It turned out that the young married woman he saved on that day was Qin Yanran’s mother! Wasn’t that too coincidental?
When Su Lin looked towards Qin Yanran’s mother, Fang Liping, he realized that she was also looking at him. She smiled towards him and gave him a nod. Su Lin immediately felt somewhat embarrassed as he remembered that he had quite intimate contact with her on that day in the hotel.
However, now that he carefully took a look, Qin Yanran and her mother, Fang Liping, looked a lot like each other. Ah! Su Lin thought that he should have figured that out a long time ago.
With his different speech, Su Lin had already achieved the effect he was anticipating. He had already caused the teachers, students, and their guardians into reconsidering everything. However, this was merely the start and the speech had yet to end. Next, he was going to talk about for what he was studying.
“Students, there’s no doubt that we will be the new masters of the 21st century, and the future will depend on our efforts. But, do we just want to walk down the path that has long been paved for us? This feeling of being forced to work hard… Are you willing to drown in it?”
As soon as his words started, Su Lin shifted the topic and continued speaking in the microphone, “No! We are not willing! We are students, and as students, we need to learn scientific and cultural knowledge. Even if not to pass exams, even if not to go to a University, we still need to learn and study hard just to gain a better understanding of society, and to have a better life. Many of us, however, do not understand what we are studying for. What I want to tell you today is not to give up on studying diligently, but to find your own motivation for studying, to understand the reason that you work hard for! Only then will we be able focus our heart on our studies!”
To pack his speech with the biggest possible punch, Su Lin first questioned the usefulness of studying, then he made everyone present question themselves what use studying even was to them. This successfully made everyone present reach a certain barrier in their minds. And now, he suddenly broke that barrier with a final push.
Indeed, that was it. To study diligently, one must first understand their motive for studying. Studying like a machine, without any goal and purpose was not studying. To study well, one needed to have some form of motivation for studying first. Only that was the correct path!
“I don’t know about you, but when I saw my parents going to work everyday, and then return at night while dragging their tired bodies just to provide a stable life for me, I asked myself what more excuse I had to not study hard? Perhaps, many among you have great family conditions, and you don’t have to worry about money now. But what about the future? When your parents have passed away of old age, and the people you love are in trouble, what would you be able to do to help them? It’s possible for one to stand outside some market, but, I am unwilling to lower myself and depend on the crumbs thrown out by others. I want to use my own effort to provide for the ones I love, to give them a secure place…”
“For a person, a person whom I love, I have to put in all my effort; I have to try hard; I have to study diligently! That’s my motivation for studying! Many among you might say that you have heard such words many a time before, and that words alone can’t help one succeed, and I just don’t know the difficulties in life. So I ask you to recall, to think if you have a person you love, a person for whom you are willing to put in 120% of your effort, a person whose smile is a reward for you, a person you want to be proud of you…”
As he was saying such big words, Su Lin’s heart had already become quite emotional. He remembered his parents, remembered Elder Sister Zhu, remembered his teacher Lin Qingxue, and remembered Qin Yanran…
For a person, one could work hard. That person might be ones parents, or someone they admired, or loved!
After listening to Su Lin’s words, everyone sitting in the ground felt mighty waves go off in their hearts. In fact, many had thought of this issue, but no one had been as thorough as Su Lin when talking about it. No matter what kind of life one hand, or what kind of struggle you were going through, ultimately, wasn’t it all just to provide a good life for the people you loved, to give back to your parents, and to your lover?
“Su Lin! Did you really study so diligently for me?”
Sitting in the drill ground, a complicated expression appeared on Qin Yanran’s face, and her heart was in a fierce struggle. Indeed, Su Lin had touched her heart. Although there were many boys pursuing her, how many of them were willing to change themselves for her like Su Lin?
No one! Only Su Lin was able to do it. He lived up to his words. Not only did he confess to her, he also publicly proclaimed that he would enter the top 50 of the Grade. What’s more, not only did he do what he said, he even ranked 10th in the entire Grade!
This was Su Lin, the same person who used be a bottom feeder when it came to studying in high school, who just quietly crept into Qin Yanran’s heart, without a way to be driven out.
“This Su Lin! He just doesn’t fail to amaze people! Did he really study so diligently for someone? Who could it be? Is it… Is the person Qin Yanran from our class?”
