LWDC Chapter 71

Chapter 71 – The Bear Parent

Chapter 71 – The Bear Parent

Chapter 71 – The Bear Parent

Unsurprisingly, Ning Fei was sought out by Ji Xingzhe’s mother the next day.

To be precise, Ning Fei was summoned to the principal’s office. As soon as he entered, he saw the principal, vice-principal, Director Ma, and Madam Ji. This “quadruple inquisition” didn’t scare Ning Fei; on the contrary, he almost couldn’t help but laugh.

“Teacher Ning is here, please have a seat.”

The principal didn’t immediately put on a stern face. After all, Madam Ji was there to support Ji Xingzhe, but Ning Fei was personally taken care of by Duan Yunhong. The principal couldn’t figure out if these two were just “fighting among themselves,” so he decided not to make the atmosphere too tense.

Ning Fei calmly sat down, leaned back in his chair, and looked completely at ease. Director Ma looked at his unperturbed state—as if the meeting had nothing to do with him—and pressed his lips together in displeasure.

The principal glanced at Madam Ji, confirming that the cold-faced mother didn’t intend to speak yet, so he continued, “Teacher Ning, this is Ji Xingzhe’s mother. She’s here today mainly to understand how Ji Xingzhe fell.”

At this point, the principal paused. In theory, it was Ning Fei’s turn to speak. But Ning Fei looked at him without saying a word, showing no intention of answering. The silence made the atmosphere extremely awkward.

The principal had no choice but to ask directly, “Teacher Ning, please tell us what you know.”

Ning Fei said calmly, “I didn’t see him fall, so I don’t know how he fell.”

The principal: “…”

What he said sounded like a deliberate retort, but on closer inspection, it wasn’t wrong. Its only effect was to make the other four people present realize that Ning Fei wouldn’t be trembling with fear in the face of this “inquiry.”

Vice-Principal Li saw the situation stagnate again and chimed in, “Ning Fei, could you please reiterate what you talked about with him before he fell?”

The way he put it made it sound like the conversation had a direct causal relationship with the fall.

Ning Fei didn’t fall for that trick and continued with his previous statement, “Ji Xingzhe’s grades have been declining recently, and the homeroom teacher said that he would ask the teachers of each major subject to talk to Ji Xingzhe. He suggested I chat with him briefly as well…”

After elaborating on the situations of Ji Xingzhe and the homeroom teacher, Ning Fei briefly recounted what he had discussed with Ji Xingzhe. After speaking, he emphasized that he hadn’t forced Ji Xingzhe to explain the reason for his declining grades and that the other teachers in the office had heard everything clearly.

Passing the buck, who couldn’t do it?

After listening, the principal glanced at Madam Ji again and asked, “Did Ji Xingzhe show anything unusual during your conversation?”

“Nothing in particular… However, as I said, he said that he wasn’t used to his brother being away from home, which affected his studies. I suggested that he talk to his family or his brother, or even that I directly contact his family for him, but he said it wasn’t necessary.” Ning Fei said slowly, “He just promised to study hard. I don’t understand why he’s so reluctant to talk to his family.”

“Is Teacher Ning implying that something happened in our family that caused Xiao Zhe to fall down the stairs?”

Madam Ji finally spoke, her tone cold and sharp. “Principal Zhang, I came to the school to understand the whole situation, but is the school now planning to shirk its responsibility in this way?”

Her state was vastly different from when Ning Fei first met her.

“No, no, of course not.” The principal replied awkwardly. “But it’s normal for teachers to talk to students who are experiencing fluctuations in their grades. Ji Xingzhe falling down the stairs should just be an accident.”

“An accident? Xiao Zhe did indeed fall because he was distracted. If you want to call it an ‘accident,’ it certainly was.” Madam Ji glanced at Ning Fei, then looked at the principal again, saying coldly, “But I want to determine exactly what distracted him to the point that he was absentminded even while going downstairs.”

She was speaking to the principal to put pressure on him, who would then put pressure on Ning Fei, using a “pressure transmission” tactic very skillfully. But Ning Fei didn’t fall for it, saying calmly, “That question would probably be most directly answered by Ji Xingzhe himself.”

“Why do you assume I haven’t asked him? I did ask, and he said that the teacher talked to him, and he was distracted while going downstairs, so he fell in the office building.” Madam Ji turned to look at Ning Fei, since he was finally in “direct confrontation.” “But he’s a sensitive child, and he’s in his adolescence. He hides a lot of things from us, not wanting us to worry or interfere too much. But as parents, how can we just ignore it? What if he’s being bullied and we let him bear it all alone?”

Ning Fei understood her implication and thought: You mean I’m “bullying” Ji Xingzhe, right?

“But I can only say so much.” Ning Fei replied. “I think, instead of delving into what exact words I used to talk to Ji Xingzhe, you should ask him personally what made him so distracted, so unable to focus on studying and causing his grades to drop. Since the child says that his brother being away from home is affecting his mood, shouldn’t you talk to him about that?”

“You ‘think,’ you ‘suggest’?” Madam Ji’s dissatisfaction was increasingly evident. “Teacher Ning, Xiao Zhe used to like you very much and even invited you to be his tutor. Later, due to some misunderstandings, he didn’t need you to tutor him anymore. But he’s still your student, isn’t he? Is this the attitude you have towards your students?”

