Study Monster Cultivation System
Chapter 220 - 219 Brave men also have trepidation

Unlike the situation at No. 4 Middle School, Liu Xiaodong was laughing all morning, laughing while eating, walking, and even when he was in the bathroom.

Joyful occasions bring high spirits, and this semester’s ranking was enough to keep him happy all winter break.

However, there was still a bit of worry, as this year’s seniors seemed to have taken a step back.

But it was not a big problem, since the freshman year was stabilized.

As a principal, he had to aim for both short-term glory and long-term strategy.

One could imagine that Li Zheng and Lin Yujing would surely bring back more honors in the future, and Lake Ying’s student sources would undoubtedly improve because of this.

Next, how to lead a mid-level school to turn around was Liu Xiaodong’s legacy.

Unlike the principal of No. 4 Middle School, who queried all the experimental class teachers, Liu Xiaodong praised all the teachers of the sophomore year.

Among them, naturally the most crucial were Yu Hong, Tang Zhifei, Tao Feifei, and Zhu Hongbo.

Liu Xiaodong was very aware that the current achievements were not really about him, apart from Li Zheng and Lin Yujing’s own excellence, Lake Ying also had a group of ambitious, competent, and…

well-connected key teachers.

If truth be told, any one of them had done work far more important than his own.

In the conference room, faced with all the sophomore teachers, Liu Xiaodong was generous with his praise.

As the conversation reached a high point, he even became a bit emotional, thinking what good fortune it was to come across them?

Moved, Liu Xiaodong left his seat, walked around the table, and came forward to encourage.

Although conventionally, he should have first shaken hands with Yu Hong, Yu Hong stepped aside, nodding towards Tang Zhifei, sitting in the back row.

Liu Xiaodong immediately understood, took a few steps to Tang Zhifei, and shook his hand firmly, "You’ve worked hard, Teacher Tang, these past six months haven’t been easy for you. Class four has some very unique students, and it’s all reliant on your approach… your education. You’re our Lake Ying’s timely help, the vanguard."

Tang Zhifei was pleasantly surprised, hurriedly shaking his head, "You flatter me too much. The credit goes to Chunmei and all the subject teachers. I just happened to be there."

"You’re too modest, too modest," Liu Xiaodong patted Tang Zhifei and then moved to Yu Hong, "Teacher Yu, you deserve huge credit. Li Zheng not going to ICHo is not a pity at all. Now, the entire freshman chemistry enthusiasm is high, and you laid this foundation."

Yu Hong, holding Liu Xiaodong’s hand, smiled and said, "Just don’t forget to bring over a couple of teachers with Chem Competitions experience. I’m planning to lead the team this year again."

"Ah, am working on it, working on it," Liu Xiaodong laughed and then turned to Tao Feifei, "Teacher Tao, I know you’re completely sacrificing your personal time, even personal life, fully training Li Zheng and Lin Yujing for the physics competitions. Rest assured, if we find a suitable match among all school staff, we’ll definitely introduce them to you."

"Not necessary for now, Principal Liu." Tao Feifei covered her face and giggled.

"Ah? You found someone?" Liu Xiaodong widened his eyes and asked, "Which school are they from? I’ll help you find out about them."

Liu Xiaodong’s question was entirely habitual, as teachers often tended to have relationships with other teachers, so he spontaneously assigned a profession to the partner.

This arrangement wasn’t incorrect.

The surrounding teachers also began to show interest.

"Was it an introduction?"

"Oh, I have someone I was just about to introduce to you."

"Exactly which school are they from?"

"Ah…" Tao Feifei covered her face, hiding her mischievous joy, and casually said, "From Jinghua, Jinghua’s, also from the Department of Physics."

This was quite a blow.

In Lake Ying’s teacher circle, Tao Feifei was usually the one being envied.

Suddenly she had turned the tables.

Liu Xiaodong also swallowed hard, "Oh… Jinghua, huh… That’s out of my league… How did you meet them?"

"Ah… it was through Li Zheng and Lin Yujing while they were training at Jinghua."

"?!" Liu Xiaodong slapped his forehead in surprise, "That worked? Teaching physics competitions even got you a partner from Jinghua?"

Afterward, he hurriedly turned to Tang Zhifei, "You should hurry up too, let Li Zheng hook you up with someone."

The room burst into laughter, with only Tang Zhifei blushing and cursing.

Impossible, absolutely impossible.

Given Li Zheng’s personality, when making introductions, he would surely point out both parties’ flaws to stay prudent.

He absolutely should not make the introduction!

Afterward, Liu Xiaodong walked over to Zhu Hongbo, took his hand, and said to the other teachers, "Hongbo might be the most daring among us, and quite greedy too. Look, before the physics competitions even started, he first targeted Monopolizing Li Zheng and Lin Yujing for the math competitions."

Those words were certainly true, and unlike Tao Feifei, who just waited passively, Zhu Hongbo, seeing their rapid progress, decisively took action, his mind filled with the idea of killing two birds with one stone.

