At the university advanced calculus class, Professor Liu was passionately lecturing.
However, the classroom atmosphere was poor. Some students were dozing off, others were playing on their phones, and still others were engrossed in conversation.
They thought the professor at the podium couldn't see them.
Professor Liu felt an indescribable pain in his heart. He was born in the 1950s and was nearing 70 years old this year. He was a re-hired retiree.
His students, when compared individually, were more accomplished than him. The most brilliant ones had even become academicians.
Some had even led major national research projects.
Yet after nurturing so many outstanding disciples, he now found himself teaching at a Third-tier University.
The old man wasn't short on money!
Initially, he was tricked by the president of the Third-tier University, who said these students lacked educational resources and hoped he could give the underachievers an opportunity.
And so, the old man came.
But after arriving, he realized these kids had given up on themselves.
Their grades were already lagging, and by not putting in effort, they were essentially deteriorating.
When students give up, no matter how hard the teacher tries, they can't be saved.
The girls were secretly applying makeup during class. The boys were playing games.
Could things really continue like this?
Professor Liu was truly angered.
He had come from an impoverished era and knew how fortunate it was to be able to study.
Moreover, the tuition at a Third-tier University was not cheap.
To make it in life, they needed to work harder than others.
But these students were letting him down.
Professor Liu was truly furious! He slammed his lecture notes down on the podium with a bang. In the large tiered classroom, where there had been some scattered noises, silence fell instantly.
Professor Liu said, "You came here to study. If you don't want to study, leave immediately. All daily attendance will be marked as zero."
"Your families sent you here to learn, so you should conduct yourselves like students. Look at how you're behaving."
"University students used to be the pillars of the nation, serving the people. But can you be called pillars in your current state?"
"I don't even care to comment on each of you. If you can study, then study. If you can't, then leave. Don't occupy good seats here."
"From now on, I'll take attendance again. Anyone not present today will be marked as failing the course."
The students present inwardly groaned.
They hurriedly messaged those who were absent: "Hurry, hurry, Professor Liu is angry."
The advanced calculus final exam had lax proctoring, to the point where cheating was possible.
But most students didn't even know whose work to cheat from because they didn't understand the material.
Failing the course would be disastrous.
While Professor Liu was venting his anger, the students trickled in one by one.
For the next hour, everyone listened to the lecture.
But in each person's eyes shone a clear expression of stupidity, conveying, "I'm listening to you lecture, but I don't understand."
Their main purpose was to show respect and be present.
Witnessing this gave Professor Liu a headache.
He had never taught such poor students before. It felt like he wasn't lecturing to students but rather talking to a herd of cattle.
After class, the office staff heard that Professor Liu had lost his temper that day and quickly advised him, "Professor Liu, you need to take care of your own health. These students have already given up on themselves. Don't get so angry over them."
He also had some inexplicable perseverance that didn't fit in at a Third-tier University.
He understood this reasoning - he had been a teacher for 50 years.
But the older he got, the more stubborn he became, muttering, "I don't believe it. Out of so many people, there can't be not a single one interested in mathematics. Mathematics is such a fascinating subject."
The other teachers didn't dare advise him further.
But after they left, Professor Liu took out all his heart medication and swallowed two pills.
For the second class, Professor Liu carefully prepared again and brought a water cup to the large classroom.
This time, the tiered classroom had even more people. Everyone was afraid of angering Professor Liu and ending up failing his course.
But this time, the attendees were different. In the front row, there were two new faces - Shen Wei and a 5-year-old boy named He Lingfeng.
A child attending a university lecture,
and sitting in the front row!
Several girls wanted to sneak photos because they thought it was so adorable.
He Lingfeng was a good-looking boy. Previously thin, but thanks to the efforts of Shen Wei and the staff at his kindergarten, his cheeks had filled out, making him look chubby and cute!
The Third-tier University didn't prohibit outsiders from auditing classes.
