Second glance

Hmm... it has been approved, but the funds have not yet been received. What is the latest deadline for payment to the hospital?

Her roommate, Gan Tian, poked her gently and whispered, "Zhao Zhao, what’s wrong? Are you still feeling unwell? Do you want me to accompany you to the infirmary?"

As soon as she entered the classroom and saw a sea of heads, she felt a headache coming on. There were only about twenty students in her class, yet the academic affairs office had assigned them a small classroom that could accommodate sixty people. However, every time Mu Jiyun had a class, the students who audited the course would fill the classroom, and most of them were girls

He was impeccably dressed in a suit, tall in stature, blocking the light from the passage, casting a shadow over Chu Zhao Zhao.

Once the sound emerges, hoarseness cannot be feigned

Upon exiting the counselor's office, Chu Zhao Zhao knew that being nominated for the scholarship was a foregone conclusion

Alright, I will definitely transfer the money before Monday

Chu Zhao Zhao had already cried for a while at noon, and the tip of her nose was still red. As soon as she opened her mouth, she began to sob and could hardly speak

One daughter has already fallen in the family, and she can no longer let her parents worry about her

She held her head high, walking past Mu Jiyun without saying a word

All that fell into Mu Jiyun's eyes was her reddened eye sockets

Uh... who topped up my phone credit?" Chu Zhao Zhao asked

But without saying it, Teacher Zhang also knows the reason

Chu Zhao Zhao has a strong-willed personality and does not like to cry. The number of times she has cried in the past few days is equal to the total number of times she has cried since she became sensible.

Fourth brother, I am free tonight and tomorrow night. Could you arrange a schedule for me?

After obtaining the phone credit, Chu Zhao Zhao's first action was to call Brother Qiu Si

Where can I find these eight thousand yuan...

Mu Jiyun asked

Chu Zhao Zhao immediately lowered her head and found the seat that her roommate had saved for her, randomly flipped open a page of the book, and forcibly entered the state of attending class

Chu Zhao Zhao, I am aware of your family situation, and I have taken special care of you in recent years. All the scholarships, grants, and school assistance have prioritized you. However, you also know that this is a national scholarship, and there are countless eyes in the entire school watching. What do you expect me to do?

This class is truly torturous, Chu Zhao Zhao thought; perhaps it would be more bearable to ask the counselor for leave than to endure this moment.

With a pause in her swift writing, she lazily turned her head and said, "It's me. I won a phone credit voucher in the lottery today, but unfortunately, it's for China Unicom. The only person around me with a China Unicom number is you, so I can only top up your account."

You are truly useless! Why did you have to provoke Teacher Mu of all people! Moreover, you clearly know how important this course design is, as it directly affects your graduation grades, yet you insist on earning that three thousand yuan! Teacher Zhang, who is plump, always seems to be on the verge of gasping for breath when he is angry, said, "The scholarship is eight thousand for eight categories, which is much more than that three thousand! Come on, tell me what you are thinking in your mind?"

Chu Zhao Zhao lowered her head to look at the sweet incoming call display, and indeed it was her mother Chu's number

However, what Chu Zhao Zhao did this time can be simply described as accepting money to help with homework, or more harshly, as accepting money to assist others in taking exams. With so many eyes watching, unless Teacher Zhang no longer wishes to continue, she will not be awarded the scholarship

The next day happened to be Mu Jiyun's class. Chu Zhao Zhao was ill; she had cried all night the previous evening, and when she woke up the next morning, she felt a headache

Teacher Zhang's anger is not without reason, in this relatively simple environment of the university, the basic overt and covert struggles among students mainly revolve around two matters: the student council and scholarships. The competition for the student council is the concern of the Youth League teachers, but a significant portion of the decision-making power regarding scholarships lies in the hands of the counselors.

Chu Zhao Zhao shivered all over, suppressing the words at the tip of her tongue, and awkwardly shook her head at Gan Tian.

Chu Zhao Zhao spoke with certainty, yet her fingers unconsciously picked at the railing

At this moment, Chu Zhao Zhao could not help but feel like crying again

Because of his words, the scholarship she had longed for was ruined, which was nothing short of a calamity for her family

Chu Zhao Zhao was taken aback, quietly clenched her fist, and after a moment, she said: "Thank you"

In my memory, the last time I cried was on the day my sister's illness was diagnosed

Her roommates all urged her to take a leave of absence, but Chu Zhao Zhao hesitated for a moment and did not request it

Before Chu Zhao Zhao had a chance to speak, the sound of "beep beep beep" came from the phone.

