Fine, if you don't want to go, then don't.

Wang Jiang was taken aback and asked, "Why?"

Zhang Pa felt a bit frustrated. "How should I know why?"

"You're sending her over without knowing the reason?" Wang Jiang asked again.

Zhang Pa snapped, "I'm your teacher, watch your tone!"

Wang Jiang chuckled and replied, "Better not have her come. I feel uncomfortable when I see her."

Zhang Pa said, "Fine, you're the boss. I'll listen to you."

He sent Wang Jiang back to the classroom and went to inform Teacher Huang. Teacher Huang was quite dissatisfied, but since such things couldn't be forced, he had to let the idea go.

On his way back to the office, Zhang Pa called the principal. "Boss, how did it go?"

The principal replied, "He's out. Heading back to school now."

Zhang Pa said, "You really are something."

"Save the flattery." Principal Qin paused, then added helplessly, "You'll understand once you're sitting in my chair."

Zhang Pa asked with a laugh, "So, you make a habit of bailing people out?"

It wasn't that he did it often, but the sentiment was similar; he frequently had to intervene and beg for favors on behalf of students and teachers who caused trouble for the school.

Being a principal at other schools was easy and carefree, and some of the more corrupt ones could easily amass a fortune of millions. The year before last, during the city's major anti-corruption campaign—which involved integrity checks and a rotation system where principals and teachers were swapped between schools—three junior high principals fled before the orders were even issued. It was an absolute disgrace to both the education sector and the provincial capital.

During that same campaign, while teachers at other schools were being shuffled around to varying degrees, not a single one from 119th Middle School was moved, effectively leaving them isolated from the rest of the city's junior high schools.

Fortunately, the teachers at the school were resigned to their fate, and Principal Qin truly cared for the students, so no one went to the Education Bureau to stir up trouble.

Compared to those other principals, Principal Qin had always had it rough. Not wanting to dwell on the "bailing out" comment, he changed the subject: "How did Sunday go?" He was asking about the students' reactions to their visit to the detention center.

Zhang Pa replied, "They wrote their reflections, but I haven't read them yet."

"Read them carefully. I hope a few of them might turn over a new leaf," Principal Qin said. You see, after all that effort and trouble, the principal's goal was merely to have a few students straighten out—his expectations were truly rock bottom.

Zhang Pa said, "If the detention center doesn't work, we'll take them to prison next time. I don't believe that won't scare them straight."

The principal hurriedly replied, "Stop right there! A detention center is one thing, but there's no way to get them into a prison."

"Connections not good enough?" Zhang Pa laughed. "Is there anyone who dares not give you face? Just finish them off."

"I'll finish you off first." The principal hung up.

Back at his end, Zhang Pa walked into the office with his phone, greeted Luo Shengnan, and then sat in a daze. He had just sent six story openings to his editor in one go; he had no idea how they would turn out.

Just as he was zoning out, someone knocked on the door, announcing that the principal had ordered a mandatory faculty meeting for the afternoon.

Zhang Pa and Luo Shengnan acknowledged the order.

After the teacher left, Luo Shengnan asked Zhang Pa, "Any idea what it's about?"

Zhang Pa shook his head. "Nobody knows what goes on in the boss's head."

Luo Shengnan smiled and went back to looking at her phone.

The day passed quickly, and in the afternoon, the entire school faculty gathered for the meeting.

It was Zhang Pa's first time attending such an organizational event. Walking into the multimedia auditorium, he was shocked—there were so many teachers?

Indeed, there were plenty. At a glance, there were at least 160 or 170. He thought to himself that 119th Middle School was truly a bizarre place.

This meeting was different from the usual ones; there were no seats on the stage, only a lonely microphone standing in the empty space.

A few minutes later, Principal Qin stepped onto the stage and started right in with his "thought" for the day: Everyone needed to calm down. Homeroom teachers were to go back and hold meetings with their students to keep them in line. There had been too many fights lately, and it had to be controlled.

The principal was truly backed into a corner. With nine-year compulsory education, the abolition of reform schools, and his own refusal to send children to juvenile detention centers... all these factors combined had created the current predicament.

The meeting was brief, ending in twenty minutes. Throughout the whole process, Principal Qin was exceptionally stern, specifically naming the PE teacher who had just been bailed out for a sharp critique before dismissing everyone.

Zhang Pa thought to himself: The principal is really giving me face, not naming me even though I led my students into a group fight.

As for that PE teacher, "bailing him out" meant persuading the other party's parents and pulling strings, with the aftermath involving monetary compensation.

Principal Qin was quite cool about it. He told the parents straight up: "Covering your medical expenses is enough. Don't cause trouble. If you do, we'll go to court. Even if you manage to get my teacher sent to prison, I can certainly get your children sent to juvenile hall. If you don't believe me, let's try it."

To any normal person, this wouldn't sound like something a principal should say—it seemed too low-class and lacking in sophistication—but that was how Principal Qin spoke to parents. As for what they thought... did it really matter?

After the meeting, Zhang Pa and Luo Shengnan returned to the office. Luo Shengnan laughed, "Learned something new, didn't you? Principal Qin’s way of talking is always off the wall."

Zhang Pa chuckled along. "He talks to me like that all the time."

Luo Shengnan glanced at him. "I can see that. You two are both off the wall."

The principal was indeed a bit unconventional, speaking to the faculty in language even simpler than colloquialism, ignoring all image and status. Yet, these very words aptly conveyed his frustration.

