Chapter 9, Breaking the Ice

Dou Xun was called in by the parents at the previous school due to fighting with classmates

Xu Xilin hypocritically declined, saying: "That wouldn't be good... Grandma always says you are overweight and doesn't allow you to eat these things"

Xu Xilin wore a stern expression, thinking to himself: "Damn, the star of misfortune is following me; today is sure to be a bad day"

Dou Xun held the small bowl, feeling as if he had returned to kindergarten

"Since the teacher acted out of goodwill towards you, not only did you fail to appreciate it, but you also caused them distress." Xu Jin's words defined the situation, "Tell me, are you not a fool?"

Upon exiting the school gate, Xu Jin glanced at her watch and realized it was time for dinner. She made a call to her secretary, requesting her to send the meeting minutes to herself. Then she turned to the two indifferent children and said: "I still have to go back to work overtime tonight. How about this, I will take both of you out for a meal, and then you can take a taxi home by yourselves—the one who washes the dishes will start from tomorrow, postponed by one day."

Calling Xu Jin is merely a trivial task for Xu Xilin, not for Dou Xun, but for his mother, Zhu Chengzi. Although that American nun is somewhat unreasonable, she has always treated Xu Xilin quite well. Since she entrusted her child to their family, one must ensure that things are handled with due diligence.

Dou Xun's grandmother passed away first, and the old man sent his grandson to boarding school, refusing the help of a nanny. He lived alone as a widower, and since he appeared to be in good health, his children did not take it too seriously. Unexpectedly, when he fell ill, it was too late; his body was already cold by the time someone discovered him

Dou Xun paused for a moment, knowing that Xu Jin would not come to the school without reason; it must have been Xu Xilin who informed him. Coupled with the previous incident regarding the second-floor restroom, Dou Xun was momentarily at a loss as to how to assess the situation

Xu Jin: "Pizza Hut"

However, it is already too late; his voice had not yet had the chance to be uttered, and it has expired.

It was evident that Xu Xilin and Dou Xun were not particularly inclined to collaborate with each other. Xu Jin did not rush to force them into a peaceful coexistence; instead, she bought two self-service salad bowls and let them play: "Go ahead, let's see who can build the highest."

The waiter at the door turned pale upon hearing this

Dou Xun was once again left speechless—who would consider so much when confronting a teacher

She spoke with reason and emotion, and Dou Xun silently lowered his head, unable to deny that he was indeed a jerk

Dou Xun : `` ... ... ''

Two people sat at the same dining table, initially engaging in a silent exchange of insults, which created a rather awkward atmosphere for breakfast

"Here you go." Xu Jin handed his handbag to Dou Xun

Dou Xun felt that he should say "Thank you, Auntie," but just saying that seemed a bit too insubstantial, insubstantial to the point of awkwardness; it felt better not to say anything at all.

It turns out that the boarding school also has characters like Xu Xilin, who are surrounded by followers, and they also find Dou Xun quite displeasing. However, the "Xu Xilin" over there is not willing to keep the peace like the one here; he frequently wants to show Dou Xun a thing or two with his lackeys.

He has found it difficult to be received by Zhu Xiaocheng even once from childhood to adulthood, and he has truly never had the honor of being beaten.

Upon hearing this, Xu Xilin immediately cast aside the thought of having failed the monthly exam—both she and her son shared a deep love for junk food. Unfortunately, the chief in charge of the kitchen at home was Xu's grandmother, who, in her youth, was a renowned performer of traditional opera. Even to this day, she is meticulous about health and nutrition when it comes to food, to the extent that over time, her palate has become as refined as a line of red-crowned cranes.

Xu Jin waved him away with a slap: "Get lost, I get goosebumps just hearing the word 'mother'—I see you must have failed the exam, right?"

Xu Xilin ran over and flatteringly took Xu Jin's bag, saying: "Mom, I am here to take this for you"

Dou Xuntian was not someone who passively endured beatings; he was proud and disdainful of all low-intelligence "impressive" feats. The conflicts between both sides escalated continuously, and finally, in the dead of night, they collectively jumped over the wall to leave the dormitory and took action.

Xu Jin: "If you feel that the homework is not suitable for you, why not communicate privately with the teacher? She is of a considerable age, and if you confront her in class, it will be difficult for her to maintain her dignity. If other students follow your example in the future, how will she continue to work? Adults work to support their families; it is not easy for anyone. You mischievous children, with your pocket money, go around causing trouble, deliberately creating obstacles for others' work, and you think you are quite impressive, don't you?"

It is so embarrassing. Dou Xun was left with only this one phrase rolling in his mind, as he moved forward, taking steps while feeling the weight of it.

Dou Xun thought: "By the way, I should say 'good morning'."

In the long corridor of the sixth building, Dou Xun silently followed Xu Jin, carrying a backpack. By this time, the school day had already ended, and the teaching building was quiet. The fading afterglow remained only on one side, and Dou Xun walked soundlessly, with only the sound of Xu Jin's high heels echoing in the corridor

Xu Jin suddenly recited a string of phone numbers and turned to ask him: "Did you remember it?"

Dou Xun silently shook his head, then nodded slightly

He is wondering: "Shouldn't I add a phrase like 'to trouble you' afterwards?"

Dou Xun felt that he might have some issues; the sharp and sarcastic remarks within him were always ready to emerge, and he could easily outsmart others with his words. Occasionally, he wanted to say something nice, but he always hesitated and procrastinated, truly unable to catch up even with something as simple as hot food.

On Monday morning, Dou Xun did not go to school early as usual to study. Instead, he began by memorizing vocabulary with the phrase "beautiful women like flowers, fleeting years like flowing water" from Grandma Xu downstairs. After a short while, he finished memorizing the words, and with nothing else to do, he started to memorize the less boring texts from his textbooks—waiting impatiently until he finally heard some movement from the room next door belonging to Xu Xilin.

