Chapter 11

Jiang Jiashu’s little gossip put Ying Nian in a bad mood. However, something even more unpleasant happened the next day.

The following day, during a break, Ying Nian went to the restroom. Since she wasn’t in a rush, she let others go ahead of her and only went into the stall at the far end after most people had left. Just as she finished and was about to leave, by coincidence, Xue Feifei and her companion walked in.

Ying Nian recognized Xue Feifei by her voice.

First, a female voice asked softly, “Did you just say you’re going to participate in the speech competition?”

Accompanied by the sound of running water from the faucet, that unique voice replied, “Yeah.”

Perhaps thinking there was no one else in the restroom, they spoke without any reservations.

One of them remarked in surprise, “Hasn’t Ying Nian always been the one to go?”

Xue Feifei chuckled, “This competition doesn’t have her name written on it, so why should she be the one to go?”

“That’s true!” someone immediately chimed in, “Feifei, your voice is so beautiful. If you participate in the competition, you’re sure to win an award! Besides, Ying Nian has gone so many times; it’s about time someone else got a chance!”

However, someone else still felt uneasy: “But she has won the national championship before, and the head of the Chinese teachers in our grade seems to like her a lot…”

“So what?” Xue Feifei scoffed and lowered her voice, “Let me tell you something, but don’t tell anyone else—though I wasn’t planning on saying this just yet.”

“What is it?”

“My dad is going to donate money to the school to renovate the track on the sports field!”

“Really?”

“Of course it’s true. My family isn’t short on money.”

All the others could be heard exclaiming in unison, “Wow, that’s amazing…!”

The voice that had initially been supportive spoke up again, “Then it’s definitely going to be you this year! I heard someone say that when Ying Nian participated in her first competition, her dad also donated money to the school. At that time, it seems they bought a batch of new computers!”

As soon as these words were spoken, it was like a stone dropped into water, causing a wave of surprise:

“Really?!”

“Of course! Everyone in the junior high department knew about it!”

“No wonder she always acts so high and mighty, like she’s something special!”

“Just because her family has money.”

“Ha, it’s not like her family is the only one with money! Feifei’s family has it too, and when it comes to public speaking skills, Feifei is no worse than her. She’s won so many awards just because she’s had more opportunities to compete. If others were given the chance, they could achieve the same results! I’m sure this time, Feifei will definitely take first place!”

Xue Feifei chuckled softly, sounding modest: “No, it’s not certain yet…”

“What do you mean ‘not certain’? You definitely will…”

The group continued talking as they slowly walked out of the restroom, and their voices fading away.

Once the restroom was completely silent, Ying Nian stepped out from the innermost stall.

The mirror reflected a face with a heavy expression.

Ying Nian could overlook Xue Feifei’s confidence in being selected to represent the school in the competition, but the insinuation in their conversation—that Ying Nian only had so many opportunities because her family had donated money to the school—ignited a fire in her that she couldn’t suppress.

The first time she represented the school in a competition in her first year of junior high, she had earned the right by taking first place in the internal school selection. When she won the national championship, her father had been so overjoyed that he couldn’t hold back and generously donated some resources to the school.

The sequence of events was as clear as day.

This time, when the teacher mentioned the competition, Ying Nian had assumed she would be the best candidate, which was admittedly a bit arrogant. But this confidence came from her experience over the past few years as the school’s representative, having won two gold medals and one bronze. Considering the entire school, she was undoubtedly the most experienced.

It wasn’t just her who thought so; if you asked other teachers and students in the school, most of them would also believe she was the most suitable choice.

Ying Nian could accept that the school might disregard her previous achievements and hold another internal competition to select a representative. She was confident that she could secure the spot again based on her abilities. But what she couldn’t accept was any underhanded dealings.

The national competition had a rule clearly stated in the regulations: “Schools can freely nominate participants.” Participation in the competition was supposed to be based on personal willingness. How could it be that if a teacher didn’t want a student to participate, they could simply prevent them from doing so?

Ying Nian scooped up a handful of water at the sink and splashed it on her face. She stared at the mirror for a few seconds, then wiped away the dripping water with a heavy hand, and walked out of the restroom with a stern expression.

…

After the third period, the Chinese language teacher stood at the podium and made an announcement:

“This year’s speech competition will not follow the usual process of holding an internal selection competition within the school. After discussions among all the teachers in the Chinese teaching group of our grade, we’ve decided to select participants based on the teachers’ evaluations. Some students have come to ask me during the break when they can sign up. I’m addressing everyone now: there’s no need to prepare anymore. Focus all your efforts on the upcoming monthly exams.”

As the bell rang, the teacher wrapped up, gathering their teaching materials and leaving the classroom: “That’s all. Class dismissed!”

“Teacher—”

Someone immediately stood up and followed the teacher out.

Even though most people knew that the spot would likely go to Ying Nian, there were still some competitive students eager to challenge for the opportunity. One such student was the Chinese class representative from Ying Nian’s class.

The class representative was a girl named Guo Li. Due to her name sounding very much like a boy’s, she had been teased for a long time. However, she wasn’t affected in the slightest and simply ignored those who mocked her. Eventually, the others grew bored and stopped making fun of her.

Guo Li caught up with the Chinese language teacher at the staircase.

“Teacher! I wanted to ask about the speech competition…”

“Didn’t I tell you all not to worry about it anymore? Who goes to the competition will be decided by our teaching group!” The Chinese teacher, who was nearly forty, adjusted her glasses as she was stopped, her OL outfit giving her a rather rigid appearance.

