I'm A Math Idiot, So What? - Chapter 3

By the time the school emailed me, the optimal period for course selection had already passed, leaving few options in the system. Wanting to avoid the risk of waiting until the second semester to make up credits, I navigated through the remaining courses like picking over leftovers at a market, and chose one called “The Beauty of Mathematics.” The name seemed elegant, artistic, and tasteful, complementing my own “intellectual beauty.”

Today is my third class of “The Beauty of Mathematics” this semester.

Last year, our Changning University reformed its course selection system. The original four-week period for dropping courses was shortened to two weeks due to protests from the teachers.

In other words, from this week onward, once a course is selected, it cannot be dropped. Teachers typically begin taking attendance seriously starting this week, so typically, attendance rates are quite high during this week.

I was worried that if I arrived late, I would be forced to sit in the first row VIP Seats. Being too close to a math teacher, such an alien species, poses a radiation risk. If the math teacher gets enthusiastic while teaching, makes eye contact with me, and asks an impromptu question, it would be a modern equivalent of being publicly executed at Caishikou.

I’m not afraid of dying; I’m afraid that after I die I’ll have to be resurrected and continue taking exams.

However, when I entered the classroom, it was quite different from what I imagined.

The front row, reserved for the top students, was as packed as usual, but the back leisure area had sparse seating, and the sides, the so-called retirement zone, were completely deserted.

I roughly counted and found that there seemed to be a third fewer students than before.

A sudden decrease in student numbers after the course drop period is as noteworthy as a sudden weight loss; both demand serious attention. As a member of the Little Eighth Route Army who conducts guerrilla warfare in the gray zones of math classes, I sensed an unusual atmosphere.

After the class, I’ll carefully investigate the hidden mysteries within.

For now, I need to set aside these miscellaneous thoughts and focus on the class.

As the saying goes, if you don’t practice for one day, your skills slow; two days, you lose half; three days, you become an outsider; four days, you can only watch in bewilderment.

It’s not just four days for me; I haven’t touched mathematics for 365 days. According to martial arts novels, my skills have completely deteriorated, and my inner strength is entirely lost, leaving me utterly useless.In novels, whenever heroes face similar situations, don’t they usually become dejected, drown their sorrows in alcohol, and muddle through one or two years or even waste a lifetime?

But I’m different.

I’m a person who is full of positive energy.

I remember someone once said, “The long path ahead is as hard as iron, yet now we stride forward with renewed vigor.”

Liu Huan also sang, “At worst, we’ll start all over again, hey~~”

My mother, Ms. Xu Xiaolan, used to say that today’s big issues will seem small by tomorrow; this year’s big events will become stories by next year.

Though I’m doubtful. By next year, it’s unlikely to become a story; it’s more likely to become an accident.

In summary, I feel that forgetting the math I’ve learned is fine; even if I remember it, it’s nothing but junk that’s worthless to others but precious to me.

Now, I’ll restart and study diligently. As the saying goes, “A large tree grows from a small shoot; a nine-story tower starts with a single mound of earth; a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

I can do this. In Lin Chi-ling’s sweet voice, I cheer for myself: go, go, go!

However, one cannot become successful in a single bite. I can’t just spring into a VIP Seat.

I have to take things step by step, so I’ll start by not sitting at the most secluded seat in the very back row.

I’ll take a seat at the far end of the second to last row.