“I’m sorry, Mrs. Sun. I must have mixed up the names when I was filling the registration form.”
Pulling her hair behind her ears, Zhou Tingting lifted her chin and looked at Fu Zhi gently.
Then, in a pleasant voice, she said, “Fu Zhi, this is a chance for us to show other people that Class 21 is not inferior to the other classes. If you withdraw from the competition right now, one entry quota will go down the drain, which is going to leave a bad impression. Therefore, as a member of our class, I’m sure you won’t let that happen, right?”
Sun Xia turned to look at Fu Zhi and got lost in thought.
The sunlight cast a warm yellow halo around the girl. She licked her lips, and her lovely eyes were veiled under her long, neatly-arranged eyelashes.
As she stared at the girl’s slender and tall figure, which was silhouetted against the sunlight, Zhou Tingting had no idea why but she felt her heart skip a beat.
It took her quite a while to come back to her senses and add, “You work very hard in class, and the competition is quite simple. I’m confident that if you put more effort into your preparation, it’ll be a breeze for you.”
“I know that,” Fu Zhi replied, drawing out her vowels. She raised her head and looked straight at Zhou Tingting, her unreadable expression sending a shiver down the latter’s spine. Then, she added in a faint voice, “I’m just worried that you won’t have a chance to shine if I participate.”
Zhou Tingting had heard about Fu Zhi’s background from Lu Yumo.
She had been kicked around from one orphanage to the other like a ball before finally ending up in a poor family. There had been no one to pay for her education, so she had never received any quality education before.
Therefore, Zhou Tingting was genuinely stunned. The growing fear in her heart dissipated, and she was tickled pink by Fu Zhi’s statement. She couldn’t help letting out a chuckle. “You’re worried that I might not have a chance to shine if you participate?”
Fu Zhi nodded and replied simply, “Yeah.”
Su Xing exclaimed softly beside Fu Zhi and felt a glow of pride in her heart.
However, Tian Nuo reacted differently. Her expression darkened, and she smashed her textbook against the table. “Hmph! Peasants are all the same. They are like the ignorant frog who glanced at the sky from the bottom of the well. They think they have the whole world to themselves, but what they don’t know is that the world is much bigger and there are many things that they have never seen before.
“Tingting has practiced her English from a young age, and she’s never scored less than 120 in an examination. How about you, Fu Zhi? What makes you think that you’re better than Tingting? Do you dare tell us your score?”
Zhou Tingting pulled at Tian Nuo and said hesitantly, “That’s enough, Nuonuo. Perhaps Fu Zhi is really better than me. We’re all in the same class, and so long as we can bring glory to our class, I don’t really care who’s the winner.”
Tian Nuo sneered, “Tingting, please don’t lower yourself to her level. You’re more capable and better than her. She’s nothing but a clown.”
“Silence!” Sun Xia smacked the table to stop the conversation. Then, she scolded her, “Do you think this is a wet market? Let’s start the lesson now. As for you, Fu Zhi, if you have any questions regarding the competition, come see me in the office after school.”
****
The public speaking competition would start in three days. Xu Wei heard from Lu Chuwan that Fu Zhi was going to take part in the competition. Therefore, she called her into her room to take her measurements, as she wanted to make her a dress.
Xu Wei would be turning 38 years old this year. She had a slender body, and her skin was fair. Since she took good care of her skin, she had the exuberance of a 20-year-old girl.
She was wearing a maroon qipao with golden flower embroidery that accentuated every curve and line of her body. Her hair fell naturally over her shoulders in silky curls and added to her charm, making her look positively bewitching.
Fu Zhi obediently raised her hands as she allowed Xu Wei to take her measurements.
“Even though it’s just a school competition, this is the first time mommy watches you from the audience seats. Therefore, we must treat it with great delicacy.”
Xu Wei put the measurement tape away and handed her draft to Fu Zhi.
It was a picture of a tulle bellflower dress.
Xu Wei said, “Mommy will add some rhinestones to your dress. I’m sure that you will be the most beautiful participant in the competition!”
“That sounds good to me,” Fu Zhi replied softly. “But I’m going to take part in an English public speaking competition. It has little to do with being beautiful.”
Xu Wei was speechless.
Then, with her brows tightly furrowed, she said, “I understand, but mommy doesn’t want you to look too bad when you lose the competition.”