RGL – Chapter 91

She guessed, “Maybe it’s because the monthly exams are coming up and she’s feeling nervous, so she’s working really hard.”

Zhang Panpan shook her head. “I don’t think so. I saw her zoning out in class once. She never used to do that. Back then, her eyes practically lit up when she was listening to a lecture.”

“You’re exaggerating. Whose eyes actually light up?” Tang Man couldn’t help but laugh.

Yin Jing looked at Zhang Panpan and said, “Bookworms really do think differently from the rest of us.”

Tang Man said, “Alright, stop worrying about her. We haven’t even started reviewing for our own exams. Let’s eat and get back to studying. If I do well this time, I’m going to organize a talent show for our class.”

Hearing that Tang Man was planning another event made Yin Jing and Zhang Panpan instantly feel uneasy.

Yin Jing said awkwardly, “You’re organizing something again? Didn’t Teacher Huang say we need to focus on our studies?”

Tang Man replied, “I already asked Teacher Huang. I’ll just use our class meeting time to let a few talented classmates perform something, help everyone relax a bit. Otherwise, if we study like this every day, our brains are going to snap.”

Yin Jing laughed. “You really know how to work the system.”

Zhang Panpan said worriedly, “Don’t tell me we’ll be forced to perform? I don’t know how to do anything.”

Tang Man rolled her eyes. “Why would we make you go up there if you don’t know anything? We’re not trying to embarrass anyone. It’s voluntary this time. You think everyone’s like you and knows nothing?” She never held back when she talked.

Zhang Panpan was already used to her way of speaking. As long as she didn’t have to go on stage and embarrass herself, she didn’t care.

That afternoon during class, Tang Man glanced over at Su Min a few more times and noticed that she really seemed distracted, scribbling and doodling in her notebook—not like she was doing exercises.

She thought to herself, What is she doing?

Just as she was about to look away, she suddenly met the gaze of Wen Heping, who sat in front of Su Min.

As soon as Wen Heping met her eyes, he quickly looked away in a panic. Seeing this, Tang Man felt a little frustrated. What’s that supposed to mean, Wen Heping? She hadn’t even blamed him for that incident the other night when he searched all over for her. And now, he had even resigned as class president.

She looked again at Su Min and thought, Whatever. Once the monthly exam results come out, we’ll see if she’s really been studying.

The first monthly exam after entering high school was something everyone took seriously.

Usually, teachers used this exam to assess students’ progress and academic foundation.

Everyone wanted to make a good impression, so the results of this test were very important.

After two long days of exams, the school finally gave the students a day off to relax and have fun.

Tang Man took advantage of the fact that most people hadn’t left yet to announce that there would be a small talent show during next week’s class meeting. Anyone interested in performing should sign up and start preparing.

The class erupted in cheers at the news.

Even though most of them were bookworms focused on studying, they all liked this kind of low-effort entertainment. Some students with talent were already planning to practice during the break to show off in front of the new classmates.

Su Min lay on her desk, completely uninterested in the activity.

Seeing how withdrawn she was, Tang Man frowned slightly.

When Su Min got home, Liao Zhaodi asked her about the exam.

“Su Min, how do you think you did? I felt this exam was kind of tough. Luckily, I reviewed some similar problems beforehand, so I remembered them during the test. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to answer the last few questions.”

Su Min shook her head. “I don’t know.” It was the first time she felt uncertain about a test. She had been focused on the idea of opening her own clothing shop after going back home, so she hadn’t studied much and felt confused during the exam.

That evening, Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang came home and saw that Su Min looked downcast, which made them feel uneasy.

After Su Min went to her room, Sun Qiufang pulled Liao Zhaodi aside and asked about Su Min’s situation at school. When she heard that Su Min was often spacing out and distracted in class, she immediately became worried.

After getting into bed, Sun Qiufang couldn’t fall asleep.

“Changrong, I think we should just agree to what Minzi wants. She’s always been someone with her own ideas and a strong will. The longer we drag this out, the more it’ll weigh on her.”

Su Changrong had also noticed something different about his daughter lately. After a long silence, he sighed and said, “Alright, we’ll do it. If she doesn’t get into college, it’s not like we’ll let her starve.”

Sun Qiufang said, “That’s not the right mindset. Who knows what the future holds? The important thing is that Minzi becomes capable and independent. If she can really support herself with her skills, then I won’t worry as much. Still, I really want her to get into college. We’re both uneducated and know how hard that is. It’s not just about how hard it was farming in the past—even doing business now is just as tough. Look at how many people turned their noses up at us while we were trying to find a storefront. And last time, when you went to pick up that batch of appliances, you drank so much with those people, and still didn’t secure the deal. Look at the third brother—he lost one job but found another right away. Even if it doesn’t pay much, at least he’s not going hungry. Wherever he goes, people call him ‘teacher.’”

