Chapter 101 Ye Yuying originally thought that entering…
Ye Yuying originally thought that entering Rongcheng No. 1 High School would help her get rid of the toxic people.
Unexpectedly, some rumors spread like wildfire about the English class representative.
One girl complained to her deskmate in private: "Why her? I got the highest score in English, and I should have been the class representative. She does have good grades, but she's new here. Everyone voted for her out of pity."
This news spread, and many people gossiped about it behind her back. Especially during the first English morning reading session, Ye Yuying was called upon by the teacher to go up to the front and read the text aloud.
Her voice was clear and bright, but it carried a heavy local accent. As soon as she finished speaking, several low chuckles came from the back row.
"Your accent is so strong..."
"This person can be a class representative?"
The laughter was exceptionally sharp, piercing her ears painfully.
Ye Yuying's back stiffened instantly. She bit down on the words and forced herself to finish reading. After that, she tried to avoid speaking English.
A pang of sadness welled up in her heart, and she suddenly thought of Cheng Mingdu.
English must have been an essential part of her journey to that land of science geniuses, as many original textbooks were written in this language.
Compared to English, her science scores were exceptionally high. In the mid-term exams, she ranked among the top ten in her class and 75th in her grade, which meant that if she could maintain this ranking until the college entrance exam, she would be able to get into a top-tier university.
Lin Manyin came over during self-study and whispered, "Did you take extra classes during the summer vacation? Otherwise, how could you learn so quickly?"
Ye Yuying was taken aback: "No."
Lin Manyin's eyes widened: "Really not? You haven't been attending any tutoring classes?"
Ye Yuying shook her head, her expression even showing a hint of surprise.
This was the first time she truly realized that there were many unknown resources and efforts being made within the circle of top students, and that many of them had teachers hired by their parents at great expense, providing one-on-one tutoring during holidays.
She, on the other hand, simply followed the lessons and learned on her own.
Lin Manyin rested her chin on her hand, half in amazement and half in envy: "You're amazing! Others spend half a summer catching up on what they've learned, but you caught up as soon as school started."
Zhou Yi leaned over from the front row and joked, "This is a true academic genius. He can break into the top ten without any extra tutoring."
Ye Yuying was taken aback, then smiled, feeling a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, mixed feelings) as if she had accidentally stumbled into an unfamiliar world.
In sports, she is very low-key. Although she can still get full marks in physical tests, she does not compete like she does in sports competitions. She tends to hide her talents in unfamiliar environments.
As WeChat became more widespread that year, Ye Yuying added Cheng Mingdu on WeChat. She clicked on his profile picture countless times, looking at the Sagittarius constellation in his black profile picture, and at his Moments that he had never posted. She wanted to say something to him countless times, but she still chose not to disturb him.
It wasn't until the day her results came out that he finally sent her the message, as if he had found a good opportunity.
I made it into the top ten.
She received a reply almost the next morning.
Because of the time difference, she knew that he had written the email after he finished his class and returned to his apartment at night.
Well done, keep it up.
The signature was his usual aloof one.
Although they were on WeChat, their conversation felt like an email exchange—it was as bland as could be.
But Ye Yuying would still repeatedly open it, as if it were a treasured secret, reading these short words over and over again.
Her first semester of high school ended uneventfully; she maintained her previous ranking at the end of the semester, but her overall ranking in the grade dropped by two places.
Cheng Mingdu didn't come back this winter vacation. Jiang Xinxue and Cheng Jianian went on vacation to the Southern Hemisphere during the Spring Festival. She had New Year's Eve dinner with her aunts.
Auntie has been discharged from the hospital, but she is recuperating at home and cannot exert herself. She lives in another city, and Ye Yuying cannot travel far. The two communicate only occasionally by phone.
After her maternal grandmother passed away, her aunt became her only remaining relative.
*
At the beginning of the semester, the English teacher entrusted the class representative, Ye Yuying, to collect the materials fee. It was a few dozen yuan per person, and there were thirty or forty students in the class. It was a small amount of money, but for the class representative, it was a great responsibility.
