I Just Think You're Already Amazing

The rain grew heavier and heavier, so the three of them sat in Lakeheart Pavilion and waited for it to stop.

Ding Yebai placed both hands on his knees and casually rubbed them against his pants.

Those two were good friends. Coming to the little pavilion was probably some kind of girls' get-together. What was he doing here?

He had originally planned to chat for a bit and leave. Who knew the weather would turn against him...

Watching the two of them chat happily while he sat off to the side, he desperately wanted to go home.

"Ding Yebai?" Seeing him sitting alone to one side, Yang Zhi took the initiative to call his name.

Ding Yebai said, "Hm?"

But Yang Zhi did not know what to talk about. Since it was her duty, she could only ask, "Have you memorized the vocabulary?"

Ding Yebai said, "..."

Why did she start by asking about studying...

What a headache.

Seeing Ding Yebai's defeated expression, Ding Yuerong could not help laughing.

Ding Yebai did not want to pay attention to his sister at all. He looked at Yang Zhi, hesitated for a while, then slowly nodded. "I've memorized all the words you gave me."

Yang Zhi smiled. "How well did you memorize them?"

Ding Yebai said, "Not very well. I'm still not too familiar with them."

He was being a little modest, but that was fine. Better than telling her I memorized them perfectly, only for them to stare at each other awkwardly when his dictation was full of mistakes.

Yang Zhi said, "Is that so..."

Ding Yebai secretly glanced sideways at Sister Yang Zhi. Just as she was about to turn toward him, he quickly looked away, pretending that nothing had happened.

Ding Yuerong noticed that little expression and immediately said, "If there's something you want to ask, just ask. Why are you hesitating? When it comes to studying, you have to be brave enough to speak up, okay? Sister Yang Zhi is so gentle. Is she going to eat you?"

Ding Yebai looked at Ding Yuerong as if sulking. "I know."

The siblings' exchange made Yang Zhi smile.

Ding Yebai said, "Ahem, um... Sister Yang Zhi, I remember very clearly what you said last time about echo. So I wanted to ask if you could teach me another similar word. Something with a story behind it that's easy to remember."

Yang Zhi immediately replied with a smile, "Woebegone. Woe means sadness, and be gone means to leave or go away. Looking at it like that, you might guess it means happy."

Ding Yebai said, "Mm. After all, the sadness is gone."

Yang Zhi shook her head. "But actually, it doesn't. It means sad."

Ding Yebai said, "Why?"

Yang Zhi said, "Because you left, so there is sadness. You can understand it that way."

Yang Zhi continued, "Also, miss. As a noun, it can mean a young lady or a mistake. As a verb, it can mean longing for someone or missing something. You can imagine a beautiful young lady who, because of one mistake and one missed chance, longs for someone day and night."

Ding Yebai's brows lifted slightly as he listened carefully.

Actually, the English teacher of Class 1, Grade 12 was also a good teacher. It was just that Ding Yebai himself rarely listened in class. With so many students around, no one would notice if he worked on science and math papers instead.

With this one-on-one tutoring, he had no choice but to pay attention.

To listen carefully.

To remember it carefully.

Yang Zhi said, "I heard that teachers used to criticize you because your English wasn't good."

Ding Yebai's first reaction was not to answer, but to coldly look at Ding Yuerong, who was sitting beside him.

This "I heard" was basically the same as saying, "I heard it from your sister."

Ding Yuerong widened her eyes as much as possible and put on an innocent little expression, slowly turning her head to look into the distance.

Keep pretending, Ding Yuerong. Just keep pretending!!!

Ding Yebai helplessly raised his brows. Recalling those days, he could not help sighing. "That was in the past. Back then, I was often kept after school for dictation."

As he spoke, a relieved smile appeared on his face. "I remember that my English teachers in Grade 10 and Grade 11 used to keep a close eye on me. Now they have clearly loosened up a lot and barely manage me at all. After all, I'm good at math and the sciences, and I can make up the score difference. So they don't care that much."

Yang Zhi listened very seriously, but she did not say much.

"Before, a senior from a prestigious university came to our class to promote his school. When he analyzed my grades, he said that since I had a weak subject, I should maximize my strengths to compensate for it. He said it would be too difficult for me to improve my English, that there wasn't much hope—"

"I think you can do it." Yang Zhi suddenly spoke up. "Believe in yourself. I've even seen people raise their Gaokao score by a hundred points in the three months before the exam. You still have a year left. Don't worry."

The homeroom teacher said things like that every day.

Ding Yebai was sick of hearing it.

