My girlfriend was reborn.

Chapter 152 I saw you holding hands with her.

"The crane cries!"

As soon as Zhou Heming returned to school, he saw Lu Bai run up to him and jump into his arms.

The cameraman next to them immediately followed and filmed, capturing this rare moment.

Behind her, Cheng Shuangjiang, leaning on her crutch, looked at the two embracing each other and smiled.

"How are you?"

Ji Yanshi came up and looked at Cheng Shuangjiang, whose right foot was simply bandaged.

"It's alright, thanks to Ah He, the treatment was timely, and the doctor said I'll be fully recovered in a week."

She glanced at Zhou Heming.

"The doctor is really kind. She even lent me this cane, saying I could return it to her later."

"Then be careful these two weeks, and call me if you need any help."

Seeing Cheng Shuangjiang walking unsteadily, Ji Yanshi couldn't help but support her.

On Sunday afternoon, Zhou Heming and Cheng Shuangjiang hitched a ride with a villager and returned to the school in Hanhai Township.

As soon as they returned, they were surrounded by a crowd.

As the injured, everyone was more concerned about Cheng Shuangjiang. However, as boys, Xiang Yunlang and Liu Xunzhu were not in a position to ask too many questions and could only offer a few perfunctory remarks.

"So, during the afternoon shoot, we'll arrange for you to be seated, and we'll try not to show your feet. After the commercial is finished, we'll intersperse it with a segment of each person's reflections on the week."

Assistant director He Youwu gave a brief explanation.

They had already filmed several sponsor ads in the morning, and there would be some indoor footage and personal interviews for editing in the afternoon.

The weather turned cold today, and the grassland felt even more desolate.

Zhou Heming returned to his dormitory, took a shower and changed his clothes. When he came out, he ran into assistant director He Youwu.

"Xiao Zhou, come here for a moment."

He called out to Zhou Heming, and the two went to a corner of the playground.

"Director, what's going on?"

“I saw the film that Ah Yang took.”

He Youwu said in a deep voice.

"A-Anything wrong?"

Zhou Heming subconsciously swallowed.

"I think"

He Youwu stroked his chin.

"I think you and Xiao Cheng shot a great scene! The ambiguous feeling between the boy and girl was really good. It's a pity that A Yang is so stubborn. Why didn't he think of staying last night? It should have been great material. You can shoot an ad anytime, but this kind of unexpected event is rare."

".oh."

Zhou Heming responded with a noncommittal reply.

"Don't worry about Xiao Cheng. We've bought the medicine. Please take good care of her during this time."

He Youwu patted Zhou Heming on the shoulder.

"Ok."

Zhou Heming nodded.

"Let's go shoot the interview first."

He Youwu waved his hand, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and looked like he was going to sneak a cigarette.

Zhou Heming took two steps toward the teaching building.

Why should I tell you not to worry?

He was confused by what the director said.

When they returned to the classroom where the filming was being conducted, Lu Bai had just finished filming and was coming out.

"Great! He Ming is right behind me, so I can wait for you to film the commercial together."

She smiled broadly.

The two were asked by the director to film a commercial with a romantic pairing, so they were basically working together.

"As soon as possible."

Zhou Heming walked into the classroom.

These interviews are basically just asking about your feelings about participating in the show, the most memorable thing, and your opinions on other guests—just polite small talk.

Zhou Heming faced the camera, looked at the cards with writing on them on the table, and answered them one by one.

The assigned essay was not difficult for him. He ended the interview with a sincere and well-organized answer. He walked out of the classroom and saw Lu Bai standing outside, looking at his phone.

"What are you looking at?"

Zhou Heming was curious.

"I'm looking at the rough cuts you and Cheng Shuangjiang made at the market yesterday."

Lu Bai put away his phone and looked over with a smile.

"Was the editing this fast?"

Zhou Heming was at a loss for words when it came to how to evaluate the situation.

"This is already considered slow. For things like weddings, they would spend a whole morning filming and the photos would be ready by the evening banquet."

Lu Bai took Zhou Heming's hand and walked downstairs.

They were filming an advertisement by the small river on the grassy area outside the school. It seems this time it was for a yogurt promotion. This yogurt company claims to use high-quality milk from this area, and they hit it off with the production team, sponsoring a lot of money and providing free yogurt.

Zhou Heming and his group couldn't eat much, but they could feed the students here to their hearts' content.

As the two walked down the stairs, Lu Bai suddenly slowed down at the corner.