Listening to all this, Su Changrong felt a heavy weight in his heart. He didn’t want his daughter to walk the same hard road he had. He was a man, so it didn’t matter as much—but what, was he supposed to let his daughter go drink with others to do business?

Thinking back on that scene, he still found it hard to believe.

“Let her open the shop first and see how it goes. Otherwise, if she keeps thinking about it all the time and can’t focus on her studies, that won’t do either. If the shop still doesn’t improve after it’s opened, then no matter what, we’ll have to close it down and talk to her properly.”

For the first time, Su Changrong felt that his daughter being overly opinionated wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

After the couple discussed it, they talked to Su Min about it.

“Your mom and I agree, but you have to promise to study hard from now on. Minzi, your mom and I are capable enough now—we don’t want you running around trying to make money at such a young age. We just hope you can be like other kids—play when it’s time to play, study when it’s time to study, and live a relaxed life.”

Su Min thought to herself, I’m not a child anymore. Of course I need to start planning early.

But she wouldn’t say something like that out loud at this moment.

She nodded. “Don’t worry, Mom, Dad. I’ll study hard.”

After the contract was signed, Sun Qiufang personally delivered the copy for the Sanye Factory to the county, and visited Sun Hai and the others while she was at it.

Su Min originally planned to check out the store location too, but since she had school, she didn’t have time and would have to wait until next week.

On the first day back at school, the exam results were released. During the third class period in the morning, Teacher Huang announced the results—but only the top thirty rankings.

This time, only Wen Heping remained in the top ten, ranking eighth. Su Min and Liao Zhaodi’s scores dropped compared to before—Su Min was now ranked nineteenth, and Liao Zhaodi was twenty-third. On the other hand, Tang Man and her group had improved—Tang Man had risen from beyond fortieth place to thirtieth.

Upon hearing the rankings, Su Min’s heart sank, and for a moment, she was stunned.

She had known she was unsure about this exam, but she hadn’t expected such a big drop.

Liao Zhaodi was also surprised. She had always known Su Min had strong grades. Even after transferring to the city’s top school, she remained among the best in the class. How could just a few days’ delay cause such a big drop?

During the break, Su Min was still thinking about her grades.

Since she had started school, she had always raced ahead of others, squeezing out every second to study, never daring to fall behind. This time, just a few days of slacking off had caused such a big setback.

Seeing her slumped over her desk, Liao Zhaodi knew she must be feeling awful. She didn’t know how to comfort her. After a while, she said, “Su Min, don’t worry. Let’s study hard this month—we’ll definitely bounce back.”

Su Min nodded. She understood the logic, but she still felt upset.

Tang Man and Yin Jing also found it strange—no one else in the class had dropped as much as Su Min. Even Teacher Huang had looked over at her several times when announcing the results.

Yin Jing and Zhang Panpan whispered to each other for a while. Tang Man, getting impatient from listening, waved her hand and said, “Alright, stop talking about other people. Let’s go out and celebrate this weekend—my treat.”

“Great! Then I won’t go home this week,” Yin Jing said happily.

Zhang Panpan nodded too. As long as it didn’t cost her anything, she was fine with it. She was trying to reduce her trips home anyway to save on travel expenses.

At noon, when they got home, Liao Zhaodi didn’t mention the test results, and Su Min kept her head down, saying nothing.

While they were eating, Sun Qiufang looked at her daughter’s expression and asked with concern, “What’s wrong? The shop’s about to open, and you still look so down?”

“It’s nothing,” Su Min replied, shaking her head and eating quietly.

Liao Zhaodi glanced at her and lowered her head too. She couldn’t tell Uncle and Auntie about Su Min’s falling grades—otherwise Su Min would definitely be upset.

Sun Qiufang and Su Changrong also found it odd. What was wrong with this child? The shop was opening, so why wasn’t she happy? Maybe it was true what people said—once girls grew up, they had more on their minds.

Su Min thought it over for days and realized that her schoolwork had been affected because of the clothing business.

But she wasn’t willing to give it up.

In her past life, she had achieved nothing. This time around, she had to become someone successful—she had to outrun the others. Otherwise, she’d be wasting this precious second chance at life.

To catch up, Su Min began sleeping even less. Aside from bathroom breaks, every spare minute during the school day was spent at her desk reading and doing practice problems.

On Thursday, the class held a class meeting.

This time, the activity organized by Tang Man was well-received by Teacher Huang, who even paid out of pocket to buy sunflower seeds and peanuts for the students, so they could snack while watching performances.

