Chapter 93 The Timid Him (Part 5) I'm Proud to Have My Motherland by My Side…
"Brother Ce, where did you go over the weekend? I went to your house twice and couldn't find you. Come on, tell me honestly, did you go out and have fun behind my back?" On Monday noon, in the school cafeteria, Zhao Mingjun sat down opposite Song Ce with his tray in hand and grumbled unhappily.
“Perfect timing. Come with me to our class after you finish eating,” Song Ce said to Zhao Mingjun, speaking slowly and deliberately.
"Why would I go to your class?" Zhao Mingjun asked, his face full of confusion.
"Take the notes I made for you. Starting today, I'll tutor you every day after school until you pass all your subjects," Song Ce said with a slight smile.
Zhao Mingjun's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief. He stammered to Song Ce, "Brother Ce, you...you're going to tutor me? And you want me to pass?"
Song Ce calmly raised his head to look at Zhao Mingjun and asked in return, "What, do you have a problem with that?"
"No, no, no!" Zhao Mingjun sensed the "dangerous aura" emanating from him and immediately shrank back, shaking his head hastily. "What I mean is, it's great! I can hang out with Brother Ce this weekend!"
Song Ce smiled helplessly and corrected, "It's not playing, it's studying."
Zhao Mingjun nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at rice, "Yes, yes, yes, I'll study, I'll study, I'll remember."
For Song Ce, school life was a rare period of relaxation and peace. Recently, his classmates in Class 2 of the first year of high school had noticed a significant change in him. The Song Ce who used to sleep in class and cause trouble seemed to have changed. Now, he sat at his desk studying every day, and his participation in class was becoming increasingly active. What shocked them most was that in the mid-term exams in mid-November, Song Ce achieved a score nearly 100 points higher than the second-highest scorer in the grade, jumping from 682nd on the school's honor roll to first place in the grade.
As Song Ce's grades improved rapidly, teachers from all subjects began to pay close attention to this former "underachiever".
However, not everyone was happy about Song Ce's change. Those few former underachievers and troublemakers in the class, who were once admired by the original owner of the body, felt very resentful seeing Song Ce so successful now.
"Hmph, so what if he got a good grade? What's there to be proud of? Brother Tian, you didn't see it. I tried to talk to that kid at noon today, and he was so arrogant that he ignored me completely!" One of the boys, named Liu Feng, muttered indignantly.
"Fengzi, I don't know what's so great about Song Ce? Has he forgotten how he was bowing and scraping to us just a few days ago?" Zhong Jie's expression was full of disdain as he chimed in, adding fuel to the fire.
"Brother Tian, do you think this kid cheated? Otherwise, how could he improve so quickly?" Liu Feng guessed.
The boy called Brother Tian was actually named Liu Xiangtian. He had a cousin who was very successful in the area. Every time Liu Xiangtian visited his cousin, he would see a group of vulgar, sleazy thugs lined up respectfully in two rows, bowing and calling his cousin "Big Brother." All of this filled Liu Xiangtian with envy.
He longed to be like his cousin, a powerful figure among the gangsters. But they disliked him because he was too young and underage, and refused to include him. So, Liu Xiangtian simply followed his cousin's example at school and started his own little gang. Every student in the first year of high school would respectfully call him "Brother Tian."
Speaking of Song Ce, he used to follow Liu Xiangtian around like Liu Feng and Zhong Jie. Song Ce was eloquent and flattered Liu Xiangtian, to the point that Liu Xiangtian was about to take him on as a follower. But who would have thought that after only ten days, Song Ce would become a completely different person, ignoring them and focusing all his attention on his studies.
Studying? That's ridiculous! Do those gangsters even need to study?
After Liu Xiangtian learned that Song Ce had started studying seriously, he and his friends mocked him for a long time. They thought Song Ce was just looking for trouble. But what they didn't expect was that in less than two weeks, Song Ce's ranking soared from over 600th in the grade to first place.
Liu Xiangtian felt a strange, indescribable feeling. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that it was... jealousy.
Why is it that Song Ce, who only knows how to flatter and fawn over him and is utterly useless, can learn so well?
Thinking of this, Liu Xiangtian cursed under his breath, his anger rising. He kicked the desk in front of him, knocking it to the ground with a dull thud. The surrounding students shuddered at the sudden noise, lowering their heads and not daring to breathe. Liu Xiangtian curled his lip and said listlessly, "Let's go outside and have a smoke."
Liu Feng and Zhong Jie, who were standing nearby, immediately responded, following behind Liu Xiangtian on either side, and said obsequiously, "Let's go, Brother Tian."
Meanwhile, in the school office.
The teachers of all subjects in the first year of high school sat around a conference table. On the table was a midterm exam paper for each subject, and the same name was written on the paper: Song Ce.
