Chapter Twelve
Liu Ang was facing the biggest crisis of his working career.
He felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, as if thorns pricked his back, as if a fishbone was stuck in his throat.
After four days of deceitful maneuvering, diverting attention left and right, the truth could no longer be concealed.
Just an hour ago, the leader of the delegation finally noticed that something was amiss.
During the final group mingling activity with Yucai School, which by the rules required full attendance, there was consistently one empty seat on the Jiangning No.8 Middle School's side.
Initially, Worker Liu attempted to cover it up. However, after the leading teacher asked a few more times and noticed that Worker Liu's demeanor was increasingly off, the issue was scrutinized, and the cat was out of the bag!
A student was missing!
Then ensued a scene of utter chaos.
Worker Liu was now facing the student leader of the exchange group, Teacher Wu, a senior teacher from the school's academic affairs department.
However, the one who exerted the greatest pressure on Worker Liu was the head of the exchange group, the assistant to the school principal.
This assistant principal, surnamed Fang, was like most leaders of this era, with a swept-back hairdo and a jacket, speaking in a forceful and imposing manner. Moreover, in the bureaucratic administrative system, the role of an assistant principal is essentially equivalent to that of a vice principal. This Mr. Fang, the assistant principal, was respectfully addressed as Principal Fang by everyone at school—this was the protocol.
Principal Fang was in the prime of his life. He had been sent from the education bureau to assume his position at the school and was likely to leave after its transition from public to private. This would be a successful stint, securing a nice feather in his cap.
But all of this was on the condition that... nothing went wrong.
So, it goes without saying how furious Principal Fang was at this very moment!
He glared at Worker Liu in front of him, practically ready to eat him alive.
In an exchange group, if a student went missing, who would bear the brunt of the responsibility? Was it this Worker Liu? Of course not; he was just a worker dispatched by the education group's proprietor.
Regardless, Principal Fang was the nominal leader of the exchange group, and if anything went wrong, he would be the first to be held accountable.
If there were a hitch, all his aspirations for career enhancements and performance credits would vanish like a mirage. Severe punishment and pressure from all sides would inevitably follow...
Practically losing his composure, Principal Fang berated Worker Liu for over ten minutes, then bellowed at all the teachers in the group to go out and search for the missing student.
How to search, where to search—those questions were left aside for the moment. The main concern was to hit the streets immediately to start the search!
Worker Liu still didn't dare to tell the truth.
How could he dare to admit that Chen Nuo had been away from the group for four days already? If he did, the responsibility would be enormous! If anything serious happened, it would mean admitting that he had concealed Chen Nuo's disappearance for a whole four days!
Of course, he didn't dare say that. So, when he was questioned before the issue came to light, in his panic, he still insisted that Chen Nuo had just slipped out to play today.
The leading teacher was initially just a bit angry, thinking Worker Liu's management was lax, and instructed him to call the student back immediately.
But two hours later, with no sign of Chen Nuo's return, the leading teacher became scared and reported directly to Principal Fang.
"He... he might have gone to a nearby internet cafe to play games. You know, boys of this age are very fond of playing," Worker Liu said, sweating profusely, attempting to downplay the situation with weak words. Perhaps he was just trying to comfort himself.
But soon, the teachers and students who had gone out to search returned.
Streets, arcades, internet cafes—they'd searched every place. Accompanied by the teachers from Yucai School, they'd scoured all nearby entertainment venues where a student might linger.
"Call the police!"
The one who spoke up was School belle Sun.
School belle Sun had already sensed that something was seriously wrong. She realized that she had not seen Chen Nuo for three or four days. The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed, and Worker Liu's reaction was too peculiar.
Unable to restrain herself, she suggested, "Teacher! A student has gone missing, and since we can't find him, let's call the police quickly!"
The leading teacher inwardly agreed with this proposal because she didn't want to take the blame either.
But at this moment, it was Principal Fang who hesitated, caught in a dilemma.
To call the police... that would possibly blow the situation out of proportion! Even if the missing person was found afterward, the accusations of mismanagement and the accidental loss of a student would firmly land on his own head. With not much time left in his term, causing such an incident would seriously detract from his placement at the school.
Principal Fang was tormented by uncertainty. He still clung to the hope that the incident could be suppressed. Ideally, they would find the person quietly without causing any issues. Then, he could severely punish those responsible and minimize the incident's impact within the exchange group.
Being young, School belle Sun did not understand these convoluted issues. Seeing that everyone was looking at Principal Fang but he remained silent, she couldn't help but express her anxiety, "Teacher! Chen Nuo is gone, what are you hesitating for? Call the police quickly!! What if something has happened to him?"
Principal Fang's breathing was rapid, and his eyes were filled with anxiety. Clenching his teeth, he glanced at the other teachers, suddenly felt a pang of guilt, and slightly turned his head away, whispering, "Let's search again! Just one more search! Um... Maybe, just maybe we missed somewhere, and one more search will find him..."
