Chapter 1682 - 1302: Kang Li’s Uncontrollable Rage (Part 4)

Ming Wei smiled, "Go ahead, I'm listening."

"...Did—did you get my letter? I just wanted to ask what you thought of it."

Du Xu's cheeks were burning, but he still mustered up the courage to ask what was on his mind.

"Your letter?"

Ming Wei paused, then asked, "Did you put it in my desk pocket on Saturday?"

Du Xu scratched the back of his head, nodding, "I put it under your backpack."

"..."

Ming Wei didn't know what to say. She hadn't expected that out of all the letters she got on Saturday, one would be from their class's PE monitor, Du Xu. Pressing her lips together, Ming Wei went quiet for a moment. She didn't choose to avoid it, instead replied directly:

"I didn't open it, but I can pretty much guess what you wrote. But I just want to tell you, Du Xu, what we should focus on now is studying, aiming to get into our dream colleges during the entrance exams. Anything else, I'm not going to consider while I'm still in school."

When Du Xu heard this, he was visibly disappointed, but not really surprised. He stared for a moment, then forced a smile, showing his big white teeth: "Okay, I get what you're saying."

Seeing Du Xu turn to leave through the back door, Ming Wei called out to him, "Du Xu, if you have questions about your studies, you can ask me or my second brother. I believe as long as you put in the effort, you'll get through the college entrance exams just fine and get into a university you like four years from now."

His steps halted, Du Xu turned around: "A university I like?"

"Yeah, didn't you say you liked athletics? You can apply to a sports college when the time comes."

Ming Wei said, smiling.

"You think I can get in?" Du Xu looked a bit lost, "I'm not that good at studying..."

"If you work hard, it's no problem. You just have to trust yourself!"

Ming Wei encouraged him.

"Are you willing to help me with my studies?"

Du Xu asked.

"Yeah. If you have questions, ask me between classes or after school. If I can't answer, I'll get my second brother to help you out. You can also ask our teachers."

After hearing Ming Wei's words, Du Xu pressed his lips together, saying, "I'll think about it seriously."

Getting into college was tough—he'd heard plenty of stories. Just look at his brother: two years straight and still hasn't passed. If he can't make it this year, his parents are going tell him to get a job and give up trying for the exams.

"Du Xu, are you afraid to suffer for the sake of studying?"

Ming Wei asked.

"I...I can handle it!"

Du Xu replied.

"Then what are you still thinking about? My mom always said: only if you endure the hardships of studying now will you avoid the hardships of life later. We're just in eighth grade right now—still four whole years until the entrance exam. Even if you start working hard now, it's not too late."

Ming Wei looked at Du Xu, her expression serious, "If you want to be a coward when it comes to studying, that's up to you!"

With that, Ming Wei ignored Du Xu. She put down her blackboard brush and picked up a rag to wipe the lectern.

"I'm not going to be a coward."

After saying this, Du Xu saw Ming Wei wasn't reacting, so he repeated, "Me, Du Xu, I'm not afraid of hardship! I will never be a coward when it comes to studying!"

"Then you'd better stick to what you say. If not, I'll look down on you."

Finally, Ming Wei looked up and answered him. When their eyes met, she gave him a slight smile.

"What are you guys talking about?"

The girl who went to fetch water came into the classroom carrying a basin, grinning at Ming Wei and Du Xu.

"It's nothing."

Ming Wei shook her head.

"I'm going to the field to play ball. You guys keep busy!"

Du Xu withdrew his gaze from Ming Wei, waved his hand with mock nonchalance, and soon left the classroom.

"Ming Wei, why does it look like something's going on between you and Du Xu? Spill it, what were you talking about before I came in?"

"You're so nosy, but I hate to disappoint you. I didn't say anything to Du Xu. He just came back to the classroom to grab something, asked me why he couldn't find you and Wang Chan. I told him one of you went to take out the trash, the other went to fetch water. That's all."

Ming Wei looked totally calm—no sign she was lying.

"Are you sure you didn't say anything else?"

The girl talking to Ming Wei was named Helan. She didn't quite believe what Ming Wei said.

"Classmate, you're so bored. Why would I need to lie to you?"

After wiping the lectern, Ming Wei grabbed an empty basin and walked toward Helan, "I'm going to wash my rag at the sink and get some more water."

Helan: "But there's water in my basin. I'll pour half for you."

Ming Wei: "No need. My rag's covered in chalk dust—I need to really wash it." With that, she carried the basin out of the classroom.

...

Days passed. Du Xu's change wasn't just noticed by teachers and classmates, even his family saw it too. No need for words, Du Xu's dad and mom were proud and personally went to school once to thank the homeroom teacher. The homeroom teacher kept saying it wasn't his credit—that it was Du Xu himself who wanted to study.

Ming Wei happened to hear Du Xu mention his parents' praise and said they'd gone to school and thanked the teacher. Her response to this was, "Young man, keep it up."

The end-of-term exams approached. Ming Rui, Ming Han, and Ming Wei all studied hard after school, hoping to score well, then head home for a carefree vacation.

But Ming Rui was thinking more about how, come September, he'd be starting twelfth grade and facing next year's college entrance exam. He knew he couldn't slack at all in the coming year, so even while playing back home, he couldn't neglect his books—not like Ming Han, who just played and forgot everything else.

One day, Kang Li drove Bun and the other two back to the compound, but just as her car reached the gate, a figure suddenly darted out, blocking her path.

Luckily, she was driving slow, and Kang Li hit the brakes in time—managing to stop just before hitting the person.

When she saw who was in front of her car, Kang Li's temper instantly flared. She got out, marched over, and slapped the other person right across the face.

"Are you out of your mind?"

Kang Li's eyes were icy cold as she stared straight at Xu Chunxia. Yep, the one blocking her car was Xu Chunxia. For the past three days, Xu Chunxia had been showing up at the institute gate at random times hoping to see Kang Li again, only to be disappointed every time—until today,

Until just now, when she spotted Kang Li's car. It was burned into her mind from the train station that day—not just the model but also the license plate. So when she saw Kang Li driving up, she rushed out to block the car without thinking.

Before Xu Chunxia could come to her senses from the pain, Kang Li slapped her again. Coldly, she said, "If you want to die, do it somewhere else. Why come looking for trouble with me?"

After two slaps in a row, Xu Chunxia felt like a few of her teeth were loose. Glaring at Kang Li, she said through the pain, "If I hadn't hit rock bottom, do you think I'd come to you?"