Chapter 2 — Youth Doesn't Give Up

I put on my faded washed uniform, tightened my grip on the strap of my bag, and walked into the Yellow classroom. The moment I pushed the door open, all sounds in the classroom suddenly disappeared. More than thirty pairs of eyes simultaneously turned towards me, their gaze cold, mixed with a bit of curiosity. The atmosphere in the classroom was filled with an indifferent luxury. Someone is lying on a chair, holding the latest game console. Someone sat cross-legged on the table, chatting excitedly about last night's party. Some people slumped over the table and slept, their eyelids trembling slightly, their breathing steady as if they didn't have a care in the world. On their table, books were neatly stacked, brand new as if they had just been bought from a bookstore — not a single fold. I found an empty seat in the last row, gently sat down, trying to minimize my existence as much as possible. “Hey, is your family bankrupt?” A girl sitting in the front seat suddenly turned her head, her eyes sparkling with curiosity: "Or is the rich lady pretending to be a poor person to experience life?" I pursed my lips, opened my mouth to say something... but didn't know how to answer. “To Dinh, shut up!” A lazy, slightly annoyed voice rang out. I raised my head. What caught my eye was a girl so beautiful that she looked like a porcelain doll. She was biting the end of the pen, absentmindedly twirling the pen in her hand, with a sheet of math problems spread out in front of her, but clearly not interested. “I'm so bored!” The doll hummed softly, her eyebrows furrowed. “My dad made me do this damn problem!” Having said that, she threw the exam paper straight onto my desk, her eyes shining with excitement: "New student, do you know how to do it? When you're done, I'll give you a hundred yuan." One hundred yuan. I stopped for a moment, my heart pounding. That's my three-day food allowance. All around, eyes immediately turned to this direction, full of excitement. For them, this scene was more exciting than the video game — because very few people in the class knew how to do the test. I picked up the paper. A function lesson... quite difficult, but for me it's not a problem. Three minutes later, I put down my pen. The doll took the paper, glanced at it, her eyes widened, stunned: "Three... three ways to solve it?" I nodded slightly, without saying a word. The doll girl held my application, stared at it for a long time, her eyes lit up, then pulled out a small red bill from her leather bag and conveniently threw it on my table. “Ky Rui, can she really do it?” A male student next to him curiously stopped by and asked. "Of course!" Ky Due raised his chin and showed the question paper to him. Soon, the whole class rushed in, each paper being passed from hand to hand. Everyone crowded together to look at my answer, their faces full of surprise and admiration. “Oh my god, the writing is so beautiful!” “Can you really solve these strange problems?!” “I don't understand anything, but it feels really cool.” I quietly put the hundred yuan note in my pocket, my heart pounding. “Damn it, this is a real lesson!” To Dinh interrupted, looking at the cards and whispering. Right after that, stacks of problems flew from all four directions at the same time, landing on my desk like rain: "Please help me solve this Physics question." “Let's do this Chemistry equation.” I looked at the pile of problems piled up into a small mountain on the table, took a breath, and picked up my pen. One question... then two questions... then three questions... Every time I finished writing, the oh-ah sound echoed throughout the classroom. The eyes of the surrounding "cool boys" lit up little by little, as if they had just witnessed a magic show. For every problem solved, money also flew in — fifty, one hundred, sometimes even two hundred yuan. “Oh my god, she can do it all!” “This is the legend of learning hegemony, right?!” “This is my first time meeting a real person, not in a movie!” In less than an hour, there was a small pile of money on my table, every bill was brand new. “You're really good.” The boy sitting in front turned around and smiled friendly: "My name is Trinh Hao, my father is the owner of Trinh Thi Group." A girl next to me also smiled and introduced: "I'm Ly Van Van, my family runs a high-end hotel chain." A few more people spoke up, introducing themselves by name and family background. In their voices, there was something I had never heard before — genuine appreciation. At that moment, I realized... For children born in luxury, never having to experience the feeling of self-reliance and learning, my existence was like a creature from another world. For them, spending money to watch me solve problems... is as natural as buying tickets to see a magic show. “Lin Wei, right?” A male voice rang out, pulling me out of my thoughts. “What class were you in before?” I raised my head. Discovered more than thirty pairs of eyes in the class, now... all looking at me. But this time, the way they looked at me was different. No more sarcasm, no more contempt... But a kind of respect mixed with strangeness. “Class A.” — I answered briefly. “Students in class A transferred to class Gold?” Ky Due slightly raised his eyebrows, the corners of his lips curled up: "Interesting." The school bell rang. I cleaned up the bills left on the table. A total of eight hundred yuan — enough to last me half a month. Stepping out of class, I suddenly had a strange feeling... Perhaps, I can really exist in this place. The next morning, I came to class early, sat neatly in my seat, opened my notebook and took notes. In front, a few shy boys lazily walked into class empty-handed. They have never touched their homework, whether it's Math, Physics, Chemistry or Literature. Anyway... rich people and teachers don't dare do anything. I was bent over arranging notes, when Trinh Hao suddenly turned down, leaned close to my ear, and lowered his voice: "Lin Vi, help me with my homework?" I raised my head in surprise: "Huh?" Trinh Hao coughed softly, lowering his voice further: "Yesterday I accidentally made my mother angry... today I want to please her by submitting my homework. Can you help me write a perfect copy?" I hesitated a bit, then an idea flashed in my head. "How much?" — I asked. Trinh Hao laughed heartily and raised a finger: "One hundred yuan. You write so beautifully, I'm sure my mother will be satisfied after reading it." I nodded: "Okay, I will write you an impeccable article." That night, Trinh Hao brought home the homework I wrote. Sure enough, his mother watched and praised him endlessly, and happily rewarded him with an additional five thousand yuan in pocket money. This news spread quickly throughout the class. "What?! Do your homework and get money?!" “I can't believe it, I want it too!” “My mother has been supervising my studies very closely lately, Linh Vi, help me do it too!” “Lin Wei, from now on all my homework will be handed over to you!” After just one session, my "business" officially exploded. The next morning, my desk was almost surrounded. “Lin Wei, please help me with the Ly lesson!” “Give me a Chemistry lesson, two copies!” “Literature, write an essay for me!” I quietly bowed my head and caught it Start doing homework for the whole class. Each pen, each page, each paper... Every time I finish writing, money flows to me. I began to understand - In a group full of warm and bad guys, ability is the only ticket for me to survive. Every day after school, my desk is filled with homework for all subjects. I rented a small room that was just big enough to fit a desk, and every night I stayed up until nearly dawn to do my homework. My hands were numb, my eyes were blurry, but looking at the wallet getting thicker and thicker, I gritted my teeth and endured it.

