Lesson Preparation (Seeking Recommendations)

When the bell rang for the second evening self-study session, Cheng Mengfei finally finished reading the essay. In fact, the essay was less than six hundred words, and she had already read it several times. Yet every time she reached the end, she couldn't help but read it once more.

Between the lines, she seemed to glimpse the figure of a child born into poverty, yet spirited, resilient, and ever striving forward. More importantly, and more admirably, was the breadth of his mind—though still so young, his thoughts and vision remained unhindered by his background and circumstances, embracing a perspective that encompassed both the world and the span of history, ancient and modern.

For a child, such grand aspirations might seem somewhat empty or unattainable. But to possess such spirit—not merely in this small town, but across the whole city of Yunlong—would already set him above most of his peers.

Cheng Mengfei felt both delight and pity in her heart. She glanced up at Fang Chang'an, who was still absorbed in his reading, and her feelings swelled even more.

She checked the time, gathered herself, and stood to remind the class, "Time is running out. Those who haven't finished, please hurry. If you've completed your essay, check it over and make sure your name is written."

A few minutes later, students began handing in their papers one by one. As more people submitted theirs, those still checking found it hard to stay focused and many followed suit. Cheng Mengfei collected the papers together and waited for the remaining students.

At seven twenty, she finally called for the last submissions. Some who hadn't finished their essays hastily scribbled a few sentences and rushed to hand them in.

After gathering all the papers, she said, "You have ten minutes of free time. Your math teacher will be here soon. If anyone needs the restroom, go now."

Fang Chang'an felt a slight pressure in his lower abdomen, so he got up from his seat—where Shen Mo had kindly made room for him—went to the restroom, and returned. Wu Di was half-leaning on his desk, trying to talk to Shen Mo.

Shen Mo didn't seem to respond much, and Wu Di wore a troubled expression. When he noticed Fang Chang'an come in, he sat up straight, perhaps out of embarrassment or uneasiness, and turned to chat with Zheng Lili behind him.

Shen Mo also saw Fang Chang'an and stood up again to let him pass.

Fang Chang'an noticed a Chinese textbook open on her desk, turned to a passage from "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio"—specifically, "The Wolf." After sitting down, he asked quietly, "Can you understand it?"

His tone was curious, with a touch of admiration.

Shen Mo smoothed her skirt as she sat, glanced at him. Now that their "status" was settled and their relationship had grown, she felt less distant from Fang Chang'an. She nodded, then shook her head, "A lot of it I don't understand."

Fang Chang'an nodded, "We haven't learned it yet. You're already impressive."

The girl blushed at his praise, a little shy but happy, stealing a quick glance at him without replying. Fang Chang'an asked again, "I just looked at it too, as a story."

"I read it as a story, too." Fang Chang'an hadn't finished his sentence, but the girl seemed to have found a kindred spirit and eagerly jumped in.

"Really?"

Fang Chang'an's expression lit up as if he'd found a soulmate a thousand miles away. "There were many parts I didn't get, either. Why don't we explain them to each other? It'll be like a preview, so when the teacher covers it, we'll understand faster."

The girl had no inkling of the saying, "A thousand-mile levee can collapse from an ant's nest," and was completely unsuspecting. She thought a moment, found his suggestion reasonable, and nodded, "Alright."

She felt a little embarrassed and said, "You go first."

Fang Chang'an didn't hesitate. He flipped his textbook to the page of "The Wolf," placed it between them, and leaned closer, ready to start the discussion—just as a short, stout, dark-skinned teacher carrying a stack of papers walked in.

The man entered the classroom without a word, handed the papers to the first row. The students there stared blankly for a moment, then realized they were math test papers and began passing them back.

Fang Chang'an was disappointed, but seeing Shen Mo's adorable, delicate face looking a little crestfallen, he felt happy again. He whispered, "Let's take the test now. We'll preview tomorrow."

"Okay." The girl, though she found nothing wrong with discussing homework with classmates, was still a little shy and answered softly.

