Trusting the Wrong Genius

The second half of senior year had just begun. However, the whole school already knew that the new transfer student was a genius who ranked among the top ten students at the city's key schools.

That evening, during study hall, I walked into the classroom with a collection of the toughest math problem types I had spent the entire winter break working through.

My classmates were supposed to be studying, but they all fell silent the moment I walked in.

Selene sat surrounded by classmates in the middle of the room. She was the one who waved me over. "Summer, you're here. There's actually something I need to talk to you about."

She smiled faintly before she continued, "From now on, everyone's going to study with me instead. We don't need you anymore."

I froze. I couldn't process what she had just said.

Two years ago, I had ranked first in the entire city. Every top school had fought to recruit me, and Enasteri High School was no exception.

But at the time, my father was gravely ill, and my mother had no job. School had become a financial burden my family could barely afford.

My current high school had waived my tuition and helped me apply for a poverty subsidy and a scholarship. The school had even set aside a storefront where my mother could sell stationery, giving her a way to support our family.

I had always been grateful for everything the school had done for us.

When I started my first year of high school, I noticed that most of my classmates came from poor families and had weak academic foundations.

I offered to tutor them. Some of them hadn't even mastered the basics from middle school and had gotten into high school through sheer luck.

I broke down every problem one step at a time and organized each concept point by point.

I stayed up late compiling common mistakes and problem templates, then simplified complex material into steps anyone could follow.

That was the only reason their grades had risen from the bottom of the class to a stable position in the upper-middle range.

When she saw that I had fallen silent, Selene continued, "I know you're not happy, but I looked at our class's grades.

"A lot of people have been working hard this whole time, yet their grades are still stuck in the middle. That means the tutoring method is wrong. You're just not a good enough teacher.

"The college entrance exam is coming up soon. Nobody has time to waste with you anymore."

The class president stepped forward as well. "Summer, we don't mean anything by this. It's just that what Selene said makes sense. Maybe we really have been using the wrong method."

A few classmates immediately chimed in.

"Yeah, I've seen how outside cram schools work. Kids there improve fast. Raising your score by two or three hundred points is nothing."

"It's not like Summer's tutoring hasn't helped at all, but it's just too slow. Meanwhile, Selene keeps making bigger improvements every time."

"Exactly! Maybe she has some amazing study method she's been keeping to herself!"

At that, the smugness in Selene's eyes was impossible to miss.

She raised her voice. "Everyone, I'm not trying to put Summer down. It's just that, in the end, grades speak for themselves.

"My results are there for everyone to see. From now on, I'll absolutely do my best to tutor all of you."

As soon as she finished, the class president was the first to respond. "Well then, thank you, Selene. It's an honor to study with someone like you, a real genius."