Ms. Zeng followed Lu Xingyan’s words and glanced over, then picked up the test paper on the desk.
—The handwriting was neat and delicate, indeed more like a girl’s handwriting. Even if it wasn’t Shen Xingruo’s, it certainly wasn’t something that the mischievous devil Lu Xingyan could produce. She had a vivid impression of Lu Xingyan’s handwriting. It might be ugly in other subjects, barely legible with numbers, but she couldn’t fathom how other teachers managed to endure it.
She glanced at Lu Xingyan, then back at Shen Xingruo, and asked, “What’s going on?”
Seeing Lu Xingyan about to speak, Ms. Zeng sternly interrupted, “I didn’t ask you, I’m asking Shen Xingruo!”
Shen Xingruo had already thought of an excuse that would keep Ms. Zeng from causing trouble. But with Lu Xingyan suddenly interrupting and taking on the role of a hero, she was caught off guard and couldn’t come up with a better explanation. She had to confess, “Ms. Zeng, it’s not like that. Lu Xingyan wrote the test paper.”
“Last night, he finished the test paper and wanted me to take a look. It happened to be right after the evening self-study, so I brought his test paper back to the dorm.”
“I had already finished mine, it’s this one.” She glanced at the test paper in Ms. Zeng’s hand, “Then I helped Lu Xingyan with his test paper last night and put it back in my English book. But for some reason, when I came here today, the test paper was missing.”
Afraid that Ms. Zeng might misunderstand that either Shen Xingruo or Lu Xingyan hadn’t written the test paper, He Siyue, who was sitting in front, suddenly chimed in, “Ms. Zeng, last night I discussed the last question with Shen Xingruo. She did indeed finish hers, and Lu Xingyan was also working on his math test at the time.”
Now that He Siyue had spoken up, other classmates who had asked Shen Xingruo questions last night also chimed in with “Yeah, that’s right,” helping Shen Xingruo’s case.
Ms. Zeng scanned the classroom and then looked back at Shen Xingruo calmly, “So, you wrote the test paper, and Lu Xingyan wrote the test paper. You just happened to bring Lu Xingyan’s test paper back to the dorm and lost it. Is that right?”
Before Shen Xingruo could react, Ms. Zeng’s voice suddenly rose by eight degrees, reprimanding, “Are you a teacher? Was I supposed to ask you to help him? Did I not say today that I would discuss this test paper? Do you think you can teach better than me just because you’ve gotten a perfect score in math twice? You’re so capable, why haven’t I seen you studying physics?”
Ms. Zeng felt that her teaching level was being challenged. Like a thunderstorm without warning, she suddenly went off on Shen Xingruo with a crazy barrage of criticism.
After her tirade, the classroom fell silent for a while. Her reprimand echoed in the empty classroom, leaving an aftertaste.
The onlookers remained silent, not daring to speak, only casting sympathetic glances at Shen Xingruo.
However, Shen Xingruo, who had suddenly been scolded, either hadn’t reacted yet or didn’t find it particularly upsetting. When Ms. Zeng finished venting, without further ado, she suddenly stood up.
She stood straight, facing Ms. Zeng, and said, “Ms. Zeng, you may be a very excellent math teacher, but Lu Xingyan’s foundation is relatively weak and he can’t keep up with your teaching pace. As his deskmate, I helped him with his test paper, and I don’t see any problem with that. If you were to tell the principal, the principal would probably only think that I’m helpful rather than trying to play the role of a teacher.”
“Furthermore, there’s no inherent distinction between the arts and sciences; it’s merely a matter of personal preference. My choice to study humanities doesn’t imply any deficiency in my understanding of the sciences. Among us here, those studying humanities are no less capable than those focusing on sciences. Similarly, as a teacher of humanities, you are no less competent than a teacher of sciences, wouldn’t you agree?”
Her voice resonated in the classroom, just as cool and detached as her appearance, carrying a hint of icy disdain.
After a brief pause, the students finally reacted—
Oh, cripes! Shen Xingruo just clapped back at Zeng Guiyu!!!
Everyone was stunned!
There was a moment of silence, and then whispers erupted, filling the room.
Zeng Guiyu had encountered students who dared to challenge her authority before, but to have her model student challenge her—this was a first.
Unlike the verbose political rhetoric of Wang Youfu, she was left speechless for a good while, unable to conjure a single word.
At that moment, Lu Xingyan smoothly delivered the next blow, “Ms. Zeng, I genuinely can’t follow your explanation of the topic.”
“You see, when Mr. Liang explains a topic, he’s meticulous, repeating each step three times and peppering his explanations with examples. It’s not that your teaching is inadequate, it’s just that I’m struggling to keep up.”
The rest of the class, who had been holding back for weeks, now chimed in agreement.
“Yeah, Ms. Zeng, you speak too quickly.”
“I can’t keep up either.”
