Linda's face showed concern as she hurried into the room and addressed David. "Director David, Andrew is just a first-time offender, and this is just a simple fight. Expelling him seems too harsh, doesn't it?"
David squinted his eyes and put on a condescending attitude, saying, "Are you trying to teach me how to do my job, Teacher Zhang?"
Realizing that he was the director and her superior, Linda slightly awkwardly paused but continued to defend me, saying, "Director David, I didn't mean to tell you how to do your work. I just feel that expelling a student for one fight is too harsh a punishment."
Indeed, at a school with over three thousand students, conflicts and fights were common. The school usually managed these incidents, but expelling a student for a single fight had never happened before in our school.
However, David had his own explanation. He raised an eyebrow and pointed at me, saying, "True, it might seem excessive to expel a student just for fighting. But the discipline in this school has been getting worse. Last week, during the school assembly, the principal even criticized this issue. So this week, I have to strictly enforce discipline. Andrew took the lead in the fight, and that's a very bad example. Expelling him is both a punishment for his actions and a way to set an example to improve the school's conduct."
I kept my head down, not daring to speak, feeling frustrated inside. On the first day of school, I was beaten by John and his gang, then again in the dorm. They even extorted money from me, but where was the punishment then? This time, David was just using the situation to make things difficult for me.
To my surprise, Linda stood up for me strongly. She anxiously said to David, "Director David, please reconsider. Andrew is a very good student. In the last mock exam, he ranked first in our class and even placed in the top ten of the grade. I believe he deserves a chance to correct his mistake."
David's eyes glinted with a touch of satisfaction, but he put on a reluctant expression, pretending to be indecisive. "Well…"
Seeing an opportunity, Linda pressed on, "Director David, Andrew is not only a student in my class, but also my little relative. You wouldn't want to deny me this favor, would you? This is my first time being a class teacher. If you expel my student, how will I face the other teachers?"
Linda, still wearing her uniform, looked as beautiful as ever. Her white shirt and black skirt showed off her graceful figure, and her hair was elegantly tied up, revealing her fair neck. She looked every bit like a swan, and her soft tone made her even more captivating.
David's original intent wasn't to expel me, and seeing Linda plead with him, the serious look on his face vanished. Instead, he gave her a lecherous smile, his eyes gleaming with desire. He stared at her greedily and chuckled, "Since Teacher Zhang has put it that way, I'll reconsider..."
Linda's face lit up with relief. "Thank you, Director David."
David grinned slyly and said, "Alright, here's what we'll do. Teacher Zhang, take Andrew back to the classroom for now. After the evening self-study, come to my office, and we can discuss how to handle this matter."
Linda hesitated for a moment but then agreed, "Alright."
She then led me out of the disciplinary office.
As soon as we stepped outside, Linda's expression turned cold, and she didn't say a word to me, stomping ahead in her high heels. I could tell she was angry, and I didn't dare to speak. I kept my head down, following behind her. I regretted my impulsive actions; if it hadn't been for my rash behavior, David wouldn't have had the chance to make trouble for me and cause issues for Linda.
At this point, I wasn't worried about being expelled anymore. What worried me now was whether David would take advantage of Linda. David had a notorious reputation at school for being a lecher, and with Linda needing to go to his office after self-study, I feared the worst.
My mind was in a whirl when Linda suddenly stopped in her tracks. I didn't notice in time and bumped into her.
"Oops!"
Linda stumbled and almost fell, but I quickly reached out to steady her. She shot me a frustrated look. "What's wrong with you? You can't even walk properly?"
I could tell Linda was upset, and I thought she was about to scold me, so I lowered my head, ready to take her reprimands. However, to my surprise, she didn't scold me. Instead, she gently lifted my chin and told me to look up. I hesitated for a moment before slowly raising my head.
Linda's eyes softened as she looked at the bruises on my face. She gently traced her finger over the marks on my skin and softly asked, "Does it hurt?"
I stared at her blankly, shaking my head. "No, it doesn't hurt."
"Idiot. You're all bruised up and still saying it doesn't hurt," she said, inspecting the damage. "The ointment from the school nurse doesn't seem to be helping. I'll take you to the hospital to get some proper bruise medicine."
Without another word, she turned and started walking toward the stairs. At that moment, I couldn't control my emotions and called out to her with a shaky voice, "Teacher Zhang..."
