Under the curious gazes of his classmates, Lin Wan set down his backpack and walked toward Mr. Li, who had a dark expression.
The Chinese teacher, clearly aware of some news, stood at the podium with a worried look as she watched Lin Wan approach.
As they walked a short distance, Mr. Li hesitated, then finally spoke.
“Lin Wan, can you tell me how you managed to achieve such results this time?”
“Hmm? Results? Are you talking about the recent monthly exam scores?”
Upon hearing this, Lin Wan, thinking Mr. Li was going to scold him for being late, breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.
"I found a tutor, and the tutor helped me review all the knowledge points from the beginning, so I should do pretty well in this month's exam."
"So, you're saying that your results in this month's exam are your own doing?"
Hearing Lin Wan's explanation, Old Li let out a sudden sigh of relief, and the expression on his face relaxed immediately.
"Of course they are my own results! How could anyone else take the exam for me?"
Upon hearing Old Li's question, Lin Wan felt a bit strange. He frowned and said, "That's good, that's good."
Old Li mumbled a couple of sentences, then explained to Lin Wan with an angry face, "Some teachers suspect that your scores are the result of cheating, and now it has escalated to the grade director. The director wants you to go and prove your results; otherwise, they’ll nullify your scores and give you a major demerit."
What Old Li didn’t mention was that this was already the result after he had argued vigorously.
According to Teacher Zhao's opinion, he intended to revoke the need for proof without a second thought and directly wipe Lin Wan's scores clean, along with a punishment.
The grade director always had a poor attitude toward students with low performance. Coupled with Teacher Zhao stirring the pot, if Old Li hadn't been pounding the table in the grade director’s office and arguing for an entire study period, Lin Wan's punishment would have been hastily approved.
Seeing Lin Wan’s suddenly furrowed brows, Old Li assumed he was scared and patted his shoulder, reassuring him, "Don’t be afraid. You don’t need to worry; there are teachers here. As long as your results are your own, they can't do anything to you."
Looking at this fierce-looking teacher, whose eyes still showed concern for him, Lin Wan smiled and nodded, indicating that he wasn’t worried.
They were approaching the grade director's office. Lin Wan glanced at the luxurious and spacious office, his eyes flashing with a cold light.
Suppressing his inner thoughts, Lin Wan obediently followed Old Li into the office.
As soon as they stepped inside, a refreshing cool breeze greeted them.
Looking at the two latest model standing air conditioners in the office, Lin Wan couldn't help but smirk coldly.
Only the key classes at the First High School had air conditioning in their classrooms.
In ordinary classrooms, with many students and tightly arranged seats, there were only two creaky old ceiling fans that couldn't possibly withstand the increasingly scorching weather.
Although the teachers’ office was equipped with air conditioning, with seven or eight teachers sharing one outdated standing unit, it was either too cold or too hot, often resulting in teachers catching colds.
In contrast, the grade director's office had a stable power supply that was "unpredictable and needed pressure relief." The two standing air conditioners, a microwave, and a large television made the place comfortable, not to mention the water cooler and computer setup.
Even the water dispensers on every floor experienced unstable power supply, yet here it ran smoothly, maintaining a comfortable working environment for the grade director.
While Lin Wan frowned at the office’s layout, Teacher Zhao looked at him with disdain and sneered, ready to convict him directly.
"Lin Wan, the school has repeatedly told you to take exams honestly and not to cheat, yet you still dare to break the rules! Your character as a student is questionable! You don’t deserve to be a student at First High!"
"Your little actions have been discovered by your classmates. If you listen to the teacher's advice and admit your wrongdoing now, you might receive a lighter punishment. But if you stubbornly refuse to admit it, you’ll end up with a major demerit, which will be recorded in your file for a lifetime. You'll regret it later!"
As soon as Lin Wan entered the office, Teacher Zhao attempted to intimidate him with a mix of persuasion and threats, hoping to break Lin Wan’s psychological defenses and get him to admit to the accusations.
After all, what student isn't afraid of punishment?
Teacher Zhao looked down on Lin Wan with an air of superiority, waiting for his panicked response.
"Who said I cheated? I didn’t cheat. Since you claim that I cheated, please provide evidence."
Lin Wan looked up at him coldly and said, "Otherwise, isn't that just slander? As a teacher, you should not slander a student without any evidence. Someone like you doesn’t deserve to be a teacher at First High!"
"What did you say? How dare you! Is this how you should address a teacher?!"
Unexpectedly being mocked and confronted by Lin Wan, Teacher Zhao was momentarily stunned, and a surge of endless anger welled up in him.
"Okay, okay, you're really something!"
Pointing a finger at Lin Wan, Teacher Zhao said with a cold smile, "If you're so capable, why are you even attending First High? Starting tomorrow, you won't need to come back! Lin Wan, I’m telling you, you’re expelled!"
"Nonsense! Zhao Kang, I think you’re out of your mind!"
