Energizing Chocolate (Part 1)
Jiang Yichun stood still, meeting Qiao Maizi's phoenix eyes.
She scoffed, "The classroom door is so big, I'm not blocking you. If all else fails, you can use the back door."
"Jiang Yichun! Are you insulting me indirectly again?" Qiao Maizi stepped forward.
Jiang Yichun shrugged: "I was just stating the facts. You can enter through the back door of the classroom anyway."
"Also, I'm not dating He Yixin right now, so don't try to apply your immature ideas to me and him."
A smile played on her lips: "Alright, Xiaomai, stop acting like a high school student. If you don't come in now, class will start soon."
After speaking, Jiang Yichun tossed her ponytail behind her head and strode into the classroom.
Only Qiao Maizi was left stamping her feet in place. Seeing that it was almost eight o'clock in the morning, she reluctantly walked into the classroom, sat diagonally behind Jiang Yichun, and stared intently at her ponytail.
The class bell rang shrilly, and Professor Lin Feng strode into the classroom as it rang.
"Xiao He, yes, you just need to sit next to me and help me take notes."
He turned his head and shouted towards the door.
Jiang Yichun was staring at his computer, which was running humming and puffing, his eyes glued to the PowerPoint presentation and documents, silently reciting the key points he needed to report.
A pair of hands rested on the back of her hands.
"Xiaochun, don't be too nervous."
Zhang Xingxing lowered her voice: "Our group is well prepared, and you, as the group leader, have done a lot. Just perform normally."
Jiang Yichun's fingertips continued to caress the mouse. Her heart was pounding, but she still wore a calm smile on her face: "Okay, Xingxing, I'm not nervous. I'm just preparing a little more."
She turned and smiled at Zhang Xingxing before turning back to face the computer.
She paid no attention to the figure that plopped down in front of her, and continued to silently read the annoying manuscript.
She sniffed and smelled a familiar aroma, but that aroma was immediately overwhelmed by the smell of fried dough sticks and soy milk—probably some student secretly eating breakfast.
She heard the girl behind her clicking her tongue again, but she still ignored it.
Jiang Yichun's eyes were fixed on the text detailing the investment transactions and methods of a certain international bank that he needed to report today, as well as the PowerPoint presentations meticulously prepared by Zhang Xingxing.
Lin Feng walked up to the podium and cleared his throat: "Classmates, this report is not essentially a test of your abilities, but rather a test of your attitude and your ability to retrieve and integrate information."
"So I'll have the teaching assistant record some important points later, and then combine them with my score."
"Please don't think I'm too strict or anything; I'm just being objective."
"Alright, that's enough for now. First group, come up and report."
Qiao Maizi walked onto the podium carrying a tablet computer, wearing leather shoes and a sweater covered in bows.
Jiang Yichun looked up at her, then looked back at the computer.
Qiao Maizi's sweet voice echoed throughout the classroom, but Jiang Yichun couldn't hear a word she said and just nodded mechanically.
Her group was next to present, and she had no time to spare to support others.
"Xiaochun, Xiaochun." Zhang Xingxing tugged at her clothes.
Jiang Yichun finally looked up from the computer and turned to look at Zhang Xingxing.
Zhang Xingxing frowned: "Don't you think Qiao Maizi's group's PPT approach is very similar to our group's?"
Jiang Yichun scratched his head and lowered his voice: "That's normal, she chose the same type of question as us."
"Although she and I... she probably wouldn't use something like this against me."
Zhang Xingxing grabbed Jiang Yichun's wrist: "No, Xiaochun, the ideas and content of her PPT presentation are exactly the same as ours, it's just that we are studying different subjects."
"To be honest, I'm quite close to one of her team members. He asked me for a PPT template, so I..."
"What?" Jiang Yichun tried her best to suppress her voice as she turned to meet Zhang Xingxing's gaze.
Zhang Xingxing lowered her eyes: "I'm sorry, Xiaochun. I thought he was just using it as a reference. I didn't expect him to just change the PPT content according to my ideas and submit it."
Jiang Yichun gritted his teeth and sighed, "It's okay, it's okay, it's not your fault, you meant well. It's the plagiarist's fault. I..."
"It's okay, let me think about what to do."
Similar PPT presentation styles, tightly scheduled presentation time, and the strict Professor Lin…
These pressures were like weights being thrown directly at her.
Jiang Yichun's temples ached, so he took a chocolate from his pocket and popped it into his mouth.
A bitter taste rose in her mouth, and she frowned, taking a closer look at the packaging: 100% dark chocolate.
...
When people are down on their luck, even chocolate tastes incredibly bitter.
Milk chocolate, please save it!
Jiang Yichun screamed inwardly as Zhang Xingxing gently nudged her elbow and pulled a red package from his pocket.
"Peanut chocolate, Xiaochun, have one."
Jiang Yichun looked at the chocolate, her mind filled with "Hungry, have a xxx." She shook her head, took the chocolate, and quickly stuffed it into her mouth.
This chocolate was worlds apart from that piece of dark chocolate. The moment it touched Jiang Yichun's taste buds, he felt his blood sugar rise like a rollercoaster, as if he could kick ten laps around the playground in the next second.
