Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The incident involving Chen Mo from the experimental class and his math teacher spread rapidly throughout the entire grade in a very short time. Even the teachers' office of the second-year students was discussing it by noon.

"Who would make such a bet with a student? If a teacher loses their authority, how can they manage the students afterward?"

This was the opinion of the skeptics.

"Teacher Bai did indeed make a mistake, but it doesn't mean she should be barred from teaching the experimental class."

This was the stance of the neutral conservatives.

"I think this bet could be worth trying. There should be mutual supervision between students and teachers. We shouldn't look at things one-sidedly. It encourages students to strive for excellence and prevents teachers from unfairly suppressing students due to bias."

These words came from another math teacher in the second year, Fu Ling.

She was only in her twenties, young both in age and mindset. She spoke more directly. When she first joined the school, Bai Suxiu had mentored her. However, their teaching methods and philosophies differed greatly, leading to a lukewarm relationship.

It was true that Fu Ling was more popular than Bai Suxiu.

Another teacher asked, "Teacher Fu, you've seen the math test of that student named Chen Mo. Teacher Bai insists that he couldn't have answered it at that level. What do you think?"

That math test was on Fu Ling's desk.

She had looked at it many times, finding one aspect particularly strange.

All the multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions that Chen Mo got wrong had been corrected. The first answer he crossed out was usually the correct one. This seemed like a sign of guilt, as if he had copied and then deliberately changed the answers to avoid being caught, which was one reason why Bai Suxiu held her stance.

Fu Ling didn't see it that way.

The solutions to the major problems were clear and concise, even omitting some steps, giving an impression of ease and confidence. Furthermore, his statement in class, "The questions are too easy, I'm afraid I might scare the teacher," sounded boastful to many, but Fu Ling believed there was at least an eighty percent truth to it.

So when answering other teachers, she smiled and said, "Geniuses may be rare, but they exist. Smart students are not uncommon. Teacher Bai was too hasty in her judgment."

This clearly demonstrated her stance.

Teachers also whispered among themselves, "How are they planning to handle this situation?"

"Don't mention it; Director Lai must be stressed."

Director Lai felt like he was losing what little hair he had left.

In his office, Director Lai pointed at the student before him.

"You keep causing trouble!"

The student, whose school uniform zipper was only halfway up, seemed distracted. Hearing the angry voice, he snapped back to reality and said, "Don't get so upset; it ages you faster. Why don't you just agree to my proposal?"

"Agree? Agree to what?!" Director Lai stormed out from behind his desk, "I thought you were here to study seriously. Instead, you got into a fight on your first day. It hasn't even been a few days since then, and you haven't even read your apology letter yet! Top ten in the grade? Ha, you're really bold!"

The middle-aged man's rapid-fire speech almost sprayed saliva on Chen Mo's face.

Chen Mo covered his face and turned away.

Exasperated, he said, "Director, I never promised to be in the top ten of the grade."

Director Lai's sharp eyes narrowed, and he sneered, "Looks like you had this planned all along. What? Is the seat in the experimental class uncomfortable? Can't sit still?"

His tone rose sharply at the end, almost cracking.

Chen Mo was puzzled, "Why do you insist on keeping me in the experimental class? Can't I study in a regular class?"

"Chen Mo." Director Lai suddenly became serious.

He stared intently at Chen Mo and said, "I've been in this profession for nearly thirty years."

"Hmm?"

"Be serious!" Director Lai seemed frustrated, "Every year, I send off thousands of graduates. Do you really think you got in because your parents paid money?"

Chen Mo dropped his nonchalant demeanor and frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Your parents did give the school some money, but the school's decision to admit you to the experimental class wasn't solely based on that." Director Lai's tone was filled with ridicule and arrogance, "Do you really think anyone can get into the experimental class? The Xi family donated two buildings to the school. Do you think Xi Siyan is incompetent?"

Chen Mo chuckled at the comparison and received a kick from Director Lai.

Director Lai continued earnestly, "Leaving aside Xi Siyan, consider Sun Xiaoya, Gou Yiyang, Zhang Ju... These students are the school's pride and future elites. Your grades and potential have been evaluated. If your performance were truly terrible, even if your parents donated everything they had, do you think I'd let you in here?"

Chen Mo replied, "Stop dreaming; the Yang family won't donate their assets to the school."

"Is that the point?!!!"

Chen Mo's ears were ringing from the shouting.

Feeling exhausted, he didn't want to speak anymore.

What was going on?

In his previous life, he had studied hard, but the math teacher accused him of cheating, and the school didn't admit him based on potential. The Yang family simply wanted him to be a model student.

Now, things were different.

He didn't want to push himself so hard anymore, yet they insisted on making him study.

Chen Mo rubbed his temples and looked at Director Lai, "Don't morally pressure me. It's like you're making me feel guilty for disappointing your efforts."

"Can you get into the top ten?"

"No."

"You!"

