Chapter 125
He had a certain personality that Zheng Fa could discern—this teacher was responsible to the point of being a bit fussy.
“Worrying…”
“If you want to take a leave, it’s easy enough,” Zheng Fa explained to Tang Lingwu. “You don’t even have to attend class, and besides, it’s convenient for your mom to ask for a leave… but I can’t.”
Tang Lingwu immediately understood what Zheng Fa meant.
Zheng Fa didn’t have any parents…
And he lived right on campus.
Skipping class could easily lead to him being stuck at home.
With someone like Old Chen, who was so concerned, Zheng Fa couldn’t find a legitimate reason to ask for leave, let alone an adult to vouch for him.
After thinking for a moment, Zheng Fa said, “I’ll try asking Old Chen for leave in a couple of days. If that doesn’t work, I’ll just have to act first and report later.”
“Exactly! As cultivators, we should be free and unrestrained. How can a leave slip hold us back?” Old Bai chimed in from the side.
Tang Lingwu nodded lightly, though her gaze seemed to hold some deeper thoughts.
…
Before Zheng Fa could even ask Old Chen for leave, Old Chen suddenly sought him out.
“The school is organizing a study tour,” Old Chen called Zheng Fa into his office. “The top twenty students in the third year can go, and it’s voluntary.”
“A study tour?” Zheng Fa was taken aback and continued to ask, “Where are we going?”
Old Chen’s expression was a bit strange, as if he couldn’t quite believe the answer himself: “Beijing.”
“…”
“In the past, just going to a provincial capital was a big deal… but this time, they’re being generous. Not only are we going to Beijing, but we’re also flying there and back, for about three to four days.” Old Chen looked at Zheng Fa with confusion. “In our class, there are only two people in the top twenty—one is you, and the other is Tang Lingwu. I’ve already asked her.”
“…” Zheng Fa’s expression grew increasingly peculiar.
“She said she’d go back and ask her mom. You don’t have any parents, so I can just ask you directly.” Old Chen added, “By the way, this study tour is free.”
Zheng Fa fell silent for a long time, finally managing to keep a serious expression on his face as he nodded to Old Chen: “I’ll go.”
“Alright, I’ll sign you up… You can head back now.”
As Zheng Fa reached the door, he heard Old Chen mumbling behind him:
“With this money to burn, why don’t they just give me a raise?”
“…”
When he returned to the classroom, Zheng Fa couldn’t help but glance at Tang Lingwu, who was pretending to be nonchalant.
Tang Lingwu didn’t even look at him, her serious gaze fixed on the book in front of her. He couldn’t understand what was so captivating about “Data Structures and Algorithms.”
As he walked past her desk, he caught a glimpse of her lips curling up slightly, as if she was a bit pleased with herself.
“What did Old Chen want?”
Wang Chen asked curiously as Zheng Fa returned to his seat.
“He mentioned something about a study tour.”
“A study tour?” Wang Chen’s eyes lit up. “Are we going out to have fun? Where to? The provincial capital?”
“To Beijing.” Seeing the excitement on Wang Chen’s face, Zheng Fa paused before adding, “It’s just me going, not all of us… For you, there’s always next time.”
“What do you mean, next time?”
“Next time, when you rank in the top twenty of the entire grade.” Zheng Fa thought for a moment and added, “And there just happens to be a wealthy little heiress willing to spend money on you.”
“That’s a bit tough…” Wang Chen understood and couldn’t help but look a bit dejected.
“...Just put in some effort, and who knows…” Zheng Fa wanted to encourage him a bit more.
“Usually, I wake up laughing halfway through such dreams…”
…
The day of the “study tour” arrived quickly.
Quite a few students were going to Beijing.
All the top twenty students in the grade were there.
It made sense; a trip to Beijing wasn’t cheap, especially under the guise of a study tour.
Not many parents would object.
In addition to the twenty students, the school also sent three adults to accompany them—
Old Chen, a female teacher, and a vice principal.
“Once we leave, I’ll be responsible for your safety,” Old Chen said sternly, looking at the group of students. “No one is allowed to go out alone. Boys need to tell me if they want to go out, and girls should tell Teacher Wang. While we’re outside, follow my instructions, got it?”
Everyone nodded eagerly, excitement evident on their faces, regardless of gender.
The bus to pick them up had been waiting at the school gate for a long time.