Just as Zhang Pa was about to reply to Luo Shengnan, his phone rang. He checked the screen—it was the boss himself! He thought to himself: Nothing good, for sure.

He guessed right; the principal wanted him to come to the office, likely for a post-meeting follow-up.

Zhang Pa trudged up to the top floor and waited for the principal to return.

Ten minutes later, the principal walked slowly up the stairs, unlocked the door, and said, "Sit."

Zhang Pa sat down and asked, "What's up?"

The principal said, "I called you here to say one thing: think before you act. The third grade is the most chaotic in the whole school, and the most chaotic students in the third grade are in your class. I don't care what methods you use, just keep them under control. Absolutely no more fighting. Since you arrived, I've received three calls from the Director of the Education Bureau, and every one of them was a reprimand."

Zhang Pa said, "Being kept in the mind of a leader is a good thing."

"Good my foot, it's not like it's a top leader." Principal Qin added, "Being remembered by everyone doesn't mean anything."

Zhang Pa smiled and agreed, then asked, "Anything else?"

"Nothing else, just that. I'm afraid you'll act on impulse. You must control your temper," the principal urged again.

Zhang Pa promised there would be no problem and headed downstairs.

It was a study hall period in the afternoon, and he stayed in the classroom for over half an hour.

These monkeys didn't disappoint him—out of forty-six, over a dozen were sleeping, twenty-something were playing with their phones, and others were listening to music or watching videos. Only a measly two were actually studying.

Looking at this bunch of slackers, Zhang Pa deeply doubted his own sanity. How much water had gotten into his brain to make him agree to become a teacher?

He didn't leave early today, sticking it out until the end of the school day and leaving with the students.

Then, he witnessed another scene at the school gate.

A sports car was parked at the entrance, and a "delinquent girl" was standing in front of it. Between the flashy car and her flashy attire, it drew the attention of every passing student.

Four or five young guys were squatting by the side of the road, joking around as they watched her—obviously, they were also the bored type.

As Zhang Pa walked out with the group from Class 18, "Old Pi" whistled at the sight of the sports car. "One day, I'm gonna get one of those."

As they were talking, a long-haired, fair-skinned guy in a school uniform walked out the gate.

Seeing him, Zhang Pa paused. He was quite handsome.

Of course he was handsome; the girl at the gate was waiting for him. As soon as she saw him, she called out, "Hubby, hubby!"

The handsome guy acted as if he hadn't heard her, didn't even look her way, and strolled lazily past her.

The girl tried to grab him, but the guy dodged with a light sway and ran across the street.

The girl wanted to chase after him, but she couldn't just leave the car, so she had to get in and drive after him—which meant she had no chance of catching him.

Zhang Pa asked curiously, "Does our school really have someone better-looking than me?"

Old Pi said, "Are you teaching us how to be thick-skinned?"

"I really want to hit you," Zhang Pa replied. "Who's that guy?"

"Pei Chengyi," Yu Yuan said. "I've always wanted to beat him up. He acts cool all day long and keeps trying to compare his looks with mine."

Zhang Pa looked at his hulking figure and said seriously, "You're more handsome than him."

The big guy, Yu Yuan, nodded. "That's a fact."

Zhang Pa thought for a moment and found it funny. He called over Yun Zheng. "Of the 'Five Sticks' of this school—you, Wang Jiang, and Li Shan—you're basically competing over who's uglier. Look at those two from the second grade; they're getting better-looking by the day."

Wang Jiang chimed in from behind, "Teacher, I'm right here."

Li Shan added, "Teacher, I'm here too."

Yun Zheng sighed, "I'm not."

Zhang Pa said, "Don't take it the wrong way; I'm just stating facts."

Yu Yuan said with disdain, "Pei Chengyi is a psycho, even more of a psycho than you."

Zhang Pa was speechless. He sighed and said, "Is that how you compliment your teacher?"

Yu Yuan chuckled and added, "You should've seen it last year. When Li Yingxiong and Pei Chengyi were freshmen, they fought for an entire year. It was so intense that we were too embarrassed to even intervene."

"They don't get along?" Zhang Pa asked.

"One mountain cannot hold two tigers." Yu Yuan looked back at Wang Jiang and Li Shan, and whispered an introduction to Zhang Pa: "These two knuckleheads behind us also fought for their entire freshman year. That's why Principal Qin specifically singled out these five—because they're all knuckleheads who start fights with each other for no reason."

No sooner had he finished speaking than he was shoved forward without warning, landing on the ground. The big guy didn't even get up; he just rolled over and looked back. "Damn it, are you trying to kill me?"

It was a kick from Wang Jiang. He said coldly, "Don't think that just because we're in the same class, I won't hit you. Watch your mouth."

As a teacher, Zhang Pa obviously couldn't just watch his students fight. He jumped a good distance away. "Can you wait until I'm gone before you start?"

Li Shan looked at Zhang Pa, then at the group of idiots, and turned to walk in the other direction, acting as if he didn't know them at all.

Zhang Pa put on a miserable expression. "You've all watched too many cartoons. You can't keep spiraling down like this."

Yu Yuan stood up, brushed himself off, and said to Zhang Pa, "Wanna grab a drink? My treat?"

Old Pi immediately jumped in, "Can I bring my family?"

Zhang Pa first replied to Yu Yuan, "Count me in." Then he said to Old Pi, "You don't count as family."

Old Pi shouted, "You can't burn bridges like this!"

Zhang Pa said, "I'll burn you to a crisp." Then to Yu Yuan, "Where are we drinking?"