Chapter 10: The Dean’s Intervention

The Dean of Students arrived like a prince on a white horse, here to rescue the damsel in dis— *ahem*. A closer look at the dean’s bald head, however, revealed a distinct lack of princely charm. So much for that idea.

Still, Qiao Xia was immensely grateful for the dean’s timely intervention. Getting into a full-blown argument with his homeroom teacher would have been a massive headache.

Ever since starting his second year of high school, this new homeroom teacher’s attitude toward him had been strange. She would constantly shoot him odd looks for no reason and occasionally make even odder comments. Her expressions were a mix of utter contempt and disapproval, as if she were always looking for an excuse to kick him out of the class. Yet, she never did more than offer a few words of reprimand.

She never took any real action, which Qiao Xia found peculiar but ultimately didn’t dwell on. He simply continued his life of coasting along, waiting for graduation.

Logically, with parents who were both high-level intellectuals, Qiao Xia should have inherited at least half their genes. His grades shouldn’t have been at the top of the year, but they certainly shouldn’t have been languishing at the bottom.

But parents were parents, and a child was a child.

They had different ambitions.

Perhaps it was because his parents were rarely around that Qiao Xia just wanted to go with the flow, unburdened by the lofty pursuits of others.

‘What’s the point of life if you gain all the knowledge and status in the world?’

His parents toiled away at their scientific research, so much so that they neglected their own son. It was a good thing they were in the same field; otherwise, they would have never seen each other. As far back as Qiao Xia could remember, he had seen his parents a pitifully small number of times. The nanny who often came over, however, was incredibly diligent, ensuring his quality of life was excellent.

On days without school, a room, a computer, and a Wi-Fi connection were all he needed.

Add some otaku happy water and a bag of chips, and it was a life fit for the gods.

When Wang Li, the homeroom teacher, saw the Dean of Students appear, her face filled with astonishment.

The dean was usually busy hunting down delinquent students. What was he doing here today?

“Dean, you don’t understand—”

“I do.”

“But, Qiao Xia, he—”

“Qiao Xia is fine. He’s an obedient student. I just had Li Lin Guan call him over to ask him a few things. I’m done now, so I sent him back.”

Just as Wang Li was about to launch into her complaint, the dean cut her off, his expression impassive. The speech she had prepared was now useless.

She was also baffled as to why the dean would speak up for Qiao Xia. When it came to poor students with rock-bottom grades like him, the dean was usually even stricter than she was.

Why the sudden change of heart? He was actually defending him.

Wang Li wracked her brain but couldn’t fathom the real reason for the dean’s uncharacteristic support: the steel bar that had fallen from the construction site.

Although no one was killed, an incident like that happening on school grounds could become a major headache if the student’s parents decided to make a fuss. The matter had to be nipped in the bud. The dean had immediately decided to start with the involved parties, planning to reason with Qiao Xia and Li Lin Guan to keep the incident from escalating.

Li Lin Guan was easy to handle. That just left Qiao Xia.

Now, stumbling upon the Class One homeroom teacher reprimanding him was a godsend.

It would be a terrible waste not to seize this opportunity.

With that thought, the dean became even more determined to protect Qiao Xia today. He would even back him up in front of everyone to show the sincerity of his intentions.

‘Young people these days are smart,’ he thought. ‘A little hint later, and he’ll understand what I mean.’

“Wang Li, I’m not trying to criticize you, but since the school has entrusted you with being the homeroom teacher for Class One, you need to be responsible! The first period has already started, yet I can hear your students all the way from the hallway. Is this a class? If I didn’t know I was in a school, I’d think someone had opened a wet market! Furthermore, don’t always be so quick to find fault with students. You need to guide them with patience. Take this situation with Qiao Xia—you punished him without even asking for his side of the story. You need evidence! If I hadn’t arrived when I did, Qiao Xia would have been wronged.”

After his lengthy tirade, the dean glanced at Wang Li’s ugly expression but paid it no mind. He turned instead to the stunned Qiao Xia and Zhou Li, a profound and inscrutable meaning in his eyes.

Qiao Xia and Zhou Li couldn’t help but exchange a bewildered look, their eyes reflecting a shared confusion about the current situation.

The dean’s sudden appearance had saved Qiao Xia from punishment, but it was strange. Qiao Xia remembered the dean’s usual harsh glares, a clear sign of his dislike for underachieving students. Today, however, was a complete reversal.

It was too weird.

As Qiao Xia pondered this peculiarity, the dean turned his head again, this time toward the windows of the Class One classroom. Seeing a crowd of students gathered to watch the commotion, he walked over and tapped his hand on the glass. The onlookers scattered like birds, scurrying back to their seats.

“Dean, you’ve misunderstood. I had just gone to the office to get some supplementary materials and told the class to study on their own.”

Her face still dark from the dean’s lecture, Wang Li swallowed her anger and quickly offered a forced explanation. She knew that with the dean protecting him, she couldn’t punish Qiao Xia today.

‘What rotten luck.’

Still, there would be plenty of time later. She refused to believe she couldn’t drive out one measly student.

“Even so, you’ve failed as a homeroom teacher. You can’t even manage your students or command any respect as an educator! How can the school entrust you with an honors class? Forget it, we can discuss this later. For now, apologize to Qiao Xia. Punishing a student without getting the facts straight… you’ve shown a true lack of integrity as a teacher.”

“Dean, it’s just a small matter. Surely it doesn’t warrant me apologizing to a student!”

“What’s wrong with a student? Anyone who makes a mistake should apologize. Have you lived this long without learning such a basic fact?”

The Dean of Students had always been one to speak his mind to any teacher in the school, even the principal. This was especially true now, as he was trying to curry favor with Qiao Xia and de-escalate the steel bar incident.

He had to come down harder on the Class One homeroom teacher. She needed to stop targeting Qiao Xia and Zhou Li. If she managed to annoy Zhou Li enough to make him transfer, who would the school get its sponsorship from?

Could an ordinary teacher like Wang Li take that responsibility?

Upon hearing the dean’s words, Zhou Li nudged Qiao Xia with his elbow, his face contorted in a gleeful, gloating expression. Today had been truly exciting. Not only had they easily dealt with that punk, but now he was about to hear the old witch apologize. *Tsk, tsk*. He’d have to buy a lottery ticket on the way home to celebrate.

Qiao Xia, on the other hand, remained perfectly calm, though he didn’t refuse the dean’s suggestion.

He truly wanted to hear his homeroom teacher’s apology today.

He wasn’t a saint. After being treated like this by her, he couldn’t just let the matter slide.

He would gracefully accept the apology he was owed.