Era: Rise from the Wilderness

The school rules at No. 25 Middle School are extremely strict, explicitly prohibiting noise, fighting, and whistling in the teaching building. If caught, the class will have points deducted for discipline, and serious offenses will result in disciplinary action.

He quickly stopped, put away his whistle, and turned around to look.

A tall, thin boy wearing thick-rimmed glasses was seen rushing down the stairs, with a conspicuous red armband on his arm bearing the words "Duty Student" in yellow.

"You! How dare you whistle in the school building!"

He ran up to Li Yunjing, panting, his small eyes behind his glasses wide with excitement and effort, pointing angrily at him: "Which class are you in? What's your name?"

"Damn it, we've run into a stray bullet."

Li Yunjing was inwardly annoyed, but quickly put on a sincere apology, speaking in a flattering tone: "Hehe, classmate, I'm so sorry, I forgot in my excitement. I was wrong, please forgive me, I promise I won't do it again!"

He tried to get away with this low profile.

Don't give me that!

The tall, thin student on duty clearly wasn't buying it. He puffed out his thin chest, trying to make his voice sound more authoritative, pushed up his glasses that had slipped down to the tip of his nose, and said sternly, "School rules are school rules!"

"Tell me, which class are you in?"

"What's your name?"

"You'll stand here as punishment!"

"Wait for your homeroom teacher to come and pick them up!"

He clearly enjoyed the feeling of exercising "power" and disciplining students; the corners of his mouth even unconsciously turned up slightly.

Li Yunjing sized up the other person.

His eyes behind the glasses shone with excitement and a sense of superiority, and his cheeks were slightly flushed.

He knew that expression all too well.

This is a sign that he's getting a little too powerful!

"Brother, you should be forgiving when you can."

Li Yunjing's smile faded slightly, but her tone remained restrained. "I just whistled twice; I didn't disrupt the class. Look, there's no one else in the hallway..."

"You still have the nerve to talk back?!"

The student on duty, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, suddenly raised his voice, pointing at Li Yunjing's nose, "So young and already so glib and disrespectful of school rules!"

"He's obviously not a good student!"

"Come with me to the administration office!"

"Let Director Wang deal with you!"

As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed Li Yunjing's school uniform collar, his movements somewhat rude.

Li Yunjing's eyes turned cold.

In private, he had plenty of ways to teach this arrogant fellow a lesson.

Although there's no one in the corridor right now, there's no guarantee that someone isn't eavesdropping behind any classroom door, or that people might be passing by upstairs or downstairs.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he couldn't do anything, especially not lay a hand on the "student on duty," otherwise the situation would completely change.

"Okay, I'll go to the administration office."

Li Yunjing raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, indicating his cooperation, but leaned back slightly to avoid the other person's hands. At the same time, he stared into the other person's eyes, his voice low but carrying a clear chill, "However, classmate, I suggest you put your hands down."

"Otherwise, I can't guarantee that I won't accidentally make any defensive moves and hurt you because of nervousness."

"That wouldn't look good."

The student on duty was intimidated by the coldness in his eyes and the threat beneath his calm tone. His outstretched hand froze in mid-air, and he unconsciously withdrew it. But he still refused to back down, shouting defiantly, "Stop threatening me! Let's go! To the disciplinary office!"

On the way to the disciplinary office, Li Yunjing's mind was racing.

Wang Jianjun, the director of teaching affairs, was a notorious "black-faced devil" in the school. He was over fifty years old, extremely strict in managing the school, and never smiled. Students who fell into his hands, no matter what their background, would be severely injured even if they didn't die.

I had just reached an "understanding" with the homeroom teacher when I turned around and ran right into Director Wang's line of fire. How unlucky!

We have to come up with a solution... a direct confrontation is definitely not an option, and admitting defeat and accepting punishment doesn't fit his plan either.

What should I do?

The teaching affairs office is on the second floor of the administration building, and the door is open.

It was more spacious and quieter inside than the teachers' offices.

Director Wang Jianjun was hunched over a large, old desk reviewing documents, a pair of reading glasses perched on his nose.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up, his brows furrowing habitually, forming two deep vertical lines, his gaze sharp as a hawk's.

"What happened?"

His voice was deep and carried an undeniable authority.

"Director Wang!"

The student on duty stepped forward, straightening his back as if reporting crucial military intelligence, "This student is whistling loudly in the teaching building, a serious violation of school rules!"

"When I tried to stop him, he not only refused to admit his mistake and acted rudely, but he also threatened me!"

"This is extremely serious!"

He deliberately emphasized the word "threat".

Which class are you in?

Director Wang's gaze shifted to Li Yunjing, a look that seemed to pierce through to the heart: "What's your name?"

"Reporting to the director, Li Yunjing from Class 1, Grade 3."

Li Yunjing stood ramrod straight, spoke clearly, and was respectful, a stark contrast to the "bad attitude" described by the student on duty.

"Li Yunjing?"

Director Wang repeated the name, his brows furrowing even more, as if searching for something in his memory.

A few seconds later, he remembered, "The one who didn't do well on the college entrance exam and had to come back to retake it?"

"Yes, Director."

Li Yunjing's heart stirred slightly; he hadn't expected that Director Wang would actually remember him.

"Having spent four years in high school, instead of setting a good example, they're leading the way in breaking the rules?"

In the teaching affairs office, Director Wang's voice was like a rusty steel ruler, pounding heavily on the old desk with its peeling paint.

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the blinds, cutting the chalk dust in the air into beams of light that fell on Li Yunjing's lowered eyelashes.

"Director Wang, I know I was wrong."

Li Yunjing immediately lowered his head deeply, his gaze falling on Director Wang's faded khaki trousers and a pair of old-fashioned leather shoes stained with mud.

His voice was sincere, with just the right amount of remorse: "I just came out of Teacher Li's office because I had made a breakthrough in my studies, and I got so excited that I forgot myself."

"I really shouldn't have whistled in the teaching building. I deeply regret my actions and am willing to accept any punishment."

"A breakthrough in your studies?"

Director Wang's tone rose slightly as his finger hovered over the worn-out cover of the "Middle School Student Code of Conduct."

"Yes."

Li Yunjing raised his head, his eyes clear, yet he carefully conveyed a weighty message: "Teacher Li just tested my English level and believes... believes I have met the requirements for a top-tier university."

She also encouraged me to strive for first place in the whole school in this monthly exam.

The banner reading "Advanced Teaching Department" hanging in the office seemed to sway slightly.

The stern, perpetually unyielding frost on Director Wang's face loosened almost imperceptibly.