He was a disabled military officer who doted on his research work in the Northwest.

Just then—

"Oh dear, Commander Mu, are you... not letting your cousin date?"

Zhang Cuihua's voice was like a bucket of cold water, precisely splashed onto the solidifying ambiguity.

She was leaning against her own gate, eating sunflower seeds, when she overheard the entire conversation.

"That girl isn't your wife, why are you meddling so much? Besides—you're not acknowledging the engagement, and you're not letting her find a partner? That girl can't stay single forever, can she?"

Shen Tang felt as if she had been suddenly woken from a dream—her face flushed instantly. She dared not look at Mu Qinghan again.

"Um—here's your scarf—I'm going back to my room now—"

She haphazardly draped her scarf over the armrest of her wheelchair, turned, and walked away. Her steps were so quick and hurried that she almost tripped over the threshold, and finally, she practically fled into the east wing, slamming the door shut behind her.

The door panel vibrated twice inside the door frame.

Mu Qinghan was the only one left in the courtyard.

The scarf was draped askew on the armrest of the wheelchair, still warm from her body.

After Zhang Cuihua finished eating the last sunflower seed, she patted the shells off her hands and slowly returned to her own courtyard.

Mu Qinghan sat in the moonlight.

She ran away.

She ran away blushing.

Was it because of Zhang Cuihua's words that he felt embarrassed? Or was it because of—that glance just now?

He gripped the scarf tightly, the warmth beneath his fingertips slowly dissipating.

You yourself do not acknowledge the marriage agreement.

They won't even let people find partners.

The older brother is so nosy.

Zhang Cuihua's words were harsh, but every word was true.

He personally stated that he didn't acknowledge her. He allowed her to register her residency as his cousin. In everyone's eyes—she was free, single, and available to be pursued by anyone.

And what right does he, a man who said "I don't acknowledge it," have to refuse on her behalf?

On what grounds?

He looked down at his legs.

His right foot can move again. He's also starting to feel his left foot again. Last week, he walked thirty steps in the corridor—ten more steps than the previous week. Dr. Chen said that if this progress continues, he might be able to get out of the wheelchair in three months.

Three months.

……

a few days later.

During this time, he and Shen Tang were still the same as before, at least on the surface.

But things were far from peaceful at the school. The results of the preliminary exam were like a bomb, exploding in the teachers' circle of the affiliated high school.

The average score for Class 2 was 382, ​​and for Class 1 it was 375. Although the seven-point difference wasn't huge, it was still enough to attract attention, and for Ma Decai it was particularly glaring and painful.

He taught for over twenty years, and his class consistently had the best students in the entire school. The students were children of factory workers and high-ranking military officials; they all came from well-off families with educated parents and solid academic foundations.

Class Two? Those are all ordinary military children and children of workers, with varying levels of education, and many of their parents are illiterate.

The results of it?

Even with these conditions, the reduction was still seven-tenths.

They even gave him a score of 499, which was almost perfect. The one point deducted was only symbolic, which was an insult to him!

It was a hard slap across his face!

If the teacher is seething with anger, the students will naturally have a hard time too.

From that day on, Class One's life entered hell mode.

Ma Decai started frequently extending class time. Morning self-study started ten minutes earlier, lunch break was shortened to twenty minutes, and an additional half hour of "advanced training" was added after school. The students in Class One were suffering terribly, but no one dared to utter a sound—Ma Decai's temper had become extremely bad lately. If anyone made a mistake in their homework or was distracted in class, they would be subjected to a severe scolding that could last from the start of class until the end.

"Do you think you're doing justice to the money your parents spent?!"

"The top student in the whole school isn't in our class, isn't that embarrassing?!"

"If Class Two still dominates the city-wide mock exam next month—none of you can expect to have an easy time!"

The students in Class One hunched over, barely daring to breathe. Even Zhao Liang, usually the most arrogant, was behaving himself—it was the first time he'd ever seen Ma Decai so angry.

When passing by Class 1's classroom, you can clearly hear the reprimanding voices coming from inside Class 2.

Gu Bei eavesdropped by the window and came back to whisper to Shen Tang, "Ma Decai has gone mad. Those guys in Class One are practically running to the toilet now."

Shen Tang flipped through her textbook, not paying much attention: "It has nothing to do with us. Just focus on your own work."

"True," Gu Bei shrugged. "But be careful, he looks at you like you're his father's killer."

Shen Tang smiled but didn't reply.

She knew Ma Decai hated her. But she didn't take a middle school teacher seriously—she had seen too much of the shady dealings in academia in her previous life, and a nobody vying for the principal's position couldn't cause any big trouble.

However, blocking someone's path to wealth is like killing their parents; human malice is not different based on social status, and can even be more direct.

Ma Decai valued the principal's position more than his own life. He saw her as a thorn in his side.

……

Late November.

The official notice for the city-wide mock college entrance examination has been issued.

This exam was a level above the school's preliminary assessment—it was organized by the Municipal Education Commission, with all schools jointly setting the questions, the exam papers being sealed and transported in a unified manner, and the results being directly reported to the Municipal Education Commission for archiving.

For students, this is the most important mock exam before the college entrance examination.

For the teacher—especially for Ma Decai—this was a battle that would determine his future and fate.

Principal Zhou will retire next June. The Education Bureau is already considering candidates for the next principal. Ma Decai's cousin-in-law, Deputy Director Liu, privately told him, "Grades are the key indicator. If your class's mock exam rankings are good, this job is practically guaranteed."

It's presentable.

What does it mean to be presentable?

The average score of Class 1 is good in the whole school—or even the whole city—it should be at least the first in the whole school, which means it should surpass Class 2.

But now Class Two has Shen Tang.

That woman was like a crushing machine, crushing everything in her path. She got first place in the entire school's placement test, just one point shy of a perfect score. Her test paper was printed and distributed throughout the school as the standard answer key, and even in the thank-you notes, they didn't forget to pat Sun Xiulan on the back.

If she gets first place in the city-wide mock exam again—then Sun Xiulan will be the "homeroom teacher who produced the city's top scorer." Once that halo is revealed, even if Ma Decai had ten uncles-in-law, it wouldn't matter.

We must get rid of Shen Tang—at least we must turn Class One's grades around.

The exam questions are jointly set by the entire city. Teachers from all schools must participate in setting the questions. The exam papers are sealed and stored in each school's teaching and research office, and can only be opened three days before the exam.

Ma Decai sat in his office, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table, his eyes filled with malice.

There are three teachers involved in setting the exam questions at the affiliated high school: Sun Xiulan for mathematics, Lao Zhou from the physics teaching and research group, and himself for chemistry.

He created the chemistry exam himself, so of course he knew the answers. But chemistry alone wasn't enough—he needed to dominate all subjects.

math.

Mathematics is the most important subject and also the one that most significantly impacts scores.

The math exam papers were in Sun Xiulan's hands. After the papers were prepared, they would be handed over to the teaching and research office and sealed in a safe. The key to the safe was in the hands of the teaching and research group leader—who happened to be Sun Xiulan.

However, the teaching and research office has a spare key, which is in the academic affairs office.

Ma Decai's gaze fell on the bunch of keys in the drawer.

He had a good relationship with the director—they were on good terms, exchanging gifts of cigarettes, alcohol, and tea during holidays. If he borrowed a key to look after something, the director wouldn't ask any questions.