Born in the 1980s, she was remarried and became a stepmother; a cold, rough man doted on her, pinchi

Chapter 206 Frustration
When Shi Ning's plane landed on foreign soil, she was immediately surrounded by the cacophony of foreign languages.

She dragged her luggage, searching through the crowd for the school-arranged airport pickup personnel.

"Excuse me, are you here to pick me up? I'm Shi Ning." Shi Ning saw an uncle holding a sign with her name on it and walked up to him politely to ask.

The middle-aged man smiled and nodded: "That's right, young lady, welcome! You must be tired from your journey, let me help you with your things."

"Thank you so much, the journey was quite smooth."

Shi Ning smiled and followed the uncle toward the parking lot.

On the way, the uncle enthusiastically introduced the local weather and customs, and Shi Ning listened attentively, occasionally asking a few questions.

After arriving at the school dormitory and unpacking her luggage, Shi Ning decided to take a stroll around the campus.

A senior student carrying books walked towards them, and Shi Ning quickly went up to ask for directions: "Excuse me, senior, how do I get to the library?"

The senior student stopped and smiled, pointing out directions: "Go straight along this road, turn right when you see the fountain, and you'll get there. You're a freshman, right?"

"Yes, I just arrived today and I'm not very familiar with the campus yet."

"Then you can ask me anything you don't understand. The library has a lot of information. If you have trouble finding a book, you can also ask the librarian," the senior student added enthusiastically.

"Thank you so much, I understand much better now!" Shi Ning thanked her senior and headed towards the library.

After visiting the library, Shi Ning got hungry and went to the school cafeteria.

Looking at the various unfamiliar dishes on the menu, she was a little confused. At this moment, her classmate next to her spoke up: "You seem unsure what to eat? The burgers here are very good, and this pasta has a very authentic sauce."

"That sounds good, I was just deciding. I'll try the burger then, thanks!" Shi Ning said with a smile.

"You're welcome. You're an international student, right? You'll get used to the food here eventually," the classmate waved friendly.

After finishing her meal and returning to her dorm, Shi Ning met her roommate, a girl from the United States named Amy.

"Hi, hello! I'm Amy, it's great to be your roommate!" Amy greeted warmly.

"Hello Amy, I'm Shi Ning. Please take care of me from now on."

"Wow, I've always been interested in China. Tell me, is China like the movies I see, full of kung fu masters?" Amy asked with a curious look.

Shi Ning chuckled: "Haha, the movie exaggerates a bit. But Chinese Kung Fu does have a long history, and many people practice it for health and fitness."

"That's so cool! I really want to have the chance to learn it. By the way, there's a freshman welcome party tomorrow, shall we go together?" Amy suggested.

“Great! I was just worried about not knowing the school’s activity schedule. It’s so good to have you guide me!” Shi Ning readily agreed.

That evening, Shi Ning sat at the table sending an email home. Amy leaned over and said, "Are you contacting your family? I often video chat with my parents too; they're always worried about me when I'm away from home."

"Yes, let them know I'm safe and sound, so they can rest assured," Shi Ning said as she typed. "I'll tell them about the interesting things that happened today, like ordering food in the cafeteria. Luckily, some classmates helped me with recommendations, otherwise I wouldn't have known what to eat."

"Haha, I know that feeling. I was totally lost when I first went to another country for an exchange program. But I adapted quickly."

Amy patted Shi Ning on the shoulder.

After sending the email, Shi Ning took out an English novel to read.

Upon seeing the book title, Amy excitedly exclaimed, "I've read this book too! Which character is your favorite?"

“I find the protagonist’s adventurous spirit particularly touching. What about you?” Shi Ning put down her book and started discussing with Amy. “I like that supporting character. Although he doesn’t have many scenes, he’s very resourceful and has helped the protagonist escape danger several times.”

The two chatted back and forth, exchanging their opinions on the plot of the book, and before they knew it, it was late at night.

Shi Ning lay in bed, reflecting on the day's events, her heart filled with anticipation for the future.

She whispered to herself, "I'm ready for a new life."

The next morning, Shi Ning got up early, washed up, had a simple breakfast, and then, carrying her textbooks and notebooks, headed to the teaching building according to the timetable.

Today is her first day of formal classes, and she is both excited and a little nervous.

Upon entering the classroom, Shi Ning chose a seat by the window. The students around her were chatting enthusiastically, but she felt somewhat out of place.

Just then, a blond, blue-eyed boy sat down next to her and greeted her in a friendly manner: "Hi, I'm Tom. Are you new here?"

Shi Ning quickly replied, "Yes, I'm Shining. Nice to meet you." After a brief exchange, the class bell rang.

The professor walked into the classroom and, without much small talk, began his lecture.

The course was "Advanced English Literature Appreciation," and the professor lectured with great passion, but Shi Ning gradually found it difficult to keep up.

The professor spoke extremely fast and occasionally quoted obscure literary allusions. The combination of those familiar words left her completely bewildered.

"Class, who can analyze the symbolism used by the author in this passage?" the professor asked, pointing to a passage on the PowerPoint slide.

Shi Ning stared at the dense English text, her brain racing, trying to find clues from the professor's explanation, but her mind was in complete chaos.

She glanced furtively at her classmates, who were all raising their hands and speaking enthusiastically. Their fluent English made Shi Ning even more anxious.

After finally getting through the class, during the break, Tom asked with concern, "Shining, are you okay? You seemed a little lost in class."

Shi Ning smiled bitterly and said, "Yeah, the professor speaks too fast and the content is quite difficult. I'm not sure I can keep up."

Tom comforted: "Don't worry. It takes some time to get used to. You can borrow my notes if you need."

Shi Ning said gratefully, "That's very kind of you. Thank you so much."

However, the next class was equally challenging.

This is a discussion class on international relations. The professor asked students to discuss recent international hot topics in groups and express their own opinions.

Shi Ning was assigned to a group, but when everyone was having a heated discussion, she found it difficult to keep up with their train of thought.

Students from different countries, drawing on their respective cultural backgrounds and perspectives, clashed fiercely, with various professional terms and complex political ideologies leaving her unable to get a word in edgewise.

“Shining, what’s your opinion?” a classmate in the group suddenly asked.

Shi Ning tensed up immediately and stammered, "Well, I think..."

Before she could even organize her thoughts, the other students started a new round of discussion.

Shi Ning frowned in frustration.

She didn't expect to feel lonely, which may be largely due to the language barrier, but there's nothing she can do about it.