My girlfriend was reborn.

Chapter 46 Because He Deserves It
This was the first time Zhou Heming felt that the bell rang so late.

He didn't really listen attentively throughout the class. On the one hand, he didn't get many questions wrong, and on the other hand, he was eager to tell Cheng Shuangjiang about it.

As soon as the bell rang, Zhou Heming, who had been waiting for this moment, got up and rushed towards the door without even packing his things.

"Zhou Heming".

Suddenly, Ding Kai called out to him.

Zhou Heming had no choice but to stop and approach the homeroom teacher somewhat impatiently.

"Teacher Ding."

"You're the one who made the most progress in your senior year. As is customary, I'll give you a photo and a motto to write down, which will be posted on the bulletin board at the entrance. Send it to me before tomorrow."

Ding Kai gave the instructions.

"Ok."

Zhou Heming nodded and was about to leave.

"By the way, there's one more thing."

The forgetful Ding Kai called out to Zhou Heming, who was about to slip away.

"Ahem, Mr. Cheng, the homeroom teacher of the honors class, he wants you to go to his office after school."

"?"

Zhou Heming was taken aback.

He quickly realized that his uncle was referring to Teacher Cheng, and that he wanted to talk to him about the targeted exam.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhou Heming returned to his seat and sent a message to Cheng Shuangjiang on his phone.

[Zhou Heming]: I was called to Teacher Cheng's office. Why don't you go to the secret base first?

Just one simple line.

Although he could send her a message to tell her the result, Zhou Heming still wanted a little sense of ceremony.

At least, tell them face-to-face what it took the two of them a month to accomplish.

Some things, when said face-to-face while looking the other person in the eye, are a hundred times more powerful than the emotions conveyed in words.

After all, a single byte of data cannot convey the myriad emotions conveyed through a sincere gaze.

Almost as soon as he finished sending the message, his phone received a reply from the other party.

[Cheng Shuangjiang]: Go ahead, I'll be waiting for you at the secret base~

Clearly, the girl and he understood each other implicitly and also decided to save this important answer for when they met face to face.

A slight smile appeared on his lips as he put away his phone and quickly went to the Chinese language group's office.

Two teachers from other grades were still working in the office. Zhou Heming peeked out from the office door and was immediately spotted by Cheng Lingjun.

"come in."

The senior teacher's voice was serious and firm.

Zhou Heming walked to his desk.

"Hello, Teacher Cheng."

"You already know the exam results, right?"

Cheng Lingjun spoke calmly, as if asking Zhou Heming if there was anything he didn't understand in today's homework.

"Ah."

Zhou Heming nodded, then tentatively asked.

"Teacher Cheng, do I... pass the test?"

"Ok?"

Cheng Lingjun looked over coldly.

In the past, Zhou Heming, or any other senior high school student at Jiangcheng Middle School, would inevitably feel intimidated, nervous, and uneasy when faced with such a gaze.

But Zhou Heming, having undergone courage training, was able to meet Cheng Lingjun's gaze calmly without flinching.

"I scored 599 points on this exam, which is 89 points higher than last time, thus fulfilling my promise."

Cheng Lingjun stared at him for a long time.

Then, a slight smile of satisfaction appeared on his lips.

"As expected, Shuangjiang was right about you."

"Yes, I believe her too."

Zhou Heming blurted it out, then realized he might have been a bit arrogant.

Cheng Lingjun's smile froze for a moment before vanishing.

"I will try my best to get you a spot in the targeted exam. Of course, this doesn't mean I can definitely get it. Ningjiang University is very popular, and many top students from liberal arts classes are interested in it. I can only do my best."

he said solemnly.

Zhou Heming nodded.

Cheng Lingjun glanced at him again.

"Zhou Heming, what is your purpose in studying?"

"For the rise of China?"

"to be honest."

Cheng Lingjun had no intention of arguing with Zhou Heming.

"Teacher Cheng, actually I'm not very clear either. When I was a child, my parents said that as long as I studied hard and got good grades, I could make money and realize my dreams in the future."

Zhou Heming and Cheng Lingjun exchanged earnest glances and spoke frankly.

"They studied so hard for so many years, graduated from prestigious universities, and ended up like this. It seems that studying can't really change anything."

Like Xu Youyou and Qiao Jinchen, many people study their whole lives, striving and resorting to any means to climb up the social ladder, only to find that they can't even reach the starting point of others.

Cheng Lingjun knew about his family situation, which made her even more determined to ascertain the character of this boy who might become part of her niece's family in the future.

