Chu Yi and Jiang Xu simultaneously avoided the Homeroom Teacher’s gaze on the stage. They weren’t alone; the entire class was doing the same, terrified of making eye contact with her.
The Homeroom Teacher scanned the room and, finding no volunteers, asked, “Is there truly no one who wants to participate in the debate competition?”
Silence.
For someone like Chu Yi, participating in a debate competition would be sheer torture. In such a high-pressure environment, he’d be even less able to speak. He quietly averted his gaze, pretending he hadn’t heard a thing.
Seeing the students’ complete silence, the Homeroom Teacher had already anticipated this outcome. She smiled slyly. “Since no one is volunteering, let’s draw lots. Whoever’s name is drawn must participate. Any objections?”
The students exchanged uneasy glances. None of them wanted to participate, but they all agreed that drawing lots was fair. If your name was drawn, you were simply unlucky.
Soon, over twenty names were stuffed into a box with only one hole, making it impossible to see what was inside.
The Homeroom Teacher shook the box vigorously, shuffling all the paper slips inside.
When she looked up, she noticed all her students staring intently at the box in her hand, as if terrified of being chosen. Amused, she wondered why her students disliked participating in debate competitions so much.
After shaking the box for nearly a minute, she set it down and looked at the class. “I’m going to start drawing names now.”
Chu Yi watched nervously as the Homeroom Teacher reached into the box, his heart pounding. He silently chanted, ‘Please don’t pick me, please don’t pick me.’
When she pulled out a slip of paper, Chu Yi’s heart nearly leaped out of his chest. The slip looked eerily similar to his own.
Soon, the Homeroom Teacher announced the name on the slip.
Chu Yi exhaled in relief—it wasn’t his name.
Immediately, she began drawing the second name.
Jiang Xu glanced at his phone, then noticed Chu Yi staring intently at the Homeroom Teacher, his lips moving as if muttering something. Listening closely, he realized Chu Yi was praying not to be chosen.
Jiang Xu raised an eyebrow. ‘Is Chu Yi really this nervous?’
Chu Yi’s anxiety peaked as the second name was announced. To his relief, it wasn’t his. ‘Great! Only two spots left. I probably won’t get picked now.
Jiang Xu reassured him, “Don’t worry. There are over twenty people in our class. The chances of getting picked are slim. You don’t need to be so nervous. There’s no way either of us will get picked.”
The Homeroom Teacher on stage had already drawn another slip of paper. After unfolding it, she calmly announced the name: “Jiang Xu.”
Jiang Xu: …?! ‘What did I just say?’
Only one spot remained.
Chu Yi’s tension intensified. He could feel his heart pounding wildly as his gaze burned into the Homeroom Teacher’s hand.
‘It can’t be me for the last one, right? There are so many people. They won’t pick me, they won’t. No way.’
Chu Yi’s lips pressed into a tight line as he stared intently at the Homeroom Teacher.
It can’t be me, it can’t be me, absolutely not me.
The Homeroom Teacher randomly grabbed a slip from the box and pulled it out.
The remaining students watched her with bated breath, none wanting their name to be the last one called.
The Homeroom Teacher opened the slip of paper and calmly announced, “Chu Yi.”
Chu Yi: !!! A bolt from the blue, a thunderclap overhead.
The other students who hadn’t been selected breathed a collective sigh of relief.
With all four debate team members chosen, no one raised any objections.
The Homeroom Teacher smiled. “These four students will represent our class in the debate competition. The competition officially begins next week, and you’ll receive the debate topic the day after tomorrow. You’ll have a few days to prepare, so give it your all!”
Chu Yi racked his brain, but he couldn’t fathom how he’d been chosen, especially with so many other students in the class.
After class, Chu Yi desperately wanted to ask the Homeroom Teacher if he could be replaced, but he knew it was a futile request.
Jiang Xu tried to comfort him. “It’ll be fine, it’ll be fine. I’ll be there with you. Just go up and say whatever comes to mind. Even if we lose, it doesn’t matter.”
Despite Jiang Xu’s words, Chu Yi remained dejected.
By the time Chu Yi returned to the villa, he was still listless.
Butler Wen immediately noticed his gloomy expression as he entered, mistaking it for illness.
“I have to participate in the school’s debate competition next week,” Chu Yi explained.
“Participating in school activities is a good thing,” Butler Wen said. “It’s a chance to develop yourself.”
Chu Yi sighed. “I don’t want to participate. I’m afraid I’ll freeze up and won’t be able to say a word when facing the opposing debater.” He could already imagine the scene: the opposing debater relentlessly pressing him, while he stood mute, terrified he would burst into tears and humiliate himself during the debate. The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became.
Seeing Chu Yi’s distress, Butler Wen didn’t know how to comfort him, so he simply made him delicious food.
Even though Chu Yi didn’t want to participate, he had no choice but to.
Soon, they learned the debate topic:
‘Similar (or complementary) personalities make love last longer.’
Chu Yi’s team was assigned the opposing viewpoint: Complementary personalities make love last longer.
When the four team members saw the topic, they all fell silent, pondering it. None of them had ever been in love.
Chu Yi thought that if he were the first speaker, it wouldn’t be too bad. He would only need to present the opening argument, state their position, and lay out the framework—the simplest role.
But to his utter dismay, when they drew lots, Chu Yi drew the third speaker position, while Jiang Xu drew the fourth speaker position.
