The anniversary ceremony of Provincial No. 1 Middle School will be held in the near future.
Lin Zhixia and her friends all received invitation letters from the principal.
The principal hopes that Lin Zhixia can serve as an "outstanding graduate representative" and give a speech to younger students, encouraging them to live positively and move bravely towards the future.
Lin Zhixia thought for a moment and agreed.
She also told Jiang Yubai: "I will give a speech at the anniversary ceremony of the Provincial No. 1 Middle School this year."
While Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai were talking, Jiang Yubai was sitting in the study checking a document. He wrote with an electronic pen and answered, "I've seen the list of speakers, including Lin Zhixia, Duan Qiyan, Jin Baihui, Tan Qianche..."
Lin Zhixia asked: "Without you?"
Jiang Yubai actually said: "I am just an ordinary person. I have developed to where I am today thanks to the conditions provided by my family. When I give a speech to middle school students, all I can say are polite words, which are meaningless."
Lin Zhixia thought: He casually mentioned "it doesn't make any sense", which means that the principal of the Provincial No. 1 Middle School had once looked for him.
As it turned out, Lin Zhixia's guess was correct.
That evening, Duan Qiyan notified everyone in the WeChat group: "Dear brothers and sisters of the Provincial No. 1 Middle School, you must attend the school celebration in September this year! I will give a speech at the school celebration ceremony. Dozens of outstanding graduates from previous years will take turns to go on stage, and each person can only speak for ten minutes. If you are free, come and support me, and by the way, have a class reunion!"
He specifically circled Jiang Yubai and said, "You rejected the principal, don't reject me."
Jiang Yubai replied with an emoticon that said “OK”.
Everyone responded.
Duan Qiyan was the organizer of this class reunion. He had booked a restaurant and written a plan, but suddenly he was in a dilemma. He didn't know whether he should invite Jin Baihui.
Jin Baihui is a high school classmate of Duan Qiyan and others.
However, no one in the class had ever dealt with Jin Baihui.
Duan Qiyan invited her to come, fearing that she would have nothing to talk about with others and would be sitting alone in one place, which would be so awkward.
Why not invite her? She is also the outstanding graduate representative this year. She stayed in Beijing to study for a doctorate and just published an important mathematics paper that was widely praised internationally. Jin Baihui's ability is there, and maybe she can talk about mathematics with Lin Zhixia and others.
So Duan Qiyan wrote an email to Jin Baihui.
Jin Baihui replied to him that day: "I will go, thank you."
Duan Qiyan added Jin Baihui's name to the "class reunion" form.
On the day of the school anniversary ceremony, the entire Provincial No. 1 Middle School was packed with people.
A huge red banner hung on the school's iconic twin clock towers, with the words: "Warmly welcome alumni back to our alma mater!"
This year marks the tenth anniversary since Lin Zhixia left the Provincial No. 1 Middle School. She still remembers every building of her alma mater vividly.
She remembers the middle school and high school classrooms clearly.
And now, she is a teacher herself.
Lin Zhixia carefully prepared a speech for this year's school anniversary. She also communicated with Tan Qianche to avoid the two of them talking about the same topic in the "Four Schools Joint Research Group".
Tan Qianche said, "My speech will be over in three minutes. I will only talk about learning methods. I won't clash with you."
"Isn't three minutes a bit short?" Lin Zhixia asked her.
Tan Qianche shrugged: "I was just pushing the issue."
Tan Qianche stood in the backstage lounge of the school auditorium. He was wearing a pure black suit with a golden osmanthus pinned to his collar—he was the school belle of the Provincial No. 1 Middle School.
He put his hands in his pockets and looked around.
Lin Zhixia continued to talk to him about business: "I will take a few students to the United States for a meeting next month. If the remaining students encounter problems, they may come to you... and Teacher Meng. I have already said hello to Teacher Meng."
"You don't have to say hello to me," Tan Qianche looked at himself in the mirror, "your students are my students."
Jiang Yubai's reflection appeared in the mirror.
Jiang Yubai and Tan Qianche's eyes met through the mirror. Tan Qianche smiled and explained, "Don't get me wrong. Teacher Lin and I are both the leaders of the joint research group of the four schools. Our students are cross-trained, and I have to be responsible for them."
"Don't be nervous," Jiang Yubai replied, "I just came to see Teacher Lin."
Jiang Yubai was also wearing a black suit, but there was no golden osmanthus on his collar. Tan Qianche was slightly surprised: "You're not going to the stage to give a speech?"
Jiang Yubai straightened the golden osmanthus on Lin Zhixia's chest and said, "I will applaud you from the audience."
"Okay!" Lin Zhixia said, "After the speech, we'll go to dinner."
