In the classroom, Li Zheng suddenly woke up.
He wasn't happy.
He felt like someone was cursing him.
He immediately turned to look at Lin Yujing.
She was still asleep, looking quite peaceful.
Without a doubt, it had to be her.
Feeling disgruntled, Li Zheng lay back down on his favorite book pillow.
He began chanting in his mind, praying for a corresponding dream.
Lin Yujing failed Lin Yujing failed Lin Yujing failed…
...
In the school's meeting room, Sun Xiubin was speaking endlessly.
Opposite him, everyone seemed half-asleep.
This time, the attendees were all the teachers for the second year of high school.
The senior teachers sat at the table, while the younger ones sat on chairs in the back row.
Except for Yu Hong, she never attended meetings.
The situation was urgent, so the grade leader was quickly appointed as the homeroom teacher for Class One.
But the homeroom teacher for Class Four still hadn't been decided.
A homeroom teacher received a few hundred yuan more in performance bonuses each month.
However, the workload was exponentially higher.
Moreover, they would face numerous risks.
Students fighting, parents fighting.
If you say the wrong thing, students get upset. If you say nothing, parents think you're irresponsible.
In summary, no one wanted to be a homeroom teacher; they'd rather go work construction for those few hundred yuan.
Therefore, every time a homeroom teacher needed to be appointed, the school leaders had to conduct a lot of psychological work.
Promising benefits like being an outstanding teacher or getting a promotion, whether real or imagined, they threw it all out there.
Teachers like Hu Chunmei, who were diligent and willing to serve as homeroom teachers, were extremely hard to find.
Because of this, most leaders previously turned a blind eye to Hu Chunmei's illness.
No one knew why the principal suddenly remembered this matter and forced her into the hospital.
"So, about the homeroom teacher for Class Four, any interested teachers, please speak up." Sun Xiubin finally finished.
Silence fell over the room.
Almost everyone bowed their heads.
They turned into sculptures.
Unspoken understanding.
Only a female teacher in formal attire in the back row kept raising her hand.
Her eyes were sharp, eager.
Me me me!
However, Sun Xiubin acted as if he didn't see her, continuing to scan others.
"Oh, everyone, don't be so reserved. How about... I'll pick someone? Hu Youbin, you teach biology for Class Four, you should know them well, right?"
A middle-aged male teacher at the table silently took off his glasses: "Not... really... well..."
"That's still familiar." Sun Xiubin said to the surrounding teachers, "Everyone supports Teacher Hu, right?"
Did they support him? Of course they supported him.
But no one said it aloud.
They all wanted Teacher Hu to get the position so they'd be safe.
But speaking up at a time like this could draw unwanted attention.
Stay hidden.
Turn into a sculpture.
Sun Xiubin had to speak for himself: "Alright, if I say there's no problem, there's no problem."
"Uh... Director Sun... I have difficulties." Biology Teacher Hu became nervous. "My... my wife... my wife might be pregnant."
"Wait..." Sun Xiubin was puzzled, "What do you mean by 'might be pregnant'... can't you even confirm that?"
The female physics teacher beside him stifled a laugh.
She thought of Schrödinger's uterus.
Sun Xiubin stared at Biology Teacher Hu, not letting him off: "Old Hu, we'll try to overcome this. Pregnancy takes ten months anyway. By then, Chunmei will probably be back."
Biology Teacher Hu, cornered by Sun Xiubin, suddenly slammed the table, displaying a strong will to survive: "Director, I just remembered, my wife is already pregnant! We're having a second child! We'll definitely not be able to handle it, which will affect the students in Class Four."
Upon hearing this, the surrounding sculptures quietly clenched their fists.
Damn, that's ruthless.
To avoid being a homeroom teacher, he would go to any lengths.
Seeing his resistance, Sun Xiubin turned to the female physics teacher beside him: "Xiao Tao, the physics grades in Class Four are decent, so you..."
"Director!" Teacher Tao shivered, "I also have plans for having a child soon."
"You... are you married yet?"
"Soon, soon." Teacher Tao nodded rapidly.
Sun Xiubin swallowed hard: "Didn't you ask me to introduce you to someone just the other day?"
"Oh... yes... love came too fast." Teacher Tao nodded firmly, "And I'm a woman. If I really have a child, it'll definitely have a bigger impact than it would for Teacher Hu."
Beside her, Teacher Hu's face twitched.
Good one, Teacher Xiao Tao!
With your prominent eyebrows and big eyes!
Usually, you call me 'Big Brother Hu' all the time.
At the critical moment, you betray your big brother faster than anyone else.
My wife was right.
In the workplace, there's no real affection.
It's all about interests.
As they fought, the female teacher in the back row continued raising her hand madly, her eyes full of determination.
I won't have kids, I won't have kids, I'll never have kids in my life!
Sun Xiubin didn't dare meet her eyes.
He turned to another female teacher in her early fifties.
As a peer, he knew very well that she was definitely not going to have kids.
"Teacher Zhao, the English grades in Class Four are quite commendable..."
But suddenly, the teacher clutched her head, looking pained: "Oh... oh... blood pressure is rising... it's just started to go down since I stopped being a homeroom teacher these past two years..."
"..."
Sun Xiubin looked around helplessly.
The female teacher in the back row who had been raising her hand finally couldn't hold back.
She jumped up, almost knocking over her chair.
"Director Sun, I can do it." She puffed up her cheeks, serious, determined, full of fighting spirit, "I'm not afraid of being the last, no matter how hard it is to handle the class."
"Teacher Xiao Tang, please sit down." Sun Xiubin motioned with his hand, "It's not that the school leadership doesn't trust you. It's mainly that you're still too young. Last year, when you served as homeroom teacher for a week, the parents started causing trouble. It wasn't because of your teaching ability; it was purely the parents' outdated thinking. The school couldn't do anything about it."
The surrounding teachers, though not daring to lift their heads, fully agreed with Sun Xiubin.
To parents, the golden age for a homeroom teacher is 35-50 years old.
Teachers of this age had rich experience, lots of energy, and the ability to manage students well.
If younger, parents believed the homeroom teacher couldn't control the students.
If older, parents assumed the homeroom teacher wasn't interested in managing them.
Because of this fixed mindset, if their child's homeroom teacher was too young or too old, some parents felt the school was biased, and their child was doomed, their life ruined.
Previously, Teacher Xiao Tang had been diligent and responsible, communicating with parents day and night, yet still a few parents came to the school daily to cause trouble, accusing her of corporal punishment.
At the time, all the video surveillance was reviewed, even the police were called.
It was completely baseless.
Yet those parents insisted it was true.
They chased Teacher Xiao Tang, cursing her until she hid in her office crying.