Before, Lin Qingxue had also witnessed Su Lin’s confession to Qin Yanran outside the exam hall after the English exam. At that time, Su Lin was quite impassioned, and every one that he spoke those words because he lost his reason. No one believed that he would be able to achieve such a high rank just for Qin Yanran, and everyone made fun of him. But now, Su Lin had achieved what he said! This… Was this really the power of love? Could love really make one exert all their strength and erupt with their full potential?
She didn’t know why, but when Lin Qingxue thought of this point, she felt an inexplicable sense of loss. Ah, right, Su Lin worked so hard for Qin Yanran, and not for her.
As soon as this thought passed through her mind, Lin Qingxue felt cold in her heart. How could she eat Qin Yanran’s vinegar?1 Not good, this was definitely not good! Su Lin and Qin Yanran were both her students, so how could she be like this?
Looking at Su Lin, who was standing on the podium, Lin Qingxue felt her heart fall into confusion.
“This stinky little brat, it seems he has really grown up! Old Su! Look, isn’t our Little Lin great?”
The one most affected by Su Lin’s speech was his mother, Liu Aizhen. Now that the husband and wife were laid off together, and there was no more sources of income left in their family, Liu Aizhen was the one under the most pressure. Fortunately, Su Lin was now sensible, and already understood his father and mother’s difficulty, and was willing to put in all of his effort to make great progress in his studies. Now that it was all like this, how could Liu Aizhen not be gratified?
“Obviously! How could my, Su Guorong’s son not be great?”
Su Guorong was also proud and looked at Su Lin with a warm smile.
On the other side, Li Weimin, the Headmaster of Jian’an First High, also gave a slight nod. Apparently, he also agreed with Su Lin’s speech.
“That was all of my speech. I am very grateful to the students, teachers, and guardians who were willing to listen to me talk incessantly.”
Giving a serious bow to the audience, Su Lin’s speech finally came to a formal end.
……
As if by prior agreement, the entire drill ground burst into a massive applause on the spot.
The current applause was completely different when compared to the perfunctory applause given after the Principal and Grade Master’s speech. Everyone was applauding from the bottom of their hearts. The students who refused to accept Su Lin’s sudden rise in ranking also thoroughly accepted the fact and admired him now.
In particular, some young girls from the lower grades had become Su Lin’s fans, and they looked at Su Lin with their eyes full of adoration.
Headmaster Li Weimin took the lead to give a loud applause, and was very enthusiastic. Watching Su Lin step down from the stage, he gave him a smile.
With that, Su Lin’s very different speech came to end under the warm applause of the entire audience.
After the General Assembly came to an end, the students of Grade 2 returned to their classes to attend their lectures normally, while Grade 3 prepared for their final parents meeting.
The seating arrangement for the parents in the classroom was based on their children’s exam ranking. This was the tradition of Jian’an First High.
Su Lin’s mother, Liu Aizhen, was sitting on the second seat in the first row of Class 2 of Grade 3, terrified and restless. As Su Lin took the 2nd position in his class, Liu Aizhen was made to sit on the second seat during the parents meeting.
But that wasn’t the reason for her terror, instead, she was terrified because the one sitting beside her was Fang Liping, Qin Yanran’s mother.
Fang Liping was the mayor of Jian’an city, and Liu Aizhen hadn’t just seen her once on TV. She had never thought that during this last parents meeting, she would have the honor to sit beside Mayor Fang Liping. How could Liu Aizhen not feel extremely flattered and restless?
Of course, just like Liu Aizhen, the other parents had also discovered that the mayor of their city was also attending the parents meeting together with them. So it turned out that Mayor Fang’s daughter had been their children’s classmate for three years straight.
It was no wonder, after all, Fang Liping didn’t have the time to attend just every parents’ meeting. She was always busy with various administration tasks of the city, and could not leave as she pleased. So whenever the parents meeting was held before, these parents didn’t see her appear. But because this was the last parents’ meeting of Qin Yanran’s High School, Fang Liping made sure to turn down everything and attend it.
“Dear parents, I believe that everyone is already familiar with me. I am Lin Qingxue, the class in-charge for Class 2 of Grade 3, and today is going to be the last parents’ meeting of the Grade. First, let me thank you all for placing your trust in me…”
The parents’ meeting went on in an orderly manner inside the classroom, while the students were allowed to move around the school freely. After the General Assembly finished, Father Su said a few words to Liu Aizhen, and then rushed off to participate in a recruitment interview of some company.
