Daddy Academy

Chapter 3378 Braving the English Corner

Chapter 3378 Braving the English Corner

In the evening, the setting sun gilded the tree-lined paths of the university campus with a golden edge.

Tan Jin'er walked in front, followed by Xi'er, and the excited Xiaobai and Liuliu, and arrived at the small square by the lake at Pujiang University.

There were already twenty or thirty people gathered here, mostly young people who looked like students, a few who looked like office workers, and three or four blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigners.

People chatted in small groups in English, creating a relaxed atmosphere.

As soon as Xiaobai and Liuliu stepped into this area, the "I am the only one who can do it" aura they had on the way here deflated like a balloon punctured by a needle.

My ears were filled with fast, fluent English conversations with various accents, but all sounded incredibly natural.

The vocabulary was more difficult than in the textbook, the speaking speed was faster than when the English teacher taught, and even the laughter and interjections were in English.

Their limited "classroom English" and "drama lines" seemed so pale and clumsy here.

Tan Jin'er said to the three of them, "You can listen to whatever you want, or you can say hello to someone and briefly introduce yourself. Don't be nervous, it's just practice. The most important thing is to dare to speak up."

After saying that, she walked over to a group of familiar classmates and joined the conversation in fluent and pleasant English.

Xiaobai took a deep breath and encouraged herself and Liuliu: "Don't be afraid! Let's go! The important thing is to dare to speak up!"

Liuliu nodded: "Yes! Xiaobai, you're right! As long as you dare to speak up, you've already succeeded halfway!!"

The two looked at Xi'er and asked her if she planned to come with them.

Just as Xiwawa was about to speak, she heard someone call her name. The three of them looked in the direction of the voice and saw three college students chatting together, one male and two females, smiling and waving in their direction.

Xi'er laughed and ran to join their group.

Xiaobai and Liuliu exchanged a glance, and Liuliu asked, "What should we do? Should we join Xier's team too?"

Xiao Bai shook his head: "Xiwawa is younger than us, and we still have to rely on her. It's so embarrassing to say that out loud."

Liuliu nodded, and the two decided to rely on themselves and make a name for themselves in the English Corner!

Like new recruits on their first mission, the two cautiously approached a group of students discussing the impact of AI on education. Just as they stopped, a bespectacled boy noticed them, smiled kindly, and asked in English, "Hi there! Are you new here? You look so young!"

Xiaobai understood "Hi" and "new" and guessed that the other person was asking if they were new.

She quickly forced a smile and stammered, "Hello... yes... new... I am... Xiaobai."

“Xiaobai? Interesting name! And your friend?” The boy looked at Liuliu.

Liuliu immediately puffed out her chest and raised her head: "I...I am Liuliu! Big star!"

"Big star? What kind of star?"

The boy and his friends all laughed, thinking the little girl was adorable.

Liuliu got stuck. "What's the phrase 'movie star' again?" she thought. "It was in the script last night..."

"Movie... movie..."

She racked her brains for a while, trying to recall the word "star," and in her haste, blurted out in Chinese: "Acting in movies! Da Yan Yan!"

"Hahaha!"

The students smiled kindly, but their eyes clearly showed confusion, obviously not understanding what "Da Yan Yan" meant.

Xiao Bai quickly stepped in to save the day, gesturing with his hands: "She... acts in film! Film!"

"Oh, an actress! That's cool!"

The boy understood, but then asked a question even faster, "So what brings you to the English corner? To practice English for your acting?"

This sentence is long and the vocabulary is complex.

Xiaobai and Liuliu looked at each other, only managing to catch a few words, completely clueless about the meaning of the sentence.

The two girls' eyes darted around, then they huddled together and whispered amongst themselves. To onlookers, they seemed to be discussing something, but actually, they were complaining: What's wrong with this guy?! Knowing they're just kids who've only just learned English, he's spouting such long sentences so fast! Isn't this making things difficult for them?!

Unaware that they were being teased by Xiaobai and Liuliu, the group waited with great interest. Finally, Xiaobai managed to string together the words: "We... come... learn English... good..."

