I've already said this isn't a life simulator!

[No parents responded. Clearly, they had realized what was going on. As their initial anger subsided and their thoughts cleared, many parents understood his intentions... Although they didn't show it at first, their first reaction was to pull their children aside and carefully inquire about their children's condition.]

[As it turns out, your teacher was right. Under the parents' questioning and reassurance, most of the children quietly confessed to what they had done. The parents became increasingly embarrassed as they listened, and in the end, they could only awkwardly approach your teacher privately to apologize—it's still too difficult to get them to admit their mistakes and impulsiveness in public, but your teacher didn't care.]

He only hoped that these children could receive proper guidance from their parents and get back on the right track—this was his duty as a teacher.

However... there are still parents who are unwilling to accept these things.

"If we have to teach everything, what's the point of having teachers like you? What's the point of having a school?"—That's how simple their reasoning is.

Although they know it might be their own problem, they won't admit it, and... they don't even think they have a problem; they think the problem lies with your teacher and the school.

At this point, however, they didn't dare say much... because most parents are sensible, so after apologizing, they took their children home from school—they needed to have a serious talk with their children, to make them realize what they had done and where they went wrong.

The remaining parents, who stubbornly refused to admit wrongdoing, also left dejectedly after the crowd dispersed, leaving only a handful of their families. Having lost the advantage of being in the crowd, they dared not cause any more trouble, because continuing would only make them appear less "enlightened," highlighting their foolishness and impulsiveness.

However... it's impossible to get them to give up, because once they knew which teacher was being targeted, the school received a constant stream of complaints against your music teacher in the days that followed.

Although it was known that only a few people were actually causing trouble, they were shouting loudly and annoyingly, causing considerable disruption to the school. After discussions with your teacher... your teacher accepted a "temporary suspension" as punishment.

Before your teacher left, you played a special piece for him as a token of your gratitude and a farewell gift... At the same time, you promised him that you would surpass him in the future and make him proud of you.

He listened very attentively to your performance and pointed out some minor issues, such as your fingering and the tempo of some interludes.

He also clearly pointed out, "Your music expresses emotions very clearly, which is good, but at this stage it's best to slow down a bit and play according to the score step by step, because this will affect your exam scores and the schools you will attend in the future... But later, when you have achieved something in music, you can fully express your talent and emotions, which will be your unique advantage."

He gently patted your head and softly told you to take good care of yourself, and that if you had any difficulties, you could ask your teacher for help, or if all else failed, you could contact him and he would come to your aid.

Finally, he gave you a gentle hug and accepted your promise—he believed you could surpass him; you were the best student he had ever taught.

After this incident, you lost the protection of your teachers, but along with them, rumors spread among the students... You felt much more relaxed, the school environment became friendly to you again, and you returned to your former self.

[Briskly moving around the school, helping out here and there, humming songs that express your joyful mood as you help others, leaving your voice throughout the school.]

[However, compared to before, you help others much less often and for much less time, because you need to spend more time practicing your instruments and singing voice—you promised your teacher that you would become someone that everyone could only admire but not be jealous of, and you promised Father Enrique that you would move towards an even brighter future.]

You carry their expectations and blessings on your shoulders, and you... also want them to be proud of you.

You must prove to others that you are worthy of Father Enrique's blessing and deserve your teacher's "favoritism."

You need to let those in the community who have shown you kindness know that you have not let them down. You need to let those parents who are still criticizing your teacher know that the teacher they are vilifying has a truly outstanding student.

But... as the saying goes, life is often full of surprises... no, it's more like misfortunes never come singly.

[After a period of time without your teacher's protection... news came from the church.]

The church you are in, or rather, the church run by Father Enrique... is on fire.

A fire, whether arson or accidental, destroyed the church and burned down your "home."

The good news is that the children at the church are all safe and sound, and everyone has survived.

The bad news is that the fire resulted in one death... and that one person was Father Henry the Ricardo.

Father Henry did his utmost to save the children during the fire, striving to rescue every single one. However, he inhaled too much toxic gas, which caused a respiratory infection. Combined with pre-existing lung injuries, he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.

Upon hearing the news, you froze, your vision blurring, tears welling up and streaming down your face, soaking your clothes.

You hurriedly wiped away your tears, asked for leave from school for the first time, pleaded with everyone you could for help, and finally scraped together enough money to go "home," rushing back home.

