Jiang Sheng looked at Zhou Changgui in front of him and sneered inwardly, "What? Do you think you have the right to criticize Hai Zi's poems?"
But he can't exactly say that his poems are plagiarized from others, can he?
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Sheng still nodded politely to Zhou Changgui, and scratched his head with a smile, "Yes, yes, yes, Teacher Zhou is right. My writing skills do need improvement, so I'll have to trouble you to give me more guidance."
Zhao Xuehui was surprised that Jiang Sheng was so obedient at this moment, as if he really thought Zhou Changgui was doing it for his own good, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hmm, you're a promising student, not bad at all. Then keep up your studies and write even better poems in the future," Zhou Changgui praised, though a sense of pride lingered in his heart.
This Jiang Sheng is indeed just a child. How could he not listen to me, a university teacher? As for publishing his poems, I suppose this kid wouldn't have any objections even if he knew.
Although Zhao Xuehui still had some doubts, since Jiang Sheng didn't mind, she had nothing more to say and left the factory with Zhou Changgui.
But Zhao Mengnian clearly didn't think that way. She was always thoughtful and could tell that Jiang Sheng wasn't as happy as he appeared on the surface.
So, after returning home, she couldn't help but ask Zhao Xuehui in private, and that's when she learned that Zhou Changgui had taken Jiang Sheng's poem and published it.
Zhao Mengnian knew without guessing that Jiang Sheng probably didn't know about this, so she knocked on Jiang Sheng's door without hesitation.
"Big sister, what's wrong?" Jiang Sheng looked at his older sister standing at the door, somewhat puzzled.
Why are my two older sisters both looking for me today? Could it be...?
Sure enough, he was right; Zhao Mengnian was talking about poetry.
"Do you know that Zhou Changgui published your poem? It's even received a lot of praise at school," Zhao Mengnian asked Jiang Sheng directly, without beating around the bush.
Jiang Sheng was taken aback for a moment, but then laughed. "Oh, I see. Actually, it's good that Teacher Zhou was able to publish my poems and let more people know about them. It's nothing. It just shows that I do have some potential."
“But he used his own name!” Zhao Mengnian couldn’t help but feel indignant on his behalf.
That Zhou Changgui is so despicable, bullying a kid who hasn't even gone to college yet.
Jiang Sheng, however, said to Zhao Mengnian in a comforting tone, "It's alright, sister. Teacher Zhou has his reasons. Besides, I will write more poems in the future. Gold will always shine."
Looking into Jiang Sheng's bright eyes and hearing him speak such magnanimous words, Zhao Mengnian grew to like him even more.
There is even an appreciation, a woman's appreciation for a man.
Zhao Mengnian's heart skipped a beat. Realizing what she was thinking, she quickly pulled her thoughts back.
She nodded. "Yes, you're right. I believe you can write even better poems than this one. When you do, be sure to sign it with your own name."
"I understand, big sister. Don't worry about me. Get some rest." Jiang Sheng smiled gently.
He wasn't about to let Zhou Changgui's plagiarism of his poems go so easily. However, he had his own plans and didn't want the Zhao family to worry about him.
Zhao Xuehui knew that Zhao Mengnian had gone to Jiang Sheng to talk about the poetry. When she saw Zhao Mengnian come out, she hurriedly asked her how it went. Hearing Zhao Mengnian's description of Jiang Sheng's reaction, Zhao Xuehui felt even more indignant for him.
"That Zhou Changgui, what kind of person is he! I almost got fooled by him too. No way, I have to settle accounts with him tomorrow, and if that doesn't work, I'll have to tell the school!" Zhao Xuehui had a fiery temper, and she couldn't stand this insult.
Zhao Mengnian quickly advised, "No! Don't cause trouble. Let your younger brother handle this himself. He's an adult now, and he has his own ideas. If you rashly cause trouble, he'll be unhappy."
Hearing her say that, Zhao Xuehui agreed and had no choice but to hold back for the time being.
Zhou Changgui is now riding high at school because of that poem. The school leaders know about it, the newspapers are praising him highly and calling him a great contemporary poet. His teachers are also treating him with special regard.
This was the first time in all his years that Zhou Changgui had felt so admired; it was such a wonderful feeling.
However, his happiness was short-lived, as someone from the newspaper came to commission him to write an article.
Because his poems were so popular in the last issue that the newspaper's sales doubled, they contacted him in advance to commission poems for the next issue, hoping he could write them as soon as possible.
This put Zhou Changgui in a difficult position.
The poems I wrote before were by Jiang Sheng; if I were to actually write them myself, they probably wouldn't be as popular.
After thinking it over, he decided to bite the bullet and go find Jiang Sheng.
That day, Zhao Xuehui had just returned home when she saw Zhou Changgui standing at her door, and it seemed he had been there for a while.
"Teacher Zhou, what's wrong...?"
Upon seeing Zhao Xuehui, Zhou Changgui smiled somewhat awkwardly, "I... I came to see that kid Jiang Sheng, to see if his poetry has improved recently. I knocked on the door but no one answered, so I waited here for a while."
Zhao Xuehui immediately thought of the despicable things Zhou Changgui had done before and became vigilant.
But since he was a guest, she couldn't very well turn him away, so she opened the door and let him in.
"Teacher Zhou, please come in and sit for a while. My younger brother and older sister are at the cannery; they'll be back in a bit."
Zhou Changgui followed Zhao Xuehui inside, and after sitting in the lobby for a short while, he heard the sound of the door opening outside.
Zhao Mengnian and Jiang Sheng returned together, and their expressions changed upon seeing Zhou Changgui.
But Jiang Sheng reacted quickly and immediately called out, "Teacher Zhou!"
After Zhou Changgui explained his purpose, Jiang Sheng led Zhou Changgui into his room.
"Teacher Zhou, you want to see my new poems, right? I just finished writing one and would like to ask for your feedback," Jiang Sheng said sincerely.
These words delighted Zhou Changgui, who nodded repeatedly, "Good, good, then quickly take it out and let me see if you've made any progress."
Jiang Sheng nodded and handed a page of the manuscript to Zhou Changgui.
"How can I forget you, on the shore at dusk, in the flowing water? The tense dock, the little peaks on the mountain are about to fall asleep. How can I comfort you, when the time of our reunion is approaching, even though you cannot read my poems? I want to peruse you, like starlight to the earth; I want to replace you, like night and day..."
Zhou Changgui couldn't help but read it aloud, and his admiration and jealousy for Jiang Sheng's poetry arose almost simultaneously in his heart.
I never imagined that a child who hasn't even gone to university could write such exquisite and heartfelt poems. I am truly no match for him!
Seeing the jealousy in Zhou Changgui's eyes, Jiang Sheng smiled slightly. It seemed the fish had taken the bait.
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