Chapter 8: The Teacher's Concern

Chapter 8: The Teacher’s Concern

Until the end of the PE class, Wang Hai ignored Zhang Yu, treating him as if he were invisible and offering no further guidance or instruction.

Following Wang Hai’s lead, the other students also subconsciously avoided Zhang Yu, leaving an invisible no-man’s-land around him.

“Old Wang is really... What a petty guy.”

But with the situation as it was, Zhang Yu had no choice. He simply lay down quietly and continued to rest.

Soon, the class was over, and everyone headed to the cafeteria one by one.

After the others left, Zhou Tianyi walked up to Zhang Yu and gave him a thumbs-up. “Brave one, have you bought your Accident Insurance yet?”

Zhang Yu slowly got up, dusted off his pants, and said, “What’s there to fear? Once my cultivation improves and my grades soar, plenty of teachers will be protecting me.”

He looked confidently at the Feather Codex in his palm, where his Physical Strength had increased from 0.83 to 0.84.

This improvement came without any injections, supplements, or even any Adept Nourishment, solely through the practice of the Mighty Physique 36 Forms.

He imagined that as he continued to advance the Mighty Physique 36 Forms, his Physical Strength would improve even faster.

Just thinking about it made Zhang Yu marvel at his own potential.

Zhou Tianyi, standing beside him, looked at Zhang Yu’s suddenly confident face and asked curiously, “Did you find a new source for supplements? Don’t forget your brothers if you get something good.”

Zhang Yu clenched his fist and smiled. “Kid, I’m all about natural cultivation!”

Outside the training room, Bai Zhenzhen, flushed and sweating profusely after intense cultivation, knocked on the door lightly. “Zhang Yu, are you done yet? I’m starving, let’s go eat.”

The three of them hurriedly joined the throng heading to the cafeteria. Arriving late, they saw a long line of people queuing at the cafeteria entrance from a distance.

However, as students of the Demonstration Class, Zhang Yu and his friends had the privilege of entering the cafeteria through a Vip passage to enjoy their meals.

The three of them walked into the cafeteria under the varied gazes of students from other classes.

It felt like something out of a novel. If Zhang Yu were to describe it, it would be like a prestigious inner sect prodigy walking into the Immortal Gathering Restaurant, watched by outer sect laborers with envy, jealousy, or a sense of ambition.

Once inside the cafeteria, Bai Zhenzhen said, “I’m having Adept Nourishment today, so I’m going upstairs.”

Adept Nourishment was a meal prepared with ingredients rich in Xian Dao elements and various medicinal herbs, effectively enhancing physical strength, compensating for the loss from intense training, and improving the efficiency of cultivation and meditation.

Adept Nourishment had numerous benefits for Xian Dao studies, but the only reason Zhang Yu didn’t go upstairs was because it was too expensive. It was incredibly expensive.

A meal could cost several hundred, and more valuable ingredients could easily cost thousands. Even when Zhang Yu had plenty of money from his loans, he didn’t dare eat there every day, let alone now.

Watching Bai Zhenzhen walk upstairs alone, Zhang Yu could sense that the second floor of the cafeteria was another world from the first, much like the difference between the queue outside and the inside of the cafeteria.

But Zhang Yu was still puzzled. “Doesn’t Ah Zhen have no money? How can she afford to go upstairs?”

...

Not long after lunch, Zhang Yu, who was taking a nap, was called to the teacher’s office.

A middle-aged man, sipping tea, glanced at Zhang Yu standing in front of his desk and said, “Wang Hai told me about your situation.”

The man was Su Haifeng, the homeroom teacher of the Demonstration Class and the head of the first-year grade.

He looked at Zhang Yu with disappointment and said, “Do you remember what you told me during the interview?”

When Zhang Yu had originally attended the Songyang High School interview, Su Haifeng had been the central interviewer.

Hearing Su Haifeng’s words, Zhang Yu was taken aback. Although he had merged with his original body’s memories, many details weren’t immediately clear to him.

