I Know Your Director Zhang (Thanks for the Gift 3/16)

Student Affairs Office.

Dean Xie sat behind his spacious desk, took a sip from his teacup, and tried to suppress the rising anger in his chest.

He slammed the teacup heavily onto the table, making a loud "bang."

"Which class? What are your names?"

Chen Zhi stood there looking honest and well-behaved, his tone sincere: "Class 10, Grade 10, Chen Zhi."

Lin Wanwan stood next to him, her head down as she picked at her fingers: "Class 7, Grade 10, Lin Wanwan."

"Chen Zhi... Lin Wanwan..."

Dean Xie muttered these two names, his brows suddenly furrowing. He looked up and re-evaluated the tall, handsome boy in front of him.

"You're the top scorer who came up from the Tenth Middle School?"

This name was like thunder in the ears of this year's freshmen.

The city's top scorer in the high school entrance exam, who rejected the top-tier class at the First Middle School and insisted on idling away in a regular class.

The principal had even worried about this a few days ago, saying this kid was a bit unconventional.

Chen Zhi nodded and said modestly, "Just lucky, just lucky."

"Lucky?" Dean Xie sneered, slamming his teacup down again. "I see your guts are much bigger than your luck! You refused a perfectly good top-tier class to go to a regular class, and now, just a few days into the school year, you're starting to date?"

He stood up, pacing around the office with his hands behind his back, launching into a classic lecture mode.

"Chen Zhi, let me tell you, high school and middle school are completely different concepts! In middle school, you could get first place with a little cleverness, but in high school, it's thousands of troops crossing a single-log bridge!"

"I've been a teacher for so many years and I've seen too many promising students like you. You get carried away because of a little talent, you date, play games, and how do you end up? Fading into mediocrity!"

Dean Xie grew more and more agitated, his finger almost poking Chen Zhi's nose. "Do you think being the top scorer gives you special privileges? At the First Middle School, even if you're a dragon, you have to coil up, and if you're a tiger, you have to lie down! Puppy love is a high-voltage wire—whoever touches it, dies!"

Chen Zhi wore an expression that said 'you are absolutely right,' nodding in agreement from time to time: "The teacher's lesson is profound, too profound."

He felt his authority was being provoked.

This student had too thick of a skin; strong medicine was needed!

He opened his drawer and pulled out an address book.

"Not convinced, huh?" Dean Xie snorted coldly, picking up the phone on his desk. "I'm old friends with your Dean Zhang. If I let him know that the top scorer he was so proud of got caught for puppy love right after starting high school, let's see where he puts his old face!"

The phone rang twice before it was connected.

Dean Xie deliberately pressed the speaker button, wanting these two arrogant students to hear the fury from their old school.

"Hello? Who is this?"

Dean Zhang's slightly tired voice came from the other end of the line.

Dean Xie cleared his throat, his tone carrying a hint of schadenfreude.

"Lao Zhang, it's me, Lao Xie from the First Middle School."

"Oh, Dean Xie. What guidance do you have for me this early in the morning?"

Dean Xie glanced at Chen Zhi and said slowly:

"Guidance is out of the question. I just wanted to inform you of a situation. That top scorer your school sent over, his name is Chen Zhi, right?"

"Ah, yes, Chen Zhi. What's wrong with this kid now?"

Dean Zhang's voice instantly perked up, even carrying a trace of alertness.

Dean Xie thought the other party was worried about Chen Zhi's grades, and the smile on his lips deepened.

"This kid started dating right after school started! Riding a bike with a female classmate, hugging and cuddling, caught red-handed by me! Lao Zhang, I have to criticize you. This kid has been dating for the three years leading up to high school, and you didn't notice at all? Your work is not up to par."

Dean Xie expected the other side to be shocked, ashamed, or at least join him in denouncing this unhealthy trend.

But who would have thought, a gasp came from Dean Zhang on the other end, sounding like relief, or like someone eager to watch the drama unfold.

"Really?! He got caught again? Is the girl named Lin Wanwan?"

Dean Xie was taken aback: "How did you know? Yes, her name is Lin Wanwan."

"Oh my goodness!" Dean Zhang's voice instantly rose eight octaves, actually sounding a bit gloating.

"Dean Xie, listen to my advice, this matter... you'd better stay out of it."

Dean Xie frowned, feeling his professional ethics had been insulted. "Lao Zhang, what do you mean by that? What do you mean stay out of it? Puppy love is against school rules! How can I not intervene?"

"No, what I mean is..." Dean Zhang seemed to be trying hard to hold back his laughter on the other end of the phone. "The situation with these two kids is a bit special. Have you called their parents?"

"I'm just about to!" Dean Xie was very angry.

"Don't! Absolutely don't!" Dean Zhang grew anxious, his tone revealing the weariness of someone who had been through it. "Lao Xie, we're old friends, I don't want to see your reputation ruined in your later years. The parents of those two families... how should I put it, their brain circuits are not quite like us normal people. If you call them over, you'll definitely be the one unable to step down gracefully in the end!"

Dean Zhang started speaking in riddles, not explaining the whole situation.

Dean Xie was utterly confused, and the anger in his heart only grew larger.

"Lao Zhang, are you questioning my professional abilities? I've been a teacher my whole life, what kind of parents haven't I seen? Throwing tantrums, crying and screaming, tag-teaming their kids—which one haven't I handled?"

Dean Xie sneered, feeling underestimated. "I don't believe there are parents in Jiangcheng that I can't handle! Don't plead for them either; today, I am definitely calling these parents!"

After saying that, he didn't give Dean Zhang a chance to speak again and hung up the phone with a "smack."

"Peers nowadays are getting less and less principled."

Dean Xie shook his head, picked up the file form, pointed at the number on it, and looked at Chen Zhi.

"Chen Zhi, this is your mom's phone number, right? Zhang Guifang?"

Chen Zhi nodded, kindly reminding him: "Teacher, my mom is a bit different, you'd better not call her."

"Absurd!" Dean Xie slammed the table. "What parent isn't worried about their kid dating? Stop throwing smoke bombs at me! I'm calling right now!"

Saying that, he dialed the string of numbers.

Speakerphone on.

"Beep—beep—"

The phone rang twice before it was connected.

A noisy sound of playing mahjong came from the other end, along with a vigorous female voice: "Hello? Who is it? Speak quickly, I'm about to win a flush!"

Dean Xie cleared his throat, putting on a majestic posture: "Hello, is this Chen Zhi's parent? I am Dean Xie from the Student Affairs Office of Jiangcheng First Middle School. Your son is involved in puppy love at school, the nature of which is very serious. Please come to the school immediately."

The other end of the phone went quiet for a second.

Then, the mahjong sounds stopped.

Zhang Guifang's voice instantly became extremely excited, even drowning out the previous mahjong noises: "Puppy love? Really? With who? Is it Wanwan? How could these two kids be so careless! Caught again?"

"Um... Dean Xie, right? Keep them steady for me, don't scare my daughter-in-law away! I'll bring the in-laws over right now! Wait for me, absolutely do not hang up!"

"Two of dots! I win! Pay up, pay up! I'm going to the school to watch the show!"

Beep beep beep—

The call disconnected.

A deathly silence filled the office.

Dean Xie's hand, still gripping the receiver, froze in mid-air. His expression shifted from authoritative to bewildered, and finally settled into a look of profound existential doubt.

He slowly turned his head, looking at the picture of innocence that was Chen Zhi, and then at Lin Wanwan beside him, whose face was flushed red from trying to stifle her laughter.

"That... that was your mother?"

Chen Zhi threw his hands up in a helpless shrug and sighed. "Dean, I did warn you."