A Young Woman's Heart

Only then did all the students in the classroom realize that their homeroom teacher had already entered the classroom.

It seemed that Ye Wen hadn't had enough fun during the winter break. She tilted her head, yawned, and mumbled something like "I want to sleep a little longer." She plopped down on the cold, hard chair, propped herself up on her elbows, and yawned several times towards the podium.

One classroom after another quieted down as their homeroom teachers entered.

Of course, this quietness is only relative; in reality, it is still filled with rustling sounds.

Under the dim sky, creamy snowflakes danced in the wind.

"Ahem..." The principal's deep, slightly weathered, and magnetic voice came from the classroom speakers.

"Dear senior high school students, you are about to start school early, and from today onwards, your final semester of high school will begin. The pressure of studying will be heavier, but the school will also arrange some activities to help you relax. I hope you can adjust yourselves well and, while staying focused, not put too much pressure on yourselves..."

Mo Kong usually finishes his speeches very briefly, but today he spoke much more.

However, perhaps because they were sitting in a classroom, everyone didn't feel much about the 'long' speech. Everyone was doing their own thing, basically listening to half and forgetting the other half.

"The college entrance examination may not be the most important crossroads in your life, but for most students, it is one of the most important choices. Compared to many other things, it offers a greater chance to change one's social class in this country. In the future, such opportunities may become fewer and fewer. At that time, even if you get into a top university, you may not be able to change your social class much, because social class will inevitably become more and more solidified over time."

Mo Xueyao always felt that the principal was saying some incredible truth, the kind of truth that shouldn't be said in certain countries and on certain occasions.

Of course, these words would be perfectly reasonable if they were spoken in Japan, the capitalist country where he once studied. Perhaps he was simply applying his past experiences here.

……

(two)

"...Alright, that concludes my speech. I hope all senior high school students can continue to forge ahead in this final semester."

The broadcast stopped, and the students' noise seemed to pick up a few more times.

Ye Wen, who had fallen asleep on the table, suddenly woke up a few minutes later. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and stood up unsteadily: "Alright, alright, those who need to catch up on their homework can continue. There are no classes today; it's a special time for you to catch up on your homework. Also, some extra textbooks will be distributed—Li Hongran, you take all the boys to the academic affairs office to collect their textbooks and workbooks..."

"Okay, it's the boys, come with me!" Since she wasn't in such a hurry to finish her homework, Li Hongran felt much more relaxed. She immediately put down her homework, walked to the classroom door, and shouted at the boys.

"This scene feels so familiar," Mo Xueyao muttered, resting her chin on her hand, her voice so soft that only she could hear it.

But this powerful shout from Li Hongran will probably be the last time we hear it.

She slowly twirled the pen, unable to resist gently biting her lip.

Being sentimental is perhaps a privilege reserved for girls.

Even when she felt sadness, she would subconsciously suppress these negative emotions because of societal expectations that men should be strong.

A group of boys marched out of the classroom and soon returned, each carrying a stack of books.

In the last semester, even the number of draft notebooks doubled compared to previous years, not to mention all sorts of other notebooks.

The exercise books were also changed to the form of test papers, with each subject consisting of a thick stack, bound together according to the different subjects.

"Pack your things properly. Then you can put your things in your own lockers. Okay, Wanyan, go and put these name tags on them according to your student ID numbers. Everyone should put their things in according to their own names. Don't put them in random places. There will definitely be a lot of things later, so remember to organize them well and don't lose anything..."

……

(three)

There's always a lot to say on the first day of school.

Ye Wen also changed from standing back to sitting: "From now on, we'll have a test every week. Each subject will be tested in turn. There will be three tests during self-study on Friday afternoon, and then three more during self-study on Monday evening. The test time is quite tight, unlike large-scale exams that give you as much time as you would. Everyone has to make the most of the time when writing the questions. Well, that's basically how it is in our senior year of high school: test, then explain the questions, then test again, then explain the questions again, with some review of key points, difficult points, and points you made mistakes interspersed in between..."

With nothing else to do, Mo Xueyao rested her chin on her arm and listened lazily as Zhou Yong sent back her math winter break homework.

"Okay, then tomorrow we will organize physical examinations. After the examinations, you can move around freely on the playground or go to the swimming pool. If you want to go to the pool, remember to bring your swimsuit and remember to warm up before you go into the water." Even for the senior year of high school with its tight schedule, Yukong High School gives students plenty of time to adjust. "In other words, today and tomorrow, everyone can relax and get back into the swing of things. After the winter break, school will officially start the day after tomorrow. On Saturday and Sunday, we will have classes like Monday and Tuesday. Then, Saturday will be used for an entrance test to see how much of your knowledge you have forgotten."

"Pfft—" Many students burst into laughter.

Although that is the truth.

"The other thing is that the class schedule has been adjusted. Our class times remain the same, but the evening self-study time has been extended to nine o'clock."

"what--"

"How could this happen!"

"Damn it, I'm late again!"

As expected, the classroom was filled with complaints.

"Although it's delayed, you actually have more rest time after your last class. From 4:45 to 6:00, it's all rest time, so you can eat more leisurely without rushing. The main reason is that some students have mentioned that many times after buying food outside, they only have ten minutes left to eat, which is not enough time and they are prone to choking."

"I'd rather have shorter school hours and finish school earlier."

"What are you going to do after school? If you don't finish your homework, you'll still have to do it when you get home, won't you?" Ye Wen rolled her eyes at Liu Xiaowei, annoyed. "After dinner, you can go back to the classroom early to study. You can decide how to manage your time, understand? For example, if there's an exam during evening study, you have to go back to the classroom early to finish your homework because that evening study will be used for the exam, and you won't have time to do your homework."