“Li’l Lin, you really set the place on fire this time round! If I didn’t see you and hear your words with my own ears, I would have never believed that such eloquent words were spewed out of your mouth!”
After the General Assembly came to an end, Li Hao came to look for Su Lin in high spirits. Bringing Su Lin to the side of the walkway, the two started to chat.
“Why can’t I say those words? Let’s talk about the matter at hand, Li’l Hao. What have you planned for the College Entrance Examination in a few days?”
Su Lin said while patting his buddy’s shoulder. Now, Su Lin was the man of the hour in Jian’an First High. From Grade 1 to Grade 3, there was no one who didn’t know Su Lin. As the two walked down the walkway, many students stared at Su Lin.
There were even some starry-eyed young maidens who were blushing and hesitating, wondering if they should go ahead and say something to Su Lin.
“Haiz, what’s there for me to think about? You know about my results; I am not like you who can suddenly fly to the sky, and get into a top University. I will just take the College Entrance Examination for the heck of it, and then enter some technical college. Anyway, my family isn’t short of money, and after I graduate and take over my dad’s business, I won’t starve at least. Li’L, how about you? Which city are you going to attend University in? Although we can’t go to the same University, we can at least go to the same city?”
Li Hao sighed, but he also looked to the bright side of things. He already knew of his academic standards, and his family had already prepared a business, and took care of other matters for him.
“This… I haven’t yet thought about that. After all, we still have to see the College Entrance Exam result to decide that? Let’s talk again when the College Entrance Exam result is out…”
Thinking of going to University, Su Lin felt his heart sinking.
That was right! They would be taking the College Entrance Examination in a few days, and when it would be time to choose a University, everyone would be going to different Universities, in different cities, drifting apart from each other.
In the past, Su Lin rarely considered the issue of choosing a University for the future, after all, with his low achievements, getting into a good University was impossible. But now, Su Lin began to worry in his heard and wondered, ‘Which University is Yanran going to attend? If I am not wrong, then she must be going to the Capital to attend either the Tsinghua or Peking University in the Capital, the top two Universities in the entirety of China!’
Eating vinegar means being jealous. So, by eating Qin Yanran’s vinegar, Lin Qingxue is being jealous of her.
It turned out that the young married woman he saved on that day was Qin Yanran’s mother! Wasn’t that too coincidental?
When Su Lin looked towards Qin Yanran’s mother, Fang Liping, he realized that she was also looking at him. She smiled towards him and gave him a nod. Su Lin immediately felt somewhat embarrassed as he remembered that he had quite intimate contact with her on that day in the hotel.
However, now that he carefully took a look, Qin Yanran and her mother, Fang Liping, looked a lot like each other. Ah! Su Lin thought that he should have figured that out a long time ago.
With his different speech, Su Lin had already achieved the effect he was anticipating. He had already caused the teachers, students, and their guardians into reconsidering everything. However, this was merely the start and the speech had yet to end. Next, he was going to talk about for what he was studying.
“Students, there’s no doubt that we will be the new masters of the 21st century, and the future will depend on our efforts. But, do we just want to walk down the path that has long been paved for us? This feeling of being forced to work hard… Are you willing to drown in it?”
As soon as his words started, Su Lin shifted the topic and continued speaking in the microphone, “No! We are not willing! We are students, and as students, we need to learn scientific and cultural knowledge. Even if not to pass exams, even if not to go to a University, we still need to learn and study hard just to gain a better understanding of society, and to have a better life. Many of us, however, do not understand what we are studying for. What I want to tell you today is not to give up on studying diligently, but to find your own motivation for studying, to understand the reason that you work hard for! Only then will we be able focus our heart on our studies!”
To pack his speech with the biggest possible punch, Su Lin first questioned the usefulness of studying, then he made everyone present question themselves what use studying even was to them. This successfully made everyone present reach a certain barrier in their minds. And now, he suddenly broke that barrier with a final push.
Indeed, that was it. To study diligently, one must first understand their motive for studying. Studying like a machine, without any goal and purpose was not studying. To study well, one needed to have some form of motivation for studying first. Only that was the correct path!
