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墨書 Inktalez
The classmates were silent as if frozen in fear. No one dared to speak, afraid of being noted down by the class monitor and facing repercussions. After all, the class monitor was one of Teacher Liu's most trusted individuals. I was also in the group chat, watching the class monitor repeatedly send messages, feeling speechless.
The class monitor sent another message: "Payment methods can be WeChat or Alipay."
"Just transfer the money to my account."
"Please reply once you have received this."
"It’s voluntary; no one is being forced."
I couldn't help but ask, "Monitor, didn't you say it was voluntary? Why has it turned into a unified collection?"
The class monitor replied, "It is voluntary; I'm not forcing anyone."
"You can voluntarily choose not to pay."
"But if you don't pay, don't blame me when you can't graduate."
Isn't that coercion? The classmates were furious but dared not voice their anger, feeling frustrated.
Two days later, the class monitor shared an Excel file in the group titled "Payment Details."
In the file, the donation status of all 58 classmates was clear at a glance. Out of 58 students, only 13 had donated. This included the class committee members and three students who received national scholarships. Coincidentally, these committee members and those three students were all roommates of the class monitor.
However, the truly impoverished student, Xiao Ning, was not on this list. Xiao Ning came from a very poor family; she even borrowed money for her tuition fees. She usually only cooked one dish and sometimes didn't cook at all, just eating plain rice or steamed buns.
She doesn't have any extra cosmetics, and even her skincare products are the cheapest.
Despite this, Xiao Ning has the best grades in the class. Every year during the scholarship evaluation, everyone says Xiao Ning is a dark horse. However, she never gets selected. Due to limited spots, a comprehensive consideration is required. For instance, class committee members not only need to have good grades but also be student leaders, which gives them priority. Additionally, there are three students who receive national scholarships; they come from impoverished families and face tough living conditions, so they are prioritized as well.
Although Xiao Ning's family is poor, they are not so destitute that they can't afford food. Therefore, every year during the scholarship selection, Xiao Ning is overlooked. She wakes up early and goes to bed late, trying to use every minute for studying and part-time work. Sometimes, when I get up to go to the bathroom, I see Xiao Ning memorizing her lessons under the desk lamp. Other times, I see her washing clothes on the balcony. To avoid disturbing others in the dormitory and affecting their sleep, Xiao Ning always washes her clothes by hand.
Sometimes, when I get up to go to the bathroom, I see Xiao Ning quietly filling everyone's thermos with hot water in the middle of the night as a way to thank them without disturbing anyone. Despite all this, no one cares about Xiao Ning. Her efforts and poverty go unnoticed.
The class group chat was quiet for several days until Teacher Liu spoke up. She no longer took a strong stance but instead adopted a gentle tone to reason with the students: "Students, you are all in college now; you need to have a long-term perspective."
"If you contribute to the collective today, tomorrow the collective will give back to you."
"Moreover, teachers are also doing this for your benefit."
"Just think about it—if there were a stone at the entrance of the college with all your names on it when you graduate, how impressive would that be?"
"This is also very beneficial for your graduation," she said meaningfully.
The classmates all understood that this was Teacher Liu using the graduation issue to apply pressure.
In the following week, the class monitor updated the payment details spreadsheet every day. From V1 to V3, he constantly urged everyone to pay up quickly.
Considering they still had two more years of studying under Teacher Liu, the classmates reluctantly handed over their money, even though they were unwilling to do so.
I was also forced to pay. Only Xiao Ning had not paid at all. Her name was highlighted in red in the group chat every time.
She asked the class monitor in the group, "Monitor, didn't you say it was voluntary? I won't be forced, right?"
The monitor replied, "Of course not. Didn't I say that before? It's voluntary, no one is forced."
Xiao Ning breathed a sigh of relief.
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