Upon hearing this, the students were naturally clueless. But as adults, the teachers, especially the quick responders, guessed that Principal Fang was now in a tight spot.
But this was even riskier.
If they found him, all would be well, but if another search turned up nothing... Wasting time, and if it resulted in any serious consequences...
No one spoke.
Insisting on calling the police now would be like putting Principal Fang in jeopardy. But if they didn't call and something went wrong... Although the main responsibility lay with Principal Fang and Worker Liu, the teachers, after all, had some conscience left.
Those with a stronger sense of justice began to feel repulsion toward Principal Fang's current attempt to cover things up.
"Maybe... does Chen Nuo have any relatives in the area? Could he have sneaked out..." Principal Fang muttered to himself, then his eyes lit up. "That's right! It's possible! Liu Ang, you've been living with him all the time. Did he ever mention having any relatives or friends here?"
"... I'm not quite sure," Worker Liu said, pale as clay.
"..." Principal Fang fiercely glared at Worker Liu. "What about his luggage?"
"It's, it's all in the room, I guess."
"Go and check! Maybe there's some contact information or an address book inside the luggage!"
Although the hope was slim, what Principal Fang suggested was still a possibility.
Principal Fang, followed by a group, charged upstairs to the room shared by Worker Liu and Chen Nuo.
Worker Liu took out the room card to open the door. Just as the door opened, they suddenly heard a clattering sound coming from the bathroom.
The bathroom door opened, and Chen Nuo walked out, drying his hair with a towel, wearing only boxer shorts.
He was dripping wet, looking like he'd just taken a shower.
"Eh?" The teenager saw the group of teachers crowded at the door and showed just the right amount of surprise and panic on his face before exclaiming sharply, turning around to run back into the bathroom.
But Principal Fang had already sprung into action like lightning and grabbed Chen Nuo by the arm!
"Stop right there! Chen Nuo?! You're Chen Nuo, right?!" he said, turning to the other teachers, especially staring down Worker Liu. "This is Chen Nuo, isn't it?"
Worker Liu felt Principal Fang's wolfish gaze, as if Principal Fang would tear him apart on the spot if his answer were negative.
"Yes, yes, he's Chen Nuo."
In an instant, Principal Fang came back to life.
The expressions on his face went from horror, to anxiety, to joy, and then to a kind of relief as if he had just survived a catastrophe.
He nearly shed tears.
Then... fury ensued!
"Chen Nuo! What the hell is this all about?!" Principal Fang roared furiously.
With a THUD, Worker Liu sat down on the ground, also coming back to reality.
If one were to describe Worker Liu's feelings at that moment, they were complex: He wanted to hug Chen Nuo's legs and cry out loud, yet also wanted to kill the bastard with a single chop!
"Chen Nuo!!! Where the hell did you go?!" Worker Liu bellowed, rushing forward to grab Chen Nuo's shoulders. His force was so great it even pushed Principal Fang aside.
"Uh..." Chen Nuo looked at Worker Liu, then at the teachers at the door, then at Principal Fang, and finally at School Belle Sun, who was standing behind the teachers, looking at him with a sense of relief.
"Well, I went to an internet cafe to play some games..."
"Dammit!" Principal Fang shouted. "No organization! No discipline! This is sheer nonsense!! Do you have any sense of organization or discipline at all?!"
As Principal Fang released his breath, he began to vent his anger.
Chen Nuo immediately straightened up, bowed his head, and put on a face of obediently accepting the lecture, but from the corner of his eyes, he sneakily glanced at School Belle Sun.
Mhm, the young girl was also gnashing her teeth and glaring at him, even snorting softly.
However, in School Belle Sun's eyes, there was more relief from a false alarm.
Principal Fang was apparently really scared and fiercely scolded Chen Nuo for quite a while.
All those punishments and inspections... just typical intimidating talk. Chen Nuo simply accepted them with a smile.
After the storm had subsided and everyone dispersed, Worker Liu still looked at Chen Nuo with a resentful gaze.
"I've really been screwed over by you this time!" Worker Liu gritted his teeth angrily.
He couldn't avoid some fallout.
To appease him, Chen Nuo took out his phone in front of him and deleted the recording from earlier.
"Old Liu, how about we live in peace from now on? You can trust me, I always keep my word!"
「That evening」
Chen Nuo knocked on School belle Sun's door. The girl who opened it had a face as round as the full moon and looked at Chen Nuo outside the door with caution.
"Eh? Chen Nuo? What do you want?"
"Where's Sun Keke?"
"She's taking a shower... are you looking for her?" The plump classmate's eyes immediately lit up with the telltale fire of Bagua.
Chen Nuo peeked over the plump girl's shoulder into the room, faintly hearing the sound of water splashing from inside.
"Tell her, I'll be waiting for her on the rooftop terrace."
Having said that, Chen Nuo turned and left.
When School belle Sun came to the terrace, she was wrapped in a down jacket and had a hat on her head. Her little face was flushed, unsure whether from shyness or the steam from her hot shower.
Pushing open the door to the terrace, School belle Sun saw the boy's silhouette.
