Chapter 28

Just using two evening self-study sessions, Tong Yan finished copying his holiday homework. By the third class, in the past, he would definitely read magazines or other extracurricular books, but now, he had the burden of updating at least 20,000 words per week. So, whenever he had a moment, he would use it to think about the plot of his novel, scribbling in his notebook.

Fortunately, his desk mate and close friend, Dong Mian, was not a very curious person. Even when he saw Tong Yan secretly writing something, after Tong Yan's first refusal to say anything, he no longer paid attention. If it were Tian Zini, she would definitely try her best to find out what was written inside.

Thinking of Tian Zini, Tong Yan still felt a void in his heart. Now, through his mouth, the news of Tian Zini returning to the capital to study had spread. Because she was well-liked, most people were reluctant and nostalgic, but they would soon forget these sorrows and bury themselves in the mountains of books and problems.

During the third evening self-study session, the homeroom teacher, Mr. Song Xiancheng, finally appeared. Mr. Song always dressed neatly, with his hair meticulously groomed, and he was indeed worthy of his reputation as the most handsome male teacher at Yangping No. 1 High School.

Mr. Song mainly talked about a few things: first, welcoming everyone back to school and reminding them to settle down after the wild summer vacation. There were still two years until the college entrance exam, and the hardships would soon pass, so they should endure a little longer.

Second, the division of students into science and arts streams this month, which was a major event.

The time for dividing into science and arts streams varied across the country and even within the province. Some schools did it in the first year of high school, while others waited until the third year. Yangping No. 1 High School followed a moderate approach, starting the division in the first week of the second year and focusing on it during the second-semester exams.

Naturally, Tong Yan chose the science stream. Regardless of whether he chose science or arts, he was not good at English. Moreover, he disliked politics in the arts stream. The choice of stream also affected future career options. It was easier for science students to switch to arts-related majors in college, while it was almost impossible for arts students to switch to science-related majors. After graduation, it was also easier to switch from science to arts, but not the other way around. Therefore, Tong Yan firmly chose the science stream, even though he couldn't study his beloved history. Reading history books on his own was more interesting than listening to history lectures.

Most of the students in the class had the same idea as Tong Yan, and very few chose the arts stream. In fact, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th classes of the 04th grade were originally intended to be the top science classes, and the students here were all strong in math, physics, and chemistry.

Mr. Song asked the students to consider their choices or discuss with their parents and give him a definite answer soon. A week later, the class division would be finalized. In the end, only two students who couldn't understand physics and chemistry chose the arts stream, and two more top students transferred from the regular classes to the 2nd class.

Finally, Mr. Song mentioned Tian Zini's departure. He highly praised her work during her tenure and hoped she would achieve even greater success in the capital. The immediate issue was whether anyone wanted to take over as class representative, as the position usually required two people to share the workload.

The students were all shy, and it was rare for someone to volunteer publicly like Tian Zini did. Even those who had the idea would privately discuss it with Mr. Song. If they raised their hands in public and Mr. Song didn't agree, it would be embarrassing.

"That's all I have to say. One is the division into science and arts streams, and the other is the Chinese class representative. Think about it, and you can talk to me about your ideas over the next week," Mr. Song concluded and then said to Tong Yan, "Tong Yan, come out for a moment."

Tong Yan thought Mr. Song wanted to discuss the other class representative, but it turned out he really was discussing this.

"The students aren't very enthusiastic about being the Chinese class representative."

"Uh-huh."

"Is it because working with you is too much pressure? After all, you often rank first in Chinese in the entire grade."

"Blaming me for that, but I've also scored zero on Chinese essays several times," Tong Yan pouted.

Mr. Song and Tong Yan had a very good relationship, and they spoke very casually. Mr. Song appreciated Tong Yan's talent, and Tong Yan respected Mr. Song's elegance.

Although Tong Yan had always been academically excellent, he was not one to be easily bound or to listen to lectures. He had his own principles and was not easily influenced by teachers. Such students are usually not the favorites of teachers, so Tong Yan's relationship with his previous teachers was generally average. Only with Mr. Song did he feel truly understood and respected.

Not only was Mr. Song well-read and knowledgeable, far surpassing Tong Yan, a middle school student, but he often extended his lessons with interesting anecdotes and trivia that enriched students' knowledge, even if they were not directly related to exams. More importantly, Mr. Song understood Tong Yan. For example, when grading Tong Yan's essays, he would give either very high or very low scores, never a middle-of-the-road score.

This showed that Mr. Song highly appreciated Tong Yan's writing and talent. His essays were not the typical three-part structure of thesis, evidence, and conclusion that most high school students used, nor did he repeatedly use the same examples like Sima Qian, Madame Curie, and Qu Yuan. His essays always stood out, and in a pile of uniform exam essays, they were particularly eye-catching. During school-wide exams, other Chinese teachers would often find his unique essays and call out to Mr. Song, "Old Song, this must be your Tong Yan. You should grade his essay yourself."

Tong Yan's extracurricular reading was extensive, and his writing skills far surpassed those of his peers. He didn't use overused examples in his essays and always wrote with a distinct style, sometimes even subversive. As Mr. Song put it, "It's good enough to be submitted to a newspaper."

Because Tong Yan's essays were always of high quality, Mr. Song would give him high scores, even full marks, when his writing aligned with the examiners' expectations. However, if Tong Yan interpreted the essay topic in a rebellious way or wrote something too sharp for the college entrance exam, Mr. Song would give him a very low score, even zero. Both teachers and student understood that, whether it was a full mark or zero, it was a form of high praise, meant to help him understand how to balance his writing for the exam. If his essay received a middle-of-the-road score, that would be a sign of disrespect.

Because Mr. Song understood and even indulged Tong Yan, Tong Yan regarded him as a true friend and the most respected teacher in his student life.

Returning to the topic of the class representative, Mr. Song said, "If you have a suitable candidate, you can recommend them. If someone expresses interest through you, you can let me know. It's not easy to find someone as good as Tian Zini, so you'll have to bear more responsibility."

"Sure, no problem."

"Also, after morning exercises tomorrow, come help me move some things. I'm changing offices."

"Where to?"

"Still on the third floor, but to a single room."

"Is that a team leader's perk?"

Mr. Song nodded, acknowledging it. Last semester, he was appointed as the head of the Chinese department at Yangping No. 1 High School, and today he finally got a private office.

"Alright, anything else?"

"Uh, no."

"Then I'll go back." Tong Yan turned to leave, looking back frequently, feeling that Mr. Song's gaze was strange, as if he wanted to say something but held back. It was really confusing.

After Tong Yan left, Mr. Song took out a piece of paper from his pocket, which he had found on his desk in the office. It read in neat, elegant handwriting: "Tong Yan and Ye Qingzhu are dating..."

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