Chapter 8: Ninth Grade Class Teacher, Feng Ying

Feng Ying was stunned to see Zhang Wanyuan readily hand over her test papers to that male classmate. "Wanyuan, have you had a change of heart? Didn't you used to hate it when people copied your homework? Or is it that you prefer boys over your friends? You wouldn't even give me your papers before!"

Feng Ying stared at Zhang Wanyuan accusingly, leaving the latter between laughter and tears. "It's not that—I just don't want the hassle! Do you really think if I said no, they wouldn't just go to the group leader and get them anyway? The result would be the same!"

Feng Ying choked on her words. Thinking about it, she realized it was true; those people were shameless to the point of no return, and their skin was thicker than city walls. Even if rejected, they wouldn't take the hint and would continue to do as they pleased. If they couldn't copy one way, they’d find another; they could always surpass one's imagination.

After this small interlude, the area around Zhang Wanyuan fell silent. Of course, it wasn't because the classmates had become well-behaved, but because eight test papers were enough to work them to death. If they didn't put in the effort now, their homeroom teacher would surely peel a layer of skin off them. Those currently scribbling away were just breezing through the liberal arts papers, writing anything down as long as it looked like it contained content.

With those people no longer making a ruckus, Zhang Wanyuan found some peace and returned to reciting her textbook. Not long after, the homeroom teacher walked in, her heels clicking rhythmically against the floor.

The homeroom teacher was a woman under thirty who had just gotten married. She had a good figure, average looks, and wore a pair of thick glasses perched on her nose. Her sharp gaze swept across the room, making everyone feel as though they had nowhere to hide, as if no secret could be kept from her. Those who had been frantically copying papers quickly shoved them into their desks and began their clandestine work under the table.

"Ahem." The homeroom teacher cleared her throat. Not bothering to deal with the students who weren't studying, she glanced toward the ceiling and said with a mix of arrogance and severity, "There are only three months left until the high school entrance exam. Nine years of compulsory education can only protect you for these last three months. If you don't work hard, you'll be out in society after the exam. What can you do at your age? Go to a construction site to move bricks or become someone's apprentice? I've already told you how hard society is; I won't repeat those clichés today. Just remember, studying and taking exams is for your own sake; it has nothing to do with the teachers. In three months, we will go our separate ways. Whether you do well or poorly in the future has nothing to do with me. Why do I go to such lengths to urge you to study? It’s because I hope you can walk a bright path!"

*Bang!* The homeroom teacher slammed her teaching materials onto the podium. Her sharp eyes locked onto the boy sitting next to Zhang Wanyuan, who was still head-down, frantically copying without a shred of awareness.

Zhang Wanyuan really wanted to cover her face.

The homeroom teacher roared, "Ding Juncai! What are you doing? Hand over what's in your desk! You don't study all day, acting like some little hoodlum. Tell me, what kind of future will you have? You're wasting the name your parents gave you!"

"Pfft!" The whole class couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Zhang Wanyuan thought the homeroom teacher was a bit sharp-tongued, yet strangely humorous. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly. Beside her, Feng Ying was already laughing so hard she was slumped over her desk. Afraid to be too brazen with the teacher present, she laughed for a moment before sitting up straight, resuming the posture of a good student.

Once the classroom was quiet, the homeroom teacher continued, "I don't care what you're like usually, but for these three months, you’d better keep your act together. If anyone drags the class average down in the city mock exams, I’ll break their legs!"

Although it was a joke, the students couldn't help but feel their hearts skip a beat. The "witch" of a homeroom teacher wouldn't actually hit them, but giving them extra papers or keeping them after school was more than enough to make them suffer.

After the digressions, the homeroom teacher had the class monitor organize morning reading and randomly picked a few troublemakers to recite. Unsurprisingly, the worst of them couldn't even recite a single ancient poem clearly, and the better ones were stuttering and stumbling, not familiar with the material at all. The homeroom teacher was nearly driven to a fit of rage. As a result, during the first period on Monday, their class became a beautiful sight in the hallway: a group of non-mainstream teenagers with hair styled in mousse stood outside, holding textbooks and chanting, looking bizarre no matter how you looked at them.

The homeroom teacher would occasionally glance outside while explaining the test papers, finding it an eyesore. Unable to hold back her anger, she roared, "If I see your hair standing straight up like that again, I’ll bring a basin of hot water and pour it over you!"

The good students burst into laughter again, while the boys remaining in the classroom who also had mousse in their hair wished they could crawl under their desks, worried the teacher might lose her temper and make an example of them.

When the bell rang, the noisy first period finally came to an end.

Feng Ying let out a sigh of relief, collapsing limply. She complained to Zhang Wanyuan, "Why does it feel like the teacher ate gunpowder today? She had a dead-pan face the moment she walked in and didn't smile once the whole period. What a terrifying menopausal woman!"

Zhang Wanyuan was about to speak, but hearing movement on the other side, she instinctively turned her head. She saw Ding Juncai rushing back from the hallway like a gust of wind, immediately returning to his blatant, frantic copying. He looked like he was about to cry. "Who the hell assigned so much homework? Are they trying to kill us? What am I supposed to do if I can't finish copying it all?"

Seeing his miserable state, Feng Ying’s spirits lifted. With a look of schadenfreude, she teased Ding Juncai for a moment before turning to Zhang Wanyuan with a serious expression. "My parents know the leaders at Yucai Middle School. As long as I reach their internal cutoff score, I can get in. Wanyuan, your grades are so good, it shouldn't be a problem for you. Once we both get into Yucai, we can be together again."

Feng Ying’s vision was beautiful, but Zhang Wanyuan knew the reality was not so. In her past life, they both got into Yucai Middle School, but they weren't placed in the same class. Because Feng Ying’s family knew the school leadership, her parents got her into a class for the children of the wealthy and politically connected. She found new friends. In their freshman year, they could still meet up to talk every now and then, but by their sophomore year, the academic workload was so heavy they rarely saw each other. A young girl's friendship is pure but fragile; it couldn't withstand too many tests, especially the erosion of time. By their senior year, they had almost no interaction, only greeting each other if they happened to pass on the road.

Moreover, Feng Ying entered a circle that Zhang Wanyuan couldn't reach. She became prone to comparison, had her own little schemes, and associated only with the wealthy, naturally drifting away from a friend with an ordinary background like her.

However, since they had already agreed to go to Yucai Middle School together, Zhang Wanyuan hesitated for a moment before nodding. In her heart, however, she had already made her decision: she would not go to Yucai Middle School. But she wouldn't go back on her word in front of Feng Ying. Children at this age were immature, and their worldview was black and white; they wouldn't care about her reasons, only that she had promised and then changed her mind at the last minute. A rift would inevitably appear in their friendship. Adhering to the principle that "less trouble is better than more," Zhang Wanyuan remained silent.

(End of chapter)