Wen Chen looked at Wen Rou and smiled silently. Seeing how hard she worked for her dreams, he was more than happy to help her with her studies, ensuring she never fell behind. Whenever he saw her crying because she couldn't hold on any longer, he would buy her something delicious to coax her.
After all, who else could she be but his cute and beautiful little sister?
By twelve o'clock in the afternoon, the three of them had finally finished touring the entire campus and taking photos. Seeing that it was getting late, Wen Chen took his newly appointed little sister and her classmate out for a meal. The restaurant was a bit of a distance from the school, but the food was excellent, and everyone was in agreement to go.
It was graduation season, and the place was bustling with people coming and going. When the three of them arrived at the restaurant, they barely managed to find a table that could accommodate them.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, the graduation ceremony at the Central University of Finance and Economics began. The event was broadcast live, intended to showcase the excellence of the university's students to the public, with a theme of positivity, boundless youth, and diligent struggle. It served as a form of outreach to society, helping to build momentum for the upcoming admissions cycle in September.
Naturally, the graduates themselves didn't have to handle the logistics; they only needed to participate, while the sophomores and juniors took care of everything behind the scenes.
There were speeches from outstanding students during the ceremony, and as it happened, Wen Rou was among them. Her head teacher had notified her long in advance, so she had already written and memorized her speech. It was a requirement for all outstanding graduates to be prepared and to have practiced beforehand.
Many people who appear outstanding were not born that way; rather, they have simply made a habit of doing their best in everything they do. Gradually, this leads to a qualitative change, and everyone begins to perceive them as excellent, assuming that everything they do comes easily, though no one ever sees the immense effort put in behind the scenes.
In her past life, she had never experienced a major public speaking engagement, though she had participated in classroom presentations. Back then, she was just a country girl who had just arrived in a big city for university, unable to even speak standard Mandarin clearly.
During her freshman year, she barely managed to pass her public speaking course. Later, unwilling to embarrass herself on stage again, she practiced speaking incessantly, having her roommates correct her until her Mandarin gradually became standard.
In her sophomore year, she participated in extracurricular English oral training. The training course still involved public speaking, and it was entirely in English at that. Her spoken English was truly poor back then—her pace was sluggish, her pronunciation was off, and she could barely manage basic greetings.
At that time, the instructor suggested she try mimicking others. Lacking any clear direction, it was then that she grew fond of Oprah, the famous queen of talk shows. Even though Oprah had dark skin, Wen Ling found her full of charm, someone you couldn't take your eyes off of.
What a pity, what a pity. Her English hadn't been that bad at the time, but she simply lacked the confidence. It was only later that she realized the deep-seated inferiority she harbored had never truly diminished throughout her four years of college. Even though she kept studying and kept cultivating new hobbies, the impact of her upbringing had been too profound, leaving her gasping for air.
...
"Sigh, I’m overthinking again." Looking at the girl practicing her speech in the mirror, Wen Rou couldn't help but smile. The girl in the mirror was so beautiful, articulate, and poised, with a faint shadow of Oprah about her, yet the reserved nature of an Easterner gave her a unique temperament all her own.
Watching her fellow students showcasing their eloquence on stage, Wen Rou shook off the memories and joined in the applause, wishing everyone a bright future ahead.
One by one, the outstanding graduates took the stage, and finally, it was Wen Rou's turn. Hearing her name called, accompanied by a mention of her past achievements at the ceremony, Wen Rou steeled herself.
The students below turned their gaze toward her as she walked toward the podium.
Wen Rou could clearly feel her heartbeat—thumping away, loud and clear.
It felt as though she had been reborn, stepping onto a different path, one with a bright future and vast horizons ahead.
Goodbye, Wen Ling.