Chapter 26 — The Day the Whole School Went Wild

Heavy indeed, yet not nearly enough to bury the past beneath its weight. As the grand assembly drew to a close, Lin Yue walked over to my side. With a soft, hesitant voice, she asked, "Nan Qiao, will you still be staying in Class Three from now on?" I turned my gaze toward the empty podium at the front of the room.

"No."

"I have already applied for a transfer."

She nodded slowly, the corners of her eyes growing distinctly red.

"Then... will we still be able to share meals together in the future?"

I looked at her for a long moment.

"Yes."

A faint smile touched her lips. It was barely perceptible, yet it was genuine. When the second phase of the Nan Qiao Development Foundation was officially restarted, the Affiliated High School was no longer included on the roster. Uncle Gu handed me the newly revised evaluation system documents. Every single financial grant was now mandated to go directly into the personal account of the student. Every review and assessment required explicit confirmation from the student themselves. Every partner institution was now obligated to establish an anonymous protection channel. In the designated comments section for the founder's representative, I wrote down a single sentence. Never allow any child to be abandoned by the collective power of silence.

Sometime later, the city administration organized a formal symposium. This time, it was my turn to step up to the podium. Seated in the audience were government leaders, journalists, students, as well as my mother and Uncle Gu. On the massive LED screen behind me, there was no smiling photograph of Xu Jiaiyan. There were no fabricated letters of gratitude. There was only the name of the foundation my father had left behind. The Nan Qiao Development Foundation. As I grasped the microphone, my palms were slick with nervous perspiration. Yet, I did not take a single step backward. Speaking into the microphone, I said, "I once believed that simply remaining silent would allow every storm to eventually pass."

"Only later did I come to realize that if you choose not to speak, malevolent voices will gladly speak in your stead."

"They will declare that you fail to fit in, that you are far too sensitive, that you are utterly unworthy."

"Therefore, my presence here today is not because I hold some grand or lofty status."

"Rather, it is because every single human being who has been left behind deserves to be seen and acknowledged."

The auditorium below fell into an extraordinary, profound silence. I caught sight of my mother weeping. Yet this time, she was crying and smiling simultaneously. As the symposium concluded, Uncle Gu escorted me out to the grand entrance. Golden sunlight spilled generously across the stone steps. Lowering my gaze, I noticed a lingering smudge of ink staining the cuff of my school uniform sleeve. It remained right there. But I no longer felt any urge to conceal it.

My phone suddenly buzzed with a single notification. Within the newly formed class chat, the class monitor had just uploaded the spreadsheet detailing the upcoming autumn excursion. The roster totaled exactly forty-two students. At the very bottom of the list appeared my own name. Shen Nan Qiao. Right beside it stood a crisp, unmistakably clear confirmation checkmark. Staring at that mark, I let a gentle smile slip onto my lips. Then, I reached out and tapped the confirmation button. This time, I had not been left behind.