Epiphanies of Rebirth (重生之豁然)

Chapter 17

The fall was hardly unnoticeable. Everyone turned to stare.

"......" After a moment of speechlessness, Du Kang asked, "Principal Tao, what are you...?"

Tao Fangzheng struggled to get up, failed several times, and finally managed with Li Yurong's help. He stood, barely maintaining an awkward smile, and sweat rolled down his face.

Rubbing his dirty, sweaty palms on his trousers, he explained weakly, "I just, the floor was slippery."

"This won't do. You weren't hurt, but what if a student is less lucky?" Du Kang rebuked. "You need to fix this."

"Yes, yes, we'll improve on it," Tao Fangzheng kept nodding until Du Kang's gaze left him. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, but at the same time, his heart rose to his throat. He swallowed and subconsciously glanced at Li Yurong, who had the same terror in her eyes.

She kept her hand on his back, and nudged him urgently, but the more anxious she was, the more he hesitated. A moment later, he stepped forward and asked cautiously, "Leader, do you... know this student?"

Du Kang saw him sweating and realized something was wrong. He recalled when he asked about this part of the corridor just now, Tao Fangzheng actually replied this was the toilets.

Toilets? There were indeed toilets here, he could smell them from where he stood, but beside them, there was a large classroom with fifty or sixty students! Not to mention this dark, smelly environment was entirely unconducive to learning. And Tao Fangzheng's obvious concealment—did he want to directly erase the existence of this class?

Du Kang visited his old school to find Lin Jingzhe. Though he did find him, instead of being relieved, his heart grew heavy—it turned out he wasn't the only thing he'd found.

Calmly watching Principal Tao, he answered, "Yes, I do."

He really does!

Tao Fangzheng's hands trembled. He turned to look at Lin Jingzhe's equally composed face, hating that he couldn't grab the youth's shoulders and shake him violently—

If you f.u.c.king knew Du Kang, why didn't you say it?! Why didn't you say it?! Why didn't you say it!!!

Du Kang's expression was inscrutable; Tao Fangzheng struggled to see any indication of his mood without success. As he frantically recalled everything that happened, from the cla.s.s change to the strike, he grew more and more uneasy. He worried how much of the situation, and in what way, Lin Jingzhe told Du Kang.

Lin Jingzhe was puzzled by the principal's inexplicable expression as the man looked caught between hysterical laughter and tears. Because of the group's arrival, the Class 5 students who wanted to have lunch didn't dare leave. The principal and Li Yurong never came to Class 5, and this time, they even brought a bunch of strangers—who knew what they plotted? They had to support each other and face whatever came together.

Lin Jingzhe knew this was probably just a regular inspection, and it wouldn't end quickly. His gaze swept over the group of wary, vigilant teenagers, who seemed ready for trouble, and he nodded to Deng Mai: "Take everyone to cafeteria, it's lunchtime."

Deng Mai hesitated, but Lin Jingzhe waved at him, and he instinctively obeyed. Du Kang took note of this scene, more and more convinced Lin Jingzhe's origins were extraordinary.

He put it on his agenda to look into it at the nearest opportunity.

The moment he entered the cafeteria, Lin Jingzhe choked, because what the h.e.l.l?

No. 1 High School's cafeteria was a detached, single-story building behind the main building. Lin Jingzhe had never seen it as clean as it was today, whether in his past or present life—the windows were gleaming and the cement floor, still not completely dry after scrubbing, lacked its eternal greasy stains. He was curious just how much effort this emergency assault took. On the squeaky-clean food-serving counter, there were more than ten kinds of dishes! A large pot of red-braised pork belly, dripping with aromatic sauce, the golden pan-fried yellow croaker, huge chicken drumsticks, sweet and sour spare ribs... Compared with the usual, this was practically a state banquet.