Chapter 216 Shen Zhaolin's Invitation
Mao Mao is missing a friend, and apart from the First Madam and Lou Yansui, no one else noticed.
Although the First Madam knew, she didn't mention it to anyone. In the Marshal's Mansion, the names of Shen Zhaolin and Nie Zhengyun were almost never mentioned.
Lou Yansui did not tell her secret to the other family members.
He was sixteen, nearing adulthood, no longer a naive child who would wail and complain every time he fell down. Besides, he had already won his sister's favor, his grievances were soothed, and he quickly forgot about the incident.
But Mao Mao's former friend, Shen Zhaolin, couldn't help but care.
Shen Zhaolin had many friends, but this was the first time he had such a young friend despite their age difference. Although the other person was short and young, he did not treat him with disrespect. Moreover, after the birthday banquet, he had a little more personal consideration and valued this young friend even more.
For some reason, Mao Mao stopped paying attention to him and stopped talking to him. He thought about what had happened since the birthday party, especially his recent interactions with Lou Dashuai.
After the birthday party, he hadn't seen Mao Mao again. He hadn't offended her, nor had he published any articles in the newspaper criticizing current events, so it wasn't offensive. The little contact he had made was barely enough to write down in a few words. He quickly recalled it and went over it two or three times over two or three days.
—But I still can't figure out the answer.
But Shen Zhaolin had a good idea to make peace.
Haicheng Middle School.
After Shen Zhaolin finished grading the last assignment, he closed the notebook, reached out his hand as usual, but found nothing.
After grading homework and writing lesson plans, he finally had a little extra free time.
Having a teaching assistant did indeed reduce some of his workload.
He Mingshu took his teaching assistant job very seriously, diligently collecting and distributing homework every day, answering students' questions, and being very meticulous in his work.
Besides serving as a teaching assistant, He Mingshu also helped Shen Zhaolin with the editing of his books. Shen Zhaolin always liked to give students tricky questions during exams, and after each exam, there were many students who were in despair. However, He Mingshu was able to get full marks, which showed that he had a thorough grasp of mathematical knowledge. As a book editing assistant, he was of great help.
After finishing his work, Shen Zhaolin thought for a moment and then took out an exquisite invitation from his briefcase.
That's right, he was planning to invite Mao Mao to his birthday party.
The arrangements were made in advance, and the invitation was written by him personally. This year, he also specifically asked his family about his birthday plans and asked them to order a Western-style cream cake.
Thinking of this, Shen Zhaolin got up and went out to find someone.
It was lunch break, and the students were playing around the campus. Shen Zhaolin was lucky; he ran into the person he was looking for in the corridor as soon as he arrived at the floor where Class 1 of Grade 1 was located.
"Classmate Lou Yansui."
Lou Yansui stopped in her tracks. "Teacher Shen."
Shen Zhaolin: "I was just looking for you. I have a favor to ask you. Could you please pass this on to your sister?"
As he spoke, he handed over the invitation.
"An invitation?" Lou Yansui didn't take it immediately, but cautiously asked, "Teacher Shen, what is this?"
“Oh, I told your sister before that I would invite her to my birthday party.” Shen Zhaolin wasn’t embarrassed at all about being friends with a four-year-old. “What I want you to pass on is an invitation.”
Invitation letter?
Lou Yansui dared not accept it: "Teacher Shen, I cannot pass this on for you."
Shen Zhaolin asked, puzzled, "Why?"
Lou Yansui: "..."
Because Mao Mao has already broken off all contact with you.
Since we've already broken off relations, why would I attend a friend's birthday party?
And Dad will definitely be jealous again.
Lou Yansui cautiously replied, "I cannot make the decision for Mao Mao."
"Don't worry about that, we already made an agreement."
"..."
Lou Yansui put her hands behind her back: "Teacher Shen, you should pay it yourself."
Shen Zhaolin paused for a moment, but did not insist.
He simply thought that since Lou Yansui was Mao Mao's older brother, it would be more convenient for him to deliver the invitation. Thinking about it carefully, he realized that invitations were indeed more sincere when delivered in person.
