The Reincarnated OP Protagonist Is Now A 3rd Grade Student (Patreon)

Chapter 42: The Dark Side of Elementary School Students

With the confusion of whether she had been manipulated or not, Tan Jing carried a tray of small cakes and snacks and walked upstairs, pushing open the door in front of her.

What she saw before her were two elementary school students leaning close together. The young boy was flipping through a book in his hand while keeping an eye on Lu Li as she solved problems. He occasionally spoke up to offer reminders and even made corrections, guiding her step by step.

The atmosphere in the room was indescribable to Tan Jing, but she couldn't help feeling a sense of nostalgia. There was a time when she and her friends used to play around, do homework, and study together just like this.

Looking at them now, where was the divinity, where was the demon? Weren't these just two friends working together to achieve good grades?

Not wanting to disturb the two in front of her, she tiptoed over, planning to leave after setting down the snacks and tea. However, she inadvertently caught sight of a question on Chen An's test paper.

The question was quite simple, a common one in elementary Chinese language exams, involving rearranging words to form a sentence. The given word order was: "校领导, 一杯, 我, 毕恭毕敬的, 茶, 递上" (School leader, a cup, I, respectfully, tea, hand over).

She couldn't help but reveal a nostalgic smile. This simple question brought back countless memories. She had done so many similar questions that even glancing at the answer made it pop into her mind subconsciously.

【校领导毕恭毕敬的给我递上一杯茶】

(Respectfully, the school leader hands me a cup of tea)

Without thinking about it, she instantly slapped the top of the boy's head.

"Ah..."

Chen An rubbed his head, looking puzzled as he glanced at Tan Jing with a complicated expression. "Auntie, can't we have a proper conversation? Always slapping my head without telling, even if I'm highly intelligent, I'll be driven crazy by you sooner or later."

"Smart people who write this kind of answer can't score high. Correct it for me!" Tan Jing ordered.

Chen An rolled his eyes and rewrote the sentence on the test paper with correction fluid.

【校领导给我递上一杯毕恭毕敬的茶】

(The school leader respectfully hands me a cup of tea)

"Don't corrupt Lu Li," Tan Jing warned as she noticed Lu Li deep in thought.

With a somewhat helpless expression, Tan Jing picked up a pen and casually added the word '爷爷' (grandfather) in front of the question.

With this title of respect, let's see if you can still mess it up.

【校领导毕恭毕敬的给爷爷我递上一杯茶】

(The school leader respectfully hands me, Grandfather, a cup of tea)

Seeing Chen An quickly comply with the change, Tan Jing looked somewhat bemused as she said to the clever young boy, "You just don't want to show respect to the new arrival, do you?"

"Tan Jie, it's different now," Chen An shook his head. "In the past, it was 'heaven, earth, monarch, parents, teachers,' but now, students think that if they pay me, it's only right for me to serve them. The school leader also thinks that I only earn a few bucks, and the only person at Northern Elementary School worthy of my respectful tea service is the P.E. teacher. Unfortunately, I haven't attended his class much."

"Good things don't need to be learned; learning them will only fill you with nonsense," Tan Jing quipped as she pinched Chen An's cheeks. "Today, I'm going to etch the words '毕恭毕敬' (respectfully) into your DNA."

"Heh..." Chen An sneered. "If you can do it, then do it straightforwardly."

"I've tamed hundreds of criminals over the years, if not a thousand. Dealing with you is a piece of cake."

Tan Jing grabbed a textbook about morality and ideology from the side and smashed it in front of Chen An, while Lu Li watched the whole scene with a smile.

The feeling she was experiencing was truly incredible.

She never expected that this period of time, which should have been the one she despised the most, would pass so quickly. It was only when it was time to go home that she realized this study session had come to an end.

After making plans to continue with Chen An tomorrow, she walked home with an incredible feeling, savoring the knowledge she had learned today.

It wasn't about solving math problems that could stump elementary students, nor was it just refusing to serve tea to the school leaders. Of course, it also wasn't about answering English questions by guessing with the "Yijing Eight Characters." Instead, it was the realization that learning with the right people could be so enjoyable.

If she continued like this, she was sure she could get into the advanced class with excellent grades and continue to enjoy these joyful days of learning.

Just as Lu Li was thinking this...

"Do you really think you can get into the advanced class by relying on your own abilities, the kind that only students with outstanding grades can enter?"

The sudden and unexpected words from behind stunned Lu Li. She tried to turn around to see who was talking to her, but her eyes were covered by warm hands.

Undoubtedly, it was an adult who had attacked her with such great force, making it impossible for her to see who it was. She could only smell a scent similar to lavender, and the voice sounded like that of a woman.

"Who are you? If you don't let go soon, I'm going to scream for help!"

Lu Li struggled vigorously, her voice filled with panic.

"I'm just a passing good Samaritan, but I know that with your current grades, it's impossible. No matter what you say, it's impossible to get into the advanced class."

Hearing the mysterious woman's words, Lu Li wanted to refute them instinctively, but then– recalling the fourteen elementary students she had "dissected" with her words, she found herself at a loss for words.

With very little time left until the final exams, even if learning became enjoyable, could she really learn enough in such a short time?

"Tutoring is a good idea, but unfortunately, there's not much time left until the final exams– However, I have a solution to help you overcome this problem."

Lu Li struggled to see who this woman was from behind, but a strong force held her tightly in the woman's arms, making it impossible for her to escape. She could only give up struggling and asked with a somewhat compromised tone, "Do you really have a way to help me get into the advanced class? What's the method?"

As soon as she asked the question, something slightly hard was pushed into her hand.

"Of course, it's the most common method among elementary students– cheating."

The woman chuckled and said, "These glasses will allow you to see all the answers from the top students. If you use them wisely, you'll be able to smoothly get into the advanced class. However, remember one thing: never let anyone, especially your desk partner, know about these glasses. After all, this is not something to be proud of."

The restraint was released, and Lu Li instinctively looked behind her. However, all she saw was the woman's back as she waved and then got into a car. The car started, and the woman quickly disappeared from Lu Li's sight.

She was left standing alone on the roadside, holding what appeared to be an ordinary pair of glasses.

For some reason, although she couldn't see the woman's face throughout the encounter, she felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if... she was looking in a mirror?

But compared to the feeling of looking in a mirror, there was another feeling that gnawed at Lu Li.

That was a strong feeling of "disgust," even though she hadn't even seen the woman's face, she felt a deep aversion that was both physical and psychological, something she couldn't accept.

Who on earth was this woman?