(1)
During the morning reading session, there was no teacher in the classroom.
Even as the first English period was about to begin, the classroom still remained teacherless.
Class 5, Grade 9 felt as if it had been completely forgotten.
The noisy classroom suddenly fell silent for a few seconds, then quickly returned to its usual clamor—because everyone realized, indeed, no teacher had shown up.
“Did the school mess up the schedule?”
An Jing sounded a little surprised.
“That can’t be right…”
“Maybe the homeroom teacher decided not to come at the last minute?”
Zhu Ying propped her cheek on her hand and looked out into the hallway, just about to say something, when a petite figure suddenly darted in from the corner that was a blind spot in their vision.
It was a young woman, looking as if she had just graduated from college, still carrying a trace of that fresh, student-like innocence.
Her long hair was pinned back with a chestnut-colored hairclip, she wore a white dress with a black silk cloud-patterned shawl draped over her shoulders.
An Jing and Zhu Ying both gaped at her, exchanged glances to confirm they weren’t seeing things.
—Wasn’t this the young lady who lived in the seaside villa?
Rumor had it she was the daughter of the Chairwoman of Qingye Pharmaceuticals, but the real question was, why was she here?
Was she here as a substitute homeroom teacher?
Someone of her background actually came to teach at a school?
It just felt so different from everything they’d imagined about a “young lady”.
She clearly noticed An Jing and Zhu Ying as well, smiled cheerfully, and winked at them.
Her gaze then swept over the entire class, exhaling softly, as if she were searching for a sense of familiarity.
The noisy students fell quiet under her calm gaze, though many still whispered among themselves, discussing who this teacher could be.
Everyone had studied here for three years, but had never seen such a teacher.
Especially for the hormonally charged junior high boys, a pretty teacher—
So it was obvious: this was a new teacher.
Maybe an intern, or transferred from another school.
“Alright, quiet down, everyone.”
She tapped the blackboard lightly, then swiftly wrote the two big characters for “Wen Ye” on it.
“I’m your temporary acting homeroom teacher. My surname is Ye, you can call me Teacher Ye or Teacher Wen Ye.”
“Teacher Ye! Are you only taking care of us for a few days?”
“Unless something unexpected happens, I’ll probably be with you until you graduate from Grade 9.”
“Great!”
“Yay!”
A few boys cheered right away, and the other students’ faces brightened with delighted smiles.
After all, this new teacher seemed much gentler than their old homeroom teacher.
“As for your next English class, of course, I’ll be handling that as well. But today—yes, and the period after this too—we won’t be having a regular lesson. We’ll have a class meeting instead, to talk about studying, about life, and about the future.”
Wen Ye walked down from the podium with a smile, then sat quite naturally on An Jing’s desk.
“I’ll just sit here, it feels more relaxed this way. If you want to study, just keep your head down and study. If you want to sleep, go ahead and take a nap. Just don’t make any noise, and don’t disturb anyone else. Understand?”
“Okay~”
“Got it!”
“Long live Teacher Ye!”
An Jing looked at this approachable new teacher.
Being this close, she could almost catch a whiff of her faint fragrance—somewhat like the scent of blooming rice flowers.
Wen Ye winked at An Jing, making the latter scoot her chair back awkwardly—otherwise, her face would soon be bumping right into Wen Ye’s chest.
“Studying is very important, but it’s not the most important thing in life. Everyone feels pressure, but don’t let it crush you—a little bit of pressure is good, but too much will make you break down. So, relax when you need to. If there’s something you just can’t do, and forcing yourself only brings pain, then you don’t have to do it.”
Wen Ye’s voice carried a bit of girlish cheer, yet also held a trace of mature calm.
It was soothing and reassuring.
“Actually, our education system doesn’t put much emphasis on students’ mental health, but you’ll see, once you enter society, knowledge isn’t the most important thing. Having an optimistic, cheerful mindset is what matters most, and junior high and high school are the key times to develop that mindset—don’t just bury your head in homework every day. You should look out at the scenery, go out and take a walk. You’ll never finish all your homework, but your life belongs to you.”
The students listened attentively.
Some licked their lips, as if wanting to ask questions or offer a rebuttal.
But Wen Ye anticipated their doubts and spoke up first: “Yes, everyone always says, if you want to be better than others, you have to study hard. But have you ever thought, if everyone wants to be better than others, does the upper part of the pyramid really have that many spots? Using grades as the only standard is already a mistake. Getting into high school or a good university might make your life a bit smoother, but just because you start working after junior high doesn’t mean your life is ruined—no such thing. Life is long, and no one knows what the future holds. Don’t see failure as something so terrifying, and don’t let parents’ or teachers’ harsh words push you over the edge. No matter what, you have to walk your own path. Don’t blow those little pressures out of proportion.”
