Three Women in the Cage

Teacher Wu looked at the students who had quieted down and suddenly made an announcement.

"This year, the school has started selecting reserve party members. Our class has four spots. When I call your name, follow me to my office!"

After Teacher Wu finished speaking, there was an uproar in the class. Everyone thought without a doubt that they should be among the top students in the class.

Xinxin's grades are comparable to those of a male classmate in her class, but in every final exam, that male classmate always surpasses her in overall scores and becomes the top student in the class.

So, in everyone's eyes, the male student is the undisputed first place, and Xinxin is at best second. If there are four places, the two of them will take up two, and it is unknown who the teacher will choose for the remaining two.

Xinxin also felt a palpitation, waiting for the teacher to call her name.

The teacher called the first boy's name as expected, and then when Xinxin thought her name would be called, she heard the teacher call Tan Liu's name.

She looked up in surprise and looked at Teacher Wu's face. She didn't understand why he called Tan Liu's name. Her grades were average in the class.

Of course, the other students also reacted strongly. No one expected that the second name would be Tan Liu, who had mediocre grades. If that was the case, then everyone would have a chance.

The last two names seemed heavy, and Xinxin comforted herself that perhaps her name was at the end.

The other students wondered calmly and excitedly whether the next name would unexpectedly be theirs.

However, no one expected that the two names called out by Teacher Wu were people with average or below average grades and no special features.

But they all have one thing in common: they are cheerful and lively, and have a helpful nature.

As the final list was finalized, the others shook their heads indifferently and quickly regained their composure. To them, if they got it, they were lucky, and if they lost it, they would die, so there was not much of a stir.

From beginning to end, only Xinxin was in disbelief. She didn't understand why the teacher treated her like this and why he deprived her of the honor she deserved.

Not long ago, he was looking at her with a smile on his face and told her that she could come to him if she had any problems. She was still wondering why the teacher was suddenly so nice to her.

Why would they do this to me in front of the whole class again, embarrassing me like this? When Xinxin was feeling sad alone, she suddenly heard a lot of murmurs. Xinxin heard them clearly. They were talking about her, discussing why she deserved the spot but was ultimately not selected.

They can't figure it out, so they're just watching the show. They can't figure it out in their hearts, so they don't understand.

Xinxin felt like her heart had sunk to the bottom of the sea, feeling depressed and uncomfortable. She really wanted to ask the teacher why he treated her like this? Why did he make such a decision?

Was all the concern for myself not long ago fake?

But no matter how much she tried to figure it out or how unwilling she was, the final result could not be changed.

She was hurt and put away her pitiful self-esteem, not letting others see her vulnerability. She couldn't cry, but why did her tears fall silently from her eyes uncontrollably?

Just as she was trying to wipe it off, her sharp-eyed deskmate Wan Qin saw her and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh my God, she's crying! Could it be because she didn't get selected?"

The classmates who heard the sound all looked over, and suddenly there was a burst of noisy chattering sounds, which were a mixture of sympathy and ridicule, filling Xinxin's ears.

She was embarrassed and in a mess. She could no longer control herself and buried her face in her arms, crying in grievance.

She sobbed and shook her shoulders as she cried. Seeing Xinxin crying like this, everyone fell silent for a moment and watched her cry in silence.

Xinxin was too embarrassed to raise her head, so she could only bury her head in her arms and cry. After an unknown amount of time, a hand pressed on her shoulder. Xinxin thought it was a classmate who was deliberately teasing her, so she twisted her shoulders hard, trying to shake off the hand.

However, as she was twisting her body, Wan Qin's voice came from the side: "Zhang Xin, it's Teacher Wu..."

Xinxin's shoulders stiffened with a thud. She hadn't expected it to be Teacher Wu. Hadn't he gone to the office with four reserve Party members? How could he suddenly come back? And why was he here with her?

But now, she didn't even have the courage to look up. She was crying in front of the whole class. Everyone was looking at her, and now even the teacher was looking at her.

She was too embarrassed and didn't want to look at their strange looks, so she could only hide in their arms, trying to hide herself from anyone.

Seeing Xinxin crying without looking up at him, Teacher Wu sighed and said, "Don't cry, come to my office with me, I have something to tell you..."

After saying that, he walked out by himself, leaving Xinxin crying in her seat. Looking at Xinxin who was crying and didn't follow him out, Wan Qin said in surprise, "The teacher asked you to go out, but you didn't go. You are so brave..."

She was furious, angry that the teacher had easily made her a target of public criticism. This feeling was extremely embarrassing, and she wanted to escape. However, the whole class was watching her. If she embarrassed the teacher at this time, not only would her classmates accuse her of disrespecting the teacher, but it would also damage the teacher's authority. If word got out, she wouldn't know what to say about herself.

She couldn't do this. It would be more trouble than good, and would only make her feel more passive and embarrassed. After thinking about it, Xinxin had to calm down, stood up, wiped the tears that kept falling, and ran out the door.

Before entering the office, she had calmed down and walked in pretending to be calm.

At some point, Teacher Wu was the only one in the office. He sat on a chair, looking at Xinxin who was approaching with a complicated expression.

Xinxin stood in front of him with her head down like a child who had done something wrong, and her shoulders twitched from time to time because of grievance.

After a moment of silence, Teacher Wu spoke first, "Are you crying because you weren't allowed to become a reserve Party member?"

Xinxin was indeed feeling aggrieved about this, but she felt embarrassed to be asked about it in person, and she didn't want the teacher to think that she was crying because of this embarrassment.

He gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Looking at Xinxin who remained silent and unresponsive, Teacher Wu sighed in frustration and said, "You always don't answer like this. What should I do with you?"

He was helpless with Xinxin's silence, and finally, as if to compromise, he stopped arguing and said, "Forget it. If you don't want to say anything, just listen to me! I didn't choose you as a reserve party member this time because of my own considerations. But don't worry, next time there's a reserve position, I will definitely choose you. Don't be sad about it this time, okay?"

However, Xinxin graduated without waiting for the next opportunity. She didn't know whether it was cancelled or other candidates were decided. In short, she was not able to become a party member in the end.

Xinxin remained silent, neither nodding nor shaking her head, feeling an indescribable sadness in her heart.

Finally, Teacher Wu waved his hand and said, "Go back to the classroom..."

Xinxin never looked into his eyes from beginning to end, so naturally she couldn't see the pity and helplessness in his eyes.