Chapter 030 【Teachers’ Meeting】

When Gu Feng returned home, the lights were on in the living room. Lin Jiaying, wearing pajamas and holding a yellow teddy bear, had fallen asleep on the sofa.

Seeing Lin Jiaying asleep on the sofa, Gu Feng lowered his footsteps, walked over to her, and gently picked her up.

Lin Jiaying was sleeping soundly when she was suddenly lifted by Gu Feng. Instinctively, she let go of the teddy bear in her hands, wrapped her arms around Gu Feng’s neck, and rested her head on his shoulder.

Gu Feng carried Lin Jiaying to the bedroom and gently placed her on the bed. Just as he was about to leave, he felt his clothes being grabbed. Turning around, he saw Lin Jiaying clutching the collar of his shirt, her expression somewhat fearful.

Gu Feng stopped, took hold of Lin Jiaying’s soft little hand, and tried to pry it loose, only to find that she was gripping it tightly.

After thinking for a moment, Gu Feng slowly took off his jacket, placed it by the pillow, letting Lin Jiaying continue to hold it, and then walked out of the bedroom.

At the bedroom door, Gu Feng glanced back at Lin Jiaying and noticed that she was still tightly clutching his clothes. However, the fearful expression on her face had completely vanished, replaced instead by a faint, happy smile.

Gu Feng gently closed the door, took a cold shower in the bathroom, and then returned to his bedroom to rest.

The morning sunlight streamed through the glass, illuminating Lin Jiaying’s delicate face. She gently rubbed her nose and slowly opened her eyes.

The slightly glaring sunlight made her hesitant to open her eyes fully, so she squinted instead. When she realized she was lying comfortably on her large cartoon-themed bed, Lin Jiaying rubbed her sleepy eyes and sat up.

She clearly remembered that last night, she had been waiting for Gu Feng, reading a book on the living room sofa until she eventually fell asleep.

Suddenly, she noticed Gu Feng’s jacket lying beside the pillow, carrying a faint, masculine scent.

Just as Lin Jiaying was trying to figure out what had happened, Gu Feng’s voice came from outside the door: “Jia Ying, time to get up!”

“Coming,” Lin Jiaying replied, glancing at the alarm clock on the table. She noticed that the time matched her usual wake-up hour, but today the alarm hadn’t gone off because she hadn’t set it the night before.

When Lin Jiaying got dressed and came to the living room, Gu Feng had already prepared breakfast. Seeing her, Gu Feng smiled and said, “Wash your face and have breakfast.”

Lin Jiaying nodded lightly, then remembered something and said, “I hung your jacket on the clothes rack. Do you want me to get it for you?”

“Go wash your face. I’ll get it myself,” Gu Feng replied, untying the apron he was wearing.

Lin Jiaying said “oh” and headed into the bathroom.

After putting away the apron, Gu Feng went to Lin Jiaying’s bedroom and was surprised to see it exceptionally tidy. The quilt was neatly folded just like the day before, and all the clothes that had been scattered around were now properly stored in the wardrobe.

Gu Feng couldn’t help but smile, picked up his jacket from the clothes rack, and left the bedroom.

“You go ahead. I’ll clean up,” Gu Feng said with a slight smile when he saw Lin Jiaying finishing breakfast and about to clear the milk glasses from the table.

Hearing this, Lin Jiaying nodded, then went to her bedroom to get her schoolbag. Although she no longer felt annoyed by Gu Feng, she didn’t want her classmates to know about her relationship with Gu Feng. So, she decided to leave for school first, letting Gu Feng follow later.

Gu Feng knew what Lin Jiaying was thinking, which was why he had suggested it. Otherwise, if they finished cleaning up together and left at the same time, it would put Lin Jiaying in a spot to insist on going first.

Gu Feng didn’t want to put Lin Jiaying in an uncomfortable position.

When Gu Feng arrived at the school, he noticed that the security guard at the entrance had been replaced by the same ex-serviceman who had greeted him the other day.

In stark contrast to Chen Minjun’s attitude toward Gu Feng, the security guard smiled and greeted him warmly.

By the time Gu Feng reached the office, almost all the teachers had already arrived.

Seeing Gu Feng enter, Fatty Qi, who was usually cheerful and lighthearted, was uncharacteristically serious and said, “Teacher Gu, get ready. There’s going to be a school-wide faculty meeting soon.”

“A faculty meeting?” Gu Feng asked, puzzled. “Aren’t those usually held on Monday afternoons?”

