What is Wen Ying’s mindset?
A person only has 24 hours in a day. After accounting for eating and sleeping, the remaining time is spent by Wen Ying studying, doing exercises, writing manuscripts, and dedicating some energy to managing Shrimp King’s business and Tianjiao Film’s first drama. Xie Qian put himself in Wen Ying’s shoes and considered her life. With his efficiency, living Wen Ying’s schedule would be completely packed, leaving no time for puppy love.
But as the book says, when young boys and girls first experience the stirrings of affection, developing feelings is instinctual. The body may tire, but the mind is free. Wen Ying’s packed schedule doesn’t stop her thoughts from wandering freely, which is somewhat troubling. After all, he can supervise Wen Ying’s studies to improve her grades, but he can’t control the direction of her thoughts.
He can only keep a closer eye on her.
In this self-study class, Lin Lin didn’t speak much, letting the students discuss among themselves. The results pleased Lin Lin. By the end, both boys and girls in the class joined the discussion, and someone blurted out their crush’s name, leading to uproarious laughter and a lively atmosphere.
“First love is beautiful,” Lin Lin concluded with a smile. “When I was your age, I also had someone I liked.”
The student who accidentally let slip asked, “Teacher Lin, what happened next?”
Lin Lin chuckled.
“What ‘next’ do you want to hear? Well, the boy I liked and I went to different universities, one in the south, one in the north, and my first love fizzled out.”
What?
That’s not how stories are supposed to go.
The main characters are meant to end up together! If distance can tear them apart, it’s not true love!
The classroom suddenly filled with glum faces. Lin Lin said earnestly, “First love is wonderful, and because it’s so wonderful, I hope you treat it seriously. If you don’t yet have the ability to nurture it, it’s better to restrain your feelings and let them bloom at a better time. I only understood this later. If I’d realised sooner, I might still be with my first love!”
Maybe together, maybe not.
That initial flutter of the heart is sweet, the innocence of first love, trembling with nerves just holding hands. Even after all these years, Lin Lin still remembers that beauty.
But she also knows that a flutter doesn’t mean suitability. Some people seem wonderful from afar, but up close, their initial glow fades, sometimes turning ugly.
Expecting teenagers to choose their life partners is unrealistic. Even adults can make mistakes after multiple missteps.
Lin Lin didn’t share these thoughts with the class, wanting to preserve some of their youthful hopes.
A single class isn’t enough to cover everything. Lin Lin concluded by saying that if Class 16’s students were willing, discussions like this could happen monthly, not just about physical health or emotions but any feelings they wanted to share.
“Oh, and prepare yourselves. In a week, it’s the class division exam. Those studying sciences can stay in Class 16, but those choosing humanities should register with me early.”
Wen Ying’s generation of high school students faces a choice: sciences or humanities!
Wen Ying is set on sciences, and Xie Qian and Li Mengjiao don’t want to switch classes either. The three have long agreed on this.
Even a slacker like Wang Shuang is studying sciences.
At the end of class, Xie Qian suddenly asked Wen Ying, “Do you think what Teacher Lin said makes sense?”
“Teacher Lin said a lot. Which part do you mean?”
“If you don’t have the ability to maintain a first love, you should restrain your feelings.”
That’s the one.
Wen Ying nodded. “It makes sense. Teacher Lin put it so well, clearly speaking from experience.”
Wen Ying doesn’t oppose high school romance, but she can’t understand pouring all your energy into it, neglecting everything else.
Xie Qian’s lips relaxed into a smile.
As long as she thinks it makes sense and acts accordingly, he has less to worry about.
Using *Hush, Little Secret* as a medium for physical health education at the provincial key school was like stabbing some parents in the heart, sparking backlash. Initially, they targeted the publisher, but now even the provincial key school was under fire.
As a public high school, the provincial key school has no parent committee and answers only to the education department, not bending to anyone’s influence.
Facing parental complaints, the school’s stance was firm, even bold: the physical health education classes broke no rules, the discussions used officially published materials, and everything prioritised students’ physical and mental well-being. If parents found it unsuitable, it was a clash of educational philosophies.
A school this big wouldn’t compromise for a few parents’ opinions.
If parents thought the school’s teaching was lacking, they could arrange for their child to transfer.
“Transfer” isn’t as simple as it sounds. Students must adapt to new teachers and slowly bond with new classmates, which is exhausting.
Besides, the provincial key school is already one of Rongcheng’s best. Transferring from it leaves only one or two comparable schools as options.
Soon, the complaining parents were silenced. The provincial key school acted swiftly and decisively. Rongcheng Ninth High School followed suit with physical health education, and Rongcheng Sixth High School, along with others, joined in.
They may not match the provincial key school’s academic results, but in terms of progressive attitudes, who’s lacking?
Rongcheng’s major high schools reacted one after another. Though none explicitly said it was due to *Hush, Little Secret*, everyone knew the book was the catalyst.
Students who hadn’t bought the book now did.
Some bold ones even gave copies to their parents.
Parents unaware of the issue now knew, and even Chen Ru heard colleagues discussing it at work, the topic spreading to nearby cities.
During lunch break, as colleagues ate together, one jokingly asked Chen Ru, “Manager Chen, you have a daughter in high school, right? What do you think of this?”
What could she think?
From the start, the book should’ve been pulled from shelves, confiscated—not burned, but its overly explicit content edited, though most could stay.
Now it was too late. The book had spread like a virus, with schools organising lessons around it. How many students hadn’t read it?
Chen Ru feigned nonchalance. “I think it’s fine. If books don’t cover this and schools don’t teach it, kids will still be curious. Better to explain it clearly, and they’ll take it less seriously!”
Who knew Manager Chen was so open-minded!
Chen Ru, forced into open-mindedness: Heh.