If he only studies to make money, he will inevitably fall into some traps, betray some good people, and even lose himself and fall into the abyss.

However, in this society, what doesn't revolve around money?
This senior teacher also wanted to know the answer.

When he was studying, he was full of ambition. His goal was to establish a moral compass for heaven and earth, to establish a destiny for the people, to continue the lost learning of the past sages, and to create peace for all generations.

Later, reality taught Cheng Lingjun a harsh lesson. He couldn't even be with the girl he liked, let alone fulfill his grand ambitions. Now, he can only stay in this school, teaching test-taking skills, creating tricky questions, disciplining naughty students, and dealing with inspections from superiors.

Others thought he was a senior teacher with a stable job and was respected, but Cheng Lingjun himself knew that he was just a failure.

He came to earth, but he never even saw the sun.

When his niece said those words, Cheng Lingjun was actually a little speechless, because she was not only talking about Zhou Heming, but also about Cheng Lingjun himself.

Therefore, when Cheng Lingjun and Zhou Heming talked about reading, they meant not only reading textbooks in school, but also reading about this vast life and fleeting world.

Therefore, Cheng Lingjun's problem can actually be replaced with...

What do you live for?

"But now that I know Cheng Shuangjiang and have gone through some things with my friends, I feel that I may have found some answers, though I don't know if they are right or wrong."

Zhou Heming paused for a moment, then continued.

"I read books so that I can have a clear conscience."

"I have a clear conscience."

Cheng Lingjun repeated it.

"I don't want to betray kindness, I don't want to stand by and watch injustice, and I don't want to miss out on the good things in life. So, I want to study so that I have the ability to do these things. I want to live a life where I can have a clear conscience."

Zhou Heming said in a deep voice.

He could be penniless and destitute, he could be all alone, he could be busy and struggling, but he could not go against his heart. Therefore, when Cheng Shuangjiang told him that Zhou Heming, at thirty-five, was still the same as he was now, he was actually quite happy. At least it proved that he had not forgotten his original aspirations and remained the same as always.

Upon hearing Zhou Heming's answer, Cheng Lingjun remained silent for a moment.

"Remember your answer today."

He said this and waved his hand.

"Go, Frostfall is surely waiting for you."

Zhou Heming thanked Cheng Lingjun and then left the office.

Cheng Lingjun stared blankly as he left, and only after a long while did she get up.

Walking through the corridor, Cheng Lingjun arrived at the grade director's office.

There was another teacher here at this time.

Wei Xiuwen, the head teacher of the liberal arts elite class, looked slightly surprised when Cheng Lingjun knocked on the door and entered.

"You've come at the right time. We were just discussing the number of recommended candidates for the Ningjiang University entrance exam."

The grade head, Ms. Liu, smiled and gestured for Cheng Lingjun to sit down.

Not exactly right.

Wei Xiuwen, being a senior teacher with years of experience, naturally knew that Cheng Lingjun must have spoken to Teacher Liu beforehand, and that his arrival at this time was clearly to grab a recommendation spot.

“Teacher Liu, I’ll go first. Jiang Rui expressed his desire to apply for this major at Ningbo University a long time ago. He has excellent grades, and I think he should be recommended for a spot.”

After he finished speaking, he glanced at Cheng Lingjun.

Cheng Lingjun nodded without objection.

"Then there's Yu Zhou from our class, who scored 580 points in this monthly exam. His grades are stable and he has great potential, so I recommend these two students to take the entrance exam for the Drama and Literature major at Ningbo University."

Wei Xiuwen then said
Teacher Liu nodded slightly, then looked at Cheng Lingjun.

"What is Professor Cheng's opinion?"

Old fox.

Cheng Lingjun immediately understood what Teacher Liu was thinking.

There were only two spots available, which were originally reserved for the humanities class. However, Cheng Lingjun's science class wanted them, so they had to use their connections to get them. The grade director remained impartial and neutral, while also avoiding offending anyone.

“I have a student here who I think is more suitable.”

Cheng Lingjun answered without hesitation.

"Someone in the science class wants to apply for drama? That's only for arts students, right?"

Wei Xiuwen seemed quite surprised.

"If a student gets a spot through the targeted exam, then science students can also apply for this major in the early admission batch."

Cheng Lingjun thought to himself, "You've been doing this for so many years, how could you not know this?"

He's clearly just pretending to be stupid!

“Zhou Heming scored 599 points in this monthly exam, improving his ranking by 300 places. He also got a perfect score on his essay. I think he is more qualified to get the second recommendation spot.”