“This is an emergency meeting. Something important must have come up,” Xia Wei explained with a smile.

Hearing Xia Wei’s words, Gu Feng murmured “oh” and noticed that Hu Hua’s expression seemed somewhat uneasy. Gu Feng understood the reason but chose not to comment.

At 7:30, Gu Feng and the other teachers from the office arrived at the school’s conference room.

The conference room was quite spacious, roughly 200 square meters. In the center stood a large oval-shaped conference table surrounded by dozens of chairs.

Although Purple Maple Middle School only had grades four to six, with eight classes per grade, the total number of teachers was over sixty.

By the time Gu Feng arrived at the conference room, many teachers were already present. They were whispering among themselves, seemingly discussing the purpose of the meeting.

Gu Feng followed Fatty Qi’s lead and found a seat.

Around 7:40, Xu Qin, along with two other principals and three school trustees, entered the conference room. Instantly, the room fell silent, and everyone’s eyes turned toward the six, or more precisely, toward Xu Qin.

Xu Qin walked straight to the front seat, sat down steadily, leaned slightly forward, scanned the crowd, and said in a serious tone, “There are two purposes for calling this emergency meeting today.”

Hearing Xu Qin speak, everyone listened intently.

“First, there are only twenty-eight days left until Purple Maple Middle School’s twentieth-anniversary celebration,” Xu Qin stated solemnly. “The school is taking this event very seriously. Alumni will return to participate in the celebration. Additionally, the district government is also paying close attention and will send representatives to attend.”

Hearing Xu Qin’s words, all the teachers breathed a sigh of relief. Xu Qin was known for her strictness at Purple Maple Middle School, and earlier, they had worried that she might have someone in her sights for disciplinary action.

“Next, I’d like each homeroom teacher to present their class’s program for the celebration, starting with Class 4-1,” Xu Qin said.

At Xu Qin’s words, the conference room fell silent again as a female teacher stood up to report her class’s program.

Gu Feng wasn’t particularly interested in the school anniversary celebration. He understood that Xu Qin’s emphasis was due to two reasons: first, government representatives would attend, and second, among the alumni, there were likely influential figures. Otherwise, given Xu Qin’s personality, she wouldn’t be making such a big deal of it.

For the next hour, each homeroom teacher presented their class’s program.

When Xia Wei presented Class 4-8’s program, all the teachers looked at her with sympathy. Clearly, the notorious reputation of Class 4-8 was well-known throughout the school.

“There are only twenty-eight days left until the school anniversary. We're short on time, and I hope every homeroom teacher will put their all into preparing their class’s program,” Xu Qin said. “Now, let me move on to the second matter of today’s meeting.”

Hearing Xu Qin’s words, everyone turned their attention back to her.

“After discussion by the school board, it has been decided to remove Teacher Xia from her position as homeroom teacher of Class 4-8,” Xu Qin stated firmly.

As soon as Xu Qin spoke, all the teachers in the conference room were stunned. They turned their eyes to Xia Wei, who visibly trembled, her face falling.

Xia Wei, however, was a strong woman. She quickly composed herself, stood up, and asked, “Principal Xu, why am I being removed as homeroom teacher?”

Xia Wei’s question puzzled many teachers. In their view, being relieved of the homeroom teacher role for Class 4-8 should have come as a relief to her.

While Xia Wei spoke, Gu Feng also looked at Xu Qin with curiosity. In his opinion, Xia Wei was a rare find as a teacher, and there was no reason to remove her from her position.

“Teacher Xia, here’s the situation,” Xu Qin responded calmly to Xia Wei’s question. “It’s well-known that the students of Class 4-8 are difficult to manage. I’ve also heard about what happened to you yesterday. After discussing with the board, we unanimously decided to transfer you to Class 4-1 as homeroom teacher. You are an excellent teacher, and we need to use our best resources where they count most. The other two principals and I don’t want to see your health deteriorate because of Class 4-8, causing you to quit Purple Maple Middle School.”

“Principal Xu, I…” Xia Wei tried to explain.

“Alright, Teacher Xia, this matter is settled. If you have any concerns, you can discuss them with me privately,” Xu Qin said, reverting to her stern demeanor. “Now, I will announce the new homeroom teacher for Class 4-8.”

Hearing Xu Qin’s words, all the teachers looked horrified, fearing that their names might be called.

As the teachers waited anxiously, Xu Qin slowly announced two words: “Gu Feng.”

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