Old Li, a straightforward teacher who had been teaching for most of his life, had never seen such behavior. At first, he was dumbfounded by Teacher Zhao’s arrogance.
Once he regained his senses, Old Li slammed his hand on the table, making a loud noise, filled with indignation.
"On what grounds do you accuse Lin Wan of cheating? On what grounds do you expel him?! Zhao Kang, you’re just an ordinary teacher! What right do you have to do this? Who gave you that authority?!"
Seeing the two arguing fiercely, the grade director hurriedly came out to mediate.
"Hey, no need to shout! We're all colleagues here; there's no need to get worked up over such a trivial matter, right?"
Patting his round belly, the grade director smiled and said, "It's just a matter of a student cheating on an exam. Young people are still naive and don’t understand; we should give them a little chance. I think expulsion might be a bit excessive; recording a major demerit would serve as a warning, what do you think, Teacher Zhao?"
Old Li understood the grade director. There were three grade directors in total, and only he had a luxurious office of his own.
Clearly, he is a teacher but he did nothing all day. Every day at work was just about drinking tea, sleeping, and playing games. He had managed to get by like this without being dismissed, relying solely on his ability to flatter and play up to those in power.
Seeing him give Zhao Kang so much face, Old Li inwardly thought this was bad.
Zhao Kang probably had some connections. With his petty nature, this situation was likely to be difficult to handle...
Just as Old Li was worrying to himself, Lin Wan, who was standing next to him, frowned and spoke up.
"I'll say it again: I did not cheat. If you say I cheated, then you need to provide evidence. Otherwise, you have no right to impose any punishment on me."
Lin Wan lifted his eyelids and cast a cool glance at Zhao Kang.
"Whether it's a reprimand or expulsion, you have no right."
Meeting Zhao Kang's eyes, which were burning with rage, Lin Wan's tone was laced with mockery as he repeated the question Old Li had asked earlier.
"Teacher Zhao, on what grounds?"
What grounds do you have to be a teacher?
What grounds do you have to act so arbitrarily?
"Hah, what grounds? You dare to ask me what grounds?"
Under Lin Wan's scornful gaze, Zhao Kang's anger erupted into a fierce storm that obliterated his rationality, scorching his very soul.
In his life, which had always gone smoothly, Zhao Kang had never been so openly defied and mocked, especially not by a poor boy whose parents had died early and who was living with relatives.
Anger clouded his judgment, and Zhao Kang slammed the table with force, his sharp, high-pitched voice echoing through the office, filled with pride.
"Weren't you asking me what grounds I have? Then let me tell you now! It's because I have an uncle who is the director of the city education bureau!"
Seeing Lin Wan remain indifferent even after discovering his background, Zhao Kang couldn't help but twist his face in frustration and said,
"Heh, do you believe that I can not only make it so you can't attend school, but also that you can't take the college entrance exam? Lin Wan, now it's my turn to ask you, on what grounds do you dare to be so arrogant in front of me?"
"Hey, calm down, calm down. Getting too angry is bad for your health."
Old Li, who had always known Zhao Kang's background was not simple, was surprised to find it even more complicated. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced sideways.
Seeing Zhao Kang venting his anger and saying harsh words, he quickly forced a smile and handed his teacup toward Zhao Kang, clearly trying to appease him.
"Why should Teacher Zhao get so angry over a cheating student? Here, drink some tea. This tea is the finest Longjing I made fresh today, and I haven't even had a sip yet! Just in time for you, Teacher Zhao. Good tea for a hero, it's fate!"
After saying this, he glanced at Lin Wan and Old Li, his expression full of disdain.
"This kind of clueless student isn't worth your effort. Just leave it to me! You sit back and relax. After I deal with this student, we can chat more. I have long admired your uncle!"
Seeing the head teacher so eager to please, Zhao Kang's anger finally eased a bit.
He gave a half-smile and said sarcastically, "Then it depends on your performance."
Lin Wan watched the performance of the two before him with a cold gaze, unfazed.
He recalled the text message he received earlier that morning while hurrying along the road, and his heart felt as calm as still water, even wanting to laugh a little.
Stretching out his long, fair fingers, Lin Wan pinched them twice, looking at the two with a teasing glint in his eyes.
Isn’t this just perfect? He thought to himself leisurely.
"Oh? You want to expel me? Without any evidence and with no mistakes on my part, you want to expel me?" Raising an eyebrow, Lin Wan calmly asked again.
"That's right! Expel you! A rat like you definitely can't be allowed to continue causing trouble at the first high school!" The head teacher said loudly, slapping the table.
Just then, the office door was pushed open.
The principal stepped in first, looking pleased as he quickly walked in.
Noticing the tense atmosphere in the office, he paused briefly in confusion, then shrugged it off, cheerfully instructing the head teacher.
"Quick, hurry and tidy up, get ready! We have a distinguished guest coming!"
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