97 Completely Ignoring Everything I Said

It must be said that Liu Zhengyang cared deeply for his daughter. Early in the morning, even before the students arrived at school, he was already there. Principal Qin also came early, and the two of them closed the door for a lengthy conversation.

In terms of rank, Liu Zhengyang was quite formidable. In terms of authority, he was even more so, serving as a senior official in a crucial national department. Not to mention a principal—even mayors of provincial capitals, who are deputy ministerial-level leaders, would smile and speak politely upon meeting him.

Because of this, Liu Zhengyang returned discreetly and sought out his daughter quietly. No one dared to disturb or alarm anyone, fearing the situation might escalate.

But with his status and aura, Principal Qin recognized at once that this was no ordinary person. A brief conversation confirmed that he was indeed a top-tier heavyweight.

Liu Zhengyang made no effort to hide his identity, stating it plainly and explaining his purpose. He also shared with the principal the conversation he had had with his daughter.

He was straightforward in his approach. Rather than beating around the bush, he used his authority directly. He didn’t ask the school to treat his daughter especially well, only to be able to receive timely information about her.

Understanding his intention, Principal Qin didn’t immediately agree but said he needed to consult with the homeroom teacher, Zhang Pa.

Liu Zhengyang replied, “Consultation is necessary. I also want to talk to him about my daughter’s situation.”

Thus, when Zhang Pa entered the classroom, some students said the principal was looking for him.

Upon entering the principal’s office, Zhang Pa shook hands with Liu Zhengyang and sat down to talk.

Some people carry an unspoken official aura—one immediately recognizable as a government official, like Liu Zhengyang.

Liu Zhengyang remained unsmiling, calmly stating his thoughts. Zhang Pa responded, “If it were up to me, I wouldn’t agree, but this isn’t my decision to make,” implying he was prepared to compromise.

Liu Zhengyang finally smiled slightly. “Alright, so it’s settled then?” he asked Principal Qin.

The principal considered and said, “That’s fine.”

Liu Zhengyang thanked them and asked, “May I call my daughter in?”

“Of course,” they replied. Liu Zhengyang made a call, and soon Liu Yue entered the room.

Liu Zhengyang said to Liu Yue, “As we discussed, I’m transferring you to the same class as Sheng Yang, but if you skip class without a valid reason even once, I will take you away immediately. Is that clear?”

Liu Yue nodded.

Liu Zhengyang said, “I want to hear you say it yourself.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Liu Yue loudly declared, “Once I transfer to this school, I promise to attend every day. If I ever skip a class without a reason, whatever you say goes.”

Liu Zhengyang nodded. “Very good. This is a gentleman’s agreement; I trust your word. Also, you need to pass your exams. I won’t demand perfection from the start, just a passing grade by the final exam. Is that okay?”

Liu Yue said it was fine.

Liu Zhengyang nodded again. “Good. I’ll be relying on you, Zhang Pa.”

Zhang Pa said, “It will be troublesome, but I’m a teacher and get paid for this; I have no choice.”

Liu Zhengyang smiled. “As agreed, if Liu Yue skips class, please notify me immediately. Here’s my number.” He handed over a business card.

Zhang Pa took it. “Understood.”

“Thank you,” Liu Zhengyang said, standing to leave. With such presence, he clearly took command of the situation.

Zhang Pa stood as well. “It’s my duty.” Turning to Liu Yue, he said, “Let’s go.”

Liu Yue said to Liu Zhengyang, “Dad, I’m leaving now.”

Liu Zhengyang nodded. Zhang Pa led Liu Yue out. From then on, Class 18 grew to forty-six students.

Back at the classroom door, Zhang Pa called out Luo Chengcai and Sheng Yang for a private meeting with the three of them.

“We agreed that starting today, you must come to school every day. No being late or leaving early without reason. That’s not too much to ask, right?”

“Not too much,” Luo Chengcai replied.

Zhang Pa said, “This is your own commitment. If you can’t even do this, it’s embarrassing. Remember, you’re men—what you say is a nail driven in. Speak with your word and follow through.”

“Got it,” Luo Chengcai answered.

Zhang Pa looked at Sheng Yang. “What about you? What do you think?”

Sheng Yang responded, “Whatever Luo Chengcai says, I’ll say the same. Don’t worry, I won’t undermine him.”

Zhang Pa said, “Good. Back to class.”

Once back in the classroom, Zhang Pa said, “Liu Yue, sit in the last row. Luo Chengcai and Sheng Yang, you two sit in front of her. The others in the front need to switch seats.”

Yu Yuan, sitting in one of those spots, stood up. “Boss, switching seats is fine, but there’s no desk there.”

“Go move one,” Zhang Pa said. “Last time you ate a whole bowl of barbecue by yourself. How could you be so shameless? Next time, bring your own meat to the gathering.”

Yu Yuan quickly said, “I’ll move a desk now. About the meat, we can talk about that later.”

After moving a new desk, forty-six students were seated in the classroom. Zhang Pa felt satisfied and cleared his throat.

“I’m very happy right now. I feel a little accomplished. Everyone is here—forty-six students in Class 18. Remember this number. I like this number and hope you do too. More importantly, I hope that many years from now, you will fondly remember this number and every student within it.”

