Although she had promised her father she wouldn't cry, Xixi still felt deeply wronged inside, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face. Compared to the others, though, Xixi was doing better than most of the dozen or so new kids in the class. A few were sobbing so hard they could barely catch their breath, and even Teacher Mu and the others couldn't calm them down. "Wah, please don't cry, okay? You're making me want to cry too," a slightly chubby little girl nearby suddenly burst into loud wails. Her piercing voice startled Xixi, who looked at her with tear-streaked cheeks and a small mouth agape, momentarily forgetting her own tears. Teacher Shen hurried over to comfort the loud-voiced girl. "Oh dear, Lan Xin, aren't you a returning student? You've been to kindergarten before—why are you crying too?" Out of the thirty-plus kids in the class, nearly twenty had moved up from the junior class, including Lan Xin. Only about a dozen, like Xixi, had just enrolled this year but were placed in the middle class due to their age. Lan Xin rubbed her eyes with her chubby little hands, sobbing as she complained, "Because... because they're crying, and I can't help it. I miss my dad too." When Xixi heard that last part, a wave of longing for her father surged up, and she couldn't hold back her own sobs. "Boo-hoo, I miss my daddy too... Daddy..." Xixi and Lan Xin's voices were quite loud, and together they drowned out the other crying kids in the class. This kind of sadness was contagious... Soon, the children in the class were crying in waves, just as Yang Yi had said—the noise nearly lifted the roof off the kindergarten. Luckily, some kids were already used to kindergarten and didn't cry. They sat obediently on their little stools, not adding to the chaos for the teachers, who were running around like ants on a hot pan. Except for one bigger-built little girl who couldn't sit still. She hopped off her chair and wandered around the classroom. This girl was about the same height as Xixi—both were among the tallest for their age. But compared to Xixi, who was as slender as her mother, she was much sturdier, with a round face that made other kids a bit wary. "Hey, you're all useless!" she declared proudly as she walked around the center. "A bunch of crybaby snot-noses!" "Chen Shiyun, you're causing trouble again!" Teacher Cai, who was younger, rushed over and scolded her. "Don't talk to the other kids like that!" "But it's true! When I came here, I didn't cry!" Chen Shiyun shouted back defiantly. "Shiyun, no being stubborn!" Teacher Mu's gentle voice came through, and Chen Shiyun immediately quieted down. Teacher Mu knew how to handle her, pulling her aside and speaking softly and kindly for a while. Finally, Teacher Mu brought her back. "Shiyun, don't you have something to say to everyone?" "Fine. Teacher Cai, I'm sorry. Kids, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you that," Chen Shiyun muttered, pouting but complying under Teacher Mu's gaze. With this little distraction catching everyone's attention, the children's crying gradually subsided. The teachers wiped away their tears and prepared to start the day's lessons. "Kids, today we have thirteen new friends, but we don't all know each other yet. How about we start with self-introductions?" Teacher Mu had the children sit in a circle holding hands, with Teacher Shen and Teacher Cai joining them. Then she walked around the outside of the circle and said, "For example, Teacher Mu—what's Teacher Mu's name?" "I know, I know!" Chen Shiyun raised her hand and shouted again. "It's Mu Yuyan!" "That's right! First, in a self-introduction, you say your name, and then you talk about what you're good at!" Teacher Mu said with a smile. "For example, Teacher Mu is good at singing!" "Hehe, Teacher Mu sings really well!" Chen Shiyun boasted to the kid next to her. But that kid sat upright with his hands behind his back, clearly raised with strict discipline, and completely ignored her. Xixi sat across from Chen Shiyun. On her left was a dazed-looking little boy, and on her right was a cute little girl who was still quietly wiping away tears, looking a bit pitiful. Xixi focused intently on Teacher Mu. Everything was so new to her, and it gradually helped her forget her longing for her parents. "I... I..." When it was the little boy next to Xixi's turn to introduce himself, he stood up like the others but forgot what to say. "Start with your name." Teacher Mu encouraged him with her eyes. "My name is Nan Zhaoyu," the boy said timidly, his voice very soft. "Good, Zhaoyu, what are you good at?" Teacher Mu gently prompted. At this age, there was no need to make them spell out their names clearly—they probably didn't even know how to write them! Teacher Mu remembered them accurately because she had already memorized all the kids' names and faces. "I... I can recite poems." When he said this, Nan Zhaoyu's voice grew noticeably louder, showing some confidence in this skill. "Recite poems? That's amazing! Our Zhaoyu must have a great memory!" Teacher Mu clapped with a smile. "Let's give Nan Zhaoyu a big welcome to our middle-class family!" The applause was enthusiastic—kids loved doing things together. The little boy sat down with his chest puffed out proudly. Finally, it was Xixi's turn to introduce herself! The little girl stood up, nervously twisting the hem of her skirt. Teacher Mu was about to prompt her when Xixi spoke up. "My name is Xixi... no, no!" Xixi thought of something and waved her hand, her little face turning red. "My name is Yang Xi, because my daddy is also Yang—his name is Yang Yi—and he calls me Xixi too." Her logic was a bit jumbled, as expected for her age, but she spoke clearly, unlike some other kids who stumbled over their words. "And I can draw—my daddy taught me to draw really nice pictures—and I can sing too..." After finishing, Xixi stood there awkwardly, not knowing how to wrap up. Luckily, Teacher Mu came to her rescue. "Great job! Our Yang Xi, Xixi, did a wonderful self-introduction! Let's applaud to welcome her to our class!" Amid the applause, Xixi sat down happily. The little girl beamed, feeling great. She was starting to have a positive impression of kindergarten life. Then it was the little girl on her right's turn. With tears still clinging to her eyelashes, she was even shyer than Nan Zhaoyu. After several encouragements from Teacher Mu, she finally whispered her name: "My name is Yang Luoqi. My daddy calls me Qiqi..."