A Teacher's Concern

A Teacher's Concern

Until Physical Education Class ended, Wang Hai did not pay Zhang Yu any further attention. It was as if he had treated him as a puff of air, no longer giving him any instruction or teaching.

With Wang Hai taking the lead in isolating him, the other students also subconsciously stopped approaching Zhang Yu, as though an invisible no-man's land had opened up around him.

Old Wang really is... how can he be so petty?

But with things having come to this, Zhang Yu had no solution. He simply lay down quietly and continued resting.

In the blink of an eye, class was over, and everyone headed to the cafeteria one after another.

After everyone had left, Zhou Tianyi walked over to Zhang Yu and gave him a thumbs-up. "Warrior, did you buy accident insurance?"

Zhang Yu slowly climbed to his feet, dusted off his pants, and said, "What's there to fear? Once my cultivation improves greatly and my grades soar in a while, plenty of teachers will protect me."

He looked confidently at the Feather Scroll in his palm. His Physical Strength had already risen from 0.83 to 0.84.

That was without injections, medicine, or any Dietary Supplementation—only through training with the Body Tempering Thirty-Six Forms.

Presumably, as the level of the Body Tempering Thirty-Six Forms kept increasing in the future, the rate at which his Physical Strength improved would also become faster and faster.

Just thinking about it made Zhang Yu sigh once more at the terror of his own potential.

Seeing Zhang Yu suddenly looking so confident, Zhou Tianyi asked curiously, "Did you find a new source for medicine? Don't forget your brother if you get your hands on good stuff."

Zhang Yu clenched his fist and smiled. "Kid, your big brother practices Natural Body Refinement!"

Outside the training room, Bai Zhenzhen's cheeks were flushed red after her intense Body Tempering session. Sweat continuously dripped from her forehead, and heat rose from her entire body.

Bang bang bang!

She knocked on the door and said flatly, "Zhang Yu, are you done showing off? I'm starving. Hurry up and let's eat."

The three of them hurriedly joined the flood of people heading toward the cafeteria. Since they had arrived late, they could see from far away that a huge crowd was lining up outside its entrance.

However, as members of the Demonstration Class, Zhang Yu and the other two had the privilege of entering the cafeteria first. They could go straight in through the VIP passage.

Under the mixed gazes of students from the other classes, the three of them walked into the cafeteria.

How should that feeling be described?

If Zhang Yu had to put it into words, it was like Inner Sect Heavenly Prodigies slowly entering the Gathering Immortals Restaurant to dine beneath the gazes of Outer Sect menial disciples—some envious, some jealous, and some convinced that they could take their place.

The moment they entered the cafeteria, Bai Zhenzhen said, "I'm having Dietary Supplementation today. I'm going upstairs to eat."

So-called Dietary Supplementation meant using ingredients rich in Immortal Dao Elements, cooked together with all kinds of medicinal substances. It could effectively strengthen the body, make up for the losses suffered after intense training, and increase the efficiency of Body Tempering and Breath Circulation.

It could be said that Dietary Supplementation brought countless benefits to Immortal Dao studies. The only reason Zhang Yu was not eating it now was that it was expensive—truly, outrageously expensive.

A single meal cost at least several hundred. More precious ingredients costing several thousand were perfectly normal. Even the old Zhang Yu, who had money from massive loans in hand, had not been willing to eat it every day, let alone the current Zhang Yu.

Watching Bai Zhenzhen head alone to the second floor, Zhang Yu could sense that the cafeteria's second floor and first floor formed another boundary, much like the boundary between the cafeteria where he stood and the lines of people outside.

Yet a trace of doubt rose in Zhang Yu's heart. Didn't A-Zhen run out of money? How could she bear to eat on the second floor?

Not long after lunch, Zhang Yu, who was taking his midday rest, was summoned to the teachers' office.

A middle-aged man sipped tea, glanced at Zhang Yu standing before his desk, and said, "Teacher Wang Hai told me about what happened with you."

The man was named Su Haifeng. He was both the Homeroom Teacher of the Demonstration Class and the grade director for the first years.

He looked at Zhang Yu with disappointment and said, "Do you remember what you told me during your interview?"

When the original Zhang Yu had attended Songyang High School's interview, Su Haifeng had been the interviewer seated in the middle.

Hearing Su Haifeng's words now, Zhang Yu was slightly stunned. Although he had fused with the original owner's memories, many details truly could not be recalled in an instant.

