Chapter 251: Chapter 244: I’m not going
“Study well,” said Teacher Jin to the three children, her heart aching. From now on, they would not be her students, but even so, she wanted them to perform well in their exams and attend good schools.
“Teacher, we have to go back. Class is about to start,” Tang Yuxin glanced at her watch. They’d already missed one lesson while here and didn’t want to miss the next. For them, each high school class was incredibly important, especially for her.
“Go then,” Teacher Jin managed a bitter smile, holding back her tears. But after the students had left, she could not help crying.
Her students, her excellent students, had they been stolen away from her?
How could she not be sad? How could she not feel terrible? Her whole day was gloomy. Other teachers were congratulating her on her class’s performance because the students at the top, Tang Yuxin and her group, had significantly boosted the overall class’s score, their total score unexpectedly placing them second in the grade.
This was the great achievement that a lower-ranking class could attain — something everyone should take note of. They could no longer casually compare with their performance from the past; they now had a formidable competitor on their hands.
Upon hearing the news, Teacher Jin managed a pained smile, lowered her head, and remained silent.
Teacher Song put down her pen, stood up and prepared to go to her class to see the new students.
However, when she arrived, the students weren’t there, and the seats left for them remained vacant.
“Where are they?” Teacher Song asked the class monitor.
The monitor knew what she meant. Teacher Song had mentioned that new students would be joining them today. But they had been waiting for a long time, and still, no one had shown up.
“Teacher, no one came.”
The moment Teacher Song heard that no one had come, she felt a rush of discomfort in her heart, as if she had swallowed a dead fly: revolting and impossible to spit out or swallow down.
Turning around, she stomped forcefully on the floor, the sound of her heels grating against the tile irritatingly loud.
She then went to Class 1, standing outside the glass window, only to see Tang Yuxin and her group still seated together, actively engaged in self-study. Occasionally, they would discuss things amongst themselves, and the other students paid attention to what they were saying.
The study atmosphere in Class 1 was completely different from their own. In Class 5, everyone was studying on their own, fearing others would steal their time and disrupt their learning. Embodied in classrooms like Class 1 were the best students who would eventually be ruined by the worst ones.
She tightly pursed her lips, her teeth throbbing. She then marched to the Principal’s office, wanting to know what he had said to these students. Didn’t she make it clear that they were to report to Class 5 as soon as possible? Were they still treating her words like air?
“Principal, did you tell them to come to my class immediately?” What difference does it make if it’s today or tomorrow?
“I did,” the Principal said, casually preparing tea for himself, not even raising his eyes.
“Then why…?” Teacher Song was getting irritated. “Why are they still in Class 1?”
“They refused to go to your class,” the Principal lifted his face helplessly. “If I make them, they threatened to transfer to another school. You should know that such good students would be welcomed by any school. Although our school, Qing’an Fifth High, has a long history and advanced teaching facilities, it’s not the only school in Qing’an. There’s also the Second and Fourth High… I’m not ready to give these students away for free.”
Right, that’s exactly what he thought. As long as they don’t transfer to another school, they can go to any class they want.
“Principal, with the atmosphere in Class 1, can they perform well?”
Teacher Song’s voice pierced like a needle.
“But didn’t they achieve the top result in their grade while being part of Class 1?” The Principal said nonchalantly.
“That’s just a fluke,” Refusing to admit it, Teacher Song remained firm on her stance. She did not believe that such good students could emerge from such a class, even with the first rank; it must be luck, which wouldn’t favor them forever.
“Let’s see if it’s a fluke at the end of the term then?”
The Principal chuckled, a glint of confidence in his eyes. Students who consistently perform well couldn’t just start failing, he believed that Tang Yuxin and her group wouldn’t disappoint him, either mid-term or at the end.
The cream of the crop, they keep getting more impressive.
Teacher Jin sighed, she slowly climbed the stairs, her hand on the doorknob to her classroom. She felt afraid to enter, scared of seeing the disappointment in her students’ eyes.
She was afraid of disappointing them, of causing them pain.
She, indeed, felt like a worthless teacher.
The classroom door gently opened. It wasn’t her doing, but it opened regardless. At that moment, she thought to leave, her feet almost took her away, but then she stopped. She will eventually have to come back and face it all, provide the explanations.
She sighed again and mustered up the courage to step inside.
As she lifted her gaze, she saw that there were still people in Tang Yuxin’s seats.
Tang Yuxin lifted her face, tilted her head curiously. Then, she reached up, touched her hair, straightened her clothes. Had her clothes become dirty? Was there dirt on her face?
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Teacher Jin hurriedly said. The sourness in her nose was already reaching the corner of her eyes.
She quickly turned away, wiping her tears discreetly.
They… they hadn’t left?
Would that mean they’re not leaving in the future either?
She dared not entertain such thoughts, out of fear that what’s good in her mind would turn out bad in reality.
The next day, she arrived early. Tang Yuxin and the others were still there; they were the earliest to arrive and the last to leave. Their study methods were special and diligent, and now it wasn’t just them; other students also started coming in early. They sat quietly nearby, from time to time listening and carefully noting down what Tang Yuxin and her group discussed.