Chapter 85
Su Cheng glanced at the photos of the students with gloomy expressions. Leaving aside the honor roll, wouldn't posting students' photos on the shame roll draw criticism from the parents and management?
High school is precisely the most sensitive and self-esteem-driven period for teenagers...
Su Cheng also noticed many fine scratches on the glass of the bulletin board, as if someone had been scratching it with their fingernails for a long time.
The most heavily scratched areas are the names of the top three students on the honor roll and the photos of the ten students at the bottom of the list.
Judging from these two locations alone, it's easy to guess that students often linger in front of the bulletin board, scratching the glass with various emotions.
Su Cheng didn't linger on the notice board for long. After reading it, she turned and walked towards the teachers' elevator on the side of the lobby.
The stairs are right next to the elevator. This teaching building has eight floors, and the elevator is for teachers only.
On the wall near the stairwell are slogans that inspire students: Don't forget to exercise while you're studying!
After the elevator doors closed, pressing the floor button didn't cause it to go up. Su Cheng picked up her work ID hanging around her neck and pressed it against the sensor, and only then did the elevator move.
She looked at the red-lit number 8, then down at her right hand, her fingertips twitching slightly. Had she just pressed the button for the 8th floor?
She had just been thinking that the senior high school teachers and offices were on the 8th floor, so she naturally pressed the floor button.
But how did she know about this?
Su Cheng's eyelids twitched, and she belatedly realized what was happening, but since she came to the school, her Yin-Yang Eyes had not seen anything unusual.
The entire school is neither an illusion nor Ghost Domain.
"Mu Ling, do you sense anything is wrong with this school?"
Mu Ling slowly replied, "From the time you came in until now, nothing seems out of the ordinary."
"Except for one thing that's a little strange."
"What?"
"You seem very familiar with this school. Have you looked at a map or information about it before?"
Su Cheng froze, her mind going blank for a moment. Her fingertips clenched tightly, and she felt a sharp pain as her nails dug into her palm.
The thread of thought that had been repeatedly interrupted was reconnected; it seemed as if she had emerged from some kind of mindset and identity, slowly and deliberately questioning herself, word by word:
Why does she feel familiar with the school?
It was as if she really was a teacher at this school.
Is she? No, she isn't.
She had only borrowed Li Li's work ID, and after entering the school, she seemed to gradually forget about it.
Why is this happening?
Su Cheng murmured to herself. Although she hadn't seen anything supernatural, her consciousness seemed to be invaded, subtly merging with her identity as a teacher.
When did this begin?
When the security guard called her "Teacher Su"?
When she took out the work ID that now bore her name?
When did she call the security guard "Uncle Liu"?
It happened when she... got on the bus.
Su Cheng recalled everything she had seen on the bus frame by frame, her heart skipping a beat as the memories replayed.
The zebra crossing is clearly for pedestrians. The traffic rules she knows are stop at red lights and go at green lights, and the yellow light is just a signal that the traffic lights are changing.
She hadn't realized it at all, as if someone had altered her perception.
A bead of sweat slid down Su Cheng's forehead, and alarm bells rang in her mind.
She was certain that she had been invaded by some kind of non-supernatural consciousness.
Some strange force entered her consciousness without her even realizing it, and she didn't even know where it came from.
If she doesn't realize it, will she gradually be controlled by it, assimilated by Golden Leaf Town, forget her original self, and truly become a high school teacher in Golden Leaf Town?
Su Cheng wiped the sweat from her forehead, completely losing the relaxation she felt after completing the previous dungeon, and only felt a tightness in her chest.
She will need to remain constantly vigilant and repeatedly remind herself of her identity.
The strangeness of Golden Leaf Town had exceeded her expectations.
Su Cheng looked out at the teachers' office outside the elevator. The elevator had already reached its destination, but she remained there, absorbed in the details of her memories.
She loosened her clenched fingers and stepped out of the elevator, silently telling Mu Ling the general outline of her deduction.
"You mean there's some strange force in Golden Leaf Town trying to assimilate you and turn you into a true resident?"
Mu Ling realized the seriousness of the situation, and her tone lost its previous gentleness, "But we're not in the Ghost Domain, and only the Ghost King can do this! If a ghost is causing trouble, I'll definitely be able to Perception its own kind..."
Su Cheng sighed softly, "That's the most terrifying part. You have absolutely no idea what it is, and you can't even completely stop its invasion."
Mu Ling clicked her tongue. "That sounds a bit difficult to deal with."
Su Cheng: "You just have to remind me more often, especially when you notice something's wrong with me."
It was thanks to Mu Ling's reminder that she suddenly realized what was happening.
Mu Ling readily agreed, "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on you right now, and I'll let you know if anything seems amiss."
"Good."
While Su Cheng was talking to Mu Ling, she had already entered the office.
The workstations are arranged in pairs, and all the senior high school teachers' workstations are clustered together in this office.
