The moment An Jianhua spoke, Teacher Zhao knew this phone call had been a waste of time.
She had originally wanted to understand the specific situation in the An family after the altercation between An Ning and An Xin on the playground. An Jianhua's reaction confirmed that everything was worse than she had imagined.
"Guardian of An Xin, you've misunderstood. All the teachers in the second-year high school group can attest to the authenticity of An Ning's grades. I'm calling you because I hope you can properly discipline An Xin—she must not slander my student for cheating without any solid evidence."
An Jianhua had been full of anger, ready to tear into An Ning, that troublesome daughter of his, but before he could even open his mouth, Teacher Zhao's barrage of words cut him off.
Ever since bringing An Ning to live with him, all An Jianhua had heard was praise for An Xin and criticism of An Ning's shortcomings.
Suddenly hearing someone take An Ning's side and accuse An Xin, An Jianhua was taken aback: "Teacher, did you get the names mixed up?"
Zhao Wen had been a teacher for many years. She had seen parents who favored sons over daughters, but she had never seen someone like An Jianhua—treating someone else's daughter like a treasure while treating his own daughter like a burden.
If it weren't for her profession, she would have let loose and given An Jianhua a piece of her mind without a second thought.
"I heard that An Xin told everyone that you, An Xin's father, have severed ties with An Ning and no longer provide her living expenses or tuition. I'm also calling today to confirm this matter. If that's the case, I won't contact you about anything regarding An Ning from now on. An Ning is an outstanding student, and our school will provide her with a scholarship. I hope you won't disturb An Ning's studies in the future."
With that, Zhao Wen hung up.
An Jianhua held the dead receiver, his face cycling through shades of red and green. He was a prideful man—cutting ties with An Ning was a family disgrace he hadn't broadcast to the world. He never expected An Xin to have spread it to everyone.
Because of An Ning, Zhao Wen, as the homeroom teacher, had called him quite a few times, but this was the first time she had used such a sarcastic tone.
Imagining himself becoming the talk of the teachers at No. 1 High School, An Jianhua angrily threw down the receiver.
"What's wrong?"
Lu Lijun had just brought her son home and was startled by the commotion.
An Jianhua's eyes blazed with fury as he looked at her: "I told you long ago that An Ning is a family disgrace. Don't spread word about the severed relationship. What would my colleagues think if they found out? What's wrong with Xinxin! An Ning's homeroom teacher called saying Xinxin told people at school that I've cut ties with An Ning and don't pay for her living expenses or tuition. An Ning's homeroom teacher was being sarcastic for ages, and even said something about An Ning having good grades and being an outstanding student, telling me not to disturb that ungrateful girl!"
Lu Lijun hadn't expected An Ning's homeroom teacher to be so meddlesome.
Defending An Ning was one thing, but she had even gone and badmouthed An Xin.
"Maybe the teacher misunderstood something?"
Lu Lijun sat down beside An Jianhua. "Xinxin told me about Ningning's grades on this month's exam, and she also told me that Ningning has really changed for the better now. Father and daughter—how can there be overnight grudges? Why don't we bring Ningning home and let her be a day student like Xinxin? Xinxin has already cleaned out her room for her."
"No, why would I bring her back!"
If the teacher had already said all that, he could imagine how much face he'd lose if he went to the school—that ungrateful girl An Ning and her homeroom teacher would make sure of it.
"And a scholarship, she says! I'd like to see if the school is still willing to waste that money once her true level is exposed!"
An Jianhua, like An Xin, simply didn't believe An Ning could have scored that high.
He was just waiting for her to come crashing down so he could laugh at her.
After hanging up the phone, Zhao Wen calmed herself in the office for a moment. Instead of waiting until evening study hall, she called An Ning to the office right away.
"Our school does offer scholarships, but they're awarded once per academic year. Even if your probation is lifted this semester, you may not qualify next semester either."
Telling An Jianhua that the school provided scholarships was Zhao Wen's way of reading what kind of man he was—she didn't want An Ning to have to beg him over money.
