RCJM Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Merry Christmas guys and happy holidays! 

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In the days that followed, Du Ruo never met Jing Ming again.

Firstly, because the midterm exam was coming up soon. She had to continue studying extracurricular content while preparing for the exam, and had no time to take care of other things.

In such a vast school, when her routine was fixed to four points, the dormitory, library, canteen, and classroom, it becomes difficult to meet acquaintances.

Secondly, she fell into a wave of self-loathing. She hated that she was constantly distracted and unwittingly lost, like a headless fly, deviating from her original plans.

She missed the girl she was in her hometown who had no distractions and clear goals.

Her mind was struggling, trying to escape this vicious cycle.

Thinking about this, the pen in her hand unconsciously scratched hard on the paper, drawing rough and irregular lines.

In the dormitory, He Huan Huan was munching on spicy beef jerky while copying down key points from her book. When she heard the sound of pen on paper, she turned her head: "Classmate Du Xiao Cao, what are you doing?"

Xia Nan, held the book without raising her head: "It’s like you're cutting someone to pieces.”

Du Ruo came back to her senses and saw that the good manuscript paper had been scratched into a mess. She quickly tore off the first two pages, crumpled them into balls and threw them into the bin: "It’s nothing, I was just a little distracted."

"Oh." He Huan Huan moved on; Xia Nan gave her a curious look, and Du Ruo avoided her eyes guiltily.

Although it was a Saturday, there was a midterm test next week, so Xia Nan and Qiu Yu Chen did not go home and stayed in the dormitory to study.

Qiu Yu Chen, tired of studying, put down her book, turned on her computer, plugged in her headphones, and prepared to watch an American TV series: "Huan, give me a pack of that spicy beef jerky, that specialty from your hometown."

He Huan Huan threw a bag to Qiu Yu Chen and looked at Xia Nan.

Xia Nan: "Too spicy, I can’t eat it. If I get pimples, my skincare routine would be in vain."

"Wow.” He Huan Huan gave a thumbs-up: "I admire your self-control… Xiao Cao?"

"Auntie is here [1], and my stomach hurts." Du Ruo’s voice was strained.

He Huan Huan: "By the way, isn’t your class going on an autumn outing this week? Did you ask for leave?"

"I did. But as soon as I asked, none of the boys wanted to go either. They said they would wait for me and postpone it until next week."

Qiu Yu Chen was eating spicy beef, sweating at the tip of her nose: "Indeed, the class flower gets special treatment. Our class had an autumn trip last week. A boy asked for leave and had to skip. The rest of the class went anyway."

Du Ruo, rubbing her cramping stomach, smiled weakly.

After the brief interruption, the dormitory became quiet again.

Everyone continued reading and reviewing, and occasionally there was the sound of He Huan Huan tearing open snacks, or faint sounds from Qiu Yu Chen’s headphones.

Until a certain moment, the sound of a pen scratching paper was heard again.

He Huan Huan and Xia Nan looked over at the same time. Du Ruo was biting her lip while holding a pen scratching the manuscript paper on the table. 

He Huan Huan: “Du Ruo?”

Du Ruo stopped, her palms sweating.

"What's wrong?"

Du Ruo crumpled the paper into a ball and lied: "With exams coming up, I must be nervous."

He Huan Huan sighed in relief: "I thought it was something serious. This girl, you have been very nervous since you entered school. Everyday it’s like you’re preparing for the college entrance exams. Relax a bit."

"I know. Don't worry."

Xia Nan pondered for a moment and asked: "Xiao Cao, have you been troubled lately?"

"That’s right." Qiu Yu Chen also paused her computer and said with concern: "If you have any trouble, just let us know. Maybe we can help?"

Du Ruo lowered her head, fidgeted with her fingers, hesitated for a moment, and said: “I don’t know why, but I keep falling into this annoying state and I don’t even realise. Like when I was scratching the paper. It just happens and by the time I realise, it’s already a mess and I feel regretful.”

Qiu Yu Chen: "Must be a period of depression?" Everyone feels this from time to time, and it will get better after a while. I was also feeling depressed for no reason some time ago."

He Huan Huan agreed: "Yeah, I have those moments too."

Du Ruo felt slightly comforted.

Xia Nan closed her book and suggested: “Want to take a walk on the boulevard? Think of it as a dormitory bonding activity.”

"Yes!" He Huan Huan immediately put down her pen: "I've had enough of this book!"

Qiu Yu Chen turned off her computer: "I'll change my clothes."

Du Ruo also agreed. She had already reviewed everything she needed to. It would be nice to go out and take a breath. She was feeling a little suffocated anyway.

...

Only the trees knew that with each passing day, the colours of autumn grew more prominent.

Near the Physics Department, there were several long and quiet tree-lined avenues. It had been a while since they last visited, and the treetops had vastly yellowed.

There was a thin layer of fallen leaves on the road. When stepped on, you could hear the gentle crunch of leaves breaking.

The subtle sound felt comforting, as if to say, the university not only had teaching buildings and libraries but also beautiful pathways and sport fields.

