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Chapter 564: Chapter 364: I Have More of That Than You!_2
"I’m called Si Yu," she said, "and this little Jinli fish goes with my Yu, so it should be mine. As for my sister, you can have the Cloud jade pendant."
Her sister, Chen Siqing, was not pleased at all upon hearing this.
Actually, the Cloud jade pendant was quite pretty. Had she not seen the Jinli, she would have definitely chosen the Cloud, but now, she wanted the Jinli.
Chen Siqing pondered for a moment and then retorted, "Do you know why you’re named Si Yu? Because you lack the Water element, so Mom and Dad named you Si Yu." 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝔬𝔪
"Without enough water, you can’t keep the fish alive!"
Bai Yuxia watched their argument, feeling speechless, ’Are they just making things up to fool each other?’
Chen Si Yu, however, was not going to be easily persuaded by such fabricated reasoning and protested, "I don’t lack water; I have plenty of it."
Bai Yuxia: ’...’
Chen Si Yu: "Sister, you’re not suited for the Jinli!"
Chen Siqing, unwilling to concede, argued her case.
Since they were twins, neither could outdo the other. In the end, with no other choice, Chen Si Yu went to Jiang Ning, frustrated, and asked,
"Who’s got more between me and my sister?"
Jiang Ning was silent for a moment before responding, "How would I know?"
...
By the end of evening self-study, the two still hadn’t determined who would get the Jinli Jade Pendant.
In the end, it was Bai Yuxia who suggested that they should wait until the finished pendant was out before making a choice. Thus, the sisters reconciled.
Just before class ended, Homeroom Teacher Shan Qingrong came to the classroom for a walk-through. He wore his signature trousers and a white shirt tucked into his belt, sporting the distinctive beer belly of a middle-aged man.
Upon leaving, he happened upon the Grade Director, Mr. Yan.
Shan Qingrong greeted him.
Director Yan invited him, "Lao Shan, are you free tonight? How about going out for a couple of drinks?"
Had Shan Qingrong encountered a regular Grade Director, he might have declined politely.
Generally speaking, a Grade Director sounds impressive, but in reality, they have no rank; it’s just a title.
However, Director Yan was not simply a Grade Director but also the Deputy Principal of Yuzhou Fourth Middle School. Among the one hundred or so staff members, he was one of the foremost figures.
During the last school celebration, the well-known alumnus Lin Han was his guest at Fourth Middle School, and Shao Shuangshuang, the CEO of Evergreen Liquid, had been his student.
Shan Qingrong quickly agreed, "Sure, I was just thinking of having a drink. Let me call home first."
And so, the two of them left the school together.
Director Yan usually had a stern face, very serious and quite intimidating, but tonight, he had a smile.
As a local and having taught at Fourth Middle School for many years, Director Yan was exceedingly familiar with the area. He didn’t go far and found an old restaurant that was still open at night.
They ordered three dishes and also some drinks.
When chatting with Shan Qingrong, Director Yan dropped the formalities. Being a leader whose words were congenial made Shan Qingrong feel right at home.
After a few rounds of drinks, Director Yan spoke with a sense of lament, "Lao Shan, you have no idea how hard it is for me in this position!"
After a few heartfelt words, Director Yan casually mentioned, "We got a new transfer student today. I see your Class 8 isn’t too crowded, so I’ll assign them there."
Shan Qingrong had already guessed that Director Yan definitely had something he wanted, and now the man had tipped his hand. However, how could Shan Qingrong decline when the man had lowered himself so much?
Shan Qingrong cheerfully agreed, "Sure, we’ll take them in our Class 8!"
"But, I have to say one thing: they must not affect our class’s Xue Yuantong and Jiang Ning—we’re counting on them to top the exams!"
Seeing that he agreed, Director Yan felt much more at ease, "That’s right, they can’t be affected."
"Let’s drink!"
...
On Monday, Class 8 was rather ordinary; everyone studied steadily.
Just before evening self-study, in the teachers’ office, in front of Director Yan’s desk, there was a new 16- or 17-year-old boy.
Director Yan looked at the student before him, softening the hard lines on his face, and spoke in a gentle voice,
"Xiao Gang, from now on, you’ll study here at Fourth Middle School."
Duan Shigang was particularly earnest; he quickly expressed his gratitude, "Mr. Yan, thank you, thank you so much!"
This Mr. Yan was extraordinary; his father had taken a lot of effort, seeking help from an old teacher in their village, and finally secured a connection to arrange for him to attend Fourth Middle School on a transfer basis.
Fourth Middle School was a provincial model high school, and with Duan Shigang’s score of fewer than 400 points on the middle school exam, it would have been near impossible without connections.
Mr. Yan stood up, looking at the young man before him. He patted Duan Shigang on the shoulder,
"I understand your situation; your dad met with me the day before yesterday and we talked a lot. I can’t manage what happened in the past, but now that you’re at our Fourth Middle School, study hard and don’t waste your father’s efforts."
Duan Shigang didn’t need the reminder; he had resolved to study seriously. After working a few months outside, the life he had led was barely human. After being roughed up by society, he realized how hard earning money was.
And then there was Mr. Yan, sitting in a spacious office, enjoying air conditioning and sipping tea—how comfortable?
"Mr. Yan, I will definitely study hard and strive to improve every day," Duan Shigang promised.
Mr. Yan continued, "You’ll join Class 8 of the first year. It’s a good class."
In fact, the best class was the experimental class. If he really wanted to, he could have arranged for Duan Shigang to join the experimental class, but their connections weren’t that close; he wasn’t about to do that.
"Thank you, Mr. Yan!" Duan Shigang said.
Shan Qingrong entered from outside, and upon seeing him, Mr. Yan immediately called out, "Lao Shan, this is the student I talked about last night; all the paperwork is sorted. Take him to your class."
It was then that Shan Qingrong got a good look at the student. After going back home the night before, he had guessed what kind of student Mr. Yan had arranged for him—one with probably not such great academic performance.
He looked the student over and quickly gauged what he was dealing with.
Having agreed, Shan Qingrong naturally couldn’t go back on his word. His demeanor remained as before, "Your name is Duan Shigang, right?"
