Chapter 6 Shen Chaoxi, Study Committee Member
Her pair of black eyes were particularly sharp, and as she slapped a stack of teaching plans onto the lectern, her gaze swept across the classroom, passing over the nineteen students and instantly taking away the giggles and laughter.
The classroom fell silent.
At that moment, Shen Chaoxi was working on a set of past National College Entrance Examination English papers when she heard the noise and looked up.
The class teacher, clad entirely in black attire that oozed a sense of abstinence, was holding a stainless steel tray with one hand.
Yes, the very tray typically used in the cafeteria for meals.
She walked down from the lectern and stood in front of the first row of girls, pushing the tray forward and speaking with an uncompromising tone.
"Everyone!
Take off earrings, pendants, nose rings, lip rings, and tongue rings!
You have one week to remove any tattoos that are visible to the naked eye!
No noise, sleeping, or doing anything unrelated to studying during class.
...
In short, if you break school or class rules, no matter who you are
——— you're out!"
Teacher Bai, speaking without emotion, leisurely repeated the class discipline from the first row to the last, and by the time she returned to her desk, the tray in her hands was filled with various shiny ornaments.
There were many rumors about Bai Jinyuan at the school.
Firstly, her last name was Bai, indicating that she was from the Bai Family of the Shangjing Circle, one of the four major families.
Secondly, she was known for acting swiftly and decisively, never dragging her feet, and she was sure to retaliate for any offense.
It was rumored that, in her first year of teaching at the Number One Middle School, a male student who was not fond of "teacher Bai's" arrogance had set up a bucket of water above the door to trick her during her lesson. His prank resulted in him being expelled and banned from enrolling in any middle school in Shangjing, leaving him no choice but to study abroad.
Whether the rumors were true or not was impossible to verify, but at the moment, Bai Jinyuan was indeed someone not to be trifled with.
By the time the teacher had made a round through the classroom and returned to the lectern, a faint murmur of discussion had started.
"Can anyone even survive this? To put this class teacher in charge of the special enrollment class nine?"
"Damn it! She's the nemesis of playing mobile games in class!"
"Holy crap, I have to get my dad to pull some strings to transfer me out of here, even vocational school would be better than struggling under her command!"
"I just want to graduate and go abroad; why do I have to find trouble for myself?"
...
Bai Jinyuan tapped on the desk and scanned the room.
"Quiet down, everyone. Today's class meeting is not just about emphasizing discipline; we also need to elect the class committee.
Even though our class nine only has nineteen students, a sparrow may be small, but it has all the vital organs."
After finishing her statement, Bai Jinyuan picked up a brown paper bag from the desk and pulled out a stack of files from it.
"I will appoint the class committee for the time being, and we can make changes later if there are any unsuitable choices.
Class president, ..."
When Bai Jinyuan's files were about halfway through, aside from the study committee member, all positions had been assigned to someone.
"Study committee member, huh..."
As she spoke, Bai Jinyuan put away the files in her hand and looked towards the last row by the window.
It was just past eight in the morning, and sunlight was slanting in, casting a halo over the somewhat slender figure in the corner through the transparent glass window.
"The girl in the back row, what's your name?"
At this moment, Shen Chaoxi had reached the last reading comprehension question on her English exam paper, searching for the answer to the second question.
"Hey! The old class teacher is calling you," the girl in the front desk turned around and nudged the desk behind her with her arm.
Shen Chaoxi came back to her senses and raised her eyes, marking the spot where she had left off with her pencil.
She stood up, her eyebrows slightly raised, her black eyes filled with blankness.
"What's your name?"
Bai Jinyuan's eyes flickered with a hint of admiration as she repeated the question once more.
"Shen Chaoxi."
"Alright, it's you then, class study representative. I hope that under Shen's influence, our class nine can rank at the top in academics!"
Shen Chaoxi was momentarily stunned. She thought she was just giving a simple self-introduction but ended up being appointed an "official position."
"Teacher, I commute."
Shen Chaoxi wracked her brain trying to refuse.
She didn't have the time to deal with class affairs; although it was just the role of study representative, she couldn't just stand by when needed, right?
"Commuting?" Bai Jinyuan furrowed her brows, "No worries, when you're not here, the class leader can take over!"
Bai Jinyuan's tone left no room for debate.
When the bell for class dismissal rang, as soon as Bai Jinyuan stepped out of the classroom with her high heels clicking, a collective groan filled the air behind her.
Shen Chaoxi flipped open her unfinished exam paper, just about to start on the problems when the girl seated in front of her turned around.
"Hey! Can I ask you something?"
Shen Chaoxi looked up; she remembered that this girl with the round face was called Fang Yuan.
True to her name, with a round face and cherubic cheeks, she had a pleasant appearance, especially with her little dimples that made her look harmless and cute.
Shen Chaoxi nodded slightly, her eyelashes fluttering a few times.
Fang Yuan was somewhat captivated. She had seen beautiful people before, but the one in front of her was clearly even more outstanding.
"How did you manage to get permission to commute? I can't get used to the dormitory here—the toilets reek, and there are mosquitoes!…"
Talking about the dorms, Fang Yuan complained endlessly. Her family's business was quite sizable, and she had never suffered like this before.
After she finished her rant, Shen Chaoxi briefly explained her own situation.
Fang Yuan felt deflated.
"I see! I guess there's no chance for me, unless all my relatives are in the hospital, the school wouldn't approve my leave!"
Who curses their own family like that?
Shen Chaoxi was amused by her words and her lips curved into a smile.
The sight seemed to brighten Fang Yuan's world, like a breath of spring. She was never stingy with compliments.
"Why are you so beautiful? You haven't had any work done, have you?"
"Huh?"
It took Shen Chaoxi a few seconds to process her meaning, and knowing the other girl was joking, she was willing to play along.
She pointed around her nose with her fair, slender fingers.
"Do you think this is natural or artificially done?"
Fang Yuan's deskmate returned from outside, pulled out a chair, and straddled it as he sat down.
"Hey! What are you two talking about that's so fun?
I just passed by class six, and the girls were discussing the upcoming PE class!
With such a handsome guy teaching us, do you think I might not be able to resist his charm and pass out?"
Xiao Xiaoyu was starry-eyed, hands clasped over her chest, full of anticipation.
"Psh! Dream on!" retorted Fang Yuan with a splash of cold water. "You might indeed faint, not from his handsomeness but from an electric shock!"
"Then I'm all for it! Bring on the electricity, the more the better!"
Shen Chaoxi thought of Shang Jianghan, with his roguish look, and couldn't help but feel he was entirely out of place with the image of a people's teacher.
The third class in the afternoon was class six's physical education lesson.
Turns out, the much-anticipated Teacher Shang did not show up.
Rumor had it that a retired soldier taught class six's PE lesson, quite earnestly at that, nearly running them ragged with military training drills.
Consequently, the last PE class on Wednesday had not even started, yet a shadow loomed over class nine.
Shangjing No.1 High School had three sessions in the afternoon, with the last one being a study period.
Shen Chaoxi usually left school after three classes.
This timing was just right—five o'clock in the afternoon—when she could take over the hospital shift for Zheng Juanjuan.