Chapter 65: Nie Qiu, Stay!
Luo Bai smiled and said, “Not yet, what’s wrong? The application has to be written by the person themselves! This requires their consent.”
Luo Xu breathed a sigh of relief. Thinking that Ma Xin had overheard Teacher Yang and Nie Qiu discussing a class transfer, he immediately became nervous and asked, “Then if she applies to transfer classes, would you agree?”
“With this girl’s grades, of course we would agree!” Luo Bai said with a smile. “For her future, for her own good, going to Class 1 would surely allow her to get into a better university.”
Luo Xu fell silent. His uncle was right; for Nie Qiu’s sake, for her future, it would be best for Nie Qiu to go to Class 1. But now, he felt a pang of reluctance, reluctant to part with the girl who stood on the lectern every day, speaking passionately and radiating energy.
“If her grades remain this good, she’ll get into the Provincial Key High School No. 1, and the school will even provide a scholarship,” Luo Bai said with a smile. “Xu Wa Zi, what’s wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing,” Luo Xu shook his head, somewhat dazed, and forced a smile at Luo Bai. “Uncle, you should get back to work! I won’t disturb you.” Without waiting for Luo Bai to reply, he turned and ran out of the office.
Silence… silence… silence…
The few people who had witnessed everything stood dumbfounded on the sports field, watching the basketball roll around.
Zhang Haiyang couldn’t stand the silent atmosphere and spoke first, “I say, what do we do? Are we really going to watch Nie Qiu leave our Class 10 for Class 1 with our own eyes?”
Wang Chao Lei also felt a sense of discomfort. He frowned and grunted, “Nie Qiu that…” that what, his throat felt choked, and he couldn’t speak.
“My uncle said that if you’re in the top ten, you’ll get a scholarship if you get into the Provincial Key High School No. 1,” Luo Xu said. “Uncle said that for her own good, it’s better for her to go to Class 1.”
“Then… then what do we do?” Ma Xin asked, throwing down the basketball in his hand.
Nie Qiu was, in fact, their spiritual pillar. Every time someone in Class 10 wanted to give up, she would say some encouraging words. Whether they made sense or not was unimportant; whether it was a blow or encouragement, it was effective, wasn’t it? Most of the students in Class 10 were people who lacked perseverance, but they had persisted. They had persisted for a month, and honestly, Ma Xin himself hadn’t expected it. He had managed to persist for so long and even find enjoyment in studying.
If Nie Qiu wasn’t in their class anymore, would they still work hard? Of course, they would still work hard, but they didn’t know how long this effort would last. They believed that the classmates in the class didn’t know either.
Zhang Haiyang looked at Li Kai. “A Kai, say something! If Nie Qiu leaves our class for Class 1, then…”
Li Kai was silent for a moment, then looked up at the sky. The white clouds were gradually turning orange-red. “Nie Qiu didn’t attend the evening self-study session we applied for tonight. Let’s have a class meeting then! We’ll see what everyone says.”
Luo Xu looked at Li Kai. “A Kai, this is Nie Qiu’s own future, don’t…” don’t let your personal desires affect other people’s lives.
The class meeting yielded no results.
They asked Teacher Yang for a class period. Li Kai spoke about Nie Qiu’s grades, and all the classmates were happy for Nie Qiu. Luo Xu mentioned the class transfer, and the entire class fell silent.
They all knew that transferring Nie Qiu to Class 1 might be the best and wisest decision, but they were all reluctant to part with her. Nie Qiu was different from other teachers; she was around their age, not very strict, and didn’t lecture them with grand principles. She would only say things that were both discouraging and encouraging, like, “Do you want to end up like this? Do you want to become something like that in the future?” Compared to older teachers, they got along better with Nie Qiu. As long as she looked at you with a hint of gloom in her eyes, you would want to do your best and see approval in her eyes.
It was difficult to make a choice. How they wished there was a solution that satisfied everyone, where Nie Qiu could stay in their class and receive the same education as Class 1.
But they also knew it was impossible. Class 10 had a weak foundation. Although the current teachers were lecturing, they tended to focus on broad foundational knowledge points. How could Nie Qiu learn more and better?
Yet, they also hoped Nie Qiu would stay.
It was impossible to have both.
The good mood they had from learning that their Class 10’s overall score was better than Class 5’s was gone. They could only think, what to do? What should we do? What should we do?
Huang Yan lowered her head, fiddling with her hands. She knew her own grades this time were quite good; if she couldn’t get into Class 1, she could at least get into Class 6… If she applied to transfer classes, would everyone be so reluctant to see her go? After a brief thought, Huang Yan stopped thinking about it. What she needed to think about now was what to do.
What would Nie Qiu do?
If she stayed and applied for Class 6, Nie Qiu would definitely not be in the same class as her. But if she stayed in Class 10, there was a fifty percent chance she would still be in the same class as Nie Qiu. If Nie Qiu went to Class 1, they might not be in the same class. If Nie Qiu chose to stay in Class 10, then they would still be in the same class!
Nie Qiu stood on the lectern, looking at Wang Chao Lei. “I know everyone is eager to know their scores, but… I don’t want you to become restless just waiting for your scores. If you become restless like this, then what about the midterm exam? What about the final exam? There’s still more than a semester until the Senior High School Entrance Examination. Do you want to waste time like this?”
“I know some people might think they’ll get serious after seeing their scores, but I want to tell you that if the scores aren’t what you hoped for, will you really be able to work hard again?” Nie Qiu walked down from the lectern and returned to her seat, standing by her desk and looking around at the classmates. “Tomorrow after tomorrow, how many tomorrows are there? My life waits for tomorrow, and everything will be in vain. I believe everyone has heard this poem and knows its meaning.”
“Nie Qiu, how do you think you did?” Huang Yan stood up and stared at Nie Qiu.
Nie Qiu was stunned. Huang Yan’s action made her feel somewhat bewildered. “Should be… alright! What’s wrong?”
“If… I mean, if, Nie Qiu, if you get into the top ten in the entire grade, will you apply to transfer to Class 1?” Wang Chao Lei asked, looking at Nie Qiu nervously.
Nie Qiu nodded and smiled. “If I really get into the top ten in the entire grade, of course, I’ll apply to transfer to Class 1! I want to get into a better high school and a better university. Everyone should also work hard.”
Wang Chao Lei sat down in silence. Huang Yan was also stunned and speechless. The entire classroom was silent. Li Kai’s originally hopeful gaze gradually dimmed. He opened his mouth but couldn’t say anything and lowered his head.
