Chapter 369: Ten Years to Cultivate a Person, a Hundred Years to Cultivate a School

"A century-old school, and now the grand occasion of the Martial Arts Joint Examination,"

he sighed, his voice carrying an indescribable heaviness,

"Whether our No. 8 Middle School can rise further depends on these few days. At this moment of great honor, I believe every good student of our school will be willing to bring glory to the school."

The homeroom teacher remained silent.

He had a different opinion in his heart, feeling that a truly good student would never cause trouble at such a time.

But he did not voice any objection, merely lowering his head silently, his eyes flickering.

Cheers from outside drifted in faintly; the live broadcast light screen of the Martial Arts League hovered in midair. At the moment the referee announced victory, excited students sprayed dazzling fireworks toward the sky.

The Jiaoyu Director watched the fireworks and said faintly:

"Only when the joint examination concludes perfectly will the fireworks be truly brilliant. By then, how many people will still remember a few missing duds?"

The Jiaoyu Director withdrew his gaze and looked back at the homeroom teacher, his eyes becoming deep and dark.

"I remember you've been at our school for several years now,"

he said slowly, his voice carrying a kind of temptation,

"By seniority and merit, you're qualified for a promotion and rating adjustment. At the end of this year, our school can submit a list of excellent teachers to the Executive Government, and I can mention your citizen grade and related benefits."

I will apply to the Principal at that time to add your name to the list."

The homeroom teacher's heart leaped, and a surge of uncontrollable excitement rose within him.

All these years at the school, he had worked diligently, taught and nurtured students, sending off one class after another—wasn't this exactly what he had been aiming for?

Unexpectedly, while the students were alive, he could not achieve his wish; but now that the students were dead—oh no, missing—it instead helped him achieve it.

In an instant, he felt as if struck by enlightenment, and his mind suddenly opened up:

"I was too narrow-minded before. A student who causes trouble at a critical moment isn't necessarily not a good student; on the contrary, they might be an even better good student."

He suppressed the excitement in his heart, took a deep breath, and a look of near-devout determination appeared on his face:

"I understand. I'll go contact the students' parents right now and do their ideological education work."

The Jiaoyu Director nodded in satisfaction, sat back down in his chair, the gaze behind his lenses cold and deep, as if he could see through people's hearts:

"Remember, the school's honor is above all else."

The homeroom teacher nodded solemnly, turned, and left the office. His steps were much lighter than when he came, as if he had set down some heavy burden.

He suddenly remembered Xiao Juan's composition: "I want to become a student liked by the school, the teachers, and my classmates."

He felt Xiao Juan's wish should have already been fulfilled. In a couple of days, after the joint examination, he would apply to the school for a "Jiexiao Youjiu" commemorative gift for that child, to be burned for her.

The corridor lights stretched the homeroom teacher's shadow long; the shadow twisted and deformed on the wall, like a monster baring its teeth and claws.

The Jiaoyu Director watched the homeroom teacher leave, then slowly stood up and walked to the bookshelf.

He reached out and pulled out a thick school history, his fingertips lightly brushing the gold-embossed school emblem on the cover, and murmured softly:

"Ten years to cultivate a person, a hundred years to cultivate a school. Only when the school improves can there be a chance to nurture more good students!"

A chilling voice echoed faintly in the office, merging with the noisy fireworks outside.

In the girls' dormitory, the door was pushed open with a "bang," and Zhang Liyou, Feng Yuhuai, and Cui Cui entered one after another.

Unlike the bustling joint examination scene outside, the dormitory was almost emptied of breath, deathly quiet to the point of suffocation.

As soon as Cui Cui entered, she slammed the door shut heavily, her voice carrying suppressed anger:

"How can the school do this! Xiao Juan is clearly missing, yet they say she went home! Do they think we're fools?"

She rushed to her bed, Cui Cui grabbed a pillow and slammed it hard against the wall; cotton fluff burst from the cracks, forming a patch of ghastly white snow-mist under the light.

Tears welled in Cui Cui's eyes, and she roared, her emotions nearly out of control:

"Yazhi is dead. Will Xiao Juan, will she also..."

Her gaze swept over Zhang Liyou and Feng Yuhuai, her voice carrying a trace of despair.

Zhang Liyou sat silently by the bed, looking at the angry and fearful Cui Cui, her eye sockets slightly red, her fingertips unconsciously pinching her palm hard, but her peripheral vision never left Feng Yuhuai.

Feng Yuhuai stood by the window, her slender fingers resting on the windowsill, her fingernails unconsciously rubbing lightly on the wooden frame, making a faint sound.

Her gaze passed through the window, watching the bustling playground outside; those laughing crowds and dazzling fireworks were reflected in her pitch-black pupils, appearing especially alluring, and she couldn't help but lick the corner of her lip.

Seeing both of them silent, Cui Cui's anger grew even stronger.

She jumped up from the bed:

"No! I don't care about all that anymore! Since the school doesn't care, I'll go to the Patrol Bureau to file a case report myself! Otherwise Xiao Juan will be like Yazhi, never coming back!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhang Liyou almost instinctively reached out and clenched Cui Cui's wrist, speaking urgently:

"Don't go!"

Cui Cui was stunned for a moment, then stared at Zhang Liyou in disbelief, her eyes full of disappointment and anger:

"Liyou, what do you mean? Are you afraid the school will blame us? Xiao Juan is our friend! She trusted us so much, how can you be so cold-blooded!"

Zhang Liyou was momentarily speechless under Cui Cui's anger, her tone also sounding somewhat hurried:

"Cui Cui, that's not what I mean! Listen to me—"

Before she could finish, Feng Yuhuai by the window turned slightly, her waterfall-like long hair falling on both sides of her cheeks, covering half her face.

Those eyes were deep and quiet, like a pool of water with no visible end; in her pitch-black pupils shone a light of ambiguous meaning, staring fixedly at Zhang Liyou.

Zhang Liyou's heart tightened under her gaze; she forced herself to look away, steeled herself, calmed her mind, and continued to comfort Cui Cui:

"What I mean is, there's no need to go to the Patrol Bureau. The school has arranged for Patrol Bureau personnel to maintain order these days; they're right here at the school, so we can go find them directly."

Zhang Liyou paused, then added:

"However, since the Patrol Bureau is here to help the school maintain order, and there are many important guests in the stands, it's said that Executive Government officials might attend tomorrow. So the Patrol Bureau will most likely side with the school and help suppress the matter."

Cui Cui's brow furrowed tightly, the anger on her face gradually replaced by panic and hesitation.

Zhang Liyou took a deep breath, her tone growing heavier,

"And besides, what if the school has already coordinated with the Patrol Bureau."

If we rashly go to file a case report, we might be detained by the Patrol Bureau under the pretext of maintaining order, and if we're all arrested, who will continue looking for Xiao Juan at the School?

Zhang Liyou lifted her head at this moment and looked at Feng Yuhuai, her face full of solemnity as she said:

"Yu Huai, what do you say? Come quickly and persuade Cui Cui."

Chapter End