The stubborn donkey carried her back to her childhood.
Then their words came flooding back.
"Jiang Jianan is just too quiet. People say that girls who are too quiet are not smart."
"Huh? You got first place. It's only elementary school, what can you tell from that?"
"Second in the whole county? It's just the high school entrance exam. Boys have more potential for improvement later on."
"You can go to school in Huaxing City even if you do poorly on a test? Tsk, it's okay. You'll understand when you get into society. What's the use of being good at studying?"
Those words were cast upon her like a net, as if she were a docile fish to be slaughtered. But each time, she fought against the net and finally broke free, covered in blood.
The more she was denied and suppressed, the more motivated she became to prove that she was not the "bookworm" that those people described, nor just a quiet and obedient "good girl".
She was a stubborn little donkey, charging headlong into things, a silly little bird who wouldn't turn back until she hit a wall.
Jiang Yichun's stubborn streak was immediately awakened by the chocolate, and it began to take her place in marching.
She finally raised her head and met Qiao Maizi's eyes.
Qiao Maizi continued speaking, though she stumbled a little and frowned from time to time.
Jiang Yichun gripped the mouse tightly and took a deep breath.
Plagiarism, huh?
Is this a provocation?
Do you think I'm all show and no substance?
You think I rely on He Yinxin, right?
Then I'll prove to you why I'm number one in my major!
"Xingxing, do you still have the chat history with that group member? Send it to me."
"Okay, let me look for it." Zhang Xingxing looked down and searched her phone for a while before sending her a screenshot of the chat.
Jiang Yichun gripped her phone tightly, looked up and stared at Qiao Maizi; her eyes almost burned through Qiao Maizi.
"Okay, that concludes my report. Thank you for listening."
Qiao Maizi smiled at everyone, skipped off the stage, and glanced at Jiang Yichun.
"Okay, next group."
Jiang Yichun stood up with a bang, grabbed his manuscript and his old computer, and walked onto the podium.
Her steps were firm and powerful, as if the stubborn mule inside her had taken over and she was really marching in step.
Jiang Yichun put down his computer, opened the PowerPoint presentation, picked up the megaphone, and began his presentation.
"Today, our group will introduce the development history of xxx Bank and the changes in its investments."
"XXX Bank, established in XXX year... is a mixed-operation investment bank and commercial bank. This model is extremely typical in XX country."
Jiang Yichun's voice was trembling when she first spoke, but when she met Zhang Xingxing's eyes, her nervousness dissipated by more than half.
She raised her hand, her tone became even more gentle, and the corners of her mouth slightly turned up. She put down the manuscript in her hand and began to speak directly to the big screen.
"In xxxx, xxx Bank underwent a major internal reform, transforming itself from a general commercial bank into an investment bank."
"This reform has pulled it out of the crisis, but it has also created some new challenges."
She became more and more skilled, and her initially trembling voice gradually became firmer. She also mustered up her courage to meet Professor Lin's gaze.
Lin Feng kept his head down, his face expressionless, only his bald "Mediterranean" hair and his constantly moving pen were visible.
Jiang Yichun glanced at him and immediately looked away. She was now completely focused on her work, and the people in the audience seemed to have become puppets.
She just wanted to showcase all the hard work she had put in these past few days, including her tireless communication with her team members, within those short five minutes.
The words were arranged and combined in her mind, and finally she presented them one by one in an orderly manner.
"Okay, that concludes my introduction. Thank you to my group members, and thank you everyone for listening."
After Jiang Yichun finished speaking, he bowed to the audience.
She wasn't expecting any applause anyway, since everyone knows that university courses are mostly just a matter of passing the time.
"Slap, slap, slap."
But she still heard several rounds of applause.
Jiang Yichun looked down at the audience, where Zhang Xingxing was clapping with a smile in her eyes, and several other group members were also clapping.
She finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The sleepless nights these past few days were definitely worth it.
"Hmm. Jiang's explanation was indeed quite good." Lin Feng raised his head, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Jiang Yichun's heart skipped a beat, and she smiled, "Thank you for your recognition, teacher."
She was about to return to her seat when Lin Feng called her back.
"Wait a minute, Jiang."
"What's wrong?"
Lin Feng coughed a few times and turned to ask the teaching assistant sitting next to him, "Hey, Xiao He, have you noticed anything wrong?"
"Professor Lin, why are you asking me? I'm just taking notes."
"Well, you are my teaching assistant after all. I want to ask for your thoughts. Haven't you always been the one with the most ideas and attitude in our research group?"
Jiang Yichun's gaze naturally shifted from Lin Feng to the teaching assistant.
The teaching assistant wasn't wearing glasses; he was wearing a gray turtleneck sweater, and his coat was hanging on a chair on the other side.
He also had a pair of clear almond-shaped eyes, which were staring intently at him.
The moment their eyes met, he gently rubbed his index finger on the bridge of his nose, and his Adam's apple bobbed.
Jiang Yichun's body, which had finally relaxed, tensed up again: How come this person looks exactly like He Yinxin?
No, he is He Yinxin himself!
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