart.
His thoughts drifted to college.
Ethan's fingertips gently tapped the windowsill. He had no intention of going back to Portland in this life.
In this life, he should never meet her again!
In his previous life, the reason Ethan had ended up at Portland State was partly because of some romantic notion about the Pacific Northwest, and partly because he'd wanted to see the cherry blossoms at a nearby university that were supposedly beautiful.
Four years was enough for a city to engrave memories into your bones, and enough time for a name to fade from your heart.
Savannah Cole.
When this name crossed his mind, Ethan found that it was like reading someone else's story.
The nights that once kept him awake, those unforgettable pains—they now seemed to have turned into a dry bookmark pressed between the pages of a memory book.
Even if he had the opportunity to meet her again in this life, Ethan wouldn't feel any waves in his heart.
Ethan did have a lot of affection for that city.
Portland—it was a beautiful city in the Pacific Northwest, like an old soul who'd weathered many storms, quietly watching the passage of time.
Its reputation as a cultural hub was no exaggeration.
As a transportation and cultural center in the region, it had always been vibrant with art, music, and innovation.
Ethan still remembered the scene he'd witnessed standing on one of Portland's bridges in his previous life: the Willamette River flowing steadily below, trains crossing in the distance, modern architecture reflecting off the old industrial waterfront.
Portland also had another nickname—"Little San Francisco of the North."
This comparison had been mentioned in various travel magazines.
The origin came from its similar progressive culture, thriving tech scene, and unique character that set it apart from other American cities.
Pulling his thoughts back.
He walked back into the library.
At this moment, he happened to see Sarah and Ashley huddled together discussing a problem.
Seeing Ethan return, Ashley smiled and said, "Ethan, where'd you go? We just wanted to discuss this problem with you, but you weren't here."
Her voice had that unique hushed excitement of library conversation.
Ethan pulled out his chair and sat down. "Just went to the bathroom, then hung out in the corridor for a bit."
His tone was casual, but he noticed that Sarah's gaze lingered on his face for a few extra seconds.
Sarah beside him didn't ask anything, but thoughtfully rubbed the edge of her scratch paper.
She could see from Ethan's eyes that something was on his mind, but it was probably something he wasn't comfortable telling anyone about.
You had to hand it to a woman's sixth sense—it was really accurate.
If Ethan knew Sarah's inner thoughts, he'd probably break out in a cold sweat.
It was almost like she'd guessed he was reborn.
Ethan took the exercise book Sarah handed over, the paper still carrying the warmth of the girl's fingertips. "Which problem is so difficult?"
Sarah sighed softly. "This one here. It's had us stuck for ages. It feels so hard!"
"For real!"
"Sarah's right. This problem is brutal. I've burned through like a truckload of brain cells."
Ashley rubbed her temples exaggeratedly, and her ponytail swayed gently with her head movements.
Ethan looked down to review the question, and his brows unconsciously relaxed.
Slowly he realized that his math level seemed to have improved!
In the past, he would've basically chosen to give up on questions at this difficulty level. He wouldn't have wanted to waste a second on something this hard.
The pen tip drew smooth auxiliary lines on the paper, and Ethan suddenly realized an amazing fact—the changes rebirth had brought him went far beyond just memories.
At first, he'd thought the biggest change was the improvement in his physical fitness and the clarity of his memory, including the SAT papers he remembered so clearly.
But when he'd first come back from being reborn, he hadn't noticed that his problem-solving ability had improved. He only realized it today.
So far, he kept discovering new benefits of rebirth.
First of all, his physical fitness had become very good, and his strength was also high. And of course, that aspect was getting more and more... durable.
Just look at the three times Ethan and Diana had their in-depth exchanges—from the first passive defense, to the second draw, to the third time where he completely dominated. You could see the progression...
Second, he was able to clearly remember everything that happened in his past life—from the timeline of historical events to what he'd eaten for breakfast on any given day. It could all be clearly retrieved like accessing a computer file.
And now, he'd discovered a third gift—an all-around improvement in cognitive ability.
The solution approach for this problem flowed like water. Problems that used to be at this difficulty level could now be easily understood.
This went beyond simply remembering the answer—it was a real upgrade in thinking.
He organized his thoughts, then discussed it with the two of them...
A few minutes later.
The three of them had perfectly solved the problem.
Ashley nearly jumped up excitedly. "Ethan, when did you get so good at this?!"
Then she added, "I remember you never used to participate in discussions on hard problems like this!"
"Damn..."
"Are you being polite right now? Your compliments sound like insults."
The corners of Ethan's mouth twitched. At this moment, he understood how Jack felt.
Sarah was seriously thinking about Ethan's changes. It seemed like since last week, Ethan had been different. He seemed more confident, had more presence, and even his grades had improved by leaps and bounds.
At this moment.
A familiar figure swayed over with practice questions in hand.
Jack put one hand on Ethan's shoulder and poked his head over curiously. "Yo Ethan, what kind of world-ending problem are you guys discussing? You're all so focused!"
Ethan looked at him and said earnestly, "Son, this problem... really isn't something you should bear at your age."
"???"
"Dude."
"Is there a problem that I, Jack, can't participate in?" He immediately retorted.
But then he looked at the question in their hands and shut up.
After all, he was already half-dead working on his own problems. There were many he couldn't do—he didn't even have any ideas where to start.
Not to mention problems that the three of them needed to discuss together. That really wasn't something he could participate in.
Ashley laughed out loud, and Sarah also pursed her lips and turned her head, trying not to laugh.
There are 30 advance chapters ahead in my Patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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