But usually, outsiders audited classes like outdoor volleyball or film appreciation,
not advanced calculus! The university students looked on in admiration.
Even before the professor arrived, the classroom was buzzing with excitement over the child's presence, only gradually subsiding when Professor Liu entered.
But someone had already posted about it on the campus forum, saying a child had come to attend Professor Liu's class. Other absent students left comments in mock mourning.
"To think of attending Professor Liu's class at such a young age."
"Professor Liu's temper has been flaring up lately. What if the child cries, and he gets angry at the kid?"
"Why would a child come? I heard some graduate students bring their pregnant bellies and babies to class."
"Impossible, the one who brought the child is the campus belle, Shen Wei!"
Shen Wei had just graduated. Over the four years of university, everyone had witnessed that there was no way she could have had a child.
In the end, the consensus was that it was probably a relative's child with no one to look after them, so they just brought the kid to class.
The post quickly garnered over 2,000 replies as people camped out to see whether the child or Professor Liu would crack first.
Some even started a poll, causing the otherwise ordinary post to become a minor sensation.
At this moment, the two at the center of the topic were completely unaware of the small frenzy they had caused on the campus forum.
Professor Liu had never taught such a young child before and couldn't help but glance at them a few times.
Although He Lingfeng didn't attend many classes, he knew to respect the teacher. Whenever Professor Liu's gaze fell on him, he would straighten up, looking every bit the studious child - unaware that he was melting the hearts of many older students.
Professor Liu must have been thinking something, as he didn't dismiss the two of them. Instead, he began lecturing properly.
He taught various formulas, theories, and problem-solving approaches.
Most people found this part rather dry and boring. Although everyone was present, their minds soon wandered - some played on their phones, others napped at their desks.
They say sleeping in math class is more restful than other classes.
As long as you don't snore and disturb others, it's fine.
As Professor Liu lectured, he realized no one was listening.
In the 120-seat tiered classroom, nearly every seat was occupied.
But everyone was busy with their own affairs.
Professor Liu paused, wanting to get angry, but he noticed someone was actually listening to his lecture - the 5-year-old child, whose gaze was intently following his thought process.
Professor Liu had stopped lecturing, but the others hadn't noticed, continuing to sleep, play, or do their own thing.
Professor Liu continued and started explaining the problem again.
Professor Liu's lectures were quite good, to be fair.
He explained in-depth yet straightforwardly, seamlessly integrating various previously learned concepts.
Although he taught university-level mathematics, he intentionally incorporated many high school-level concepts, explaining them in a more accessible way to help students better understand.
However, he hadn't expected his efforts to be in vain.
But regardless, he was a teacher. As long as he stood at the podium, he had to do justice to those seated below.
By breaking it down and explaining in such detail, it was extremely helpful for He Lingfeng.
It was a period of rapid knowledge acquisition for him. Suddenly, he found himself understanding what the teacher was lecturing, and his enthusiasm immediately soared. The state of mind between those who studied and those who didn't was vastly different.
Professor Liu suddenly felt a bit amused.
The only one who seemed to be listening attentively to his lecture was that 5-year-old child.
He chuckled with a tinge of curiosity, wondering if the child could truly comprehend his words.
Regardless, this child was a very well-behaved one.
He couldn't help but want to know how much the child had absorbed, so he promptly called upon the child and asked what he had just lectured about.
In truth, he just wanted to know if the child, who appeared attentive, had actually been listening intently.
He did not expect an actual answer.
Upon hearing the professor call upon the child, the others in attendance immediately perked up.
There were even mischievous individuals who posted the occurrence on the campus discussion board, with the caption: "Here it comes, Old Liu is about to battle it out with a kid."
The students, though struggling with their studies, were never too dull for some juicy gossip.
He Lingfeng stood up, repeated Professor Liu's question, and then used his childlike language to give his answer.
Professor Liu initially nodded and smiled, but after hearing the child's response, he furrowed his brow. How could this be? The child had given the correct answer, which he hadn't even lectured on yet.
