The rumor that began to spread among the tenth graders was about the unclear relationship between Jiang Hongshao and a new teacher named Zhang Yu.
Cheng Ran had met that teacher before. On the first day of school, when he got off the bus and walked across the intersection, he saw Jiang Hongshao at the school gate across the street, talking to a tall man wearing a windbreaker and carrying a briefcase.
The man said something, and Jiang Hongshao smiled. This smile was like the sun jumping out of the snow-capped mountains, giving people who had been playing around during the holidays and were shrouded in the gloom of the start of school a reason to look forward to school again.
Even the tall man was a little distracted.
As the crowd crossed the street, Cheng Ran called out to greet Lao Jiang. Jiang Hongshao looked at him with some surprise, and there was a barely detectable panic in her hair.
After a brief hesitation, Jiang Hongshao said something to the tall man, then walked towards Cheng Ran... and stood with him.
The man's gaze fell on Cheng Ran beside her shoulder at this time. It was not known whether it was his nature or his mood at the moment, but the look in his eyes was a little hard, with a hint of coldness between his brows. Finally, he nodded to Jiang Hongshao and turned to walk into No. 10 Middle School.
Cheng Ran asked, "Who is he?"
Jiang Hongshao said, "A new teacher."
"You knew each other before?"
"Um."
"How are the people?"
"Uh... okay."
"Stay away from him from now on."
"Hehe... What are you talking about?"
…
This was just an episode. Until the beginning of April, the subject teacher of Cheng Ran's Class 5 was replaced. The original English teacher had miscarried several times before. She finally got pregnant again this time, but due to pressure from her family, she took a leave of absence from her job and went home to take care of the baby. The new teacher who came to replace her was the man Cheng Ran had met at the beginning of the school year.
The man's name is Zhang Yu. There have been rumors about this teacher before. It is said that he is a very good teacher in Chengdu Foreign Language School. No. 10 Middle School offered good conditions to poach him. No. 10 Middle School will also expand its enrollment next year. The purpose is to snatch high-quality students from the other two high schools that are catching up. The more outstanding teachers the better. Therefore, the effect of the strong getting stronger will appear in education. The best middle school will swallow up all the outstanding teachers and high-quality students. If there is no management accident, the monopoly effect will easily continue. In fact, let alone education, most fields also follow the same law.
There was originally an adjustment of subject teachers in the second year of high school, and this teacher named Zhang Yu happened to come and take over a class. If one wants to be a class teacher in No. 10 Middle School, one must at least go through three years of high school and see off a class to be qualified. After the foreign language teacher of Class 5 was adjusted, Zhang Yu also took over this subject in Class 5.
Although temporarily changing subject teachers in the second half of the second year of high school is a taboo and can easily cause opposition from students and parents, Zhang Yu is an exception. When he came to take over, the students' parents had discussed it privately with each other, and because of his reputation, there were not many voices of opposition.
Moreover, Zhang Yu was extremely popular among girls. Firstly, he was tall, thin, with a fair complexion, but he always wore a windbreaker or a black suit, making him a natural walking clothes rack. In addition, he was only in his thirties and had the charm of a mature man. He was a bit like the male protagonist in Japanese girls' comics that girls were chasing after in those days. In later generations, this was the earliest prototype of "uncle control".
Therefore, he received a lot of praise from the girls in the school. Even when he appeared in Class 5 on the first day, many girls were secretly sighing in praise of him.
"Octopus is here to take over our class this time... ah... it's really him!"
"I heard from people outside Rong that he has a good reputation for a long time. He is very charming, but he can be quite fierce when he gets angry!"
"Will you get angry?"
"Of course not. He said that they were the children of several famous cadres in Rongwai, and he reported them to the police. He left Rongwai and came to our No. 10 Middle School. This may be the reason..."
A city is very big, involving many aspects and people from all walks of life. But if the scope is narrowed down to a specific circle or industry, a city will also be very small. For example, Zhang Yu, who has just come from Rongwai but has already become famous in No. 10 Middle School.
Today, Zhang Yu is not only talented and beautiful, but also has a naturally cold temperament, coupled with a thin, unhealthy and fair face that is comparable to Count Dracula. The colder he looks, the more popular he seems to be among the girls. He already has the aura of a star teacher.
Of course, there are gains and losses. Zhang Yu's popularity among girls makes boys feel a little uncomfortable with him. At least his name is very funny, so his nickname "Octopus" became well-known.