The moment Zheng Fa saw the driver, he was a hundred percent sure this was Tang Lingwu’s doing—Big Shorts, don’t think I won’t recognize you just because you’re wearing slacks and sunglasses today!
Once on the bus, the vice principal and the two teachers sat in the front row.
The other students filed in, each finding their own seats.
Zheng Fa sat in the third-to-last row, basically behind everyone.
Everyone was quite taciturn; unless they were familiar with each other, they all sat alone.
But what puzzled Zheng Fa was that a few boys who had originally sat in the aisle seats suddenly switched to the window seats, as if they were saving a spot for someone.
When Tang Lingwu boarded the bus and he saw the barely contained excitement on those boys’ faces, Zheng Fa understood…
Tang Lingwu stood at the door, first glancing at the driver, then scanning the interior of the bus before walking straight toward Zheng Fa.
Once she sat down next to him, he noticed those boys quietly shifting back to their original seats…
“Did you arrange this?”
Tang Lingwu shook her head quickly, as if denying any involvement. Seeing Zheng Fa’s skeptical expression, she whispered, “Group effort.”
“?”
…
Upon arriving in Beijing, he truly understood what a group effort meant.
The hotel they stayed in wasn’t expensive; it was just a budget hotel.
Zheng Fa was paired with a boy he wasn’t very familiar with in a twin room.
As they sat in the room, caught in an awkward silence, there was a sudden knock on the door.
When he opened it, he found not only Tang Lingwu but also Aunt Ye.
What surprised Zheng Fa the most was—Old Bai was there too.
“What’s going on?”
“Let’s talk as we walk. I’ve already spoken with your principal,” Aunt Ye said softly. “Time is a bit tight… It takes a few hours to get into the mountains, so we’ll be heading out tonight.”
“I can just go,” Zheng Fa quickly understood Aunt Ye’s intention as he glanced at the darkening sky.
It was already past ten at night.
He estimated they would have to travel all night to reach the mountains.
“Who would feel at ease at this hour?” Aunt Ye waved her hand. “If you’re really worried about tiring me out… just give me a massage.”
“…”
Old Bai chimed in eagerly from the side, “I want one too!”
Is this some kind of addiction to the Spirit Nourishing Talisman?
…
In the upstairs room, Old Chen was sharing a room with the vice principal.
“Eh?” Through the window, he caught sight of Zheng Fa and the others: “Isn’t that Zheng Fa… Where are they planning to go?”
He pushed open the window to call out to Zheng Fa, only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t shout, I approved it,” the vice principal said with a smile.
“Ah?”
Old Chen was a bit confused.
“Do you know how this study tour came about?”
“Isn’t it organized by the school?”
“Ha!” The vice principal looked at him as if he were naive. “What could our school do with that kind of money?”
“…”
“To be honest, someone came to us with money, saying it was a way to give back to society… Guess who it is?”
“Tang…”
The vice principal patted Old Chen’s shoulder and said, “Besides, this time we can visit Beijing University, which was also arranged by them—otherwise, how would our school have the face to do this?”
Old Chen understood.
He looked at Zheng Fa and the others’ retreating figures, a bit dazed: “So this is to make Zheng Fa jealous, and they wrapped us up in this deal?”
“Exactly!”
“But…” Old Chen still frowned. “Zheng Fa doesn’t have anyone at home; I still need to keep an eye on him.”
“You…” The vice principal shook his head helplessly. “They don’t want Zheng Fa to be treated specially. They’re willing to spend big money to cover all bases.”
“Look, the students get to relax and broaden their horizons.”
“And the school? They can take some photos, write a few promotional articles, and have something to brag about later.”
At that moment, there was a knock on their room door.
“As for us two…” The vice principal opened the door, grinning as he walked in with four bottles of beer and a big bag of skewers. “We’ve gained the freedom that married men dream of!”
“Everyone’s happy!”
“But I wonder if Zheng Fa knows about this…” Old Chen stared at Zheng Fa’s back, still feeling a bit uneasy.
In his line of sight, Zheng Fa suddenly raised his arm and waved in the air.
Old Chen’s phone vibrated. He picked it up and suddenly smiled, walking back into the room: “Hey? Principal, are you still hogging all the fun? What’s the point of drinking alone? I’ll join you!”
“Vice principal, vice principal!”
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