Shi Yang was keenly observant from a young age.
When he was in elentary school, he witnessed his mom privately giving gifts to teachers, sotis it was two cans of cookies his dad brought back from Shanghai, or money slipped to teachers during the holidays.
Through this exposure, Shi Yang beca very clear about the benefits that co from currying favor with superiors and the advantages for subordinates.
Shi Yang himself always disdained such flattery; his academic performance was excellent, and he was good-looking, so teachers naturally viewed him favorably. He always felt that even without his mother’s behind-the-scenes efforts, he could still manage splendidly on his own.
This was all for Zhao ii; he was afraid she might be mischievous and the teacher would not favor her, making her ti in class difficult, causing her grievances or bullying.
Middle school teachers were very different from elentary school teachers; their tempers were more explosive, and they tended to handle matters solely based on academic performance. It was common for teachers to deal with disobedient students by a couple of whacks with a stick or by serving a little stir-fried pork. Zhao ii had been used to a more rugged upbringing, and suddenly entering such a learning environnt, Shi Yang was worried she would not adapt.
He understood too well how a teacher’s attitude towards a student could greatly affect that student.
Zhao Dazhuang was honest and upright, and whenever he heard about soone secretly giving gifts to factory leaders, he always scoffed. Liu Xiue was more experienced in this area, but Zhao ii had been thriving since preschool, and gradually, she grew negligent regarding these matters.
What Zhao ii’s parents failed to consider, Shi Yang thought of and took steps to address, proving that Zhao ii held a deep-rooted and unshakable position in his heart.
As soon as Shi Yang returned ho for sumr vacation, the first thing he did was use his connections with forr teachers to find out who the well-performing first-year middle school teacher was, and then promptly carried a box of canned goods and a box of drinks from ho, taking a taxi directly to Teacher Wu’s house.
Teacher Wu had taught Shi Yang before and had a good impression of him. Unexpectedly, despite being in college now, Shi Yang still thought to visit. Surprised and happy, they had a warm conversation, during which Shi Yang casually ntioned Zhao ii, referring to her as his sister and deliberately avoiding the fact that they were not blood-related.
Seeing Shi Yang’s earnest attitude, Teacher Wu imdiately misinterpreted, thinking Zhao ii was his half-sister, wondering why else Director Shi would send him with gifts.
Teacher Wu believed she understood the situation, and even if only for Shi Yang’s father’s position as director, she would save face and complint the strong bond between the siblings, tacitly acknowledging the matter.
Shi Yang had a way of handling things without leaving traces, subtly suggesting to Teacher Wu that the best educational thod for Zhao ii’s mischievous nature was to provoke her, which was always effective.
Having taught for many years, Teacher Wu understood this principle well. The two hit it off well: the prospect of cultivating a good student benefited Teacher Wu, and indirectly, it could also ingratiate her with Shi Yang’s father. It was a win-win situation.
After sending specialty goods to Zhao ii’s class teacher, Shi Yang never forgot to send sothing for every holiday, initially sending sothing to eat and later sothing to use, always selecting the best. He never ntioned this to anyone, not even Zhao ii, the subject herself, nor did his father, who had lent his na for so long, suspect a thing.
Shi Yang’s ticulous mind and flawless way of conducting himself predestined his future success, fully proving Zhao ii’s childhood remark that his palm marked with a golden mountain was a hand of great fortune.
Zhao ii didn’t know what her Brother Yangyang had done for her behind the scenes; she only knew that she was valued by Teacher Wu, who patted her shoulder back then and said, "Zhao ii, I have high hopes for you."
Teacher Wu’s words stuck in Zhao ii’s mind like a spell.
She no longer whispered and played during class, and after school, she finished her howork before going to play. In the class, she led by example. She was already smart and had a better mory than ordinary kids. Now that she focused all her energy on studying, her hard work paid off significantly by the midterms.
Zhao ii ranked first in class, exceeding the second place by eight points, equivalent to answering four multiple-choice questions or solving a moderately difficult application problem.
The day after the results were released, Teacher Wu held an anonymous class officer election during class eting, where Zhao ii was unanimously elected as the class monitor.
As the votes were announced, Zhao ii’s face flushed red. Her narrow eyes dared not glance at the blackboard, feeling awkwardly shy.
What did a full class vote an? It ant Zhao ii was so afraid of not being elected that she even voted for herself.
Seeing this, Teacher Wu smiled, finding Zhao ii adorable, excelling in studies and well-liked.
That night, Zhao ii held the phone, chatting with Shi Yang. Shi Yang was just taking a break from typing on his computer, holding a water glass. Hearing Zhao ii talking about the unanimous vote, he accidentally spit the water he was drinking onto the computer screen and hurriedly wiped it down in a panic.
Zhao ii was still chattering on the line, saying, "Brother, I’m so embarrassed, do you think others will laugh at ?"
As Shi Yang wiped the screen, he twitched his mouth corners in reassurance, "Why would anyone laugh at you? This shows that you have a competitive spirit and value the position of class monitor. Besides, didn’t you rank first in the class? Your grades speak for themselves. After serving as class monitor for a term, all your classmates voted for you, which only proves that you indeed have the capability to lead the class well, earning your classmates’ trust."
Zhao ii’s turbulent little heart was cald by her Brother Yangyang’s few words.
Holding the microphone, Zhao ii’s eyes showed an imperceptible expression, feeling warm inside, and liking her Brother Yangyang from the bottom of her heart.
In Zhao ii’s heart, her Brother Yangyang was her idol. As ti passed, her feelings for her Brother Yangyang deepened, unmatched by anyone else.
Throughout her first year in middle school, Zhao ii continued her responsibilities as class monitor, thriving in her grade and mingling with all the teachers in the office. Encountering any teacher in the middle school departnt, they would imdiately call her by na, ntion her class, and know of her title as head monitor.
Xu Xu silently accompanied Zhao ii, striving and studying diligently alongside her. While Zhao ii served as class monitor, he beca the academic committee mber. To him, Zhao ii was like the sun in the sky, consistently radiant and brilliant, so he could only look up to her, striving to catch up with her steps, fearing any slack would leave him behind, like sand on the ground, forgotten.
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