At Father Henry's funeral, you saw the familiar children, and you also saw... a black and white photograph of Father Henry surrounded by flowers.

[You, carrying a hastily purchased white lily, walk slowly to his side, look at his clean-faced face, at his cheerful smile, and, somewhat mechanically, place the flower on his chest, completely stunned.]

[Until the coffin containing him was lowered into the grave, and the loose soil gradually filled in and covered it, you felt a moment of disorientation, as if you were just beginning to realize that he... was already gone.]

[Tick-tock—]

The timely rain falls gently and silently along with your tears.

Your "home"... is gone.

Chapter Seven But "love" is the same (4294)

[Father Enrique's passing left you feeling down for a long time... but then you patted your face, forced a smile, and returned to school, studying as usual... no, even harder than before.]

Don't worry, don't be sad, he is still here, still watching over you. Therefore, you must not be discouraged. You need to work harder and become more determined so that Father Henry can be proud of you.

Your "home" is gone, and the children in the church have been taken away by the church and scattered to various churches or welfare homes... The children all have places to stay, so you don't have to worry too much. At the same time, you don't need to set aside time every week to communicate anymore, and you have more time to study.

You still remember the promise you made in your heart, you still remember your vow to your teacher... You will become someone others can only admire, not envy, and you will stride towards an even brighter future.

Now, the first step you need to take is to prove to the parents of students who are still slandering your teacher that your teacher is a good teacher, and that the teacher they are slandering also has a student who is dazzling enough that they even envy.

--------

[Parent Observer Day] is a day for parents to witness their child's growth and learn about the school's curriculum.

On this day, students' parents will enter the school and can sit in on classes while keeping quiet to understand what kind of education their children are receiving. At the same time, the school will also arrange some programs in advance, such as art exhibitions of student works, dance performances, and musical performances, to let parents know about their children's learning achievements.

For schools, this is a day to showcase their teaching philosophy and the strength of their teachers to parents, giving them more confidence and allowing the outside world to better understand the school's teaching staff, thereby gaining better publicity and attracting more students.

For parents, this is the day to test the school and their child's learning results. If they see their child performing well, they naturally have something to brag about, and can show a proud smile amidst the compliments of those around them, and then calmly say things like, "No, no, my child is just so-so."

For students, this is a day to verify their learning achievements and show themselves to their parents. Whether they have studied hard in the past, whether they have lied at home, or deceived their families about their learning progress, all the false lies used to cover up their shortcomings will be torn off on this day. If they perform well, they will receive praise and rewards. If they perform poorly... well, they will probably only be disciplined or something like "beating them with a cane". Of course, there may also be comforting words.

However, those things were too far away for Xi Wang, and Xi Wang herself didn't care much about them.

After all, on this day, apart from his music teacher... his former music teacher, no one else would pay special attention to him.

Schools have to manage everyone, teachers have to focus on their own courses, and parents are concerned about their own children. Who will care about him?

Even so, Xi Wang was still spreading his goodwill. Since he lived at the school and had a lot of free time, he naturally started helping the teachers... On the morning of the "auditing day," Xi Wang got up early, washed up, changed into his clean school uniform, and went to the entrance of the teaching building with a group of other early-rising students to wait for the parents with the teachers there.

The task of Xi Wang and several other students here is to run around, pointing out the way to parents who are unfamiliar with the school and bringing them to their children.

"Oh, hello Auntie~ Isana's classroom is on the fourth floor, I'll take you there~"

"Hello Uncle~ I remember you, you are Kona's father, he is on the third floor, I'll take you there... Oh, no, he hasn't been late lately, he gets up on time every day."

"Hello, sister~ May I ask who you are... oh, are you Yunlai's aunt? I'm sorry, this is my first time meeting you, I hope my way of addressing you doesn't make you uncomfortable... Do you feel younger? That's wonderful~ Yunlai's classroom is on the second floor, would you mind taking the stairs? The elevator might be crowded right now... Sure~ Thank you, sister~"

…………

"Isn't this child adorable?"

The male teacher sitting at the entrance of the teaching building watched as the parents calmly and confidently looked on. He slowly picked up a cup of hot water, took a sip, and then sighed.

"Yes, he's the best student. He's so easy to manage, quiet, and well-behaved. I really wish he were my son..."

