Childhood Sweethearts

The so-called Snake Island is actually a massive mountain surrounded by water on all sides, possessing a highly unique topography.

I remember Ma Wei mentioning last night that there had been multiple incidents of snake-monster attacks in the city recently, and it was possible that something had gone wrong on Snake Island.

I didn't expect the Public Security Bureau to take action so quickly today; they are certainly very responsible when it comes to their work.

Gao Teng followed his classmates to the playground and discovered that all the classes in the third year had already lined up.

There were ten classes in total, each with about forty or fifty students; only their class was the most desolate, with a mere twelve people, countable at a single glance.

After quickly falling into line and waiting for about six or seven minutes, Principal Liang Guofu walked onto the flag-raising platform.

He scanned the classes from his vantage point, and when his gaze landed on Class Five, his brows furrowed involuntarily.

He knew the situation with Class Five, but the number of students didn't seem that low.

Liang Guofu paused for a brief moment; instead of immediately asking Chen Yan for the reason, he cleared his throat and began to speak about the precautions for the field training.

Afterward, he directed students from one of the classes to carry crates of training uniforms and bundles of standard-issue long blades from the school's utility room.

These training uniforms were quite tattered, and the long blades were covered in signs of wear and tear, as the school frequently organized field training for the students, and this batch of equipment had been used repeatedly for a long time.

After the equipment was distributed, each class went to the restrooms in turn to change into their training uniforms.

Once everyone had finished preparing, they boarded the buses parked on campus in an orderly fashion.

Seeing that the students in her class were all seated, Chen Yan prepared to depart with the bus as well.

However, just as she was about to board, she was stopped by Liang Guofu.

"Teacher Chen."

Liang Guofu walked to the side of the bus door and coughed lightly: "What's the situation with your class? Are the students not all here? I recall your class size shouldn't be this small."

Chen Yan turned back and explained: "Principal, a few students in our class are feeling unwell, so I let them stay in the classroom to rest."

Liang Guofu's brows furrowed imperceptibly; this was clearly an excuse.

Students who practiced martial arts every day were as sturdy as oxen; how could they be feeling unwell?

Thus, he said earnestly: "Teacher Chen, you cannot let the students become flowers in a greenhouse; they must experience some danger to develop their mettle."

"I know, Principal." Chen Yan said, "But they are truly unwell. If I force them to participate in this training, I'm afraid they might have an accident."

Liang Guofu gave an "um" sound. He didn't get angry at Chen Yan's excuse, but instead said quite politely: "I know you have the students' best interests at heart, but by doing this, other students might have objections.

Therefore, you must consider things from multiple perspectives; you cannot just look after certain students."

Chen Yan nodded in agreement.

"Alright."

Liang Guofu said with a smile: "I'm just giving you a few reminders so that you can be more thorough in your teaching.

You are a good teacher, and I have always greatly admired your teaching attitude. As the principal, I feel very honored that our school has a teacher like you."

"Principal, you are too kind."

"I am not intentionally flattering you; these are my sincere words."

Liang Guofu offered a few more words of encouragement, watched Chen Yan board the bus, and saw it slowly drive out of the school.

Seeing this, Gao Teng felt very surprised.

Liang Guofu was being a bit too polite, even somewhat ingratiating. Could it be... that Chen Yan's background is quite extraordinary?

He rubbed his chin. This matter would be hard to inquire about, so he had better focus on the upcoming field training.

Once he farms a wave of merit points, classmate Zhou Xing will be in for a treat again!

"Heh."

Thinking of Zhou Xing's devastated expression, Gao Teng couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.

He crossed his arms, leaned back against the seat, and began to close his eyes to rest.

I don't know how much time passed, but as the bus jolted a few times, they finally arrived at their destination.

Outside the bus window was a lush, green expanse, with rapid river water winding around the mountain—a truly beautiful scene.

Gao Teng followed his classmates off the bus one by one. Several Public Security Bureau vehicles were parked by the roadside, and officers in uniform were chatting in small groups.

"Yanzi, you're here."

Just after stepping off the bus, a sturdy, middle-aged man walked over, his face full of delight.

"Ma Wei, why are you here?"

Chen Yan's attitude was very cold, not giving him a pleasant look at all.

Ma Wei didn't feel awkward and still greeted her with a smile: "I am the deputy director, so of course I have to come out to work.

For this field training, the Public Security Bureau has dispatched powerful officers to ensure that none of your school's students will have any accidents."

Chen Yan looked at him with disdain: "But with you leading the team, I'm not at ease."

Ma Wei clicked his tongue and shook his head repeatedly: "Everyone in the bureau says that my character and work are already perfect.

Only you are constantly reminding me that I am not good enough and that I can become even better. You truly have my best interests at heart."

"Disgusting!"

Chen Yan shot him a glare and walked to the side.

Immediately after, she added, "Don't follow me!"

Ma Wei stopped in his tracks, looking somewhat helpless.

He swept his gaze over the students of Class Five and froze the moment he saw Gao Teng.

"Yo!"

He raised a hand in greeting: "Why are you here? What a coincidence, isn't it? How was last night? Did you have a good time?"

Gao Teng's entire face scrunched up. Just as he was about to reply, Chen Yan cut in: "Ma Wei, stop chatting with my students. Don't corrupt them!"

Ma Wei spread his hands: "I haven't even said anything yet."

Chen Yan showed no mercy: "I know exactly what kind of crap you're going to spew the moment you open your mouth!"

"Yanzi, your attitude toward me is too harsh."

"Don't call me that, we aren't that close!"

Ma Wei looked deeply wounded: "We were in the same class from elementary school through middle school, high school, and even college. We've been through so much together; if we aren't family, we're practically family. How can you say we aren't close?"

"Save it!"

Chen Yan walked even further away to chat with other teachers, clearly not wanting to see Ma Wei at all.

Gao Teng's gaze darted back and forth between the two. He hadn't expected that while Ma Wei looked like a seasoned player, he was actually a total simp.

"What are you looking at?"

Ma Wei, full of pent-up frustration, asked Gao Teng with a straight face.

"Nothing."

Gao Teng shook his head rapidly.

Ma Wei walked over, slung an arm around Gao Teng's shoulder, and sighed softly: "You've got it good, having a girl you're mutually fond of at such a young age.

If I had been a bit braver back then, I could have been just as bold as you in pursuing the person I liked."

"?"

Gao Teng instinctively turned his head to look at Chen Yan.

His homeroom teacher was dressed quite plainly in a simple white T-shirt paired with tight jeans, which outlined the curve of her perky backside. Just looking at her from behind, she exuded a great deal of charm.

"Is she pretty?"

Ma Wei grabbed Gao Teng's chin and twisted his head back around.

"Is that something you should be looking at? I'll dig your eyes out!"