That could be a reason.
Gu Chen instinctively wanted to say he had taken someone to the infirmary—that would be a legitimate excuse.
But then he immediately thought that if he said that, wouldn’t everyone know he had taken Tang Ziya to the infirmary?
With how gossipy the class was, they’d definitely make up a bunch of rumors.
Wouldn’t she end up blaming him then?
He didn’t care about his own thick skin, but if she got affected, that would be troublesome later.
So he quickly reacted and just made up some random excuse.
After all, with Gu Chen’s relationship with Hao Xiuping, even if he told the truth, she’d find a way to make trouble.
Why drag another person into it?
“What?”
“You—do you have any sense of being a student? ‘Bored, went out for a walk’! And you do this so casually! Do you even know the meaning of respecting teachers and valuing their teachings?”
Hao Xiuping was already angry, and hearing this almost made her explode.
If not for her identity as a teacher keeping her calm, she probably would have straight-up slapped him.
“I get it. I’ll be careful next time. Can I go in now?”
Gu Chen answered nonchalantly, completely unwilling to waste words with this woman, not wanting to say a single extra sentence.
“Stop right there!”
Seeing his perfunctory attitude, Hao Xiuping trembled with rage.
She pointed at Gu Chen and screeched, “You’re late and still have this attitude? What right do you have to enter the classroom? Get out! Stand as punishment!”
“Oh.”
Gu Chen was not surprised at all.
He walked out again with his hands behind his head.
He didn’t want to listen to her class anyway; at least it would be quieter.
The classmates in the class all showed looks of admiration—that behavior just now was exactly what they wished they could say.
Too bad they didn’t have the guts.
For the rest of the time, Gu Chen leaned against the wall and rested, occasionally scrolling through his phone.
His dad also sent a message saying he had submitted the evidence to the police, and it had gotten their attention.
The police said they would start investigating immediately.
If it was true, then Boss Guo would definitely die a miserable death this time.
Not only would he have to pay back the taxes he evaded, but he’d also face a huge fine—a solid bankruptcy ending.
[Okay, you be careful too. Don’t let that guy get desperate.]
Gu Chen replied to the message.
As the saying goes, blocking someone’s money path is like killing their parents.
Having caused such a big incident, Boss Guo would definitely want to grind his dad’s bones to dust.
It was necessary to remind him to stay safe, and preferably keep the whistleblower’s identity confidential.
It wasn’t until the end of the second period that Tang Ziya finally showed up.
Her complexion had improved a lot, with some color back.
She was walking more energetically, hurrying toward the classroom.
She probably wanted to explain to Hao Xiuping, since she had been absent for the whole class and didn’t have a chance to explain earlier.
“Gu Chen, why are you outside?”
Seeing him standing by the classroom door, Tang Ziya couldn’t help but ask.
“You’re asking knowing the answer. Obviously, I was late for class.”
“What? But you were late because you took me to the infirmary. Why are you being punished to stand?”
She looked at the classroom and asked.
“I said I was late because I was bored and went for a walk. I didn’t mention your situation.”
Gu Chen spread his hands and answered calmly.
“Why?”
Tang Ziya was even more confused.
He could have avoided punishment, so why lie?
“If I said it, the whole class would gossip. It would be bad for your reputation.”
“Huh?”
“You did it for me?”
Only then did she understand the reason, and for a moment she was at a loss.
She never expected that Gu Chen would rather stand here as punishment than tell the truth, just for her sake.
Her heart was suddenly full of mixed feelings, and she didn’t know how to respond.
“Yeah, after all, you’re the Model Student. If you got involved in a rumor with a School Bully like me, wouldn’t that be the end? Right?”
Gu Chen nodded and said, still unconsciously adding a sarcastic tone.
“Stop talking nonsense. Go in now, I’ll explain personally!”
Tang Ziya paused, took a deep breath.
With her personality, how could she let someone else take the blame for her?
“No need. It’s nice and cool outside, and I can enjoy the view. Save your sympathy for somewhere else. I don’t need it.”
Gu Chen took a step back, showing an indifferent expression.
He had lied precisely to hide the matter, and this class was almost over anyway.
If he went to clarify now, then wouldn’t his standing punishment have been for nothing?
“Fine! Hmph!”
Tang Ziya was quite angry.
She kindly wanted to prove his innocence, but he didn’t appreciate it.
She decided to drop it.
Taking advantage of the fact that class hadn’t started yet, she quickly walked to the door and called out, “Report.”
“Class Monitor? Where did you disappear to?”
Hao Xiuping had also noticed she wasn’t in her seat.
But since Tang Ziya was the class monitor and a well-known good student, her tone unconsciously softened.
She just frowned and asked.
“I wasn’t feeling well, so I went to the school infirmary. Here’s the receipt from there, Ms. Hao.”
After speaking, she handed the slip to Hao Xiuping as proof.
“I see. Alright, take care of yourself. Go back to your seat.”
After checking, it was indeed authentic.
This was a completely valid reason; no teacher would punish a student for that, or they’d get drowned in the students’ saliva.
In a few minutes, the bell rang for the end of class.
Hao Xiuping dragged the lesson on for five more minutes before finishing, and it was the same old spiel—telling everyone to work hard on this weekend’s monthly exam, that she had high expectations for them, etc.
In other words, she wanted to win the Excellent Teacher award this year.
But if someone like her got it, then Chengnan High School really would have no future at all.
“Hmph.”
Hao Xiuping walked out of the classroom, saw Gu Chen still standing there, and snorted coldly without any response.
‘Be careful not to fall down the stairs and die.’
Gu Chen silently “blessed” her in his heart, then stretched and walked into the classroom.
Since he and Tang Ziya had entered one after the other, no one suspected any connection between them.
Gu Chen didn’t bother to explain; he just considered it as stretching his muscles.
“Big Brother, breaking news! The school has a big move!”
As soon as he returned to his seat, Guo Ming stuck to him like a dog to a bone, incredibly excited.
“What, is the school going out of business?”
Gu Chen’s legs were almost numb from standing outside; he wasn’t in the mood for gossip unless it was that…
“No way. Oh, I just got news that a new teacher is coming to our school. You’ll never guess—it’s a foreign woman.”
Guo Ming reported with great enthusiasm, expecting Gu Chen’s reaction.
“A foreign woman?”
That must be Ivy.
No other teacher had come for an interview today besides her.
He just didn’t expect Guo Ming to get the news so quickly—his information network was pretty impressive.
“Yeah, someone saw her. Blonde hair, blue eyes, looks like a doll. But she’s at least one meter ninety, and her figure is amazing. They say she’s even sexier than Teacher Ji. Hmm, I wonder which grade she’ll teach. I need to find a chance to see her at noon. If she’s our class, then it’s double the happiness, hehehe.”
Guo Ming instantly wore a villainous grin, looking forward to it.