Chapter 35: A Setback in the Teaching Career
When Wen Xia and He Sheng, wearing oversized school uniforms, approached the stage, Qin Mo was already there. He stood next to the principal, his head slightly bowed.
He was dressed in No.1 Middle School’s white-and-blue school uniform, with the school’s name embroidered on the left chest.
His tall figure filled out the uniform perfectly, embodying the school spirit with an added dash of charm.
In contrast, Wen Xia’s uniform looked baggy. The sleeves were bunched up, and although she had rolled the pant legs inward significantly, they were still too long, covering her white sneakers.
A shadow fell over her, and Qin Mo instinctively raised his head. A faint smile flickered across his eyes.
No.2 Middle School’s school uniform was truly unattractive, but the girl in front of him was undeniably beautiful.
He softly uttered two words, “Xia Xia.”
Wen Xia glanced at the principal and other school leaders behind her and called out nervously, “Cousin.”
Qin Mo raised an eyebrow slightly and pulled a piece of chocolate from his pocket, unwrapped it, and handed it to her. “Your favorite.”
The principal and the disciplinary director exchanged a glance. The usually stern principal’s expression turned gentle. “You cousins have such a good relationship. Wen Xia, you should learn more from your cousin in the future.”
Completely oblivious to the fact that they were looking at a pair of “early-dating” students.
Wen Xia: “…”
Under the watchful eyes of the principal and school leaders, she ate the chocolate. It was rich with a creamy milk flavor but not overly sweet.
This type of chocolate was hard to find in stores.
She licked her lips and looked at Qin Mo.
“There’s more. I’ll give it to you later,” he said.
Qin Mo reached out, took the candy wrapper from her hand, and stuffed it into his pocket.
Director Wei, who had been cracking down on student relationships for years, felt something was off—very off.
After a while, the assembly began. Wen Xia and He Sheng went on stage to give their speech. “Good morning, leaders, teachers, and fellow students. On this refreshing autumn day…”
Qin Mo took out his phone from his pocket, adjusted the angle, and snapped a photo of the girl on stage.
Her high ponytail revealed her delicate profile. Compared to the boy beside her, her poise as a host was much more graceful.
The principal cast a few more glances at Wen Xia and remarked to Director Wei, “Wen Xia is quite good.”
Director Wei smiled and nodded in agreement, choosing to selectively forget the incident of her “early romance” from a few days ago.
After all, the principal had the final say.
When it was the principal’s turn to speak, he adjusted the microphone and said, “This time, we have invited Qin Mo, an outstanding student from No.1 Middle School. In the recent monthly exams, Qin Mo achieved remarkable results—743 points, with perfect scores in Mathematics, English, Chemistry, Physics, and Biology.”
“Next, let’s have Qin Mo share his study methods. Students, make sure to listen carefully. If you have any questions about studying, feel free to raise your hand later.”
When Qin Mo took the stage, the applause was noticeably louder than before.
He reached out and adjusted the height of the microphone. “Good morn—”
Just as he said the first word, the microphone stopped working.
He tapped the top of the microphone, but it remained silent. Turning his head, he glanced at Wen Xia.
Wen Xia quickly brought her own microphone over and helped place it on the stand. However, the stand was too tall, so she had to stand on tiptoe.
Qin Mo chuckled softly and took the microphone from her hand, his voice warm and soothing. “Xia Xia, let me do it.”
His words, spoken directly into the microphone, echoed through the entire school.
The audience erupted into excitement. “Wow!”
Wen Xia: “…”
“Qin Mo, tone it down.”
She whispered her warning and stepped back to the edge of the stage with the other microphone.
Standing tall, Qin Mo began, “Dear students, it’s a pleasure to meet you all here. I am Wen Xia’s… Qin Mo.” As he finished, a faint smile played at the corners of his lips.
For a moment, the microphone fell silent again. Everyone assumed they had missed a few words, including the principal.
The audience broke into thunderous applause.
Wen Xia: “…”
How did Qin Mo have the audacity to be this blatant?
Was it because of those 743 points?
After his speech, it was time for the Q&A session, which Wen Xia hosted. “Students, you can raise your hands and ask Qin Mo any questions, such as about his study methods.”
A fair number of hands went up.
To avoid any bizarre questions, she chose a quiet girl from the front row. “You, over there.”
A microphone was promptly handed to the girl.
The girl stood up, a bit excited. “Qin Mo, do you have a girlfriend?”
Wen Xia: “…”
She had misjudged.
The principal: “…”
This was a setback in his teaching career.
A wave of teasing laughter followed.
His face turned green.
Qin Mo adjusted the microphone, glanced at Wen Xia, and replied seriously, “Yes.”
“Wow!” The students below erupted into excitement.
Wen Xia: “…”
The principal: “…”
The disciplinary director: “…”
Then, Qin Mo continued, “She’s a very outstanding girl, and I’ll work even harder to catch up with her.”
He confessed his feelings in front of the entire school, and Wen Xia’s heart skipped a beat as she looked at his side profile.
…
After the speech, it wasn’t just Director Wei who felt something was off. Even the principal had the nagging sense that something wasn’t quite right, though he couldn’t pinpoint what.
Thinking about the 743 points, he pushed the discomfort aside and took Qin Mo on a tour of the school.
Wen Xia returned to the classroom to resume her lessons.
Zhao Jing checked the time, realizing the class had already passed the halfway point. Deciding not to continue the lesson, she leaned against the teacher’s desk and started talking to the students. “Now that you’ve heard Qin Mo’s study methods, have you learned anything?”
“Yes,” the entire class answered in unison.
Zhao Jing smiled. “The method Qin Mo shared for memorizing vocabulary—reading while writing and quizzing each other—is something you can all try.”
Wen Xia marked a B on her English practice book, listening to the conversation and couldn’t help but sarcastically mock Qin Shueba for “stealing” her study methods.
However, Qin Mo’s memory was almost supernatural—he could remember things clearly after just seeing them once.
As for dictation, she had paid a hefty “price” for that skill in the past.
…
The fourth period was Chemistry class with Xue Wenyan.
Perhaps the excitement from the speech event hadn’t worn off, but there was a constant murmur of conversation in the classroom. After a few minutes of tolerating it, Xue Wenyan slammed the textbook on the desk and angrily shouted, “What are you talking about? With your grades, you have the nerve to talk?”
“If you could get a score like Qin Mo, even just 600 points, forget talking, I wouldn’t even care if you flipped the whole classroom. But look at your grades—most of you barely broke 300. You’re half as good as Qin Mo.”
“I’ve been understanding about your bad moods after exams, and I haven’t criticized you much. And this is how you repay me?”
“With most of your grades, you can only get into a vocational college! It’s not that vocational colleges are bad, but that’s just the harsh reality. Nowadays, there are so many bachelor’s degree holders. Do you think a vocational college diploma can compare to a bachelor’s?”
“Once you enter society, the first thing people will see is your educational background, not your ability. If your education matches, your boss will recognize your ability.”
At the window by the door, the principal stood silently, thinking, “…”
Just earlier, he had told Qin Mo that the learning environment at No.2 Middle School was actually quite good.
