[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-1987-my-era":3,"chapter-1987-my-era-1987-my-era-chapter-34":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","1987: My Era",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2259194,4409,"Chapter 34: Facing Death with Resolve","1987-my-era-chapter-34",34,"\u003Cp>I’m always fair—you’re students, and your grades matter most, so don’t blame me for seating by rank; blame yourselves for not working hard enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you’ve got the guts, prove it—do well on the midterm and pick a better seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t come to me with excuses about poor eyesight or being too short—if you can’t see, move your chair to the front aisle…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Homeroom teacher Wang Qi delivered his logic with a cold, emotionless face, then told the boys to line up in one row and the girls in another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The line didn’t need to be ordered by height—just neat and quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the whole class was lined up, Wang Qi pulled out a grade sheet from his pocket and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll call a name, and you walk in and pick a seat. Think ahead—no changes allowed unless there’s an emergency.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short: no matter who you are, you get one chance—and once it’s gone, it’s gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Song Yu!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Yu ranked first in last semester’s final exam—she had first pick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the classroom, she walked straight to the fourth row, sixth group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason was simple: last semester she sat on the right side; this semester she moved to the left to balance her eyesight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Top students always chose seats this way—it had become an unspoken rule.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mai Sui!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mai Sui scored three points lower than Song Yu in the final exam—she had second pick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nobody cared where Mai Sui would sit—everyone knew, based on past habit, she’d pick the fourth row, fifth group, same desk as Song Yu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was utterly boring—these two girls kept choosing each other’s seats, giving nobody else a chance to get close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as everyone assumed Mai Sui would head toward Song Yu, something unexpected happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mai Sui stood in the aisle, smiled apologetically at Song Yu, then chose the third row, sixth group—sitting right in front of Song Yu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Yu looked puzzled, silently studying her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mai Sui sighed and explained: “Someone bought me two oranges and two apples—and wouldn’t let me refuse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Song Yu didn’t ask who it was—she already had a hunch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Class 204, very few people could make Mai Sui bend this way—Song Yu was one, Sun Manning was another, and the third was Chen Zijin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Chen Zijin stopped coming after sophomore year—she went to Jingcheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the two girls stared at each other, the homeroom teacher called the third name:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Heng!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng stepped out of the boys’ line and walked into the classroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Class 204, if the boys cared most about Song Yu and Mai Sui, then Li Heng was unquestionably the girl’s quietest, most watched object.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This attention might not be strong or obvious—perhaps just a smile when passing in the hallway, maybe fading entirely after graduation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under everyone’s gaze, Li Heng walked calmly, without pause, straight to the fourth row, fifth group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He smiled, showing clean, white teeth, and said to Mai Sui: “It’s our last semester of high school—forgive me for taking your desk partner. I really want to study foreign languages with Song Yu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mai Sui said nothing, but gave her friend Song Yu a meaningful look, watching her micro-expressions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Mai Sui was disappointed—Song Yu remained as calm as ever, even offering a faint greeting to the seated Li Heng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, since her friend’s unusual seat choice, she’d already anticipated this outcome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or rather, Li Heng’s strange behavior when he spoke to her alone yesterday had revealed much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng chose this seat with emotion, longing, and ambition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Yu knew it well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now that it had happened, she couldn’t stop it—she could only mind her own business.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While peace reigned inside the classroom, chaos had erupted outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girls stared through the window glass in shock, finally understanding why Mai Sui had acted so strangely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boys, tangled in envy, jealousy, and amusement, whispered and stirred up noise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emboldened by his grades, Liu Yejiang, ever bold, cupped his hands like a megaphone and shouted: “Li Heng, you’re not into Song Yu, are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd, already rowdy, burst into laughter like pigs snorting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Homeroom teacher Wang Qi frowned at Li Heng and Song Yu, then turned to Liu Yejiang—his face instantly lengthened like a horse’s:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Liu Yejiang, you were fifth last semester—you pick fifteenth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Liu Yejiang nearly cried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t dare get close to Song Yu or Mai Sui, but he still had a soft spot for the third prettiest girl in class, Chen Lijun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d planned!