Chapter 4: Please Contact the Parents

On the surface, it seems that she often reprimands Xu Xilin. As soon as the two students left, she took out the contact list and dialed the phone number of Dou Xun's parent, Dou Junliang.

Qilixiang found it impossible to communicate with Dou Junliang, this incompetent secretary, and wearily dismissed her. Looking at the time, it was already the hour for afternoon self-study—No. 6 Middle School emphasizes students' ability to learn independently, scheduling only two formal classes in the afternoon, with the remaining two periods primarily allocated for self-study or physical activities.

The distinction of things may not be discernible to the common people, yet it is indeed difficult for individuals to attain a place of elegance and refinement

The secretary did not catch the sarcasm in the words at all, and with a coy expression, she said: "I am the parent, after all."

She then understood that "I will call you back later" is the same as "I will treat you to a meal another day," both meaning "goodbye, see you, get lost"

Wu Tao is a boarding student—No. 6 Middle School is not a boarding school, and the dormitory environment is quite poor. Most students who live far away, if conditions permit, rent houses nearby.

Cai Jing: "Duke Ai of Lu once said to Confucius, 'I, the ruler, was born in the depths of the palace, raised by the hands of women. I have never known sorrow, never known worry, never known toil, never..."

Xu Xilin lowered her head and said: "Teacher, I was wrong. How about I go back and write a self-criticism right now? I assure you there will be no next time"

From the very first day he transferred, Xu Xilin felt that this person was incompatible with him. Subsequently, with Cai Jing and Luo Bing involved, the animosity accumulated to the present, leading to a qualitative change from a quantitative accumulation, transforming the literary conflict into a physical confrontation

Liuzhong is the local top priority among city key schools. To do well in the class, in addition to having good relationships and being loyal, one must also achieve satisfactory grades. Moreover, while everyone enjoys themselves, there is a sense of propriety. Even if there are past grievances with someone, the most that can happen is that a group may isolate that person, without causing any major incidents.

Xu Xilin is a typical science student; during the Chinese language exam, he would recite verbatim what the teacher taught—memorizing what was covered and making up nonsense for what he hadn't memorized. His extracurricular reading consists of either fantasy or martial arts, leaving him utterly confused: "Wait, wait, wait! How do you write the 'gu' in 'guaren'?"

Friday evening is the most lively moment at school—even when the homework overflows from the backpack

With swift decisiveness, Qi Li Xiang dealt each of them fifty strikes as a warning and sent both individuals back to the classroom

The four characters "our child" subtly reveal this secretary's great ambition to become a stepmother

As soon as the word "Hello" escaped from Qi Li Xiang's lips, before he could clearly express his intentions, Dou Junliang had already started speaking on his own: "Teacher Zhang... Oh, hello, Teacher Zhang, I apologize for bothering you with a phone call, it really is quite inappropriate... Is that rascal Dou Xun causing trouble again? Let me tell you, please don't spare my feelings, just give him a good beating. This little tree won't grow straight if not pruned, right? Well, I'll call you back in a bit, okay? Ah, I'm a bit busy here. I tell you, please don't spare my feelings, just give him a good beating. This little tree won't grow straight if not pruned, right? Well, I'll call you back in a bit, okay? Ah, I'm a bit busy here..."

The back door was closed with a loud "bang" by him. Wu Tao glanced at Dou Xun's desk and whispered to Xu Xilin, "Xiao Linzi, what do you think? Should we deal with that kid?"

Cai Jing is exceptionally talented, able to articulate his thoughts eloquently, and spontaneously recited a brief reading note filled with references for him to transcribe

In the fleeting light of the seven-mile fragrance, I have a sudden craving for the quick-acting heart-saving pill

Xu Xilin furrowed his brow, realizing that Wu Tao's so-called "tidying up" was not an ordinary tidying up

However, the dormitory area is an entirely different situation

Although she accepts gifts, she does not accept everything. Occasionally taking one or two shopping cards worth one thousand or eight hundred yuan is acceptable, but her small greed cannot accommodate a designer necklace. Qianlixiang shoved the box back into the secretary's hands: "I earn less than one hundred thousand a year, including salary and bonuses, so I cannot accept this. Why don't you take it back and invite the child's parents to visit the school instead, alright?"

