No Ulterior Motives C10

Chapter 10: Jiang the Cripple’s First Day of Reporting

Life is always full of surprises.

That was the deepest realization Li Duoyong had today.

As a “foreigner” coming from No. 3 Middle School, he was destined to go through a period of adjustment at No. 1 High School.

It was understandable, but that didn’t make it any easier when he first arrived.

Compared to students who had advanced from No. 1 High School’s junior section, those who came in from No. 3 Middle School naturally seemed a notch lower.

Especially when Li Duoyong had just entered the class.

When his classmates found out he was from No. 3 Middle School, the way they looked at him…

That look deeply stung his already fragile self-esteem.

With no other choice, he could only shrink into a corner, like a stray piece of straw—ignored, unnoticed.

But then…

Something unexpected happened.

Two girls suddenly entered the classroom.

One was tall, the other short.

The shorter one was fine—wearing red-framed glasses, looking cute and adorable.

But the taller one was different.

She stood about 1.65 meters tall. Although she wore a loose sports outfit that didn’t highlight her figure, her face alone instantly drew most of the class’s attention.

Her shoulder-length black hair framed a pair of clear, water-like eyes, twinkling like tiny stars.

Below them was a delicate nose and soft, pink lips.

Just standing there, she exuded an inexplicable charm.

But…

What was with the crutch?

While Li Duoyong and the rest of the class were puzzled, Jiang Ning remained unbothered.

It was just a sprained ankle.

No big deal.

So, without concern, she leaned on her crutch, nodded at the surprised Qi Wen in the front row, and then sat down with Luo Shanshan in two vacant seats near the center.

As soon as Jiang Ning sat down, the class’s gossip shifted from Qi Wen to the new arrival.

“She’s so pretty!”

“Yeah! Just by looks alone, she’s even prettier than Qi Wen. And if she changed outfits, she’d look even better!”

“Our class is gonna be famous! We’re full of beauties!”

“Hey, do you know which school she was from before?”

“She’s not from No. 1 High School’s junior section, and I don’t think she’s from No. 2 either.”

“Could she be from out of town?”

A few boys whispered among themselves but couldn’t come to a conclusion.

At that moment, Li Duoyong chimed in.

“She’s from No. 3 Middle School. We were in the same class in junior high!”

“No way.” One of the No. 1 High School natives scoffed in disbelief.

Seeing this, Li Duoyong suddenly mustered up courage and called out loudly—

“Jiang Ning!”

Hearing her name, Jiang Ning turned her head.

Li Duoyong was sitting in the corner, waving at her like he was greeting an old friend.

Since they were former classmates, Jiang Ning didn’t act distant. She smiled brightly and nodded at him.

That moment completely stunned the group of No. 1 natives in the back.

They immediately turned around.

“Hey, dude! Tell us more about her!”

“Yeah! Your name’s Li Duoyong, right?”

“Brother Yong! Does she have a boyfriend?!”

“Brother Yong! Where does she live?!”

Surrounded by eager questions, Li Duoyong glanced at Qi Wen in the front row, then at Jiang Ning in the middle.

For some reason, he suddenly had a feeling that the rest of his year was going to be anything but peaceful.

A short while later, when most students had arrived, a middle-aged woman holding a stack of books entered the classroom and stepped onto the podium.

“Quiet, quiet!”

With her command, the noisy class gradually settled down, and all eyes turned to her.

“Good afternoon, students.”

“I am the homeroom teacher of Class 3, Grade 10, and also your Chinese teacher. My name is Yang Mei. You can call me Teacher Yang.”

As she spoke, she turned to the blackboard and wrote down her name: 杨梅 (Yang Mei).

Seeing those two words, a flood of memories from Jiang Ning’s past life surfaced in her mind.

Senior Teacher Yang Mei—renowned for her outstanding teaching skills, devoted herself entirely to her students, to the point of neglecting her family.

If she remembered correctly, in her past life, during the summer of her senior year…

Teacher Yang had caught her husband cheating.

A dramatic scandal ensued.

That incident shattered Teacher Yang’s spirit, forcing her to resign two months before the class graduated.

She left Jiangzhou with her daughter.

Many years later, Jiang Ning had once run into her at a restaurant in Magic City.

Back then, she was working as a cleaner.

Life had not been kind to her.

And now…

Looking at the passionate and dedicated Yang Mei on the podium, Jiang Ning couldn’t help but sigh.

Just then, Luo Shanshan nudged Jiang Ning’s arm.

“The teacher is calling you.”

Huh?

Jiang Ning snapped back to reality and realized Yang Mei was already standing in front of her, speaking in a gentle tone.

“Jiang Ning, you sprained your ankle, right?”

“Did you bring a medical note?”

“I’ll help you apply for a leave from military training.”

“Oh, oh…”

Hearing that, Jiang Ning hurriedly pulled a stamped hospital note from her pocket and handed it to Yang Mei.

After taking a quick look, Yang Mei accepted it.

“I’ll take care of your leave request, but even if you’re excused, you still need to wear your uniform and show up tomorrow morning.”

Jiang Ning nodded, indicating she understood.

Yang Mei then returned to the podium and addressed the class.

“Now, we’ll be selecting class officers.”

“But since you’re all new students, I’ll assign the positions based on your previous school records.”

She opened her notebook and began announcing names.

“Class President: Qi Wen.”

Qi Wen stood up, smiled, and nodded at the class.

“Vice President: Tan Linsen.”

A tall, lanky boy in the back row stood up and waved.

“Academic Officer: Tian Yawen.”

A short-haired girl sitting next to Qi Wen stood up.

If Jiang Ning remembered correctly, this was the girl she had bumped into while shopping the other day.

It seemed Qi Wen and Tian Yawen had been classmates since junior high.

The rest of the officers also stood up one by one for introductions.

But when Yang Mei announced the last name—

“Cultural and Arts Officer: Jiang Ning.”

Jiang Ning felt like she had been struck by lightning.

She stood up shakily, pointing at herself in disbelief.

“Uh… Teacher, I’m not really into arts…”

“Oh?” Yang Mei glanced at her notes, adjusted her glasses, and asked in confusion—

“But the teachers from No. 3 Middle School told me you used to be involved in that, um… non-mainstream arts scene?”

Jiang Ning: “…”

(End of Chapter)