"Oh heavens and earth, when will this agonizing senior year of high school end?!" Le Tingfeng exclaimed dramatically, clasping his hands together. "Buddha, Jade Emperor, please save me—"

Ye Wen chuckled, resting her chin on her hand. "Tsk, hang in there. This is one of the most important moments in your life. Things will be easier once you get to university."

"That's what my teacher said in my third year of junior high..."

Is university really going to be easy?

"That's it."

"Don't worry, things will definitely be much easier than they are now." Ye Wen stretched. "Alright, I'll post the new timetable behind the front door as usual. Now we're going to start rearranging the seats. Those who are copying homework or catching up on homework, please pack your things and get ready to move seats. To make it easier, you can just move your desks and chairs together. This will probably be the last seat reshuffle this semester—and this time, no opinions will be accepted—I'm too lazy to change it."

The seating arrangement finally cheered the students up a bit, and everyone was looking forward to seeing who their deskmate and those sitting in front and behind them would be for this last semester.

If it's a friend you know well, then you can enjoy this last semester.

But obviously, things aren't always that nice.

"Alright, let me see. Let's start with the first group by the door. Come on, students in the first group, get ready to move your seats so others can have a seat." Ye Wen walked to the door with the seating chart, pointed to the seats against the wall, and said, "Students whose names have been called, come over here and move your desks and chairs together. Hmm, this is the first row of the first group, in order—Yang Yankai, Ma Jianhang, Xuan Anyi, and Du Qicai. Come on, you four, come over here and take your seats in order."

Then came a jarring sound of tables and chairs being moved.

"Squeak—creak—"

"Okay, then the second column: Zhang Yumeng, Ma Jia, Gao Yuan, Zuo Qianxin, and Le Tingfeng."

"Wow, I'm sitting here all by myself?" Le Tingfeng pointed to himself.

"You want another deskmate? How about you come sit with the teacher on the platform?"

"No, no, no—" Le Tingfeng hurriedly shook his head, as if afraid that Ye Wen would change her mind, and quickly pulled his own table and chair over.

……

Chapter 179 Perhaps the Last Seating Arrangement (Part 2)

(One)

"Come on, second row, Lu Chengyuan and Lü Bolun."

"Yay!" Lu Chengyuan slapped Lü Bolun hard on the shoulder, startling him so much that he almost dropped his pen while copying his homework. "Let's do it together!"

"You two young lovers, don't let your relationship affect your studies, or I'll break you up." Ye Wen said with one hand on her hip and a smile on her face.

“No problem, Wen!” Lu Chengyuan said, pinching Lu Bolun’s cheek. “Let’s go, let’s change seats.”

"Okay, okay..." Lu Bolun quickly put away the homework on the table, then picked up his own table and moved it to the spot Ye Wen pointed to.

There were quite a few changes in seating arrangements at the start of the new semester; not everyone's deskmate was the same as last semester.

Sitting behind Lu Chengyuan is Li Wanyan, and her deskmate this time is Mo Xiaoxiao.

"Hey—why can't I sit with my sister!" Mo Zhuyou complained. "Awen, I protest!"

"What's the rush? You sit behind your sister, and your deskmate is Huang Yuxi."

"Hmm, that's alright..." Mo Zhuyou looked barely satisfied. "At least I can pinch Xiao Xi's face however I want."

“He has a girlfriend now, so you can’t just pinch her like that~” Wang Jiale teased jokingly. “Be careful, Tong Jue might find out and have her bodyguards wait for you at the school gate after school.”

"Wow, is it that scary?"

"Pfft! Just kidding, it shouldn't be...?"

"So there's still a tiny chance?" Mo Zhuyou looked at Huang Yuxi, who was struggling to push the table, with suspicion. "Xiao Xi, you absolutely mustn't tattle on me!"

"Huh?" Huang Yuxi was clearly still not sure what had happened.

The last two in the second group are Aya Akimoto and Cheng Chen.

—Two tall students.

However, Aya Akimoto is an anomaly among girls. She is more than half a head taller than Chen Cheng, who is already over 1.8 meters tall. When the two stand together, they look like siblings.

"Congratulations, Chen Cheng, you finally have a deskmate!" Mo Zhuyou winked playfully and said with a light laugh.

Chen Cheng maintained his cool demeanor, letting out a disdainful snort.

He used to sit alone at the back of the classroom, making him, in a way, the loneliest person in the entire classroom.

Of course, he wasn't actually a reclusive student; he was quite loud when chatting after class. He just liked to keep a certain air about him in many things.

Is this what they call the airs of a 'handsome guy'?

The only difference is when facing Zhuang Lianlian...

"Tch, poker face. Xiao Ji is way cuter than you." Mo Zhuyou made a face and teased her on purpose.

"Childish." Chen Cheng tilted his head back and looked at her through his nostrils.

"Idiot." Mo Zhuyou retorted without any politeness, though she couldn't help but laugh out loud first, "Idiot, pfft... hahaha..."

I don’t know what it was that made her find it so funny. Maybe it was because she thought that Chen Cheng, who always acted cool, would actually do some really childish things, but he always liked to call others childish.

……

(two)

"Phew, alright, this is the last big group. The rest are all in this group. First row, Mr. Xue and Cha Li."

"Hey, Xiaoxue." Chali waved to Mr. Xue with some surprise. She had originally thought she would be sitting next to a girl.

"Oh."

"I didn't expect it to be you."

"I didn't expect to be in the first row." Mr. Xue said, picking up his cup and taking a sip of pine needle tea. He seemed to particularly like this simple tea, perhaps because it was readily available and fresh enough?

Are there any pine needles left?