"Your class dinner?" Tan Qianche interrupted.
Out of politeness, Lin Zhixia invited: "It's our middle school class dinner. You can also join if you want to come."
Tan Qianche asked again: "Where are we having dinner? The most expensive restaurant near the school?"
"Yes," Lin Zhixia said, "the hotel gave us a discount."
The host was announcing the show at the front desk. An old man in his seventies was the first to speak. He was a graduate of the Provincial No. 1 Middle School in the last century. He had gray hair, wore glasses, and needed someone to support him when walking.
But when he spoke, he was full of energy, which inspired all the students present. Even Lin Zhixia couldn't help but applaud him.
"Will it be like this when I get old?" Jiang Yubai suddenly said.
He stood behind Lin Zhixia, very close to her.
He lowered his voice, as if talking to himself.
Lin Zhixia comforted him gently: "No. People of our generation have better physical fitness. When you are seventy years old, technology will be very advanced. You will definitely be a brisk grandfather."
Jiang Yubai smiled and said, "What I mean is, when I get old, will you applaud me?"
Lin Zhixia stretched out her two index fingers and quietly touched their fingertips together - this was her own "low-key clapping method", which was created specifically to encourage Jiang Yubai.
Jiang Yubai looked at her for a few seconds before saying, "So cute."
Lin Zhixia said modestly: "Thank you for the compliment."
The host called out Lin Zhixia's name, and Lin Zhixia waved at Jiang Yubai and walked towards the front desk with a sense of ceremony.
In the huge auditorium, the students were surprisingly quiet, without a single whisper. Jiang Yubai was just wondering when he saw Lin Zhixia's resume so far on the circular screen in the auditorium. No wonder, when Jiang Yubai was in middle school, if he had seen such seniors, he would probably have nothing to say.
Lin Zhixia spoke eloquently on the stage. Her tone was relaxed and gentle, and she was very firm when she talked about the word "ideal". She conveyed an extremely strong sense of belief to her juniors, and the applause from the audience was unprecedentedly warm and long-lasting.
Jiang Yubai still stayed in the backstage.
Duan Qiyan and Jiang Yubai joked, "You are the man behind Lin Zhixia."
Jiang Yubai tugged at his tie. He wore a platinum ring on his left ring finger, and the mechanical watch on his wrist was also a couple's watch. He seemed to agree with the saying "the man behind Lin Zhixia".
Duan Qiyan also told him: "Tingting and I will have our wedding next year, you must come."
"No problem." Jiang Yubai agreed.
Duan Qiyan and he were arm in arm, and they seemed to have returned to their middle school days more than ten years ago.
Duan Qiyan's attention was focused on the front desk. He suddenly felt Jiang Yubai's shoulders sink - it turned out that there was another arm. He thought that Tan Qianche also came to get close to Jiang Yubai, but when he turned around, he saw Shen Fuxuan.
"Hey, Xiao Shen." Duan Qiyan called him.
Shen Fuxuan smiled before he spoke: "Sorry, brothers, I'm late. There was a traffic jam on the road."
"It's a good thing you don't give a speech." Duan Qi Yan said.
Shen Fuxuan shook his head.
Duan Qiyan suddenly remembered that Shen Fuxuan's mother was the principal of the Provincial No. 1 Middle School. In other words, if Shen Fuxuan wanted to speak on stage, he only needed to say hello to his mother.
Jiang Yubai changed the subject: "You smell like osmanthus."
Shen Fuxuan said, "To be honest, there was no traffic jam on the road. I ran into Jin Baihui outside the auditorium. She had three bunches of osmanthus flowers pinned to her collar. I chatted with her for a few words, and I became more attractive."
"Ah?" Duan Qiyan was a little surprised, "Are you still secretly in love with Jin Baihui?"
Shen Fuxuan turned his head to look at him, his eyes seemed capable of killing.
"Are you secretly in love with Jin Baihui? If so, I will help you." Duan Qiyan asked fearlessly.
In Duan Qiyan's impression, Shen Fuxuan always looked heartless and nonchalant, and could maintain a relaxed and playful attitude even when facing disaster.
However, Shen Fuxuan's expression now became a little more serious: "You guessed half right."
"What do you mean by half?" Duan Qi Yan didn't understand.
Before he finished speaking, Lin Zhixia happened to appear: "You are all here, great, let's go to the restaurant together later."
Several old classmates began to reminisce about the past, and Tan Qianche walked among them and went straight to the podium in the front of the auditorium.
The spotlight was above Tan Qianche's head.
As soon as Tan Qianche appeared, there was a sparse applause from the audience. In the Provincial No. 1 Middle School, the three words "Tan Qianche" were like "Lin Zhixia", representing a well-known figure in the school.