As he was in a state of indecision, Dou Xun saw Xu Jin waving his hand towards the front, indicating that Xu Xilin was coming over

Two people left the house one after the other, separated by a distance of one meter. The one in front did not look back, and the one behind did not catch up, as if they were strangers to each other, and they went to school together.

Since then, that teacher never dared to contact his parents again

Dou Xun is an academically outstanding student who has been asked to have his parents come to school more than once

Dou Xun planned for two days, utilizing various advantageous circumstances. Single-handedly, he defeated five opponents and, before reinforcements arrived, attracted the attention of the dormitory supervisor. It was a case of self-defense, and his achievements were remarkable. However, unfortunately, it was not officially recognized, and he was still asked to have his parents come in afterward

This "little commotion" is a symphony produced by six alarm clocks simultaneously wailing, creating a grand spectacle that can penetrate the soundproof walls of a KTV.

It seems somewhat inappropriate; compared to the previous sentence where Xu Jin punished him by making him wash the dishes, this appears too polite and not quite fitting

At first, the teachers did not understand his family situation. After witnessing the child's character, they wished they could invite the entire family to the school to discuss adolescent mental health. Later, they probably learned a little more, but mostly they had no choice but to turn a blind eye and let it go.

For the first time, Dou Xun was forced to join such a reactionary small group. He stared at Xu Jin for a while, and only then did he slowly react, awkwardly nodding his head.

Upon a closer look at Xu Xilin, he surprisingly mingled among a group of young children without any psychological barriers. The heights of the children formed a sine function, with Xu Tuan seated at the shameless 90°.

Throughout the journey, Dou Xun always felt as if he had forgotten something important, until he sat down in his seat and saw Xu Xilin greeting each of the big fellows in the back row, at which point he felt a slight stir in his heart

Dou Xun, with a backpack so full that the zipper was nearly impossible to close, thought expressionlessly: "This is so embarrassing"

Xu Jin: "Is the teacher deliberately trying to harm you by assigning homework? Is it really for your own good?"

Xu Xilin truly performed poorly in the exam, thus he flattered others with great urgency and inadvertently cast a glance back at Dou Xun.

Xu Jin is not the kind of gentle and amiable woman; even the back of her head seems to have more thoughts than others. Dou Xun does not feel as comfortable in front of her as he does in front of Xu's grandmother... However, it is still acceptable, as she is certainly better than the American nun Zhu Xiaocheng.

This child is both stubborn and obstinate, which is one thing, but why is he also so dazed? Xu Jin thought, "It is truly worrisome"

Dou Xun was taken aback and nodded blankly.

"This is my phone, it is on 24 hours a day," Xu Jin said, "If there is anything next time, just have the teacher call this number directly—has your mother ever hit you?"

Dou Xun uncomfortably engaged in self-psychological construction, thinking to himself: "I will just treat it as walking the dog"

At that time, the teacher called Dou Junliang, who impatiently passed the call to Dou Xun's grandfather. The grandfather, who already had coronary heart disease, hurriedly wanted to go to the school after hearing about the matter, but ended up falling ill right at the doorstep.

Xu Jin is very busy. He hears his grandmother Xu nagging that sometimes she works over 100 hours a week, and when she returns from a business trip, even the dog does not recognize her. Yet, she makes a special trip just for his trivial matters—this is in stark contrast to his initial thought of "quietly settling down without causing trouble for others"

A promise is a promise—this is what Xu Jin taught him since childhood

Upon hearing the words "going home," Dou Xun sensitively raised his head to glance at Xu Jin, only to find that her makeup was somewhat smudged, and she hadn't had the chance to touch it up. Suddenly, he felt a deep sense of guilt.

In a moment of distraction ... he once again missed the opportunity to respond

"I am not fat; I call this a prosperous figure!" Ms. Xu Jin raised her eyebrows and said, "Your grandmother is a remnant of feudalism, still believing that women whose waist circumference exceeds 2 feet cannot be called 'waist,' but only 'middle.' What kind of thinking is this? It should be criticized!"

Five minutes later, Xu Xilin hurriedly ran downstairs and saw Dou Xun in the restaurant, feeling neither too surprised nor too indifferent. He thought to himself, "Why hasn't he left yet? Did he take the wrong medicine?"

I am so angry. Xu Jin took his bag from him and said, "You will be taken to your school for a scolding halfway through the class—when you get home, you will help Aunt Du wash dishes for a week."

Xu Xilin: "What to eat?"

After finishing breakfast, one inevitably has to face the awkwardness of going to school together

Dou Xun, confused, received it, and Xu Jin swung the folder he had brought from the company, striking Dou Xun's backside with a flick of his wrist

Ms. Xu Jin, after delivering her stern criticism, called over Dou Xun, who had been lost in thought: "You are not allowed to tell your grandmother when you get home, do you hear me? If you dare to betray, you will have to wash dishes for a month"

Dou Xun finally packed his books and went downstairs, simultaneously regretting his decision to wait for Xu Xilin: "Isn't his head just meant to serve as a tray for his face? Does a tray really need to rest for such a long time?"

Fortunately, Xu Xilin quickly averted his gaze and did not intend to pay him any attention

Xu Jin drove the two of them to a Pizza Hut, where he ordered them to take off their coats and stuff them into their backpacks at the entrance, to avoid the smell being detected by the dog when they got home. Then Xu Xilin rushed in first and declared on the spot: "I want to build a 3.3-meter salad bowl!"

It was not too painful, and Dou Xun did not know whether he should dodge. He stood there in a daze, holding his bag and taking a few hits, his eyes slightly widened as if he were stunned