“Lin Wei!” A familiar voice rang out from the classroom door. I raised my head and saw Tran Mong and Giang Pham standing hand in hand right in front of the Vang classroom door. Tran Mong's face was very unsightly. I was momentarily stunned. Since when… have they been together? “Is something wrong?” I walked out of the classroom, my tone calm as if I saw two strangers. Tran Mong rolled his eyes and looked at me from head to toe, his eyes full of jealousy. Today, I'm wearing a brand new uniform, wearing the white shoes I just bought, and my whole body is clean and bright - completely different from my previous struggling appearance. “I heard you transferred to Gold class?” Giang Pham spoke up, sounding concerned: "The hot boys in there don't bully you, do they?" I almost burst out laughing. Bully me? They were too busy giving me money to arrive in time. "Are not." — I replied briefly. "Are not?" Tran Mong laughed sarcastically, his voice full of sarcasm: "Lam Vi, stop pretending. Do you think those rich kids will value a poor person like you?" She pulled Giang Pham up a step, deliberately showing off their clasped hands: "Giang Pham and I are dating." Giang Pham turned to look at Tran Mong, his eyes seemed filled with "love": "Mong Mong is both beautiful and has a good family background. Being with her is my blessing." I just feel… nauseous.

Thinking about the fact that I used to secretly like someone like that, I feel ridiculous. Compared to people like Ky Due - a genuine, noble, confident great lady - Tran Mong is like a clown trying to imitate an aura that she doesn't have. I slowly curled my lips, my tone was calm but cold: "Second place has been here for a long time, but are you still talking about me? I lost in the exam, and now I have to pick up the man I don't need?"