On that day, Mao Mao came to deliver it to him in person.
"Oh, right." Shen Zhaolin remembered something else, and a student who was about to leave called out to him: "Lou Yansui, have you forgotten to hand in your workbook recently?"
He was referring to assigning Lou Yansui extra practice problems that went beyond the first-year high school curriculum. Lou Yansui submitted her problems every two days, very regularly, and he would grade them before assigning new problems.
Thinking back now, Shen Zhaolin suddenly realized that he hadn't received any homework from Lou Yansui for many days.
Lou Yansui's expression remained unchanged: "I haven't finished writing it yet."
"Didn't you finish?" Shen Zhaolin asked with concern. "Was there a question that was too difficult and you couldn't answer it? If there are any questions you can't answer, don't try to figure them out yourself. You can come and ask me first."
Lou Yansui: "No, I just don't want to do it."
"In no mood……"
His frankness surprised Shen Zhaolin, leaving him speechless.
This is an extracurricular exercise. If Lou Yansui doesn't want to do it, there's no reason to force him to.
Lou Yansui had previously been passionate about mathematics, and he always completed the assigned exercises quickly and well, like a sponge with excellent performance. No matter how much knowledge was taught, he could quickly master it.
As a teacher, encountering such a student would be very fulfilling. You would be eager to impart everything to him and have ever higher expectations for him.
"If you feel too tired from studying, it's okay to take a break, but never slack off and waste your intelligence."
Shen Zhaolin gently encouraged him, "If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me. If you encounter any difficulties, you can also tell me, and I will do my best to help you."
"Okay, Ms. Shen."
"That……"
"Lou Yansui!" He Mingshu chased after her from the classroom, holding her foreign language textbook. "I want to ask you a question... Teacher Shen!"
He hurriedly stopped and greeted them politely.
Lou Yansui turned around: "What?"
"Oh, right!" He Mingshu quickly picked up his textbook: "I can't understand this part."
Lou Yansui glanced at it and began to explain it to him.
Soon, He Mingshu suddenly realized what was going on.
Shen Zhaolin watched the interaction between the two with some surprise.
He also knew something about the students. There were several children of high-ranking officials in the class who did not associate with ordinary students; the two in front of him were representatives of this group.
He waited patiently for the two to finish speaking before asking with a smile, "He Mingshu, are you asking Lou a question?"
"Oh? Yes!"
He Mingshu looked to the side with deep gratitude.
Since the incident at the wonton stall that night, he had been giving away rice cakes, and Lou Yansui hadn't refused, leading to increased contact between them. He mostly asked her for advice on her studies.
Although he could get full marks in math, he wasn't good at foreign languages. On the contrary, Lou Yansui spoke foreign languages very well, without any accent, and her reading of foreign language articles was even better than the teacher's.
He Mingshu used to think that a young master from such a prestigious family might be very arrogant, but every time he mustered up the courage to ask for advice, Lou Yansui was never stingy with his guidance. Although he was aloof, he never wasted his gifts of gratitude. As they spent more time together, his admiration for Lou grew day by day.
He Mingshu nodded vigorously: "Lou Yansui is the smartest, most enthusiastic, and most generous classmate I have ever met!"
Lou Yansui: "...No need to exaggerate like that."
“No, that’s not an exaggeration at all,” He Mingshu hurriedly said. “Just the fact that you’re willing to guide my studies has benefited me immensely. Normally, besides my teachers, I don’t know who else to ask for help…”
Before he could speak, Lou Yansui quickly interrupted, "That's enough. Is there anything else you don't understand?"
"Oh, yes, there are."
He Mingshu quickly flipped the book to the back and pointed to a spot: "I don't understand this either."
The two explained as they walked back to the classroom.
As Shen Zhaolin watched the two figures disappear through the classroom door, he couldn't help but smile.
As a teacher, he was happy to see it happen.
In these two people, he saw the spark of friendship being ignited. Emotions are never bound by status or identity; given the opportunity, they can be forged.
Oh, right.
Shen Zhaolin looked at the invitation in his hand.
He also needs to break the ice with his friends.
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