We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

"Is it about class management? I can help in a bit." Xie Shu stood quietly in place, without turning around to leave.

"No need, you go back first," Wu Changguo urged.

Xie Shu hesitated slightly, then looked up and gave Li Mubai a deep look, silently signaling him to relax, before gently pushing open the door and leaving the office.

The last trace of cool air in the office escaped through the open door. Wu Changguo said, "Li Mubai, go and close the door."

Li Mubai walked to the door, only to find that Xie Shu had not gone far and was standing quietly in the corridor outside the door.

His lips moved, silently uttering, "You should go back first," though she didn't know if she had seen his lip movements.

The steel door slowly closed. The office was very soundproof; you couldn't hear a sound from outside.

Xie Shu turned and walked towards the classroom. As she passed the doors of Class 1 and Class 2, many students peeked out with curious and gossipy eyes, but she ignored them completely.

Pushing open the door to Class 3, the murmurs that had been rising and falling just moments before abruptly ceased, and the entire classroom fell silent.

"Xie Shu, are you alright?" Seeing her sit down, Chen Qiuhe immediately asked in a low voice, her tone full of worry. "I just went to the convenience store with Deng Yi. If I catch that senior high school boy, I don't care if he takes the college entrance exam or not, I'm going to have a good fight with him!"

"It's nothing." Xie Shu shook his head gently, his tone calm. "It's just that Li Mubai and Deng Yi need to switch seats."

"Is this the only punishment? Is there nothing else?" Chen Qiuhe was somewhat unsure.

"there is none left."

Upon hearing the reply, Chen Qiuhe breathed a sigh of relief.

Compared to involving parents and public criticism, changing seats is the lightest punishment.

"If we switch seats, will Deng Yi sit in Li Mubai's seat, and Li Mubai sit in Deng Yi's seat?"

"Hmm," Xie Shu replied indifferently.

"Let me see Deng Yi's deskmate..." Chen Qiuhe looked up and glanced at her. "It looks like Huang Lingling."

Xie Shu nodded slightly, lowered her eyes to her textbook, and quietly calmed her mind.

Inside the office, Wu Changguo stared directly at Li Mubai, his face expressionless, and said, "Do you know why I kept you behind alone?"

Li Mubai shook his head.

"Li Mubai, you are actually a hardworking student." Wu Changguo softened his tone and said slowly, "You barely made it into No. 6 Middle School back then, and you made steady progress all the way up, making it into the top class for liberal arts and ranking in the top ten of the grade. You worked hard enough and were down-to-earth enough."

Using the same rhetoric as Zhong Jianjun, Li Mubai inexplicably thought of a concept in Chinese language: the technique of praising before criticizing.

"A few days ago, Teacher Zhong also mentioned you to me, saying that you are very hardworking and a student worth nurturing. All the teachers in the subject class also have a good opinion of you."

"But!" Wu Changguo slammed his fingers on the table, then changed the subject, "How do you think this achievement compares to Xie Shu's?"

After he finished speaking, the office fell silent, and Li Mubai lowered his head without saying a word.

"Xie Shusheng was destined to aim for Tsinghua or Peking University. Even if she doesn't succeed, with her family background and vision, she can easily study abroad," Wu Changguo said earnestly. "Do you think, given your current situation, you should expect her and her family to accommodate you, to give up a better platform, and go to an ordinary 985 university?"

"Li Mubai," he said, slowing his pace, "Teacher Wu has a general idea of ​​your family situation. My family was even more impoverished than yours back then."

He picked up the thermos on the table, took a sip of warm water, and then said:

"Studying abroad is quite difficult for you and your family. The only thing you can do is study hard and try to get into Tsinghua or Peking University. This is the fairest opportunity and the one that can change your and your family's destiny! Do you understand?"

"People are gossiping behind your backs, thinking you're not a good match, like a beautiful flower stuck in cow dung," Wu Changguo said, his tone becoming more serious. "The more you're looked down upon, the more you have to grit your teeth and work hard to prove that you're good enough and deserve it."

"I understand, thank you, Teacher Wu." Li Mubai looked up, his eyes firm.

"Speak louder!"

"Understood! I will work hard and get into Tsinghua or Peking University!"

Seeing Li Mubai's success and encouragement, Wu Changguo nodded in satisfaction.

"Let's get back to your puppy love. Don't think the teachers can't see it; they usually turn a blind eye. You need to be mindful of this at school and prioritize your studies, understand?"

"I know." Li Mubai hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What should I do if I encounter a situation like today's, where someone deliberately harasses me?"

"Aren't you the class monitor? Why don't you just call the other five boys to surround him, and then call me over?"

"Okay, teacher."

Li Mubai did know Yang Chao's name, but the other party was about to take the college entrance examination. If he told Wu Changguo, he would probably just let the matter drop.

"Alright, go back to evening self-study." Wu Changguo waved his hand. "Hurry up and change your seats during the break, keep the class discipline in order, and don't let the class gossip. I'll be back in the classroom later."

With the turmoil over, Li Mubai finally felt relieved, gently closed the office door, and walked towards the classroom.

At the door of Class Two, Lan Shiyu saw him and quietly gave him a thumbs-up. Her deskmate, Xu Yao, kept her head down and pretended to do her homework, deliberately avoiding eye contact.

Li Mubai glanced at it and then looked away. Before he even entered the classroom, he heard a buzzing discussion. He pushed the door open and entered, and the noise instantly disappeared, leaving the whole class silent.

He stepped forward and turned off the multimedia system that had finished playing the evening news broadcast on a loop, making the classroom even quieter.

"Everyone, please study quietly. You can do your homework or review. Teacher Wu will be here soon."

After speaking, he stepped down from the podium and silently returned to his seat.

"What did Wuchangyu say to you when he left alone just now?" Chen Qiuhe asked curiously in a low voice as soon as he sat down.

Li Mubai gestured for her to be quiet, indicating that she shouldn't ask any more questions, so Chen Qiuhe could only sullenly pout.

Ring ring—

"I'll be giving a lecture during the next evening self-study session. Make sure all the books are ready," Wu Changguo said, then walked out of the classroom.

"Hey, hey, what do you say about Wuchang fish?" Yang Kun eagerly came over.

Li Mubai didn't say anything. He stood up, picked up his book, and silently switched seats with Deng Yi.

"Oh my god, I never expected you to be sitting in front of me now!" Yang Kun exclaimed in surprise.

"right."

"So what exactly did Wuchang fish say?" Yang Kun pressed.

The people around him stopped what they were doing and waited for his answer.

"I've changed seats."

"this one?"

"That's it."

"I'm so touched. It's true that only good students get such treatment. If it were me, I probably would have had my parents called in." Yang Kun covered his face and pretended to cry.

It still has an impact. He can no longer communicate directly with Xie Shu, nor is it convenient for him to ask her questions.

Li Mubai stepped past the second large group in the middle and glanced at Xie Shu. The girl noticed his gaze and gently winked at him, making him feel like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, separated by the Milky Way.