"This... how did Song Ce improve so much? In the last monthly exam at the end of October, which only tested basic knowledge, he only scored 75 points in math... This time he got a perfect score, without getting a single question wrong!" Math teacher Wang Feng pushed up his glasses and said in surprise.
Wu Jingfang, the Chinese language teacher standing nearby, put down the test paper in her hand, her brows furrowed. "Strange," she said, "the Chinese test is the same. Apart from losing some points on reading comprehension and composition, he got everything else right. As his Chinese teacher, I have the right to speak about his usual level. Could it be that the midterm exam was leaked? Or is Song Ce so eager to prove himself that he cheated...?"
"Ms. Wu! Song Ce is your student, how can you think like that? Shouldn't you be happy that he has made great progress? Why are you starting to doubt him instead?" Before Wu Jingfang could finish speaking, English teacher Qin Yuyan couldn't help but interrupt her.
Qin Yuyan held Song Ce's English test paper in her hand, her tone full of dissatisfaction: "Song Ce was just two points away from a perfect score in English this time, which was also the highest score in the entire first-year midterm exam. Who did he copy from? Are you going to slander him like this just because he didn't pay for tutoring with you?"
"Teacher Qin, don't talk nonsense! I didn't give the students any extra homework behind their backs!" Wu Jingfang quickly waved her hand, looking wronged and aggrieved.
"Whether it is or not, you know it in your heart," Qin Yuyan retorted mercilessly.
"Alright, stop arguing. I think Song Ce is a very diligent kid. He hasn't gone out to play during breaks lately, and has been sitting in his seat reading. He must have been working hard behind the scenes." Physics teacher Wen Jing tapped the table with his finger and said seriously, "He got a perfect score in physics this time."
"Chemistry also got a perfect score."
"Living things are too."
"I lost two points in geography, making it 98. I wrote the numbers in cursive in one question, but it's practically the same as a perfect score."
"History score: 98"
"I got one question wrong in politics, so I got 96 points."
Song Ce's homeroom teacher, Mao Guanying, lightly tapped the table with her fingers and asked, "What do you all think of Song Ce's grades this time?"
Seeing that no one spoke, Wu Jingfang raised the test paper in her hand and said in a heavy tone, "Well... how should I put it? We don't know how Song Ce got his grades. If he really got them on his own merit, that's fine, but if he cheated... sigh, I don't know if his high profile is a good thing or a bad thing for the school."
"Teacher Wu, you're slandering a student without any basis!" Qin Yuyan couldn't stand Wu Jingfang's disgusting behavior. So what if Song Ce didn't attend her after-school tutoring class? Why target a student like this?
"This is certainly a good thing! Our Fifth Middle School hasn't had a student with such outstanding results for five or six years. If Song Ce can maintain this level, it will be a great honor for our Fifth Middle School in the future!" Wen Jing said excitedly.
"Teacher Wen is right!" The other teachers nodded in agreement.
Just then, the office door creaked open, and Huang Yutao, the grade director, walked in, smiling as he said, "You teachers must nurture this promising student! If he can maintain these grades, he might become the top scorer in the college entrance examination at our No. 5 Middle School! Then, will our No. 5 Middle School still have to worry about student recruitment for the next few years?"
"Yes, yes, Director Huang is right. We teachers will definitely nurture him well," Wu Jingfang said with a beaming smile.
"Tch, bootlicker." Qin Yuyan muttered under her breath. Mao Guanying, who was standing next to her, heard this and quickly tugged at her sleeve, signaling her to stop talking nonsense.
"Alright, all of you teachers should keep a close eye on this student and try to stabilize his grades!" Huang Yutao said with a smile.
"No problem, Director Huang," the teachers from all subjects replied in unison.
Meanwhile, Song Ce remained completely unaware of the discussions about him at school, devoting himself entirely to his studies. He not only studied himself but also tutored Zhao Mingjun every day after school without fail. Under Song Ce's meticulous guidance, Zhao Mingjun's grades visibly improved, from initially failing every subject to now passing several.
Holding the report card, Zhao Mingjun's face flushed with excitement. He patted Song Ce's shoulder heavily and exclaimed, "Brother Ce! My good brother! Thank you! My uncle insisted that I take you home today; he really wants to thank you in person! You have no idea, without you, I wouldn't even dare to dream of passing!"
Song Ce couldn't resist the enthusiastic Zhao Mingjun, so he had no choice but to follow him all the way to his uncle's house.
Zhao Mingjun's uncle, Zhang Ruiyu, is the president of Yaohua Group. Yaohua Group made its fortune in the field of instrumentation and equipment by focusing on automatic control equipment and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Zhang Ruiyu lived in Jingyuan Villa in Haishi. The villa had an excellent location, quiet amidst the hustle and bustle, and its interior layout was exquisite. Upon closer inspection, Song Ce felt that the villa had a spacious courtyard, a well-organized garage, a garden in front, and a swimming pool in the back, all of which reflected the owner's taste.
