Chapter 218: English Dictation
The next day when Xia Yu, Xia Ling, and Jiang Hanhang arrived at Class 15, it was no surprise that the students inside were all chatting excitedly about the swimming activities planned for that afternoon.
“Little Yu, you just transferred here, so you’ve probably never had swimming lessons before. Can you swim? If you can’t, just call me ‘brother’ and I’ll teach you!” Gao Xiaotian, Xia Yu’s desk mate, couldn’t help but show off his swimming prowess the moment she sat down.
Hearing Gao Xiaotian’s words made Xia Yu reminisce about the past. Back then, she was younger and a boy, frequently going to the small stream behind the village’s mountains with her older brother Xia Le and some boys from the village.
Sure, she often ended up being the target of pranks, getting pushed into the water and forced to drink a few gulps of that wild stream water, but those memories were still worth cherishing.
At least… she could play.
Unlike now, when she had to hide her body, which meant she wouldn’t dare wear those snug swim trunks and swim freely in the clear stream like before.
As the memories faded, Xia Yu lazily replied to Gao Xiaotian, “Nope, I can’t swim. Really.” She wanted to be a bit cheeky, so a little flair of Versailles was in order—it’s not like she was going swimming with them anyway.
But to Xia Yu’s surprise, Gao Xiaotian was super excited. He patted his own chest and declared, “How about this, Little Yu? If you bring me a pack of spicy snacks, I’ll teach you how to swim!” Xia Yu: “….”
Before Xia Yu could say anything, a girl named Li Jia sitting in front of her turned around and chimed in, “What? You want Little Yu to learn how to swim and charge her tuition? Why don’t we just let her learn with us for free, right, Yao Yao?”
Li Jia nudged her desk mate Guo Yao, hoping to team up with her. “Mhm!”
Guo Yao turned to them with a serious nod, “Exactly! Little Yu is so cute! How could we charge her tuition?”
“Please, you girls just want to see Little Yu’s body. Just because she’s cute doesn’t change the fact she’s a boy; boys should play with boys.”
“And what if she’s cute? That’s all that matters, right? Plus, her sister is a girl. Who knows, maybe she’ll go play with her this afternoon?”
Listening to this back-and-forth banter between the two girls and one boy, Xia Yu thought for a long time before sheepishly admitting, “Um… I’m not going to swimming class this afternoon.”
“Ah?”
“Excuse me? What?”
Noticing their surprised faces, Xia Yu wasn’t really shocked. So, she used the excuse Jiang Kekai had given her: “Actually… I’m taking leave this afternoon, so I can’t go to swimming class.”
“Is something going on?” “Yeah, do you need our help?”
Li Jia and Guo Yao expressed concern, which made Xia Yu feel a bit flattered and awkward at the same time. “N-no, nothing’s wrong…”
Li Jia and Guo Yao exchanged glances. Even though Xia Yu had said that, they could tell she clearly had something on her mind but didn’t want to share. But it made sense—they hadn’t known each other for long, so she didn’t have to disclose anything important.
Thus, Li Jia sighed a bit sadly, “Well, that’s too bad. Guess we can only swim with Little Yu in the future.”
“Come on, you just want to see Little Yu’s body, right, *Ling?”
It seemed Gao Xiaotian hit the nail on the head. Li Jia and Guo Yao both turned a little red. I mean, Xia Yu looked so much like a girl—who wouldn’t be curious about her actual gender?
Besides, Xia Yu was wearing a girl’s school uniform and using the girls’ restroom! How could that not raise suspicions?
Some of the more imaginative classmates had already guessed the right answer: Xia Yu was actually pretending to be a boy. They just didn’t dare voice their speculations for fear of being mocked.
Because of that, Xia Yu had earned the nicknames “Pseudogirl Xia Yu” and “Cross-dressing Master Yu,” both whispered among classmates, though she, Xia Ling, and Jiang Hanhang had caught wind of them.
Suddenly, the class bell rang—it was time for class!
This was the English teacher’s class, and she marched in, placing her books on the desk and, with a mischievous smile, commanded the class, “Now hand in all your English books, quickly!”