"Lin Yujing has not decided yet, not decided yet..." Zhu Hongbo also dared not speak with complete certainty, gesturing modestly, "I also need to recharge during the winter vacation. If Li Zheng and Lin Yujing are satellites, then I’m the rocket booster, pushing as high and as far as I can."

"Haha!" Liu Xiaodong laughed loudly, "Alright, 2019, will certainly be an extraordinary year. Chinese New Year is coming soon, so here, let me wish everyone a Happy New Year in advance!"

"Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year, Happy New Year!"

In the joyful atmosphere, Lake Ying Middle School ended its liveliest meeting ever.

After the meeting, Tang Zhifei, feeling anxious, found Liu Xiaodong for a private chat.

"The thing is, Principal Liu, Li Zheng and others... don’t really like vacations, they want to come to school as usual to study."

"That’s fine," Liu Xiaodong immediately nodded, "Isn’t Senior Year Three still having classes? Just let them take the keys and study in the classrooms on their own."

But he quickly frowned.

As a leader, one must consider issues comprehensively.

At first glance, this certainly seems like a good thing.

But upon closer examination, there are numerous unclear responsibility issues.

Who is responsible if there’s a safety incident?

What if they are hit by a car on the road?

What happens if they mess around in the classroom?

Without a teacher’s supervision, is it reasonable to come and go freely?

Although these are all highly unlikely events, if something were to happen, a series of responsibilities would ultimately have to be accounted for.

Not having a vacation when it’s time for a vacation, allowing students free access to the school, this would definitely be a major responsibility.

To ordinary people, these worries might seem somewhat absurd.

But any experienced leader always keeps these concerns in mind, considering issues of rights and responsibilities even in happy times.

"Hmm… this…" Liu Xiaodong changed his tone, then asked Tang Zhifei, "Do you have other plans for the winter vacation?"

"Ah? Me?"

"Don’t overthink it, I know all of you in Class Four are good kids, but it would be best to have a teacher keep an eye on the classroom." Liu Xiaodong pursed his lips, "Of course, I can’t bother you alone, we have teachers on duty during the vacation, right? So, go and discuss with the teachers of various subjects to see if we can change the duty location to your classroom, ensuring there is at least one teacher present each day, and maybe they can help answer some questions too."

Tang Zhifei hesitated and said, "Is it appropriate for me to discuss this?"

Liu Xiaodong thought for a moment; indeed, this could offend people.

Who has the time to watch you play house every day...

"If not, I’ll have Sun Xiubin talk about it," Liu Xiaodong shook his head and sighed, "There are so many libraries, can’t they just find a library to study in?"

"They actually want to study in a library... but the one on the first floor of our school," Tang Zhifei said.

"Ah?" Liu Xiaodong was taken aback.

This wasn’t good.

That place was truly the principal’s turf.

He didn’t have the courage to promise that.

Liu Xiaodong thought for a moment, then nodded, "I understand... I’ll ask around."

Tang Zhifei breathed a sigh of relief, "Then I’ll wait for your news anytime."

"Hmm."

...

In Class Four, Junior Year Two, the biology teacher was discussing test papers.

This was the first time no one was sleeping during biology class.

Everyone was chatting!

There was no helping it; after one more day it would be winter vacation, and during such times, apart from Senior Year Three students, few could focus on the lecture.

Especially in biology.

They chatted casually, never really crossing the line, just the entire class softly mumbling.

Zhang Xiaoke was undoubtedly the fastest babbler.

"Master... do we really have to spend the winter break in the library?"

"The library is great, facing south with plenty of heating, it has big tables and lots of books, and there are long couches for napping," Li Zheng said as he sorted his schedule on his phone, "We break on January 30, and February 4 is New Year’s Eve. Let’s study for a week first, get a feel for it."

"What I mean is... isn’t it a bit much to monopolize the library?"

"Hey, no one goes there anyway," Li Zheng laughed, "Principal Liu will definitely accommodate us. The only thing we have to deal with is that old man, who clearly looks like he’s rehired post-retirement. He must want to continue working, so he won’t refuse Principal Liu’s request, given the rank difference."

While they were talking, Jiang Qinghua came over from behind. "Can I take a leave on the 31st? I have a surgery."

"Asking for a leave right off the bat..." Li Zheng frowned, "What surgery? Is it serious? Do you need me to call my dad?"

Liu Xin suddenly darted over. "Yes, yes!"

Seeing Liu Xin close in, Li Zheng quickly pulled a tissue from Zhang Xiaoke’s desk, placing it in his hand, before daring to push Liu Xin’s face away.

After freeing himself from Liu Xin, Li Zheng turned back to Jiang Qinghua and said, "We’re close enough, just ask if you need help."

Jiang Qinghua blushed and waved his hands. "No need, no need, it’s a minor surgery, everything’s arranged."

"Looking at this..." Zhang Xiaoke rubbed his chin, "It couldn’t be that he’s getting..."

"It’s not!" Jiang Qinghua hurriedly interrupted Zhang Xiaoke, a flash of inspiration, "It’s about removing a mole, I’ve been wanting to remove one."