"Speak! Xu Xilin, how are you serving as the group leader? Why are you fighting?"

Dou Xun, upon hearing this insincere flattery, immediately scoffed, and as his lips were split and unable to express fully, he resorted to every fiber of his facial muscles to convey his derision.

After she sneaked to the back door of the classroom and looked through the back window into the class, she saw the math representative and the English representative each occupying half of the blackboard, copying the weekend homework requirements. The Chinese representative was wandering around collecting the weekly journals—those who had forgotten to write were all bowing their heads and writing furiously.

His personality has always been reclusive, making it difficult for him to get along with his peers. With the endless grade skipping, will he ever learn how to interact with others in this lifetime

Qilixiang rubbed his forehead, feeling that next week he must find a way to talk to Dou Xun's parents. If his father cannot come, then his mother should be called. A mother cannot neglect her child's future.

Unfortunately, there are always ignorant parents and foolish societal opinions that enjoy promoting "IQ worship," while the heartfelt truths expressed by that teacher go unheard

She held Dou Xun's report card in her hand; the grades were not just good, but exceptional. He had skipped a grade in his childhood, and when he wanted to skip another, his then-homeroom teacher firmly withheld permission. This was because, although Dou Xun was intelligent, he was not a genius in any particular field, which meant that his high IQ had little practical application beyond mere display.

Wu Tao and the others gathered around Xu Xilin, discussing where to go for the weekend in a lively manner, their voices so loud that even the headphones, which were heating up, could not block out the noise

Xu Xilin is one of them, but he is even more fearless because he has Cai Jing

However, that fleeting moment of envy quickly passed. Dou Xun might have felt ashamed of this slight weakness, and soon regained composure, his expression cooling down, becoming increasingly indifferent as he lowered his head and put the headphones back on.

Qilixiang sighed, did not enter the classroom, and quietly returned to the office

In the dormitory, there are student athletes who need to train every morning and evening, impoverished students from remote suburban counties, and repeat students recruited from other schools. This naturally divides them into several circles, with both intersections and frictions among them, resulting in very intricate relationships. Conflicts also brew everywhere, gradually creating an atmosphere of cliques forming.

All things considered, Dou Xun is likely to stay in this class for only one semester, just to settle in. As long as he does not cause any major trouble, the teachers need not worry about him.

Wu Tao rested one hand on Xu Xilin's chair back, his face displaying a hint of youthful arrogance: "If such a person were placed in our room, they would surely behave within three days; if we told them to bark like a dog, they wouldn't even dare to meow, do you believe it?"

On Friday during the long break, Xu Xilin and Dou Xun were both summoned to the office of Qilixiang due to a fight after class

His face bore injuries, and his expression was somewhat peculiar; at first glance, it appeared to be disdain, yet subtly, there seemed to be a hint of envy.

Seven Mile Fragrance

This time, Dou Xun transferred from another place to Liu Zhong, also because Liu Zhong has a policy that allows second-year high school students, upon recommendation from the school, to participate in that year's college entrance examination. When transferring, the parents clearly stated that they came specifically for this policy

As the voice faded, Dou Xun rolled his eyes in response

It was not until late afternoon that a strange young woman arrived at the school looking for her

After taking several deep breaths, Qilixiang finally calmed down and slammed the table, roaring: "Is impulsiveness a valid reason? If you act on impulse and hit a classmate now, what will happen when you become impulsive in the future? Will you not resort to using a knife to kill someone then?"

Qilixiang: "I believe it would be more appropriate for Dou Xun's parents to come to the school in person regarding this matter. You see, he got into a fight with his classmates today..."

Xu Xilin felt a faint pain in his chin; he had accidentally bitten his tongue during the fight, and his mouth was filled with a metallic taste of blood. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Dou Xun, who appeared even more disheveled. He assessed that this kid might be an experienced fighter, treating brawling as casually as eating. However, judging by the outcome, it was still his two years of free fighting training in middle school that gave him the upper hand.

