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

Shi An, Shi Ning, and Chen Yu stood in the long line at the Academic Affairs Office, waiting to receive their new textbooks.

With eyes sparkling with anticipation and surrounded by the cheerful laughter of classmates, the atmosphere of the new semester was palpable.

"Finally received it!"

Shi Ning waved her textbook excitedly, her eyes crinkling into crescents. "I feel like the new semester is full of endless possibilities!"

She has a lively personality, and her neat short hair sways with her movements, like a nimble little deer.

Shi An smiled and nodded, saying calmly, "Yes, prepare well for a new beginning."

He was tall and straight, with a firm yet gentle gaze that made people feel at ease.

Chen Yu laughed heartily from the side, "I'm going to show off my skills on the court this semester!"

He was tall and thin, radiating the energy of an athlete.

After receiving their textbooks, they put them in their schoolbags and went home together.

Shi An, Shi Ning, and Chen Yu entered the house chatting and laughing as they carried their new textbooks.

As soon as we entered, five-year-old Xinyao rushed over like a little cannonball, asking in her childish voice, "Brother and sister, is high school interesting? Is it fun?"

She opened her big, round eyes, full of curiosity.

Shi Ning smiled and picked Xin Yao up, gently pinching her little nose as she said, "High school is so beautiful! It has a huge playground and lots and lots of interesting books. When you grow up, you'll be able to go and see it!"

Xinyao nodded as if she understood, and then asked a series of questions, her little head seemingly filled with countless question marks.

Just then, a fragrant aroma wafted from the kitchen; it turned out that Jiang Man had killed a chicken that day and was carefully stewing it.

Jiang Man, wearing an apron, was busy at the stove. The chicken soup in the pot was bubbling and boiling, the golden broth was steaming, and the aroma of chicken filled the whole house.

Shi An walked into the kitchen, took a deep breath, and said, "Mom, it smells so good!"

Jiang Man turned around, smiled and said, "You've all worked hard. I'll make you some chicken soup to nourish you today."

Chen Yu also came over, grinning, and said, "Auntie, I'm so lucky to have such a delicious meal!"

Jiang Man looked at the children with eyes full of love.

"Wash your hands and hurry up and eat. The chicken soup is ready too."

On Monday morning, as the sun shone brightly, Shi An and Shi Ning arrived at the classroom early. Today was the first class meeting of the new semester.

When Ms. Lin, the homeroom teacher, entered the classroom, she was kind and approachable. Her eyes swept over each student, and she said with a smile, "Today, we are going to elect a class monitor, subject representatives, and academic representatives. I hope everyone will participate actively and contribute to the class."

The classroom fell silent instantly as the students began to whisper among themselves, their eyes filled with anticipation and curiosity.

The election officially began, starting with the class monitor election. One by one, the students went up to the podium to give their campaign speeches.

Some students shared their past experiences in class management, some promised to organize more fun activities, and others pledged to serve everyone wholeheartedly.

Shi An walked steadily to the podium, his posture upright, his gaze sweeping firmly over the entire class, his voice steady and powerful: "Classmates, I would like to run for class monitor. I will strive to be a capable assistant to the teacher, organize more meaningful activities, and care about the learning and life of every student. I believe that as long as we are united, our class will definitely get better and better."

His speech was concise yet powerful, earning him enthusiastic applause from his classmates.

Shi Ning listened attentively from below the stage, secretly cheering for her brother.

When it was her turn to run for English class representative, she took a deep breath and confidently walked to the podium: "Hello everyone, I love English and my grades have always been good. I hope to become the English class representative, to improve together with everyone, and to help our class achieve even better English results!"

Her clear, melodious voice was infectious, and the students nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, in Class 7, Chen Yu was also running for the position of sports committee member.

He strode onto the stage, a confident smile on his face: "I love sports, basketball and soccer are no problem for me! I promise to organize more exciting sports activities so that everyone will fall in love with sports!"

His enthusiasm ignited the students' passion, and cheers erupted in the classroom.

After the speech, the voting began.

The students in Class 1 filled out their ballots carefully, and the classroom was so quiet that you could hear the scratching of pens on paper.

After filling out the forms, everyone placed their ballots into the ballot box one by one, their eyes filled with anticipation.

The same scene unfolded in Class 7, where students carefully wrote down their choices.

Next, the vote counting began, and the atmosphere in Class One classroom became extremely tense.

Teacher Lin invited two students to the stage to read and count the votes. The students reading the votes spoke loudly, and every time a name was read, the students' eyes would follow it.

"One vote for Shi An."

"Shi Ning gets one vote."

As the vote counting proceeded, the atmosphere in the classroom grew increasingly tense.

The students' eyes were fixed on the vote tally column on the blackboard, each stroke seemingly tugging at their hearts.

Shi An appeared calm on the surface, but he was actually a little nervous inside. He clenched his fists slightly, anticipating the outcome.

Shi Ning clasped his hands together in front of his chest, staring intently at the blackboard.

Meanwhile, in Class 7, Chen Yu's election campaign has entered a heated phase.

The vote count continued, and the sound of "Chen Yu, one vote" made his heart race. He was full of excitement and occasionally whispered to the classmate next to him.

Finally, the vote counting for Class 1 ended. Teacher Lin walked up to the podium, cleared her throat, and announced: "After voting, Shi An has been elected as our class monitor, and Shi Ning has been elected as the English class representative."

Thunderous applause erupted in the classroom as the students congratulated them.

Shi An and Shi Ning excitedly walked onto the podium and accepted the "important responsibility" that symbolized their duty.

Shi An and Shi Ning smiled and bowed to everyone in thanks.

Almost at the same time, cheers also erupted from Class 7 as Chen Yu was successfully elected as the sports committee member.

In the evening, before the sun had completely set, the sky was a deep red.

As Shi Ning and her brother Shi An walked home, they chatted about the school's election of class officers.

As Shi Ning walked, she suddenly stopped, her eyes fixed on a particularly impressive black sedan parked on the side of the street.

A stylishly dressed woman was getting into the car with a man in a suit.

Shi Ning's eyes widened, her brows furrowed, and she looked puzzled.

Shi An noticed something was wrong with her younger sister and looked in the direction she was looking, but didn't see anything unusual. She asked, "What are you looking at? Did you run into someone you know?"

Shi Ning realized what was happening and quickly shook her head, smiling as she said, "Maybe I was mistaken. I don't know who that person is, but they just look a little familiar."

But despite her words, her eyes still held a hint of doubt, and she couldn't help but look back again until the car had driven far away and disappeared from sight. (End of Chapter)