A Shared Second Chance
by Huina Zheng
Ling had barely sat down in a restaurant during a business trip to Shenzhen when a waiter came over to clear the neighboring table. Something about him caught her attention. He was wearing a black-rimmed pair of glasses and a waiter’s uniform, but she knew him instantly.
Jun. Five years ago, he had been one of her students.
He must’ve felt her staring, because he turned. Their eyes met, and he went still for a second. Ling smiled.
A few minutes later, he returned with a cup of tea and placed it on her table. She looked at his hands. They used to be the hands of a student, always wrapped around a pen. Now his hands were thick and calloused from manual labor. She felt a sharp ache in her chest.
* * *
Five years earlier, shortly after beginning his final year of high school, Jun had come to her office and told her he was dropping out. She had been stunned. She knew his grades were good enough to earn admission to one of China’s top universities.
“My dad said once I turn eighteen, he won’t support me anymore,” Jun said. “He’s not paying for college.”
Ling decided to visit his home. Jun’s mother answered the door. The moment Ling saw her, she understood. Everything Jun had told her was true. His father drank every night and, after drinking, beat both his wife and son. Jun’s mother kept her head lowered, her hair hanging loose around her face, but Ling could still see the swollen bruises on her face and neck. That day, Jun happened to be wearing a short-sleeved shirt. For the first time, Ling understood why he had worn the long-sleeved school uniform every day, even in the middle of summer; his arms were covered in bruises.
Ling urged Jun’s mother to let him go to college. A university education could change their family’s future. Jun’s mother nodded and said she would try to persuade her husband.
When Jun walked Ling to the bus stop, she told him, “Study hard. Don’t worry about the tuition.”
She wanted to say, I’ll pay for it. The words almost came out, but she swallowed them. She was already supporting two other students. She knew exactly what was left in her bank account. After a brief hesitation, she changed her words: “There are scholarships and financial aid programs you can apply for.”
“I’ll keep studying,” Jun said.
She thought everything had been settled. However, the next day, Jun was absent, and he never came back to school. She visited his house several times but never found him. His mother told her that after Jun’s father heard they wanted Jun to go to college, he kicked her to the ground. Jun tried to shield his mother and was beaten. His father shouted that if Jun dared return to school, he would drag him out in front of everyone. Jun packed a bag that very night and left.
Ling’s heart sank. She understood. Jun could hide the bruises beneath long sleeves. But if his father showed up at school, those bruises would no longer remain hidden. For a teenager, sometimes exposing painful truths hurts more than physical pain. And even if he somehow made it into college, what could he do without tuition?
After that, every time she ran into Jun’s classmates, she would ask: “Any word from Jun?” Everyone just shook their heads.
She always thought of him. She often wondered: if she hadn’t hesitated that day, if she had told him, I’ll pay for it, would everything be different?
* * *
Ling looked at the young man standing before her. “Do you know how many times I went looking for you?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I never went home again after I left,” he said. “I thought if I worked hard enough and made enough money, I could bring my mom out and get her away from that man.”
Then his voice grew quieter. “But after I started working, I realized how hard it is to earn money. Right now I can barely support myself.”
Ling knew it was the dinner rush. He was busy. They didn’t have much time. “I don’t teach at the school anymore,” she said.
“What happened?” Jun blurted out.
Ling did not answer right away. She thought of another evening years earlier. Her own teacher had trudged down muddy roads to her house again and again, refusing to let her drop out. If not for her teacher, she wouldn’t have gone to college. Later, she became a teacher, too. She always wanted to be that kind of teacher. But that day at the bus stop, she had failed to rescue a student the way her teacher had rescued her.
She looked at Jun. “I opened a tutoring center. I earn more than I did as a teacher, so now I can support more students. They can work there as part-time tutors and earn money for living expenses. You were always the best at math.”
She gave him her business card. “Come back with me. You can teach math part-time at my tutoring center. You’ll have no trouble teaching those students. And promise me you will prepare for the self-study university examinations and complete your degree.” She smiled. “And bring your mother with you when you’re ready. She can help around the tutoring center and earn enough to get by. It’s not a lot, but it is a start.”
Jun looked up at her, tears gathering in his eyes.
She smiled at him just the same. “You promised me you’d keep studying.”
Someone at another table raised a hand. “Waiter!”
Jun answered and picked up his tray. He took a couple of steps, then stopped. Turning back, he looked at Ling. “Teacher Chen,” he said, “I... we’ll come see you tomorrow.”
Copyright © 2026 by Huina Zheng