Hearing this familiar phrase, the whole class tensed up because they knew… it meant the English teacher was about to give a surprise dictation, and that was no fun. But clueless Xia Yu didn’t know any better. So, she obediently handed her English book to Li Jia, wanting to get the task done as soon as possible.
But Li Jia panicked and didn’t take Xia Yu’s book. Instead, she reproached Xia Yu, “Don’t rush! Look at it a few more times.”
Realizing her mistake, Xia Yu noticed that the entire class, except her, was frantically flipping through their English books, probably trying to cram for last-minute review. And she noticed her desk mate had even jotted down words in her draftbook—copying the first unit’s words ahead of time. Was this what they called “creative solutions”?
And yes, she thought they looked like a mess because Xia Yu couldn’t tell if that was even the vocabulary…
Seeing the commotion, the English teacher had no idea her students hadn’t memorized any words. She feigned being upset and continued, “Still looking? You’ve had half a month! Pass your books up, quick! And don’t let me find anyone hiding their books.”
Well, with the English teacher being like that, most students complied and passed their books to the front, looking miserable while taking out their dictation books in preparation.
But Gao Xiaotian was different; his expression relaxed considerably, as if he had already completed his task. Xia Yu then realized how he managed his situation.
As the English teacher read the first word, Gao Xiaotian pulled out his dictation book and glanced at his chaotic draftbook, surprisingly managing to write something down…
Sneaking a glance at Xia Yu, who was focused on him, he whispered urgently, “Don’t keep staring at me! You’ll end up bringing the teacher over!”
But… as the saying goes, fear brings more trouble…
After reading a word, the English teacher instinctively glanced at the students in the back row and noticed a bit of mischief going on at Xia Yu’s table. So… she started strolling over, slowly reading out loud.
“Oh no! The teacher is really coming!”
As the teacher drew nearer, Gao Xiaotian felt his heart racing. He didn’t dare move for fear he’d have to hand in his draft when the teacher caught him.
Moments later, the English teacher arrived at their table…
She looked at Gao Xiaotian, then at the troublemaker Xia Yu. She didn’t say a word but quickly moved on from another direction.
True, due to the bracelet, even if Xia Yu didn’t pull out her draft, the teacher wouldn’t bother her out of fear it would stir up problems.
Plus, Xia Yu’s academic records and the class roster all had her listed as a boy, but here she was, wearing a girl’s outfit! She knew she’d heard some of her little nicknames; any sane person wouldn’t believe she didn’t have some mental issues.
Lucky for Xia Yu, the English teacher didn’t punish her. But she was also unlucky; the teacher ignored her completely, letting her fumble through it all.
“Jiang Hanhang, move over a bit! Don’t lean on my arm; while the teacher is still nearby!” “I know, I know! Calm down!”
Now looking at Xia Ling and Jiang Hanhang’s table, they were totally in their element. For Jiang Hanhang, who had gone through tutoring, this dictation was too easy! She could write it all without even looking.
This allowed Xia Ling to copy without any trouble…
Before long, the dictation concluded, and no surprise, it had to be handed in.
Guo Yao collected Gao Xiaotian’s dictation book from behind her, but… there was no sign of Xia Yu’s…. Li Jia turned around, curious, and asked, “Little Yu, where’s your dictation book? It’s time to hand it in.”
“Uh… didn’t write it.”
Xia Yu was as honest as ever, but if anyone cared to hear, despite having attended class for half a month, she had taken leave and learned nothing at all. Dictate what? Honestly, if you want to be blunt, Xia Yu had just kept her old, bad habits.
Her grades were already subpar, and being surrounded by similarly poorly performing students hadn’t helped her. Whether to turn in homework depended on her mood—just a little scolding from the teacher was the worst that could happen.
So, Xia Yu hadn’t developed any good habits regarding homework submissions, which meant she still had a long road ahead to go from an average student to a competent secretary.
Seeing Xia Yu like this left Li Jia at a loss for words. After a few seconds of deliberation, she finally said a few words, “Little Yu, that kind of habit isn’t good.”
“I… know.”
Xia Yu felt a bit self-conscious, not daring to look at Li Jia. She understood the principle, but she couldn’t dictate, and copying felt wrong inside.
P.S.: The end of the month is here! Readers, if you have any unused monthly tickets or vouchers, throw them in! Otherwise, they’ll expire! (w)
