Chapter 8: Teacher's Concern

Until the physical education class ended, Wang Hai did not acknowledge Zhang Yu again, treating him like empty air and offering no further guidance or instruction.

And with Wang Hai leading this isolation, the other students subconsciously kept away from Zhang Yu, as if an invisible no-go zone had formed around him.

“That old Wang is really… so petty.”

But since things had come to this, Zhang Yu had no choice but to quietly lie back down on the ground and continue resting.

In the blink of an eye, class was over, and everyone gradually headed to the cafeteria.

After the others left, Zhou Tianyi walked over to Zhang Yu and gave him a thumbs-up: “You brave soul, have you bought accident insurance yet?”

Zhang Yu slowly got up, patted his pants, and said, “What’s there to fear? Once I make a big breakthrough in my cultivation in a while and my grades skyrocket, there’ll be plenty of teachers protecting me.”

Full of confidence, he looked at the Feather Book in his palm—his physical strength had already risen from 0.83 to 0.84.

And this was achieved without any injections, pills, or dietary supplements, only through practicing the Body-Forge Thirty-Six Forms.

Surely, as the level of the Body-Forge Thirty-Six Forms kept increasing, the rate of improvement in physical strength would only accelerate.

Just thinking about it made Zhang Yu sigh once more at the terrifying potential within him.

Zhou Tianyi, seeing Zhang Yu suddenly exuding such confidence, asked curiously, “Did you find a new supplier for medicine? Don’t forget your bro if you get the good stuff.”

Zhang Yu clenched his fist and smiled: “Kid, your big bro trains the body naturally!”

Outside the training room door, Bai Zhenzhen, after an intense body-tempering session, had flushed cheeks, sweat dripping from her forehead, and steam rising from her entire body.

Bang, bang, bang!

She knocked on the door and said flatly, “Zhang Yu, done showing off? I’m starving, let’s go eat.”

The three of them hastily joined the cafeteria crowd and, arriving late, saw a huge line of people queuing at the cafeteria entrance from afar.

However, as students of the demonstration class, Zhang Yu and his two companions had the privilege of entering the cafeteria first and could eat directly through the VIP channel.

The three walked into the cafeteria under the varied gazes of students from other classes.

How to describe that feeling?

If Zhang Yu had to put it into words, it was like an inner sect prodigy in a novel, under the envious, jealous, or even “I could take his place” stares of outer sect servants, slowly stepping into the Immortals Gathering Restaurant to dine.

As soon as they entered the cafeteria, Bai Zhenzhen said, “I’m having a dietary supplement today, so I’m going to the second floor to eat.”

The so-called dietary supplement involved cooking ingredients filled with celestial path elements, combined with various medicines to effectively strengthen the body, make up for the losses after intense training, and enhance the efficiency of body forging and breathing exercises.

In short, dietary supplements had countless benefits for celestial path studies. The only reason Zhang Yu wasn’t eating them now was that they were too expensive—far too expensive.

A single meal cost at least several hundred, and it was normal for precious ingredients to cost thousands. Back when he had loans to spend, Zhang Yu couldn’t bear to eat them every day, let alone now.

Watching Bai Zhenzhen head upstairs alone, Zhang Yu felt as if the second floor and the first floor of the cafeteria were yet another boundary, much like the line between the inside of the cafeteria he stood in now and the queue outside.

But a doubt welled up in Zhang Yu’s heart: “Isn’t Ah Zhen broke? How can she afford the second floor?”

…

Shortly after lunch, Zhang Yu, who was taking a nap, was called to the teacher’s office.

A middle-aged man, sipping tea, glanced at Zhang Yu standing before the desk and said, “Teacher Wang Hai told me about your situation.”

The man, named Su Haifeng, was both the homeroom teacher of the demonstration class and the grade director for the first year of high school.

He looked at Zhang Yu with disappointment and asked, “Do you remember what you told me during the interview?”

When Zhang Yu had originally attended the interview for Songyang High School, Su Haifeng had been the interviewer sitting in the middle.

Hearing Su Haifeng’s words now, Zhang Yu was momentarily stunned. Although he had merged with the original body’s memories, many details couldn’t be recalled instantly.

