The first class on Monday was the usual class meeting. After the teacher entered the classroom, she merely glanced briefly at the students before picking up a piece of chalk and turning around to write today's meeting topic on the blackboard.
Chu Lian, however, was slightly spaced out the moment she caught sight of the scenery outside the window. Her thoughts drifted somewhere far away until the teacher put down the chalk and lightly clapped her hands, which finally snapped her back to attention.
Turning her head, she happened to meet the teacher's gentle gaze. The teacher then softly said, "Alright, everyone. Today's class meeting theme is 'Art and the Individual.'"
With both hands resting on the corners of the podium, the bespectacled teacher glanced down, seemingly gauging their reactions, before continuing, "This week marks the final week of April, and also the arrival of the May Day holiday. As a school that emphasizes personal interests and encourages students to pursue what they love, the core value of 'free teaching and opportunities to express oneself' has always been our guiding principle."
"Of course, I'm not saying this to brag about our school. I believe everyone here, except for a few recent transfers, has been here for nearly a full grade level, right? Our school's educational direction has never changed, and it continues to play a leading role in helping students bring out their individual interests. Whenever a holiday comes around, the school organizes a unique arts performance to give everyone a chance to showcase their talents."
"Originally, this year's May Day arts performance was going to be the same. However, since early May also marks the tenth anniversary of the school's founding, the administration has decided to hold a school celebration unlike any of the previous performances."
As she spoke, the teacher adjusted her glasses with one hand, seemingly having accidentally inhaled some chalk dust. Her delicate nose scrunched up, and then she raised her hand to cover her mouth and coughed lightly.
Of course, this wasn't done unintentionally—it conveniently gave her a chance to discreetly scan the students' current expressions.
To her relief, most of the students looked quite interested. Although a few whose talents didn't lie in this area seemed a bit indifferent, given the circumstances, she was very satisfied.
Naturally, she was most pleased by the reactions of the newly transferred, well-known students—Cai Ya, Wang Tingsi, and Chu Lian—who all appeared genuinely interested.
Ever since she took over this class, she'd been under tremendous pressure. This school, like many others, had the bad habit of grouping the best talents into one class. And the class she taught—Class 1—was precisely that kind.
As a newly graduated rookie teacher, she had gone through multiple rounds of testing to land a position at this prestigious private school.
And for some reason, she had been made the homeroom teacher of Grade 7 Class 1 in just her third month at the school. If not for the encouragement of school administrators, she might have crumbled under the pressure and resigned, either from the burden of expectations or from the mockery and doubt of other teachers.
This pressure only intensified after the arrival of Chu Lian, Cai Ya, and Wang Tingsi—three of the most outstanding students of their age group.
Though only three days had passed, the number of teachers hoping to become the homeroom teacher of this incredibly promising group was anything but small.
If this class failed to make a stunning impression at the upcoming ten-year anniversary celebration under her leadership, the school would likely no longer let her stay on as their homeroom teacher.
So, when she saw that all three of them showed no signs of rejection, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and continued speaking.
"'A Decade Like a Dream: Where Am I Now?' is the theme of this anniversary celebration. The requirement is simple: When you look back ten years from now, what will you feel? Will you sigh and say, 'Where am I now?'"
"It's a very open-ended theme, and it's just that—a theme. Each class may choose whether to base their performance around it, and submit the name and type of their group performance accordingly. After the group performances, there will be a time slot for individual free performances."
"The school celebration will be held on Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. That day, all students must arrive before 7:30 a.m., unless they have a truly pressing matter."
"Hotel chefs will be brought in to prepare delicious food for everyone throughout the day. Snacks, drinks, and various treats will all be provided for free. Class performances will begin at 8 a.m. on the plaza, and from noon onward, it will be time for self-expression."
"While everyone is watching the performances in the morning, some teachers will be setting up small stages in various spots around the school, giving any student who wants to perform an opportunity to do so. And on that day..." She paused deliberately, smiling as she looked out over the students.
After a moment, seeing the anticipation and curiosity written on their faces—clearly wanting to ask but holding back—she knew she'd caught their full attention, and continued.
"On that day, the school will be open to the public and will invite a number of well-known guests. You can also invite your parents and relatives. If you have friends or childhood companions studying at other schools, they're welcome too."
"Anyone who arrives at the school that day will be treated as a guest and enjoy the same hospitality. So make sure to notify the people you care about. Also, at the end of the day, the school will present a mysterious prize to the top individual performers."
"And of course, the top-performing classes will earn a fully funded two-week study tour anywhere in the world..."
"So even if you're not interested in the mysterious prizes, wouldn't you want to seize this chance to see the world?" She hadn't even finished speaking when a voice rose from below: "The world is so big, I want to go see it."
Her eyes lit up upon hearing this heartfelt line! Turning slightly, she saw it was Chu Lian, smiling faintly back at her, as all the other students' eyes turned toward her as well.
Unable to resist, the teacher turned and wrote that sentence on the blackboard, then clapped her hands and said, "Exactly. The world is so big—don't you want to go see it?"
"A two-week study tour. We could see Tokyo's nightscape in Japan; tour the history of Hollywood in Los Angeles, USA; observe how students learn at Ivy League schools; feel the romantic ambiance of Paris, France; walk the grounds of Cambridge where Xu Zhimo once bid farewell; listen to sacred music in Vienna, the city of music."
"Even if you're not interested in going abroad, don't you want to see places that you can't find here at home?"
"We do..."
"The world is so big, I want to go see it! Teacher, I'll help our class win first place!"
"I want to see the world, to see if it really is as beautiful as they say..."
"A challenge like this, not easy to win—sounds fun. I'm interested now\..."
"A chance that comes once every ten years—how can we not treasure it?"
After she finished her speech, the classroom was instantly filled with enthusiastic agreement.
They were still young, but that didn't mean their hearts were content with ordinary lives.
Students like them—who not only excelled academically, but also devoted a large part of their rest time to refining personal talents—naturally possessed passions far beyond the ordinary.
Ever since enrolling in this school, they understood: they were fledgling hawks. As long as they found the strength to support their flight, they could soar freely beneath the blue sky.
The teacher only used half the class period to speak, leaving the remaining time for open discussion among the students. And they didn't have to worry about disturbing other classes, since this was probably the case for everyone—possibly every class in the school.
Not just in this highly liberal class meeting—even in regular classes like literature and math, as long as students had differing opinions on a problem, debates often broke out. The school not only allowed it but actively encouraged such discourse.
Most teachers even joined in the discussions, having realized that students' learning and comprehension improved much more in this kind of atmosphere than through rigid instruction.
The students they trained were all top-tier talents, and so the teachers were more than happy to see this dynamic. After all, with such high levels of self-discipline and learning ability, students here rarely slacked off or disrupted class.
However, Chu Lian didn't join the others in discussion. Even when approached, she responded with a gentle smile and politely declined: "I'm thinking about what to perform for the school celebration..."
In truth, it was because the system had issued a new side quest the moment the teacher finished speaking—and its content had captured all of her attention...