"I saw you holding hands with her."

"Ah."

Zhou Heming responded, but before he could speak, Lu Bai's voice came through.

"Indeed, in that situation, you have to hold hands, otherwise you'll get separated."

The boy looked over and saw Lu Bai with a gentle smile on his face.

"You see, it's because you didn't hold her hand last night that Cheng Shuangjiang twisted her ankle."

It even carried a hint of complaint in its tone.

"sorry."

Zhou Heming apologized.

"There's no need to apologize to me. You're her cooking partner, so you'll be busy for a while next week when it's time to cook."

The two came out into the sunlight and strolled down the slope toward the river.

"next week?"

Zhou Heming wondered, shouldn't the duty roster be changed every week?

"Yes, I told the director that because Cheng Shuangjiang was injured, I would definitely need to take care of her if I partnered with her, so I suggested that you two continue to partner with her next week."

Lu Bai said matter-of-factly.

"and you."

"I think we should switch to Liu Xunzhu as a partner. I heard from Ji Yanshi that he's also a bit of a disaster in the kitchen. It looks like we'll have to trouble Teacher Fu."

"The food you make actually tastes pretty good, it's just that it doesn't look very appealing."

Zhou Heming remembered the dumplings he ate on New Year's Eve.

"No, don't try to fool me into cooking at home with that kind of excuse. Cooking is out of the question."

Lu Bai joked.

"Okay, I'll do it from now on."

Zhou Heming nodded.

"Of course, you'll have to take care of my food and drink for the rest of my life."

Lu Bai grabbed Zhou Heming's arm and then glanced around.

"It's so spacious here."

They were walking between the teaching building and the riverbank, with no one else around them.

Zhou Heming used to watch videos where people would say that life is not a track, but a wilderness, and this image would usually be accompanying the conversation.

The wind swept across the withered grass, ruffling Lu Bai's hair.

She turned around to face Zhou Heming, closed her eyes, stood on tiptoe, and sought the kiss she had missed yesterday.

Zhou Heming gently embraced her waist and left his mark on her slightly moist lips.

moment.

As their feelings deepened, the two touched foreheads and embraced in the wilderness of life.

"That was yesterday's portion."

Lu Bai's voice was thick and sweet.

"Let's have today's portion again tonight."

"Ah."

Zhou Heming nodded slightly, then hugged Lu Bai tightly.

It was as if he was trying to erase from his memory the image of Cheng Shuangjiang, her face flushed and rosy like a rose, that had just surfaced in his mind.
The teaching support program continued for the following week.

Whether it was out of trust in Zhou Heming or for some other reason, she never asked what exactly happened between Zhou Heming and Cheng Shuangjiang that night.

He couldn't quite figure out what Lu Bai was thinking.

After all, Cheng Shuangjiang had once told Lu Bai in person that she loved Zhou Heming. As a witness to their relationship, Lu Bai was well aware of what Cheng Shuangjiang meant to Zhou Heming.

But no matter what.

Zhou Heming knew that a relationship between him and Cheng Shuangjiang was impossible.

His love had already been poured into Lu Bai, and he could no longer rebalance the scales of love between Cheng Shuangjiang and him.

Therefore, Cheng Shuangjiang would not accept Zhou Heming's impure love.

But they cannot part ways because of this and become complete passersby.

The most familiar strangers—perhaps this is the best way to describe the relationship between the two.

On Saturday night, the six of them gathered in the classroom. The production crew had prepared a projector and played the first episode of "If I Had Never Seen the Sun" on the blackboard.

I watch my own variety shows and sometimes edit them as part of the program, uploading them as supplementary episodes.

According to the director, the first episode of the variety show mainly focuses on the first four days after the meeting.

The variety show opens in a studio, where a host and three guests discuss teaching in rural areas.

Zhou Heming wasn't very familiar with these three guests. While listening to Lu Bai and Ji Yan's discussion, he realized that two of them were quite popular stars a couple of years ago, and the other was a newcomer who debuted from an idol variety show.

He paid little attention to the three people's evaluations, but instead glanced at Cheng Shuangjiang sitting in front.

From this angle, he could only see Cheng Shuangjiang's profile and the back of her fair neck. She had taken a shower, and her hair was tied up at the back of her head with a shark clip, just like countless nights in the past when she sat next to Zhou Heming to study.