Although it was lunch break, the workstations were full, with teachers either grading papers or browsing computers. The only sounds in the office were the clicking of pages and mice.
No one paid any attention to Su Cheng standing at the door.
Su Cheng looked around and found the only empty seat in the corner, which should be her seat.
As she walked over, she saw the names of the teachers listed on the electronic screen on the inner wall; there were 18 teachers from various subjects in total.
The first one was a teacher surnamed Ren.
[Ren He, Grade 12 Class 1 Mathematics, Performance Points: 80]
Su Cheng is at the very end.
[Su Cheng, Senior 3 Class 1, Chinese Language, Performance Points: 60]
What are performance points? Are they related to salary?
Perhaps Su Cheng had already freed herself from the role of a Chinese language teacher, because no related information came to mind.
The teachers on the electronic board are clearly ranked according to their performance, with the top five being the teachers of Class 1, Grade 12.
Class 1 is very likely the top class in the grade.
Su Cheng withdrew her gaze and walked to her desk, where there was a computer and two booklets.
After sitting down in the chair, he first opened the booklet titled "Teaching Guidance Manual".
[Golden Leaf High School Teacher's Guide]
1. Teachers start with 60 performance points and can receive an Outstanding Teacher Award if they score above 100 for four consecutive weeks.
Note: Performance points must not be lower than 10 (highlighted in red).
2. Students who leave early or arrive late will be penalized -10 points per instance.
3. For any standardized test, if the class average score is among the bottom three, -10 points per test.
4. For any standardized test, if the class's average score ranks first in the grade, +20 points per test.
5. The teacher of the student who ranked last in all subjects across all exams will receive a -40 RMB/lesson.
6. Grade homework, exams, and give lessons on time every day +1/day.
7. Conduct room checks on time and urge students to memorize the school rules before bedtime, +5/day (this is specific to homeroom teachers).
After reviewing the details, Su Cheng came to a conclusion: the introduction of performance points is forcing teachers to pressure students.
Taking point 5 as an example, the base score is only 60, and deducting it twice will result in a negative number.
To avoid this situation, teachers of all subjects must have taken a hard line and focused on the students with low scores in their respective subjects.
But as long as there are rankings, there will be those who are punished. Even if a student scores 80 points, if he is last in the rankings, the teacher of that subject will be punished.
This will only lead to increasingly higher scores on each test; only a perfect score will prevent you from worrying.
The consequences of a performance score below 10 were not specified, but Su Cheng had a feeling it wouldn't be as simple as being fired or having a talk with the person in charge.
She's more inclined to believe it will trigger some kind of murderous intent.
Su Cheng then opened another handbook, "School Rules".
[Golden Leaf High School Rules (Latest Revised Version)]
1. Only study-related activities are permitted on school grounds; all entertainment activities are prohibited. Any violation will result in a warning and disciplinary action.
2. Anyone whose ranking drops by more than 10 places in any exam will have all rest time (including meals and sleep) cancelled until they regain their highest ranking in the next exam.
3. Absence from class, leaving early, and being late are prohibited; any violation will result in severe punishment.
4. For classes that rank in the bottom ten of the grade, all students' lunch and nap time will be halved.
Su Cheng quickly scanned through the list; there were a total of 80 school rules, each extremely strict, with frequent warnings and demerits.
There is an extreme pursuit of grades.
Golden Leaf High School not only forces teachers to give exams to students, but also forces students to give exams themselves.
Doing well on a test brings joy to everyone; doing poorly means no food, no sleep, and you might even be targeted by teachers and ostracized by classmates...
"Bite--"
The lunch break ended, and a sharp bell rang. The bell was particularly piercing, like a needle being stabbed into the eardrum, and it could wake up even the most soundly sleeping person.
The ringtone lasted for a full three minutes, causing Su Cheng to rub her ears uncomfortably.
I turned on the computer, and the desktop showed this week's class schedule. The first class in the afternoon for Class 1 of Senior Three was Chinese.
Su Cheng remembered Li Li's textbooks and immediately took them out.
Just as I was about to flip through it, I heard the radio ring again.
"Ta-da! Time to get ready for class!"
The break between classes is only one minute?
Su Cheng was somewhat surprised, and felt even more strongly that this high school simply didn't treat its students like human beings, but rather like it was training score-boosting machines.
She remembered that teachers would have their performance points deducted for being late, so she didn't intend to be late and picked up her Chinese textbook to leave.
Some teachers in the office also stood up and walked out, their faces showing anxiety, their steps hurried.
The female teacher behind Su Cheng even nudged her, somewhat annoyed that she was walking too slowly, to urge her on.
Each classroom door had the class name on it, and Su Cheng quickly found Class 1 of Senior Three around the corner.
Fifty students waited quietly for the teacher to appear, their posture exceptionally upright and proper, displaying the most standard sitting posture.