At first, the four girls walked quietly, feeling the autumn breeze. No one asked about exams or personal matters.

When passing the Government Affairs building, Du Ruo was reminded of that night when she stood on the steps waiting for Jing Ming.

But now, the leaves were all yellow and the sky was bright.

She suddenly asked: "If you always pay too much attention to something that has a bad impact on you, how can you stop paying attention to it?

He Huan Huan was puzzled: "Huh? Don't people pay attention to what they like? For example, Yu Chen likes watching dramas, I like to eat snacks, and Xia Nan likes makeup."

"If there are some things that you reject or fear, you will also pay special attention to them.” 

"Fear? Like people with pollen allergies would notice pollen immediately?” 

Du Ruo chuckled.

Xia Nan said: "Excessive attention, for whatever reason, is dangerous and will lead people to lose their sense of direction. Like when I watch dramas, I am obviously very annoyed by the plot, but the more I complain about it, the more I watch and in the end I still find it interesting. But the solution is simple - stay away from the source. There’s nothing that can’t be solved by staying away."

Du Ruo thoughtfully understood.

Qiu Yu Chen changed the topic: "Du Ruo is Xiao Cao [2], shouldn't the three of us have nicknames too?"

Du Ruo: "Xia Nan is Yi Mu [3], Yu Chen is Si Shui [4].

Qiu Yu Chen: "What about He Huan Huan?"

Xia Nan: "Double Huan."

He Huan Huan protested: "That sounds terrible!"

Du Ruo: "She's so silly, how about Er Huan'?" [5]

He Huan Huan retorted: "You're the silly one."

Qiu Yu Chen: "That fits."

He Huan Huan: "No!"

Xia Nan: "Er Huan it is."

He Huan Huan grumbled: "You're all silly. Two times the three of you equals six."

Xia Nan: "Look, as soon as we mentioned it, she got all heated."

The four of them continued to chat in detail, and as they walked further and further away, their voices gradually dispersed in the autumn wind.

The little ripples in Du Ruo’s heart seemed to have lightened, like the fallen leaves being carried away by the wind.

She hadn’t met Jing Ming again for a long time. In her spare time, she researched scholarships and student loans and submitted her application forms.

...

Jing Ming was not in school at all during this period, but spent all day in the industrial park. Midterm exams were useless to him. Not only that, Prime’s team members also stayed with him at the industrial park every day – Jing Ming’s father had shipped a self-driving car from overseas, and it had finally arrived. 

Since self-driving cars were essentially robots, everyone simply referred to it as a robot.

The day the robot first arrived, a group of youngsters gathered around the car, inspecting every inch. The boys loved cars, so naturally they couldn't keep their hands off it. After its successful automatic test run in the industrial zone, it felt like a treasure.

However, after understanding its system, the group of boys endured endless heartache and began to dismantle it.

Jing Ming even stayed at the industrial park day and night to ensure that no details were missed.

Li Wei often exclaimed during breaks: "It's truly a work of art! Damn it, there are sensors all over the body, up and down, left, right, front and back."

"Wow, look at this laser detector."

"Damn, look at how exquisite this gyroscope is."

He Wang Ye, the computer genius in the team, sighed: “I still don’t know how many computer hosts there are and what algorithms they use for route planning and obstacle avoidance.”

Zhu Tao was a little more relaxed: "The steering wheel, accelerator, and brake systems are the simplest. If we want to achieve this level, we have to work harder, but I guarantee there will be no big problems.”

Jing Ming spoke the least when doing things, meticulously planning, documenting, indexing, analysing and studying every detail.

One evening, as everyone was leaving the industrial park, Wan Ziang asked Jing Ming: "Does your dad know you bought this car to dismantle it?"

Jing Ming: "He knows."

Everyone exclaimed in unison: "Wow."

Jing Ming: "What's wrong?"

Wan Ziang responded: "Your dad really dotes on you."

Jing Ming was speechless: "Tah."

...

A week later, exam week arrived.

Du Ruo wasn't the type to cram at the last minute. Being someone who thrived under exam conditions, she wasn't overly anxious. However, she was especially diligent this time because her grades were tied to scholarships.

The college’s scholarship selection weights were 40% midterms, 20% attendance, and 40% finals. The competition for scholarships begins at the beginning of the semester.

Except for elective courses, which only required hand-ins, all major and public courses had examinations.

Du Ruo had seen Jing Ming in several compulsory public exams. He had handed in his paper for Politics and English in advance. It was hard to tell whether he was overly confident or didn’t take it seriously at all.

The rest of the time, she spent studying in the library and never saw him again.

Until Thursday afternoon, after finishing the circuit theory exam. It was 3:30 pm.

There were no more exams that day. Du Ruo was about to go to the library to review advanced mathematics when she received a text message from Li Wei saying that her year advisor, Zhang Ru Han, wanted to see her.

Their school had a dual-tutor system. Each class had a tutor who was responsible for teaching, which was equivalent to a class teacher in high school. Their tutor was Yang Chang Qing. There was also an advisor for the grade who oversaw student’s lives.