Linda stopped in surprise and turned around, looking at me in confusion. "What's wrong?"
I bit my lip, lowering my head. "Why aren't you angry with me?"
Linda paused, then smiled brightly, her smile as radiant as a flower. She poked my head lightly with her finger, teasing me. "What should I be angry about? Are you mad about the gift you gave me or the fight tonight?"
I muttered, "Both."
Linda snorted. "I do want to scold you, but I'm not in the mood right now, and I don't have time for it. Come on, let's go see the doctor. I've got a lot to take care of later."
I quietly followed Linda, feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude. It wasn't just because she was beautiful; I truly felt that she was a good person. I had messed up, and I had dragged her into this, but she didn't blame me. Instead, she showed concern for my injuries.
Her concern touched me deeply, but it also made me feel heavy inside. I knew the situation wasn't over. David still planned to exploit my fight to get back at me. Linda cared about me, and she was trying to protect me, but dealing with David would put her in a difficult position, and I feared she might end up suffering because of me.
Linda drove her white Buick to a nearby clinic, where the nurse cleaned my wounds with hydrogen peroxide and the doctor prescribed some anti-inflammatory medication. After that, Linda drove me back to school, and on the way, we passed a pastry shop. She bought me a box of egg tarts, telling me not to go back to the classroom for self-study but to rest in the dorm. She assured me she would figure out how to handle this situation and that I shouldn't worry. I could return to class as usual tomorrow.
I had always been a cowardly person, but deep down, I was proud in my own way—shy and self-deprecating in front of others but secretly proud of myself. Since I became aware of my surroundings, I had never cried, not even when John bullied me. But when Linda showed me this kindness, I couldn't help but feel my eyes welling up.
With a tight throat, I asked, "Teacher Zhang, why are you so nice to me?"
Linda glanced at me and calmly replied, "Maybe because I think you're a good student. You have a strong foundation, and if you work hard, I believe it will be easy for you to get into a good university. On my first day as a teacher, I read the 'Teacher's Manifesto,' and as a teacher, I don't want to see a good student like you ruined over something so trivial..."
I looked at Linda and asked, "Is it really that simple, just because I'm your student?"
She paused for a moment, then brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and softly replied, "Of course, there's more to it. After spending some time with you, I realized that although you have your flaws, overall, you're not a bad person. That's one of the reasons I want to help you."
I scratched my head, a bit confused. "I just got a bit impulsive with the fight this time... other than that, I don't have any major issues, right?"
Linda gave me an exasperated look. "You have plenty of issues. Your little obsession with women, I can't even be bothered to get into that."
I immediately became embarrassed and didn't know how to argue. I had done things like mess with her socks, pretended to be drunk last weekend, and given her a questionable birthday gift this time. I knew all of those things had left a bad impression on her, and I couldn't deny it.
Back in the dorm, I found Mia and Da Luo, Xiao Luo there as well. Since they were also bruised, Linda scolded them briefly before letting them stay in the dorm to rest, telling them to return to class tomorrow.
When they saw me back, they all stood up, asking how things went and what punishment Director David gave me.
I explained how David had planned to expel me and how Linda had fought hard to keep me from being expelled. Mia breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, well, Teacher Zhang must have some kind of relationship with David. If she asked him to help you, David won't expel you."
I was furious at what Mia said and pushed him hard. "Don't talk nonsense. Teacher Zhang is completely innocent. She and David have absolutely nothing going on!"
Mia was startled by my anger, but he quickly exclaimed, "If Teacher Zhang and David have no special relationship, then wouldn't she have risked her own reputation to help you?"
Da Luo, in his usual deep voice, nodded. "Exactly. Director David's reputation as a perverted old man is well known. He asked Teacher Zhang to meet him in his office after self-study. That's clearly not for anything good."
Xiao Luo looked shocked. "What are we sitting here for? We need to figure out a way to help Teacher Zhang!"
I sat down by the iron bed and said, "There's not much time left before the evening self-study ends. We need to come up with a plan to protect Teacher Zhang from David's advances."
Da Luo suggested, "How about we hide outside the office? If David tries anything with Teacher Zhang, we can rush in and beat him up."
I shook my head. "No. If we wait until David makes a move, then Teacher Zhang will already be at a disadvantage. Also, if we rush in to stop him, and David denies everything and accuses us of attacking school leadership, what then?"