Study System: I'm a 38-Year-Old Student-Chapter 59 - 53: Activating Easy Mode
In the corner of the first row of the stands, Zhao Dongmei was holding her beloved shot put, cheering for Shen Yixiao.
To her left sat a girl with a mushroom haircut, her jet-black hair neatly pressed against her ears, with the ends curled inward, making her face appear even rounder.
A pair of black-framed glasses rested on her nose, with eyes behind the lenses that seemed a bit evasive, as if she wasn’t used to such crowded places.
However, after listening to Lin Xiamo’s words, her eyes behind the lenses lit up instantly.
"Dongmei, Dongmei!"
"I want to sign up!!"
The girl with the mushroom haircut said immediately to Zhao Dongmei beside her.
"What a money-grubber."
"Didn’t want to come before, and now wants to enter the competition!"
Although Zhao Dongmei was complaining, she stood up at once, waving her arms at Lin Xiamo while jumping.
Her motions were so exaggerated that Lin Xiamo noticed her immediately, and since there were still 25 slots available, Lin Xiamo waved her down to join the competition.
"Pipa, let’s go!"
With one hand holding the shot put, Zhao Dongmei ruffled the mushroom hair of her friend, Xu Pipa, with the other hand.
The two then headed from the stands to the competition area.
"Principal Lin, that girl with the mushroom haircut is Xu Pipa from the Celestial Pride Class. She came second in the last mock exam, with a full score in English."
"If she participates, the first place is almost guaranteed!"
Seeing Zhao Dongmei leading Xu Pipa down the stands, Zhao Jinpeng quickly whispered to Lin Xiamo.
Second in grade?
Lin Xiamo’s gaze instinctively fell on Xu Pipa. This girl was petite and thin, not more than 160 cm; the school uniform looked extremely oversized on her.
"Since it’s a school-wide English vocabulary contest, naturally all students can participate."
"This time it’s an informal registration, and the participants have varying levels. Next time, only top students like Xu Pipa will compete."
Lin Xiamo initially thought that the top students from the third year wouldn’t bother to join in the fun here.
Unexpectedly, even the second in the grade showed up.
She couldn’t help but recall Shen Qiushan’s cocky demeanor in the cafeteria earlier.
Although the other party didn’t accept her secret maneuver, it made Lin Xiamo look at him in a new light.
But she still wanted to say, what’s with the arrogance!
Already 38 years old, yet competing with seventeen or eighteen-year-old high school students in studies!
Where does the confidence come from!
Therefore, after learning that Xu Pipa is second in grade and scored full marks in the last mock exam in English,
Lin Xiamo made up her mind.
Once the competition is over, she must throw Xu Pipa’s results in Shen Qiushan’s face.
Aren’t you so cocky?
Then taste the feeling of being crushed by kids!
"Principal Lin, everyone is here."
Just as Lin Xiamo was imagining the subsequent scenario, Zhao Jinpeng’s voice came up again.
Presumably, it was the allure of getting a scholarship, making students unusually enthusiastic.
The 25 slots were immediately filled.
A hundred participating students all took their seats.
Lin Xiamo looked at Shen Qiushan and the sports students; they were all standing in front of movable whiteboards.
"Teacher Zhao, you can start now."
Seeing everything ready, Lin Xiamo nodded to Zhao Jinpeng.
The task of dictating words fell on Zhao Jinpeng, the head of the English Teaching Research Group, while Chen Xiangyu and several other English teachers were responsible for invigilating on site.
As for Lin Xiamo, she naturally did whatever she wanted!
Although she bore the title of person-in-charge, she wasn’t the one doing the actual work.
However, if the English vocabulary contest turned out well and positively influenced students’ English performance,
the credit would be hers!
The contest officially began.
Zhao Jinpeng started dictating words with a microphone.
[appetite]
The words to be tested this time were jointly compiled by Zhao Jinpeng and several English teachers like Chen Xiangyu.
They were mostly words that students often got wrong or found difficult to remember in exams.
Shen Qiushan was positioned at the C position.
He stood with his back to the audience, facing a vertical whiteboard, with a hundred-student formation in front of him, also with their backs to him.
Possibly to highlight the father-son duo on stage, Shen Yixiao was placed to the left of his father Shen Qiushan, and to his right was Gao Bin, the best-performing student in cultural classes among the sports students.
Upon hearing the first word, the three simultaneously wrote on the whiteboard: appetite
Clearly, the training camp for the sports students had worked.
Shen Yixiao wrote it with ease, which before the training camp, he likely would have stumbled on the first word!
At this moment, the recently fed Shen Yanran and Luo Yao had squeezed to the front row of the audience, and even though they couldn’t clearly see the words written by Shen Qiushan and others on the whiteboard, they could tell whether it was written or not.
"My baby wrote it!"
"Super impressive!"
Luo Yao’s eyes glittered with little red hearts as she excitedly shared with Shen Yanran beside her.
"It’s just one word." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺
Shen Yanran rolled her eyes, inwardly musing: hopeless romantic!
Lin Xiamo seemed to nonchalantly position herself just behind Shen Qiushan to the left, from where she could simultaneously see the answers on the whiteboard written by him and Shen Yixiao.
Seeing both father and son wrote the first word correctly, Lin Xiamo felt both surprised and relieved.
Of course, her relief mainly came from her nephew, Shen Yixiao.
This naughty boy had always performed poorly in academics, and Lin Xiamo had mentally prepared herself that he might get half of the hundred words wrong, yet he got the first word right.
However, Shen Yixiao’s stance was rather cocky at the moment, with his body slightly slanted, left foot in front, tiptoeing slightly, heel rocking rhythmically, and seemingly humming a tune.
Lin Xiamo frowned, silently chiding: This brat still has his old habit, getting a bit of a result and then becoming conceited!
He had only written one word correctly, yet he was already acting like he had the competition in the bag.
In contrast, Shen Qiushan beside him was much more stable.
He stood squarely in front of the whiteboard, holding a marker in his right hand while his left hand was... in his pocket.
Lin Xiamo’s brow furrowed even more!
And there’s the root of it!
This father was not as "frivolous" as his son.
But what’s with having one hand in his pocket?
Is he trying to tell everyone present that he spent this year with one hand in his pocket, without any rival??
Truly, like father, like son!
Lin Xiamo’s delicate lips moved slightly, really wanting to shout: Stand properly, you two!!
However, as the competition was ongoing, it wasn’t appropriate for her to speak up.
[Improve]
Zhao Jinpeng’s voice sounded again.
Within Lin Xiamo’s line of sight, the Shen family father and son both simultaneously raised their right hands and rather synchronously wrote: improve
Got it right again!
Having had a sneak peek at the test list, Lin Xiamo had already gone through all the words, and since she had passed the "TEM-8" during her graduate studies, her English foundation was very solid.
She knew the answers to all the English words being tested.
At present, the father and son of the Shen family had simultaneously got the second word right again.
