Yue Shanni?
In her previous life, this girl spent all three years of high school dating different delinquents and campus bad boys, so naturally she failed to get into any university.
She barely scraped through high school graduation, then went to work as a shop assistant in a department store.
After that it was a constant cycle of marrying and divorcing. By the time Wen Ying was reborn, Yue Shanni was already on her third marriage, and judging by the trend, a fourth or fifth was perfectly possible.
Wen Ying was just mentally reviewing Yue Shanni’s life trajectory when she heard Teacher Kang say, “Yue Shanni reached the undergraduate line. Second-tier!”
Wen Ying was genuinely shocked. “Yue Shanni scored enough for second-tier?”
Teacher Kang nodded. “Yes, she crossed the second-tier line. Are you surprised? I was too. I really never expected it!”
Ma Lingling loved her looks; Yue Shanni loved being adored.
One spent every lesson gazing in a mirror, the other spent every spare moment dating.
In junior high she had been called in with her parents more than once because of early romance. In Teacher Kang’s memory, Yue Shanni’s mother was an extremely crude woman.
The first time she was called in and Teacher Kang mentioned the puppy love, Yue’s mother grabbed her daughter by the hair and started hitting her without a word, shocking Teacher Kang so much that she had to jump in and separate them once she recovered.
How could anyone discipline a child like that?
Teacher Kang lectured the mother as well as the daughter.
Crude she might be, but the woman respected Teacher Kang and repeatedly promised not to hit her daughter again.
Sure enough, a while later Yue Shanni changed boyfriends and was called in again.
Same office, same Teacher Kang.
This time the mother really didn’t hit Yue Shanni, but instead hurled abuse at her in front of the teacher, calling her a little bitch and a money-losing burden.
Faced with her own mother’s blows and insults, Yue Shanni said nothing. Her expression was numb. Clearly she was already used to it!
Teacher Kang was secretly horrified at the time: how could a family environment like that possibly produce a normal child?
She criticised the mother again.
Yue Shanni’s mother kept agreeing and promised never to curse her daughter again.
The third time, when Yue Shanni was called in once more, the mother simply didn’t show up. She knew she wouldn’t be able to control her hands or her mouth if she came!
Teacher Kang really wanted to save Yue Shanni.
She deliberately looked into the family situation.
Yue Shanni had been the class arts representative. She could sing and dance traditional ethnic dances.
Very few classmates knew her family was poor.
Singing can be self-taught, but dance requires proper lessons. Families without spare cash couldn’t afford dance classes.
“Her family used to be quite well-off. I heard her father made a lot of money contracting a sand quarry. I’m sure you’ve heard the stories: some people seized the opportunities of the era and got rich quick. Material conditions improved, but their inner qualities didn’t keep up, and inevitably all sorts of bad ideas appeared…”
Since Wen Ying was a girl, Teacher Kang spoke delicately.
Those “bad ideas” were the clichéd tale of men who get rich and turn bad, never far from gambling, women, or drugs.
Yue Shanni’s father made money from the sand quarry and was initially very generous to his wife and daughter, happy to spend on them.
Soon enough, younger women started throwing themselves at him.
Yue Shanni’s mother argued and made scenes, but a man whose heart has strayed can’t be changed. One mistress was particularly clever: she gave him a son and secured her position.
Then Yue Shanni’s mother was divorced!
After her husband became successful, Yue’s mother had become a full-time housewife. When he first started cheating, he was afraid of being discovered, so he actually encouraged her to develop her mahjong hobby. As long as she had games to play and living expenses, she wouldn’t watch his every move.
Playing mahjong all day and knowing nothing about the business, by the time of the divorce the man had already transferred most of the assets. The mother and daughter only got an old flat and a bit of cash. He took the rest and lived happily ever after with his mistress.
The man used to dote on Yue Shanni, but once he had a son and divorced her mother, he no longer cared about the daughter from his previous marriage.
Just like that, Yue Shanni went from being the treasure of the family to unwanted trash.
After the divorce, seeing her ex-husband living better and better with no sign of karma, and unable to change her own situation, Yue’s mother took out all her resentment on Yue Shanni.
Wen Ying had heard bits of the story from Fang Hui before, but nothing as detailed as Teacher Kang’s version.
After Yue Shanni was expelled from her high school in Rongcheng, Song Shao had contacted Teacher Kang, and Teacher Kang arranged for her to restart in a small county town.
At the time, both Song Shao and Teacher Kang just wanted to give Yue Shanni one more chance. She wasn’t a good student, but she wasn’t some irredeemable villain either. The most they could do was help her stay in school; what she made of it was up to her.
Compared to other struggling students who wanted to improve, the resources Yue Shanni received were far inferior to Wang Shuang or Peng Guoqing. Her family would never pay for private tutoring, and the teaching quality in a small county high school couldn’t compare with a provincial key school in Rongcheng.
“Yet somehow she found the drive. She completely changed from her junior-high behaviour. No more arts activities, no more dating delinquents. She put all her energy into studying, and when the gaokao results came out, she actually crossed the second-tier line!”
Wen Ying scoring 671 made Teacher Kang happy.
Yue Shanni only reaching second-tier also made Teacher Kang happy.
Whether it was Wen Ying or Yue Shanni, they were both students he had taught. He wished every single one well!
Crossing the second-tier line was great!
If Yue Shanni had only reached third-tier, Teacher Kang suspected she might have ended up in a vocational college. Third-tier universities are so expensive, and her mother probably couldn’t afford it.
Second-tier was completely different; fees were much lower!
“I’ve told you all this not because I want you to forgive Yue Shanni. It’s just… well, everyone makes mistakes when they’re young. Both you and Yue Shanni are growing up. Your future will be as bright as spring sunshine. Don’t let the past hold you back. I hope you live even better and go even further!”
Teacher Kang had only taught Wen Ying for three years.
Same with Song Shao.
In his career, Teacher Kang never had huge ambitions. In her previous life Wen Ying heard he had once been offered a transfer to the education bureau, but he turned it down.
Later the school wanted to promote him to administration; again he refused.
To some people that made him an idiot. A chance to become an official and he said no? No ambition at all!
But for Teacher Kang, moving to the bureau or switching to admin meant leaving the front line of teaching, and he loved teaching!
That’s why, even ten years later, both top students and former strugglers still kept in touch with him. By thirty most people have been taught a lesson by society. They finally realise Teacher Kang truly treated every student equally.
Wen Ying also valued Teacher Kang’s opinion highly.
Hearing him advise her not to be trapped by the past, Wen Ying’s laughter travelled through the phone. “I stopped caring long ago. Little-girl dramas take up such a tiny portion of a whole life. As you said, I want to go much further myself.”
“Good, good, good!”
Teacher Kang laughed too. “Seeing all of you doing well puts my mind at ease.”