But even if the school couldn't give An Ning a scholarship, she had other options.
"I plan to sponsor you. Starting now, if you get into university, I'll support you all the way through graduation. All you need to do is focus on your studies—tuition and living expenses, you don't need to worry about any of it."
An Ning had assumed Teacher Zhao called her to the office because An Xin had blown things up so badly that the school needed her to prove her grades by taking the exam again.
She never expected Zhao Wen to say this.
"Teacher, I have money. Even without a scholarship, I can make it through to graduation."
Zhao Wen waved her hand. "I just got off the phone with An Xin's father. Knowing the kind of person he is, I'm sure you've endured a lot of grievances to choose to cut ties with them. My sponsoring you shouldn't put any pressure on you. I already select a few female students to sponsor every year. Even if your grades fluctuate, as long as you're willing to keep studying, I won't let you worry about tuition or living expenses."
Earlier, when An Ning had been skipping classes and playing truant, Zhao Wen hadn't only called An Jianhua—she'd also asked for An Ning's mother's number. She'd assumed that when An Jianhua said An Ning's mother wanted nothing to do with her, it was because the couple had marital issues.
But when the woman on the other end heard she was An Ning's teacher, she refused to even listen, only saying that custody belonged to the father before hanging up.
If An Ning had continued down her self-destructive path, Zhao Wen would have been powerless to help. But now that the student wanted to improve, as her teacher, she couldn't just stand by and watch.
"Your teacher's original name was Zhaodi. I only changed it after I started working."
To put An Ning at ease, Zhao Wen took her hand, her steady, gentle voice carrying quiet strength.
"Don't feel burdened. I'm helping you now, and later, when you're working and have the means, if you help other children, that will be repayment enough for me."
An Ning was momentarily stunned.
From her very first conversation with Teacher Zhao, she'd known that Teacher Zhao was a responsible teacher who valued every single student.
Having a homeroom teacher like that—she'd breathed a sigh of relief.
But that was all. She'd never imagined Teacher Zhao's kindness would bring her anything more.
As a child who'd grown up in a welfare home, she should have been more accustomed than anyone to the caring kindness of good-hearted people.
But in truth, it was precisely because she'd experienced it that she knew how rare Teacher Zhao's promise truly was.
"Teacher Zhao, my English is very good. In my spare time, I do translation work. I'm not just being stubborn—I genuinely have the ability to take care of myself."
Hearing An Ning mention she did translation, Zhao Wen was slightly surprised.
It was only this year that Jiangcheng's high schools had undergone comprehensive reform, adding English listening comprehension and switching all exam instructions to English.
The increased difficulty in English had caused a severe polarization in students' English scores.
Students from well-off families who could afford tutoring classes adapted smoothly, but for students from ordinary families, English had become the subject that dragged their scores down.
In Jiangcheng, where the average worker's salary was twelve hundred yuan, few parents could afford to send their children to foreign language tutoring classes. The school had even held a meeting earlier to discuss how to handle such situations.
Thinking about An Ning's perfect score on this English exam, she had already reached a level where she could earn money through Chinese-English translation—no wonder she could score so well.
"You've been hiding this pretty deep."
Zhao Wen teased, "You being able to earn money to take care of yourself is one thing, but me sponsoring you is another. I've already bared my scars—you can't let me do that for nothing. If you're worried about trouble, we can write an agreement. I won't interfere in your life. As long as you promise not to break school rules or violate laws and regulations, our sponsorship relationship will continue until you stop studying."
With that, Zhao Wen took out a piece of paper and actually intended to write an agreement.
The contents of the agreement were as simple as Zhao Wen had said—as long as An Ning didn't break school rules, regardless of her grades, Zhao Wen would provide her tuition and living expenses until she graduated from high school.
Moreover, she would not interfere in her personal life, extracurricular activities, or career plans in the capacity of a sponsor.
In addition, worried about her self-esteem, she added a mutual confidentiality clause at the end.
An Ning had thought Zhao Wen was just talking when she mentioned writing an agreement—who does a good deed while putting themselves in a lower position, making promises to the person being sponsored?
