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

Chapter 204 Second Prize

From that day on, Shi Ning's life was completely filled with preparations for the competition.

Early in the morning, before dawn, the small dormitory was dimly lit, with only the small desk lamp emitting a faint light.

Shi Ning got up quietly, afraid of waking her roommate who was still fast asleep.

She skillfully opened the English listening material, and British, American, and Australian accents instantly filled the small space.

"This is a bit fast, you need to be careful."

Shi Ning muttered to herself, her pen moving quickly across her notebook, her eyes glued to the English text on the screen.

When she encountered a part she didn't understand, she immediately pressed the pause button, listened to it repeatedly, frowned, and even imitated the pronunciation until she fully understood it.

"Chen Yu, you're here so early."

Shi Ning walked out of the dormitory and saw Chen Yu, who was already waiting downstairs. She said somewhat embarrassedly.

Chen Yu smiled and waved his hand, "I promised to read with you in the morning, so I'll definitely be on time."

The two arrived at the playground, and Shi Ning took a deep breath and began to read the English article aloud.

From classic essays to current events, one article after another.

"There's something wrong with the pronunciation of this word,"

Chen Yu listened attentively and pointed out at the right moment, "That should be it."

He demonstrated it once, and Shi Ning followed along, saying, "Hmm, this time it feels right."

The two continued to practice and exchange ideas, their voices echoing in the corner of the playground.

As soon as her classes ended during the day, Shi Ning plunged into the library. "I have to conquer these professional articles today."

She talked to herself as she wandered among the bookshelves, selecting academic journals and articles in fields such as quantum physics and biomedicine.

When she first started reading, the complex technical terms and long, difficult sentences posed a challenge for her.

"What does this mean?"

She frowned and hurriedly opened the dictionary to look up unfamiliar words. She analyzed the sentence structure word by word and filled the article with dense notes.

"I finally figured it out."

After conquering one chapter, Shi Ning breathed a sigh of relief, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

Writing training is equally challenging.

Shi Ning sat at his desk, deep in thought as he looked at the manuscript.

"Let's write about the impact of artificial intelligence on the future workplace today."

After determining the topic, she wrote furiously, presenting her views and arguments in an organized manner.

After finishing writing, she carefully checked for grammatical errors. "This word is not suitable here; I need to change it."

She muttered to herself, carefully considering her words and constantly revising them.

Every week, Shi Ning would bring the week's learning outcomes and questions to Professor Wang.

"Professor Wang, I don't quite understand this sentence in this reading passage."

Shi Ning handed the article to Professor Wang.

Professor Wang adjusted his glasses and patiently explained, "Look, the grammatical structure here is like this..."

After listening to the explanation, Shi Ning suddenly understood. "Oh, I see. Thank you, Professor Wang."

Professor Wang smiled and said, "You've made great progress recently. Keep it up. Based on your situation, the training plan can be adjusted as follows..."

However, the preparation process was not smooth sailing. As the competition date drew closer, Shi Ning's pressure increased.

That night, she tossed and turned in bed, her mind filled with the scene of the competition and the mistakes she might have made. "What if I get so nervous during the competition that my mind goes completely blank?"

She muttered to herself, growing increasingly anxious. During daytime training, she often drifted off, her performance declining significantly.

Chen Yu noticed Shi Ning's unusual behavior. "Ning'er, let's go out for a walk today and relax."

He led Shi Ning to the lakeside on campus. "Ning'er, don't put too much pressure on yourself. Everyone has seen how hard you've worked lately. You're already strong enough. As long as you perform normally, you'll definitely be fine."

Chen Yu gently comforted her.

Shi Ning smiled wryly and said, "I know, but I just can't help worrying. What if I encounter a particularly difficult question and can't answer it?"

Chen Yu held Shi Ning's hand tightly and said firmly, "No, you train so hard and have accumulated so much knowledge and experience. Just treat the competition like a normal practice and do your best. Even if something unexpected happens, it's not your fault. We'll face it together."

With Chen Yu's encouragement, Shi Ning gradually adjusted her mindset. "Okay, I'll listen to you and train hard."

She regained her training rhythm and threw herself into preparing for the competition with even greater enthusiasm.

Finally, the day of the competition arrived.

On the plane, Shi Ning looked out at the blue sky and white clouds, her heart pounding with anxiety.

"Chen Yu, I'm still a little nervous."

Chen Yu patted her on the shoulder, "Relax, just like you would during a normal practice."

Upon arriving at the competition venue, Shi Ning saw outstanding athletes from all over the world, who were full of confidence and high spirits, which suddenly increased the pressure on Shi Ning.

"I've prepared for so long, I can definitely do it," she silently encouraged herself.

The competition is divided into three stages: preliminary round, semi-final, and final.

The listening section of the preliminary round featured extremely fast-paced speech with very complex accents.

"Stay calm, don't panic."

Shi Ning reminded herself that, thanks to her solid training, she remained calm and accurately captured every key piece of information.

In the oral exam, she drew a question about the impact of artificial intelligence on the future of education.

After a brief moment of thought, she took a deep breath. "Good morning, everyone. Today, I'd like to talk about the impact of artificial intelligence on future education."

She began her fluent speech with novel viewpoints, clear logic, and fluent pronunciation, winning frequent nods of approval from the judges.

The reading and writing sections of the semi-finals were more challenging.

The reading material involved professional fields such as quantum physics and biomedicine. As Shi Ning read, she muttered to herself, "I've reviewed this part of the knowledge before, so it should be fine."

She successfully completed the test thanks to her previously acquired reading skills and understanding of the knowledge.

In the writing section, she combined her own thoughts with materials she had accumulated in her daily life to write a high-quality article.

"Phew, finally finished writing." She put down her pen and let out a long sigh of relief.

After fierce competition, Shi Ning successfully advanced to the finals.

On the final stage, Shi Ning stood under the spotlight, facing top contestants from around the world. She took a deep breath and said, "Come on, I can do it."

In the final comprehensive assessment of oral and writing skills, she performed at her best, incorporating her love for English and years of hard work into every word and every sentence.

After the competition, Shi Ning waited anxiously for the result. "Chen Yu, I'm so nervous."

She held Chen Yu's hand tightly. Chen Yu comforted her, "Don't worry, you've done very well."

When the host announced her name and declared that she had won second prize, Shi Ning was so excited that tears welled up in her eyes. Professor Wang and Chen Yu also rushed onto the stage excitedly and hugged her tightly.

"Ning'er, you're amazing! I knew you could do it!" Chen Yu said excitedly.

Professor Wang also said with satisfaction, "Shi Ning, you have won honor for the school and proven your own strength. I am deeply moved by your hard work and perseverance along the way."

Shi Ning wiped away her tears and said with a smile, "Thank you all. I definitely couldn't have done it without your support."