The ceiling fan hummed loudly above, blowing warm air that still held the dry heat of late summer, clinging to his skin like a thin layer of glue. Teacher Li slammed the chalk against the desk, the powder scattering across his lesson plan as he raised his voice: "I'll explain this function problem three times. Now, who can come up and solve it?"
The classroom immediately fell silent, even the rustling of pages stopped. Lin Chen's eyes swept across the blackboard—y = sin²x + 2cosx + 1. This was a problem he had drilled a hundred times before the college entrance exam in his previous life. He could recite the steps with his eyes closed. He instinctively glanced at Su Wanqing, who was frowning, scribbling on her scratch paper. Her pen hovered over the "power-reduction formula," clearly stuck on the trigonometric conversion step. Her delicate brows furrowed in concentration.
"Nobody? Anyone?" Teacher Li scanned the class before his eyes landed on Zhao Kai, sitting in the back. His tone was tinged with helplessness. "Zhao Kai, why don't you give it a shot?"
Zhao Kai sluggishly stood up, his school uniform unzipped, revealing a T-shirt with a basketball player's face on it. He walked to the board, twirled the chalk in his hand for a long moment, and then scratched his head, sheepishly grinning. "Uh, teacher... I didn't quite catch that. I spaced out."
A quiet snicker rippled through the class, and Zhao Kai's face instantly turned beet-red. He shot a glare at Zheng Hao, who was chuckling nearby. "What're you laughing at? Got the guts to solve it yourself?"
Teacher Li sighed, about to step in for another explanation, when Lin Chen suddenly took a deep breath and raised his hand. "Teacher, I'll try."
The class went completely still. Zheng Hao's mouth dropped open in surprise, and even Su Wanqing snapped her head up, her eyes wide in disbelief—Lin Chen, the guy who usually slept through math class or stared out the window, too shy to even answer a simple question, was volunteering?
Lin Chen stood up, every step toward the front of the class a little more confident than the last. His fingers trembled slightly when he touched the chalk, not out of nervousness, but excitement—this was his first time proving himself in front of the class, his first real opportunity to wipe away the label of "bad at math" and "weak" that had haunted him for years. Especially with Su Wanqing watching.
The chalk scratched against the board, the sound crisp and sharp, like a new path being drawn in his life. He wrote out the power-reduction formula: sin²x = 1 - cos²x, his handwriting neat and strong. Then he transformed the equation into y = -cos²x + 2cosx + 2, making each step clear and logical. He introduced t = cosx, marking the domain carefully as t ∈ [-1, 1] to avoid missing anything. Finally, he rearranged the function into a quadratic equation: y = -t² + 2t + 2, solving for the maximum value of 3 and the minimum of -1, with the range clearly written at the end.
The entire process flowed smoothly, more concise and detailed than what Teacher Li had explained. Even the smallest details were covered.
"Wow! Fantastic!" Teacher Li couldn't contain his excitement, clapping his hands. "Lin Chen's solution is beautiful—complete steps, clear logic, and he even took care of the domain, which is an easy mistake for many! Everyone, take note and learn from him!"
Lin Chen set the chalk down, turning to face the class, and as luck would have it, his eyes met Su Wanqing's. She was sitting at her desk, her eyes sparkling like tiny stars, a soft smile on her lips, and the admiration in her gaze made his heart race faster than any applause from the teacher. His ears went hot, and he quickly looked away, hurrying back to his seat. But his fingers kept brushing the edge of the desk, still tingling with excitement.
The cicadas outside were still loud, but now, even the hot air felt sweet. Lin Chen glanced at Su Wanqing out of the corner of his eye. She was scribbling notes quickly in her notebook, occasionally glancing up at him with curiosity and admiration, making his heart feel like a rabbit trapped in a cage, its thumping fast and frantic.
"Ring-ring-ring—"
The bell rang, and the classroom erupted into chaos. Teacher Li grabbed his lesson plan and walked out, and the students swarmed around Lin Chen like waves crashing on the shore. "Lin Chen, when did you get so good? I didn't even know how to start that problem!" "Tell me how you did it! How do you use the method for quadratic functions?" "Looks like you're leading the math club now, huh?"