Su Haifeng sighed. "I still remember you saying that you wanted to get into a prestigious university."

"During Physical Education Class, you neither bought medicine nor took injections. You lay on the ground slacking off and even talked back to the teacher. Is this the attitude of someone who wants to get into a prestigious university?"

Listening to the criticism, Zhang Yu did not know how to explain himself. He could hardly say that he could not buy medicine or take injections because he was poor and useless, while he had treated Physical Education Class casually because his potential had been awakened.

Feeling Zhang Yu's silence, Su Haifeng sighed again. "Zhang Yu, your performance over the past three months has always been good. I know you're a good child."

"Did something happen at home recently?"

Zhang Yu looked at him in surprise. Feeling the concern in his gaze, he found it hard to believe. There are actually teachers in this crazy school who care about students? After thinking for a moment, he said softly, "Yeah, I had a bit of a conflict with my family."

"I'll try to work it out and recover my condition as soon as possible."

Although he could feel the other man's concern, Zhang Yu could only brush it off as quickly as possible for now. Once his grades improved after some time, he naturally would not need to explain these hard-to-explain matters to teachers anymore.

But Su Haifeng seemed dissatisfied as he frowned and said angrily, "What is there that you don't dare tell a teacher?"

"Did your family's financial situation run into trouble recently?"

"The debt collection calls from the Loan Platform have already reached the school."

"Huh?" Zhang Yu abruptly raised his head. "They called you, Teacher?"

Su Haifeng nodded gravely. "If they hadn't called me, I wouldn't have known you owed so much money. Why didn't you tell me?"

Zhang Yu said, "I..."

He truly had never thought telling the school would be of any use. Especially given Songyang High School's atmosphere, he had figured that knowing about it would only make his situation worse.

But Su Haifeng let out a long sigh and looked at Zhang Yu kindly. "I know the school can be rather harsh sometimes, so when something happens, you don't dare tell us."

"But you need to know that we are your teachers, after all. How could we not help our own students?"

As he spoke, he pulled a document from his drawer and handed it to Zhang Yu.

"This is the Financially Disadvantaged Student Subsidy Program that I specially applied for on your behalf. Hurry up and sign it."

Taking the document, Zhang Yu looked at Su Haifeng with some emotion. "Thank you, Teacher."

He realized that he had been wrong about the teachers at this school again.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, Although there are unreliable people like Wang Hai, there are also earnest elders like Teacher Su.

Su Haifeng smiled, waved his hand, and passed over a pen. "Hurry up and sign."

Zhang Yu lowered his head and swept his gaze across the document. Then he froze on the spot.

Su Haifeng chuckled. "What's wrong? Sign it quickly. I'll try to submit it for you before I get off work."

Zhang Yu's voice sank. "Teacher, this seems to be a debt restructuring contract. Did you give me the wrong document?"

Su Haifeng chuckled. "Why are financially disadvantaged students disadvantaged? Isn't it because they owe money? Once the debt is restructured, wouldn't that be helping financially disadvantaged students? This is the Financially Disadvantaged Student Subsidy Program."

Zhang Yu looked over the contents of the contract. Specifically, it would package all his debts together, calculate them as one, and have the school lend him money to repay them.

From then on, the school would become his creditor.

Zhang Yu estimated the restructured debt again. After all sorts of messy procedures, interest, principal, handling fees, upfront interest deductions... it seemed to have risen to more than a million.

What debt restructuring? Isn't this just borrowing to repay borrowing?

He roared inwardly, Even the Homeroom Teacher is running loans, huh.

So that's how you want to play it? Are there no normal teachers left in this trash school?

Suppressing the anger in his heart, Zhang Yu let out a breath. "Teacher, I've thought it over. Forget it. I can repay this money myself."

Su Haifeng patiently persuaded him, "How can a child like you repay such a huge sum? Hurry up and sign it. The school will shoulder this matter for you."

"Don't worry. The school's installment plan is very flexible."

Zhang Yu said, "No need, Teacher. Really, no need."

After repeatedly refusing, Zhang Yu simply tossed the contract aside and ran out of the office.

Watching his departing back, Su Haifeng lifted his teacup and gently blew on it.

A moment later, he picked up his vibrating phone and said, "He refused."

"Mm. I'll try again after some time."

"Don't worry. Poor people... once they can no longer withstand the methods of collection agencies, they'll always come borrow money."