Chapter 32

At noon, when the homeroom teacher, Mr. Xu, came to patrol the classroom, he found Wang Bo and dragged him outside for a scolding. Wang Bo had been absent without leave and without permission, so Mr. Xu made him write a self-criticism and warned that he would receive a warning if it happened again.

Wang Bo could only agree to write the self-criticism and then asked, "Mr. Xu, can you give me a chance to make up for my mistake? I want to join the school's volunteer service team!"

The homeroom teacher tilted his head and looked at him suspiciously, saying, "You want to be a volunteer? Didn't you say you had a stomachache? Are you out of your mind?"

"I really want to serve society, not to take revenge on it!" Wang Bo blurted out, "Teacher, just give me a chance. I promise I'll work hard and do my best for the service team."

The homeroom teacher was unmoved, stroking his chin in thought, and then said, "Wang Bo, no matter what your purpose is, I won't agree to you joining the volunteer service team. Don't bring it up again."

"Ah? Why!" Wang Bo had thought joining the volunteer team would be a simple matter, but it turned out to be more complicated than he imagined.

"You're already on the track team. If you join the volunteer team, how much time will you have left for studying? As your homeroom teacher, my primary responsibility is to your grades, not to some volunteer activities. So don't even think about it. Go back to the classroom and hand in your self-criticism before school ends."

Wang Bo returned to the classroom with a dejected look, thinking of ways to salvage the situation. If he didn't complete this task, all his preparations for the third task would be in vain, and he would lose 300 points. He was not willing to give up so easily.

Should he report directly to the school administration? No, they don't support the volunteer service team, so they won't help him.

Should he quit the track team? No, that's not the key issue... The homeroom teacher is concerned about grades... Wait! Grades, that's it! If he can show that his grades are good enough to handle extracurricular activities, she might let him join the team!

Wang Bo decided to talk to the homeroom teacher again.

Before the third class in the afternoon, Wang Bo brought his self-criticism to the homeroom teacher's office. After Mr. Xu read it and nodded, Wang Bo mustered his courage and said, "Mr. Xu, please let me join the volunteer service team. If you let me join, I promise that my grades will improve to the top 100 in the grade this mid-term exam. If I fail, you can punish me however you like!"

The homeroom teacher smiled sarcastically, "Negotiating with me? Top 100 in the grade? So, you think you're getting cocky because of a little progress? Let me tell you, don't try this with me! How well you do on the exam is your own business, and I don't get any bonus for it. If you want to join the service team, forget it."

"Then what conditions do you want? What will it take for you to let me join the team?" Wang Bo asked, willing to make more concessions.

"Are you being stubborn?" the homeroom teacher said sternly, "This is not negotiable. Go back to class!"

Wang Bo held his breath and said, "I think you're abusing your power."

With a bang, the homeroom teacher slammed his hand on the table, "If you're not satisfied, go and report me to the principal. Go now."

The other teachers, seeing him get angry, tried to smooth things over, "Calm down, calm down. Why get so angry?"

Then she pretended to be stern and said to Wang Bo, "What's wrong with you, student? How dare you talk back to your teacher? Do you have any respect for your teachers? Want to be a volunteer? Come with me!"

She gave him a subtle wink, and Wang Bo, holding his breath, obediently followed her out of the office. The teacher patted his back and said, "Wang Bo, your teacher, Mr. Xu, has some family issues recently, so he's bringing his emotions to work. You need to understand. Wanting to join the volunteer service team is a good thing, but first, improve your grades. Apply again after a while."

Wang Bo asked, "What exactly happened to Mr. Xu's family?"

The teacher's face turned a bit awkward, and she said, "You don't need to know. Even if you knew, you couldn't help. Listen to me, don't provoke Mr. Xu recently. Go back to the classroom."

This teacher clearly knew something, but since it involved Mr. Xu's private affairs, she didn't want to say too much to a student. After hearing this, Wang Bo had some ideas. There must be some issue in the homeroom teacher's family that's affecting his mood, making him so stubborn. If he could help solve the problem, Mr. Xu's mood would improve, and he might let him join the service team.

But who could he ask about what's happening in Mr. Xu's family? As Wang Bo walked back to the classroom, he thought about a strategy. Suddenly, a classmate blocked his path. He was deep in thought and tried to walk around, but the classmate persisted.