The man on the other end of the phone was awakened from his sleep, his voice quite impatient, "Alright, alright, just come yourself. It's busy on the weekend; can I really kick you out? Fine, if there's nothing else, I'm going back to sleep."

Today, Chu Zhao Zhao arrived late, entering the classroom just in time. A group of people immediately looked up at her, leaving her somewhat at a loss.

In the afternoon, while Chu Zhao Zhao was reading a book, she suddenly received a text message informing her that someone had topped up her phone balance with 300 yuan.

A scorching flow of air rolled within her chest, making it difficult to breathe. Chu Zhao Zhao covered her mouth with one hand and her stomach with the other as she crouched down, sobbing in the corner

That afternoon, Chu Zhao Zhao was called to the counselor's office

The sound of sobbing permeates the corners of the corridor, like venomous snakes spitting out their fangs, twisting the heart in pain

Teacher Zhang was furious; if it weren't for the consideration that she is a female, she would have almost slapped the scholarship evaluation form across her face

Merely for that 8,000 yuan

On Chu Zhao Zhao's delicate face hung traces of tears, yet there was no appearance of pitifulness; instead, it was replaced by a sense of determination.

Today is Friday, and by next Monday at the latest, Zhao Zhao, once you receive the funds, please transfer the money to Dad's card quickly, as your sister is running out of medicine

Upon turning her head, she discovered that the person standing behind her was Mu Jiyun

Mom, what happened

She turned around and glanced back; her roommates were all busy with their own matters and did not pay attention to her

Indeed, four days later, the scholarship list was released, and Chu Zhao Zhao was not on it

Thus, Chu Zhao Zhao dragged her ailing body to class

Almost every school has its share of irregularities, starting from the evaluation of scholarship candidates by class committee members. At the level of counselors, there have been numerous issues, such as accepting gifts or money, or giving higher scores to favored students. Such incidents are not uncommon. Therefore, Teacher Zhang has always been very cautious in the evaluation of scholarships, striving to ensure that every recipient truly deserves the award.

"Is it like this... Isn't it November? Have you received your scholarship? The hospital requires payment again, and... your father and I cannot come up with the money. Didn't you say you could get an 8,000 scholarship?"

Regardless of what she experienced at school, Chu Zhao Zhao had to muster her spirits and put on a facade of normalcy when facing her family

"Oh dear, Zhao Zhao, what is the matter?" Mother Chu asked anxiously, "Are you feeling unwell?"

"Not really." Chu Zhao Zhao sniffled, "I just have a bit of a cold, my throat feels uncomfortable. What's wrong?"

No need to thank me, after all, it is just a lottery prize

He heard the cries just now

The weeper is devoid of intention, while the listener is filled with emotion

For other teachers' classes, you can simply inform the class monitor or give the teacher a call. However, for Mu Jiyun's class, a leave of absence must be accompanied by a leave request form signed by the counselor

Chu Zhao Zhao was just about to speak when she suddenly felt a gaze fixed upon her. As she looked up, she met Mu Ji Yun's eyes.

After forcing herself for nearly half a class, Chu Zhao Zhao realized that she was completely unable to calm down and focus on the lesson

Indeed, this may be the final straw that overwhelms her sister's life

As soon as this matter was mentioned, tears streamed down Chu Zhao Zhao's face again. Fortunately, Chu's mother could not see her through the phone.

Mu Ji Yun, who was busy starting up the computer, did not look at her even once, and still spoke in his indifferent tone: "Hurry up and sit down, class is starting."

Are you in great need of money?

Chu Zhao Zhao, realizing that someone was behind her, quickly wiped her face with her sleeve and pressed her hand against her chest as she stood up

Because of the scholarship matter, and also because of that person on the podium

A sudden sense of foreboding surged within her, prompting her to hurriedly take her sweet mobile phone and head to a secluded spot at the corner of the classroom corridor

Finally, after enduring until the end of the first class, Chu Zhao Zhao immediately wanted to go outside the classroom for some fresh air. Just as she stood up, she was stopped by Gan Tian, "Zhao Zhao, your mother's phone call."

The beautiful peach blossom eyes carried a hint of warning

Requesting leave is not difficult, but at this moment, approaching the counselor to ask for Mu Jiyun's leave feels as if she is deliberately avoiding it. Chu Zhao Zhao feels particularly embarrassed and cannot quite articulate her feelings; she simply cannot bring herself to say it.