Her words made it sound as if Ning Fei was deliberately targeting Ji Xingzhe. But even if Ning Fei was indeed targeting him, he wouldn’t leave any evidence or allow himself to be easily slandered at this time. He calmly responded, “You’ve misunderstood me. I’m not targeting him. If I were targeting him, why would I listen to the homeroom teacher’s suggestion and try to understand the real reason for his declining grades? He was originally an excellent student in English, and he did well in other subjects too. But his grades are fluctuating greatly now. If it wasn’t me talking to him, other teachers would be talking to him too. Are we all targeting him? Shouldn’t we, as teachers, and you, as parents, work together to understand the child’s true thoughts and help him solve his problems?”

“Furthermore, whether he initially wanted me to tutor him or later said he didn’t want to, those were all Ji Xingzhe’s decisions. He misunderstood me at the time, and I was very sad. But I respected his decision, so I went along with what he said and didn’t even ask you, the parents, and ended the tutoring. I don’t know if you’re aware, but I’m good friends with your husband’s younger brother. Why would I target my friend’s nephew?”

Madam Ji was either defeated by his logic or simply choked by his long speech; in any case, she was speechless for quite a while.

When she spoke again, she actually said, “You’re good friends with Duan Yunhong? How come I’ve never heard of that?”

Facing her continuous language traps, Ning Fei handled them with ease, “Really? But when Duan Yunhong and I went to your house, your husband and two sons were all there and saw us, and we all spoke. Didn’t they mention it to you?”

Madam Ji wouldn’t be easily defeated by this sarcastic tone, replying lightly, “Oh, maybe they forgot.”

Ning Fei didn’t let her have her way and directly took out his phone, “Then how about I call Duan Yunhong now and verify it on the spot? Oh, right, he should be with your eldest son right now? Then we can also chat about the influence of this elder brother on Ji Xingzhe…”

“No need!” Madam Ji finally interrupted him. If she really made a call on the spot, her brother-in-law would also know about her son losing face at school. Madam Ji didn’t want to make a fool of herself.

“Alright then.” Ning Fei actually smiled, putting away his phone and saying, “Since things have come to this, I think the parents should have a good talk with the child to understand the deeper reasons, which will be more conducive to the child’s growth, right? Physical health is important, and mental health is also important. If Ji Xingzhe’s inner troubles aren’t resolved, what if he gets distracted again next time? Something else might happen, and that would be dangerous, wouldn’t it?”

That was practically cursing someone. Madam Ji felt like jumping up and scolding him, but her self-restrained identity allowed her to barely maintain her composure. But she still glared at Ning Fei and said coldly, “Teacher Ning, what you said seems a little inappropriate for your position. As a teacher who educates people, it’s better to think before you speak.”

“Excellent suggestion, I will take it.” Compared to her, Ning Fei became even more relaxed. “By the way, if you need me to go with the parents to talk to Ji Xingzhe, I’m happy to help.”

—At that time, Ji Xingzhe would be afraid that I would expose his identity on the spot, and he would definitely try his best to perform well. How interesting that would be.

“That won’t be necessary. Xiao Zhe has a fractured leg and needs to rest at home for a while. I will personally and thoroughly find out what has been influencing him.” Unfortunately, Madam Ji didn’t give him the opportunity, as if she had seen through Ning Fei’s “watching the excitement, not afraid of things getting big” mentality, and decisively refused. “As for his studies, I will also find someone to help him with tutoring. I won’t trouble Teacher Ning to ‘individually’ worry about our Xiao Zhe anymore.”

“You’re so understanding; you’re a role model for parents!” Ning Fei didn’t care about the “veiled sarcasm” in her words and instead gave her a compliment, “Then I hope Ji Xingzhe can also rest well and recover soon. Strive to catch up with the final exams and achieve his previous excellent results!”

Madam Ji: “Xiao Zhe’s health is important. If he hasn’t recovered well, he doesn’t have to take the final exams.”

Ning Fei: “Since you’re already hiring a tutor, it’s better for the child to maintain an appropriate exam state. The second year of high school is very important. If he can’t come, then I’ll have someone bring the English final exam paper to him.”

Madam Ji finally realized that she couldn’t win this war of words with this “unyielding character.” The more she talked to him, the angrier she would get. So she stood up and nodded to the principal and others, “It seems I won’t be able to find out anything at the school. I still have to go home and take care of Xiao Zhe, so let’s end it here for today.”

The principal couldn’t tell whether he was relieved or more nervous, saying, “Uh, is Ji Xingzhe’s condition serious? How long did the doctor say he needs to rest?”

“It takes a hundred days to heal a bone injury. Let him rest at home for half a month first.” Madam Ji didn’t care about any leave procedures, dropped these words, and then said, “Goodbye.”

After speaking, she ignored the reactions of the principal and others, didn’t even bother to glance at Ning Fei, and actually turned and left.

Leaving the principal’s office, going downstairs, and walking through the campus, Madam Ji’s face remained gloomy. Ji Xingzhe’s childhood friend, Qin Ran, happened to be passing by nearby and saw Madam Ji, but because her expression was not good, he didn’t go up to say hello.

However, Madam Ji, caught a glimpse on the road, suddenly stopped.

—That child’s appearance…