"Hey, what’s there to be shy about?" Zhang Xiaoke snorted and laughed, glancing at the front row, "Chen Jinyu even made an appointment for plastic surgery, shameless..."

"Hey." Li Zheng frowned, "Cosmetic surgery is a common form of self-enhancement in modern society. There’s no need to morally blame."

"I’m not blaming," Zhang Xiaoke spread his hands, and grinned, "If you’re getting your face done, isn’t that the definition of ’shameless’? What’s wrong with that?"

"...Okay." Li Zheng looked Zhang Xiaoke up and down, "Why don’t you also consider getting liposuction?"

"Get lost!"

"How about this, starting tomorrow you come to school at 6 AM every day, and I’ll make you run 5 kilometers."

Zhang Xiaoke immediately panicked. "I was wrong, master... I’ll never eat chocolate again..."

While they were busy with this, Liu Xin suddenly slammed the desk.

"Huh? Is class over?"

The group looked towards the podium.

They then realized that the biology teacher had already disappeared.

Everyone in the class was also a bit stunned, so they had no choice but to ask the biology class representative.

However, the class representative hadn’t noticed either.

Eventually, they confirmed that class was over based on the cluttered noises in the hallway.

It was incredible, Biology Teacher Hu’s Escape Technique had reached a new level.

...

Close to dismissal, Tang Zhifei brought good news—Liu Xiaodong had successfully communicated, allowing them to study in the library outside of national public holidays, but they had to submit a schedule so the school could arrange for a supervisor.

Even though Li Zheng repeatedly explained that supervision wasn’t necessary, his study team wouldn’t cause any trouble, and they would clean daily, Tang Zhifei just wouldn’t listen and left after answering briefly.

People’s understanding is ultimately limited. Li Zheng hadn’t considered that this would add management difficulties for the school, taking it as Principal Liu’s firm support for holiday studies, expecting him to just appoint subject teachers.

Of course, Lin Yujing and Zhang Xiaoke hadn’t considered this either.

Only Jiang Qinghua had considered it, but he didn’t point it out, as mentioning it would only make everyone upset. It was better left unsaid.

Mature men often have to endure a lot on their own.

...

After lunch, Li Zheng stepped onto the stairs.

His steps were slow and hesitant.

He was full of timidity.

Yet he had to climb, to face what’s coming.

Li Zheng had never been timid before.

But this time, he was truly feeling a bit shaken.

Only because this time, it was someone else’s issue.

He didn’t know... how Teacher Mengxi had performed on the exam.

Unlike Jiang Qinghua and Zhang Xiaoke, who still had plenty of time to prepare for the college entrance exam.

Teacher Mengxi didn’t have much time left.

If she performed poorly again, her entire confidence would collapse.

Li Zheng himself didn’t need confidence because for him, learning was a joy. Just by studying, there was always something to gain, which in itself was an interesting activity. Having goals certainly added to the fun, but it didn’t matter if there were none.

But it was different for Teacher Mengxi. She was under a lot of pressure.

For the sake of the college entrance exam, she had given up her beloved chemistry and decided to challenge the "ordinary" with her life.

Li Zheng deeply knew how difficult that was.

If it weren’t for the accelerated thinking and massive efficiency improvements, he himself could only have covered 1% of the distance by now.

Without Chem Competitions, without Physics Competitions, and without a high score of 730+.

Maybe reaching 600 was possible, but that score was actually more ordinary than Teacher Mengxi’s.

Even though Li Zheng, with the opportunity of preparing for computer science competitions and learning programming, vigorously shared his outcomes and efficiency, he was still very anxious...

If Mengxi failed to do well again...

What should he say?

What should he do?

He hadn’t figured it out, nor could he figure it out.

Life is not mathematics.

Not every problem has a solution.

Standing in front of class 1’s door, for the first time, he didn’t step in decisively but poked his head in first.

That’s when he saw Mengxi holding another girl’s arm, constantly rubbing it as if to comfort her.

And that girl was sobbing on the desk.

It’s still the same saying.

Happiness is conserved.

Though it might sound a bit selfish...

But since she had the heart to comfort someone else, Mengxi must have performed not too badly.

Li Zheng no longer felt anxious and stepped into the classroom of another class with the same upright spirit as usual.

The people in the first class were used to this, but what was unusual this time was that they all crowded around him, acting like they were scrambling for a prized possession.

"Li Zheng, you’re finally here!"

"Seriously speaking, can I borrow your study app?"

"I’m willing to pay, sell me a copy, please."

"Mengxi ranked first!"

Upon hearing this, Li Zheng was visibly shocked.

"Mengxi ranked first?!"

The young girl in the front row answered excitedly, "First, the very first time first."

"Great!" Li Zheng couldn’t help but slap his thigh in approval and turned to look at Xu Mengxi, saying, "I told you so, with me..."

But before he could finish, he began to panic again.

Xu Mengxi’s face was full of anger, and she kept signaling with her eyes.

And the girl she was comforting, under the shock of everything that just unfolded, had already burst into loud crying.

This one... must be the former number one...

I’m truly sorry... for having sapped your happiness.