Lin Chen smiled and answered them one by one, his fingers still slightly trembling. He had never felt this kind of recognition before in his life. Just as the chatter around him died down, he saw Su Wanqing stand up, holding her notebook. She walked briskly toward him, her ponytail swishing with every step, the hem of her white dress fluttering in the wind. Her face wore a warm smile, and her eyes sparkled with anticipation. It was clear she wanted to ask him about the problem he had just solved.
Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat. The shadow of his past life suddenly overwhelmed him, flooding his mind with memories of high school, when he had tried to gather the courage to ask Su Wanqing for help, only to be mocked by Zhao Kai in the hallway: "Lin Chen, look at yourself. You think you can talk to a top student like Wanqing? Don't embarrass yourself." He had fled in humiliation that day. Later, after his business failed, he saw Su Wanqing at a reunion, and as he tried to approach her, one of the rich kids she was with had looked at him with contempt: "You think you're worthy of her? Don't even try."
The painful memory resurfaced in an instant, and Lin Chen's face flushed with a mix of shame and panic. He didn't want to relive that humiliation, but the sight of Su Wanqing walking toward him made his pulse race, his throat tightening.
"Lin Chen," Su Wanqing's voice was soft and clear as she stopped in front of him. "I wanted to ask you about that method for the power-reduction formula. Could you explain it to me?"
Before Lin Chen could answer, his anxiety took over. "I... I need to go to the restroom! I'll be right back!" He blurted out, his voice unsteady, and without another word, he nearly bolted from the room, forgetting his bag at the desk. Behind him, he could hear the whispers of his classmates: "Why's he running so fast?" "Su Wanqing didn't even finish asking him the question!" And then, the words that hit him like a hammer, "Wait for me, Lin Chen, I—"
It felt like his heart was being ripped from his chest. He ran out to the back corner of the playground, gripping the fence and gasping for breath. The sun was blinding, the heat unbearable, and sweat drenched his shirt. But he felt cold inside. He hated himself for being so weak. Even after everything he'd gone through, he was still trapped by the insecurities of his past life. Su Wanqing was too good for him—smart, beautiful, from a good family—while he was just an ordinary guy, a failure who had nothing. Even with this second chance, did he really deserve to stand beside her?
"Lin Chen?"
He froze, hearing her voice behind him. He turned quickly, and there she was—Su Wanqing, holding his bag, her white canvas shoes dirty with a bit of mud, her face showing concern. "Why did you run off so quickly? I still had a question for you about that method."
Her touch was light as she handed him his bag, her fingers brushing his. That warmth sent a jolt through his body. Lin Chen, flustered, could barely look at her. "I'm sorry, I... had something urgent to take care of."
Su Wanqing's eyes softened, but her expression carried a slight hint of disappointment. "It's fine. We can talk about it later." She paused, then smiled again, the kindness in her voice undeniable. "By the way, you really are amazing. The way you solved that problem was great, don't be shy."
With those words, she turned and walked away. The sunlight stretched her shadow long on the grass, and Lin Chen's heart clenched painfully. He wanted to be close to her, but his own self-doubt pushed her away. He clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms, swearing to himself: This time, he would overcome his insecurities. He would become worthy of her, of his second chance at life.
The bell rang again, pulling him out of his thoughts. He took a deep breath, straightened his shoulders, and made his way back to the classroom. He knew that overcoming his fears wouldn't happen overnight, but he was ready to take that first step.
When he sat down, Su Wanqing was already back at her desk, focused on her textbook, not looking at him anymore. Lin Chen felt a pang of guilt, but he understood the consequence of his actions. He opened his math notebook, revisited the problem, and carefully wrote down every step of the solution, marking the potential pitfalls in red ink. After a moment's hesitation, he quietly pushed the notebook toward her.
"This is the solution to the problem we did earlier. If you didn't catch it, you can take a look."
Su Wanqing lifted her head, surprised, then smiled warmly. "Thank you, Lin Chen."
As she smiled, Lin Chen felt a weight lift off his chest. The fan still hummed above him, the cicadas outside slowly calming, and the sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating the words in his notebook. This was just the first step in overcoming his insecurities, but he knew that if he kept at it, one day he'd be able to stand beside Su Wanqing, without fear, without regret.