SYLM Chapter 4
by VolareChapter 4 She Seems Different From Others
4th floor, Language Arts Office.
Gu Wan Jun spent a whole class period understanding the grades of every student in Class 12.
Jiang Zhen Zhen, the top student in the class and the Math Representative, has almost no weaknesses in her main subjects and liberal arts. Even math, the biggest headache for most liberal arts students, Jiang Zhen Zhen scores above 120 on every test. As long as she maintains this score, she’s a sure bet for Tsinghua or Peking University;
Chen Lu, the second-ranked student, is different from Jiang Zhen Zhen’s balanced performance across all subjects. Chen Lu’s Chinese and English are particularly outstanding, never scoring below 130 in a single subject, and even surpassing Jiang Zhen Zhen, the top student, in liberal arts.
However, in stark contrast is her math. Judging from recent scores, Chen Lu’s single-subject math scores are appalling, with the highest being only 49 points…
This subject imbalance is too obvious.
Looking at the rows of high scores except for math, Gu Wan Jun frowned. She began to suspect that Chen Lu wasn’t even studying math at all.
…
The bell rang on time, and in the office, teachers with classes in the second period began to pack up and prepare to go downstairs to teach.
Gu Wan Jun has classes in the third and fourth periods today; she still doesn’t have class in the second period.
Just as she was hesitating whether to call Zheng Wei, the original homeroom teacher of Class 12, to learn about Chen Lu’s learning situation, or to call Chen Lu to the office to talk, the office door suddenly opened.
When the language arts teachers present saw that it was Wang Zhen De, the Party Secretary, they all stopped what they were doing and stood up from their seats with a smile to greet him:
“Secretary Wang is here.”
“Yes, everyone, do what you need to do. I’m looking for Teacher Gu.”
Wang Zhen De spoke while heading straight to the seat by the window in a huff.
Seeing that he didn’t come with good intentions, everyone else in the room felt a little worried for the new Teacher Gu Wan Jun.
When Wang Zhen De walked closer to the desk, Gu Wan Jun saw that he was followed by a student. The student stood straight, with a calm expression, showing no signs of being criticized. Who else could it be but Chen Lu?
What’s going on? Did she fail the math test again? That’s not right, there shouldn’t have been a math test these past few days.
…
While Gu Wan Jun’s brain was racing to think of what Chen Lu might have done to anger the math teacher, she quickly got up and asked respectfully,
“Teacher Wang, what can I do for you?”
“Teacher Gu, this student in your class named Chen Lu writes novels in my math class. I’ve caught her doing it more than once. Take a look for yourself!”
“…”
Before Gu Wan Jun could open her mouth, a black notebook was slammed onto the desk, making a dull thud.
Gu Wan Jun glanced at it and saw neat handwriting, densely packed, filled with novel outlines, character settings, and detailed plot points.
Wang Zhen De slapped the notebook, his face livid with anger, his veins throbbing on his head, and his eyes almost bulging out. His booming voice seemed to make the office windows vibrate:
“This isn’t the first time. When Teacher Zheng Wei was teaching this class before, I caught Chen Lu several times. Who knew she would never learn? I had them doing group discussions just now, but she wasn’t discussing; she was just writing these nonsense things. I caught her red-handed. I wanted to tear this trash to shreds! Chen Lu, did you do well on the math test? The two points you scored, I could stomp on the answer sheet on the ground and get a higher score than you! How can you have the nerve to not do your job in my class, huh?!”
Wang Zhen De’s anger was exceptionally terrifying. Although he was disciplining a student, all the teachers present were so shocked that they didn’t dare to speak, or even breathe loudly.
As for Chen Lu, the “habitual offender,” the math teacher’s scolding and criticism were like a common occurrence to her. She stood straight, her expression barely changing.
But this was the first time Gu Wan Jun had experienced such a scene.
