“Ah? That’s it?”
Gu Chen thought it was some huge deal, but it turned out to be just a matter of requesting leave.
She had been worried for nothing.
She was also a bit confused and asked, “Teacher Li, isn’t it true that you can just sign for leave and let someone go? Why do we have to go see the Dean of Instruction?”
Normally, the homeroom teacher should be able to handle this.
Even if Tang Ziya had offended the leadership before, they shouldn’t be able to break the regulations like this.
Such obvious targeting would ruin the school’s reputation if word got out.
The most important thing was, it was just a request for leave.
Even if it was denied, did she really have to cry like this?
Gu Chen had a fairly strong personality, so this was the first time she had seen such a scene of weeping and sobbing.
She felt a bit uncomfortable.
“It’s okay, Teacher Li. I just won’t take the leave,” Tang Ziya said, shaking her head.
She clearly didn’t want to talk about her personal business.
Pursing her lips, she wiped her eyes and prepared to leave.
“No, for something this important, I’ll definitely find a way for you,” Li Yanqiu said, refusing to give up.
She looked at Gu Chen and continued, “The Class Monitor wants to request three days of leave, otherwise I would have approved it already.”
“Three days? Why so long? What is she doing?”
Gu Chen suddenly understood.
School regulations stated that for a one-day leave, the homeroom teacher could approve the slip directly.
The student only needed to return on time and register.
Afterward, it would be sent to the Academic Affairs Office for auditing to confirm the times.
If it was within three days, the homeroom teacher had to accompany the student to the Dean’s office to apply, and the Dean would sign off on it.
Reporting back for verification was also required upon return.
For anything more than three days, the Vice Principal’s stamp was required, making the process even more tedious.
What had Tang Ziya encountered that required such a long leave?
“The Class Monitor got a call this morning saying her great-uncle in the countryside passed away. They want her to return for the funeral and join the procession three days from now according to custom,” Li Yanqiu finally revealed the reason.
“A relative passed away? Why on earth won’t they give her leave?”
Upon learning the reason, Gu Chen’s fists immediately tightened.
No wonder Tang Ziya was so heartbroken.
It was finally understandable.
To think that such an important matter was being denied—was this a joke?
Did the Dean of Instruction not have family?
“My great-uncle was very good to me when I was little. He always bought me lots of things to eat. I never thought I wouldn’t even be able to see him one last time.”
Mentioning the painful subject made Tang Ziya’s voice even raspier.
“Dean Gou said that only immediate family members can be granted leave of more than three days. Furthermore, according to regulations, applications must be submitted one week in advance,” Li Yanqiu said slowly with a dark expression.
She had just gotten into an argument with the Dean of Instruction over this matter and almost came to blows.
Essentially, the Dean’s stance was that if she knew he died today, why didn’t she apply one week ago?
The most he would allow was for her to apply now and leave one week later…
By then, the seventh-day mourning period would be over.
“Motherfucker!!”
‘Is that even something a human would say?’
Gu Chen had no idea where to even begin complaining.
This was Tang Ziya, not some protagonist with a notebook who could pre-schedule a date of death.
Although the regulations were written that way, they were generally for normal situations.
For sudden events like the death of a relative, they were almost always handled as special cases with immediate approval.
If it were anyone else, there wouldn’t be a problem.
However, the impact of Tang Ziya’s School Strike was too great, and she had long since incurred the dissatisfaction of the school leadership.
Combined with the homeroom teacher’s unauthorized intervention, the leadership had been unable to find an excuse to retaliate.
Usually, there was no overlap between them, but now that she had finally fallen into their hands, they were definitely going to make things difficult for her on purpose.
Even if someone looked into it, they were just following the rules.
“There’s nothing we can do. If I force her to leave, Tang Ziya will definitely face severe disciplinary action. It’s ridiculous.”
“I’m going to call the Education Bureau later. I’m so furious,” Li Yanqiu said, gritting her teeth.
Right now, aside from reporting them, there was no other way.
“There’s no need, Teacher Li. You’ve already helped me a lot. It’s okay, I’ll explain it to my family. Really, it’s fine,” Tang Ziya said, shaking her head repeatedly.
She didn’t want the homeroom teacher to take risks.
“But…”
“Fine, fine. Reporting them won’t do much. They won’t hold someone accountable over such a small matter.”
Gu Chen waved her hand, feeling that this matter couldn’t be handled so simply.
“Hey, you’re just standing there making cynical remarks. If you’re so capable, why don’t you think of a way?”
Li Yanqiu was already irritable and snapped at her.
“I need some time. Don’t worry, let’s head back first.”
She didn’t have any particularly good ideas at the moment, and class was about to start.
It was better to go back to the classroom first.
—
After returning, Tang Ziya was completely listless.
She didn’t even have the heart to listen to the lecture, looking quite pathetic.
“Big Brother, when can you come back? I’m scared living alone.”
During the break, Guo Ming, who was fiddling with something on his desk, leaned over to ask.
“…”
“What’s wrong? Did someone beat you up last night?”
Gu Chen shot him an annoyed look.
She had only been commuting for one day, and this kid was already asking.
“Not really. Last night, I put a body pillow on your bed to create the illusion that you were still there. No one noticed,” Guo Ming said, showing off his cleverness with pride.
“What?”
Gu Chen’s eyes widened.
“Who the hell gave you permission to put that thing on my bed?”
The thought of that thing he hugged every day to sleep being on her bed made her skin crawl.
“Don’t worry, that body pillow is brand new. How would I dare?”
Guo Ming quickly explained, fearing a beating.
After all, he was well aware of Gu Chen’s obsession with cleanliness, so he definitely had to be considerate.
“Still no! Take it away!”
“Okay, I get it.”
Guo Ming nodded with a face full of grievance and could only drop the matter.
He had originally wanted to say that when he stuffed the body pillow in last night, he even smelled a special fragrance, but he decided against it…
“By the way, let me ask you. If… a relative of yours passed away and the school wouldn’t approve your leave, what would you do?”
Gu Chen had been thinking about this question.
She had some ideas, but none of them were feasible.
The best way would be to make a big scene like the last School Strike, then the school would have no choice but to approve it.
But doing so would undoubtedly place Tang Ziya right in the line of fire, and even Teacher Li would find it difficult to protect her.
Moreover, the last time was for all the girls in the school, but this time was for herself, and she wouldn’t be willing to do such a thing.
Begging that bald guy, the Dean of Instruction, was even more unrealistic.
It was not like she could ask the homeroom teacher to go and seduce him.
Feeling frustrated, she decided to ask Guo Ming.
His abnormal way of thinking might actually provide some inspiration.
“Are you kidding me?”
“A relative passes away and they won’t give me a leave slip? I don’t care who refuses to approve it, I’ll just set up the mourning hall in their office!”
Although Guo Ming didn’t understand why she was asking, the words blurted out.
Gu Chen was amused after hearing that.
She had to admit, that move was indeed quite wicked.
‘Wait?’
Being reminded by him like this, she really did get an inspiration!
That’s right.
Whoever is targeting her, just deal with that person directly.
That way, she wouldn’t have to offend all the leaders.