Colorful years

This series of hilarious scenes left Wang Li feeling both annoyed and amused, while Zhang Cong himself was utterly embarrassed and in a very awkward position.

Although the walk was slightly complicated by Zhang Cong's recklessness, it did not affect Wang Li's growing affection for him.

On the contrary, through this special experience, Wang Li gained a more genuine understanding of Zhang Cong's straightforward and innocent side, which deepened her love for him.

Since then, Wang Li has never invited Zhang Cong to go for a walk again, perhaps because she is worried that a similar awkward situation will happen again.

However, her passionate heart never changed; she continued to silently watch over Zhang Cong, hoping that more beautiful stories would quietly unfold between them...

The relationship between Zhang Cong and Wang Li was like a calm lake, seemingly undisturbed on the surface, yet always lacking some passionate ripples.

They had known each other for almost a year, but in that time, there had been neither sweet romance under the moon and flowers, nor passionate vows of eternal love and commitment to each other through thick and thin.

The relationship continued at a leisurely pace, neither too fast nor too slow, as if everything was as calm and uneventful as still water.

Putting their relationship status aside for now, let's take a look at Zhang Cong's younger brother, Zhang Liang, who is studying in another city.

After Zhang Cong officially started working in the Propaganda Department of the State Party Committee, he managed to contact the principal of Biancheng Middle School after some trouble, thanks to his good relationship with Section Chief Qin. He successfully transferred his younger brother Zhang Liang to the school for the second year of junior high school.

Upon arriving here, Zhang Liang was filled with unease and helplessness in this completely unfamiliar environment.

Here, he was not only far from his hometown and relatives, but he couldn't even see a familiar face around him, let alone his classmates and friends with whom he used to play and have fun.

This situation made it difficult for Zhang Liang to adapt to the new pace of life and study for a long period of time.

As expected, in the initial period, Zhang Liang's academic performance did not remain stable at the original level as expected, but instead showed a gradual downward trend.

Especially during the midterm exams, Zhang Liang's grades only ranked 28th in the class, which was below average.

Faced with such an unsatisfactory result, Zhang Liang felt extremely frustrated and disappointed. Zhang Cong was also very worried after learning about this, not knowing how to help his younger brother get out of the predicament as soon as possible, regain his confidence and improve his academic performance.

After careful consideration, Zhang Cong finally decided not to blame his younger brother, but to persuade him in a sincere and affectionate way:

"Little brother, our family is quite special; there are eight brothers and sisters in total. Dad and Mom worked so hard to raise us; the hardships they endured are indescribable."

To this day, I am the only one in our family who has changed my destiny by studying and getting into university.

Look at those four older brothers and sisters; they've all started their own families now. But for various reasons, they can only stay in the countryside, toiling in the fields their whole lives, and that's basically how their lives will be.

Even so, no matter how hard or tiring it was for our parents, they still insisted on sending us to school. Because deep down they hoped that we would be successful and bring them honor; at the same time, they also hoped that we could live a happy and fulfilling life through our own efforts.

So, little brother, the path in front of you is actually quite clear. You can either continue drifting through life like this, and go straight home to farm after graduating from high school; or you can grit your teeth, work hard, and strive to get into your ideal university.

As for how to choose, you'll have to think that through carefully yourself!

After listening to his second brother Zhang Cong's earnest words, Zhang Liang felt his face burning, and in an instant, his face turned completely red with shame.

Feeling ashamed and uneasy, Zhang Liang slowly lowered his head, not daring to meet his second brother's gaze again. At this moment, beneath his seemingly calm exterior, his heart was actually churning with turbulent emotions, a complex mix of feelings that made it difficult for him to calm down for a long time.

Yes! Just as my second brother said, if I continue to drift along in this muddle-headed and confused way, I will not only fail to live up to the hard work and love my parents have put into raising me, but I will also feel ashamed of my second brother who has always cared for me!

Thinking of this, Zhang Liang clenched his fists and secretly vowed: From today onwards, I must work hard and strive to improve my academic performance, no matter what the cost!

Since making that decision, Zhang Liang seemed to have undergone a complete transformation. In class, he was no longer absent-minded and looking around, but listened attentively to every point the teacher made and took careful notes. After class, he also changed his previous perfunctory attitude and always completed the various assignments carefully given by the teacher on time.

Every day after school, while many classmates eagerly rush out of the classroom to play, Zhang Liang quickly returns to his brother's dormitory to concentrate on reviewing the lessons he learned that day. Sometimes, when he encounters difficult problems, he will try his best to figure them out, no matter how much time and effort it takes.

As the saying goes, "diligence can make up for lack of talent," and after a period of persistent hard work, Zhang Liang finally reaped the rewards—his academic performance improved steadily, like sesame seeds blooming. In the final exams, he shone brightly, successfully ranking among the top five in his class with excellent results.

Seeing his younger brother's remarkable progress, Zhang Cong, who had been worrying about him all along, finally felt a sense of relief...