Chapter 14: Shut up and sleep

The professor began calling the students' names out loud so they could go retrieve their essays and leave. Some groans were heard here and there from the poor souls who now knew for certain they would retake the course next year. 

Li Jun waited in his seat for his name to be called. The people surrounding him dwindled more and more until he was the last one left. He looked towards the door, and there was Tian Yu, waiting for him to come out as well. 

"Li Jun, I need to speak with you." 

The professor looked pale as he walked to the front, unable to meet his eyes. 

"Here, your essay." 

He received the paper and looked at the grade written with bold red ink. He didn't even get 30% of the score. His brows furrowed as he stared at the professor for an explanation. 

Around half of the semester had passed when he began having problems with his evaluations in this course, his grades dropping from a steady 98% to a measly 40% out of the blue. He reached out to the professor and asked him what he ha had done wrong, but he was unable to answer. Li Jun then realized it was happening again. 

Already used to these sort of situations, Li Jun only sighed. 

"I know it is not your fault professor, but I cannot accept this grade. If you put this in as the final evaluation I will have to retake the course."

He had had situations in which a grade didn't match his real score, but never before had he failed a class. Given that this course was a prerequisite for the ones he had to take the next year, if he failed now he would have to pay for a whole extra semester's worth of tuition and delay his graduation. 

"I... I'm really sorry. I can't..." 

The professor's hands trembled, and his eyes seemed glued to the floor. 

Li Jun rubbed the crease between his brows trying to think. 

'Is this because I ended things with that Qin girl or that I am so close to being done?'

A myriad of possibilities ran through his head, but none of his thoughts seemed to bring forward a solution. The elder man's voice made him raise his gaze. 

"If anyone asks, I didn't tell you this, but if you speak with Professor Xian she might be able to help you. I've seen her find second chances for students with... special situations." 

"The new econometrics professor?" 

"Yes." 

"Thank you." 

The man finally managed to look into his eyes. 

"I hope things work out well for you. I'm really sorry." 

After that, Li Jun was left alone inside the classroom with a crumpled essay clenched in his fist. 

A knock was heard on the door of Professor Xian's office. She lifted her eyes from the grading papers to see a handsome young man entering the room while holding a wrinkled piece of paper.

"Yes? What can I do for you, sweetie?" 

"Hello Professor Xian, I need your help with the grade in this essay." 

The old woman's eyes lit in recognition as she pushed her glasses further up her nose to read the answers. 

"All of these are correct." 

"Yes."

"Then why did you get this grade?" 

Li Jun shrugged, already suspecting why but choosing not to say so. 

"Have you taken this over to the School Council?" 

"No." 

"Then? Why are you bringing this to me instead of them?" 

"Because I know it's no use even if I ask them for help. My professor told me to speak to you. He said you could so something about it." 

The professor stared at him quietly for some time over the rims of her glasses.

She looked back to her computer and began searching for the boy's school records. For the last few years he had began the semester with excellent grades, only for them to fall down halfway through to the point where he barely managed to pass the courses. 

He even had entered the business major as the first place in his year, earning him a scholarship which he had quickly lost with his failing grades. 

There were some students who also showed this pattern, becoming lazy by the end of the term after getting good grades on the first half, but it never happened so frequently. The fact that he had entered the college as the first in his grade made all of it even more odd. How could anyone give up a full scholarship because they don't want to study? 

Professor Xian had only recently joined as the Studies Director as well as an econometrics teacher, but she had noticed an odd atmosphere around the rest of the staff. Something was fishy here, although she could not pinpoint exactly what it was right now.

"Alright. I cannot meddle into the professors' grading decisions without the backing of the council, but I do have the right as the Studies Director to give you a new assignment to compensate for your failing score as long as we have a justification for it." 

"A justification?" 

"Yes. Extreme stress, the loss of a close relative, health issues, any of those could give me the grounds to help you. Have you seen a psychologist lately?" 

