"I heard that something seems to have happened with the Leng family. He probably won’t be coming for the next few days," Dai Niantong said.
At that moment, the girl sitting to Dai Niantong’s right raised her eyebrows, catching Dai Niantong’s attention. Dai Niantong frowned and looked at the girl beside her.
"Are you new here? I haven’t seen you before."
The girl smiled, revealing two small dimples on her cheeks, which made her look incredibly sweet.
"Hello everyone, my name is Yan Lu."
"So you’re the top student from Chunzhou everyone’s been talking about."
This year, Lanya Group had spent a considerable sum recruiting nine top students from various provinces, and Yan Lu was among them.
Yan Lu blinked her eyes and said, "So I’m that famous, huh?"
Dai Niantong let out a soft chuckle.
This girl’s beauty and demeanor couldn’t compare to Qin Xiangge’s and Gao Yuyue’s, but she had a kind of endearing sweetness that made it easy to bridge the distance between girls.
"You may be the top student in Chunzhou, but it might not hold true here. I hope you’re prepared for that."
Yan Lu smiled brightly and replied, "Really? I’m looking forward to it."
Just then, the host took the stage, and the entire venue fell silent.
The process was somewhat dull. Dai Niantong stifled a yawn, noticing no one was watching her, and closed her eyes for a moment.
It wasn’t until the host announced that the representative of the new students would deliver a speech that Dai Niantong snapped awake.
In the first row, Qin Xiangge subtly lifted her chin, her elegant yet gentle smile gracing her face. However, behind her autumn-water-like eyes, there was a fleeting chill resembling silver frost under a cold moon.
Jiang Shengyao rested his head on his hand, looking slightly bored. The group sure liked taking the easy way out.
How could Shen You’an be qualified to represent all the new students?
When Shen You’an’s name was announced, it sparked a small commotion in the crowd.
A slender figure stepped out from behind the curtain, walking to the podium on one side of the stage.
The vast auditorium instantly fell silent.
"Hello, everyone. I’m Shen You’an." The young woman’s cool voice echoed throughout every corner of the hall.
"It’s a pleasure to reunite with all of you this autumn."
The stage lights dimmed, leaving only a spotlight encompassing the girl. Surrounded by boundless darkness, she stood calmly, bathed in a golden beam of light.
Countless pairs of eyes quietly gazed at the elevated stage, at the peak they admired but might never be able to reach.
To some, she was a competitor.
To others, she was the beacon they pursued on their naive road of youth.
She didn’t possess earth-shattering beauty, yet her soul sparkled like a luminous gem.
Beauty invariably fades with time, but a poised and confident soul can shine throughout a lifetime, illuminating the path for future generations.
Shen You’an’s impromptu speech avoided stirring slogans, hollow praises, or motivational platitudes. Instead, she spoke gently and composedly, as if sharing a warm story on a lazy afternoon.
On everyone’s road of youth, there are worries and dilemmas that one can’t openly talk about—sleepless nights of unrequited love, fragile and awkward friendships born from a fear of loneliness, suffocating academic pressures, or the oppressive tensions of an original family...
If the foundation of someone’s heart is joy, then upon arriving here, how much of that joy remains? Life is a mixture of emotions, and reaching this point, one has tasted a little of everything. But for the long road ahead, what kind of attitude should one adopt to face it?
Very few ever figure it out. Most are nudged ahead by their parents or teachers, unaware of what they truly want—or the reasons behind their journey. They drift along like water following a current.
When the realization finally dawns upon them, it’s already too late, and regrets set in.
Shen You’an hoped their youth would be free of regrets.
No need to overthink, just live in the present.
She concluded her speech with a poem by Kahlil Gibran: "I Have Seven Times Despised My Soul."
"I have seven times despised my soul."
"The first time, when it could have soared, yet chose instead to crouch in complacency."
"The second time, when it filled a vacant void with lustful cravings."
"The third time, when it preferred the easier path over the more challenging one."
"The fourth time, when it committed a wrong but comforted itself by seeing others commit the same."
"The fifth time, when it shrank in weakness, yet falsely perceived this weakness as its strength."
"The sixth time, when it looked with disdain upon an ugly face, unaware that it was its own mask."
"The seventh time, when it entered the mire of life, yet hesitated to engage, while still unwilling to leave."