The military training days passed in much the same way for four days.
Apart from occasionally entering the wrong restroom, which added to the legend of “Brother Yang bravely storming the men’s room,” Zheng Yang and Wu Chun gradually adapted to school life.
But more importantly for Zheng Yang, she adapted to the “bestie” dynamic with Wu Chun.
She would share her innermost feelings with Wu Chun—for example, what she was adapting to or not as class monitor, where she felt a sense of achievement, where she could still exert a bit of authority, and where she got a headache because of troublemakers.
When she received good news, she would let out a “Wow!” and grab Wu Chun’s hand, swinging it back and forth.
If she was standing, she would also bounce a few times.
So childish…
But she didn’t want to hold it in.
She also told Wu Chun that she felt Zhang Zihan’s gaze was a bit off.
Wu Chun laughed and said, “Don’t you start dating early.”
But then she immediately changed her tone:
“If Yangyang falls in love, it somehow doesn’t feel like early dating…”
“Oh, go on! Are you saying I’m old?”
Zheng Yang rolled her eyes at her.
Wu Chun didn’t explain, only giggled softly.
She knew her sticky rice ball didn’t mind being called mature.
“Speaking of which, that Lin Weiwei—I always feel she has a deep hostility toward me. I never did anything to her!”
“Some people are born jealous and spoiled rotten. They can’t stand to see others do well. Let’s just ignore her!”
“I actually really want to talk things out with her, but I don’t know how to start.”
Zheng Yang seemed distressed when talking about this.
“I’m really afraid that as soon as I open my mouth, she’ll think the worst of me again.”
“Yangyang is just too kind. Clearly, she’s the one in the wrong!”
Zheng Yang knew Wu Chun was right, but she still couldn’t bring herself to do it.
But she wasn’t particularly bothered.
After all, she could now be called the “class pet” (even including the neighboring class).
The class monitor job wasn’t exactly effortless, but she handled it with ease.
Her value was recognized by everyone, so she didn’t really need Lin Weiwei, a typical dark and twisted little brat.
But on the evening of the fifth day, she felt things had changed a bit.
That night, the student council was recruiting new members.
Lin Weiwei was elected vice minister of the Discipline Inspection Department.
The moment it was announced, Lin Weiwei’s first glance went to Zheng Yang.
Her eyes were flat, but not friendly.
Wu Chun and Zheng Yang encouraged each other to run, but neither of them actually wanted to join the student council.
Both said they “couldn’t be bothered,” but Zheng Yang knew that her reasons for not wanting to bother were different from Wu Chun’s.
On the way home from school that evening, Wu Chun told Zheng Yang the truth.
“My dad actually really dislikes the idea of high school students having a student council.”
“Why?”
“He says many people learn to flatter the powerful and brown-nose starting from high school student council.”
Zheng Yang quite agreed.
After all, when she was a boy in high school, there was no student council, but that didn’t stop her from quickly learning to suck up and be a bootlicker after she started working.
From that perspective, society was the best school.
“Huh? That doesn’t add up. Then why do you always encourage me to join the student council?”
Zheng Yang asked.
“Because Yangyang is different. If you join the student council, you’ll definitely create a clean and upright one.”
Pfft!
“Me, create that? My dear Chunchun, I’m not Superman!”
Zheng Yang was both flattered and exasperated.
…
The military training days, during which she was the center of attention, quickly passed.
In everyone’s eyes, Zheng Yang had already become a big sister who “could do everything” but was “very low-key.”
The instructor added Zheng Yang on WeChat and transferred the money for the water he had bought.
Zheng Yang’s old corporate slave habit kicked in again.
She absolutely refused to accept just a few bucks, until the instructor said not to make him violate discipline.
Only then did she take it.
“Little Yangyang, you have great potential to be a soldier. If you ever enlist in the future, be sure to send me a photo in uniform. Let your instructor see the most beautiful and dashing female soldier!”
Zheng Yang looked at the instructor’s message and laughed out loud.
She didn’t want to be a soldier at all.
If she enlisted, she wouldn’t be able to accompany her father.
The instructor added another line:
“But be sure not to post the uniform photo online, that’s against regulations. You can print it out and mail it to me.”
Zheng Yang tilted her head, thinking.
Even though she wouldn’t enlist, taking a photo was possible.
The instructor was cute and humorous.
More importantly, he was the third person on Zheng Yang’s WeChat contact list.
So, when she had time, she’d take a picture herself and fulfill the instructor’s little wish~
Once formal classes began, the content she had long studied—though buried deep for many years—came back to her quickly.
Just as she felt she was about to truly start the satisfying novel script of “top student,” “ace,” and “rebirth,” one thing made her explode again.
It was the third day after military training ended.
Teacher Li arranged for the class to change seats for the first time.
Teacher Li’s strategy was to pair boys and girls as deskmates, so Zheng Yang and Wu Chun had to separate.
However, at Wu Chun’s request, they became front and back row neighbors, still a close distance.
With 35 students in the class, one person had to sit alone.
Zheng Yang never expected that the one sitting alone would be herself.
It wasn’t that she wanted to sit with a boy; she just didn’t understand.
Was it because she was the class monitor?
But there was no rule that the monitor had to sit alone.
She turned to look at Wu Chun in the back row.
Wu Chun had a look of “I don’t know what’s going on either.”
A thought flashed through Zheng Yang’s mind:
‘I’m being isolated.’
She knew it couldn’t be true, especially since she was the “class favorite,” but she felt uncomfortable nonetheless.
She wanted a deskmate—anyone would do—as long as she didn’t seem different from everyone else.
This anxiety lasted until the next day, when Teacher Li announced that a new student was transferring into the class.
Zheng Yang smiled.
This new student would surely become her deskmate.
But when she saw the new student’s face, she felt as if struck by lightning.
“Hello everyone, I’m Zheng Siyuan. Please take care of me!”
‘My son!!!’
‘Appearing so fresh and alive?!’
‘In the same class as me? And going to be my deskmate?!’
Zheng Yang stared at her son Zheng Siyuan, her heart pounding, forgetting to breathe.
Teacher Li pointed at Zheng Yang and teased, “Siyuan, go sit next to that girl. You’re both surnamed Zheng—a family!”
The classmates all laughed good-naturedly, though a few were jealous, like Zhang Zihan.
Zheng Siyuan sat down next to Zheng Yang and shyly, quietly said, “Hello.”
Zheng Yang’s face turned bright red, her brain short-circuited, and like a malfunctioning robot, she said, “H-h-hello.”
She felt that heaven must be playing tricks on her.
‘No, it was Lili.’
No, that’s not right either.
Lili said she wouldn’t interfere in her life anymore.
She believed that.
She suddenly remembered what her dad, Zheng Shiqiang, had said when he met the male Zheng Yang last time:
“Help them,” “Other aspects”…
On top of that, she had indeed told Zheng Shiqiang that she originally really wanted her son Zheng Siyuan to study at Wenjing Academy…
‘It must be. Definitely him!’
Zheng Siyuan arrived in the morning, but until after evening self-study, Zheng Yang didn’t know how she got through the day.
She barely acknowledged Zheng Siyuan—not because she disliked him, but because she didn’t know how to face her own son.
But she knew she had to go home and settle accounts with that old man!