"Guoguo is right," Chang Hui nodded in agreement, thinking back to her speech on stage, she felt that she wasn’t the same person who used to be too scared to speak English!
Without Xu Nianhua’s encouragement, she wouldn’t even dream of getting a scholarship, let alone stand on stage—she probably couldn’t have spoken a single sentence.
"Me too," Fei Jiayi was also very, very grateful to Xu Nianhua, she excitedly said, "You don’t know, my aunt praised me, saying I’ve improved tremendously!"
"Oh, my aunt is Fei Meishu, Professor Fei, the one who was talking to Professor Jenniel," Fei Jiayi explained excitedly, for it was not easy to earn her aunt’s praise.
In the past, when she was trying to get into Beining University, her aunt had helped her a lot with English, and in the end, she barely made it in by just a few points.
In her aunt’s words, she had no talent for languages.
But she, supposedly without any talent, had managed to come in seventh place, and she felt an extraordinary sense of satisfaction.
"Keep it up, three parts gift, seven parts effort, even the best talents require diligence!" Xu Nianhua praised, jokingly saying, "How can you just thank me with words? Shouldn’t you treat me to a meal?"
Her words were purely in jest.
Who would have known that her suggestion would receive everyone’s agreement, and in the evening, they all went to a restaurant near the school for a big feast.
The restaurants near the university were cheap and served generous portions, so whenever they had had enough of the bland food at school, they would occasionally all go out for a big meal together.
"We of dorm 302 are the best!" Fei Jiayi, holding an orange soda, imitated the gesture of drinking beer, downing one cup after another.
"Right, we of dorm 302 are the best!"
Ding Guo, who was always lively with people, cheered and clinked glasses with Fei Jiayi as soon as she initiated.
Everyone was exceptionally happy for having achieved the ranks they desired.
Even Liao Jinling and Chang Hui joined in on their mutual boasting.
Xu Nianhua and Zhou Wanwan sat next to each other, and she asked, "Wanwan, have you finished reading that English book you were looking at the other time?"
"I’ll lend it to you," Zhou Wanwan, who spoke very little, had the lowest profile in their dormitory, exuding an aura of books and poetry, an elegance she carried—something Nianhua especially liked about her.
Xu Nianhua’s eyes curved in a smile, watching Ding Guo and the others chat happily, she quietly asked, "Your uncle and aunt are teachers, aren’t they?"
"Yes," Zhou Wanwan nodded. Although she didn’t talk much in the dormitory, she never missed any dormitory group activities.
When Zhou Wanwan started talking about her father and mother, she opened up, "My parents used to be teachers, they were very strict with me since I was little. As a child, my days were filled with memorizing and copying poems—I never stopped even during the toughest years."
Xu Nianhua thought to herself that this was how a top student was made, and she asked, "Your uncle and aunt aren’t by any chance teachers at Beining University...?"
Before she could finish, Xu Nianhua thought that impossible; Zhou Wanwan had always lived at school, and if her parents really were teachers at Beining University, living in the same dorm, surely she would know.
"No," Zhou Wanwan’s expression fell slightly, she said, "My parents’ health declined a few years ago, and they stopped teaching. They now live in the suburbs."
"Sorry," Xu Nianhua immediately apologized, realizing she might have touched upon a sensitive topic for Zhou Wanwan.
"No need to apologize, my parents just can’t overwork themselves now. They spend their days at home taking care of the flowers, plants, and the vegetable garden—they’re living quite happily now," Zhou Wanwan shared with her classmates for the first time about her parents.