Glancing at Chen Lu, who seemed to have no emotional fluctuations, next to the desk, Gu Wan Jun quickly moved the chair next to Wang Zhen De and tried to appease him in a gentle voice:
“Teacher Wang, please calm down. Why don’t you sit—”
“I won’t sit! Teacher Gu, this matter must be resolved today! Either Chen Lu isn’t allowed to attend my math class from today, or we call Chen Lu’s parents. I want to ask her parents if their child can attend my class! If she can, then she can attend; if not, have her parents come and sit in on the class with her!”
“…”
He was so angry that Wang Zhen De wanted to ask the homeroom teacher to find the student’s parents. Gu Wan Jun encountered this kind of situation on her first day as the homeroom teacher.
The other language arts teachers were all inwardly lamenting how unlucky Gu Wan Jun was. The kind-hearted Li Bing quietly winked at Gu Wan Jun, signaling to her ‘Secretary Wang is not to be trifled with. Since he asked to call the parents, then quickly call the child’s parents, or this matter might not be resolved.’
The other teachers’ eye signals almost had the same meaning as Li Bing’s. Gu Wan Jun understood her colleagues’ good intentions.
But she had her own way of handling it.
…
“Teacher Wang, the thing is, Teacher Zheng Wei is on maternity leave, and I just arrived today. I don’t know much about the situation yet. I don’t currently have the students’ parents’ phone numbers.”
Gu Wan Jun spoke sincerely. As soon as she said that, Wang Zhen De’s eyebrows immediately knitted together in a frown when he heard that the homeroom teacher didn’t even have the parents’ contact information. Before he could get angry, Gu Wan Jun quickly took the initiative:
“I know you’re so angry because you have high expectations for her. Chen Lu is a good student; math is the only subject she’s weak in. It’s our common goal as teachers to help her get into a good university. You see that and feel anxious, right?”
Gu Wan Jun appealed to his emotions and reasoned with him. These words accurately reflected Wang Zhen De’s thoughts—as a teacher, everyone hopes that students can get into a good university. He was really frustrated that she wasn’t living up to her potential.
Seeing that Wang Zhen De’s anger seemed to have subsided a little, and his attitude didn’t seem as tough as before, Gu Wan Jun proposed a moderate solution at the right time:
“Teacher Wang, how about this? I’ll talk to Chen Lu first, since I’m her homeroom teacher, and I need to understand the student’s situation. Then I’ll ask Teacher Zheng Wei for her parents’ phone number. I’ll truthfully reflect the student’s situation to her parents. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely handle it seriously since it concerns the child’s studies and future. Your time is precious; you can’t waste it here with us. Please go back and do your work. I’ll definitely give you a satisfactory answer. How about that?”
“…”
Gu Wan Jun’s tone was tactful, and her words were almost impeccable.
The eyebrows that had been knitted together eased a lot, and Wang Zhen De silently agreed to Gu Wan Jun’s solution with a dark face.
Before leaving, the old man glared at Chen Lu and grunted, saying that he was so angry during math class that he made Chen Lu stand in the hallway for the second half of the class. If Chen Lu didn’t understand any math problems, she could go directly to his office to ask him, and not just use that mouth for eating.
…
After Wang Zhen De left, everyone in the language arts office breathed a sigh of relief.
Li Bing was so frightened that she patted her chest, and the other teachers were still shaken, marveling at what the students were thinking these days. It was already wrong to write novels in class, but how could they dare to knowingly do it in Secretary Wang’s class?
Chen Lu lowered her head and didn’t speak, but her back remained straight.
…
The bell rang, and teachers with classes went downstairs to teach.
Gu Wan Jun glanced at the schedule posted on the bookshelf. Class 12 had English class next.
“You can go back to class now.”
“…”
As soon as she said that, Chen Lu raised her head in a daze, looking at Gu Wan Jun with disbelief. Clearly, she thought she had misheard.