He paused and asked, “Should we applaud for that?”

The students laughed and clapped.

Zhang Pa continued, “If you guarantee full attendance on the Saturday a week before the midterm exams, we’ll have another barbecue.”

“No problem!” the students shouted.

Zhang Pa thought for a moment and added, “One more thing, the usual nonsense. No matter who looks down on whom in the classroom, once outside, remember you’re all from Class 18. There are no cowards here. You must stick together.”

In reality, this was meaningless. Zhang Pa wanted to foster a sense of collective pride, but at this stage, it was just empty words. Unless he led them every time there was a fight, this group was more scattered than loose sand.

After finishing his speech, the subject teachers began their classes, and Zhang Pa returned to his office.

Ruo Shengnan, beautifully dressed, sat at her desk. Seeing Zhang Pa enter, she smiled. “You must have thought I was ridiculous yesterday.”

Zhang Pa said, “Not at all. It was quite nice, even romantic.”

Ruo Shengnan chuckled. “I didn’t expect him to come to school to propose.”

Looking at her delicate face, with joy evident in her expression, Zhang Pa said, “Congratulations. But don’t tell me when you get married—I can’t afford a wedding gift.”

Ruo Shengnan was momentarily stunned, then laughed. “You’re so funny.”

Zhang Pa laughed heartily. “That’s what I think too.”

Having spent a long time in the same office with Ruo Shengnan, this was the first time he felt uncomfortable sitting alone with a woman. After thinking, he said, “You get back to work. I’ll step out for a bit.”

He felt tempted to skip work and go home, but having a class soon, he wandered around the teaching building instead. After a short while, he reached the top floor and knocked on the principal’s office door.

“Come in,” the principal said. Seeing Zhang Pa, he asked, “Why are you here again?”

Zhang Pa said, “There’s only one girl in the whole class. Isn’t that a bit odd?”

“What’s odd about that? The Science and Engineering College is like this too,” the principal replied. “Anything else?”

“Yes,” Zhang Pa said, “Now that all the students are here and the workload isn’t too heavy, when are we visiting the juvenile detention center? Or should we just go to the prison?”

The principal thought for a moment and asked, “Did you pass on the instructions I gave you last time?”

“What instructions?” Zhang Pa had completely forgotten.

The principal sighed. “About the singing competition.”

“What singing competition? A talent show?” Zhang Pa had no recollection at all.

Principal Qin slammed the table. “With my temper, I really want to hit you.”

Zhang Pa cleared his throat. “Let’s just talk. No hitting.”

The principal said, “A singing competition for primary and secondary students, before the New Year.”

“Oh, I remember now,” Zhang Pa said. “Does the school plan to register?”

“The school will hold preliminary selections. If you find any promising students, send them up. If conditions are similar, I’ll try to have students from your class participate,” the principal explained.

Zhang Pa said, “Got it, thank you.”

The principal asked, “Anything else?”

“One more thing: should the class fee be collected from the students?”

“Are you going to collect class fees?” the principal asked.

“I’m just asking,” Zhang Pa said. “If it’s collected from students, then don’t. There’s nowhere to spend it anyway.”

The principal said, “If you can avoid collecting it, don’t. It’s unnecessary.”

“Unnecessary? How can it be unnecessary?” Zhang Pa asked.

The principal said, “If you think it’s necessary, then collect it.”

“So, do we collect it or not?” Zhang Pa pressed.

The principal looked at him. “Get out.”

Zhang Pa exclaimed, “But I still have things to say.”

The principal sneered. “Say them, let’s see what you still want.”

Zhang Pa said, “Well, get me two sets of excellent students’ notes—covering all subjects from first to third grade. I want to force these slackers to memorize them.”

The principal laughed. “How will you force them?”

Zhang Pa raised his fist. “One word: beat.”

The principal was pleased. “I support you. I’ll have them ready by Monday.”

“Deal,” Zhang Pa said. “I still have something else.”

Principal Qin looked at him. “Go on.”

Zhang Pa asked, “Will there be a spring outing this year?”

The principal said, “It’s autumn now, and you’re asking about spring outings?”

“Isn’t it spring after the New Year?” Zhang Pa asked. “Will there be one?”

The principal said, “Say what you want. Why are you wasting time in my office?”

Zhang Pa smiled. “I want to change offices.”

“Goodbye,” the principal said without looking at him, casually opening something to read.

“Boss, this is a serious matter.”

The principal said, “Please leave and close the door behind you.”

Zhang Pa said, “That’s no fun. I’ve done everything you asked. When I request something, you just dodge me. Business doesn’t work that way.”

The principal gave him a cold look. After a long pause, he said, “Change offices? Fine. The only condition is that Class 18’s average score must pass the final exam.” He smiled. “That’s not too much to ask, right? Not every single student has to pass, just the average. How about that?”

Zhang Pa said, “You’re making things difficult. You want a bunch of elementary students to pass junior high exams. How is that possible?”

“That’s your problem,” the principal said. “Get out. I don’t want to see you again before the end of the day.”

Zhang Pa sighed and left reluctantly, not wanting to return to his office but having nowhere else to go. He went to the playground to try the parallel bars, then switched to the horizontal bar, and soon discovered a major problem.