Simply put, this advisor spoke with students from time to time and helped them solve non-academic difficulties.

The office was very large, with no partitions, and each desk was piled with mountains of documents, like a high school classroom. In the corner, there were several lush Brazilian trees that added a touch of greenery.

All the other teachers were supervising exams, leaving only Zhang Ru Han.

"Du Ruo, quick, come and sit down."

Du Ruo took a seat across from Zhang Ru Han, taking in the surroundings.

Zhang Ru Han's desk was near the window. The blinds were open, with the divided blue sky and treetops peeking through. The sunlight was also cut into strips and scattered in, casting a soft glow on the succulents on the window sill.

To her left and right were several desks. Looking from the left, each desk could be clearly seen, but a pile of documents on the second desk to the right was particularly high, blocking the view on that end.

"Teacher, were you looking for me?"

"It's been half a semester since school started, and we haven't had a chance to chat. I wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk today." Zhang Ruhan was a young woman with a gentle smile and a soft-spoken voice, which was particularly pleasant. "How are you adjusting to school? Anything troubling you? Any difficulties?"

Du Ruo felt that her smile was friendly and relaxed:

“To be honest, I was very nervous in the first month. When I was in high school, everyone said that going to university would be easier, but that’s not true. There are so many great people in school, and those who are better than you work harder than you. I worked hard every day. I read whenever I could for fear of being left behind. Fortunately, I figured out a routine later on and adapted, not panicking and quickly catching up.”

Moreover, she had also started studying extracurricular courses on her own. However, there was no need to show it off.

Zhang Ru Han smiled approvingly and said:  "You feel you are adapting because your abilities have unknowingly improved.” 

Du Ruo smiled.

"But we must also remember to balance work and rest."

"I will."

"Have you joined any clubs?"

"No." Du Ruo said earnestly, "But I plan to next semester."

"That's good. Get to know more of your classmates. If you ever feel pressured or are facing difficulties in the future, you can always talk to me."

"Thank you." When Du Ruo was feeling grateful, Zhang Ru Han took out a form from her drawer and asked, "Are you interested in applying for a national scholarship?"

"Yes."

"However, this scholarship can only be given to poor students."

The atmosphere changed slightly.

Du Ruo didn’t answer for a while.

Someone walked by in the corridor, and it wasn’t until the footsteps were far away that she said, “I am.”

Zhang Ruhan nodded and pondered for a moment: "As far as I know, your phone is an iPhone 6S.”

Du Ruo’s eyes widened in slight surprise, and she stared at her for a few seconds before saying: “This is someone else’s old mobile phone, given to me. I didn't buy it. I wouldn't lie for money."

Zhang Ru Han smiled: "I was just asking casually, not to doubt you, so don’t think too much about it."

“It’s okay, I don’t care. Teacher, you need a civil affairs certificate to apply for a scholarship. I’ve already provided it and put it behind the application form.”

"I saw it. However, you are not the only one applying for the scholarship. Whether you can succeed or not depends on future reviews."

The implication was clear: she'd have to prove she was genuinely in need.

Fortunately, there were no other bystanders in the office. Even if her pride had been smashed to the ground, she could still pick it up, dust it in her pocket, raise her head again and walk out.

The sunlight fell on the Brazilian tree indoors, the lustre on the leaves remained unmoving.

Zhang Ru Han said: "By the way, you said your family is poor, so why didn’t you apply for a student loan when you enrolled?"

“I had people sponsoring me on a regular basis, so I didn’t look into it when I first enrolled, but I’m considering it now.

"Oh? Is the funding too small? Can I ask about the amount?"

Du Ruo was stunned and immediately shook her head: "No. Teacher, the reason why I applied for the scholarship is because I have received too much funding from others, and I don’t want to continue to cause them trouble and continue to take their money.”

Just as she was talking, someone walked into the office. 

Du Ruo was startled and immediately turned around. It was a male teacher. He walked directly towards Du Ruo. He passed by her and walked to the second desk on the right.

The messy desk stacked with papers was his.

He rolled up a paper, raised his hand and tapped someone on the head with a thud.

Zhang Ru Han wasn't surprised, but Du Ruo broke into a cold sweat. There was someone sitting behind the pile of documents?

The male teacher scolded: "How did you get a 9 on your politics exam?!"

Du Ruo stared at the pile of documents and saw a boy sitting up slightly. A tuft of dark hair emerged from behind the papers. He used his hand to pull back his hair twice. 

"Considering I could get 9 points, I'd say I did pretty well." Jing Ming replied impatiently.

Translated by evienRose

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[1] 'Auntie is here' - in Chinese and with context is referring to that time of the month

[2] 'Xiao Cao' - means Little Grass in Chinese and is just a cute nickname 

[3], [4] 'Yi Mu' and 'Si Shui' - means One Tree and Four Water and are other fun nicknames for Du Ruo's room mates, nature related as well

[5] 'Er Huan' - means Two Huan = doubly happy = I'm guessing also means silly colloquially

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