Wu Di, though chatting with Zheng Lili and the others behind, kept an eye on Fang Chang'an and Shen Mo. Seeing that they seemed to be getting along well, he felt somewhat dissatisfied, his expression sour whenever he looked at Fang Chang'an.

Fang Chang'an noticed but didn't care in the least. At this age, grudges come quickly and go even faster. He had no intention of stirring up trouble with his classmates, nor of indulging anyone.

Shen Mo and Wang Ke were exceptions, being so pretty.

Language grading has a degree of subjectivity, especially in these low-stakes placement tests. Fang Chang'an figured, based on Cheng Mengfei's impression of him, she wouldn't deliberately dock his score; he should get about ninety points.

If he scored just over ninety in math as well, that would do.

Math, unlike language, is easier to control for points. Fang Chang'an finished it in half an hour, checked it twice—not out of diligence, but to cultivate patience.

Of course, patience has its limits, and earlier he hadn't been able to bear it—too bored.

After two checks, he forced himself to go over the fill-in-the-blank questions again. Seeing it wasn't yet eight-thirty and feeling bored, he glanced at Shen Mo, who was deep in thought over the final big problem, focused and earnest.

With nothing else to do, Fang Chang'an watched her profile.

Her hair was tied back, revealing a slender neck, giving her a fresh look. Her ears were like little ingots, delicate and cute, with a small hole in the lobe but no jewelry. Her lashes were dense and long, sometimes fluttering gently like tiny brushes. Her nose was straight, baby teeth softly biting her lip, innocent, tranquil, and pure.

Ah, sharing a desk with her was absolutely the right choice!

Fang Chang'an secretly admired his own decisiveness and continued to gaze, when suddenly everything went dark before his eyes. He glanced up and saw the stout teacher had somehow appeared beside him.

Fang Chang'an acted swiftly, raising his hand before the teacher could speak, "Sir, I'd like to hand in my paper. Is that okay?"

The teacher was a bit surprised but nodded, took the paper, and reminded him, "Don't disturb the others."

Fang Chang'an replied, "Understood. I'll read my language textbook."

Wu Di couldn't help but glance at him—language test finished, reading language; math test finished, reading language. Are you just studying language for all three years of junior high?

The bell rang.

At eight fifty, the evening session ended. The eighth-grade students surged out of the classroom. The first and third grades were quiet; first grade was collecting papers, third grade mostly had teachers running overtime.

"Once you've handed in your paper, you can leave."

Some students, after submitting their papers, didn't dare leave without the teacher's word. The stout teacher seemed to notice, and reminded them while collecting papers, so those who finished early began leaving.

Shen Mo handed in her paper, returned, tidied her desk, and shouldered her pale blue backpack. She didn't pack all her books, just language and English, then turned to Fang Chang'an, "I'm heading home."

Fang Chang'an waved with a smile, "Bye-bye."

At this time, such farewells weren't very popular—mostly seen on TV. Shen Mo was a bit surprised, waved her small hand in return, and left.

Wu Di was finally happy; with Fang Chang'an out of the way, he could chat with pretty girls on the way home. He'd packed up long ago, just waiting for this moment, and quickly grabbed his bag and rushed out.

Fang Chang'an glanced at him, let him pass easily. Wu Di felt secretly pleased—now, every evening self-study, with the dark night, he could walk with Shen Mo and surely become familiar.

He wasn't worried about not sharing the same route, since the gravel road in front of the school connected most parts of the town—everyone had to pass through. That stretch was enough.

Wu Di, filled with excitement, walked out of the classroom just as Shen Mo's silhouette flashed around the stairwell corner. He hurried after her. With many students around, he didn't have to worry about being noticed. Clattering down the stairs, he kept about half a meter behind Shen Mo.

On the ground floor, Wu Di was debating whether to approach her now or wait until after leaving the school gate, when he saw Shen Mo turn away from the crowd and head toward an empty spot instead of going straight for the gate.

Without thinking, Wu Di hurried after her, gathering his courage, planning to strike up a conversation right then. Just as he picked up speed, he suddenly saw a figure in the shadow of the empty space, slammed to a halt, almost getting bumped by the students behind him.