The students who felt the most pressure during final exams were often those with average grades.
With two weeks left, the time was neither long nor short, but it was enough for many to cram at the last minute, hoping to get a satisfactory score on the final test.
This way, their winter vacation might also be more comfortable.
Amidst this intense study atmosphere, noon arrived.
Even in the cafeteria, many students could be seen holding books, engaging in last-minute study sessions.
Compared to them, Mike's table of people seemed much more composed.
Mike, Cady, and Gretchen were "good" students and didn't need to prepare much for the upcoming exams.
For people like them, it was just a regular small test.
As for Regina and Karen from The Plastics, their grades had no room to drop further, nor was there any possibility of them rising.
Having never taken studying seriously, even if they wanted to cram now, they wouldn't know where to start.
"Mike, have any record companies contacted you recently?" Regina, who was eating lunch, suddenly asked.
"A few small agencies have contacted me, but the terms weren't great," Mike said casually, then asked, "What, are you thinking about becoming a star?"
Come to think of it, for someone like Regina, who was born for the stage, becoming a star would indeed be an excellent path.
"I do have thoughts about that, and Miracle Records has already contacted my family. My mom is also very optimistic about me becoming a star…" Regina seemed to have already considered her future.
After explaining her situation, she sincerely suggested, "Miracle Records has an intention to sign our group. If you're willing, I can help connect you."
This was an era of rapid development for the record industry, and Miracle Records ranked among the top ten in the industry, making it a very promising company.
Regina being able to connect with such a large company was enough to show her talent for becoming a star.
And her current proposal was a good option for everyone.
"I'll pass. I'm not very interested in becoming a singing star," Mike shook his head slightly, refusing.
For ordinary people, being signed by a major company like Miracle might be a good thing. But for Mike, signing with an entertainment company would be a restriction.
With many ideas and plans for the future, he was not in a hurry to define himself.
Regina seemed to realize this. Although she was a bit disappointed by Mike's refusal, she didn't say anything more.
Then, she looked at the other three girls in The Plastics and asked, "What about you all? Do you want to sign with Miracle Records together? Maybe then we can make the name 'The Plastics' resound through thousands of households…"
Listening to Regina describe the beautiful future, Karen immediately said with interest, "Becoming a household name as a star? That sounds pretty good—"
Karen had a fairly comprehensive understanding of herself. With no special talents other than her figure and beauty, becoming a star was indeed an excellent path for her.
Moreover, a small agency had approached her some time ago, and she was already considering it.
Now, being able to sign with a major record company like Miracle was naturally the best option.
"Great!" Seeing Karen join, Regina seemed very happy. Then, she looked at the remaining two girls and asked, "What about you two?"
"I need to go home and discuss it with my parents," Gretchen said.
However, from the girl's expression, she was already tempted by Regina's proposal.
Gretchen, with her softer personality, actually didn't have much opinion on major decisions. Seeing her two good friends make their choices, she instinctively wanted to align with them.
In some ways, forming a group with the strong-willed Queen Bee might not be a bad thing for Gretchen.
Cady, the only one who hadn't responded yet, thought for a moment longer before saying, "My parents won't agree to me becoming a star, so I'm sorry, Regina."
Having received a family education since childhood, her personality also leaned towards the conservative type, and she wasn't very interested in becoming a celebrity in the spotlight.
In reality, with her intelligent mind, she was more willing to become a research-oriented talent.
If possible, becoming a wildlife expert like her parents would also be a good choice for the girl.
Regina was also a bit disappointed by Cady's refusal.
The relationship between the two girls could be described as one built through "conflict." After the "misunderstanding" at the beginning of the school year was resolved, and with Mike acting as a "communication" bridge, the two had long since become very close friends.
"Alright, I respect your choices." Regina was not surprised by everyone's decisions. Finally, she added, "Mike, Cady, if you ever change your minds, you can tell me anytime. I'll help you contact the company again."
Although Mike and Cady had already made up their minds, seeing Regina's enthusiastic demeanor, they both nodded, accepting her good intentions.
...
As the afternoon arrived, Mike, as per his earlier agreement with Ms. Sharon, accompanied Cady to the Mathematics Study Room.
Compared to the students outside who were cramming at the last minute, everyone in the Math Olympiad team seemed relatively relaxed.
There's a saying that's very true: with math, you either know it or you don't.
And the few people who could join the Math Olympiad team clearly had no problem with their intelligence. As long as they weren't lazy, their other subjects would naturally not be bad either.
Therefore, for everyone in the Math Olympiad team, the final exam was not a big deal. Instead, the Math Olympiad competition at the end of the semester was what they focused on more.
In this relatively relaxed atmosphere, Ms. Sharon entered the study room, carrying a large stack of materials.
When she saw Mike arrive as promised, she nodded with satisfaction and then said, "I hope the upcoming emergency training for the Math Olympiad team won't affect your final exams."
The Math Olympiad team members, who were all academic elites, rarely saw Ms. Sharon joking, so they all smiled knowingly.
"Alright, I won't say any more unnecessary words." Ms. Sharon quickly entered her mentor state: "Kevin, come up and hand out these materials to everyone."
"My pleasure," Kevin, still dressed in his hip-hop style, smiled as he got up and took the materials.
After everyone had the materials, Ms. Sharon explained, "The materials in your hands are collections of past Math Olympiad competition questions. For the next two weeks, I need you to conduct a more in-depth study of the knowledge points in the materials."
After instructing everyone on their study tasks for the next two weeks, Ms. Sharon then called out names individually: "Mike, Cady—"
"Here—"
"Present—"
They both looked up at the podium simultaneously.
"The rules for this year's Math Olympiad competition have changed. In addition to the first round's alternating answer system, the second round will have a 'sudden death' format, a one-on-one rapid-fire question system, where one question determines the winner…"
After introducing the new format, Ms. Sharon looked at Mike and Cady and continued, "As new faces this year, you are very likely to be chosen by people from other schools for a sudden death challenge.
Therefore, I want you to be more fully prepared in the next two weeks. As for any knowledge points in the materials that you don't grasp, you can always come and ask me…"
Because in last year's Math Olympiad competition, Medford High lost to Marymount Academy by a narrow margin in the championship battle.
Therefore, Ms. Sharon, who wanted to redeem herself, attached great importance to this year's Math Olympiad competition.
Also because of the new format, she had high hopes for Mike and Cady, her two new team members.
"Don't worry, Ms. Sharon, I won't let you down in this competition!" Feeling her teacher's expectations, Cady immediately promised.
During the previous flyer incident, the girl had done some things that were unfair to Ms. Sharon.
Although Ms. Sharon did not blame the girl after that incident.
However, a remorseful Cady still wanted to use her performance in this competition to make amends for some of her past mistakes.
And looking at the girl's determined expression, Ms. Sharon on the podium nodded with relief.
"I'm fine too," Mike then said confidently, "I hope in the sudden death format, people from other schools don't pick me."
Although saying this might sound a bit like like humble-bragging, Mike indeed had the confidence that no one could defeat him in the Math Olympiad league.