Unwilling to give up, Guo Li pressed on, “Will it be Ying Nian again this year?”

The Chinese teacher slightly raised her eyes. She neither confirmed nor denied it. “You’ll find out who it is when the notice is posted on the bulletin board.”

Guo Li wanted to say more, but the teacher, growing impatient, said, “I have work to do. You should go back!”

Without waiting for Guo Li to respond, the teacher quickly walked down the stairs and gradually disappeared from sight.

…

After school in the afternoon, a new notice was posted on the school bulletin board, one item of which concerned the selection for the national speech competition.

Guo Li didn’t see it until she returned after dinner. When she saw the list, she immediately frowned. After grabbing her backpack, she turned and sprinted back to the classroom. Ying Nian was already there, sitting at her desk and reading a book.

“Ying Nian!” Guo Li rushed over, and when Ying Nian looked up, Guo Li hesitated, her steps slowing as a trace of embarrassment crossed her face.

That morning, after catching up with the Chinese teacher to ask about the speech competition, Guo Li had felt a bit displeased. When she returned to the classroom and handed out the Chinese exercise books, she couldn’t resist making a couple of sharp remarks at Ying Nian.

It couldn’t exactly be called “sniping”—it was more that her tone wasn’t very friendly—but Ying Nian hadn’t taken offense, simply smiling and letting it go.

Ying Nian asked in a puzzled tone, “What’s up?”

Guo Li asked, “Aren’t you going to participate in the speech competition?”

“Didn’t you hear what the teacher said in class today?”

“…What do you mean?”

“The literal meaning,” Ying Nian shrugged. “Didn’t the teacher say that the decision on who represents the school in the competition would be made by the teaching group after their evaluation?”

Guo Li, still unconvinced, protested, “But Xue Feifei being the representative doesn’t make any sense!”

Ying Nian smiled and replied, “How would I know?”

Seeing Ying Nian’s indifferent attitude, Guo Li inexplicably grew irritated.

“Don’t you care at all?”

“Care about what?”

“How is she better than you? Why is she going instead of you?”

Ying Nian looked at her curiously, “Weren’t you the one who was giving me a hard time this morning? Why the sudden change of heart now?”

Guo Li blushed slightly but stubbornly replied, “If the teacher had directly chosen you, I wouldn’t be happy either. Just because you’ve participated many times and won awards doesn’t mean others can’t. You don’t know who’s better until you’ve competed.”

Ying Nian, with a teasing tone, retorted, “You’ve already lost to me twice, and you’re still not convinced?”

Guo Li glared at her, “Just because I lost before doesn’t mean I’ll lose this time, or that I’ll keep losing in the future. If there’s a chance, of course, I’m going to try.”

Ying Nian actually admired her attitude, “That’s the right mindset.”

“It doesn’t matter who the teacher pre-selects; it’s not okay. Even if it’s you, I wouldn’t accept it,” Guo Li continued, “If I don’t accept you, there’s no way I’d accept Xue Feifei!”

“…” Ying Nian couldn’t help but feel something was off about what Guo Li was saying.

Was this turning into one of those love-hate rivalry situations?

Guo Li, filled with righteous indignation, suggested, “Why don’t we bring this up with the dean or the principal?”

Ying Nian quickly stopped her, “No! Don’t cause trouble. If this goes wrong, you might even get expelled!”

“But…”

“The city’s competition is being held at our school, isn’t it? Why don’t you come and watch it that day?” Ying Nian smiled at her. “The arts group teacher asked me to be the host, and I’ve already agreed.”

“You—” Guo Li wanted to say more, but Ying Nian had already put on her headphones and started watching a video on her phone. Guo Li opened her mouth to speak up a few times in frustration, but seeing that Ying Nian had no intention of continuing the conversation, she left in a huff.

Ying Nian was watching none other than the latest video of Yu Linran representing the SF team in an interview. In the losers’ bracket, SF had successfully defeated another top 3 team, securing third place in the Spring Split.

The gloom from being crushed by FVH had lifted considerably.

After all, the team they were competing against for third place was also one of the three powerhouses in the country, just like FVH. SF’s strong performance, winning three straight games to secure the victory, rekindled the hopes of many disappointed new fans. Now, everyone was eagerly anticipating their performance in the upcoming Summer Season.

After the match in the losers’ bracket, Yu Linran, as the captain, was interviewed.

The host asked him, “Overall, your recent results have been pretty good, but both last time and this time, fans have felt like they were on a roller coaster, with extreme ups and downs. What do you have to say about that?”

Yu Linran calmly replied, “Winning and losing are normal parts of the game.”

“And then?”

He said, “Losing isn’t scary; what’s scary is being afraid to lose. Only when you’re not afraid to lose can you possibly win.”

The host asked, “Anything else?”

“That’s it.”

…

Ying Nian had watched this video many times—so many that she had lost count, including this time.

“Yo!”

Satisfied after admiring Yu Linran’s handsome face, Ying Nian contentedly put away her phone and pulled out a stack of manuscript paper from her desk.

She picked up her pen and wrote on the first line:

“To the Judges of the Speech Competition and the Leaders of the City Education Bureau…”

Her handwriting was strong and elegant, each stroke confident and poised.

A long time later, Jiang Jiashu recalled this incident and asked her why she made such a big deal out of it.

Ying Nian told him:

“Because an exceptionally outstanding person taught me that losing isn’t scary; what’s scary is being afraid to lose.”

“As long as I’m not afraid to lose, I might just win!”