“Could you stick to the topic without jumping around? Some of us genuinely don’t understand…”
For a moment, the classroom resembled a poultry farm, with chicks chirping and squawking, complaining about Zeng Guiyu, the substitute feeder, giving them subpar feed.
Zeng Guiyu’s brow twitched, her face darkening with suppressed rage.
She strode back to the podium, slamming the blackboard with the triangle ruler.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
“Will you all ever shut up?! What’s with all the noise?”
The room quietened slightly.
“What’s going on with your class? What kind of attitude towards learning is this? Do you think I enjoy having to substitute? If you don’t understand, ask me on the spot! If that doesn’t work, ask me after class! If that still doesn’t work, ask your classmates who understand!”
And you, reprimanding Shen Xingruo???
Zeng Guiyu seemed to realize the contradiction in her words, wanting to backtrack but finding it too late.
Some students couldn’t contain their laughter, and her inability to maintain composure led her to angrily toss aside the triangle ruler. “If you all think I’m such a terrible teacher, then go find someone better! I’ve never seen students as incompetent as you all!”
With that, she stormed out of the classroom, leaving the class in a state of shock.
Siyue promptly stood up to calm the class down. “Everyone, please quiet down and start self-study. I’ll go talk to Mr. Wang.”
He Siyue was quick to react, but by the time he reached Mr. Wang’s office, Zeng Guiyu had already launched into a tirade, berating the students mercilessly in front of Mr. Wang.
Lu Xingyan, Shen Xingruo, and He Siyue were individually criticized. Siyue was called out for his interruption as the class monitor, accused of disrespecting the teacher.
Lu Xingyan’s criticism seemed futile, as Zeng Guiyu barely acknowledged him, focusing her wrath primarily on Shen Xingruo and the rest of the class.
“…That girl Shen Xingruo is something else! The whole class is rallying behind her as if I’ve done something terrible to her! I barely said a word and she just snapped back at me! Your class has some serious issues, Wang Youfu! They’re all like counter-revolutionaries from the Cultural Revolution era! Shen Xingruo talks about equality between arts and sciences on one hand, and personal choice on the other, and she had me completely confused! If she’s so smart, why hasn’t she topped the provincial exams?”
Wang Youfu sat at his desk, cradling a thermos cup, occasionally taking a sip. After she finished venting, he casually remarked, “Well, the college entrance exams haven’t happened yet. Who knows, maybe she’ll top the provincial exams. Why are you so worked up? You’re quite capable yourself. You’ve been teaching humanities classes all this time, yet you’ve never been a grade-level leader.”
“You’re just itching for an argument, aren’t you, Wang Youfu?”
“What’s there to argue about between us, Guiyu? Just calm down,” Wang Youfu said as he unscrewed the thermos cup, tilting it towards Zeng Guiyu. “Chrysanthemum tea, would you like a cup? It’s great for clearing heat and soothing nerves. This chrysanthemum was sent to me by a former student a few years ago, it’s authentic…”
“Wang Youfu!!”
“Alright, alright, stop yelling. I’m getting old; you might give me a heart attack,” Wang Youfu raised his hand in a gesture to quiet her down. “I’ll go get Shen Xingruo, Lu Xingyan, and He Siyue to hear their side of the story.”
Though Wang Youfu spoke calmly, his movements were leisurely. He closed the thermos cup, then leaned on the desk before standing up, muttering to himself, “Oh, the sunlight is so nice here. I don’t feel like moving at all.”
Zeng Guiyu nearly choked on her words watching his theatrics.
He Siyue suppressed a laugh at the door, quickly composed himself, and knocked politely. “Mr. Wang.”
As soon as Wang Youfu saw him, he greeted, “Ah, just the person I need. He Siyue, goes to the classroom and fetches Lu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo. I want to hear what’s going on, why you’ve upset Ms. Zeng like this.”
He Siyue nodded, replying, “Of course.”
While He Siyue went to find Wang Youfu, the class didn’t quiet down. Everyone was buzzing, gossiping about Zeng Guiyu’s past and speculating that she was probably going to complain to Wang Youfu.
Shen Xingruo and Lu Xingyan, the focal points of the incident, remained unfazed. Shen Xingruo had seated herself after Zeng Guiyu left and had opened a bottle of milk, while Lu Xingyan hadn’t stood up once.
Lu Xingyan tapped Shen Xingruo’s head with a pen. “What’s wrong? Are you mad?”
“…Well,” she was pretty annoyed, but she couldn’t act out just yet. Wang Youfu would probably come to summon them to his office soon, so for now, she needed to drink some milk to calm her emotions.
Lu Xingyan continued, “Are you dumb? There’s no point in explaining to her. Just tell her I didn’t write it, and she can’t do anything to me.”
“…”
“Shut up already.”
Thinking she might be sensitive to criticism and still a bit slow to recover emotionally, Lu Xingyan tapped her head again. “Alright, it’s not a big deal. When Wang Youfu comes to question us later, just keep quiet. I’ll handle it. Okay? You can just mumble an apology at the end…”
“Why should I apologize?” Shen Xingruo eyed him. “It’s because of people like you, who shout slogans loudly but back down when it matters, that our country lags in development.”
