The next morning, Xu Youyou got out of bed with great difficulty. She quickly showered, changed, and went downstairs to meet Teacher Kang, who was stretching his limbs while waiting.
Xu Youyou called out politely, “Good morning, Teacher Kang.”
Teacher Kang turned around and responded with a smile, “Good morning.”
Teacher Kang had taught a lot of students over the years. Some were hardworking but not talented, and some were talented but not hardworking. Xu Youyou was one of the rare few that were both hardworking and talented. For this reason, he gave more care and advice to Xu Youyou compared to other students.
Teacher Kang pointed to the west and said, “There are still many students who’ve yet to wake up so you can go and have breakfast first. There’s a shop there; the food there’s not bad.”
Xu Youyou bowed slightly. “Alright. Thank you, Teacher Kang.”
…
When Xu Youyou arrived, she saw a few breakfast places. They were no different from the ones in Mo City. She randomly entered one of the shops and quickly finished her food. She walked around for a while before she returned to the hotel. When she arrived, she saw that everyone was finally present.
At this moment, Teacher Kang was scolding them for being lazy. Then, he told them to buy breakfast and eat it on the go. Apart from that, he also praised Xu Youyou.
Xu Youyou smiled. She did not say much and went to her room to get her art supply bag. After making sure she did not leave anything behind, she went downstairs again.
…
Teacher Kang brought everyone to a bridge in the heart of the town. There were many people milling about on the streets.
Everyone found a place to sit before they brought their easels and canvases out and began to draw.
The temperature in the morning was very low. Everyone’s legs were shaking from the cold, and they kept breathing into their hands to warm them up.
Xu Youyou found a seat under a willow tree in a remote place. Then, she began to draw seriously. It was as though she was unaffected by the cold.
When Teacher Kang saw how focused Xu Youyou was, a hint of appreciation flashed in his eyes. When he turned around and saw two students who were busy chatting, he could not help but say with a hint of reproach, “Focus on drawing! It’s not that cold. Look at Xu Youyou. Not a word of complaint from her about the cold. You can’t even compare to a young girl like her…”
The boy glanced at Xu Youyou and said with a smile, “How can we compare to her when she’s not normal to begin with?”
“What nonsense are you spouting?” Teacher Kang lightly knocked the boy’s head.
A girl sitting next to the boy could not help but speak up for Xu Youyou. “Hey, didn’t you try to strike up a conversation with Youyou previously? Just because she ignored you, you deliberately slander her.”
Although the female students in the class were not close with Xu Youyou, they did not have any conflict with her. Moreover, whenever they asked for her help, she would readily agree.
“Bullsh*t!” The boy said confidently, “What I said is true. A relative of mine used to be classmates with Xu Youyou. I heard from her that Xu Youyou has been abnormal since she was young. When she was four to five years old, she was locked up at home and not allowed to go out. When she was in school, no children would play with her.”
The girl retorted, “So what? Perhaps, her parents are just overly worried about her so they didn’t allow her to go out. You said no one played with her at school? Doesn’t that mean the other children were isolating her? Why is it her fault?”
The boy really did not think Xu Youyou was normal. He continued to say, “I also heard that she fell sick and tried to commit suicide. Later on, she spent a lot of money to get into a private school before she was finally accepted by the university.”
Teacher Kang looked at Xu Youyou with a thoughtful and curious expression on his face.
The girl retorted again, “So what? If I were surrounded by people who love to gossip like you, I’d feel so depressed that I want to die as well!”
“You!”
Before the boy could finish speaking, the girl, who found him annoying, brought her easel away and left to sit with another classmate.