Chapter 1807: Chapter 994: I Arrive, I Declare

The week has mostly passed, nearing Qingming.

Jiang Ning stood on the corridor outside the classroom. It was still a light drizzle in the morning, but by dusk, the sky was ablaze with a glorious sunset.

Birds flew across the horizon, their wings edged with gold by the setting sun.

Downstairs in the square, Yun Tingting, who loved playing badminton, was nowhere to be seen.

Quite normal, since it was class time.

In the classroom behind Jiang Ning, students were bent over their desks, diligently studying towards a singular goal— the college entrance examination.

It’s the classical Chinese texts not yet memorized, the math formulas you know by heart but can’t apply, the physics models that remain perpetually confusing...

Guo Kunnan scratched his head, looking helpless: "Clearly, I knew this problem, but now it’s in a different form, I don’t know it anymore!"

His deskmate Dan Kaiquan pointed out the crux: "Because you don’t truly know it."

Guo Kunnan lifted his head, first looking towards the classmates focused on studying, some furrowing their brows deep in thought, others scratching their heads in anxiety. Feeling their shared struggle improved his mood.

Then, he raised his eyes again and saw Jiang Ning standing outside the window, enjoying his freedom.

Guo Kunnan felt a sense of melancholy and confusion: "Tell me, why do we work so hard? Why do people strive?"

Dan Kaiquan: "Because everyone is working hard, we have no reason to fall behind."

Cui Yu turned his head, speaking loudly across to Brother Ma: "Because if you fall behind, you’ll be beaten!"

Guo Kunnan: "What if none of us worked hard, wouldn’t that be okay?"

Brother Ma, engrossed in a game: "Makes sense."

Wang Longlong, watching him play: "The reasoning is correct, but you can’t control others." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"As long as a person is of sound mind, they will have independent thoughts. Even parents can’t control their children, let alone outsiders."

The quiet classroom was filled with a slight buzz.

Yin Yu, focused on studying, suddenly found the conversation prickly.

"Sound, parents, control..." she said softly, "Isn’t anyone monitoring discipline here?"

Wang Longlong immediately stood up, walked to the podium, and reclaimed his position as class president.

He slapped the back of the chalkboard eraser and shouted: "Who among you dares to accuse this class president?"

Yin Yu found the scene too ironic to bear, and she couldn’t help but laugh.

Wang Longlong: "Yin Yu, what’s making you happy?"

Yin Yu smiled: "I saw someone standing in front of a mirror, trying to cover cracks with glue."

Her words were enigmatic, but Wang Longlong understood. He squinted his eyes, his plump face showing a hint of benevolence.

Wang Longlong cleared his throat: "Technically, as class president, I shouldn’t fuss over it, but to satisfy your curiosity, I can tell you my reasoning."

"People aren’t machines; occasional relaxation is not wrong, tell me!" Wang Longlong declared righteously.

Guo Kunnan always had a soft spot for women: "Thank you, Brother Long. Next time, I’ll relax alone without disturbing others."

Yin Yu: "In face of college entrance exams, is there really a difference between humans and machines? We are divided into ranks; top students serve the country and enter central committees and large enterprises, while lower-tier students go to factories, construction sites, and become delivery workers."

She spoke firmly.

Wu Xiaoqi suddenly tossed a basketball and shouted: "What about us, the basketball players?"

Cui Yu: "You’re still playing basketball."

Wu Xiaoqi: "Oh, then it’s fine."

Yin Yu: "Nonsense..."

From the front row, Chen Qian suddenly spoke: "Yin Yu is wrong, everyone don’t believe her. Studying is never about turning yourself into a machine with fancy data."

Chen Siyu was shocked: "A machine can’t study as well as you can, right?"

But you’re not qualified to say that, are you?

Chen Qian: "What I do is merely to reflect on my heart."

Yin Yu laughed: "Forget it, the answer is never in words."

When the next exam came around, she took first place, obliterating all the so-called ’class official’ positions with absolute superiority; any pretentious Wang Longlong was mere fluff.

With this thought, Yin Yu continued studying.

On the west side of the classroom, An Chan, holding a roster, walked slowly along the corridor lit by the setting sun.

Returning from the bustling city of Shen City to her hometown, An Chan was highly resistant internally. Some of her classmates went to first-tier cities, others chose to study abroad for further education, while only a few chose their hometowns or western regions.

She was supposed to continue her further education, but unfortunately, some things are beyond her control.

Lately, the chaos in Class 8 had dealt quite a blow to her heart.

She finally realized that extraordinary circumstances require extraordinary measures!

However, just as she was preparing to take decisive action, a colleague in the office provided her with an opportunity.

’Give it a try.’

’Hehe, who would have thought I’m inherently kind?’ An Chan thought playfully.

As she walked closer, she saw Jiang Ning standing with his hands behind his back, the setting sun casting a radiant glow on him.

’This student... is a bit pretentious.’ An Chan evaluated in her mind.

Jiang Ning turned around: "Hello, Teacher."

Teacher An, a unique individual, who hadn’t previously appeared; she’s a graduate of East China Normal University, whereas most of the Fourth Middle School’s recruits were from provincial normal universities.

"Hmm, hello to you too." An Chan said, still appreciating Jiang Ning for his clean look and his diligence in pursuing work-study.

Jiang Ning glanced at her chest: "Teacher An, why are you holding our class teacher’s roster?"

"Your eyesight is that good?" An Chan was surprised.

Jiang Ning glanced at her knitted sweater and skirt; frankly speaking, An Chan’s fashion style was quite elegant.

"Not bad." Jiang Ning replied.

An Chan said: "Return to the classroom; there’s good news."

As they walked into the classroom together, An Chan was surprised to see that the usual hustle and bustle had disappeared, replaced by the sight of youthful, vibrant faces.

How wonderful...

Once upon a time, An Chan was just as carefree as them, but alas, after turning eighteen, life accelerated, moving faster and faster, not at all like she once imagined—growing up meant she could do anything she wanted, but instead, it’s compromise after compromise.