“I don’t know about you, but when I saw my parents going to work everyday, and then return at night while dragging their tired bodies just to provide a stable life for me, I asked myself what more excuse I had to not study hard? Perhaps, many among you have great family conditions, and you don’t have to worry about money now. But what about the future? When your parents have passed away of old age, and the people you love are in trouble, what would you be able to do to help them? It’s possible for one to stand outside some market, but, I am unwilling to lower myself and depend on the crumbs thrown out by others. I want to use my own effort to provide for the ones I love, to give them a secure place…”
“For a person, a person whom I love, I have to put in all my effort; I have to try hard; I have to study diligently! That’s my motivation for studying! Many among you might say that you have heard such words many a time before, and that words alone can’t help one succeed, and I just don’t know the difficulties in life. So I ask you to recall, to think if you have a person you love, a person for whom you are willing to put in 120% of your effort, a person whose smile is a reward for you, a person you want to be proud of you…”
As he was saying such big words, Su Lin’s heart had already become quite emotional. He remembered his parents, remembered Elder Sister Zhu, remembered his teacher Lin Qingxue, and remembered Qin Yanran…
For a person, one could work hard. That person might be ones parents, or someone they admired, or loved!
After listening to Su Lin’s words, everyone sitting in the ground felt mighty waves go off in their hearts. In fact, many had thought of this issue, but no one had been as thorough as Su Lin when talking about it. No matter what kind of life one hand, or what kind of struggle you were going through, ultimately, wasn’t it all just to provide a good life for the people you loved, to give back to your parents, and to your lover?
“Su Lin! Did you really study so diligently for me?”
Sitting in the drill ground, a complicated expression appeared on Qin Yanran’s face, and her heart was in a fierce struggle. Indeed, Su Lin had touched her heart. Although there were many boys pursuing her, how many of them were willing to change themselves for her like Su Lin?
No one! Only Su Lin was able to do it. He lived up to his words. Not only did he confess to her, he also publicly proclaimed that he would enter the top 50 of the Grade. What’s more, not only did he do what he said, he even ranked 10th in the entire Grade!
This was Su Lin, the same person who used be a bottom feeder when it came to studying in high school, who just quietly crept into Qin Yanran’s heart, without a way to be driven out.
“This Su Lin! He just doesn’t fail to amaze people! Did he really study so diligently for someone? Who could it be? Is it… Is the person Qin Yanran from our class?”
Before, Lin Qingxue had also witnessed Su Lin’s confession to Qin Yanran outside the exam hall after the English exam. At that time, Su Lin was quite impassioned, and every one that he spoke those words because he lost his reason. No one believed that he would be able to achieve such a high rank just for Qin Yanran, and everyone made fun of him. But now, Su Lin had achieved what he said! This… Was this really the power of love? Could love really make one exert all their strength and erupt with their full potential?
She didn’t know why, but when Lin Qingxue thought of this point, she felt an inexplicable sense of loss. Ah, right, Su Lin worked so hard for Qin Yanran, and not for her.
As soon as this thought passed through her mind, Lin Qingxue felt cold in her heart. How could she eat Qin Yanran’s vinegar?1 Not good, this was definitely not good! Su Lin and Qin Yanran were both her students, so how could she be like this?
Looking at Su Lin, who was standing on the podium, Lin Qingxue felt her heart fall into confusion.
“This stinky little brat, it seems he has really grown up! Old Su! Look, isn’t our Little Lin great?”
The one most affected by Su Lin’s speech was his mother, Liu Aizhen. Now that the husband and wife were laid off together, and there was no more sources of income left in their family, Liu Aizhen was the one under the most pressure. Fortunately, Su Lin was now sensible, and already understood his father and mother’s difficulty, and was willing to put in all of his effort to make great progress in his studies. Now that it was all like this, how could Liu Aizhen not be gratified?
“Obviously! How could my, Su Guorong’s son not be great?”
Su Guorong was also proud and looked at Su Lin with a warm smile.
On the other side, Li Weimin, the Headmaster of Jian’an First High, also gave a slight nod. Apparently, he also agreed with Su Lin’s speech.
“That was all of my speech. I am very grateful to the students, teachers, and guardians who were willing to listen to me talk incessantly.”
Giving a serious bow to the audience, Su Lin’s speech finally came to a formal end.
……
As if by prior agreement, the entire drill ground burst into a massive applause on the spot.
The current applause was completely different when compared to the perfunctory applause given after the Principal and Grade Master’s speech. Everyone was applauding from the bottom of their hearts. The students who refused to accept Su Lin’s sudden rise in ranking also thoroughly accepted the fact and admired him now.