She carefully sorted the banknotes one by one, put them in an envelope, and handed them to the office, remembering to write down the payment date clearly.
However, halfway through the semester, the bookseller contacted the school directly, saying that the money had not been received.
Someone immediately started teasing in the class: "Did the class representative keep it for himself?"
The girl who had previously been extremely dissatisfied with Ye Yuying being chosen as the class representative said sarcastically, "I told you, anyone could have taken this position, but they chose her."
All eyes turned to her, and the atmosphere became awkward.
The English teacher sighed and said earnestly, "If you have a problem, be brave enough to admit it. Don't be afraid."
At that moment, she suddenly looked up at her English teacher, her eyes filled with confusion. She had been collecting homework and distributing test papers for the teacher for nearly two semesters, but the teacher suddenly seemed like a complete stranger.
Without even asking her for details, he simply used the tone typical of an educator to advise her to turn back before it's too late.
But she never did it!
I have absolutely not embezzled a single penny.
But she had no way to defend herself, because the envelope containing the money had been placed on the English teacher's desk months ago.
"Did you collect it yourself but forget to hand it in?" someone sneered.
"Otherwise, why would a bookseller come knocking on our door?"
Whispers arose one after another. At first, the voices were cautious, but later, as if they had found someone to laugh at with peace of mind, they spread freely.
Ye Yuying's back stiffened, and the scene from that day flashed through her mind again and again.
She put the money into an envelope, and Lin Manyin accompanied her to the classroom building. She went into the office alone, placed the envelope on the teacher's desk, and clearly wrote the date on it.
But now, everyone is watching her.
The English teacher gently put down her pen, sighed, and said earnestly, "Yuying, I believe in you, but you also know that as the class representative, you have a greater responsibility than others. You need to be brave. If it was your own negligence, it's okay to admit it sooner rather than later."
The tone of her voice suggested that she was certain that she was the one who had made the mistake.
Ye Yuying's fingertips were cold, and even the tops of her feet felt cold, as if they didn't belong to her.
In that instant, she suddenly felt a strong sense of alienation; this gentle and beautiful English teacher seemed to be standing in opposition to her.
"I've handed it in and left it on your desk." Her voice was strained, but her pace remained calm.
Lin Manyin immediately stood up, her voice clear and crisp: "I can testify! I saw her hand over the money with my own eyes that day."
A murmur rippled through the class, and many students exchanged glances.
Zhou Yi, sitting in the back row, frowned and slammed his hand on the table: "Yes, I remember too. I saw her sorting the envelopes with my own eyes."
Suddenly, the situation seemed to become delicate. Some people spoke up for her, while others sneered, "Maybe the teacher just didn't receive it? Who knows?"
Ye Yuying looked at the English teacher, but only saw that the other person didn't seem to have any Miao Qing, and the expression on her face was completely unreadable.
The matter was left unresolved.
No one voiced their suspicion—why couldn't it be that the English teacher was lining their own pockets?
It's strange, why does everyone trust teachers so much?
From then on, Ye Yuying's days became increasingly difficult.
The English teacher was calling roll more and more frequently in class, seemingly on purpose, but she couldn't do anything about it.
"Ye Yuying, stand up and read the text."
Her voice was clear, but with an accent, and there were always soft laughs coming from the back row. Every syllable she made was excruciating for her.
"Stop, start over." The teacher's voice was cold and hard.
Once, twice, three times. She became the laughingstock of the entire class.
Sometimes when English texts involve words like "honesty" and "trust," the English teacher will casually say, "I hope you students will always be honest and trustworthy throughout your lives. Don't slander others; you won't get rich that way."
The English teacher was looking at her when she said this.
Ye Yuying's soul once wanted to give up this tormented body amidst this torture.
Even though she remained at the top of her class in science tests, Ye Yuying's English scores plummeted.
Every time the test papers were handed out, she had to endure her homeroom teacher's reminder: "Yuying, your grades were clearly very good last semester."
Yes... but she did nothing wrong, yet she was unfairly targeted.