***
(2)
The class meeting was essentially just Wen Ye chatting and heart-to-heart talks with everyone, but as time went on, more and more students started to join in—even interrupting her to chime in with their own thoughts.
And Wen Ye patiently answered every student’s question—the core message was simple: studying isn’t everything, and present failures don’t mean your life is destined for darkness.
“Teacher!”
“You, the girl over there—go ahead.”
“But if we don’t study hard, won’t life be tough and jobs be lousy? We’ll have to work long hours for little pay…”
“Thinking you’ll get everything just by studying hard—when you finally face reality, it’ll hit even harder.”
Wen Ye strolled unhurriedly over to Zhou Chao, then sat on the desk in front of him, gazing across at the girl sitting in the third group.
“Do you think you’re really talented at studying? The higher you go, the more talented people you’ll meet. In junior high, maybe you’re one of the top students. In high school, you’ll become just another average person. In college, you might even struggle to keep up—there will always be someone better than you. Do you really think you can climb all the way to the elite just by studying hard?”
“Then I’ll just compare myself to myself…do my very best.”
“If you genuinely enjoy it, then of course, go ahead. But if you’re already in agony, it’s better to give up. And when you push yourself to such extremes, sometimes the disappointment can be even greater.” Wen Ye stretched out a slender finger and gently poked Zhou Chao’s forehead, but her eyes still lingered on the girl. “You might graduate college, get a job, but it’s no better than anyone else’s, maybe even worse. By then, will you wonder if all those years of suffering were worth it?”
“T-Then are you saying we shouldn’t study?”
“Of course not. I mean, if you’re miserable, don’t torture yourself anymore—don’t embrace suffering. That idea that enduring hardship is a virtue is just wrong. People live for good things. If life is just for suffering, what’s the point?”
“Bitterness brings sweetness in the end?”
Zhou Chao chimed in.
“Bitterness doesn’t always lead to sweetness—sometimes, it just leads to the end.”
Wen Ye chuckled and shook her head.
“Zhou Chao, it’s like being in a relationship. If dating a girl is pure misery, would you endure it and trust things will magically improve after marriage?”
“Whoa~! Teacher, you know my name?”
“You, young playboy, are pretty famous in the teachers’ office, you know~”
“Ahem!”
“So, what’s your answer?”
“Of course I wouldn’t stick with it. If it’s that painful, how could it end well?”
“That’s right. If something makes you miserable, inside and out, it probably won’t end well—remember that, everyone. Your heart won’t lie to you.”
“Um…Teacher Ye, off-topic question.”
Fang Qiang suddenly raised his hand.
With Wen Ye’s encouraging look, he continued, “I’m planning to start working right after junior high. My relatives and friends all urge me to at least go to a technical or vocational school. So should I…”
“Do you really want to start working?”
“Yes…”
“Why?”
“My family needs money. I want to earn some.”
“Is that all?”
“Uh…I just like the feeling of earning money through work. It feels so fulfilling, even if I’m drenched in sweat, my mood’s still great.”
“Then go ahead and work! Do what you most want to do right now. Besides, it’s not like it’s illegal—I think what you really care about is a sense of self-worth, right?”
“Really? Actually, I do want to do this, but I always feel like people say it’s wasting my youth…”
“Wasting your youth means forcing yourself to do things you don’t like and suffering for it.”
Wen Ye hopped off the desk and walked over to Fang Qiang, giving his shoulder a solid pat.
“Youth is for trying all kinds of things. Once this age is gone, you’ll lose that sense of adventure where everything feels fresh and new.”
“Teacher Ye, you’re the first person to say this to me. I don’t know if you’re right, but I…ahem, I really like hearing it.”
“Right or not, that’s for you all to decide~”
Wen Ye gave a big, lazy stretch and laughed in a laid-back way.
The bell for the end of class rang out, but the students still felt unsatisfied.
It was rare to have a class that felt too short.
“Alright, take a break if you need one, go to the restroom if you just held it, or get up and move around. Next period, let’s chat about something fun—like, uh, relationships!”
“Whoa—”
“Yay—”
Some students whistled, some pretended to complain, but either way, everyone was excited for the next class—it sounded even more interesting than today’s topic.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.