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d planned to go all out this last semester—for his future—and sit with Chen Lijun—but fifteenth? What’s the point?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yejiang hung his head, face gloomy: “Teacher, I’m sorry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Qi ignored him completely and continued: “Chen Lijun, your turn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Lijun entered the classroom, looked around—she’d wanted to sit with Mai Sui, hoping to push herself with her before the college entrance exam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But remembering what Sun Manning had said, she gave up, didn’t fight for it, and finally chose the fourth row, seventh group—across the aisle from Song Yu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Top students always clustered together—because the study atmosphere was better, and fierce competition kept them from slacking off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Imagine: everyone around you is grinding through problems and memorizing, and you still dare to play? Dare to relax?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The school and teachers welcomed this behavior—not only did they not stop it, they subtly moved troublemakers away to protect the top students.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fifth pick, originally Liu Yejiang’s, went to Liu Li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng nodded toward him, signaling him to sit with Chen Lijun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the stares of Li Heng, Song Yu, Mai Sui, and Chen Lijun, Liu Li, who’d been tempted, instinctively scratched his head—but his courage faded. He had none, and finally slumped into the seat behind Li Heng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng whispered: “Why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Li blushed and replied with two words: “Afraid.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng cursed under his breath: “Wimp!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Li nervously rubbed his hands: “Don’t scold me—I really am a wimp.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng: “...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Yu, overhearing their exchange, smiled prettily—when Li Heng looked over, she subtly turned her gaze away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seating took over half an hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Manning and Mai Sui became desk partners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rich girl plopped down and joked: “Li Heng, you still can’t escape my shadow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What a thing to say…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you didn’t know better, you’d think this girl liked him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the truth was, after high school graduation, Sun Manning slowly vanished from his life—no romance, not even basic friendship lasted more than a few years before cutting off entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yejiang lost his chance to sit with Chen Lijun because of his foul mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surprisingly, Liu Yejiang’s best friend, Zou Ai, became Chen Lijun’s desk partner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many thought it was coincidence—even Liu Yejiang and Liu Li didn’t think much of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it wasn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Li Heng’s memory, Zou Ai had been chasing Chen Lijun since high school graduation—for seven or eight years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t ask how he knew—he was her junior high classmate, from the same village, just thirty minutes’ walk apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seating rearranged, the homeroom teacher stepped to the podium and gave a speech urging everyone to study hard and prepare for the college entrance exam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he said: “There’s a scholarship exam this weekend—students ranked in the top 120 schoolwide should prepare early; the questions are said to be very hard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The top scholarship was 200 yuan—only six spots total for senior year, three for arts, three for science.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t underestimate 200 yuan—in this era where laborers earned just 2 yuan a day, it took nearly half a year to earn that much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fortune, plain and simple!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the top scholarship had always eluded Li Heng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the top two in Class 205 were super top students—he’d never ranked higher than fifth schoolwide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After mentioning the scholarship, the homeroom teacher shifted tone, expressionless, and said to Li Heng:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Heng, come to my office.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the homeroom teacher personally call his name, the whole class turned to look—everyone was sharp enough to guess why Wang Qi wanted to see him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was about the seating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was about Song Yu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng felt the same—but he faced death with resolve, stood straight, and walked out the classroom door with calm dignity under everyone’s gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Yu glanced at his back, subtly, then quietly pulled out her workbook, uncapped her pen, and began solving problems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the door closed, the office became a quiet world, cut off from the noise outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Qi sat heavily in his chair, silent, staring at Li Heng with a stern expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: To avoid keeping you waiting, I’ll post first, revise later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Oh, I should mention—March’s writing style has always been like this—leaning toward slice-of-life, maybe giving readers a less satisfying experience. Sorry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1473,"2026-06-19T15:27:33.982Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","f1f3c2537a3ae60a7fe9637239102f4601c53893800b89ca78692462784b4df7","1987-my-era-chapter-35","1987-my-era-chapter-33",713,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002F1987-my-era-cover.jpg"]