The female teacher who was also in charge of reception glanced at Xi Wang, who was running up and down and could recognize each parent with ease, and smiled slightly.

"If only my brat were half as easy to deal with as him..."

"Your child is already in college, right? And you're still complaining? Besides... if you like Xiwang, you can adopt him, right? You know..."

"Stop talking, stop talking, why are you reopening old wounds... I want to hit you."

"Feel sorry……"

"Alas...poor child..."

With a slight sigh, the female teacher pointed out the child's class to another parent. Her gaze then unconsciously drifted to the smiling child, who radiated joy and kindness. Her eyes lingered on him for a long time, so much so that Xi Wang noticed her gaze and turned around with a puzzled expression, as if asking if there was anything she could help with.

"If I could, I would definitely adopt him, but... I don't have the means..."

She waved with a smile, indicating to Xi Wang that nothing was wrong. She then gave him an encouraging gesture, which was met with a smile in return. The female teacher shook her head, looking quite distressed and regretful.

"Who doesn't? I also want a cute and well-behaved child like that... to bring Xiwang back and make my brat angry... but unfortunately, I just can't do it..."

The male teacher also spoke with considerable regret.

"Try to take better care of him in general... Hmm... What does he like again? Come to think of it, this kid has helped us so much, and we haven't even prepared a small gift in return. We're really terrible..."

"...Huh? You didn't prepare anything?"

"...Huh? Are you ready?"

The two teachers looked at each other, and then the female teacher gave her colleague a disdainful look.

"What's wrong with you? We at least prepare some candy or cookies as gifts, okay? You can't even prepare that?"

“I usually take the students out to eat... but Xiwang never accepts.”

"That kid just doesn't want you to spend money... Just give him some candy, he likes sweet things, or just give him a hug, he likes that too, I think he learned it from his previous teacher..."

"I see... Wait a minute, stop talking, I'll go help you."

The male teacher nodded knowingly, then glanced at several parents walking towards them. He quickly signaled to his colleague to be quiet, and then stood up and stepped forward to stop the parents.

"Xi Wang, come here~ Teacher needs your help~"

The female teacher also noticed those people and immediately realized that they were the unreasonable parents. She quickly called Xi Wang to her side and asked him to help organize some documents.

As for why the two teachers were so worried... it was naturally because of that incident back then.

Although Xi Wang's music teacher drew away most of the parents' attention, after learning about the situation from their own children, the parents also understood the root cause of the incident. They also realized that their children had unintentionally hurt a kind and helpful child who had no parents, and were constantly reopening old wounds. Their subsequent actions could be described as rubbing coarse salt into the wound.

Therefore, most parents felt guilty about this and spent a day at home having a good talk with their children, focusing on educating them about right and wrong and good and evil.

But some parents... are just stubborn and think they're not wrong.

"My child did nothing wrong, what my child said is true!"—that's what they said.

It's really disgusting... — The female teacher thought to herself, while instructing Xi Wang to reorganize the documents and to conceal his figure as much as possible to prevent the parents from noticing the child.

Meanwhile, the male teacher who stepped forward smiled and guided the parents to their respective children's classrooms, so that they wouldn't bother Xiwang again if they had nothing better to do.

However, Xi Wang's previous actions were too active, and they had already noticed Bei... But compared to that, they cared more about their own child today, so their gaze did not linger on Xi Wang for too long.

But as I passed by, I still muttered something in a low voice—

"A kid without parents, that's hilarious."

"...Parent, your child's classroom is on the sixth floor. If you don't hurry, you'll have to wait a long time for the elevator."

The male teacher's lips twitched slightly as he smiled, and his eyebrows twitched. He suppressed the words he was about to utter and tried to speak softly, offering a gentle reminder.

What kind of skill is it for him to harass a kid? He thinks he can bully a good kid just because he's innocent? If it weren't for the fact that today is an important day, there are many people around, and the students are still here, and I'm worried about setting a bad example for the children, I would definitely punch you. You better watch your step when you walk alone at night. —The male teacher maintained his composure, which was barely holding back, while inwardly cursing.

"........."

Xi Wang paused slightly, then quickly returned to normal, handing the documents she had repeatedly organized to the teacher beside her, and asked with a smile.

"Teacher, is this okay?"

"...Yes, good boy, thank you."