Tan Qianche saw Wei Ruoxing sitting in the fourth row.
Why did Wei Ruoxing appear at this year's school anniversary ceremony
Because the anniversary ceremony of the Provincial No. 1 Middle School was held at the end of September and the National Day was next month, Wei Ruoxing and her husband returned to the provincial capital in advance to visit their parents.
Wei Ruoxing heard that Lin Zhixia would attend the school anniversary ceremony, so she wanted to come and see her. After Lin Zhixia finished her speech, Wei Ruoxing was about to leave when Tan Qianche came in.
Wei Ruoxing thought for a moment and still chose to leave.
Wei Ruoxing's husband was holding a briefcase in his left hand and holding Wei Ruoxing's wrist with his right hand. Their tall figures gradually disappeared in the dark audience seats, while Tan Qianche was still standing upright on the stage.
Tan Qianche said something that was not in the speech script: "You are students of the Provincial No. 1 Middle School. You must learn to distinguish between reality and ideals. Luck and talent may be more important than your ability. As an ordinary student, if you don't work hard, you will have no future..."
Tan Qianche is eloquent and good at giving public speeches.
He was good at controlling the atmosphere and stirring the audience's emotions. In just three minutes, he made some students feel depressed again and again, but they still admired him from the bottom of their hearts and admitted that every word he said was the naked reality.
"Wow," Duan Qiyan commented, "very sharp."
Jiang Yubai reminded him: "You are the next speaker."
"Is Tan Qianche stronger than me?" Duan Qiyan suddenly asked.
Jiang Yubai changed his approach: "Competition coaches have no weekends, no winter or summer vacations. Your job is not easy at all. You have to teach dozens of students every year. It's quite impressive. You must have confidence."
Tan Qianche's speech has ended.
Duan Qiyan made up his mind and went straight to the front desk. He caused even greater cheers, because he was the competition coach of the Provincial No. 1 Middle School and many students had seen him.
He adjusted the angle of the microphone and said in a deep voice, "I am the math competition coach for the high school department and a student of the class of 2004. I have been in our school for so many years and have come up with an idea: no one knows you better than you do. Listen to both sides and you will be enlightened; only believe in one side and you will be confused."
It turns out that Duan Qiyan also has such a mature and steady side.
After the school anniversary ceremony, Lin Zhixia and his group went to the hotel together.
At the entrance of the hotel, Lin Zhixia ran into two senior schoolmates, Luo Ying and Meng Liansi. Meng Liansi also graduated from the Provincial No. 1 Middle School and was a beautiful and smart girl who was popular in the whole school back then.
The two beautiful seniors have cool temperaments and long flowing hair. They are holding hands, and the picture is extremely pleasing to the eye.
Lin Zhixia greeted: "Senior sister, Teacher Meng!"
Meng Liansi smiled and said, "Do you want to have a meal together?"
"Yes," Lin Zhixia asked, "What about you?"
Luo Ying replied: "We just finished eating."
Luo Ying had a silver rose earring on her left ear, and the other earring was on Meng Liansi's right ear - Lin Zhixia noticed this. She guessed that the relationship between the two seniors should be very stable, and she couldn't help but feel happy for them.
After the seniors left, Lin Zhixia went straight to the hotel's private room. As soon as she entered the room, everyone called her, "Class Leader Lin!"
Lin Zhixia looked around and saw many of her classmates from middle school. Some of them looked different, but some were the same as before, such as Jin Baihui. Jin Baihui still had short hair, wore a short shirt and sweatpants, and a pair of red-rimmed glasses.
Lin Zhixia waved at her friendly.
Jin Baihui turned a blind eye.
Time has left almost no trace on her, Lin Zhixia thought.
Jiang Yubai put his arm around Lin Zhixia's waist and took her to one side of the round table. She sat down immediately. The classmates were still calling each other by their nicknames. One male classmate even said loudly, "I said in class that Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia were a couple, and Duan Qiyan and Tang Tingting were a couple. You didn't believe me! See? Time will prove everything!"
"We are dating because we are happy about it," Tang Tingting continued. "What about you? Where is your girlfriend?"
"Yes!" Duan Qiyan echoed.
The boy felt as if they had stabbed him with a sword.
Lin Zhixia was still flipping through the menu. She whispered to Jiang Yubai, "Is this restaurant owned by your mother?"
Jiang Yubai recommended several dishes to her. His finger was on the menu, and Lin Zhixia placed her fingertips on his fingernails. He moved his fingers, and she followed suit. This lasted less than ten seconds before he grabbed her wrist and pinned it against his leg.
The tablecloth hid all his movements.
The students were still toasting each other.
