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Zhang Zhiyuan timely appeared, breaking the awkwardness in the classroom.
He had overheard a few sentences in the hallway, roughly understanding the situation, and came out to help Zhuang Zi’ang.
“Zhuang Zi’ang, come with me. The rest of you continue with the class meeting.”
Li Huang Xuan was puzzled: “Teacher Zhang, why do you always call for Zhuang Zi’ang lately?”
Zhang Zhiyuan said sternly, “You should mind your own business first. Have you submitted your self-reflection yet?”
Li Huang Xuan immediately fell silent.
Without his phone, the weekend had been dull and uneventful.
On the way to the office, Zhang Zhiyuan asked Zhuang Zi’ang, “I saw Lin Mu Shi with tears in her eyes. Did you tell her?”
Zhuang Zi’ang replied, “I ran into her at the hospital, and she saw the examination report.”
“What did the doctor say?”
“Just to take it easy.”
After this exchange, silence ensued.
Zhang Zhiyuan didn’t know how to offer comfort, so he walked on in silence.
Zhuang Zi’ang had his hands in his pockets, adopting a nonchalant attitude.
Upon arriving at the office, a few subject teachers were also present.
Zhang Zhiyuan sat in his office chair, habitually took a sip of goji berry tea, and glanced at Zhuang Zi’ang.
“Do you know why I called you here?”
Zhuang Zi’ang pondered for a moment: “Is it because the monthly exam papers are out?”
Zhang Zhiyuan slammed the table: “What kind of nonsense are you pulling? Who is Su Yudie from Class 23?”
“Teacher Zhang, I was confused for a moment and wrote the wrong name. Do you believe me?” Zhuang Zi’ang shrugged.
Zhang Zhiyuan wanted to erupt, but considering Zhuang Zi’ang’s health condition, he forced himself to endure.
As the top student in the grade for two consecutive years, Zhuang Zi’ang’s exam papers were always under close scrutiny by the teachers.
This time, after the papers were graded and the seal was broken, they couldn’t find his paper right away.
However, it didn’t take long for the teachers to easily identify him.
Aside from his name and class, the student ID, handwriting, scores, and so on all confirmed that the paper unequivocally belonged to Zhuang Zi’ang.
This small joke, however, caused quite a bit of trouble for the school.
The head of the teaching department specifically convened a meeting with the teachers.
The main topic of discussion was whether Zhuang Zi’ang’s results this time were valid.
The argument in favor was that Zhuang Zi’ang was simply playing a harmless prank and had been serious in his answers; his total score still placed him first in the grade, so it should be considered valid.
The opposing viewpoint argued that such a disregard for rules should not be encouraged; if he couldn’t even write his name properly, then no matter how high his score, it would be worth zero. Strict punishment was necessary, and the results should be invalidated.
The two sides argued back and forth, debating for half the day without reaching a conclusion.
Zhang Zhiyuan called Zhuang Zi’ang over, wanting to hear his explanation.
Seeing Zhuang Zi’ang’s carefree demeanor, it was clear that he showed no signs of remorse.
“Teacher Zhang, can you tell me if this classmate Su Yudie is ranked first in the grade?” Zhuang Zi’ang asked with a smile.
“Consider yourself lucky; Deng Haijun only scored two points lower than you,” Zhang Zhiyuan shot him a glance, indirectly answering the question.
“Alright, I’m a pragmatic person and don’t care about hollow fame. Just let the results be invalidated!” Zhuang Zi’ang responded with great magnanimity.
As long as he secured the de facto first place, he could make requests of Little Butterfly.
As for his rank on the report card, it no longer mattered.
Deng Haijun had coveted that top spot for two years—let him have it this once.
Zhang Zhiyuan sighed and switched to a gentler tone, “Alright then, I’ll explain to the principal that you’ve been too tense these years and want to relax a bit. I can understand, but you mustn’t do anything too outrageous.”
“Then can you give Li Huang Xuan’s phone back to him? I promise I won’t make the same mistake again,” Zhuang Zi’ang pressed.
“Take it; this thing is quite expensive, and if I lose it while it’s with me, I can’t afford it,” Zhang Zhiyuan said, opening the drawer and tossing the phone onto the desk.
“Thank you, Teacher Zhang! Wishing you a long life!” Zhuang Zi’ang cheerfully picked it up.
Hearing the blessing of “long life,” Zhang Zhiyuan felt a pang of sadness.
After learning about Zhuang Zi’ang’s illness, he could no longer be strict and only hoped that this good student could feel more warmth in the limited time left.
“Is that all? Can I head back to class now?” Zhuang Zi’ang raised an eyebrow.
“Hold on, a teacher wants to talk to you privately and is already on their way here,” Zhang Zhiyuan stopped him.
“Which teacher?”
“He’s coming from the west campus and might take some time.”
Zhuang Zi’ang was puzzled; he didn’t know any teachers from the west campus!
Each grade had different academic tasks and schedules, so the school divided students by grade into separate campuses to minimize interaction.
Zhuang Zi’ang was currently in the east campus.
When they first enrolled, they had spent a year on the west campus.
Currently, the students at the west campus were two grades below them, and they had little to no interaction.
There was only a narrow staircase connecting the two campuses.
Soon, there was a knock on the door.
Standing at the entrance was a male teacher in his thirties, well-dressed and possessing an elegant demeanor.
Zhang Zhiyuan quickly stood up and warmly shook his hand. “Xiao Li, it’s been a while.”
The other party smiled and greeted him back.
Then Zhang Zhiyuan introduced Zhuang Zi’ang, “This is Teacher Li Junan.”
Zhuang Zi’ang lowered his voice. “I don’t know him; what does he want with me? ”
Zhang Zhiyuan gently shook his head, indicating that he was also unaware.
Teacher Li Junan took a look at Zhuang Zi’ang and smiled warmly, “Zhuang Zi’ang, would you accompany me for a walk?”
“Of course,” Zhuang Zi’ang immediately replied.
Teacher Li Junan gave a very good first impression, especially with his smile that felt like a warm spring breeze.
Upon exiting the office, Teacher Li Junan led Zhuang Zi’ang up the stairs until they reached the rooftop.
From here, they could see almost the entire campus.
Tall ginkgo trees swayed in the wind.
The warm sunlight shone on their faces, feeling quite pleasant.
Li Junan took a deep breath before speaking to Zhuang Zi’ang, “I heard that you wrote Su Yudie’s name on your exam paper.”
Zhuang Zi’ang was taken aback. “Teacher, do you know her? ”
Teacher Li Junan nodded slightly. “I am her homeroom teacher.”
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Zi’ang suddenly realized why his previous confusion was now clear.
No wonder the security office’s computer system and the exam hall records didn’t show Su Yudie’s name; she was a student from the west campus, which made her his junior.
He had thought she was the same age as him!
There were a total of 25 classes in the west campus, and when she said she was from Class 23, she wasn’t lying.
There was a geographical height difference between the two campuses.
The structure of the teaching building here was somewhat unique, with a corridor on the roof leading to the staircase that went to the west campus.
Zhuang Zi’ang thought to himself, no wonder Xiao Butterfly would part ways with him at the corner of the stairs; she was actually going upstairs to return to the west campus.
The two campuses operated on different schedules, so she could buy ice cream for him before class ended.
Everything suddenly made perfect sense.
“Why did you write her name on the paper?” Teacher Li Junan asked.
“I miss her, and I wrote it without thinking,” Zhuang Zi’ang answered honestly.
“She is indeed a lovely girl; I miss her too,” Teacher Li Junan said, his eyes slightly red.