A New Morning, A New Beginning
On Friday morning, the usual noise of the campus seemed to be soothed by a gentle breeze, returning to a peaceful calm. Yet, if one listened carefully, something was subtly changing. Su Feiyan noticed that today, more people were主动 greeting him. On his way to the classroom, his roommates gathered around, teasing him with a smile: "Feiyan, you're famous now! Don't forget to sign for us, haha!"
Su Feiyan smiled and shook his head, responding softly, but inside he felt a bit of novelty. He wasn't used to being the center of attention, but last night's campus performance seemed to have placed him in the spotlight, making him the "star" that everyone was talking about.
As he walked into the classroom, the air was filled with light conversation. His classmates were discussing the performance from the previous night. As soon as Su Feiyan opened the door, the classroom suddenly fell silent. After a brief silence, a round of applause broke out, shattering the stillness.
"Great job last night!" a boy said as he patted his shoulder.
"Yeah, that was the best 'Clair de Lune' I've ever heard!" a girl said excitedly.
"We should collaborate sometime!" The voice came from a tall boy, Song Ziheng, the class drummer.
"Sure, sure." Su Feiyan responded with a slight smile, feeling a little embarrassed. He was unsure how to handle such attention and didn't quite know how to respond to the praise. He had always been taught not to be proud, and even when he did something well, he rarely heard words of affirmation.
After being adopted, his foster parents often praised him, but he still habitually believed that their praise was just out of kindness, not because he had done something particularly good. This deep-rooted humility had almost become an instinctive response. So, even today, faced with such enthusiastic praise, he kept saying, "Thank you, thank you, it wasn't that great…"
Among the crowd of warm praises, he finally found his seat. Lin Xi was sitting quietly next to him, reading a book. Her world always seemed so calm, like a serene lake untouched by noise, making people instinctively relax.
"She's such a quiet and beautiful girl." Su Feiyan thought to himself.
Soon after, he heard a soft sound of pages closing. Then, a finger gently poked his arm.
"Last night was really amazing." Lin Xi's voice came, soft and tender, with her usual shyness.
Su Feiyan instinctively waved his hand: "It wasn't that great."
"It really was, I promise!" Lin Xi's voice was small but firm. "Your performance was the best."
Su Feiyan paused, not knowing how to respond. Just then, a familiar voice came from the podium: "I agree."
When did Teacher Chen come in? Su Feiyan jumped in surprise. Was the homeroom teacher always this stealthy?
Teacher Chen walked to the front of the class with a smile, clapping his hands to signal for quiet: "Class, humility is a great quality, but we also need to learn to recognize and appreciate our own strengths."
He paused for a moment, then glanced at Su Feiyan: "Feiyan, doing well means doing well, and you need to learn to accept compliments."
Teacher Chen continued: "Sometimes, we focus too much on our shortcomings and ignore our strengths. Today, we're going to play a little game."
He handed out a piece of paper to each student: "On this paper, write down three strengths of your desk partner. When you're done, swap papers and see what your partner wrote about you."
Su Feiyan felt his way to his computer and began typing: "When you're done, exchange with Lin Xi."
The classroom instantly became quiet as everyone started writing. Su Feiyan typed thoughtfully: "Gentle voice, patient and meticulous, able to discover beauty."
After a few minutes, he swapped papers with Lin Xi. The screen displayed Lin Xi's words: "Great at playing the piano, humble, brings warmth."
Seeing these words, Su Feiyan froze for a moment, but a smile slowly spread across his face. For the first time, he felt that maybe he did have qualities worthy of praise.
Lin Xi took the computer and carefully read over it again and again, a shy smile blossoming on her face. If people could see her, they would be captivated by her beautiful smile. "My voice is really that gentle? He must really like soft voices."
Next, Teacher Chen instructed the class: "Now, share with your neighbor the strengths you wrote down. See if you've discovered any hidden strengths."
One by one, students started sharing:
"You're really good at this, you know?" Song Ziheng smiled at his neighbor.
"Oh, thank you! Your strengths are pretty special too." The girl next to him responded.
Su Feiyan listened quietly, feeling a warmth and tenderness that was hard to describe. Maybe, just maybe, he had strengths worth sharing, just like everyone else.
Finally, Teacher Chen summarized: "Class, it's important to recognize the strengths of others, but even more important is recognizing your own strengths. Acknowledging your abilities is a form of respect for your efforts and the source of confidence."
Su Feiyan quietly noted down Teacher Chen's words, feeling as though a beam of sunlight had illuminated his heart. Maybe, just maybe, he could start learning to appreciate himself a little more.