One of the students picked up the cup and said in a serious tone, "Class Leader Lin, you were always there to answer questions when you were in our class. Now that you are a university professor, you must be very kind to your students! Come, on behalf of the students, I will toast you a glass of Coke!"
Lin Zhixia smiled and said, "Don't be polite to me, we are all old classmates."
The classmate drank a full cup of Coke in one gulp, and everyone applauded and cheered for him.
Without saying anything, he refilled his Coke and said to Jiang Yubai: "Captain Jiang, when Captain Lin went out to participate in the competition, you became the acting captain..."
Duan Qiyan interrupted, "I remember now, Captain Jiang, you helped me a lot, thank you. No, I want to call you Mr. Jiang now. Mr. Jiang!"
Jiang Yubai filled his cup with mineral water. He held the cup of mineral water and boasted to Duan Qiyan: "Teacher is the best profession under the sun. Teacher Duan is still so polite even though he is a teacher."
Duan Qiyan likes to drink orange juice. He expressed his gratitude to Jiang Yubai with a glass of orange juice, and everyone cheered: "Drink it up! Jiang Zonglin, class leader, teacher Duan!"
Tang Tingting looked dissatisfied: "It's not easy for our classmates to have a reunion, why do we have to engage in drinking culture? Just drink as much as you can."
Duan Qiyan tilted his head back and gulped down half a glass of orange juice. After wiping his mouth, he sighed, "The orange flavor is quite strong."
The crowd laughed and talked, but Jiang Yubai was still eating quietly. He tasted a fish ball and it tasted good, so he scooped a spoonful for Lin Zhixia. Lin Zhixia held the bowl and waited for him to feed her. He raised his lips slightly and noticed someone was looking at him from the corner of his eye.
Jiang Yubai glanced sideways and happened to meet Shen Fuxuan's gaze.
Shen Fuxuan smiled with relief and raised his glass to him.
After dinner, many students dispersed.
After Duan Qiyan saw Shen Fuxuan off, he brought Tang Tingting into the campus of the Provincial No. 1 Middle School.
Today, Duan Qiyan is the head teacher of a competition class in the first year of high school.
The rules and regulations of the competition class were very strict, and students were strictly prohibited from dating. Duan Qiyan often patrolled the grove, catching and criticizing students who dared to date - Tang Tingting had never seen such a scene, so Duan Qiyan brought her in to learn from her.
"He's breaking up a couple." Tang Tingting said of him.
He sighed: "There is really no time for romance in the competition class, you know that."
Tang Tingting nodded: "That's right. If we had dated back then, we would have definitely broken up."
They just happened to pass by Tan Qianche.
Tan Qianche was wandering alone in the former campus.
Teenagers in school uniforms ran past him on both sides, and the sounds of laughter and chasing filled the corridor.
He passed by the brand new teaching building, his shadow reflected in the glass window. He saw that he seemed to have a few white hairs - he was only in his thirties, still very young, but he had white hair.
He looked up at the sky.
In fact, Tan Qianche also has a good memory.
When he closed his eyes, he could recall the vast playground, the sunshine outside the classroom window, and the emerald green bamboo forest in the laboratory building... To him, that was sixteen years ago.
Sixteen years ago.
He shook off all thoughts and crossed the playground.
Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai were taking a walk in an open space in the corner of the playground.
Lin Zhixia had eaten too much at noon, so she wanted to walk around. When she passed by a horizontal bar area, she was suddenly reminded of a scene.
Thinking back then, Jiang Yubai stood here and told her to move forward boldly.
Lin Zhixia was very timid when she was young, and Jiang Yubai gave her a lot of courage. After so many years, the relationship between them has become closer, and Jiang Yubai is also the most important subject of observation in "Human Observation Diary".
A permanent object, she thought.
(The online version of the extra chapter is finished)
The author has something to say: It's finished, officially finished! This mother shed tears, please give a five-star praise to all the little darlings who have subscribed! This five-star is too important to our Xia Xia! I kowtow to everyone! Thank you! I will read all the comments! The red envelopes for this chapter will be distributed as usual, I will come back to distribute the red envelopes at the end of the month, love you guys!
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I really don't want to part with Xia Xia. The full text on Jinjiang will be refined, some plots will be added, and some bugs will be fixed. The published book will probably be on the market next year or the year after.
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This year has been difficult for me, but Xia Xia has helped me relax a lot. When I see people occasionally mention their lives in their comments, I feel like we have met by chance, and I am very grateful. Thank you very much for coming here with Xia Xia Xiao Jiang! I wish you all the best!
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By the way, I am also writing the script of “Changes” for the anniversary celebration of the Provincial No. 1 Middle School. I will post it on Weibo (Su Guangtong 2014) and Jinjiang (in a separate short story) when I finish it. You can read it wherever you want. Thank you!