Cheng Shuangjiang's foot was just removed from the bandage this morning and is almost fully recovered. However, she should avoid strenuous running and jumping until the end of the show.

To be honest, Zhou Heming felt a little embarrassed seeing himself on the variety show.

Thankfully, "Goodbye, Pear" hasn't aired the episode featuring him and Lu Bai yet, otherwise Zhou Heming would have been able to claim his own four-bedroom apartment right here in Hanhai Township.

The overall editing of the variety show was confirmed by each of them, so the relevant segments were as expected, without any cuts or repetitive editing.

However, some things were unexpected when he did the individual interview.

Compared to Zhou Heming's very official answer, or Lu Bai's carefree and joyful response, Liu Xunzhu and Xiang Yunlang's answers were somewhat confrontational.

Especially on the question of "how do you view teaching in rural areas," the two showed an even stronger tension than on the first day.

“I think teaching in rural areas is very meaningful. It allows children living in remote areas to receive a complete education, broadens their horizons, and lets them see a more colorful world. We cannot choose our birth, but we can choose our path. Teaching in rural areas gives these children who originally had no choice an extra right to choose.”

Xiang Yunlang shared many things based on his own experiences.

"Therefore, I hope that more people can devote themselves to this cause, help more children, and let them truly see this vast world."

He was clearly very supportive, after all, he came from a poor area, even more difficult than the children today. He didn't have enough time to study, and he didn't have money to buy new textbooks. Every time the school collected tuition and fees, it was a torture for him.

People will eventually be trapped by things they cannot obtain in their youth, which will haunt them for life.

Xiang Yunlang is not only helping the students in front of him, but also helping himself many years ago, when he was studying hard in a mud house with old textbooks and his hands covered in frostbite.

Liu Xunzhu, however, had a very unique opinion.

"I think education is very important, but we should also act within our means. If we do not differentiate and adjust and simply make students aim for further studies, it is actually a waste of resources and may even cause unnecessary pressure and setbacks for students."

Liu Xunzhu speaks eloquently in the video.

"For many people here, even if they were given the opportunity to study and finish junior high and high school, they would eventually come back to herd livestock and plant trees, partly because of their personal learning ability and partly because of their family circumstances."

“In the most primitive environment, they may not feel that planting trees and herding are inferior to others. But now we are coming here to disturb their peaceful lives and tell them that what your ancestors have been doing is not as good as sitting in an office with air conditioning and typing on a computer. If you don’t study hard, you will only be able to do these unprofitable jobs in the future. Isn’t that a kind of pollution for the originally simple children?”

"The idea that 'only studying is noble among all other pursuits' is a thing of the past. Now, vocational education is highly valued, and studying is no longer the only way out. I believe that vocational education after completing basic education is even more important."

Zhou Heming looked at Liu Xunzhu in the classroom.

He remained unmoved, quietly watching himself on the variety show.

Xiang Yunlang glanced over, seemingly wanting to say something but stopping himself, as if he was thinking about how to refute her.

"It seems like he has a point."

Lu Bai whispered in Zhou Heming's ear.

"Maybe this is the kind of conflict the production team wanted."

Zhou Heming suspected that Liu Xunzhu was selected by the program team to participate precisely because of this idea.

after all.

The variety show is called "If I Had Never Seen the Sun," which is taken from half a line in a poem by Dickinson. The more popular translation of the full line is: "I could have endured the darkness if I had never seen the sun."

For these students, Fu Yuqing and Zhou Heming were indeed like the sun, illuminating their originally impoverished and miserable lives.

But it is precisely because of the sun's existence that shadows fall.

When Zhou Heming and his colleagues leave, and when these students graduate, the former sun may indeed have nurtured shadows within them, making the darkness unbearable for the children.

Think of this.

Zhou Heming glanced at Cheng Shuangjiang.

She was still intently watching the variety show.

in case.

If Zhou Heming hadn't met Cheng Shuangjiang, and if things had continued as they were, without any fantastical elements like rebirth...

If he had only met Lu Bai and had such an ordinary romance with her.

Would he be happier then than he is now?

After the variety show ended, no one immediately started arguing; everyone seemed to be pondering Liu Xunzhu's words.

Although his statement didn't sound "correct," it was indeed the result of his own thinking.

Seeing this, Liu Xunzhu stood up.

"I really like these children and respect Teacher Fu's work. This is what I truly think. The production team has also communicated with me and believes that this is something that can be said publicly. If you have any opinions, you are welcome to discuss them with me."