Su Haifeng sighed. “I remember you saying you wanted to attend a prestigious university.”

“During PE class, you neither bought medicine nor had injections, and you just lay there, defying the teacher. Is this your attitude towards attending a prestigious university?”

Hearing the criticism, Zhang Yu didn’t know how to explain. He couldn’t say that he was too poor and weak to buy medicine or have injections, or that his potential had been unlocked, so he was just going through the motions in PE class.

Feeling Zhang Yu’s silence, Su Haifeng sighed again. “Zhang Yu, your performance over the past three months has been good. I know you’re a good kid.”

“Is something going on at home?”

Zhang Yu looked at him in surprise, feeling the genuine concern in his eyes. “This crazy school actually has teachers who care about their students?”

He thought for a moment and said softly, “Yeah, there’s been some conflict at home.”

“I’ll try to resolve it and get back to my best soon.”

Although he felt the teacher's concern, Zhang Yu could only stall for now, planning to improve his grades over time, which would naturally resolve these awkward situations without needing to explain them to the teacher.

Su Haifeng frowned, seemingly dissatisfied. “Is there something you’re afraid to tell your teacher?”

“Is there a problem with your family’s financial situation?”

“Debt collectors have been calling the school.”

“Huh?” Zhang Yu looked up sharply. “They called you?”

Su Haifeng nodded solemnly. “If they hadn’t called me, I wouldn’t have known about your debts. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Zhang Yu stammered, “I...”

He hadn’t thought telling the school would do any good, especially given the atmosphere at Songyang High School. He suspected it would only make his situation worse.

But Su Haifeng sighed deeply, looking kindly at Zhang Yu. “I know the school can be strict, and you might be hesitant to tell us about problems.”

“But you must remember, we are your teachers. How could we not help our students?”

He pulled out a document from his drawer and handed it to Zhang Yu. “I’ve specially applied for the Impoverished Student Assistance Program for you. Sign it quickly.”

Zhang Yu took the document, feeling touched as he looked at Su Haifeng. “Teacher, thank you.”

He realized his view of the school’s teachers was wrong again. “Even though there are unreliable people like Wang Hai, there are also kind-hearted teachers like Mr. Su.”

Su Haifeng smiled and waved his hand, passing him a pen. “Sign it quickly.”

Zhang Yu lowered his head, scanned the document, and froze.

Su Haifeng chuckled. “What’s wrong? Sign it quickly. I’ll submit it before I leave work.”

Zhang Yu’s voice was low. “Teacher, this seems to be a Debt Restructuring Contract. Did you get the wrong document?”

Su Haifeng laughed. “Impoverished students are often in debt, aren’t they? By restructuring the debt, we help the impoverished students. This is the Impoverished Student Assistance Program.”

Zhang Yu read the contract, which detailed that all his debts would be consolidated and the school would lend him money to pay them off. From then on, his creditor would be the school.

After estimating the total debt, including various fees, interest, and other charges, it seemed to have ballooned to over a million.

“This isn’t a Debt Restructuring Contract! This is just loan churning.”

He raged inwardly, “Even the homeroom teacher is involved in spiritual loans?”

“Is this how things are done in this rotten school? Are there no normal teachers here?”

Suppressing his anger, Zhang Yu took a deep breath. “Teacher, I’ll think about it, but I can handle this debt on my own.”

Su Haifeng tried to persuade him. “How can a child handle such a large sum? Sign it quickly, and the school will take care of it.”

“Don’t worry, the school’s repayment plan is very flexible.”

Zhang Yu insisted, “No, Teacher, really, no.”

After repeatedly refusing, Zhang Yu tossed the contract aside and ran out of the office.

Watching him leave, Su Haifeng lifted his teacup and blew on it.

After a moment, he picked up his vibrating phone and said, “He refused.”

“Yeah, I’ll try again in a while.”

“Don’t worry, poor people... eventually, they can’t withstand the pressure from the collection agencies and will come asking for help.”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end