Chapter 175: Spot-On Praise
Chapter 175: Chapter 175: Spot-On Praise
Nan Yi sat in the classroom, a restless anxiety churning inside him—
The chattering, noisy kids were annoying.
The teacher, who was putting on a high-pitched voice to talk like a child, was also annoying.
And the braindead questions displayed on the electronic whiteboard were the most annoying of all!
Several times, he was overcome with the urge to just bolt from this space that felt like a prison!
But...
’Mom would be disappointed.’
Nan Yi desperately suppressed the desire, only sneaking a peek behind him.
His mom was still standing in the same spot, watching him with a gaze full of expectation and encouragement.
In an instant, it was as if all the cold prickles around Nan Yi had softened.
So, when the teacher called on him to answer a question, he didn’t resist.
The teacher had thought that since he had just started preschool, he wouldn’t understand many of the questions, and she had planned to help him out and give him a timely hint.
But as it turned out, Nan Yi stated the answer with a deadpan expression.
The teacher was amazed.
"That’s completely correct! Class, let’s give little Nan Yi a round of applause, shall we!"
"WOW!"
The whole little classroom erupted!
The children clapped enthusiastically like seals, gazing at him with looks of adoration!
Nan Yi: ...
’What’s so praiseworthy about a braindead question like that?!’
’I really don’t belong here!’
Outside the classroom.
Nan Zhi was also smiling.
She smiled with relief and delight.
She turned her head and...
Hmm, Fu Chao was smiling even more happily than she was. He was even clapping along!
The commotion almost drew the attention of the teacher and children inside!
Nan Zhi poked him and whispered,
"What are you so excited about?"
"I’m happy! He’s our kid!"
Fu Chao really didn’t act like an outsider at all!
Then there was Xu Li, who had a look of shared glory on her face.
She acted a little more mature than Fu Chao, but not by much.
She looked so proud and triumphant, you’d think she wanted to paste those three words—"My Nan Yi"—right on her forehead!
Nan Zhi wasn’t put off by this.
On the contrary, the two of them made her laugh, and a warmth spread through her heart.
They all waited patiently for the class to end, then followed the children to the outdoor activity area.
Watching Nan Yi play with the sand tray, Teacher Chen, who had been quiet until now, suddenly spoke up.
"Little Nan Yi is very smart. I’ve been observing his performance—his memory is excellent, able to repeat anything a teacher says with perfect accuracy. His command of language is rich, with a vocabulary larger than an average child’s, and his logical thinking is outstanding..."
At first, Teacher Chen was being rather tactful.
But as she went on, her appreciation for his talent took over, and she began to praise him to the skies.
Even Nan Zhi, his own mother, started to feel a little embarrassed listening to it.
As for Fu Chao, he was just nodding along enthusiastically.
"Yes! Teacher Chen, you’re spot on! That’s exactly what I think too!"
Xu Li chimed in as well.
"Teacher Chen, you really have a good eye!"
The three of them had clearly reached a consensus!
It was his actual mother, Nan Zhi, who felt like she’d been excluded from the atmosphere.
However, Nan Zhi also gained a new understanding of this Teacher Chen—
She had originally been puzzled by the lack of an interview process at the preschool. She’d wondered if Fu Chao had secretly pulled some strings.
But judging by the atmosphere of their later conversation, that didn’t seem to be the case.
Now she understood.
It wasn’t that there was no interview; the interview was the trial session itself.
This evaluation was Teacher Chen’s answer to the interview, delivered based on her keen observation and solid professional expertise!
Teacher Chen was very pleased with Nan Yi, and after finishing her praise, she didn’t forget to subtly express the preschool’s strong desire to enroll him.
Nan Zhi nodded solemnly.
"I will consider it carefully."
When the trial session finally ended, Nan Yi was like a small, wilted blade of grass that had been dried out by the sun.
He couldn’t wait to get back to Nan Zhi’s side, taking the initiative to slip his small hand into her palm and affectionately lean his head against her.
It was a stark contrast to his "leave me alone" cool-guy persona among the other children earlier!
Fu Chao and Xu Li were over the top, bustling around Nan Yi.
"Are you tired? Want some water?"
"Yiyi must be exhausted!"
Nan Zhi glanced at the two of them.
Only after they had both quieted down did she ask Nan Yi,
"Do you want to go home now?"
Those words seemed to inject Nan Yi with boundless energy, and he couldn’t help but give a little hop.
"Can we go home now?"
"In a minute. Let’s say goodbye to big brother Xiao Xi before we go, okay? If we leave without a word, he’ll definitely be upset."
Nan Yi puffed out his cheeks but could only nod.
They soon saw Qing Xi coming.
But the Qing Xi walking toward them looked pouty, all the cheerfulness he’d had when he first got out of the car gone.
As his uncle, Fu Chao was still very concerned about his nephew.
"What’s wrong? Did you get in a fight with someone?"
Qing Xi crossed his arms.
"Didn’t you say little brother Yiyi was going to go to school with me? I waited for him for so long!"
Before Fu Chao could answer, Qing Xi bypassed his uncle, ran straight up to Nan Yi, and took his hand, asking why he hadn’t come to his class to find him.
Nan Yi, much more relaxed in front of the familiar Qing Xi, just explained in a muffled voice,
"I was in class."
Qing Xi’s temper vanished in an instant, replaced by sympathy.
"Poor little brother Yiyi."
As he spoke, he pulled out a piece of candy that he said was a reward he’d received, and offered it to Nan Yi.
Nan Yi reluctantly accepted it.
Qing Xi widened his big eyes and asked Nan Zhi,
"Auntie Zhizhi, can little brother Yiyi really not be in the same class as me?"
Fu Chao helped explain,
"You’re already in the middle class, but little brother Yiyi just started preschool, so he has to start from the lower class!"
Qing Xi felt even more sympathetic toward Nan Yi, but he was still unhappy, pouting so much you could hang a jug from his lip.
But Nan Zhi said,
"You never know, Xiao Xi."
Qing Xi listened, confused.
Fu Chao, however, caught her underlying meaning. He wanted to ask something but then suppressed his curiosity.
Nan Zhi decided to go find Teacher Chen again.
One of the problems with Nan Yi not wanting to go to preschool was his natural hostility toward unfamiliar environments.
If he were with Qing Xi, he might not be so resistant.
She just didn’t know if the preschool would be willing to accept it.
Nan Zhi didn’t say any of this in front of Nan Yi and went to Teacher Chen’s office door alone.
Just as she was about to knock, she heard Teacher Chen’s voice on the phone coming from the crack of the slightly ajar door.
"Yes, Mr. Lu, their class just ended... The child’s performance was excellent. Even without your call, we would have been more than happy to keep him..."
Nan Zhi froze on the spot.
’Mr. Lu?’
’Could it be Lu Shixu?’
’When did he find out about her whereabouts?’
Nan Zhi lowered her gaze, thinking to herself, but she didn’t get angry or feel that Lu Shixu had overstepped.
First, because this matter was beneficial to Nan Yi.
Second, as Nan Yi’s biological father, this little bit of effort from Lu Shixu wasn’t much to speak of.
Nan Zhi stood outside the door for a while longer. After confirming the call had ended, she waited for about another minute before knocking on the office door.
As expected, Teacher Chen had no objection whatsoever to Nan Zhi’s idea of placing Nan Yi in the middle class.
On the surface, Nan Zhi didn’t say anything, but inwardly, a plan had already begun to form.