"No, I haven't." 

"I will refer you to a friend of mine then. She's very good at her job, and quite discrete." 

"You want to make something up? Doesn't that go against the college's rules?" 

Professor Xian pulled her glasses away from her nose and rested them on the table. Her eyes were sharper when they lost the rounded contour of her lenses. 

"Make something up? Boy, have you not seen the bags under your eyes, or the way your fists are clenching right now? You seem to be under a lot of stress. That is more than enough as a justification, we just need a professional to back it up." 

Li Jun looked down at his closed hands, releasing the pressure he didn't even know he had been building on his fingers.

The next day, Li Jun was back at the office, wearing his usual suit and backpack. While taking the elevator, he received a message on his phone. It was the receipt of the money transfer for his apartment's rent. He had finally managed to get a salary advance to pay the overdue rent from last month, which he had neglected in order to prioritize his college tuition. 

This work at Seren had come like a godsend for his precarious situation. He might even be able to save quite a bit after paying all of his expenses. Being an intern, his pay was not extremely high, but it was still very good for such a basic position. 

A sigh of relief left his lips just as the elevator doors opened and he was faced with a brilliant set of eyes. 

"Good morning, Li Jun." 

"Good morning, Boss." 

"Ah, I see Marco has had an influence on you."

Iris chuckled at the familiar term as she studied his face. 

Over the last couple of days Li Jun seemed to lack sleep, with his eyes appearing to be hollowed out, completely devoid of energy. 

Today he looked even worse than before. His lips were cracked and his face was pale. Even his back was hunched, as if bending down from an invisible pressure weighing on his shoulders. 

"Hey, Li Jun. Have you been feeling down lately?" 

"Huh?" 

He turned to her in surprise. Was it really that evident? 

After arriving home that day he barely caught any sleep, thinking over and over about different scenarios to change that failing grade in order to pass the semester. His eyelids remained peeled until the morning sun kissed them and it became time to get to work. 

"You know if you need a day off you can just ask, right?"

He rubbed his eyes to try to dispel any weariness, but he only managed to irritate them instead. 

"Uh, thank you, but I'm fine." 

He felt her piercing stare on his profile as he watched the floor numbers change one by one. 

'Come on. Go faster.'

Alas, the elevator did not grant his wish, keeping him stuck with Iris as she glared him down. 

"Listen, I'm not trying to pry into your life, but I can clearly tell you look like crap. Take a nap on the couch in my office." 

"But-" 

"Nu-uh. Quiet. This is an instruction as your superior." 

Just then, the metallic doors opened and Iris strutted out, greeting Marco and briefing him on the situation. 

"Move out, I'm taking over your desk today." 

The whole secretary team froze instantly at the thought of having her sitting beside them for the day. 

"Boss-" 

"Don't wanna hear it." 

"But where will I work then?" 

"I don't know. Be creative. It will only be for a couple of hours. Take whatever you need now, I'll be back in five." 

Without listening to any words of protest, Iris opened the door to her office and gestured at Li Jun to follow. He wanted to say something, but her eyes spewed flames so he had no choice but to nod at the in a greeting and march inside. 

When he crossed the entrance, Iris was already pulling a blanket from one of her drawers along with a pillow. 

Seeing his questioning gaze, she answered the unspoken question. 

"I sometimes take power naps in here when the work is too hectic." 

"Ah." 

"Yeah. Now lay down." 

Li Jun put his backpack on the floor and did as instructed. His boss pulled the blanket over him as if it were a tablecloth over a dining table and straightened back up. 

"Did you have any breakfast?" 

"No, but-" 

"I'll ask them to bring you a sandwich." 

"Miss-" 

"Shut up and sleep. I'll wake you up in a couple of hours." 

Iris grabbed her laptop and walked without looking back, leaving behind an extremely confused Li Jun. 

"What the hell just happened?", he barely muttered.