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

Chapter 207 International Students

After class, Shi Ning was filled with dejection. She silently packed up her books, her movements slow and heavy.

She felt like an outsider in this brand-new learning environment. Every classmate's lively conversation and fluent speech in class seemed to remind her that she didn't fit in.

Just as she was immersed in her low mood, a hand gently patted her shoulder. She subconsciously turned around and saw Amy's caring smiling face.

"Hey, Shi Ning, you don't seem to be in a good mood, what's wrong?"

Amy's voice was clear and warm, like a ray of light shining into Shi Ning's somewhat gloomy world.

Shi Ning smiled wryly, a helpless smile curving her lips, as she poured out all her frustrations about not understanding the lessons and not being able to join the discussions: "I feel like there's a huge gap between us. They seem to know all that knowledge so well, but I'm completely lost and my mind is a mess."

As she spoke, a hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes.

Amy smiled and comforted her, "Don't worry, it's only the first day of class. Everyone goes through this. When I first enrolled, I also felt that the course content was like a book written in heaven. The professor spoke so fast that I couldn't keep up at all, and I couldn't get a word in edgewise during discussions. I felt like I was mute. But I gradually got used to it, and you can definitely do it too. Come on, I'll take you to a nice place to relax."

As she spoke, Amy affectionately took Shi Ning's arm and pulled her outside.

Amy led Shi Ning to the school garden. As soon as they entered the garden, they were greeted by lush green trees and dense foliage that blocked some of the sunlight, creating dappled patterns of light and shadow.

Flowers of all colors bloom freely, filling the air with fragrance, and a gentle breeze carries a touch of sweetness.

On the lawn, many students were sitting or lying down, some reading quietly, others chatting enthusiastically, with laughter and chatter rising and falling.

They found a quiet corner to sit down, and the tranquility around them helped Shi Ning relax her tense nerves a little.

"Actually, there's a little trick to overcoming these difficulties: communicate more with your classmates. Don't be afraid of making mistakes; everyone is very friendly."

Amy looked at Shi Ning earnestly, her eyes full of sincerity. "Just like in a discussion class, you can learn about some related topics in advance, prepare your own viewpoints, and it's best to make a simple outline. This way, you can be more organized and participate better during the discussion."

Shi Ning nodded thoughtfully: "Yes, you're right. I was just too nervous. But those technical terms and complex theories are really hard for me to understand. I've looked at the materials repeatedly, but I still only have a vague understanding of a concept."

"That's easy. The library has many introductory books on the subject. We can borrow them together and build a solid foundation first. Also, I know a few top students in this field. They're all very nice people. I'll introduce you to them. If you don't understand something, just ask them. They'll explain it to you clearly."

Amy enthusiastically offered suggestions, gesturing with her hands as she spoke.

With Amy's encouragement, Shi Ning felt much better.

The next morning, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, Amy tiptoed out of bed, went to Shi Ning's bedside, and gently patted her: "Shi Ning, wake up, let's go to class early today."

Shi Ning sat up sleepily, and seeing Amy's energetic appearance, she also perked up and quickly washed up.

When they arrived at the classroom, Amy, familiar with the place, helped Shi Ning secure a seat in the front row.

“Sitting in the front row allows you to hear the professor more clearly and makes it easier to ask questions. When the professor is lecturing, there’s a lot of eye contact, which helps you stay focused and prevents you from getting distracted,” Amy said to Shi Ning as she sat down.

During class, the professor asked a question. Shi Ning hesitated for a moment, her heart pounding like a deer's, and her palms sweating with nervousness.

She glanced at Amy, who was looking at her encouragingly and secretly giving her a thumbs up. Shi Ning gritted her teeth and raised her hand anyway.

Although her answer was somewhat hesitant and her voice trembled slightly from nervousness, the professor still smiled and encouraged her: "That's a good answer. It's excellent that you can think about the problem from this perspective."

After class, Amy jumped up excitedly and hugged Shi Ning tightly: "See, you succeeded by taking the first step bravely! Keep it up! I knew you could do it!" For the discussion class, Amy and Shi Ning made thorough preparations in advance. They spent several hours in the library, consulting a large amount of information, from the school's database to various academic websites, and even found relevant news reports.

Back in the dorm, the two sat down at the table and went over their points one after another, even simulating asking each other questions and imagining all sorts of possible questions.

The atmosphere in the classroom was lively during the discussion, with students freely expressing their opinions. Amy kept giving Shi Ning meaningful glances, encouraging her to speak.

“Shi Ning, don’t you have a unique perspective on this? Share it with everyone,” Amy said at the opportune moment.

Shi Ning took a deep breath and mustered her courage to say, "I think that from the perspective of our country's cultural traditions, this model of international cooperation may need some adjustments..."

At first, she was a little nervous, her voice trembled slightly, and her sentences were not very coherent, but seeing the encouraging looks from Amy and her classmates, she gradually relaxed, her thoughts became clearer, and her expression became more fluent.

She spoke eloquently about her views, and also analyzed them using real-world examples from China.

After the discussion, the students all looked at Shi Ning with approval, and several students gathered around her, exchanging ideas with her.

"Your point of view is novel, allowing me to see this issue from a completely new perspective."

"Yes, I didn't expect that combining different cultural backgrounds could lead to such different perspectives."

Shi Ning was overjoyed. She looked at Amy gratefully and said, "I definitely couldn't have done it if it weren't for you."

Amy smiled and waved her hand: "It's all thanks to your own hard work. I just helped out a little. By the way, there's a study group activity this weekend. It's all top students from various majors. Let's go together. We're sure to learn a lot."

Over the weekend, Amy brought Shi Ning to the place where the study group was holding its activities.

It was a spacious and bright activity room. As soon as you entered, you could see several students sitting together discussing a problem. The table was piled with all kinds of books and materials.

"Hi everyone, this is my friend Shi Ning. She's a new international student," Amy introduced enthusiastically.

The students greeted him warmly, and one of the boys, named Jack, said with a smile, "Welcome to the team! Feel free to ask me any questions, and we'll solve them together. Here, there are no silly questions, only a thirst for knowledge."

During the event, Shi Ning raised a question she had encountered in her literature class, concerning the complex metaphors and symbols in some classical literary works.

Jack and his classmates shared their opinions and recommended some relevant research materials and interpretive books.

"In fact, to understand these metaphors and symbols, the key is to understand the author's historical context and cultural environment."

Jack patiently explained, "For example, this work was created during a period of social change. The author used these seemingly obscure images to express his critique of the current social situation and his expectations for the future. I recommend a few books to you, which contain detailed analyses. You can take a look first."

As he spoke, Jack wrote down a few book titles on a piece of paper and handed it to Shi Ning.

Shi Ning took careful notes, her heart filled with gratitude. After the event, Shi Ning and Amy walked back to their dormitory.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on them, casting long shadows.

"Today was so rewarding; it felt like my thinking was suddenly opened up. Questions that I couldn't figure out before now seem to have a direction."

"Yes, that's how it is when you communicate with outstanding people; you can learn a lot. And look, everyone is happy to help you, so don't worry about falling behind. No matter what difficulties you encounter in the future, I'll be there for you."