“No, your peacock mentality is quite noble…”
“It is noble.”
Before they could say much more, He Siyue returned and called them both to the office.
Of course, Wang Youfu didn’t do much. He asked about the incident, mildly criticized them, and then made them copy the political outline a few times before letting them go.
Zeng Guiyu watched coldly from the office. When she heard Wang Youfu say, “Regardless, it’s wrong to defy a teacher,” she thought he was just starting, but then he said, “Alright, you can go back now. Each of you copy the political outline three times.”
Once everyone left, she snapped back to reality. “Wang Youfu, is that it?”
Wang Youfu replied, “We’ve criticized them. What more do you want? I didn’t do anything wrong, and it’s to maintain your dignity as a teacher that I made them copy the political outline three times.”
Zeng Guiyu retorted, “But how does copying your political outline relate to the issue in my math class?”
Wang Youfu shrugged. “Well, what else should they copy? Math formulas? That’d be quite the camaraderie, but math formulas have fewer words.”
Before Zeng Guiyu could respond, he added, “I’m just saying, Guiyu, you’re over forty. Instead of squabbling like chickens with these kids, why not let it go? It’s not a big deal. Both of them took the test; it’s just that one paper went missing. Look at how much fuss you’ve stirred up.”
“Are you still upset because Shen Xingruo topped the grade twice, and because of that incident last time when you defended that girl in your class against Shen Xingruo’s retort? You’re both adults and teachers. Winning first place in the grade is just a 2000 RMB prize. If Shen Xingruo comes first next time, I’ll treat you to a meal.”
Zeng Guiyu felt like staying in Wang Youfu’s office any longer would inevitably lead to her suffocating to death from anger. She waved her hand, indicating she wouldn’t say anything more to him, and started to leave.
But Wang Youfu just couldn’t stop talking. As she reached the door, she could still hear him saying, “As teachers, the most important thing for us is to be magnanimous…”
Right now, she was anything but magnanimous.
Exiting Wang Youfu’s office, Shen Xingruo walked in the middle, with Lu Xingyan and He Siyue on either side, each comforting her in their way. After He Siyue finished consoling her, he even offered, “If you don’t have time to copy the political outline, I’ll help you.”
Lu Xingyan chuckled and glanced over, his tone casual. “Class monitor is so kind. How about helping me copy too?”
“Mr. Wang should be able to recognize your handwriting,” Siyue replied without missing a beat.
Shen Xingruo was getting annoyed by their banter. She pressed her temples and quickened her pace. “Enough, neither of you need to copy.”
As they reached the classroom door, she turned back to warn them, “No one is allowed to copy.”
After enduring Shen Xingruo’s torment for so long, Lu Xingyan felt he understood her somewhat. He had a feeling this matter wasn’t over yet.
Shen Xingruo didn’t do much for the rest of the morning. By the time school ended, she walked out quickly.
Li Ting had been keeping an eye on Shen Xingruo’s movements all morning. She felt anxious the whole time and didn’t have much of an appetite for lunch. She grabbed something quickly and headed back to the dorm.
As she returned to her dorm, Shen Xingruo was coming out. Shen Xingruo didn’t say anything, just gave her a cold glance before heading downstairs.
But Li Ting couldn’t help but feel a little relieved. Shen Xingruo likely knew it was her doing, but as Zhai Jiajing had said, without evidence, she couldn’t do anything.
During the two-hour break, Shen Xingruo didn’t return to the dorm.
Li Ting felt oddly satisfied thinking about how Shen Xingruo had been criticized today. She even had a good dream during her nap.
In the afternoon, she went to school with Zhai Jiajing and Shi Qin. Shi Qin was still worried because Shen Xingruo hadn’t come back to nap, probably because she was upset about being criticized today.
Li Ting sneered sarcastically, “I have to say, she’s quite arrogant. Clearly in the wrong, yet she acts like she’s so righteous…”
She continued speaking as she walked into the classroom, subconsciously glancing at Shen Xingruo’s seat. She noticed Shen Xingruo was already there, and she fell silent.
Seeing people arriving, Shen Xingruo gently tapped He Siyue and asked for a workbook. Then she nudged Lu Xingyan and requested a notebook.
Lu Xingyan was dozing off and lazily handed over his entire bag. “Just take whatever you need.”
“…”
“What’s the difference between you and a pig if you can sleep eighteen hours a day?”
Lu Xingyan didn’t catch what she said and just shifted to sleep on the other side.
Shen Xingruo couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. She found a blank workbook and got up.
At that moment, Li Ting was just sitting down, ready to chat with Meng Feng in front of her, when Shen Xingruo suddenly walked up to her desk and slammed three workbooks onto it. With a cold expression, she ordered, “Copy the political outline twelve times, not a single word less. Get it done.”