In particular, some young girls from the lower grades had become Su Lin’s fans, and they looked at Su Lin with their eyes full of adoration.
Headmaster Li Weimin took the lead to give a loud applause, and was very enthusiastic. Watching Su Lin step down from the stage, he gave him a smile.
With that, Su Lin’s very different speech came to end under the warm applause of the entire audience.
After the General Assembly came to an end, the students of Grade 2 returned to their classes to attend their lectures normally, while Grade 3 prepared for their final parents meeting.
The seating arrangement for the parents in the classroom was based on their children’s exam ranking. This was the tradition of Jian’an First High.
Su Lin’s mother, Liu Aizhen, was sitting on the second seat in the first row of Class 2 of Grade 3, terrified and restless. As Su Lin took the 2nd position in his class, Liu Aizhen was made to sit on the second seat during the parents meeting.
But that wasn’t the reason for her terror, instead, she was terrified because the one sitting beside her was Fang Liping, Qin Yanran’s mother.
Fang Liping was the mayor of Jian’an city, and Liu Aizhen hadn’t just seen her once on TV. She had never thought that during this last parents meeting, she would have the honor to sit beside Mayor Fang Liping. How could Liu Aizhen not feel extremely flattered and restless?
Of course, just like Liu Aizhen, the other parents had also discovered that the mayor of their city was also attending the parents meeting together with them. So it turned out that Mayor Fang’s daughter had been their children’s classmate for three years straight.
It was no wonder, after all, Fang Liping didn’t have the time to attend just every parents’ meeting. She was always busy with various administration tasks of the city, and could not leave as she pleased. So whenever the parents meeting was held before, these parents didn’t see her appear. But because this was the last parents’ meeting of Qin Yanran’s High School, Fang Liping made sure to turn down everything and attend it.
“Dear parents, I believe that everyone is already familiar with me. I am Lin Qingxue, the class in-charge for Class 2 of Grade 3, and today is going to be the last parents’ meeting of the Grade. First, let me thank you all for placing your trust in me…”
The parents’ meeting went on in an orderly manner inside the classroom, while the students were allowed to move around the school freely. After the General Assembly finished, Father Su said a few words to Liu Aizhen, and then rushed off to participate in a recruitment interview of some company.
“Li’l Lin, you really set the place on fire this time round! If I didn’t see you and hear your words with my own ears, I would have never believed that such eloquent words were spewed out of your mouth!”
After the General Assembly came to an end, Li Hao came to look for Su Lin in high spirits. Bringing Su Lin to the side of the walkway, the two started to chat.
“Why can’t I say those words? Let’s talk about the matter at hand, Li’l Hao. What have you planned for the College Entrance Examination in a few days?”
Su Lin said while patting his buddy’s shoulder. Now, Su Lin was the man of the hour in Jian’an First High. From Grade 1 to Grade 3, there was no one who didn’t know Su Lin. As the two walked down the walkway, many students stared at Su Lin.
There were even some starry-eyed young maidens who were blushing and hesitating, wondering if they should go ahead and say something to Su Lin.
“Haiz, what’s there for me to think about? You know about my results; I am not like you who can suddenly fly to the sky, and get into a top University. I will just take the College Entrance Examination for the heck of it, and then enter some technical college. Anyway, my family isn’t short of money, and after I graduate and take over my dad’s business, I won’t starve at least. Li’L, how about you? Which city are you going to attend University in? Although we can’t go to the same University, we can at least go to the same city?”
Li Hao sighed, but he also looked to the bright side of things. He already knew of his academic standards, and his family had already prepared a business, and took care of other matters for him.
“This… I haven’t yet thought about that. After all, we still have to see the College Entrance Exam result to decide that? Let’s talk again when the College Entrance Exam result is out…”
Thinking of going to University, Su Lin felt his heart sinking.
That was right! They would be taking the College Entrance Examination in a few days, and when it would be time to choose a University, everyone would be going to different Universities, in different cities, drifting apart from each other.
In the past, Su Lin rarely considered the issue of choosing a University for the future, after all, with his low achievements, getting into a good University was impossible. But now, Su Lin began to worry in his heard and wondered, ‘Which University is Yanran going to attend? If I am not wrong, then she must be going to the Capital to attend either the Tsinghua or Peking University in the Capital, the top two Universities in the entirety of China!’
Eating vinegar means being jealous. So, by eating Qin Yanran’s vinegar, Lin Qingxue is being jealous of her.