Reborn in 1977, I will no longer be my brother's blood bag.

The next day, Tsinghua University was still not fully awake.

As dawn broke and the sky began to lighten, the campus was so quiet you could hear the wind rustling through the leaves.

Lin Xiuhe was already up at 5:40.

Gu Xiaolan opened her eyes groggily and saw her getting dressed. She almost thought she was seeing things.

"What time is it?"

5:40.

Gu Xiaolan immediately pulled her head back under the covers: "She's gone mad...she's really gone mad..."

I just finished my exam yesterday, and I'm up this early today.

She finally understood why others could get first place—some things aren't about talent, but about ruthlessness, being ruthless to oneself.

Lin Xiuhe gently closed the dormitory door and walked into the campus in the early morning.

The air was cool, and people were already running on the playground in the distance, while some students walked and memorized vocabulary words while carrying books.

This is Tsinghua University; no one stops just because they've been admitted to university.

Six o'clock sharp, in the English classroom.

The door was already open. Teacher Zhou was sitting in the first row, with a thermos of hot water and an old-fashioned tape recorder on the table.

Seeing Lin Xiuhe enter, she glanced down at her watch:

"Very punctual."

Good morning, teacher.

Teacher Zhou nodded: "Please sit down."

Just as Lin Xiuhe was about to sit down, footsteps suddenly came from outside the door. The next second, another person walked into the classroom.

Lin Xiuhe looked up and saw Zhao Guodong.

The other person was clearly taken aback, not expecting to see her here.

Teacher Zhou, however, was not surprised at all, as if she had known all along:

"You're here?"

"They're here."

Zhao Guodong nodded and then sat down on the other side.

There were three people: two students and one teacher. The atmosphere was a bit strange.

Teacher Zhou, however, seemed oblivious and began the lesson immediately:

"Starting today, every day from six to seven o'clock, for one hour, rain or shine."

After she finished speaking, she pushed the two textbooks over:

There are no shortcuts to learning English, especially for people with a weak foundation like you.

Zhao Guodong frowned slightly but did not refute. After all, he was also from a science and engineering background, and English was not exactly his strong suit either.

Teacher Zhou turned on the tape recorder, the tape started spinning, and English words began to play softly.

This time, the pace was noticeably slower, but the requirements were higher. Each sentence had to be repeated after listening.

Zhao Guodong barely managed to finish the first paragraph.

Lin Xiuhe completed half of the second section.

In the third section, both people get stuck at the same time.

Silence fell over the classroom.

Teacher Zhou offered no words of comfort, simply saying, "Continue."

So we continued.

Don't understand? Listen again. Still don't get it? Listen again.

Once, twice, three times, until you can say it.

After an hour, both of them were sweating. Even though they hadn't moved, they felt more tired than if they had run.

At 7:00 sharp, Teacher Zhou turned off the tape recorder: "That's all."

Zhao Guodong let out a long breath, realizing for the first time how torturous English could be.

Just then, Teacher Zhou suddenly spoke:

Do you know why many STEM students have poor English skills?

No one answered.

"Because of arrogance. They always think they are smart and that memorizing words is too easy, but as a result, they can't learn anything well."

Neither of them refuted it, because they were right.

Teacher Zhou looked at Lin Xiuhe: "You got 62 points."

Then he looked at Zhao Guodong and said, "You got 68 points."

Lin Xiuhe didn't react much, but Zhao Guodong was clearly taken aback:

"Sixty-eight?"

"Surprised?" Teacher Zhou asked in return.

Zhao Guodong remained silent. He had always thought his English was quite good, at least better than Lin Xiuhe's. But now it seemed he wasn't much better.

Teacher Zhou tossed the test paper over: "Take a look at where you went wrong."

Zhao Guodong lowered his head, his expression growing increasingly grim. Many of his mistakes weren't actually difficult; he had simply made assumptions.

On the other side, Lin Xiuhe had already begun to reorganize her notes.

From beginning to end, I didn't complain once, I didn't explain once, I just took notes and then learned.

Teacher Zhou looked at her, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

There are many intelligent people, but few are willing to admit their shortcomings. And even fewer are willing to humble themselves and learn from scratch.

At 7:30, the class ended, and the students headed to the teaching building one after another.

As Teacher Zhou was packing her things, she suddenly said, "Lin Xiuhe."

"Um?"

"Leave."

Zhao Guodong paused slightly, but still walked out.

There were only two people left in the classroom.

Teacher Zhou picked up her test paper and turned to the last page: "Do you know what?"

"What?"

"Your English grades are very poor."

Lin Xiuhe nodded: "I know."

"But your reading comprehension is quite unique."

Lin Xiuhe was taken aback.

Teacher Zhou continued, "You may not know many words, and you may not understand much grammar, but you can still guess the meaning of the article. Why is that?"

Even Lin Xiuhe herself hadn't seriously considered this question.

After a few seconds, she said softly, "Maybe... it's because I like reading."

Teacher Zhou paused for a moment, then smiled: "It's not a possibility, it is."

She closed the test paper, her gaze turning serious: "Lin Xiuhe, your weakness in English lies in your foundation, not your intelligence. And the foundation is the easiest thing to improve."

At that moment, Lin Xiuhe felt a slight tremor in her heart.

Since entering Tsinghua University, she has heard too many people praise their major courses, their math skills, and their talents, but for the first time, someone told her: English can also be made up.

Teacher Zhou stood up and handed over a thicker textbook with the words "Selected English Readings" written on the cover.

"From now on, read one article every day. Even if you don't understand it, keep reading. Come find me when you're done."

Lin Xiuhe took the book and nodded earnestly, "Thank you, teacher."

Teacher Zhou waved his hand: "Don't rush to thank me, let's talk about it after you can keep it up for a month."

After saying that, she turned and left.

Lin Xiuhe looked down at the book in her hand and suddenly felt that the wall of English was not as high as before.

However, as soon as she stepped out of the teaching building, she saw a person standing not far away.

Li Mingyuan.

The other person was holding breakfast, so they had obviously been waiting for a while.

Seeing her come out, Li Mingyuan smiled:

"I heard you're planning to come to English class every day at six o'clock?"

"The news spread so fast?"

"Tsinghua University has no secrets."

Li Mingyuan handed over a steamed bun: "Here you go."

"What?"

"award."

"What's the reward?"

"You're rewarded for finally finding something you don't know."

Lin Xiuhe was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

But as Li Mingyuan looked at her, his gaze gradually became serious:

"Xiuhe, do you know? Sometimes I feel that you are more of a sore loser than we are."

The smile slowly disappeared from Lin Xiuhe's face.

Because she knew that Li Mingyuan was right.

Those who have lost once in their past life are often more afraid of losing than anyone else in this life.