So during the break between classes, Zhang Ping was still expressing his dissatisfaction with Zhang Yu as he walked from the corridor to the bottom of the teaching building. "What's this? He put one hand in his trouser pocket and wrote with the other hand in the last class. Who is he trying to be cool for? He's just pretending... Only a stupid girl like Hao Di would think he's handsome! And this octopus has a stern face from beginning to end, as if everyone owes him money... He's also rude, saying that he used to teach faster and that we shouldn't hold him back here. What does that mean? He used to be from Rongwai, and he's still worried that our No. 10 Middle School students will hold us back. Is he implying that our No. 10 Middle School is not as good as Rongwai? This shrimp hasn't even stepped on the ground yet. Sooner or later, he will be punished in our No. 10 Middle School..."
In Cheng Ran's opinion, Zhang Yu was a bit weird. Although Cheng Ran had always been tolerant, Zhang Ping's attitude showed that many students did not have a high opinion of him.
Perhaps it was his habit. When he taught, he always kept one hand in his trouser pocket and held a piece of chalk in the other hand. When he needed to write, he would not turn around completely, but just slightly sideways, wave his hand and write down the verb auxiliary words on the blackboard. The tenses changed, as if turning around to look at the blackboard would disrupt his steady progress in teaching.
In addition, his personality of being quiet and serene may seem cool to girls, but boys may think he is a bit pretentious.
It’s no wonder that Zhang Ping, who had only attended his class for one day, now has countless things to complain about.
“In my opinion, this expressionless octopus probably can’t make it in Rongwai anymore, so he came to No. 10 Middle School. If I had known this would happen, I might as well let Wang Sufen continue to teach. Hehe, at least in the summer she wears less and is pleasing to the eye… It’s a pity that Wang Sufen is pregnant and is about to give birth. It would be great if she could replace the octopus after giving birth. By then, young lady, hehe, you dare to say that you didn’t see Cheng Ran last semester… Uh! Zhang, Teacher Zhang!”
Zhang Ping was originally very excited about Cheng Ran. Cheng Ran originally wanted to remind him to speak more quietly, forgetting that he had spoken so loudly before and was heard by others. However, Zhang Yu, who had just finished class and was lecturing in the classroom, suddenly appeared at the door of Class 6 in the corridor.
He was used to having a stern face, and his face was thin and pale. It was obvious that he had taken in all the words that had just been said. He really looked like Count Dracula who had lived for four hundred years and was disturbed by the opening of a museum. The coldness that enveloped his body and almost penetrated into his bones showed his anger at the moment.
Zhang Ping was almost scared out of his wits. He had just called him "Octopus" all the time. Most teachers in school probably have nicknames. Some are very generous, while others are very particular. But even the most generous ones may not be able to accept such private jokes about their nicknames, because that may also show your disrespect for others.
Zhang Ping's mind suddenly changed, and he had already thought of many reasons or excuses to try to calm the upcoming thunderous wrath.
The result is no.
Zhang Yu only had a cold and sinister look looking down at him and Cheng Ran, but that look seemed more chilling than thunderous rage, as if he was examining something filthy.
Then his voice came, but he ignored Zhang Ping directly, "Your name is Cheng Ran?"
Cheng Ran looked at Zhang Yu and nodded.
"When I first came here, I heard about your name. It was said that you went from being ranked over 100 to 36th in the grade in one semester. It was also said that the last time an education expert came to No. 10 Middle School, you had an argument with him in the lecture hall..."
Zhang Ping was excited. He didn't expect that this "octopus" was a fan of Cheng Ran. He looked much better this way. He took back his previous words for the time being...
Zhang Yu's voice was still cold and raw, "I know you are very smart, and I can probably imagine how famous you are in school and how many people surround you... I have seen many people like you."
Zhang Ping was stunned.
Cheng Ran didn't say anything, but just looked at Zhang Yu, whose nose was as high as an axe, looking down at Cheng Ran, who was half a head shorter than him. There was clearly an aura of oppression.
"If a smart person commits a crime... the harm is countless times greater than that of an idiot who knows nothing. So it's better to be a fool. You are good at speaking and smooth-talking, and you think you are humorous and can please girls. But don't think about playing any tricks in front of me... I don't care what you and your friends say about me behind my back, but there is only one thing I want to remind you..."
"Everything is fine... I'll keep an eye on you, don't bump into my hands."
After saying this, Zhang Yu looked at Cheng Ran for a few seconds, as if trying to find any trace of cunning or cowardice in his eyes.
But Cheng Ran had none of these.
He passed him by and just walked away with the textbook.
Zhang Ping then looked at Cheng Ran worriedly, "Brother Cheng, I'm sorry, I've implicated you... But then again, I was the one who said that about him behind his back, what does he mean by that? Is this octopus crazy?"
"He is not mentally ill..."
Cheng Ran shook his head, thinking back to the time at the school gate when Jiang Hongshao, who was originally talking to him, walked past him and stood next to him.
Is this actually... putting on some eye drops for yourself