Chapter 14: I Want to Take Leave

Qiao Sang looked at Dai Shushu for two seconds and smiled, "Right, do you have anything else?"

Dai Shushu narrowed her eyes slightly and shook her head. "No."

Qiao Sang turned and walked back to the classroom.

As soon as she sat down, Fang Sisi leaned over. "What did Dai Shushu say to you? Your expression is terrible."

"Is it that bad?" Qiao Sang asked.

"Yeah, you had such a long face, it scared me to death," Fang Sisi teased.

If there were a mirror, Qiao Sang thought she would like to take a look.

Fang Sisi followed up immediately, "What did Dai Shushu actually want from you?"

"Nothing." Qiao Sang picked up her book and started reading again.

Fang Sisi wanted to ask more, but seeing that Qiao Sang had no intention of talking, she shut her mouth.

When the morning classes ended, Qiao Sang packed her things and went to the ninth-grade office.

"Teacher, I want to ask for leave." Qiao Sang stared at the homeroom teacher's thick hair.

The teacher stood up abruptly.

There was another female teacher in the office, and her gaze immediately locked onto them.

The homeroom teacher regained his composure. "Do you know what you're saying? There are only a few days left until the High School Entrance Exam, and you want to take leave? I haven't even made you write a self-reflection for your last truancy."

Qiao Sang said seriously, "Teacher, if you don't grant me leave, I'll have no choice but to skip class. I'll make up the self-reflection later."

Veins popped on the teacher's temples as he said, "Do your family members know about this leave?"

Qiao Sang did not answer.

The teacher took a deep breath, sat down, and said earnestly, "If you don't want your mother to come to the school again, then go back and study properly. I was wrong about you last time, but even if you've achieved spontaneous awakening, you can't neglect your studies. The entrance exam is only a few days away."

Qiao Sang smiled. "Last Friday, when my mother came to school, you were there too, Teacher."

The teacher froze for a moment before replying, "I was the one who asked your mother to come to school to explain the truancy."

Qiao Sang tilted her head and asked, "Why did you kick my mother out?"

The teacher was stunned, his expression complicated. He thought Qiao Sang's mother had told her, and for a moment, he didn't know how to respond.

He shared an office with the homeroom teacher of Class 9.

That day, Dai Shushu from Class 9 and her mother had come to the school, coinciding exactly with the arrival of Qiao Sang's mother.

Dai Shushu had just been recommended to Shengshui Middle School, and the Dean had come over to offer congratulations.

Naturally, everyone's attention in the office was focused on Class 9.

At that moment, Qiao Sang's mother explained that her daughter had undergone spontaneous awakening and, in her excitement, had forgotten to ask for leave.

Children might lie, but adults wouldn't follow suit with such immaturity; he had naturally believed her.

It should have been a happy occasion, but unexpectedly, everyone in the office turned their attention toward them. Through a series of questions and answers, Qiao Sang's entire situation was laid bare.

Dai Shushu's mother had made a few sarcastic remarks, which led to an argument with Qiao Sang's mother.

Dai Shushu cried on the side.

As the school's "precious child," the school couldn't allow her to feel wronged, so the Dean ordered Qiao Sang's mother to leave.

The homeroom teacher considered himself a qualified teacher.

He wasn't good at navigating interpersonal relationships; he simply worked diligently and had spent over twenty years working his way up to being a homeroom teacher.

Through those years, his youthful vigor had vanished, and he didn't even dare to speak up when the parents of his own students were treated differently.

Yet, he felt he hadn't done anything wrong; he had merely been a bystander, and there was no need to explain the process to a child.

The teacher paused and said, "It wasn't kicking her out, it was asking her to leave, just to let your mother calm down."

Qiao Sang smiled. "I understand. But that 'asking' made my mother sick. Teacher, you know my family situation; I'm the only one who can take care of her."

Hearing this, the teacher's momentum wilted. "How long do you want to take leave?"

Qiao Sang replied, "Until my mother recovers."

The teacher hesitated before saying, "You must come back early. The entrance exam is only a few days away."

Qiao Sang nodded and turned to leave.

Watching her retreating figure, the teacher, feeling uneasy, added one more instruction, "Make sure to review well at home. There isn't much time left. Come back as soon as your mother feels better."

Qiao Sang turned her head, glanced at the teacher, and smiled. "Teacher, your wig is crooked."

Teacher: "..."

Female Teacher: "..."

...

...

Hanggang Xiangzhen Beast Taming Battle Club.

"How much does your club charge for a junior sparring partner per day?"

"Hello, our sparring partners are charged by the hour. A junior partner is 1,000 Alliance Coins per hour. If you book for a full day, we can give you a 2% discount," the receptionist said with a smile.

Beast Taming Battle Clubs could provide different types of sparring partners based on client requirements. As a popular industry in modern society, they had already spread across streets of all sizes.

In some listed clubs, if you had enough money, they could even find a sparring partner for an S-rank Beast Tamer, though such clubs were rare.

The Xiangzhen Beast Taming Battle Club was already the fifth one Qiao Sang had visited.

There was only one reason she had visited so many

She didn't have enough money...

Qiao Sang felt her empty pockets, hugged her Fire-Fang Dog, and walked out silently.

Qiao Sang felt a bit lost, unsure of where to go next.

Originally, she had a "just get by" attitude toward Shengshui Middle School. Passing the special recruitment exam would be great, but if not, she had the Sixth Beast Taming Middle School as a backup, so it wasn't a big deal.

But now, she wanted to attend this school.

The special recruitment exam for Shengshui Middle School was in ten days. Given her current level, it wasn't even certain if she could pass the minimum score for the regular entrance exam.

To be admitted, students ranked second through fifth had to score 50 points higher than the minimum passing score. Qiao Sang wasn't confident in that.

Therefore, her only option was to secure first place in the special recruitment exam to gain the privilege of being admitted at the regular minimum passing score.

Having made this decision, the training for the Fire-Fang Dog had to be moved forward.

Although the Fire-Fang Dog was a fire-type pet with strong attack power, it was still a cub with little combat experience. Its previous quick victory had relied entirely on the 2-on-1 advantage and the opponent's slow reaction time.

If she went into the special recruitment exam like this, she could forget about first place.

With only ten days left, staying at school would be a waste of time. She could self-study while training the Fire-Fang Dog.

She had a "cheat code"; through battling, she could completely improve the Fire-Fang Dog's combat power in a short period.

Qiao Sang's plan was perfect, but she was stumped once she stepped outside.

Currently, there were many large and small beast battling competitions and venues, but they came with many requirements. Some competitions required a certain level from the Beast Tamer.

Organizers of beast battles needed to earn viewership and ticket sales. Most rookie Beast Tamers only had a single junior pet, and their battles consisted of the same few moves, which wasn't exciting to watch.

Since audiences didn't enjoy it, organizers wouldn't lose money to host them.

Qiao Sang checked and saw that the next competition in Hanggang City that allowed F-rank Beast Tamers to participate was on June 30th.

The organizers had timed it perfectly. By then, all ninth-grade students would have finished their entrance exams, and those who were supposed to contract pets would have done so.

There would certainly be no shortage of applicants among the large crowd of new Beast Tamers.

With their parents, school teachers, and various friends and relatives acting as a built-in audience, the viewership wouldn't be low.

(End of Chapter)