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."
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