Some people walk into the newborn sun.
And some people won’t live to see another sunrise. (Specifically referring to Zhou Qing.)
Letting Zhou Qing live out a stifled and unfulfilled middle age was better than crushing all his hopes.
If he ever tried his hand at running extracurricular classes or tutoring outside, he might accidentally end up doing really well.
“Considering Zhou Qing still has a mortgage, car payments, and other pressures.”
“Chances are, he wouldn’t dare quit that dump of a job at No. 8 High School.”
When you think about it that way, this might actually be the best punishment for Zhou Qing.
He might be a scumbag, but Xia Hua didn’t think he could mess anyone up too badly over at No. 8 High.
After all, that place— those who know, know. It’s the kind of high school where just about anyone can get in.
They stuff all the unstable types in there for three years— there’s hardly a more cost-effective solution than that.
Send in a bunch of minors, and by the time they come out, most of them are adults.
So, get it?
The meat-eaters play dirty.
In Class One’s classroom, Xia Hua walked in with a light heart.
In an instant, the soft rustle of morning reading came to an abrupt stop.
“You’re supposed to be studying— why are you staring at me?” Xia Hua brushed back her hair and asked, “Do I have flowers growing on my face or something? Relax, everyone, it’s not like I’m…”
Xia Hua’s desk and chair were still placed right next to the trash can.
No one in Class One had a desk mate.
Given how large each classroom was, every seat was its own individual spot.
Xia Hua’s original seat had been taken over by an unclaimed desk.
Piled high with all sorts of textbooks— it might’ve been one person’s, or maybe a group’s— but no doubt about it, this was a deliberate act of bullying against Xia Hua.
Those who humiliate others, will one day be humiliated themselves.
Xia Hua finished what she’d been about to say: “It’s not like I’m… a bad person!”
She raised her foot and kicked the desk.
In the next moment, the mountain of textbooks on top came crashing down.
Several students had anger in their eyes, but none of them dared say anything.
In their eyes, wasn’t Xia Hua just a bad person, a bully? After all, even the homeroom teacher had been driven away by her.
“I’m hungry. I’m heading to the cafeteria,” Xia Hua said calmly.
What a joke— someone on a diet eating a second breakfast?
She just wanted to free up a little time for certain people in the class.
Only after Xia Hua left did a few curses start to fly quietly around the classroom, and a bunch of students bent down to pick up their books.
The way they bent to pick them up—it was pathetic.
An enemy of the whole world?
No need for that. After all, the world is mostly made up of ordinary people.
When Zhou Qing, Ye Tingzhu, Fang Qiao and the like were the mainstream of the class, everyone else followed them.
Who’s to say that one day, if Xia Hua shines brightly enough, they won’t conveniently forget the past and cheer for her instead?
Life is a stage play. A few take turns in the spotlight, while the majority just clap from the audience.
“Alright, class is starting,” Ye Ling casually stepped into her role.
“Good morning, teacher.”
“Good morning, students.” Ye Ling gestured for everyone to sit down, then said slowly, “From now on, I’ll be your substitute teacher. My teaching skills are… pretty mediocre, so I suggest you all give some feedback to the school leadership.”
What kind of teacher introduces themselves like that?!
Ye Ling’s laid-back tone seemed to say, “I really don’t want to teach you guys at all!”
The students in Class One felt a chill rise from deep inside.
Were their English lessons doomed now? Were they about to fall to the bottom of the grade rankings?
The pessimists were already writing complaint letters.
Until Ye Ling actually started teaching.
A tough situational dialogue question.
Back when Zhou Qing taught it, he’d smashed more than a few chalkboard erasers trying to get it across, and still no one understood.
Ye Ling, on the other hand, used scenes from American dramas, Korean dramas, even Japanese dramas to explain it.
Then a light bulb went off over someone’s head. Then another. And another. It was like a chain reaction. Oh my god!! We actually get it now!?