The sound of knocking on the door saved Director Lai from nearly exploding on the spot.

Xi Siyan scanned the office and finally his gaze landed on Chen Mo's face.

"Anything?" Chen Mo frowned, asking silently.

Xi Siyan said nothing, stepping aside to reveal Yang Zhi standing behind him.

Chen Mo: "…"

Go to hell.

This glare was directed at Xi Siyan, who ignored it completely and said to Director Lai, "Chen Mo's guardian has arrived."

Yang Zhi stepped in.

He was dressed formally, as if he had just come from a meeting.

The school had decided to notify the guardian, but for some reason, it wasn't Zhou Yaoqing, but the self-proclaimed busybody, Yang Zhi.

Yang Zhi glanced at Chen Mo and extended his hand to Director Lai. "Hello, Director Lai. I am Chen Mo's older brother."

"Hello, hello." Director Lai put on a smile and exchanged pleasantries with him.

At this moment, Chen Mo looked at the person walking up beside him.

"Did you call him?" Chen Mo furrowed his brow.

Xi Siyan glanced at him and said, "The school required notification, and since they were going to inform someone anyway, I thought it best to find someone who could understand the situation." He added, "The whole class heard that I would write a written report for you. I have no interest in being undermined by an irrelevant person. It would really annoy me."

Chen Mo felt like he was being insulted, but without evidence.

And the more he interacted with Xi Siyan, the more he doubted whether the Xi Siyan he knew from his past life was real.

Coldness was genuine; there was no high-mindedness.

Less than a minute later, seeing Bai Suxiu and Yang Shule enter, Chen Mo felt a sense of calm, almost as if he had expected it. He wanted to ask Xi Siyan why he thought Yang Zhi would listen, considering it was all about Yang Shule. That was his precious little brother.

"Brother?" The surprised Yang Shule clearly hadn't expected Yang Zhi to be there.

His originally calm face, following Bai Suxiu, showed a hint of hesitation upon seeing Yang Zhi. Then he walked over and whispered, "Why are you here? Where's Mom?"

"She's not available today."

As Yang Zhi said this, he glanced at Chen Mo again.

Chen Mo stared back coldly.

At this point, Director Lai spoke up, "Since everyone is here, let's discuss this matter openly and figure out how to resolve it."

"No need to ask," Yang Shule said this time. He first looked at Xi Siyan beside Chen Mo, then turned to Chen Mo, his tone stiff and cold. "I was the one who told Mr. Bai that you changed the questions on stage."

It seemed he didn't care about hiding it.

Chen Mo's lips curled slightly. Surprised he wasn't, but he didn't like seeing him like this. He sneered, "Why didn't you say anything when I asked in class? Were you mute? Coward."

Yang Shule clenched his fists and glared at him.

Yang Zhi frowned. "Chen Mo, can't you speak properly?"

"It depends on who I'm talking to." Chen Mo lifted his eyelids to look at him. "If you don't like it, the door is right there. Turn left when you leave."

"Director, look at his attitude!" Bai Suxiu interjected, saying directly, "I asked Yang Shule first because the test papers were similar. He only said he saw something, not that he directly accused him of cheating. But Chen Mo, when I asked him in class, he refused to budge and insisted on being difficult. He's still being so aggressive now!"

Chen Mo genuinely smiled.

"You call that asking?"

"Let me also ask, is your bias against me or do you fundamentally look down on so-called underachievers?"

Bai Suxiu's face turned ugly. "Chen Mo, don't be so unreasonable..."

"Mr. Bai." Yang Zhi suddenly interrupted.

As an adult man, he seemed to have the opportunity to speak on equal terms with Bai Suxiu. He frowned and asked, "I understand the situation roughly. Do you still believe and insist that Chen Mo cheated?"

Bai Suxiu was taken aback, seemingly thinking of something, and smoothed her hair.

She then said, "Since Chen Mo insists he didn't cheat, I won't force him to admit it. How about this: if he can score 130 points on another set of test papers, we'll consider this matter closed."

Everyone looked at Chen Mo, waiting for his response.

Yang Zhi was practically saying, "Enough, just agree."

Yang Shule appeared to be observing coldly, with a hint of disdain, as if he believed Chen Mo couldn't possibly score 130.

Bai Suxiu crossed her arms, probably feeling that her proposal was a great act of mercy.

As for the other two.

Director Lai frowned, lost in thought.

Xi Siyan's eyes were calm and indifferent. Chen Mo admitted that most of the time, he didn't understand him. For example, the motive behind his involvement in this matter was not aligned with Yang Shule.

Chen Mo took in everything during the suffocating wait.

Then he smiled and slowly opened his mouth.

"What gives you the right?"

Before anyone could react, he spoke again: "Do I need to prove anything to you? Prove that I can score well? Or prove that I stole? The person who got their pants pulled down ends up having to prove their innocence. It's not enough to humiliate me once; you want to do it again? Am I supposed to be grateful?"

