Chapter 38: So-Called Luck, So-Called Happiness
The fiery red honor roll, though late, had arrived.
A group of students crowded in front of the board, checking their own and others’ information.
“First place is 714… that’s too insane.”
“Class 4 took 35 of the top 100 spots.”
“There’s someone from Class 7 in the top twenty, impressive.”
Amidst the noisy crowd, Yan Zhi tilted her head up and found her own name at 156th in the third column.
It was an acceptable result.
Ruan Xi sat at her desk. The efficiency of releasing the scores this time was very low. She hadn’t asked Teacher Tong for her score and only knew that she had improved a little. Although she was still a bit disappointed, after being comforted by Teacher Tong, she had regrouped and started preparing for the mid-term exams.
As for her score this time, she didn’t need to go look. There would naturally be nosy people who couldn’t wait to tell her.
“Ruan Xi, guess what you got in Chinese! 130! Fourth in the grade!”
“Ruan Xi, Ruan Xi…”
Sure enough, in less than ten minutes, she even knew who was ranked above and below her and by how many points.
After the sports meet, Ruan Xi’s popularity had indeed improved a lot. Her classmates were as surprised as if they had unearthed a treasure from a patch of ordinary land. Who wouldn’t like a pretty, cute, hardworking, and diligent young lady? Although her grades were poor before, and she had been caught at an internet cafe and publicly criticized, these dark histories were illuminated by her good qualities and instantly vanished without a trace.
During Chinese class, Li Hanqiang threw down his textbook and directly started a class meeting to summarize the learning outcomes of the month.
“Here, I want to give special praise to student Ji Chen,” Li Hanqiang tapped the blackboard. “The outstanding people are working even harder than you. This is the most terrifying thing. Complain less about this and that. Does it make a difference whether you’re in the experimental class or not? Look at Ji Chen, he can still achieve excellent results through his own hard work!”
Below the podium, Ji Chen broke into a sweat. The teasing looks from his classmates made him die of embarrassment.
Being singled out for praise by a teacher was both a proud and a torturous thing.
“I also want to praise a few students who have made great progress. Ruan Xi, He Xueyu…”
Ruan Xi kept her head down, buried in her practice problems.
She knew very well that her progress wasn’t actually that great.
The reason Labor Reform was praising her was that he felt this poor student had turned over a new leaf. In others’ eyes, she was still far from outstanding. In Teacher Tong’s eyes, she was probably just an obedient, hardworking child.
Over the weekend, she had already changed her online name to the name of the movie’s female protagonist, Kudo Sayaka, her ambition laid bare.
She didn’t know where she got the courage, but after the movie that day, she had said to that person:
“Teacher Tong, if I do well on the mid-term exam… will there be another reward?”
Teacher Tong didn’t ask her for her definition of “doing well,” nor did she hesitate. She smiled at her and said, “Okay, I’ll give you whatever you want.”
Whatever… I want?
Teacher Tong only saw her as a good child.
But she didn’t want to be just a child.
**
Tong Yao was in the office. After the scores came out, she was analyzing each student’s results.
Most students’ scores were stable. What she was concerned about were the few who had regressed severely.
Chen Mo, who was first in Class 4 and second in the grade in the last monthly exam, had plummeted this time, falling to 208th in the grade.
Her scores in math, physics, and chemistry had dropped off a cliff, especially math and physics.
Did something happen this month?
She usually saw this student doing her own thing in class. Even when the teacher walked to her side, she would just focus on her practice problems. Her efficiency was breathtaking.
Students with good grades had privileges. Even teachers wouldn’t interfere too much.
Tong Yao didn’t think there was a problem with Chen Mo’s attitude toward learning.
Knock, knock, knock.
A girl with glasses knocked on the open door and said softly, “Reporting.”
“Here,” Tong Yao waved the report card in her hand.
The person who came was Chen Mo. She had asked this student to come for a talk.
The girl stood in front of her desk. Her proper school uniform was a bit too big. Her chin-length bob shone a beautiful, warm chestnut color in the sunlight from the window. There was not a trace of emotion on her quiet face, and the lenses of her pink glasses were close to her eyelashes.
Anyone would see her as a well-behaved and outstanding female student.
“Chen Mo,” Tong Yao put away the report card first and said gently, “have you encountered any problems in your studies recently?”
The girl looked at her and, with a very small movement, gently shook her head.
Tong Yao tilted her head, thought for a moment, took out the girl’s answer sheet, and pointed to the questions.
“Look, these few questions, you shouldn’t have gotten them wrong with your level. And this one, were you unable to solve it? There was a quiz before, and you were the only one in Class 4 with a perfect score. Was there another reason for this exam?”
Chen Mo stood there, her face pale, her thin body looking as if it could be blown away by the wind.
“I didn’t cheat…”
Tong Yao was taken aback for a moment before realizing that Chen Mo was talking about the previous quiz.
“Of course, the teacher believes in your ability,” she quickly explained. “I know you usually do a lot of problems, but this exam… was it because of nervousness?”
Chen Mo looked at her blankly, and finally, nodded, her eyes lowered.
“When I get nervous… I can’t solve them.”
Tong Yao gently patted the girl’s back, comforting her with a “it’s okay,” and then asked, “Then… what about before? Weren’t you nervous before?”
Chen Mo’s eyes were wide open, but she didn’t respond, seeming to be confused herself.
This was a girl who was usually not talkative.