Shouldn’t there be a one-stop service of scolding, ideological education, finding parents, warnings, punishments, etc.? Why…?
What kind of person is this new homeroom teacher?
…
Not only was Chen Lu shocked, but the other teachers in the office who didn’t have classes were also incredulous when they heard Gu Wan Jun tell Chen Lu to go back to class.
They were thinking that if Gu Wan Jun really severely punished Chen Lu in order to give Secretary Wang a satisfactory result, would they risk offending Secretary Wang to speak up for Chen Lu? After all, in their eyes, Chen Lu was a good child.
As a result, Gu Wan Jun didn’t have a talk or rush to find the parents, but instead said to let Chen Lu go back to class first??
…
Seeing that Chen Lu was still standing motionless next to the desk, Gu Wan Jun met her eyes full of incomprehension, her tone still very calm and gentle:
“What are you still standing there for? The bell is about to ring, and you’ll be late.”
“Teacher, I…”
Chen Lu opened her mouth, meeting those bright and gentle peach blossom eyes. She didn’t know what to say.
“I will seriously handle your matter, but I won’t take up class time. Go to class first. Before the matter is resolved, I will temporarily keep your notebook safe. Don’t worry, it’s safe. After the matter is resolved, I will return it to you intact.”
“It” refers to the black notebook containing the novel manuscript. Under Chen Lu’s shocked gaze, Gu Wan Jun locked the notebook in the desk drawer.
…
After Chen Lu left, Gu Wan Jun’s heart, which had been hanging, finally settled down. When she sat down again, she didn’t know if it was because the drafty window was cold or because she was frightened by this unprecedented scene, but her hands were a little shaky as she picked up her phone.
There were no outsiders in the office, only a few language arts teachers who had a good relationship.
Li Bing was kind-hearted and came to Ningcheng No. 1 High School as a teacher after graduating from college. Seeing that Gu Wan Jun didn’t have a talk or find parents right away, but instead told Chen Lu to go back to class first, and even said that she would return the notebook to Chen Lu after the matter was resolved, every point was undoubtedly dancing on Secretary Wang’s landmines.
Li Bing kindly reminded Gu Wan Jun that this matter must be handled with caution, or she would definitely offend Wang. The other language arts teachers echoed her.
Knowing that everyone meant well, Gu Wan Jun thanked them with a smile and said that she would definitely handle it with caution.
Opening the phone’s address book, the contact information of every student in Class 12 was neatly arranged.
In fact, Gu Wan Jun had already completed this preparatory work that a homeroom teacher should do.
However, under those circumstances just now, she had to lie that she didn’t have the parents’ contact information. She personally didn’t advocate calling the parents unless absolutely necessary.
Whether it’s a student or a parent, everyone is an individual. They should be responsible for what they do. What can calling the parents solve? At most, it’s a temporary solution that doesn’t address the root cause.
What’s more, she hadn’t fully understood what was going on with Chen Lu’s matter.
…
After thinking for a moment, Gu Wan Jun didn’t click on ‘Chen Lu’s parent’s’ number page, but instead dialed the original homeroom teacher Zheng Wei’s phone.
The phone rang twice and was quickly picked up.
“Hello, is this Teacher Zheng Wei? Yes, this is Gu Wan Jun. Do you have time now? You do? Good. I want to ask you about Chen Lu’s personal situation in our class. Is that convenient for you?”
“…”
…
——
Second Grade (12) Class.
Chen Lu was two or three minutes late when she returned to the class. She had just entered the door when Fu Yi Wen’s knock rang again.
Needless to say, if Fu Yi Wen was late ten times, nine of those times would definitely be to see her Teacher Sun in the liberal arts office.
The English teacher didn’t value tardiness as much as the math teacher did, especially since Chen Lu was a good student who always got high scores in English in the English teacher’s eyes.
In comparison, Fu Yi Wen, who only scored 36 in English, was miserable. After happily receiving the punishment of copying five essays, the English teacher let her return to her seat.