Seeing him remain calm, even with a hint of laziness in his tone, Director Lai was at a loss for words.

Especially Xi Siyan.

"You could choose a better metaphor," he said, his gaze dropping. "Who dared to pull your pants down?"

Dead silence.

Chen Mo was truly impressed, giving him a sidelong glance. "To avoid getting your face stepped on, you're really trying hard today, huh?"

In the end, Director Lai made the final decision.

He rejected Bai Suxiu's proposal.

If Chen Mo didn't make it into the top ten in next month's monthly exam, he would be transferred to a parallel class.

Half an hour later, Chen Mo encountered Yang Zhi, who was bringing out Yang Shule, at the stairwell corner.

Yang Shule was explaining to Yang Zhi, sounding resentful, "When Ms. Bai asked me, I just told her the truth. I didn't lie. I didn't expect it to blow up like this, but Brother, do you blame me for this?"

"What do you mean blame you?" Yang Zhi's tone wasn't surprised.

Yang Shule mumbled, "If you want to scold me, go ahead."

Yang Zhi looked at him. "Shule, you used to never argue over such trivial matters."

At that moment, they saw Chen Mo.

Yang Zhi paused.

"I'm heading back to the classroom," Yang Shule said before turning and leaving.

Yang Zhi looked at the person leaning against the wall.

"What are you doing here?"

"It's hot, so I'm getting some air."

"The driver said you aren't going home this weekend?"

"Mm."

"Chen Mo." Yang Zhi finally furrowed his brow, taking a deep breath, and explained, "Shule is just a kid with a temper. Don't take it personally."

Chen Mo looked at Yang Zhi, finding it absurd.

What kind of new approach was this?

"Which eye did you use to see me taking it personally?" Chen Mo asked. "Wasn't I the one who got framed? Of course, if you think I'm jealous that he copied my test, don't act so humble about it. I'm scared."

The one saying he was scared clearly didn't mean it.

Yang Zhi wanted to leave in frustration.

But since he hadn't received any replies from Chen Mo on his phone and hadn't heard a normal "Brother" from him, he found himself thinking about it several times when opening his phone.

"Did you hand in your phone?"

"No."

"Then why don't you reply to messages?"

Chen Mo was bewildered. "Is there something you need?"

The atmosphere froze.

"Since there's nothing, you should head back, Brother." Chen Mo pointed to the stairwell. "Take your time. You've had a tough day, so I won't bother sending you off."

Yang Zhi gritted his teeth, his temple twitching. "No need."

Watching Yang Zhi's fiery back as he walked away, Chen Mo muttered, "What's wrong with you?"

"Who are you cursing at?" A lazy voice sounded above him.

Chen Mo looked up and saw Xi Siyan through the stairwell railing.

Chen Mo: "Not at you. Happy now?"

Xi Siyan beckoned him to come up.

Chen Mo got up and went upstairs, noticing that Director Lai's office was empty.

He left the doorway and glanced back. "Where is he?"

"He went to a meeting."

"Then why did he tell me to wait here?"

Xi Siyan seemed to ponder for a moment before replying, "Maybe he was afraid he couldn't resist hitting you, so he decided to get someone else to do it." He added, "Director Lai tasked me with getting you into the top ten next month."

Chen Mo suddenly lifted his eyes. "You agreed?"

The class leader sneered, "Do you think I want to?"

"Then give up," Chen Mo said calmly. "We won't get in."

"I say we can get in, unless you're doing it on purpose." Xi Siyan's left hand pressed against the back of Chen Mo's head, pushing him forward slightly, and gestured, "See? Fourth floor. Director Lai said if you can't get in, he'll take you and jump down from here."

Chen Mo turned his head, catching a faint scent from the other person again.

He spoke seriously, "Xi Siyan."

"Hmm."

"Director Lai said he would take you, right?"

In fact, Lai Xianfu's original words were: "Aren't you encouraging people to write reports? You don't mind making a scene, do you? Do you think I don't know that your experimental class has been wanting to replace Teacher Bai for a long time!"

Xi Siyan stated the facts: "It's because she insists on using outdated teaching materials. Isn't it normal for her to be replaced?"

Lai Xianfu slammed the table: "Arrogant! Both of you have no idea of your limits!"

But he didn't seem truly angry.

He continued, "I can transfer Teacher Bai to an ordinary class. The condition is that you bring Chen Mo into the top ten."

Xi Siyan: "I can't do it."

Lai Xianfu: "You can't do it? Then why do you always predict the exam questions every year? If you can't do it, I'll jump off this building!"

At that moment, Xi Siyan felt a prickly sensation in his palm. The eyes that glanced back had their corners spread wide, losing their usual lazy droop, with emotions reaching deep into them.

"He didn't say he'd take me," Xi Siyan said calmly.

Chen Mo: "Then it's perfect. Why don't we just let each other go?"

In the next second, Xi Siyan said in a perfectly normal tone, "Too late. If you don't make it into the top ten, I'll send you down."