The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 743 - 742 Discrimination

Chapter 743: Chapter 742 Discrimination

At noon, in the cafeteria.

"Jingshu, why don’t you go back home to live?"

"Your family is so well off, you even have a driver to take you to and from school, why bother squeezing into a dormitory, where you have to queue up just to take a shower or use the restroom?"

Lin Ping and Xu Haining were full of curiosity and gossip about the Ren family arriving at the school last night at lightning speed to handle the withdrawal from the dormitory for Ren Jingshu and taking away her luggage and bedding.

For the entire dull and exhausting senior year experience, this topic was the perfect stimulant to relieve tiredness.

Ren Jingshu countered the two, "Do you guys enjoy going back home normally?"

Both nodded.

Lin Ping was from the countryside, "Whenever I go back to my hometown, my mom makes me a big table of delicious food, especially her sauerkraut buns mixed with minced meat. One bite and your mouth is filled with the scent of the oil."

Xu Haining was from the city, but her home was small and she had a nephew who was just over two years old, so she chose to stay at school.

Even so, she was happy to go home.

"My mom heard from someone that soybeans can boost brainpower, so every time I come home on vacation, she stews a big pot of soybeans with pork feet."

After hearing what they said, Ren Jingshu finally spoke, "I’m not happy at all when I go back home, so I don’t want to go back. I just want to choose a way of life that makes me happy and not compromise for anyone anymore."

As Shen Mingzhu had said, there is no true empathy in the world; Lin Ping and Xu Haining also found it hard to understand her perspective.

Because in their eyes, Ren Jingshu, with her privileged family background, was like a princess—happy and noble, and shouldn’t have the worries of ordinary people.

In the afternoon, Ren Yingying brought all of Ren Jingshu’s luggage and bedding to the school.

With a place to stay, Ren Jingshu decided to first focus on preparing for the college entrance examination in July, aiming to achieve an ideal score.

If the Capital Dance Academy really refused to admit her, she would still have other options.

...

Eugene City, Basketball Academy.

When Coach William announced the sequence of tomorrow’s selection match, a vigorous voice suddenly erupted from the team:

"I don’t accept this!"

"Who?!"

Following William’s question, the neatly arranged team split apart like being cleaved with a knife, revealing Zhao Yun, who stood at the very back.

Numerous pairs of eyes, filled with mocking expectations, landed on him, seemingly waiting for a spectacle.

In fact, considering his height, Zhao Yun should have stood towards the front of the team.

But those standing in the front were exclusively tall, white-skinned European and American students, while he and a few other students of different skin colors were all at the very end.

William approached Zhao Yun with an unpleasant expression, "Do you have an objection to my arrangement?"

Zhao Yun loudly replied in English, "Yes, I do. My training scores have always been above A, and all the other A-level students are allowed to participate in the selection match, why can’t I?"

The Basketball Academy was a professional training base to train basketball players, with national teams, clubs, and well-known institutions like the NBA regularly visiting the school to pick new members.

To participate in a selection match and get signed by a basketball institution was like a college student finding a job they desired after graduation.

Not being scheduled for a selection match was akin to not being allowed to submit your resume at a job fair.

The European and American students who trained alongside Zhao Yun had all participated in at least two or more selection matches, while Zhao Yun and several other differently colored students had not participated even once.

To face discrimination in daily training was one thing, but not even getting a chance to compete in the selection match was unbearable indignity!

To hell with it!

Grass is a plant.

Zhao Yun’s protest was met with William’s response, which was dismissive and crude, "I’m the coach, you do as I say, or get the hell out, got it?"

Zhao Yun clenched his fists tightly, imagining over and over in his mind the scene where he beat the other guy into a pulp.

The Basketball Academy had a very strict management system, one rule being no fighting; light offenses would result in severe punishment, while serious ones could lead to expulsion.

Before he went abroad, he had vowed to make something of himself, to join the NBA.

If he were to be ignominiously sent back home, he would never hear the end of it from Pei Ziheng and the others.

Seeing him pressing his lips together in clear dissatisfaction, the coach jabbed his finger hard into his chest, "Answer me, do you understand?"

"Understood!!"

William was startled by his loud voice and glared at him fiercely before rubbing his ears and leaving sullenly.

After the training session.

Zhao Yun headed back to the dormitory with his African American teammate to wash up and get ready for dinner when he ran into Tom, who had come back to the school on business.

Tom was both a coach and a recruiting officer, his main job being to scout out basketball prodigies from around the globe.

Zhao Yun’s opportunity at the Basketball Academy was precisely because of Tom’s discovery.

Unlike William’s inherent arrogance and discrimination against skin color, Tom was a casual and friendly person.

"Coach Tom."

"Hey, how’s it going lately?"

"Not so great."

Zhao Yun said goodbye to his dorm mate and confided in Tom alone about the grievances and inequalities he had suffered at Coach William’s hand.

After listening, Tom regretfully told him, "This country is like this; you can’t change it, you can only change yourself, either adapt or leave."

"I won’t give up!"

Fueled by pain and anger, Zhao Yun was like a lion that refused to be tamed.

Tom didn’t skimp on his praise and encouragement for his resolve, "Keep it up, Bayer, I’m looking forward to your performance."

Before they knew it, it was time for the Basketball Academy’s vacation.

To ensure the players could focus on training without external distractions, the Basketball Academy was built isolated in the midst of a forest, with only one day at the end of each month granted for leave. The players could take a bus into town to eat, drink, play, and buy daily necessities.

For foreign students like Zhao Yun, the first order of business upon reaching the city was to get in touch with home.

Zhao Yun’s first call was to Zhao Dafa; after all, his food, clothing, lodging, and transportation depended on the regular funds sent by Zhao Dafa every month.

Despite the long-distance between them, the father and son managed to have a caring and affectionate conversation, and Zhao Yun, being considerate, decided to share only good news and not his troubles.

After chatting with Zhao Dafa, Zhao Yun’s second call was to Pei Ziheng.

Pei Ziheng had set up his own company and had started using a mobile phone he had assembled himself, which made Zhao Yun quite envious.

As soon as the call connected, Zhao Yun rattled off like a machine gun, revealing all of William’s despicable behaviors and asked Pei Ziheng for a way to tackle William and change his current situation of warming the bench.

Pei Ziheng delivered his advice succinctly, "Accumulate thinly to burst forth thickly, act steadily to ensure distance."

"I don’t read much; I don’t understand. Speak more clearly."

"What it means is, without absolute confidence, train your skills diligently and honestly. Once you become an indispensable presence, no one can suppress you anymore."

Zhao Yun got it, "So you’re telling me to lay low."

"Yep."

"Sigh, alright then."

If it were someone else, Zhao Yun might not have taken it to heart, but coming from Pei Ziheng’s mouth, he would take his word as gospel, even if he claimed the sun was green.