…
After returning to her seat, Chen Lu was still thinking about everything that happened in the language arts office just now. She didn’t understand why Gu Wan Jun did that in the office. This new homeroom teacher seemed different from the other teachers she had.
In a situation where she, as a student, had indeed made a mistake, and the math teacher, who was in a high position and had great power, was extremely angry, Gu Wan Jun didn’t scold or criticize her with cold words, didn’t rush to find her parents right away, and even said that she would return the notebook to her after the matter was resolved. Could there really be such a teacher?
Chen Lu felt like it was a fantasy just thinking about it.
Could it be just because she helped Gu Wan Jun at the entrance of the teaching building in the morning?
But it shouldn’t be to this extent, right?
Chen Lu couldn’t figure it out even after racking her brains.
…
English group discussion time.
As soon as Chen Lu turned around, Fu Yi Wen couldn’t wait to ask her what happened after she was called to the office. She didn’t even bother writing the English assignments.
Jiang Zhen Zhen, who had been worried about Chen Lu, also told a rare lie. She quietly sneaked into Chen Lu’s group under the pretext of asking about English questions.
Under the questioning of her two best friends, Chen Lu roughly recounted what had happened, including the two encounters on the bus and in front of the teaching building in the morning.
After hearing the whole story, Fu Yi Wen and Jiang Zhen Zhen were stunned.
Fu Yi Wen clicked her tongue, her face full of disbelief:
“I’m not saying, but you and this new teacher are too destined, like a movie… Is this a good thing?”
Jiang Zhen Zhen on the side also said thoughtfully, “Hmm… That’s really a coincidence…”
Fu Yi Wen clicked the pen incessantly, shaking her head and continuing to analyze: “This new homeroom teacher even said that she would return the notebook to you later. Can things that are confiscated be returned before graduation? Hey, I’m saying, is she just drawing a big cake?”
“Probably not, Teacher Gu doesn’t need to do that.” Jiang Zhen Zhen responded softly, her guilty little eyes occasionally scanning around, afraid that the English teacher would suddenly appear.
“You can know a person’s face, but not their heart. Who knows what tricks this new teacher is playing.”
The more Fu Yi Wen analyzed, the more excited she became. Seeing that the person involved hadn’t said anything all along, she clicked her tongue lightly and poked Chen Lu’s shoulder with a pen:
“Tsk, we’re here discussing your business, what are you dazing off about?”
“Is there any way to know more information about the new homeroom teacher?”
“…”
As soon as she said that, Fu Yi Wen and Jiang Zhen Zhen looked at each other subconsciously, their faces shocked.
Hey, the sun really came out from the west. What a long friendship, when has Chen Lu ever cared about this kind of thing?
But then again, this new teacher doesn’t play by the rules so it makes people curious.
…
Seeing that Chen Lu didn’t seem to be joking at all, Fu Yi Wen’s tone became more serious:
“That’s easy. I’ll call Liu Zi Xuan, our class’s ‘Little Smart Aleck,’ for you. She definitely knows.”
‘Little Smart Aleck,’ as the name suggests, is a student who knows the cafeteria aunt, the security guard, and the ‘famous’ students in each grade, and is extremely well-informed.
…
Half a minute later, Liu Zi Xuan was dragged over by Fu Yi Wen under the pretext of discussing English reading. Chen Lu learned more or less information about the new homeroom teacher Gu Wan Jun from her.
Gu Wan Jun, 28 years old, is said to be a top student who graduated with a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Peking University. She was originally a Chinese teacher in the sixth class of the first grade. After teaching for about half a semester, she directly brought the sixth class, which ranked third from last in average Chinese scores, to the top three in the entire grade. She is a slightly famous teacher in the first grade.
However, this information was also what Liu Zi Xuan heard from a first-grade student in the same tutoring class. Whether it’s true or false, she doesn’t know; she only knows this much.