Once Zhao Wen finished writing, she no longer said anything about being able to take care of herself.
She could take care of herself very well, but that didn't mean she had to shut out others' kindness.
"You can continue doing translation work, but your studies come first. After you graduate, you'll have plenty of time to earn money."
After loading three hundred yuan onto An Ning's meal card, Zhao Wen also gave her two hundred in cash. "Eat well so you have the energy to study. Girls always need to buy little things. When your allowance runs out, just ask me for more."
An Ning nodded. Since she had decided to accept Teacher Zhao's kindness, she wouldn't say anything more.
"I'll only do translation work after completing my study tasks. This part-time job can improve my English skills."
"Good that you know what you're doing. Come to me if you have any problems—whether it's about studies or family matters. Now that I'm your sponsor, I have a responsibility to you. Don't feel burdened asking me for help."
Zhao Wen waved the paper in her hand.
"Okay, thank you, Teacher Zhao."
An Ning hugged the agreement and left the office in a daze. She had thought she'd have to take another exam, but instead she'd gained a sponsor.
"Ningning, what did Teacher Zhao want? Is it about An Xin?"
An Ning shook her head, meeting Shi Jiayan's worried eyes, and directly wrapped her arms around her neck, lying softly against her.
"Why do I keep having good luck every day?"
In her previous life, just as her career was getting on track, a car accident brought her here. She'd never complained, but waking up to face a situation where she'd been drugged—she couldn't help but feel she'd been unlucky.
But now she felt like she hadn't been so unlucky after all. She'd met bad people, but she'd also met good people. Every crisis had turned out fine, and she'd gotten through safely.
"That's of course because Ningning is good, so you have good luck."
Shi Jiayan blushed as she hugged An Ning. Ningning smelled so nice—she was lucky too.
After An Xin made that scene, some people sided with An Ning, while others felt that An Ning's improvement in grades was too dramatic, that An Xin's suspicion was justified—that An Ning might very well have cheated.
But after Class Nine's Chu Hang announced that An Ning would be running the long-distance race, everyone in Class Nine stood firmly on An Ning's side.
What kind of bad person could a girl willing to run long-distance be?
To support An Ning, several girls in the class spontaneously got up early to run with her.
But their company was purely incidental—after half a lap, they'd stand on the sidelines cheering, only crowding around once An Ning started reciting English vocabulary.
Realizing they wanted to study English with her, An Ning didn't mind and led them in reading the texts aloud together.
Shi Jiayan originally couldn't get up, but when she noticed more and more people gathering around An Ning, afraid of losing her spot, she started getting up early too.
Every day she'd follow along reading the texts with her eyes half-closed, thinking it was useless—but after a few days, she'd actually memorized quite a few English words, and her spoken English had gotten a bit smoother too.
By the time the winter sports meet began, the early-morning English reading squad had grown to nearly twenty people—besides Class Nine students, there were also a few boarders from other classes.
Carrying gratitude toward their little teacher, before An Ning even stepped onto the track, the school broadcast was already blaring her name.
"An Ning! Run! An Ning! Run! Brave the fight, win first place!"
"Youth strong makes the nation strong, see our athletes' fighting spirit soar! The wind roars, the drums resound, Class Two Nine's An Ning is unstoppable! You are the queen of the track!"
"March forward courageously, strive tenaciously, An Ning swift as the wind, your excellence is plain for all to see, your success is well deserved! Run, girl, run like the wind!"
…
You could tell the announcer had good spoken English—probably why he only picked cheering scripts with English in them.
And the classmates An Ning had led in reading English, wanting to show off their learning results, stuffed a few English phrases into every script. By a stroke of coincidence, An Ning's name dominated the broadcast station for five full minutes.
Whether the whole school's teachers and students all knew An Ning by now was unclear, but the girls' long-distance track was especially lively. Even those who didn't know her didn't hesitate to cup their hands into little megaphones and shout "Go An Ning!" with the energy of the moment.
An Ning, who was stretching and planning to run the whole race quietly: "…"