The grammar is chaotic and the words fail to express the meaning.

Although the students continued to smile, it was clear that the conversation had reached a breaking point.

They politely said "Enjoy your time here" and then turned back to their own conversation.

Xiaobai and Liuliu stood there awkwardly, their confidence and arrogance from the classroom shattered by reality.

They then realized that real English communication and memorizing a few lines to perform on stage are two completely different things.

Just then, out of the corner of Xiaobai's eye, she caught a glimpse of Jin'er chatting happily with a tall, brown-haired, blue-eyed foreign man not far away.

The foreigner talked and gestured, which made Tan Jin'er cover her mouth and giggle from time to time. Her eyes were curved, and she looked especially gentle and beautiful under the streetlights.

Xiao Bai's heart skipped a beat, and her eyebrows furrowed. She tugged at Liu Liu, who was still trying to understand what the people next to her were saying, and whispered, "Liu Liu, let's go! Let's go to Sister Jin'er's side!"

"Huh? Where are you going?"

Liuliu was confused.

"Didn't you see? There's a foreigner talking to Sister Jin'er! They're laughing so happily! Let's go take a look!"

Xiao Bai's tone carried a wariness that she herself was unaware of.

The two of them crept up to Tan Jin'er and the foreign boy, pretending to be interested in a tree nearby, but their ears were perked up.

The foreigner said in English, which had an accent but was still fairly clear: "...So your major is education? That's amazing! I'm really interested in the differences between Chinese and Western teaching styles..."

Tan Jin'er smiled and responded in fluent English, listing some examples she had observed. Her words were appropriate and her demeanor was poised and graceful.

The foreigner nodded repeatedly, his eyes shining, and asked a few more questions. The two became increasingly congenial.

Xiaobai became more and more anxious as she listened. She couldn't understand most of it, but she could sense that the atmosphere was very good. The way the foreigner looked at Sister Jin'er... made her feel that he had "malicious intentions"!

No, I have to interrupt them!

Xiao Bai gritted her teeth, ignoring her terrible English, and forced herself to step forward, squeezing between Tan Jin'er and the foreigner. She looked up at the foreigner and, using all the English vocabulary she had learned, stammered and said stiffly, "Hello! She… my… my sister! We… go home now! Time… time to go!"

Tan Jin'er was stunned for a moment, then understood, and was both amused and exasperated.

The foreigner was also taken aback for a moment, looked down at the little girl who had suddenly appeared with a protective expression, smiled, and said in English, "Oh, hi! You're her sister? Nice to meet you! But it's still early..."

Xiaobai didn't fully understand, but when she heard "early," she knew what the word meant.

She glanced back at Liuliu, signaling for her help.

Although her English is poor, Liu Liu's is poor too. Two heads are better than one, so maybe they can help a little.

Upon receiving the signal, Liuliu immediately stepped forward, striking her signature "Big Swallow" pose, and loudly proclaimed in her trademark, confidently brimming but oddly pronounced "Liuliu-style English": "No! Not early! We... we have homework! Many homework! Must go!"

"Homework? On Wednesday evening?"

The foreigner couldn't help but chuckle, finding the two little girls incredibly amusing.

Tan Jin'er had already seen through the two little ones' intentions and embarrassment. Just as she was about to explain in English and politely end the conversation, Xi'er finally noticed the situation and ran over like a little swallow coming to their rescue.

Xi'er first gave the foreign man a sweet, non-threatening smile, then spoke in much clearer, though simple, but sufficient, English: "Hello, sir. Sorry to interrupt. This is my sister, and these are my good friends. We really need to go back home together now. It was nice talking to you!"

Although Xi'er's words were immature, they were grammatically correct, clear in meaning, and polite in attitude.

The foreigner immediately understood. He smiled kindly and said to Tan Jin'er, "You have lovely sisters and friends. Have a good night!"

She waved again to Xiaobai, Liuliu, and Xier: "Bye, girls! Good luck with your… homework!"