Su Haifeng sighed: “I remember you said you wanted to get into a prestigious university.”

“And now, in P.E. class, you don’t buy medicine, don’t get injections, lie on the ground slacking off, and talk back to the teacher—is that the attitude of someone who wants to get into a top university?”

Listening to the criticism, Zhang Yu didn’t know how to explain. He couldn’t very well say that he was too poor and too broke to buy medicine or get injections, and that because his potential had been unlocked, he could handle P.E. class casually.

Sensing Zhang Yu’s silence, Su Haifeng sighed again and said, “Zhang Yu, you’ve performed well over the past three months. I know you’re a good kid.”

“Has something happened at home recently?”

Zhang Yu looked at him in surprise, catching the concerned look in his eyes, and found it hard to believe: “There’s actually a teacher in this crazy school who cares about students?” He thought for a moment and said quietly, “Yeah, I’ve been having some trouble with my family.”

"I'll try to adjust and get back to normal as soon as possible."

Although he sensed the teacher's concern, at this moment Zhang Yu could only brush it off quickly; in time, once his grades improved, he naturally wouldn't need to explain these hard-to-explain things to the teacher anymore.

Su Haifeng, however, frowned as if dissatisfied and said irritably, "What's there you dare not tell your teacher?"

"Is your family having financial trouble recently?"

"Debt collection calls from loan platforms have already reached the school."

"Ah?" Zhang Yu abruptly raised his head: "They called you, teacher?"

Su Haifeng nodded solemnly: "If they hadn't called me, I wouldn't have known you owed so much money. Why didn't you tell me?"

Zhang Yu: "I…"

He really had never thought about how telling the school would help, especially given the atmosphere at Songyang High School; he figured it would only make his situation worse.

But Su Haifeng let out a long sigh, looking at Zhang Yu with a kind expression, and said, "I know the school can be strict sometimes, and you're afraid to tell us when something happens."

!

"But you have to understand—we are your teachers after all. How could we not help our own students?"

Saying this, he pulled a document from his drawer and handed it to Zhang Yu.

"This is a financial aid plan for underprivileged students that I specially applied for on your behalf. Please sign it now."

Taking the document, Zhang Yu looked at Su Haifeng with some emotion: "Thank you, teacher."

He realized he had been wrong about the teachers at this school again.

Zhang Yu thought to himself: "Although there are unreliable guys like Wang Hai, there are also kind elders like Teacher Su."

Su Haifeng smiled and waved his hand, handing him a pen: "Go ahead and sign."

Zhang Yu lowered his head, glanced over the document, and then froze in place.

Su Haifeng chuckled: "What's wrong? Sign quickly; I want to submit it before I leave work."

Zhang Yu said in a low voice: "Teacher, this looks like a debt restructuring contract? Did you hand me the wrong one?"

Su Haifeng laughed heartily: "Aren't underprivileged students poor because they're in debt? After restructuring the debt, aren't we helping the underprivileged student? This is exactly the financial aid plan for underprivileged students."

Zhang Yu looked at the content of the contract. Essentially, it consolidated all his debts into one package, and the school would lend him money to pay them off.

From then on, his creditor would become the school.

Zhang Yu roughly estimated the debt after restructuring. After all kinds of messy procedures—various interest, principal, handling fees, loan origination fees... the total seemed to have ballooned to over a million.

"What debt restructuring! This is just borrowing to pay off loans."

He roared inwardly: "Even the homeroom teacher is in the lending business, right?"

"Is this how you play? Are there no normal teachers left in this crappy school?"

Suppressing his anger, Zhang Yu exhaled and said, "Teacher, I think I'll pass. I can pay back this money myself."

Su Haifeng coaxed gently: "How can a kid like you repay such a large sum? Sign it quickly, and the school will handle it for you."

"Don't worry, the school's installment plan is very lenient."

Zhang Yu: "No need, teacher. Really, no need."

After repeated refusals, Zhang Yu simply threw down the contract and ran out of the office.

Watching his departing figure, Su Haifeng raised his teacup and gently blew on it.

A moment later, he picked up his vibrating phone and said, "He refused."

"Mm. I'll try again in a while."

"Don't worry. Poor people... in the end, when they can't withstand the collection company's tactics, they'll always come borrow."