…
After listening, Chen Lu and the three of them had different expressions, and no one spoke.
A dozen seconds later, Fu Yi Wen was the first to ask, “No, she’s so good-looking and has such a great education, why would this teacher be so short-sighted as to come to our small county?”
“…”
Fu Yi Wen’s soul-stirring question asked the question in the hearts of everyone else present. After all, in order to have better development, most of the locals have left Ningcheng. If Liu Zi Xuan’s inside information is accurate, then a rare talent like Gu Wan Jun, shouldn’t she go to a big city to break through and fight? Why come to their small county?
The answer to this question is unknown to everyone except Gu Wan Jun herself.
And the more unexplained questions there are, the more curious Chen Lu becomes about this new homeroom teacher.
…
The few people chatted, until the English teacher patrolled near them. Sensing something was wrong, Fu Yi Wen coughed to signal, then quickly put the English newspaper directly in front of Chen Lu, took out her familiar acting skills, and pretended to say:
“Lu Lu, can you explain this question to me again? I didn’t understand the grammar you just said, what is the past perfect progressive tense?”
“…”
——
4th floor, Language Arts Office.
After hanging up the phone, Gu Wan Jun sat at the desk, her mind constantly replaying what Zheng Wei had said on the phone just now—
“Yes, Chen Lu has been writing novels in class all along, but… Sigh, you can only talk to her about this kind of thing; don’t have too much hope for her parents, because you can’t contact her parents at all.”
“Chen Lu is from a single-parent family; she hasn’t seen her father since she was born. She uses her mother’s surname.”
“It is said that Chen Lu’s mother is doing business abroad all year round, and even Chen Lu has never seen her mother in person. Chen Lu grew up with her maternal grandmother.”
“In the second year of junior high school, Chen Lu’s grandmother suddenly had a heart attack and passed away. Chen Lu was the one who ran around and took care of the funeral and mourning. Since then, Chen Lu has been living alone.”
“I have tried to contact Chen Lu’s mother several times for parent-teacher conferences and homeroom teacher home visits, but I have never been able to reach her. Other than her mother who is far away abroad and cannot be contacted and her deceased grandmother, Chen Lu probably has no other relatives.”
“These personal situations were all asked by me from Fu Yi Wen and Jiang Zhen Zhen indirectly. The two of them have known Chen Lu since they were young and can be considered to know her well.”
“Regarding Chen Lu’s source of income, or what she relies on to live alone, I have also asked Fu Yi Wen and them. Fu Yi Wen and Jiang Zhen Zhen’s parents have repeatedly offered to help Chen Lu, but Chen Lu refused. That child has been earning money by writing books to support herself for several years.”
“After discovering this problem, I confiscated Chen Lu’s novels a few times and told her to study hard and not worry about money. We adults will think of a way. But this child is too stubborn and strong-willed. We teachers pooled money to give her, but she returned it all. We feel sorry for her, but we can’t do anything about it.”
“Teacher Gu, Chen Lu is taciturn and has a strong personality. She keeps everything in her heart and carries it herself. She is really a good child. If she does anything wrong, please bear with her; this child is not easy.”
“…”
Her slender eyebrows gradually knitted together, and Gu Wan Jun rubbed her forehead, feeling like something was blocking her chest, sore and swollen, and even a little out of breath.
Single-parent family, mother not by her side, lost her only relative at a young age, earns money by writing books to support herself… A few short sentences outline the general outline of Chen Lu’s bleak life, and this child is only 18 years old.
After a long silence, as if thinking of something, Gu Wan Jun used the key to open the locked drawer. A few seconds later, the black notebook was placed squarely on the desk in front of Gu Wan Jun.
Opening the first page, the two handsome and delicate characters “Prison Cage” came into Gu Wan Jun’s eyes.
It is said that words can reflect a person’s inner world. Gu Wan Jun wants to understand the 18-year-old Chen Lu.