Free Great Call of China (S.A.S.S.) by Cynthea Liu

you.
    “Finally, keep in mind that you will be graded on demonstration of knowledge, creativity, and teamwork. Your projects will be presented and critiqued during the last day of the program. Good luck.”
    “So, what do you all think?” Alex said.
    “I really don’t have a preference for a topic,” Jessica replied. “Do any of you?”
    Chris shrugged. “Not really.”
    “Burial Rituals sounds interesting to me,” Will said.
    “The Peking Man would be great,” Alex said.
    Cece studied the list again. “I was thinking we should go for the Emperor Qin Shi Huang.”
    “Really?” Will said, looking at her intently. “Why?”
    Cece swallowed, surprised that he would be so interested in her answer. “Well, from what I know, the guy practically built China all on his own. Plus, he was responsible for the army of Terra Cotta Warriors. So the topic seems fun to explore . . . . ” She inwardly groaned. Did she have to sound so geekish? “I mean, that is, if you’re into that sorta stuff.”
    “Sounds good to me,” Will said.
    “We would have a lot of material to work with,” Alex added.
    “All in favor of the Emperor raise your hand,” Jessica said.
    Everyone raised a hand.
    “Terrific. We’ll make Burial Rituals number two, and the Peking Man number three.” She sat up in her chair. “Now who wants to get some bubble tea?”
    “I’m in,” Alex said.
    Chris looked confused. “What’s bubble tea?”
    “They’re these drinks that come in all flavors,” Jessica said, “like mango, red bean, and grass jelly. And you can get them with gooey tapioca balls at the bottom.”
    He stared at her. “And people drink that?”
    Jess laughed. “Yeah. And I saw a cool place the other day just a couple of streets away. Let’s go, guys.” She turned to Cece. “You’re coming with us, right?”
    Cece glanced at Jessica, then Will. Did she really want to spend the morning witnessing Jess hanging all over Will? But she couldn’t say no. She didn’t want to seem like a drag either. “Uh, sure.”
    “All right then,” Jess said. “Let’s go.”
    As they walked out of the lecture hall, Cece tried to ignore Jess happily chatting away with Will. But Cece couldn’t stop herself from feeling annoyed once more. This time, though, she was more irritated with herself than her roommate. Why was it that whenever she and Jess were in the same room, it was Jess who always seemed more intriguing, more vibrant? The night at the club, Cece had told herself that Will was just tolerating Jess’s advances out of politeness, but now she wasn’t so sure. He seemed genuinely to like her. And why wouldn’t he? Jess was so many things Cece wasn’t. So girly-girl, so spontaneous, so... confident.
    It made her wonder if she could ever be like Jess.
    Cece sighed as Jess casually slipped an arm through Will’s.
    Doubtful.
     
    That afternoon, Cece put aside thoughts of Will and Jess when she arrived at a local noodle shop to meet with Peter. The place was a favorite of XU’s students, not only for its inexpensive food but also for its work friendly atmosphere. After they ate, Peter and Cece spread out their books, and Cece began her character studies for Professor Sutton while Peter prepared for an English quiz.
    “I am almost finished with my practice questions,” Peter said. “Have a look.” He scooted a piece of paper across the table.
    Cece studied the paper. Peter had been working on the past perfect tense. She took her pencil and made some corrections. “Peter, I think you need to review your irregular verb list again. The past participle for forgot is forgotten . ”
    He frowned. “I guess I had forgotten .”
    She smiled. “Now you’re getting it.” She returned the paper to Peter and went back to writing a Chinese character in her notebook. “Peter,” Cece said, “can I ask you something?” She tapped her pencil against the table. “How do you remember all these strokes?”
    Peter looked up. “You