Chu Yi and Jiang Xu exchanged a silent glance, feeling a shared sense of camaraderie in their shared predicament.
Jiang Xu scanned the group and noticed that Chu Yi was the only one with a boyfriend. Figuring Chu Yi might have some insight into the matter, he whispered, “Are you and your boyfriend’s personalities complementary or similar?”
Chu Yi paused, taking a moment to realize Jiang Xu was asking about him and Shen Jin.
He thought about Shen Jin’s perpetually serious expression. Their personalities couldn’t possibly be similar. He couldn’t imagine Shen Jin with red-rimmed eyes; he was certain Shen Jin would rather bleed than shed a single tear.
Yet “complementary” didn’t quite fit either.
Seeing the four students’ furrowed brows, the Homeroom Teacher couldn’t help but smile. “Don’t be so nervous, everyone,” she reassured them. “Participation is what matters most. Don’t put too much pressure on yourselves.”
Despite her words, the group remained diligent, researching, gathering materials, and preparing their arguments.
To improve their teamwork, the four decided to stay after school and practice together.
This time, Chu Yi remembered to text Uncle Wen, explaining that he had school matters to attend to and would be home late, having dinner at the school cafeteria.
After sending the message, Chu Yi suddenly realized he still didn’t have Shen Jin’s contact information. Although he had added Shen Jin last time, Shen Jin had never responded.
During their first practice session, everyone was in poor form, stumbling over their words and even bursting into laughter. It was clear that if they performed like this on stage, they would lose before the debate even began.
Despite knowing the debate topic and having prepared their materials, Chu Yi remained anxious. His nervousness manifested in frequent lapses of focus; he would continue making drinking motions even after his glass of juice was empty.
Butler Wen suggested, “Why don’t you ask Shen Jin to help you practice?” Since their previous disconnection, Butler Wen sensed that Chu Yi was no longer as afraid of Shen Jin as before. He saw this as an opportunity for the two to spend more time together.
Chu Yi paused, surprised. “Would Mr. Shen be willing?”
Butler Wen encouraged him, “You need to ask him yourself. Shen Jin hasn’t been busy these past few days, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Chu Yi thought for a moment. If he could speak smoothly in Shen Jin’s imposing presence, then he should have no trouble speaking on the debate stage.
Soon, Shen Jin returned from work. Encouraged by Uncle Wen’s supportive gaze, Chu Yi went to find him.
Having lived at the Shen Family residence for so long, this was the first time Chu Yi had stood outside Shen Jin’s bedroom door. He took a deep breath and knocked.
When he entered, Shen Jin had just changed out of his suit, which lay draped over a nearby chair. He looked at Chu Yi and asked, “What is it?”
“I’m participating in the school debate competition, but I’m very nervous,” Chu Yi said. “Mr. Shen, could you help me practice?”
Shen Jin glanced at him. Chu Yi blinked. “Is that okay?” Although Uncle Wen had assured him Shen Jin would agree, the man’s silence suddenly made him lose confidence. ‘Shen Jin is so busy. He probably doesn’t have time for this.‘
“Mm,” Shen Jin replied.
“Thank you, Mr. Shen!” Chu Yi exclaimed.
After dinner, Chu Yi and Shen Jin went to the study.
Chu Yi’s heart skipped a beat when Shen Jin sat down with an expressionless face. Shen Jin’s aura was truly overwhelming. Chu Yi’s voice trembled slightly as he began, “Our side believes…”
Despite his nervousness facing Shen Jin, Chu Yi had prepared extensively beforehand, allowing him to articulate his points relatively smoothly, though he stumbled twice.
Shen Jin countered each of Chu Yi’s arguments, word by word, his expression sharp and piercing. Chu Yi froze in the distance, his mouth opening and closing as he completely forgot what he was going to say.
Shen Jin fixed his gaze on him. “I was merely anticipating the questions the opposing side might raise, yet you can’t refute a single one.”
“I…” Chu Yi stammered.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t refute them, but Shen Jin’s stern expression had completely thrown him off.
Under Shen Jin’s severe gaze, Chu Yi stammered through his rebuttals.
By the end, he even wiped his eyes, his rims slightly moist.
Shen Jin observed him thoughtfully, but Chu Yi misinterpreted his expression and quickly explained, “Mr. Shen, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cry. It’s just that when I get too excited, this happens. I didn’t want to cry. It’s been like this since I was a child. I don’t know why.”
He hated his constitution. He cried so easily, even when he didn’t want to. The tears just fell uncontrollably.
After a moment’s thought, Shen Jin understood.
“If you could fluently express your opinions and counter arguments when facing me, you wouldn’t be so nervous during competitions,” Shen Jin said.
Chu Yi already knew this, but the problem was he couldn’t do it.
“If you can’t, then practice more,” Shen Jin said sternly. “And control your tears. Say what you want to say, even if it’s trivial.”
Chu Yi continued practicing, tears welling up in his eyes.
Shen Jin’s tone and expression were even harsher than before, making Chu Yi’s voice tremble as he spoke.
“Wipe your tears and continue,” Shen Jin ordered.
They practiced for an hour, and Chu Yi cried for nearly the entire time.
Shen Jin watched Chu Yi’s reddened eyes, his gaze softening slightly. “There’s been progress,” he said gently.
When Chu Yi left the study, his eyes were still red. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought Shen Jin had been bullying him inside.
