Zhang Zihan wasn’t exactly sure why the homeroom teacher had called him over.
Li Chuandao poured him a glass of water and handed it over.
Zhang Zihan quickly thanked him, took it with both hands, and gently placed it on a side table.
Li Chuandao took note of this, mentally giving him a passing grade.
As a child from a wealthy family, Zhang Zihan’s basic upbringing was decent.
“Zihan, I’ve noticed you’ve been pretty active lately. Every day you skip your midday nap to play ball, and you don’t even get sleepy in the afternoon.”
“I’ve never napped at noon since I was a kid.”
Zhang Zihan scratched his head and laughed.
“With all that energy, haven’t you thought about joining a club or the student council? Or if you want to be a class officer, your teacher can think up one for you!”
Li Chuandao raised his eyebrows at Zhang Zihan, smiling as if tempting him like a buddy.
Zhang Zihan relaxed a lot, especially when Teacher Li referred to himself as “your homeroom teacher,” which almost completely let down his guard.
But he had absolutely no interest in class officer positions or anything like that.
“Homeroom teacher, ah no… Teacher! I, uh… cough I think clubs, student council, those kinds of things are too much of a waste of time. Whether it’s studying or interacting with classmates, I prefer to be free. So, sorry, Teacher, for your kindness…”
Li Chuandao waved his hand dismissively:
“Ah, that’s nothing. I just saw you have plenty of energy, so I asked. It’s not like I’m forcing you to do anything.”
“Hehe, thanks, Teacher.”
“But, you said you prefer freedom whether it’s studying or interacting with classmates… but from what I see, your grades aren’t that great either.” Li Chuandao didn’t say this in a scolding tone; instead, he was more like a teasing friend, especially with a sly grin after speaking. “So that means you’ve focused on interacting with classmates, huh?”
“I… I don’t…”
Zhang Zihan was a bit afraid to look at Li Chuandao.
He regretted digging himself into a hole and wondered if Teacher Li had noticed something.
Li Chuandao leaned closer, still with that teasing friend’s sly grin:
“Tell me, a male classmate or a female classmate? There are plenty of pretty girls in our class!”
Zhang Zihan tensed up:
“Teacher, did you hear something…”
“I haven’t heard anything!”
Li Chuandao had an expression of “Don’t falsely accuse an innocent person,” then pointed at his own eyes.
“But I can use my eyes to see.”
After saying that, he raised an eyebrow at Zhang Zihan.
It was a very friendly expression, but Zhang Zihan only felt a chill run through his body.
He couldn’t speak, didn’t know what to say, and didn’t know what the teacher had seen.
Li Chuandao came over and patted his shoulder:
“We’re both men, upright and open! Say what you have to say, right?”
Zhang Zihan bit his lip:
“Right…”
“Don’t worry, Teacher won’t criticize you. Maybe I’ll even give you some good advice.”
Zhang Zihan squirmed, hemmed and hawed for a long time, then said with a mournful face:
“Teacher, I still can’t say it…”
Li Chuandao smiled:
“Then shall I say it?”
“Teacher, go ahead!”
Zhang Zihan had a look of resigned determination.
“Then let me ask you: you and Zheng Yangyang,” Li Chuandao deliberately paused, “are you two in a relationship?”
Pfft!
Zhang Zihan’s eyes bulged wide, and he waved his hands frantically as if trying to shake them off:
“No, no! Absolutely not! Teacher, who started that rumor? That’s too malicious!”
“Really not?”
“Really not, I’m being wronged, Teacher! Besides, even if I liked her, she might not like me…”
“Ooh~~~” Li Chuandao laughed as if he had discovered some secret.
“No, I didn’t mean it that way, Teacher. I’m just saying we’re impossible… Anyway, there’s nothing going on!”
Li Chuandao rubbed his chin, pretending to think:
“Then how do you explain that I’ve seen you several times having close contact with Zheng Yangyang, hugging like that without caring who sees?”
‘Huh? Teacher Li actually saw that?’
Zhang Zihan screamed internally that it was all over.
But now, he could only stay stubborn.
“What close contact, Teacher? At most, we put our arms around each other’s shoulders, and… and in the beginning, it was Zheng Yangyang who initiated putting her arm around our shoulders.”
“‘We’? So Zheng Yangyang has been fooling around with more than one guy? Who else?”
‘Oh no, I subconsciously sold out Brother Yang…’
‘Sorry, Brother Yang, I really didn’t mean to!’
“No, no! It was a slip of the tongue, Teacher. I misspoke!”
Li Chuandao gave a soft snort:
“Whether it’s with one boy or several, fooling around like that is wrong! She has no sense of how a girl should behave. Zheng Yangyang has let me down a bit.”
“Teacher, she… she-she-she isn’t like that! She later…”
“Tsk… Speaking of which, Zihan, if she’s not sensible, are you also not sensible? Girls are usually naive and innocent. You can’t learn from them.”
Zhang Zihan was speechless.
‘The teacher thinks so highly of me, how can I say something like “Actually, now she doesn’t hug us anymore, it’s me who always hugs her”?’
He could only resolve not to do it anymore.
Li Chuandao continued:
“Zihan, Teacher has also been through high school. I understand. If you really like her, I won’t object. Confess your feelings, send a love letter — Teacher even sent a love letter to a girl in high school.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Why would I lie to you? But I was ruthlessly rejected. So, Zihan, if you like someone, you also need to be prepared for rejection. You can’t force one-sided love. If you like someone, like them cleanly. If rejected, accept it gracefully. That’s what a real man does, don’t you think?”
“Yes…”
“But if you don’t have that intention, you shouldn’t keep doing things that cause misunderstandings.”
“Teacher, I understand.”
“My last request: no matter who you like, I won’t stop you — things like that can’t be stopped. But whether it works out or not, don’t let it affect your studies. If you feel upset and can’t get past it, you must come to me in time. Otherwise, I will punish you severely.”
“Mm, thank you, Teacher!”
Zhang Zihan stood up and solemnly bowed to him.
“I know what to do now.”
“Don’t be so polite with Teacher. Oh, there’s another important thing I forgot to mention.”
Li Chuandao took a sip of water.
“We’ll be choosing our academic track in the second year, and that means re-dividing classes. There will also be new classmates. More importantly, choosing an academic track is a major decision that affects your whole life. You need to think about it in advance. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can come ask me.”
Zhang Zihan nodded seriously.
“Okay, go ahead. Oh, and give a message to Zheng Yangyang for me. Tell her to come see me during the next self-study period.”
“Teacher, please don’t call her over?”
Zhang Zihan’s face was filled with guilt toward Zheng Yang.
Li Chuandao winked at him:
“Don’t worry, I won’t sell you out!”
So Zhang Zihan, carrying both guilt and a newfound gratitude, ran back to the classroom.
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