We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

"The tea you requested."

Liu Guilan carefully placed the brewed tea on the table, glanced at the computer screen, which was full of study plans for senior high school students, detailing what goals should be achieved each week, with densely packed tables filling most of the screen.

"Old Zhong, you're almost retired, so don't worry so much. Otherwise you'll make yourself sick." Her tone was a complaint, but more than that, it was full of concern.

"You're not a teacher, you wouldn't understand." Zhong Jianjun didn't even look up, picked up his water glass and took a sip. "Since I've become the homeroom teacher of the senior year's elite class, I have to be responsible and do my job well."

"Yes, yes, I don't know as much as you do." After saying that, Liu Guilan turned around and prepared to leave the study. "Remember to manage your time and don't stare at the computer all the time, it'll hurt your eyes. Let's go for a walk tonight."

"Hmm," Zhong Jianjun replied perfunctorily.

The door was closed, and the study returned to silence.

He pulled out a sheet from the pile of documents next to the computer. It contained the scores of the last weekly test in Chinese. Li Mubai was ranked first with a score of 128.

Although Zhong Jianjun did not grade his test paper, the score was still tallied.

He skipped over Li Mubai's name and scanned the list of students one by one. He circled the students with low Chinese scores in red pen, planning to call them in for a talk during the next evening self-study session to find out more about their situations.

Ring ring—

The phone rang abruptly, breaking the tranquility of the study.

Zhong Jianjun picked up his phone and glanced at it; it was a call from a teacher in the Ideological and Political Education Department.

"Hello, Teacher Zhang, what's up?"

"Director Zhong, I caught two students dating at school. One of them is a student from Class 38 of the third year of high school. I would appreciate it if you could come to the school to handle this matter."

Zhong Jianjun hesitated for a moment, then spoke:

"Okay, I'll be right there."

He hung up the phone and quickly packed his things.

"Why are you going out so late?" Liu Guilan sat on the sofa, holding the remote control, about to turn on the TV.

"There's an emergency at school," Zhong Jianjun said, then hurriedly rushed out the door.

……

"I have already notified your homeroom teacher. I hope you can seriously reflect on your mistakes and accept the punishment given by the school." Teacher Zhang sat behind her desk, her hands crossed on the table, her tone serious.

"Teacher, we're not dating," Li Mubai stubbornly insisted.

"Not even in a relationship yet?!" Teacher Zhang's voice suddenly rose. "I saw you two hugging with my own eyes, and that doesn't count as puppy love?"

Xie Shu gently hooked Li Mubai's finger under the table.

He glanced sideways, and Xie Shu nodded subtly, as if to reassure him.

"Don't say anything now, let your respective homeroom teachers handle it!"

The office fell into a deathly silence, with only the air conditioner blowing cold air, making one's arms feel chilly.

"Teacher Zhang, what's going on?"

Wu Changguo was the first to arrive at the Ideological and Political Education Department office.

"I caught these two students dating; they were hugging each other, but they still refused to admit it," Teacher Zhang briefly explained the situation.

After recognizing Xie Shu and Li Mubai, Wu Changguo frowned even more deeply.

"Don't you know the saying, 'Confess and you'll be treated leniently, resist and you'll be punished severely'?" Wu Changguo's tone was much harsher than usual.

"Teacher Wu, I've also called Director Zhong. I'll hand this over to you for processing later," Teacher Zhang said.

"Okay, thank you for your help, Teacher Zhang."

A few minutes later, Zhong Jianjun finally arrived, and Li Mubai and Xie Shu were also reprimanded by Wu Changguo for a few minutes.

"Director Zhong, I caught these two students hugging each other at Hanshan Pavilion." Teacher Zhang quickly stood up and said to Zhong Jianjun, "What do you and Teacher Wu think we should do?"

Zhong Jianjun glanced at Li Mubai and Xie Shu, his expression remaining largely unchanged, and said calmly:

"Have the parents come to the school for a face-to-face meeting, sign a commitment letter, agree to keep their distance in the future, and write a 1,000-word self-criticism."

"Director Zhong, isn't this a bit too much..." Wu Changguo hesitated before speaking.

"We must punish students who behave badly, otherwise we cannot set an example for others." Zhong Jianjun's tone left no room for negotiation.

Silence fell over the office. Wu Changguo didn't speak. He hesitated for a moment before taking out his phone from his pocket. Teacher Zhang stood up and made tea for Zhong Jianjun and Wu Changguo.

Calling his parents... Li Mubai left his father's phone number, and his parents are going to be called to the school... Will Li's parents hate Xie Shu because of this?

"I have a question, Professor Zhong." Xie Shu suddenly raised his hand, his tone as calm as if he were asking a question in class.

"Is there anything you want to ask?" Facing Xie Shu, Zhong Jianjun's brows were furrowed, but his tone softened a bit.

Why must early romantic relationships be labeled as bad behavior?

As soon as she finished speaking, everything in the office stopped. Zhong Jianjun's hand holding his phone hung in mid-air, Teacher Zhang was bending over to pour water, and Wu Changguo's fingers, which were scrolling through his contacts, also stopped.

"Because puppy love not only affects the school's image, but it also affects your own studies! If you don't get into university, you'll be reaping the consequences!"

"But our grades haven't dropped, and the school's appearance can't be changed by just one or two students." Xie Shu's tone remained calm and unhurried.

"Not down yet? Look at where Li Mubai's ranking dropped in the entrance exams at the beginning of the semester!"

"Yes..." Li Mubai swallowed a mouthful of water, trying to make his tone natural, "A fluctuation of one or two places is normal."

"Do you expect me to wait until you fall out of the top ten? Until your grades plummet to the point where you can't even get into a top-tier university before it's considered abnormal? Before it's considered harmful?" Zhong Jianjun bombarded him with a series of questions, like a machine gun. "By then, will it be too late to fix things?"

Li Mubai and Xie Shu opened their mouths, but were speechless for a moment.

"I can……"

Xie Shu was interrupted forcefully by Zhong Jianjun before he could finish speaking:

"Stop saying anything. You're all too young to understand feelings or see the important things. At this stage, you should focus on your studies!"

After he finished speaking, he took out his phone from his pocket, looked through it for a moment, and then dialed the number.

beep - beep -

The ringing of the bell struck their hearts again and again.

hum-

The call was connected.

"Hey, what's up?"

Li Mubai's heart clenched suddenly; it was his father's voice.

"Are you Li Mubai's parent? I'm his homeroom teacher, Zhong Jianjun. We caught your child having a relationship at school, and he's still denying it. Please come to the school now."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Okay, I'll be right there."

Li Mubai took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, seemingly trying to ease the tension in his heart.

Zhong Jianjun looked at Wu Changguo, and under his gaze, Wu Changguo slowly picked up his phone, searched for a number, and dialed it.

"Are you Xie Shu's parent? I'm Wu Changguo, the homeroom teacher. Your child has encountered some problems at school, and I would appreciate it if you could come to the school."

The office was so quiet you could hear the faint static coming from a cell phone speaker.

Two seconds later, a female voice came from the receiver:

"Okay, I understand."