During that time, she remained silent, like a fish trapped in a glass jar. Occasionally, someone would show concern for her, but the truth of the matter was simply left unresolved, and the loss was compensated by the homeroom teacher.
But in the dead of night, staring at her phone screen and opening the chat window with Cheng Mingdu, she still couldn't muster the courage to write down all her grievances.
Brother, summer is almost here, will you come back?
Those few words seemed to be the only solace she could grasp.
Finally, the final exams are over.
When the report cards were released, her name had fallen to outside the top twentieth in the class.
In that instant, whispers surged forth like a tide.
"I thought she was a dark horse, but she's nothing special."
"See? The grades dropped."
"Could it be that her grades were also faked? Someone who would embezzle such a small amount of money... might have a way to cheat."
Lin Manyin felt indignant on her behalf: "You're clearly very good at science subjects, it's just that your English is..."
"But English just happens to have such a high weight now," someone added with a sneer.
Ye Yuying gripped the report card tightly, but her fingers had no strength at all.
She suddenly realized that she had mistakenly thought her life was going to be smooth sailing, but... everything was about to go wrong again.
That summer, Ye Yuying, who was originally a candidate for the biology competition, missed the opportunity to participate in the training camp during the holidays because she failed the exam. She spent the whole summer at home, locking herself in the attic.
It was this summer that Cheng Mingdu returned to China.
Ye Yuying did not tell him anything about what had happened.
But when Cheng Mingdu saw her report card, his eyes did not show the disappointment she had expected.
"How could this happen?" He looked up at her, his voice as usual.
Ye Yuying's heart tightened, and she subconsciously avoided his gaze: "It's nothing, it's just... I didn't do well on the test, I'm a little nervous."
Cheng Mingdu remained silent for a moment, then stopped pressing for answers.
However, a few days later, after he contacted the school directly, the truth was revealed.
He contacted several people and found the bookseller, but because the transaction was in cash and the surveillance cameras were not installed in the teachers' office, he was unable to find any trace of the money.
There is no evidence pointing to anyone, but it is clear that there are many possibilities regarding that money, and it is not entirely Ye Yuying's fault.
More importantly, the English teacher played a somewhat ambiguous role in this matter.
Cheng Mingdu didn't say much. He coldly contacted the Education Bureau and reported the matter.
It wasn't because of greed for money, but because... they were making things difficult for students without any verification.
A few weeks later, the English teacher was transferred, and the news spread quietly before the start of the school year.
At night, the lights in the Cheng family's backyard were soft.
Ye Yuying asked cautiously, "Brother, did you...do something?"
Cheng Mingdu held his teacup, his expression indifferent: "You don't need to know the details. Just know that you are not wrong, there is no evidence, and this is all a trumped-up charge."
Her throat tightened, and her eyes stung, but she still managed a weak smile: "But my English is completely gone..."
The air remained quiet for a long time.
She was telling the truth; even if the teacher were transferred, no one could save her English.
He finally raised his eyes, his voice slow and steady: "For foreign language majors in the college entrance examination, English is not the only path."
She was stunned: "...What do you mean?"
“You can choose a less commonly taught language. Since you excel in science subjects, as long as you focus your energy on your strengths, you don’t have to let English hold you back.”
In that instant, her eyes lit up again.
His tone was as calm as ever, but with an undeniable firmness: "Don't consider Rongcheng No.1 High School as your final destination. I know it wasn't easy for you to get into this high school, but you should go to places further away. Don't confine yourself here."
Ye Yuying felt a warmth in her heart, all her gratitude and affection buried deep within.
That summer, the cicadas chirped incessantly.
The German teacher came to the house and entered the study. She sat at the desk and opened the first German textbook.
The paper exuded the fresh scent of fresh ink, and she wrote her name forcefully on the title page.
At that moment, their fate began to change.
He personally gave her the wings of German, which she would use to carry her to that unfamiliar country a few years later.
-----------------------
Author's Note: This passage is based on my real high school life, except that I ultimately took the college entrance exam in English, which is why I chose a German-speaking country as my destination. Having written this, I should feel at peace...
50～
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com