Chương 37: The Joy of Learning

The classroom of Class 1A was spacious and bright. Sunlight streamed in through the windows, casting dappled shadows on the brand-new desks. A gentle breeze caused the white gauze curtains by the window to sway softly.

Lin Che stood at the back door of the classroom, his fingers unconsciously stroking the strap of his backpack, his gaze slowly sweeping over the classroom where most of the students were already seated.

According to his student ID number, his seat was in the last row by the window, while Su Yuqing's seat was in the third row near the aisle, separated by five rows of desks and chairs and two aisles.

"Why are we so far apart!" Su Yuqing pouted, her expression clearly showing her dissatisfaction.

"I thought we could sit at the same table."

Lin Che gently tapped her forehead, a seemingly casual gesture that held an intimacy only they understood: "Stop complaining. Aren't you satisfied with being in the same class? This is perfect."

He lowered his voice, a faint smile playing on his lips: "Besides, didn't you want to play that 'pretend we don't know each other' game? If we get too close, people will be able to tell right away."

Su Yuqing blinked, then suddenly revealed a sly smile: "I know~ But..." She took a step closer and said in a voice only he could hear, "What if I can't help but want to talk to you?"

"Then go ahead and tell everyone about our relationship, I don't care." Lin Che smiled, turned and walked to his seat.

"Alright, now we're 'strangers'."

His seat was indeed classic and somewhat deliberate—the back row by the window, the standard seat for the protagonist in anime.

It must be said that this seat offers an excellent view, allowing him to see a wide array of things: Su Yuqing's swaying ponytail gleams chestnut in the sunlight, the chalk writing on the blackboard, still damp from erasing, reflects a soft glow, and the ginkgo tree outside the window sways in the wind, its golden leaves fluttering down like tiny fans.

The students in the classroom chatted in twos and threes. The unique vitality of the boys and girls rippled through the space like invisible waves. Two girls in the front row were looking at their phones together, occasionally letting out low laughter; several boys in the back row were gesturing exaggeratedly, showing off their basketball achievements in junior high school.

Lin Che rested his chin on his hand, his gaze sweeping over these vibrant faces. To others, he was naturally one of them, but only he knew that inside this young body was a soul hardened by society.

After graduating from university in his previous life, he joined an internet company as a product manager, dealing with requirement documents and prototype design every day. He had almost forgotten all the knowledge he learned in high school, and even the most basic derivative had to be looked up again to understand.

Now, as a student, he has to relearn those subjects, but he doesn't feel anxious or frustrated about it.

The classroom door was gently pushed open, and a middle-aged male teacher wearing a light blue shirt walked in. He looked to be in his early forties, with fine lines around his eyes, and exuded a gentle and refined air.

"Hello, students," his voice was as gentle as the afternoon sun in autumn, and the classroom immediately fell silent the moment he spoke, "I am your homeroom teacher, Chen Ming, and I teach Chinese."

He wrote his name on the blackboard, the chalk making a crisp sound as it struck the surface. His handwriting was as neat as printed text.

"First of all, welcome everyone to Jiangchuan No. 1 Middle School..."

Lin Che's gaze fell on the ginkgo tree outside the window. Teacher Chen's voice overlapped with that of his high school homeroom teacher from his previous life. Those teachings about "the three years of high school being an important turning point in life" and "cherishing your youth" sounded strangely familiar at this moment.

"These three years of high school will be a very special time in your lives..." Teacher Chen pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes behind the lenses carrying a knowing smile.

"I know you may feel right now that this is just another period of 'getting through,' but believe me, ten years from now you will miss every day of this. These seemingly ordinary days will become your most precious memories."

A ginkgo leaf swirled in the wind and gently clung to the windowpane, its veins clearly visible in the sunlight. Lin Che gazed at the golden leaf, his thoughts drifting away.

As Teacher Chen said, in his past life, he did indeed miss the warmth of the sunlight in his high school classroom late at night when he was twenty-five and working overtime. He even dreamed of becoming a high school student again.

There's a reason why people always reminisce about their student days. Although many say that the heavy academic workload is disgusting, the learning process itself is not repulsive. What people really resent is the hopeless chain of "learning—exams—further education—work—earning money" that can be seen from the beginning.

The sense of accomplishment from solving a math problem, the pleasure of understanding a poem, the awe-inspiring feeling of comprehending the beauty of physical laws—these are the pure joys that come from satisfying humanity's innate thirst for knowledge.

However, the modern education system has long distorted this instinct. Exams are essentially a screening mechanism; their existence is not to test learning outcomes, but to allocate limited social resources.

A spot in a top high school, an acceptance letter from a prestigious 985 university, a high-paying job offer... these are the real purposes for most people to study hard, but who can say that it's wrong to study with such goals in mind?

When education becomes a tool for social stratification, and knowledge becomes a bargaining chip for exchanging diplomas, the initial curiosity and enthusiasm are worn away, and people naturally begin to hate learning.

Returning his gaze to the desk, Lin Che gently stroked the cover of the notebook, the paper smooth and cool to the touch.

In his past life, he was also in a classroom like this, studying desperately for grades and rankings. Back then, he thought that getting into a good university was the end, but he didn't know that it was just the beginning of another arena.

Now, sitting in this sunny classroom, Lin Che found himself secretly looking forward to the process of learning again—without the pressure of survival, without any utilitarian purpose, just learning simply for the sake of "knowing"—this was probably a luxury that only reborn people could have.

"... So, I hope you don't just study for exams." Teacher Chen's voice pulled Lin Che back to reality.

"Remember, knowledge itself is the goal."

A round of enthusiastic applause erupted in the classroom. Lin Che noticed that Su Yuqing turned her head, made a face at him, and then quickly turned back, her ponytail drawing a cheerful arc in the air.

He looked around the classroom, his gaze gentle.

"One last reminder: all the clubs have already started welcoming new members. Before school ends tomorrow, everyone must hand in their club application form to the class monitor who will be elected later."

The classroom immediately erupted in chatter, with several active students whispering amongst themselves about which clubs they wanted to join.

"Remember, joining clubs counts towards your GPA," he added with a smile.

"If you have any questions about choosing a club, feel free to come and chat with me anytime. I was the 'club expert' back in the day." He winked playfully as he spoke, eliciting a chuckle from the whole class.

Lin Che's pen stopped on the notebook, and the ink spread out as a small black dot.

Club activities? Why would a high school have club activities? And why is participation mandatory? There was no such thing in my high school life in my previous life.

"Can I choose the Homecoming Club?" Lin Che sighed and drew a big X on his notebook.