Having the title of "prodigy" in childhood is certainly pleasant, but one day he will grow up, and by then he will be neither a "child" nor a "prodigy," yet he will not have learned how to be a person. Who will still care for him then

Such parents think this way—if only the studies are good, isn't that enough

Due to the insufficient number of female students in the dormitory, the school, for safety reasons, has relocated them collectively to the staff dormitory area. As a result, the dormitory building has become exclusively for male students, leading to a more relaxed management environment, and gradually forming a very unique "ecosystem" within.

The teacher had been at school for so long that she was unaware of the tendency of some people in society to speak nonsense. When Dou Junliang mentioned this, she genuinely waited for Dou Xun's parents to return her call. However, after waiting an entire day, she did not even hear a single meow from a cat.

The female secretary was not concerned whether Dou Xun was involved in a fight or a brawl. Bored, she picked at her nails while listening to the complaints about Qili Xiang. She lifted her eyelids and responded with a perfunctory remark devoid of any skill: "Yes, everyone knows, which is why we asked you, the teacher, to take more care of it, right?"

She understood why the two mischievous children were fighting, and upon seeing Dou Xun's behavior, she almost rolled up her sleeves to join the fray herself

If this were in ordinary times, Qilixiang would definitely not let him off easily. However, only through comparison can one truly appreciate; in contrast to Dou Xun, who is hanging around with droopy eyelids, Xu Xilin appears exceptionally adorable, almost reaching the level of being gentle and considerate.

The mention of "Qilixiang" left me parched, and upon hearing this, I truly wanted to give Miss "60% off" a bear-like expression.

Dou Xun cast a gloomy glance at Xu Xilin's back, picked up his backpack, and walked out through the back door, the split corner of his mouth stinging like a needle.

In front of the class teacher, Xu Xilin, a man of integrity, did not shy away from immediate losses, yet he did not hesitate to explain himself at length. Thus, he simply and bluntly admitted his mistake: "It was a moment of impulse, and I will definitely change next time"

Qili Xiang was planning to enter through the back door to catch a typical student who was not taking their homework seriously, but just as her hand was about to touch the doorknob, she inadvertently caught sight of Dou Xun sitting in the corner.

The language class representative jumped up beside me, saying: "Can't you write the pinyin? Xu Tuan, can you be a bit faster? You are the one who copies homework in the most fashionable way, and it's still the dictation!"

Observing Dou Junliang's demeanor, Qilixiang feels that he is rather self-satisfied with his clever son, and perhaps he even thinks that this homeroom teacher is making a fuss over nothing, as a single gift card was evidently insufficient to appease him

By the way, teacher, the box contains a string of necklaces. In the future, you can take it to the counter and have them clean it for free," the female secretary revealed a look of greed, as if she wished she could steal it herself. "It's a brand name, and even with a 40% discount, it still costs nearly 100,000. The service is also of a high standard!

The woman claimed to be Dou Xun's father's secretary. Upon meeting, she first handed Qi Lixiang a jewelry gift box and said in a sticky-sweet manner, "Our boss said, please, teacher, you must take good care of our child."

Dou Xun held a fountain pen between his fingers, and the table was piled high with draft papers that no one but himself could understand. Yet, he was not focused on his own matters as usual; instead, he was lost in thought, staring intently at the noisy desk in front of him

Seven Mile Fragrance

Certainly, it is not envy towards those who have just beaten him in the morning, but rather... The whole class is lively, yet he is the only one who feels cold and desolate

Incidents such as locking someone in a bathroom for an entire night have become quite common. Most victims do not dare to speak out, as long as they do not call for an ambulance, the teachers remain oblivious.

Xu Xilin truly has not engaged in such a humiliating act for many years. He reflected carefully and felt that he had done nothing wrong in this matter. Ultimately, it was still because Dou Xun was utterly despicable.

It is unlikely that any duo in the realm of cross-talk can achieve such seamless coordination as these two.

She has been in charge of this class since the first year of high school. If she had known earlier that Xu Xilin was a person who outwardly complied but inwardly defied, and that he would repeatedly fail to change his ways, she would have realized that his apologies were merely a facade, not hindering him at all from playing the fool next time. All those beautifully worded self-reflections were written by Cai Jing on his behalf