Song Ce followed Zhao Mingjun into the villa. Upon seeing Song Ce, Zhang Ruiyu immediately gave him a perfectly timed smile. He warmly welcomed Song Ce and seated him, his friendly demeanor making Song Ce feel comfortable.
"Hello, Uncle, I'm Mingjun's friend, my name is Song Ce." Upon seeing this, Song Ce greeted Zhang Ruiyu politely, his voice clear and courteous.
Zhang Ruiyu smiled and replied, "What a sensible and good child. It's all thanks to your tutoring of Mingjun that his grades have improved so much these past few days."
"Uncle, you have no idea, my brother got first place in the grade in the midterm exams this time, and his picture is on the honor roll in the most prominent position! Isn't that amazing!" Zhao Mingjun boasted proudly.
“You brat, you should learn more from Song Ce in the future, you hear me?” Zhang Ruiyu said.
"Okay, Uncle! All you ever do is scold me," Zhao Mingjun muttered under his breath.
Zhang Ruiyu sized up the composed young man before him, immediately sensing that Mingjun's friend was no ordinary person. Having seen countless people, he recognized the boy's pure eyes and impeccable manners; it was clear the boy genuinely considered Mingjun a friend, not someone deliberately trying to curry favor. Zhang Ruiyu's goodwill towards Song Ce instantly increased, and he nodded inwardly, asking warmly, "Little Ce, may I call you that, Uncle?"
“Of course, Uncle,” Song Ce said with a smile.
Zhang Ruiyu was very satisfied with Song Ce's answer, and found the boy increasingly likable. He stood up, took out two exquisite boxes from a nearby cabinet, and said with a smile, "Xiao Ce, this is the YH2 Mini 3S, the latest product developed by my company. It's not on the market yet. I thought boys your age would like these kinds of high-tech products, so I saved one for you and one for Mingjun." As he spoke, Zhang Ruiyu gently pushed the two boxes over.
"Wow! Uncle! You're so cool!" Upon hearing this, Zhao Mingjun quickly grabbed the box and shoved another one into Song Ce's arms, saying mysteriously, "Brother Ce, this is definitely a great product! Last time I heard Uncle say that the new YH2 is super lightweight, only 220g, and can achieve 4K lossless shooting, making it unbeatable for taking pictures! Plus, it's full HD image transmission! Uncle, how long is the battery life of the new product?"
Seeing Zhao Mingjun's delighted expression, Zhang Ruiyu was amused. "The new product's battery life can currently reach up to 90 minutes."
"Wow! 90 minutes! That's half an hour longer than last year's model! Uncle, that's amazing!" Zhao Mingjun said, giving Zhang Ruiyu a thumbs up.
Song Ce gently placed the box on the table. Zhang Ruiyu paused upon seeing this, then asked with a smile, "What's wrong, Xiao Ce? You don't like it?"
Song Ce hesitated for a moment, then shook his head slightly: "No, Uncle, I just feel like I didn't do anything special. Mingjun is my friend, and tutoring him is what I should do. I can't..."
Zhang Ruiyu laughed heartily upon hearing this, patted Song Ce on the shoulder, and stuffed the box back into his arms, saying, "Xiao Ce, don't refuse your uncle. Mingjun's grades have improved so much thanks to you not thinking he's stupid and doing your best to tutor him."
Zhao Mingjun immediately became unhappy when his uncle called him stupid. "Uncle, how am I stupid!"
"Don't say anything!" Zhang Ruiyu glared at Zhao Mingjun, then turned his head and said gently, "Xiao Ce, this is just a small token of my appreciation. Just take it and take pictures of it for fun. If you don't accept it, it means you're disliking the gift your uncle prepared."
Song Ce was slightly taken aback. Since Zhang Ruiyu had already said so, why should he be coy and refuse? He had already done his best in tutoring Zhao Mingjun, and now that Zhang Ruiyu wanted to express her gratitude, this gift was probably just a small trinket for taking pictures to him.
Thinking this, Song Ce generously reached out and picked up the box, saying softly, "Thank you, Uncle. I'll accept it."
Seeing that Song Ce had accepted the gift, Zhang Ruiyu's goodwill towards him increased even more. This child was neither humble nor arrogant, which was truly rare. His smile became even more gentle, and he waved his hand lightly, saying, "That's right, you two go upstairs and play! Mingjun has been talking about you to me all day long, and he's been looking forward to bringing you over to play."
"Uncle, shall we go up now?" Zhao Mingjun said happily.
"Go on, you brat!" Zhang Ruiyu laughed.
Song Ce smiled and said goodbye to Zhang Ruiyu, then followed Zhao Mingjun upstairs.
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Author's Note: An earthquake struck in the early morning... and there was a strange wind too, this is so tough QAQ
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