Wang Bo looked up and saw a pretty girl he didn't recognize. She had delicate features, big round eyes, a fair complexion with a hint of pink, and a baby face that made her look especially cute.

"Classmate? Is there something you need?" Wang Bo asked, feeling a bit familiar with her but not knowing her.

"Senior," the girl's voice was clear and pleasant, "why didn't you come to the dance club room yesterday? Didn't you get the note I left for you?"

Wang Bo understood immediately. This was Qi Juelin, the beauty of the first year. He said, "I had something to do yesterday. What do you need? Let's talk here."

"Can you come to the dance club room today?" Qi Juelin seemed insistent, wanting him to keep the appointment.

"Forget it." Wang Bo was already annoyed and very busy. He had no time for the dance club. What's so special about a pretty girl? She's not his girlfriend, and he didn't want to deal with her. He turned and walked past her.

"Hey, senior," Qi Juelin called out, surprised, "you're just leaving?"

Wang Bo didn't even bother to respond, still thinking about how to find out more about Mr. Xu. This was crucial for completing two tasks, worth 300 points, which could be worth millions in lottery winnings. Qi Juelin? Who cares? She's not worth much to him. It's not that Wang Bo is materialistic; it's just that points are crucial to him now, and everything else has to take a back seat.

Qi Juelin's face turned white with anger. She had never been ignored by a boy before. Wang Bo walked away so decisively without even pausing, which hurt her pride.

Damn, who does he think he is? Is my attitude not good enough? She thought angrily and stormed off to her classroom.

Back in the classroom, Wang Bo first asked his desk mate, Qian Ning, who was good at gathering gossip. He asked, "Hey, I heard Mr. Xu's family has some issues. Do you know what's going on?"

"You don't know?" Qian Ning raised an eyebrow and paused, "Actually, I don't know... My network is limited to students. How would I know what's happening in a teacher's family?"

"Who do you think might know?"

"Liu Yan, her father is the vice-principal. She might know a bit about the teachers," Qian Ning said decisively.

Wang Bo had considered Liu Yan, but after the incident with Jin Xiaoli at noon, he felt a bit awkward about seeing her face-to-face, so he didn't want to talk to her right away.

"Hey," Jin Xiaoli, sitting in the back row, seemed to have heard their conversation and nudged Wang Bo, "Are you trying to find out about Mr. Xu's family?"

"Yeah, what's the deal?" He suddenly remembered that Liu Yan and Jin Xiaoli were close friends, so he asked, "Do you know anything?"

Jin Xiaoli nodded but didn't speak as the bell rang. The teacher at the front of the class called, "Class begins," and the class monitor ordered, "Stand up!"

"Good morning, everyone!" "Good morning, teacher!" "Sit down!"

Amid the sound of chairs moving, Wang Bo quickly turned to Jin Xiaoli and said, "Tell me after class."

The class went by, and Wang Bo finally waited for the break. He turned to ask Jin Xiaoli, but she teased him, "Tell me why you're asking first."

"I just noticed Mr. Xu's mood has been bad lately. I heard his family has some issues, so I'm concerned and want to see if I can help," Wang Bo said seriously.

Jin Xiaoli looked at him suspiciously and said, "I didn't know you were so热心. You don't have any ulterior motives with Mr. Xu, do you?"

Wang Bo's face turned serious, "Are you going to tell me or not? If not, I'll ask Liu Yan."

"Go ahead, see if she knows," Jin Xiaoli said smugly, "She might not know either."

"Hey, if she doesn't know, how do you know?" Wang Bo asked, confused.

"Mr. Xu's husband works at the TV station, and he's a colleague of my dad," she said with a sly smile, "Why wouldn't I know?"

Wang Bo was delighted, "So tell me, what's going on with Mr. Xu's family? Is it an elderly relative who's sick, or is her husband in debt?"

"Don't guess randomly, it's none of those," Jin Xiaoli waved her hand impatiently, "But it's related to her husband."

"Is he sick? Is it a terminal illness?" Wang Bo asked.

Jin Xiaoli rolled her eyes, "Do you really want him to die? Do you have a thing for Mr. Xu?"

"Tell me, tell me, stop stalling," he urged.

"Why should I tell you?" Jin Xiaoli put on an air of importance, crossing her arms, "You sexually harassed me, and I haven't forgiven you yet."