Born in the 1980s, she was remarried and became a stepmother; a cold, rough man doted on her, pinchi

The September sun is warm but not scorching, casting patches of light and shadow through the dappled leaves on the campus paths.

Shi Ning stood by the classroom window, clutching the speech contest registration form tightly in her hand, her eyes sparkling with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness.

The theme of the upcoming speech contest at school is "Dreams and Growth," and these four words seem to have a magical power, deeply touching her heartstrings.

Her thoughts drifted back to her summer vacation trip, the magnificent mountains and rivers, the vast sea, and her courage in the face of threats from the gang after returning home. These moments of growth played like scenes in her mind, making her determined to seize this opportunity to tell her story on the stage.

After registering, Shi Ning threw herself into the preparations with great enthusiasm.

But right from the start, she encountered a major obstacle. When writing her speech, she sat at her desk, staring blankly at the blank paper, feeling as if the pen in her hand weighed a ton.

She wanted to perfectly incorporate her own story and insights, but she always felt that her words were not quite enough.

"How exactly should one write something that will move the audience?"

She muttered to herself, her brows furrowed, anxiety spreading through her heart.

Just then, her good friend Xiaoyan came to find her. Seeing Shi Ning's distressed look, Xiaoyan pulled up a chair, sat down next to her, and comforted her, "Don't worry, we'll figure something out together. First, write down all the unforgettable moments from your trip and your thoughts when facing difficulties, and then organize them slowly."

Xiaoyan's words were like a ray of light, illuminating the darkness in Shi Ning's heart. Encouraged by Xiaoyan, Shi Ning opened up, and her experiences came flooding back. She wrote furiously, turning her growth journey into paragraphs of text.

From the awe she felt at the sunrise at the beach to the fear and determination she felt when facing threats from a small group, she recorded every detail.

After several days of hard work, the speech was finally completed, but Shi Ning was not satisfied. She felt the language was bland and lacked appeal.

So she began to revise it word by word, consulted a lot of materials, learned the expression methods of excellent speeches, and also consulted her Chinese teacher.

The teacher, wearing black-rimmed glasses, had a gentle and wise look in her eyes. She patiently guided her: "Shi Ning, your content is very authentic, but you can use more rhetorical devices to make the language more vivid and the emotions more intense. For example, when you describe the sunrise at the beach, you can use metaphors, parallelism, and other rhetorical devices to make the imagery more impactful."

Shi Ning suddenly realized what was going on. She returned home, sat at her desk, and picked up her speech draft again.

She vividly described the awe she felt while watching the sunrise at the beach: "At that moment, the sun slowly rose from the sea, and the golden rays pierced through the clouds like sharp swords, sprinkling on the sparkling sea. It was like a spark of hope igniting the dreams in my heart, like a rousing war drum urging me to move forward bravely, and like a warm lighthouse illuminating my path of growth."

After the speech was finalized, training in public speaking skills became a new challenge.

Shi Ning stood in front of the mirror, practicing her pronunciation, intonation, speaking speed, and body language over and over again.

She found that her facial expressions were always stiff and her body language was very unnatural when she gave speeches.

To overcome these problems, she practiced smiling in front of the mirror every day, observing the changes in her facial expressions; she also imitated the gestures of famous speakers and practiced repeatedly.

Once, during practice, she accidentally fell to the ground because her movements were too exaggerated, scraping her knee and causing it to bleed.

Tears welled up in her eyes from the pain, but she simply disinfected the wound with iodine, put on a band-aid, and continued practicing.

As the competition drew closer, Shi Ning felt increasing pressure.

She often practiced late into the night, her voice becoming hoarse and her throat swollen and sore. Her mother came into her room with heartache, holding a cup of freshly brewed herbal tea, and advised her, "Honey, don't overwork yourself, go to bed early."

Shi Ning looked up at her mother's concerned eyes and said firmly, "Mom, I'm fine. I will definitely show my best in the competition."

The mother gently patted her head and left, feeling both helpless and relieved.

Finally, the day of the competition arrived. Shi Ning, dressed in a neat school uniform, stood backstage, her heart pounding and her palms sweating profusely.

She kept taking deep breaths, encouraging herself: "I can do it, I'm ready."

When the host called her name, Shi Ning walked onto the stage with firm steps.

She bowed deeply to the audience and judges. When she looked up, she saw Xiaoyan's encouraging gaze and the expectant looks from her teachers and classmates, which instantly calmed her nervous heart.

She began her speech with a clear and powerful voice, which trembled slightly at first, but as she spoke, she became more and more engrossed, completely immersed in her story.

She vividly described her dreams, recounted the setbacks and perseverance she experienced during her growth, and presented the audience with the magnificent landscapes she saw on her travels and the courageous resistance she showed when facing threats from a small group.

Her tone was sometimes passionate, like surging waves; sometimes gentle, like a babbling brook in the mountains.

With perfectly timed body language, her hands sometimes waved and sometimes clenched, making the entire speech incredibly engaging.

The audience listened with rapt attention, and the judges nodded frequently, showing expressions of appreciation.

At the end of the speech, thunderous applause erupted from the audience, echoing throughout the entire venue for a long time.

When the competition results were announced, Shi Ning won second prize. She was so moved when the host called her name that tears welled up in her eyes.

She knew that this achievement was hard-won, the result of countless days and nights of hard work.

When she got home, the whole family celebrated for her. Her father picked her up and said happily, "Baby, you were amazing!"

Mom smiled and said, "This is all thanks to your hard work. We are proud of you."

Xiaoyan called immediately: "Shining, you're amazing! I knew you could do it!"

This speech contest not only greatly improved Shi Ning's public speaking skills, but also made her more resilient and confident.

She realized that as long as you have a dream and work hard for it, you will definitely shine on the road to growth, and those past difficulties and setbacks will become the most valuable assets in your life.

That evening, Chen Yu, blushing, quietly walked to Shi Ning's table and handed her something carefully wrapped in cloth.

Shi Ning opened it, and inside was a lifelike wooden rabbit, a unique gift that Chen Yu had carved himself and given to her. (End of Chapter)