Exam anxiety, it seemed, had just appeared out of nowhere, complex and tangled, its source untraceable.
The bell for class rang. Chen Mo left, leaving Tong Yao in the office, troubled.
She stood up slightly and turned to the physics teacher, Teacher Lu, on the other side of the office. The “Bright Summit” uncle was also worried.
“Teacher Lu, what’s going on with Chen Mo? Have you talked to her?” she asked.
Bright Summit threw up his hands, full of helplessness.
“She just said she was nervous. She can solve difficult problems in class.”
At this moment, the teachers all felt that this was a thorny but still surmountable problem.
**
Tong Yao had three consecutive classes in the afternoon. When she returned to the office, she was so tired she couldn’t even be bothered to go eat dinner.
Fortunately, the young girl had said at noon that she would bring her dinner in the afternoon.
Unconsciously, she seemed to be getting more and more inseparable from this thoughtful service.
She entered the office and found it a bit lively.
The homeroom teacher of Class 4, Liu Jian, was talking to a man while sitting on a chair. Beside them, Chen Mo stood silently, true to her name.
“Teacher Liu, what’s going on here? She’s already in her second year of high school, a critical time, and she’s developed this problem? I’m worried sick!”
“Mr. Chen, please don’t worry. The child’s mentality is very important. We teachers all know Chen Mo’s ability. You don’t need to be so anxious…” Liu Jian persuaded cautiously.
“A mentality problem? What mentality problem does she have? Nervousness? It’s because she hasn’t done enough problems that she’s nervous! I’ve told her so many times, a good memory is not as good as a bad pen. If you do enough problems, you won’t forget even if you’re nervous!”
As the man spoke, he glared viciously at his daughter. Tong Yao almost thought they were enemies, not father and daughter.
The girl flinched in fear but didn’t dare to move, like a little dog that had been beaten by its owner.
“Teacher Liu, do you think she needs tutoring in math and physics? Her grades have dropped too drastically. I hired a tutor for her before, but she didn’t want one. Well, look at what happened after a month without tutoring!”
Chen Mo’s mouth opened slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she swallowed it back bitterly.
Hearing this, Tong Yao finally couldn’t help but speak up.
“Sir, your daughter is very outstanding. She doesn’t need extra tutoring. A child like her knows how to plan her own studies. Most tutoring centers outside are only suitable for students with a weak foundation. Someone like Chen Mo doesn’t actually need a teacher to teach her.”
The man turned back, saw Tong Yao, and frowned.
“And you are?”
She tilted her head. “Her math teacher, Tong Yao.”
“Such a young math teacher?” The man was surprised, then said with a hint of implication, “My daughter’s math grades were fine before. Why have they dropped so much now?”
He looked dissatisfied and turned to Liu Jian. “Teacher Liu, no offense, but Teacher Tong is so young. Not to mention teaching experience, can she even control the students?”
“Mr. Chen, this… Teacher Little Tong is a top student from A University. Although she’s young, but…” Liu Jian was trying to smooth things over, but before he could finish, Tong Yao had already taken the initiative to continue.
“Although I’m young and have only been teaching for a month and a half, the classes I teach have all improved in ranking compared to the last exam. At least for now, you don’t have enough evidence to doubt my teaching ability.”
The man’s expression stiffened, then he forced a smile and found a way to back down.
“Ha, I expressed myself poorly. Then, this, Teacher Tong, what do you think is wrong with Chen Mo’s math? To drop so much, it shouldn’t be!”
Tong Yao glanced at Chen Mo. The girl had her head down, as if the adults’ conversation had nothing to do with her.
“Mentality,” she said. “Math, physics, and chemistry are subjects that test one’s mentality, so the changes in Chen Mo’s scores in these subjects are obvious. I think you should pay attention to your daughter’s mental health and not put too much pressure on her.”
The man looked thoughtful and patted his daughter’s arm.
“Have we been putting a lot of pressure on you?”
Chen Mo looked up blankly, her pupils lifeless behind her glasses.
“…No.”
“That’s right. You have to turn pressure into motivation! Understand?”
It was like a strict boss talking to a subordinate.
Tong Yao wanted to say something but held back. She couldn’t interfere with another family’s parenting style. She could only watch as the fragile girl was pushed forward by the man.
“Alright, we won’t disturb the teachers any longer,” the man turned around. “Promise the teachers you’ll get back into the top three of the grade next time!”
Chen Mo looked up woodenly at Liu Jian and Tong Yao, her lips moving. Liu Jian quickly waved his hand.
“What’s there to promise? Just adjust your mentality first, and everything will be fine.”
Tong Yao didn’t know what to say for a moment.
The man left with his daughter. His scolding could be faintly heard from the hallway outside.
“How much study time has been wasted? Make it up tonight, you hear me?”
“Where’s the monthly exam paper? I told you to bring it for me to see, and you didn’t? Run and get it!”
Tong Yao looked at the girl’s thin back, her heart heavy with sadness.
“Chen Mo’s family is a single-parent family. Her dad is a writer,” Liu Jian said with a sigh. “That’s no way to raise a child. He’s too strict. It breaks my heart to watch.”
There was nothing wrong with being strict.
But a child needs love. Strictness is also built on the foundation of love. When you can’t feel love, a strict attitude is so heavy. Tong Yao was very worried if Chen Mo’s thin shoulders could bear it.
She was like watching a child walk into a pit of fire, being swallowed by the flames, yet she was powerless to help.
