This story is a sequel to “An Afternoon With Champ“ and “The New Teacher“. However there’s no need to read the previous two stories. Here is a brief summary of the background.
Jasmine met Champ at a mixed martial arts competition in Penang, Malaysia. Jasmine was a spectator while Champ was a contestant. The two started to date and eventually engaged. However Jasmine’s father, a wealthy businessman, demanded that Champ gets a degree from America before the two get married. He is not happy that Champ didn’t even finish middle school. Also asking for a degree is a great way to express his disapproval of the marriage–to put obstacles on the path towards matrimony–without being openly against it.
Champ was sent to New York to an ESL program of a big university, but ended up spending a lot of time with the boisterous undergraduate students on campus, and getting into all kinds of mischief. Then it was decided that he should be staying away from the campus and getting private tutoring. Ivy and her husband Tom Tsai, the owner of Ivy Training Center, promised that their tutors could be sent to Jasmine and Champ’s resident at Princeton, New Jersey to tutor him every day. They have several hired tutors, who take turns to drive to Princeton. And at the beginning of the current story, Cindy is sent to tutor Champ on this particular day.
The maid Zilia, whom Jasmine brought from Malaysia, opens the door for Cindy and ushers her in, but Champ is not there in the study area, where a white board is installed on the wall.
“I am going upstairs to call him. He put a ‘do not disturb’ sign outside of his door and hasn’t come down for breakfast yet.” The maid says.
That’s typical for Champ. Cindy knows. Champ has various tricks to stall the learning process.
Presently, the maid comes downstairs to make a phone call to a doctor and then a phone call to Jasmine. When Cindy inquires, the maid asks her to come upstairs. So the two go upstairs together and enters the bedroom, where Champ lies on the bed, unresponsive.
“What’s wrong with him? Is he drunk again?” Cindy asks. Lulu at the training center told Cindy about Champ being drunk for one of the tutoring sessions.
The doctor comes, but he is not a real doctor, at least not to Cindy. He runs a local acupuncture and herb office. He administers some potion and holds Champ up in the bathroom so that he could vomit. When that’s over, he helps Champ back to bed.
“I think you should tell Jasmine that she has to make a decision. This cannot go on. Champ should not be made to study. This is the second time he tries to kill himself.” Zilia says to the doctor.
“I am not sure about study, but he is certainly depressed.” The doctor says.
“Cindy, you should tell Jasmine then. I already told Jasmine what I think, but Jasmine is not convinced. She’s having this habit of listening to her father.” Zilia says.
Cindy stares at Zilia and thinks she has a point. Education is supposed to enlighten people, but for Champ, it is killing him. Jasmine’s father really has a good way of torturing his future son-in-law to death under the beautiful cause of educating him.
Haoyan Do 
Cindy is not having a good week. First being called a twitcher and now a student choosing death rather than her lessons. It’s all very sad. 😰
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LOL. I will let Cindy have a better week. Thank you for pointing this out.
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Education will never come with force. The willingness to learn is much more important. In this case it seems the obstacle is created deliberately as mentioned to deny the approval on great love of the poor heart. The wealthy one is an illiterate being with such weird thoughts or opinions. Interesting article 👍
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Yes, willingness is the key. We don’t learn much if we don’t want to learn no matter how much we are forced and how much we pretend. That’s not going to do it.
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Exactly my friend 👍
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The education system teaches in such a way that if you aren’t a specific type of learner you won’t succeed no matter how intelligent you are. Champ needs professional help and probably anti-depressants.
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That’s so true. I’ve seen so many people and families being driven totally crazy by the education system–they try to fit themselves in the dogmatic system in order to come out on top in the rat race, but in the process, there’s a lot of pain and suicide is not unheard of.
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Champ definitely needs counseling. The authorities should really have been called by the “doctor.”
I think you meant “sequel” and not “squeal.”
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Wow, thank you for pointing that out and I have since made the change. I thought I was typing sequel and I don’t understand how it comes out squeal. LOL. Probably I subconsciously want to squeal. Haha.
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lolol!
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Poor Champ. I have been hoping things have gotten better for him.
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Champ is based on a true story, in which the two love birds got married and the husband had to come to the U.S. for three years to complete a degree but he couldn’t. Along the way he tried to commit suicide three times. Eventually they had to divorce due to all kinds of pressure. Both families are damaged and both people had to gone through a lot. It’s just another way to show how rigid the Asian societies are, which just cannot tolerate unconventional love at all. How sad? Why can’t the society be more flexible? Be more humane?
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I wonder for the same reasons. Being from an Indian-American and working a lot in other countries in Asia, I have seen my fair share of intolerance and flexibility.
The only way I think society can change is by having a brave group of people becoming more thick-skinned. Once more people have that attitude, then change is possible.
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There are very few such brave people. Most are living a life of subdued quietness and desperation.
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Education is meant to educate and enlighten people not to depress people. I think Champ needs to see a therapist to let out all that’s causing him to feel the way he does.
Nice story it was
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I agree.
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😍👍😜
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That’s true. He needs a lot of loving care and encouragement and therapy in order to fulfill this.
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Most definitely
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