"...okay." replies Hua, a little perplexed while walking.
(Classroom)
*Bell rings*
"Everyone, this has come to the notice that Mrs. Wu is on maternity leave. So he has requested everyone to turn in their summer holiday work to me as I have to deliver it to the substitute teacher today." Muyan ends her statement standing near the blackboard.
She reaches everyone one by one to gather the notebooks, of course skipping one person, Ming Hua. After stacking those roll wise she leaves them on the teacher's desk.
"Don't make too much noise, classes nearby already have begun." she instructs just before someone stops near the classroom door.
"6A.....Literature period?" the person asks.
Muyan looks at the person, their eyes locking instantly. A pause lingers for some seconds before she answers - "Yes."
As the person enters she makes her way beck to her desk. Some gasps and giggles can already be heard as he stands behind the teacher's desk. Upon seeing the pile of notebooks, he starts to talk.
"Good afternoon everyone. My name is Xiao Ruan, and I will be taking your English Literature classes this semester." he introduces himself to the class.
"I suppose you all have submitted your summer work here, but I need you to take these for today so that you can complete the work I'm going to give you today and submit them tomorrow, okay?" he adds.
"Yes sir." the whole class responds.
"Who's the class monitor?" he asks.
Muyan stands up from her seat.
"I am." she answers.
"I see. Your name?" he asks more.
"Lu Muyan."
"Muyan." he pauses before continuing. "Please take these notebooks and distribute to the respective students." he says.
She makes her way to the table but stops right before taking the notebooks.
"But Mrs. Wu asked to give you these today." she informs him.
"Don't worry about it. I will talk to her in case it is needed to inform everything that happens in the class." he reassures her.
She just nods and takes the pile away, starting to hand them one by one. Before she finishes, Mr. Xiao starts to talk.
"Okay. Since we are in the English class, I suppose it's only fair we talk in English." he adds, getting whines and annoyed faces as response.
"Ah, I see. Nobody is fond of English here?" he asks pouting a bit.
"Muyan is good at it." one student blurts out.
"I see." he responds to it while Muyan keeps distributing, visibly unbothered.
"Anyone else?" he questions.
This time a student raises her hand. Ming Hua.
"Yes, what's your name?" he proceeds. Muyan also looks at her.
"Ming Hua, sir." she answers.
"Okay Hua, can you introduce yourself in English?" he asks her in refined, balanced tone of English.
Everyone in the class first admires his tone and then turn their heads towards Hua.
"Sure." She clears her throat.
"Hello everyone, sir, my name is Ming Hua. I belong from Shanghai and am a student of Science stream. I hope to score good marks in NCEE after completing schooling from Heep Yunn School and get into a desired medical school here or abroad. Thank you." She finishes off with good pronunciation of words.
"Very good. You speak well." Mr. Xiao responds. "Sit down."
"Thank you sir." She sits down, saying.
By this time Muyan had already retreated back to her seat.
"Okay, now I will ask anybody to say a few lines about themselves in English. You don't need to worry about mispronunciations, we're just warming up today and it is necessary that I get to know how well you are at this language to teach you properly. " he says in Chinese, hands on the desk, a big smile on his face.
Although the class nags, he proceeds to ask a few students who somehow build up words and sentences. After about 7-8 students, he gazes back again to Muyan, who is reading some book.
"Lu Muyan." He calls out.
Muyan looks at him, closing the book.
"Your turn." he adds in English, folding his arms.
Muyan stands up and starts to talk.
"Greetings to my classmates and respected teacher, Mr. Xiao. My name is Lu Muyan and I come from the heart of Hong Kong. My hobbies mainly include following a disciplined daily routine and assisting my parents whenever I can. Looking ahead, I aspire to pursue a major in science after completing school, with a special focus on astronomy. Through my studies, I hope to contribute to the scientific development of our nation and help it reach even greater heights. Thank you for your time and attention." she concludes with a simple yet clear tone.
"Wah...." one of the students start to clap and the whole class follows. Even Mr. Xiao responds with an impressed tone.
"That is so impressive Muyan. Keep up the good work. You may sit down." He says, smiling at her.
"Thank you." She sits down, saying.
Mr. Xiao waits for a second or two, still looking at her even though she has shifted her gaze away from him, then calls out.
"Next?"
----------------------------------------------
The rest of the class goes by this way. He, in the end gives them an assignment to write about their most cherished moment in their lives. He demands the notebooks to be submitted tomorrow.
As the bell rings he exits the classroom, wishing everyone a good day ahead.
"Haah! He is so cute." One student beams.
Another girl literally melts upon her deskmate saying " He looks like a prince."
"Uh huh, prince charming teacher!" bunch of girls squeal.
"Keep your voices down. Don't disturb the nearby classes." Muyan orders.
Everyone falls silent, awkward and pouting.
"Aigh, want to know something?" Dandan asks.
"Is it important?" Muyan questions back.
"Mmmmmm....maybe, maybe not. But you-" she gets cut off.
"Then I don't want to know." Muyan speaks.
"Mr. Xiao was definitely stealing glances at you." Dandan still ends up saying.
Muyan looks at her, pen down on paper.