第三章：第一次进班

Last night, Lin Hao took him to the cafeteria and also to the school supermarket.

Lin Hao also taught him how to use WeChat Pay, and he successfully paid with WeChat at the supermarket. The cafeteria uses a meal card, which can only be used by people within the school.

After coming out of the supermarket, they took a walk around the campus, and Mark was almost familiar with the layout of the school.

The next morning, Mark was woken up by the alarm clock. Lin Hao had already left, and on the table was a note:

"I'm going to morning reading first. Arrive at the third floor of the teaching building, Class 3, Grade 10 by eight o'clock. Don't get lost."

Below that was also: 'If you really get lost, just send me a WeChat message.'

On the note there was also a simple map drawn by Lin Hao.

Mark looked at the note and broke into a smile.

There were still 30 minutes left; he absolutely must not be late on the first day. He quickly washed his face, put on his backpack, and walked out of the dormitory building. The dormitory aunt saw him and said, 'New student, going to class?'

'Yes, I'm going to class.'

Following the map Lin Hao drew, Mark first went to the cafeteria to buy breakfast and ate while walking.

Then he walked across the playground and past a row of ginkgo trees. He arrived at the teaching building.

There were many students at the entrance of the teaching building. They were all wearing the same school uniform and walking very fast.

Mark stood at the stairwell, glanced at the time. There were still ten minutes; he didn't need to rush.

There were many people on the stairs, chatting as they walked. Mark walked slowly, trying hard to listen to their conversations.

Every word they said seemed to be Chinese, but when strung together, it was like a fast river. Mark could hear it, but couldn't grasp it.

Class 3, Grade 10 was at the end of the hallway.

As soon as he walked into the classroom, the students immediately quieted down.

Many people looked at him curiously.

Lin Hao was sitting by the window and waved at him. 'Over here!'

Mark walked over and sat down next to Lin Hao.

'Nervous?' Lin Hao asked in a low voice.

'A little,' Mark said.

'Don't be afraid, they're just curious,' Lin Hao smiled. 'You're the first Italian classmate in our class.'

This made Mark a little happy and a little nervous.

The bell for class rang.

Teacher Chen walked into the classroom. She looked at Mark and then at the class.

'Students, today our class has a new student from an international exchange program. Mark comes from Italy and usually studies Chinese and Chinese culture in the International Department. In the coming year, he will participate in some exchange classes and activities in our class. Everyone should help him a lot.'

Applause sounded in the classroom.

Mark stood up, a little nervous.

Teacher Chen said, 'Mark, come and introduce yourself.'

Mark walked to the front of the podium.

'Hello everyone, my name is Marco Rossi. I'm from Italy. I'm seventeen years old. I like movies, football, and Chinese food. Nice to meet you all.'

After he finished speaking, applause sounded again in the classroom.

Mark breathed a sigh of relief.

But Teacher Chen asked with a smile, 'Your name, can everyone read it?'

The whole class was quiet for a second.

Lin Hao was the first to speak: 'Ma...ke?'

'Mark is okay,' Teacher Chen said, 'but what about his full name?'

A girl sitting in the front row tried: 'Ma Ke... Luo Xi?'

'Almost,' Mark said.

A boy said, 'Marco Rossi, this name sounds a bit like a football player.'

Lin Hao immediately said, 'Whenever you hear Italy, you think of football.'

That boy said, 'What else?'

The whole class laughed.

Mark also laughed. He liked football, so this joke didn't bother him.

Teacher Chen picked up a piece of chalk and wrote on the blackboard:

Marco Rossi

Then she said, 'This name is a bit long for Chinese students. Let's give Mark a Chinese name, okay?'

The classroom suddenly became lively.

'Call him Ma Ke!'

'Call him Rome, isn't he from Italy?'

'Rome is a city, not a name.'

'Call him Mario!'

This time the laughter was even louder.

Mark understood 'Luoma' (Rome) and also 'Mali'ao' (Mario). He knew everyone was joking. But he didn't want his Chinese name to become a game character.

Teacher Chen tapped the blackboard. 'Alright, stop making random names. A Chinese name should sound nice and also have meaning.'

Mark looked at the blackboard, feeling a little expectant.

For the first time, he felt that a name could also be a big deal.