Part Three, Chapter 6: The City's Top Scholar

ed face, but her heart was crumbling inside.Although the two hadn't officially confirmed their romantic relationship, they had been intimate for a while. She didn't know her place and overstepped bou...Song Jingye was very strict with his subordinates. He was always the final word in the army. During training, if anyone dared to shed a tear in front of him, he would show no mercy and have them train twice as hard until they choked back their tears.

So, of course, at this moment, she was utterly indifferent to Chen Ling's tears.

Not only that, he looked around, "How much are the gloves, you don't give her a penny less."

Zheng Ke was shocked, Yao.

Those below also looked at each other in astonishment.

Is this not intentionally making things difficult for Xiaoning and embarrassing her

Chen Ning's sniffle abruptly stopped, her face flushed, she quickly waved her hand. "No need, no need."

She knew the gloves she gave were insignificant to them, but it was a small token of her appreciation for their meticulous care these days.

In the spacious entertainment hall, only those few words of hers hung in the air. No one dared to speak. Chen Linghui also lowered her head silently, as if she had caused them trouble.

Song Jingye finished speaking and said to Chen Ling beside him, "Come out."

He went out first, leading the way.

Chen Ning silently trailed behind, how embarrassing could this be.

He led her all the way to his office, purposely opening the door before saying, "Have a seat."

Now the tone is slightly better.

His office was spartan, just a desk, two chairs, and a filing cabinet, yet it possessed an undeniable aura of authority.

Chen Ning always remained cautious in his presence, sitting on the chair and daring not to look up at him.

Song Jingye didn't explain what had just happened, bearing the grievance or embarrassment silently. He only said, "I know this is your intention, but thank you is enough."

Chen Ling nodded, she remembered.

Song Jingye pulled open the drawer beside him and took out a thick stack of file bags, placing them in front of her. "These are review outlines specially designed for you based on your usual academic performance by the teacher when we were going back to Beijing. Study them well."

The small northwestern city where they lived did not have a high enough quality of education to support her applying to better universities, so when he returned to Beijing, he specially asked their class teacher to send him all of her grades and then found a tutor in Beijing who had many years of experience in college entrance exam tutoring to tailor a personalized review outline for her.

After all, if you've already provided her with assistance, you should be responsible and do your best to help.

Chen Ning clutched the thick file bag in her hand. All the grievances and humiliation from before instantly vanished, tears welled up again in her eyes, but she dared not let them fall. She knew he hated it when people cried.

That night, she slept tightly clutching the stack of documents in her small room at the military family courtyard. The next day, Zheng Ke sent her to school. Chen Ling was particularly afraid that Zheng Ke would suddenly take out the money they still owed her for her gloves; that would truly be embarrassing or mortifying.

But luckily, when he reached her school gate, he didn't take out the 200 yuan, which relieved her.

"Xiao Ning, wait a moment."

She was about to enter the school gates when he suddenly called out from behind her.

Then he came over carrying a big bag of snacks and fruit: "Here, eat secretly, don't let your uncle know."

Chen Ling replied...

Back in her dorm room, after tidying up briefly, she opened the thick stack of documents. With a solemn and joyful heart, she carefully laid each one on her bed like a treasured possession.

After taking out all the materials, she found a small envelope at the bottom that she hadn't noticed last night. She opened it and saw a stack of RMB, 3,000 yuan.

Her emotions at this moment were beyond words. Her fate, once as low as dust and her withered roots, began to sprout with life thanks to his arrival.

She only deserves his love by constantly working hard and making herself better.

High school's third term was much more academically demanding. After returning from the military, she threw herself into her studies. Occasionally, when she felt tired, she would sketch a picture of Tiananmen Square on paper, and in the process of drawing, she would find endless strength.

That review material seemed to open up her learning pathways, it was tailor-made for her, filling in gaps and clarifying difficult concepts with meticulous explanations. Song Jingye even gave her the contact information of a teacher from Beijing, telling her she could call him directly if she had any questions. The teacher was very helpful and would call her every weekend to check on her progress. As a result, her grades soared. In her first mock exam, she topped the class, and by the third mock exam, she became a dark horse, rising to the top of the grade.

She didn't share this joy with anyone, not even for a whole semester. Until the college entrance exam, she had no contact with Song Jingye or anyone in the army, silently holding back her strength, wanting to give them the best news, this was the best way she could repay them.

That afternoon when the college entrance exam ended, outside the examination hall were parents picking up their children. Some students rushed to their parents as soon as they came out, chattering excitedly about how well they thought they had done. Others remained silent, walking beside their parents with an air of solitude as if they were alone.

She was at a testing center located in another school. After walking for a few steps, she suddenly saw a straight figure in army green standing on the stairs across from the school. Her heart skipped a beat and flew again. She almost ran over, her running even faster than usual, like a deer, instantly reaching him.

Song Jingye rarely had a slight upturn at the corner of his mouth: "Finished with the exams"

"The exam is over," she said.

"Did well"

"Did well."

Relieved after the exam, seeing him made her so excited that she felt like she was flying. She no longer acted as cautiously as before.

Song Jingye took her back to the military family courtyard, and on the way, he accompanied her to school to pack her luggage. She only had a small suitcase, which Song Jingye bought for her when she started school last year. There were only a few clothes inside, but the books were packed tightly and weighed quite a bit.

“What is this” Song Jingye took her backpack off her shoulders and asked, lifting it.

"Review materials," she replied.

Song Jingye frowned: "What's the point of keeping this Are you planning to retake the exam"

Chen Ning thought back and said, "Don't talk nonsense, but in front of him, I dare not. So, I have to tell the truth: I can't bear to throw it away, I keep it as a souvenir."

Song Jingye was speechless. Looking out at the corridor outside their dormitory, littered with discarded textbooks and exercise books, she knew how much these students hated this material. She, on the other hand, kept them as souvenirs. She had to wonder if she was keeping them as backups, just in case.

Well, given her background, it's normal for her to not do well on the exam. It'd be great if she could get into a regular university; expectations shouldn't be too high.

Chen Ning still has some confidence in this regard. This time, she scored better than any previous mock test.

But after the college entrance exam results came out, what she didn't expect was that she actually scored first in the city. At that time, she was having lunch in the cafeteria. When she heard her homeroom teacher's excited voice, she herself burst into tears.

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like translated!nd noisy is noisy.Lu Yaoyao always felt guilty towards Shu Tinglan and Zhu Yu'an. It was she who had introduced Teacher Cheng to Shu Tinglan back then, so she couldn't help but feel a bit self-blaming...