Just as she hesitated, feeling shy and unsure how to start a conversation...
Chen Nuo turned around and smiled at her, his lips curving up. "Look, it's snowing."
In the night sky, sparse snowflakes were floating down.
Sun Keke walked up next to Chen Nuo, copying him by reaching out to catch snowflakes. After trying for a while, she felt the action was somewhat silly. Jinling wasn't exactly a place without snow.
There was a soft clink, and Chen Nuo passed her an opened can of soda and a bucket of chips.
School belle Sun hesitated for a moment. "… It'll make me fat."
The boy's annoying gaze drifted over, and this time School belle Sun was certain it landed somewhere below her neck.
"It's good to be a bit chubby, being a bit chubby is good."
She really wanted to kick him, but for some reason she held back. Blushing, she daintily picked up a chip with two fingers and took a bite.
So crunchy.
She then took a small sip of soda.
... So sweet.
"You know, I'm in a particularly good mood today," Chen Nuo said, squinting and smiling.
"Mhm, why is that?"
"Maybe because I did something I've wanted to do for a long time," Chen Nuo said, looking up at the falling snow in the sky, heaving a light sigh.
School belle Sun's heartbeat began to accelerate suddenly.
The girl turned her head, looking at Chen Nuo beside her, at his profile.
"I've always heard people say that life is full of regrets; that's what makes life beautiful yet complex," the boy said softly, then suddenly changed his tone. His next words became reckless. He raised his hands to the sky, shouted loudly, "To hell with regrets! In the vastness of life and the world, it passes like a swift steed, sudden and brief."
His laughter became more unbridled. "Life is like a white horse... I'll be my own whip master!"
The girl beside him looked on, slightly dazed, at Chen Nuo.
School belle Sun felt, although she didn't quite understand the meaning behind Chen Nuo's words, at that moment...
He looked so cool!
School belle Sun's girlish heart gradually melted.
But the next moment, the handsome young man also turned his head, squinting and smiling at School belle Sun with a somewhat sneaky look.
"Keke, can you do me a favor?"
"Um... Sure," the girl said with a flustered look, barely able to catch her breath.
Heart rate a hundred and eighty, or what?
He... He, he wouldn't be about to make an indecent request, would he?
At most, at most I could let him hold my hand, but kissing is definitely not okay!
Ah... If it really has to be a kiss, um... I can reluctantly accept on my cheek, but definitely not on the lips...
"Uhm... Do you know how to write a self-critique? Would you write one for me?"
Okay... This guy suddenly became unattractive again!!
"... I have let down the school and my teachers' guidance and trust! I deeply realize that such disorganized and undisciplined actions have also brought a disgraceful impact on this collective activity! Here, I request permission to make a profound self-criticism! In my future studies and life, I will definitely reform myself..."
Well, the handwriting is a bit sloppy; Chen Nuo struggled to read it.
School belle Sun looks so pretty, but this handwriting... Hm.
Chen Nuo stood at the front of the meeting room, reading it out methodically in front of all the teachers and students of the exchange group.
Then the leader of the exchange group, Principal Fang, said a few grand-sounding words, and the matter was considered over.
What else could they do? They couldn't just expel him or sentence him to life imprisonment, could they?
Of course, they chose to forgive him...
A certain girl sitting in the audience rolled her eyes helplessly.
The snowstorm traveled from the north to the south, and a cold front swept through most of Huaxia Country.
When the exchange group arrived back in Jinling, Jinling City was already amidst a heavy snowfall.
The next morning when it was time for school, many students were already dressed in thick winter clothes, having snowball fights on the playground. The first class of the morning was with the homeroom teacher, who also taught politics.
Chen Nuo sat in the classroom, feeling utterly bored, and simply laid his head down on the desk to nap.
With the ringing of the class bell, the teacher walked into the classroom. The napping Chen Nuo sensed the sudden quiet around him. Many students even gasped!
"Classmates, I have an announcement..."
Huh? That voice sounds very familiar.
Chen Nuo lifted his head and saw Old Sun's square-jawed face appear behind the lectern.
Damn!
"... Your homeroom teacher, Mr. Wu, injured his leg last night because of the snow, so for the next while, I'll be taking over your politics class and also acting as your homeroom teacher." Old Sun had a high reputation among the students, and the classroom fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.
SMACK!
Old Sun placed a stack of papers on the lectern and said slowly, "We'll start with a pop quiz now to get a grasp of your study progress. Class representative, come up here and distribute the papers. There'll be a test for the next two periods, and everyone needs to do their best—those who fail will stay after school and shovel snow on the playground!"
A collective groan.
Hm? Chen Nuo noticed something. Why did he feel like Old Sun was targeting him when he said that last sentence?
Stay behind after school to shovel snow on the playground... Why were Old Sun's eyes fixed on him while saying that?
[Happy New Year, everyone! Let's hope that in 2021, all the gloominess of 2020 will be swept away!
Can I get a recommendation ticket as a New Year red envelope, deal?]