“Next time there’s a teacher satisfaction survey, remember to give me a bad review, okay~” After class, Ye Ling rubbed her sore calves from standing through two periods, eyes brimming with tears as she pleaded.
“Okay.” Xia Hua was a kind person, after all, always happy to help others.
“Okay.” After being blown away by Ye Ling’s god-tier teaching, the rest of the class also understood what needed to be done.
“Next time there’s a teacher satisfaction survey, we’ll definitely give Teacher Ye Ling a glowing review.”
“Yeah, yeah, best if she just becomes our official teacher.”
“I used to think English was so hard to learn…”
“Now, I’ve actually got a soft spot for English class.”
“……”
Maybe that’s the difference between a good teacher and a bad one!
No one missed Zhou Qing, who’d taught them for two years, but everyone wanted to keep this god-tier substitute teacher.
As expected, Xia Hua got called away by Ye Ling.
While many students were betting that Teacher Ye was going to come in hot and lay down the law, in reality, the two of them just found a shady spot.
Ye Ling pulled out a pack of sunflower seeds and set her phone down between them.
They were watching the latest TV drama.
A teacher who didn’t even want to teach.
She couldn’t be bothered to so much as light a fire.
After all, the salary was the same— whether you spent the day snacking and watching dramas or breathing in chalk dust while standing and teaching, even a fool knew which one to choose.
The only problem was, her teaching quality was just too good.
“I’ve already talked to the school,” Ye Ling said slowly as she cracked seeds. “For the sake of the school’s reputation, they won’t issue a public apology to you. But as compensation— this year’s party membership quota, ‘Three Good Student’ spots, honors class slots… and of course, if you make major academic progress next time, a scholarship spot is also on the table…”
Basically, anything a student could want during school years—
Xia Hua could ask for one of each.
But was that really what she wanted?
“No need.” Xia Hua shook her head, clearly uninterested.
“This whole thing was an embarrassment to me too.”
“Let’s just leave it at that.”
For Xia Hua, the feud with her former homeroom teacher Zhou Qing was over.
Glancing at the drama Ye Ling was watching, Xia Hua said blandly, “You don’t need to keep watching this one. The female lead reunites with her rich parents in the end, and she and the male lead live happily ever after.”
“Anyone who spoils the plot should drop dead!” Ye Ling said in a ghostly tone.
“Ugh…” Xia Hua zipped her lips shut.
Anyway, as far as Xia Hua was concerned, her business with Zhou Qing was done.
But that didn’t mean everything was settled— because over in the cafeteria, a very urgent three-person meeting was underway.
Ye Tingzhu, Fang Qiao, and Chen Kairun all wore serious expressions.
“We’re screwed. What if Xia Hua tries to get back at me later?” Fang Qiao asked nervously.
“What’s there to be scared of?” Ye Tingzhu rolled her eyes at her, then looked at Chen Kairun. “Didn’t you say Xia Hua found someone to back her up? After school today, go scope out that Lin An from Class Three— find out what she’s really about.”
“As for Xia Hua…”
After a moment’s thought, Ye Tingzhu turned to Fang Qiao. “Isn’t the senior send-off gala coming up soon? Find an excuse— say the play can’t go on because Xia Hua quit on her own, pin the whole thing on her.”
“Best if you push the whole project onto her too.”
“If she screws up the performance, then we’ll have something on her.”
“Huh?” Fang Qiao hesitated. “But… the play is my baby, I don’t want to give it up.”
“Are we even friends? Are you going to listen to me or not?”
“Uh, I, I…” Fang Qiao fell into internal conflict.
“Relax. Who knows? Maybe Xia Hua won’t be able to handle the gala play and will just give it back to you. I’m 99% sure— if she dares take it on, she’ll make a fool of herself. She doesn’t have what it takes.”
“O-okay then.” Fang Qiao gave in.
Are girls really this petty about such trivial stuff?
Chen Kairun looked on in disdain.
He’d already contacted his buddy.
They were going to corner Lin An today.