On the day of the grade assembly, it was still early and there was a slight chill in the air. Students trickled into the venue one by one.
The first item of the grade assembly was the raising of the national flag.
Accompanied by the solemn national anthem, the flag - bearer unfurled the Five - Starred Red Flag in his hand. The bright red flag rose slowly, and all the teachers and students stood at attention, their gazes as sharp as torches.
A touch of Chinese red, a sea of patriotic feelings.
The second item of the grade assembly was a speech by the grade director.
The grade director stood on the podium and recounted the excellent achievements of the previous senior year students. He encouraged the current students to make persistent efforts and strive to maintain such good results.
Feeling bored at the end of the line, Lin Jinran looked up at the grade director of Wannan No.1 Middle School. It was a bit far away, and she couldn't see clearly.
She simply gave up and stood upright, recalling the types of wrong questions from last night in her mind.
She was a bit late in the morning. By the time she arrived, her class had already lined up. Lin Jinran sneaked to the end of the line.
Behind her were the head teacher and the teacher from the neighboring class. Zhou Ping was watching over the line.
Lin Jinran didn't see Su Qinian. As the class monitor, he should have been standing at the front.
On the podium, the grade director was speaking passionately, spouting words of inspiration.
The students below, rarely getting a chance to chat guilt - free, were whispering to each other.
"Lin Jinran, why are you still here?" Someone patted her on the back, interrupting Lin Jinran's train of thought.
She turned around. It was Su Qinian.
The boy was wearing the school uniform, which was mostly black with white accents on the shoulders and collar. His phoenix - like eyes were deep and unfathomable, and his browbones were strong. The early morning sun shone generously on him, making his features more distinct.
"I've been looking for you for a long time. It's time to go. Otherwise, when the grade director finishes his speech and doesn't see us." Su Qinian gave a helpless smile.
Lin Jinran nodded and was about to leave with Su Qinian.
Zhou Ping, who had been keeping an eye on the line, stopped Lin Jinran and asked in surprise, "Su Qinian, isn't it you who's supposed to give a self - criticism? Why are you taking Lin Jinran with you?"
"It's Lin Jinran." Su Qinian replied, omitting many details.
"This..."
Zhou Ping's suspicious gaze swept back and forth between the two of them. Finally, he sighed and waved his hand, allowing them to leave.
"It was clearly Su Qinian and that girl from the sophomore class. How could it be Lin Jinran?" Zhou Ping murmured softly. "Lin Jinran only reported to me in the last class. Could it be that the director made a mistake? But how could that be?"
...
When Su Qinian and Lin Jinran reached the side of the podium, the third item of the grade assembly, a speech by a student representative, had begun.
Due to Su Qinian's "misbehavior", the grade director, in a fit of anger, had asked the second - ranked student in the grade to give the speech.
The second - ranked student was a girl...
Lin Jinran looked up just as she was introducing herself.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Zhang Qiaozhi from Class One, Senior Three. I'm very honored to be standing here to speak..."
Coincidentally, wasn't this the girl who had approached her last night, hinting that she was familiar with Su Qinian?
Lin Jinran averted her gaze and calmly walked towards the grade director who had just stepped down from the podium.
"Which one of you two is going to give a self - criticism on stage first?" the grade director asked.
"I'll go first." Lin Jinran took the lead.
Su Qinian turned to look at her, his dark eyes filled with surprise and confusion.
The grade director nodded. He said with a sense of disappointment, "Su Qinian, you're already a senior in high school. Focus on your studies. Don't keep causing me trouble."
This remark... Su Qinian didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He hadn't done anything either.
Soon, Zhang Qiaozhi finished her speech. When she stepped down, she saw Lin Jinran and Su Qinian. Her face was calm, showing no sign of emotion.
Lin Jinran stepped onto the podium, picked up the microphone, and said, "Hello, everyone. Do you know why I'm standing here?"
The students below became interested and all looked up.
The grade director frowned and only then realized something was wrong. He questioned Su Qinian, "Doesn't she have a manuscript? Why isn't she even wearing the school uniform?"
Su Qinian didn't answer. He looked up at the girl on the podium.
The podium was bathed in golden sunlight. Lin Jinran was wearing a white T - shirt. Under that beam of light, the white T - shirt on her body was so bright that it almost hurt the eyes.
He couldn't see her face clearly. He could only vaguely make out her outline and figure, standing there tough and stubborn.
Lin Jinran let out a laugh, and the sound was transmitted through the microphone to every ear below.
"It's ridiculous. I'm standing here because of a misunderstanding about a confession. I'm not the girl who confessed. I'm just a passer - by, but I was misunderstood by the grade director and dragged here for self - criticism as a warning."
"This is the biggest joke I've encountered since I started school. Teachers always think they have absolute power. They try to suppress any budding romance in school."
"They think that in this way, we can study hard, get good grades, and get into a good university."
The students below were in an uproar.
The grade director was stunned. He pointed at the person on the stage and asked, "Then who is she?"
Su Qinian still didn't answer. He looked at her from afar, smiling softly. He didn't even know what he was smiling about.
Maybe he was laughing at his own misjudgment. Maybe the impression Lin Jinran left on him that night at the KTV was too vivid.
Lin Jinran wasn't a good student in the traditional sense of being obedient. She was proud and stubborn. All these adjectives fit her, but "spoiled" definitely didn't.
She was extremely determined and had her own ideas.
She was also brave enough to fight against the unfairness of fate in her own way.
Even if she failed, she would have no regrets.
The head teacher, Zhou Ping, had talked to him privately.
He only mentioned that Lin Jinran had good grades and hoped that he could help her with her studies so that she could quickly adapt to the learning model of No.1 Middle School.
Now it seemed that Zhou Ping had also misjudged.
Zhou Ping, who was standing at the back of the class line, was equally stunned.
"I haven't introduced myself yet. Hello, everyone. I'm Lin Jinran from Class One, Senior Three. I just transferred to this school yesterday morning. Unfortunately, on the second day of my transfer, you all got to know me in this way."
The grade director was dumbfounded, and his face changed color.
The students below stopped their playfulness and all looked up to see how this farce would end.
Lin Jinran took a few steps forward. Her eyes slanted upwards, and she said nonchalantly, "The grade director asked me to write a self - criticism about puppy love. Of course, I didn't write it, and I will never write such a thing. Boccaccio once said that true love can inspire people and awaken the slumbering power and hidden talents in their hearts."
"Am I right? As students from a well - known key high school in the country, we know exactly what we want. Because of the grade director's unreasonable request, I started to think. Is puppy love among high school students really as terrifying as the teachers say?"