Just as I thought, Chen Yuxiang thought.
She first shot an anxious glance at Che Quan in the back row. Only after seeing how utterly composed he looked did she relax a little and turn to Qiao Qiao beside her.
Sure enough, Qiao Qiao was completely unguarded. She walked straight up to the platform, picked up a piece of chalk, and began working on the problem with full concentration.
In less than two minutes, neat, elegant writing covered the blackboard.
Qiao Qiao gently set down the chalk and looked at Teacher Chang, respectful and polite.
"Teacher, I've finished."
At that, the man could not even be bothered to look properly. He simply said, "Wrong. Do it again."
Qiao Qiao froze, then turned toward the blackboard with a slight frown. "Teacher Chang... may I ask which step is wrong?"
"Every step! Didn't you hear me tell you to do it again?"
His sudden roar left Qiao Qiao embarrassed and at a loss on the platform.
Standing before the class's complicated gazes, she had no idea what to do.
Miao Rouning was the first to let out a laugh.
It was a tiny, tiny sound, yet it pierced Qiao Qiao's heart like a needle.
At her sides, Qiao Qiao's hands silently clenched into fists despite herself.
The man seemed to have gone deaf now. He paid no attention, leaving Qiao Qiao standing on the platform for everyone to laugh at.
"Are you going to redo it or not? If not, you can stand right here all day! If another teacher asks, tell them I made you stand here as punishment. Do you hear me?"
Watching from her seat, Chen Yuxiang was so furious she nearly ground her teeth to pieces.
She had encountered hateful, beastly teachers like this during her own school days too. But they had not hurt her much, so her earlier dislike of "Teacher Chang" had never felt particularly visceral.
Now, she wanted to tear Teacher Chang apart with her bare hands.
Seeing Qiao Qiao standing helpless and alone on the platform, Chen Yuxiang repeatedly clenched and unclenched her hands. She wanted to do something, but she had no idea what she could do.
Two seconds passed before Chen Yuxiang could take no more and sprang to her feet, instantly drawing the entire class's attention.
The man was caught even more off guard.
Bewildered, Teacher Chang snapped, "You! Why is it you again? What do you want now?"
Before Chen Yuxiang could speak, a deeper, more authoritative male voice suddenly rang out, laced with anger. "Shut up, Teacher Chang! I should be asking you what you think you're doing!"
That voice frightened most of those present. Miao Rouning shuddered from head to toe and hurriedly stuffed her makeup and mirror into her desk drawer to hide them.
"Teacher Chang," who had been called out by name, was even more terrified. He nearly died of fright.
How could he possibly have expected the principal to come inspect the class right then?
Teacher Chang's expression was stiff and ugly, as though he had swallowed a fly and still had to force a smile. Bowing and scraping respectfully, he ushered the principal into the classroom.
"P-Principal Zheng, what brings you here...? This student was disrupting the class just now, so I lost control of my temper a little. Please don't misunderstand, Principal." Teacher Chang kept smiling apologetically.
"Misunderstand? Hmph." Nearly fifty but no less stern for it, the principal gave a cold snort. "I was standing at the back door. I saw everything perfectly clearly!"
The man's heart lurched, and cold sweat began beading on his forehead.
Then he saw the principal sweep the classroom with a hawklike gaze and bark, "Which two animals are Miao Rouning and Yuan Zhou? Stand up!"
Teacher Chang was completely dumbfounded.
Why was he suddenly after those two as well? And why was he openly calling them animals?
Teacher Chang was not the only one confused. Miao Rouning and Yuan Zhou were equally bewildered and afraid.
They cautiously stood up. Yuan Zhou's voice trembled as he asked, "Hello, Principal... why are you insulting us? Did we do something wrong?"
Principal Zheng did not even look at Yuan Zhou or Miao Rouning, as though he found the pair especially loathsome.
He turned and berated the terrified Teacher Chang. "I saw everything just now. You gave this student a problem and called her up to solve it. She clearly got it right, and her solution was flawless! Yet you deliberately told her she was wrong and ordered her to stand as punishment for an entire day? As a teacher, what exactly are your intentions?! You're disgracing this school, do you understand?"
Principal Zheng's words rang out forcefully, striking Teacher Chang's heart like a hammer.
Teacher Chang's face had turned a ghastly shade of pale.
He stammered incoherently in his own defense. "N-no, that's not what happened, Principal. I-I-I might have misread the problem. I didn't do it on purpose. I... I misread it and made a mistake, Principal!"
"Nonsense!"
The principal shot him down angrily.
He had been a math teacher himself and could tell at a glance that Teacher Chang was merely making excuses.
In front of the entire class, he had no intention of sparing Teacher Chang even a shred of dignity. He ruthlessly exposed the lie. "You're a senior teacher and the head of the mathematics department! You expect me to believe you made a mistake on a beginner-level problem like this? Teacher Chang, if that's the extent of your ability, then I don't think you deserve your position, much less to teach at our elite school!"
Teacher Chang nearly fell to his knees.
Every student except Che Quan stared wide-eyed at the sudden turn of events. Unsure how to react, they could only keep quiet and make themselves as inconspicuous as possible to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
Even Chen Yuxiang, still standing foolishly beside her seat, was at a complete loss.
This principal... he never showed up before.
H-how had things suddenly taken such a turn?
It took Chen Yuxiang a long time to recover. She stole a glance at Che Quan, and sure enough, he was watching the drama unfold without the slightest surprise.
Chen Yuxiang: "..." Smooth.
"Qiao Qiao" likewise stood frozen on the platform for a long time.
Without her realizing it, the resentment in her eyes had given way to utter bewilderment and confusion.
Just a moment ago, she had been the one punished in front of everyone. How had Teacher Chang suddenly become the one being publicly berated by the principal, while Miao Rouning and Yuan Zhou had inexplicably been called animals by the highest authority in the school?
Dazed, she slowly loosened the fists she had clenched so tightly at her sides.
As she watched Miao Rouning and Yuan Zhou stand rigidly while the entire class looked them up and down with strange expressions, an unfamiliar rush of satisfaction threatened to burst from her chest.
Only after the grim-faced principal led Teacher Chang, Miao Rouning, and Yuan Zhou out of the classroom did the whole class quietly heave a sigh of relief.
But no one expected the principal to turn back so suddenly and look into the classroom again. His abrupt turn frightened one student into a fit of hiccups.
One after another.
Amid the hiccups, the principal located Che Quan's seat and fixed his gaze on him, giving a meaningful instruction. "Che Quan, you're responsible for calming this student down. Don't let her get too worked up. I will thoroughly investigate these three and give her a satisfactory answer."
Che Quan neither agreed nor disagreed.
Before you continue