Many of the students in the class were from the city, and these kids had been trained since childhood—they were far more refined than the students from the county or town. Whether it was playing instruments, dancing, or even singing a few lines of Peking Opera, their skills took Teacher Huang by surprise.

Tang Man also performed a traditional folk dance and received a round of applause.

“They’re amazing! I can’t believe they know so many things,” Liao Zhaodi said enviously.

She had never known such things existed. All her life, she’d only thought about studying hard and earning money. She never imagined that kids her age could be so talented and versatile.

Su Min was lying on her desk reading when she heard the laughter. She looked up and saw Tang Man’s proud, confident smile.

Liao Zhaodi tugged her arm and said, “Minzi, I didn’t expect Tang Man to have such a bad temper but still be so talented. I wonder how they learned all that.”

“You have to hire a teacher for that,” Su Min explained. She knew that some families invited private tutors to teach at home. After all, training centers didn’t seem to be popular yet. Usually, they invited familiar teachers for one-on-one tutoring at home—sometimes as a favor, sometimes for a hefty fee.

Hearing that it required hiring a teacher, Liao Zhaodi gave up on the idea. She didn’t have the money for that. Looking at Minzi, she asked, “Minzi, do you want to learn?”

“No, I don’t have the time either.” She had already passed the age of curiosity. When she was younger, she used to envy others, but as she grew older, she realized that envy was useless, so she let it go.

After school, Tang Man called out to Liao Zhaodi and Su Min at the school gate.

Yin Jing and Zhang Panpan looked on nervously, worried the girls would get into an argument.

Tang Man angrily said, “Su Min, what was your deal today? I didn’t say anything earlier because there were too many people around. But we were holding a class performance, and you just lay there on your desk. Even if you don’t like it, you should still join in for the atmosphere, right?”

She had been annoyed at Su Min for a long time. At first, she thought Su Min was just a calm, composed person. But now it seemed less like composure and more like arrogance. Even if she didn’t like the performances, she should’ve at least watched them. But Su Min just kept her head down, completely ignoring everything—it was so rude.

Su Min frowned and said, “I was reading.”

“There’s plenty of time to read! How often do we get a chance for performances like this? No one’s asking you to go on stage, but you should at least show some support for others. If you keep acting like this, who’s going to like you once we’re out in the world? You once said I was self-centered, but I think you’re the one who’s self-centered. You live in your own world, thinking you’re always right and everyone else is wrong. Don’t you realize how hurtful your attitude is? What if you were performing and everyone else was busy doing their own thing—wouldn’t you feel bad? If you say you wouldn’t, then something’s wrong with you.”

Seeing that Tang Man was getting more and more worked up, Liao Zhaodi quickly pulled her back and said, “Don’t argue. Su Min was studying, not playing around.”

Yin Jing tugged on her arm from behind, saying, “Let it go.”

But Tang Man shook her hand off. “How can I let it go? I’m the class monitor, whether she sees me as one or not. I have to do my job. If we can’t even stay united over something like this, who’s going to care about each other after we graduate?”

Su Min frowned and was about to walk away, but Tang Man blocked her path again. “I know you probably think I’m making a fuss. But let me tell you—you’re really annoying.”

With that, she stormed off, dragging Yin Jing with her. Zhang Panpan followed timidly, glancing back from time to time at Su Min, who stood there in a daze.

Liao Zhaodi tugged at Su Min and said, “Don’t be mad. That’s just the way she is.”

Su Min stood there quietly for a long time before pursing her lips tightly and continuing to walk forward.

Seeing her like that, Liao Zhaodi didn’t dare say much. She just followed closely and occasionally glanced at Su Min’s expression.

“Zhaodi, am I really that strange?”

“Huh?” Liao Zhaodi was caught off guard by Su Min’s sudden question.

Su Min suddenly stopped and looked at her. “Am I really that unlikable? Am I really not normal?”

“No, I think you’re great,” Zhaodi said sincerely. To her, no one was a better friend than Su Min. If even someone like Su Min wasn’t good, then who was?

Su Min sighed. “I don’t talk much in class. I don’t play with others. Am I really that out of place?”

Hearing this, Zhaodi was suddenly at a loss for words. She hesitated for a moment before saying, “…Honestly, just a little. Su Min, you’re a great friend to me, but I still hope you can have more friends. Look at the other girls—they hang out together during holidays. You really don’t have many friends.”

It was a hurtful truth, but Zhaodi chose to say it anyway. Su Min treated her well, and she wanted the best for Su Min too. Zhaodi was someone who liked lively crowds, so she knew how important friendships were. If Su Min went through life with just her as a friend, that wouldn’t be a good thing.