People were different. How could progress and decline possibly be lumped together and compared?

"Ding Yebai." Yang Zhi softly said his name.

Ding Yebai turned his head and unconsciously met her eyes. He could not help straightening his back.

"I went through Grade 12 too. At this time, it's normal to overthink because of your grades. After all, they concern your future. I used to think about it all the time too—whether I could get into the university I wanted, and so on."

Looking at Yang Zhi's delicate, lovely face, Ding Yebai blinked in confusion.

Right now, she seemed like some kind of immortal.

The sort of celestial fairy who guided lost people through confusion.

Yang Zhi's eyes and brows were gentle as water, her voice light yet incomparably firm. "But in the end, overthinking is useless. You don't need to care about other people's judgments either. They haven't experienced anything you've gone through, so what gives them the right to casually say that you can't do it?"

"You have to believe you have limitless possibilities. Why care what they think? I just think you're already amazing. You listen very carefully, and you haven't gotten any of the questions I've explained to you wrong again. Your attitude is right there for everyone to see. Sooner or later, you'll succeed."

She had always been the type to encourage people gently. She often said things like this to first- and second-grade children when she volunteered to teach in remote mountain areas during university.

Would that be inappropriate? Ding Yebai was not some seven- or eight-year-old child, after all.

She had hesitated for a moment before saying it.

Mm...

Forget it, forget it. Children of any age needed encouragement.

The distance between them was not particularly close, but Ding Yebai could still smell Yang Zhi's fragrance. It lightly lingered at the tip of his nose, throwing his thoughts into disarray.

After Yang Zhi finished speaking, her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled brightly again. "For a Grade 12 student like you, burying your head in study is the proper path. Maybe you don't feel it now, but once knowledge is in your head, it belongs to you. It'll definitely come in handy during exams."

Ding Yuerong sat beside them and listened quietly, unable to stop herself from shaking her head.

Yang Xian'er truly was Yang Xian'er. Every gesture of hers was charming.

This was a conversation about studying, so Ding Yuerong had not wanted to interrupt. But just listening made her sigh over how her little junior sister was still as gentle as ever.

Then again, seeing such a beautiful face say such gentle things, did Ye Bai really feel nothing at all?

As for Ding Yebai, after hearing her words, he truly did not know what to say.

Yang Zhi had clearly only come to repay his sister's favor and tutor him in English. Why did she feel like the school's counselor?

She still gave people the same feeling as before, like the gentlest, warmest breeze at the turn of spring and summer. Everything that passed through her became soft.

And then he too began to feel affection for this world.

After listening to her, Ding Yebai's expression was clearly no longer so icy.

He glanced at Yang Zhi, then bent down and rummaged through his bag.

He picked out the largest apple from the pile and handed it to her. To make it seem less deliberate, he hurriedly grabbed another and tossed it to Ding Yuerong. "There's one for you too."

Ding Yuerong did not think much of it. She wiped it with a tissue and began eating.

Yang Zhi, however, had not reacted yet. She looked a little bewildered. "What's this?"

Ding Yebai said, "It's for you."

Yang Zhi said, "..."

"Take it."

Ding Yebai directly placed the apple in her hand.

Yang Zhi lowered her head to look at the big red apple in her hand. She wanted to say something, but opened her mouth and closed it again. Subconsciously, she felt in her pockets to see if she had any snacks she could offer in exchange.

Then she realized she was wearing a dress. When she came out, she had only brought her accordion.

Yang Zhi said, "Then I'll play a piece for you."

Ding Yebai said, "Hm?"

He stared at Yang Zhi with widened eyes, clearly surprised.

"You're being so formal over just an apple." Ding Yuerong laughed cheerfully.

Yang Zhi nodded. "Mm."

From a certain perspective, she truly was the kind of person who repaid even a drop of kindness with a gushing spring.

Ding Yuerong said, "All right. Play Chrysanthemum Terrace. My little brother really likes Jay Chou's songs."

"Okay." After softly agreeing, Yang Zhi looked gently at Ding Yebai and smiled. "I didn't expect you and my Grandma to both like this piece."

"Grandma?" Ding Yebai was briefly dazed by her smile. Before he had even recovered, the melodious sound of the instrument reached him.

Ding Yebai looked at Yang Zhi, then withdrew his gaze after a few seconds and turned to watch the drizzling rain.

He did not know whether it was because of the music or the performer herself, but this piece sounded even gentler and more beautiful than before...

I've changed the update schedule. Please keep reading and vote. Readers who can afford it, please send a reward and help me climb the rankings.

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