The classroom was noisy. Anyone with a restless mind probably would not have been able to read. Only Jiang Chan sat there, focusing intently on the book in her hand, completely oblivious to the outside world.
The homeroom teacher, He Qinxue, passed by the window carrying a class roster. When he caught sight of Jiang Chan by the window, sitting with a steady expression, turning the pages at an unhurried pace.
His eyesight was sharp. With just one glance he saw that the page was filled with dense English words. He Qinxue nodded to himself and entered the classroom.
Students still held a certain respect for teachers. The moment He Qinxue walked in, the class fell silent. His gaze swept the room, and at least on the surface, every student’s face looked respectful enough.
He nodded, picked up a piece of chalk, and wrote his name, He Qinxue, on the board, along with a string of numbers beneath it.
“I am your homeroom teacher, He Qinxue, and also your math teacher. This is my name and my phone number. If you need anything, come directly to me.”
After introducing himself simply, He Qinxue clapped his hands. “Now let’s have each of you introduce yourselves. I’ll call in order by student number. Sun Xi.”
“He Ya.”
“Zhang Yifeng.”
“Liao Yinghao.”
…
…
…
One after another, the students went up to the front to introduce themselves. Class One was truly full of hidden talents. Almost everyone had a skill or talent to show.
Jiang Chan listened carefully to each introduction, matching names to faces. It seemed her classmates were all outstanding, not only in academics, but also in their hobbies and interests.
He Qinxue was still wondering why he had not yet called the girl he had seen at the window. By now he was nearly at the end of the list. Had he been mistaken? That should not be possible. This girl looked different from the rest. Her whole bearing, and especially her eyes, made her stand out immediately.
“Next, Jiang Chan.”
When he saw the girl in the last row walk up to the podium, He Qinxue felt as though a flock of crows had flown over his head. But his expression didn’t show it. He kept a pleasant smile on his face as he looked at Jiang Chan.
Standing on the podium, Jiang Chan showed no hint of stage fright. In her previous task, she had spoken before hundreds of employees at company annual meetings every year, never once nervous.
Not to mention working at the night market barbecue stall every evening. If she were shy, how could she have called out to customers?
Compared with her classmates’ fashionable clothes, Jiang Chan’s appearance marked her instantly as a child from a poor family. The room stirred with whispers.
But Jiang Chan acted as if she had not heard a thing. She wrote her name clearly on the blackboard. The strong strokes of “Jiang Chan” gave off an impression of someone not easily crossed.
“Hello everyone. I am Jiang Chan. I’m from a certain middle school. I hope we can all get along.”
Unlike many of her classmates’ long speeches, Jiang Chan’s introduction was just four sentences. Before anyone could react, she nodded to He Qinxue and returned to her seat.
For a moment, He Qinxue was caught off guard. Then he clapped his hands. “Alright, now a few boys go to the office to carry the new textbooks. Once the books are distributed, you’re free to go. Classes officially begin tomorrow.”
He leaned forward slightly on the podium. “Let me tell you some good news. Although classes officially begin tomorrow, it’s our school’s tradition to start the year with a placement test. Are you ready?”
The class instantly erupted, some groaning, others itching to prove themselves. Jiang Chan noticed Sun Xi in the seat in front of her sitting straighter, clearly eager to dominate his classmates in this new stage of school life.
Jiang Chan lowered her gaze. She had heard that the scholarships at City High were very generous, with rewards given to the top three students in every major exam. She wondered if the placement test would count too.
If every exam came with scholarship money, she figured she would have no trouble covering her three years of tuition. But this was something best kept to herself. To her classmates, she was just the last-ranked student.
She wanted to live off-campus, but it was impossible. The school was too far from the orphanage. Commuting would cost her nearly two hours a day, which was not worth it.
Sharing a dorm with others was hard for her to accept, but she had no choice. She had no money. Renting a place outside was out of the question.
Pressing her lips together, Jiang Chan was already thinking about how to earn money. She had no intention of letting the orphanage continue to cover her tuition. After all, she had only helped out at the barbecue stall for a few months during the summer. Once school started, it would all fall on Dean Fan and the others again.
Under those circumstances, she could not bring herself to keep asking the orphanage for support. But she was still a student, and she would need to think carefully about how to make money.
Carrying her water bottle and bedding, she entered Dorm 503 on the fifth floor. There were already three girls inside. Jiang Chan was the last to arrive.
Before she even reached the door, she heard a loud, bold voice. “I’m Wen Jing, from Class Three. You can call me Sister Jing, but don’t call me Sister Jingjing, or I’ll get mad.”
“I’m Yang Liuqing, from Class Four.”
Just as Jiang Chan walked in, she saw a gentle-looking girl introduce herself as Yang Liuqing.
The last girl spoke in a soft voice. “I’m Yu Jie, from Class Two.”
When they saw Jiang Chan enter, all three turned to look at her. Jiang Chan placed her things on the bed labeled with her name. “I’m Jiang Chan, from Class One.”
The four of them were from different classes. That was just as well. At least it avoided cliques forming. Jiang Chan was not one to cling to groups anyway. She preferred being on her own.
Wen Jing said boldly, “Yu Jie1, your name sounds like an elegant lady, but you look so timid.”
Yu Jie blushed. “My parents chose my name, I can’t help it. This is just my personality. But look who’s talking. Your name is Wen Jing2, ‘quiet,’ yet you’re anything but.”
Yang Liuqing jumped in. “She’s the real elegant lady here. Look at the way she acts like a big sister!”
The girls laughed together. Watching them for a while, Jiang Chan saw that their personalities were all decent enough, and she felt a little more at ease.
She wasn’t afraid of trouble, but she didn’t seek it either. If her roommates had been difficult, she could have handled them. But if they could get along, it would save her a lot of effort.
- Yu Jie – 郁婕, phonetically similar to Yù Jiě, ‘Mature/Dominant Woman’ ↩︎
- Wen Jing – 文静, ‘gentle’ or ‘quiet’ ↩︎
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Oh, looks like Jiang Chan’s actual life, and not just the small world tasks, is getting interesting. Sun Xi seems important… can’t wait for Jiang Chan to dominate class rankings again. Ah, and since her roommates are nice, maybe they can have girls’ nights and do makeup/hair/clothes… idk, just some way for Jiang Chan to dress up. 😛