Upon hearing this, Wei Xiuwen immediately understood.

Damn, you, Cheng Lingjun, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, are talking so grandly, but you're actually paving the way for your niece's boyfriend, aren't you?
"Based on the scores, Zhou Heming is higher, so I think we should choose the better one."

Cheng Lingjun added another sentence.

"No, Teacher Cheng, can you compare scores like this for arts and sciences? It should be based on rankings. Yu Zhou is consistently in the top 100 of the grade, and this time he ranked 47th. Zhou Heming's score is probably only in the 70s or 80s of the grade, and that's only once."

Wei Xiuwen immediately refuted this.

"Isn't that because we only have two humanities classes in our senior year, with a total of one hundred students? How could Yu Zhou possibly fall out of the top one hundred in the grade?"

Cheng Lingjun said coldly.

"Zhou Heming did well on this exam, but what if he fails the next one? Even if he gets the qualification, if he doesn't reach the cutoff score in the college entrance exam and isn't admitted in the end, wouldn't that be a complete waste?"

Wei Xiuwen choked for a moment, then argued.

"Teacher Cheng, this student isn't in your class, so why did you recommend him?"

The office fell silent.

Wei Xiuwen's meaning is very simple: everyone knows the relationship between Zhou Heming and your niece, and there's no way to explain your favoritism.

Cheng Lingjun looked at Wei Xiuwen, his eyes unwavering.

"I recommend him because he deserves it."

Now, all the chips have been gathered.

“He had excellent entrance exam scores and a solid foundation. With hard work, he can definitely maintain his current scores.”

"He was a very good writer. He helped write eulogies at the funeral home and was interviewed by the city's newspapers."

"Moreover, he is a science student. If he can be successfully admitted, it means that our school's students have a high overall quality and are not biased towards any particular subject."

"His family situation was not good, but with the support of the school, he was able to persist in his studies, make steady progress, and get into a prestigious school. This reflects the humanistic spirit of Jiangcheng Middle School in caring for every student."

Cheng Lingjun's arguments were well-reasoned and supported by evidence, leaving Wei Xiuwen speechless for a moment.

After all, given Yu Zhou's current grades, even if he gets a spot, he might not be accepted. Zhou Heming is in the same boat.

In fact, if Zhou Heming only improves by fifty points, it will be extremely difficult for Cheng Lingjun to win, and he will need to pay a higher price.

Fortunately, the young man proved to be a promising young man.

God helps those who help themselves.

Therefore, Cheng Lingjun decided to give it his all.

Just as Wei Xiuwen hesitated, Cheng Lingjun spoke again.

"Teacher Liu, how about this?"

His words caught the attention of the grade head.

“If Zhou Heming is given a recommendation spot, but he fails the targeted exam or is not admitted to Ningbo University in the college entrance examination, then I will voluntarily give up all my eligibility for commendation and promotion this year and my year-end bonus, and I will not serve as the head of the Chinese language group in the next term.”

Cheng Lingjun spoke calmly and composedly, then looked at Wei Xiuwen.

"Teacher Wei, can you pledge the same price as me to vouch for Yu Zhou?"

"Teacher Cheng, you..."

Are you crazy?
Wei Xiuwen swallowed the words that were about to come out.

At the same time, I was quite surprised.

Originally, Wei Xiuwen thought that Cheng Lingjun simply wanted to help his own family members get in through connections, but at most he would try to get in, and it was not worth it to use his eligibility for awards and year-end bonuses as collateral.

It now seems that Cheng Lingjun was indeed convinced that Zhou Heming was a promising talent, which is why he made every effort to win him over.

Since that's the case, he doesn't need to be a bad guy.

"In that case, let's give the second spot to Zhou Heming."

Wei Xiuwen took a step back.

Seeing that the results were in, the grade head, Ms. Liu, spoke at the opportune moment.

“Alright, go back and have the students prepare the materials. The targeted exam will be at the end of November, and the exam venue will be Ningjiang University. Teacher Cheng, you will lead the team there.”

"it is good."

Cheng Lingjun responded and left the office.

As dusk deepened and the evening clouds cast their pale light, a piano melody drifted on the wind. If Cheng Lingjun remembered correctly, it should be a piano piece by Beethoven.

Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Pathétique, Third Movement.

Passionate, radiant, and unwavering, like a young person striving for their ideals.

*
Thank you everyone for your monthly tickets and recommendation votes!
(End of this chapter)