He then left.

Ji Yanshi looked at Xiang Yunlang.

His cheeks flushed red, and he opened his mouth, but he didn't chase after him.

"It's trending on social media."

At this moment, Lu Bai murmured softly.

She showed Zhou Heming her phone.

The variety show generated its first trending topic shortly after it aired.

Contrary to the initial pairing of Zhou Heming and Lu Bai that the production team envisioned, this entry is titled "[Elite Academic Star VS Small-Town Test-Taker]", which clearly refers to Liu Xunzhu and Xiang Yunlang.

"Does it still have to be a controversial topic?"

Zhou Heming glanced at it.

Netizens were clearly divided into two camps, with one camp strongly supporting Xiang Yunlang.

[Xiang Yunlang's journey from a poverty-stricken county to where he is today has been remarkable. His words are truly heartfelt, and I've decided to donate to Project Hope as soon as I get my salary!]

[To get into Ningjiang University under such difficult conditions, Xiang Yunlang is no ordinary person. On the other hand, Liu Xunzhu probably only got in because of his parents' connections.]

Although Xiang Yunlang and Liu Xunzhu are currently on equal footing, there's no doubt that Liu Xunzhu's future will be brighter. However, I believe Xiang Yunlang has done his best, and I support him.

Indeed, if the roles were reversed, Liu Xunzhu might not even have been able to get into university.

Some people are truly insensitive; they themselves enjoy a high-quality education and are steadily promoted to top universities, yet now they're thinking of dismantling others' pathways to advancement—a classic case of crossing the river and then burning the bridge!

Clearly, the identity of a small-town exam-taker is more likely to evoke sympathy and identification, while Liu Xunzhu's family background becomes a natural target for attack.

However, there are also some who support Liu Xunzhu.

Some people are simply not cut out for academics. They'll realize their limitations after just one year of compulsory education. Instead of wasting money on education, they'd be better off learning a skill to make a living.

I think Liu Xunzhu is absolutely right. Ignoring the needs of local people and blindly sending teachers to rural areas only disrupts their lives and adds unnecessary trouble. Those who truly want to study will succeed no matter what; as for the rest, let them be.

[These people originally lived in a beautiful, idyllic place, peacefully farming and raising cattle. Now you come and tell them their quality of life is too poor, that they need to study and see the world, and then force them to go bankrupt sending their children to school, only to end up working like slaves in offices and being laid off at thirty-five. What's the point?]

[Yeah, I worked so hard to get into a top-tier university (985), and now I'm a workaholic in a first-tier city, working overtime every day, and I don't even have a girlfriend. Scrolling through my social media feed, I see people from my hometown with only a second-tier college or vocational college degree going out to eat, drink, have fun, and take care of their kids all day. I'm so envious of them! But now if I go back to my hometown, I can't find a job that matches my expectations. It's so tough!]

Those grasslands definitely need people to graze their livestock, and the woodlands definitely need people to maintain them. If these local children don't want to stay in their hometowns, won't these areas eventually fall into disrepair? I think it's better to maintain the original ecosystem and not forcibly disturb their lives.

Liu Xunzhu's words resonated strongly with many urban white-collar workers and former "good students." They originally thought that good grades would bring happiness, but now they find that good grades have become a burden, and they have become like Kong Yiji in a long gown. Therefore, they strongly support Liu Xunzhu.

Controversy generates traffic.

"I hope they don't fight. Heming, keep an eye on them."

Lu Bai didn't care who was right or wrong between them; he just hoped to finish filming the variety show.

"It shouldn't be that bad."

Zhou Heming scratched his head and saw Xiang Yunlang get up and leave.

During the free time that followed, Zhou Heming and Lu Bai went for a walk hand in hand on the playground.

It's already very cold outside, and I heard that it might snow here for the first time next week.

Zhou Heming thought of the accident Cheng Shuangjiang mentioned in the previous timeline; if it wasn't stopped, it would happen next week.

"A-Qian, there's something I need to tell you."

Therefore, when Zhou Heming came to the bench, he looked at Lu Bai and decided to tell her everything without reservation.

For example, Cheng Shuangjiang's real purpose in coming to Altay was the tragedy that was about to happen.

For example, Zhou Heming needs to deceive fate and reverse the future in order to save Cheng Shuangjiang.

For another example.

“Ah Qian, that night, in the town hospital, I took the initiative to kiss Cheng Shuangjiang.”

*
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(End of this chapter)