Chapter 42: She is a Flower, Not a Vase!

Tang Chong hurriedly ran over and patted Dean Jiao's back, and only then did the coughing stop.

"Teacher, don't get so worked up," Tang Chong said anxiously. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"Wasn't this deliberately upsetting me?" Jiao Yuheng was furious. "Did I talk for so long, only to be like playing the lute to a cow? If a cow can't understand, I can understand. You kept saying you felt guilty, I thought you knew you were wrong and wanted to change."

"Dean, I didn't do anything wrong," Tang Chong said seriously. "I'm not a violent person. I don't like to draw attention by fighting. Every time I swing a fist, there's a reason for it."

"Is there anything that can't be resolved with words? Do you have to use your fists?" Jiao Yuheng countered.

"Teacher, words are the choice of the weak," Tang Chong said with a smile. "Those who try to harm you don't care what you say to them."

"You..." Jiao Yuheng jumped up from the sofa in anger. "You still say you're not a violent person? Get out. Get out. Get out of here right now."

"Alright, alright. I'll go. Teacher, take care of yourself. I'd rather you expel me from the school than see you get sick because of me."

"Expel you from the school? What? Do you think I don't dare?" Jiao Yuheng said angrily, pointing at Tang Chong and scolding him.

"I dare. Of course, the teacher dares," Tang Chong said with a smile. "I thought that if I said it myself, the teacher would consider my filial piety and wouldn't kick me out."

"..."

After Tang Chong left, gently closing the office door, Jiao Yuheng couldn't help but smile.

"Words are the choice of the weak. Isn't that also insulting me, the teacher?" Jiao Yuheng muttered to himself. "This kid is different from the other students. Maybe he can take a different path and have a different perspective."

"However, always fighting isn't a solution. I was planning to teach him psychology after the military training, but it seems the plan needs to be moved up."

With his mind made up, he no longer worried about these things. He took his coat from the hanger, put it on, and locked the office door to leave. He was eager to go home and have dinner with his precious granddaughter.

Leaving the office building, Tang Chong cut through a rock garden to head to the third cafeteria. The stir-fried noodles in the third cafeteria were a specialty, and Tang Chong loved them. The fried chicken wings at the second window were also bigger than those in other cafeterias, which was very tempting for students.

He had been called by Li Qiang right after the military training ended and hadn't had lunch yet.

If the fans of the Butterfly Group knew that 'Tang Xin' was willing to take a long detour just to eat a bigger chicken wing, they would surely shed a few tears in pain.

Moving forward, he came to an artificial lake called 'Mingli Lake.' It was said that the first president of Nan University, Li Mingjie, organized its construction and named it.

Lotus flowers were planted in Mingli Lake, but not as densely as in Ximo Lake. A few lotus leaves floated in the center of the lake, serving as a decorative touch.

There was a pavilion in the center of the lake, connected by a wooden bridge.

From a distance, a figure in white could be seen in the pavilion.

"Who would come here in the middle of the day?" Tang Chong thought.

He decided to check it out. Maybe someone was thinking of drowning themselves.

More importantly, it was a woman.

Tang Chong walked on the wooden bridge, which creaked under his feet.

However, the wood was fresh, looking newly renovated, so he didn't worry about stepping through.

The midday sun was intense, and the silver light danced on the lake's surface, like countless white carp leaping out of the water.

The wooden bridge, bamboo pavilion, gentle breeze, blazing sun, and the white-clad girl created a scene that was both beautiful and ethereal, like a supreme illusion from the celestial realm.

Hearing footsteps behind her, the white-clad girl turned her head.

At that moment, Tang Chong felt a dizzying sensation.

It was like sunlight filtering through the treetops, like a huqin playing a light melody, like a breeze blowing through a wheat field, like a needle placed on a phonograph.

Tang Chong found it hard to describe the girl's appearance or his feelings at that moment.

But he was very clear about one thing.

Something was wildly spreading in his heart.

"Who are you?" the girl frowned. Even this unconscious defensive gesture was beautiful, as if she was naturally meant to do it.

"I think I've seen you before," Tang Chong said.

"Really?" the girl said. "That's not a very original way to start a conversation."

"I really have seen you," Tang Chong said seriously. "On the cover of the admission letter."

Indeed, Tang Chong had seen her.

When he received the admission letter from Nan University, he saw her.

She was wearing a white dress, standing quietly at the ancient and weathered gate of Nan University, neither angry nor happy.

The designer might have made the image more colorful for festive reasons, but Tang Chong felt it should be in black and white. That way, she would better match the century-old university's atmosphere and better express its profound beauty.

"They don't understand," Tang Chong had sighed after looking at the cover of the admission letter for a long time.

The girl smiled lightly, like a blooming orchid. She lifted her hand to smooth her wind-tousled hair and said, "Many people have seen her."

Tang Chong nodded and said, "I wanted to stay and chat with you, but I couldn't think of what to say. So, goodbye."

Tang Chong waved and turned to walk back across the wooden bridge.

The girl was slightly taken aback, her dazed beauty captivating.

When Tang Chong reached the middle of the bridge, a man appeared at the other end. He was wearing a white shirt and black pants, tall and slender like a model, and handsome like a celebrity.

He was like a finely carved jade, smooth on the outside and transparent on the inside. He was a man who was likable both inside and out, not just a pretty face.

Just a first glance could give such a good impression, making him one in ten thousand, a dragon among men.

"Are they a couple?" Tang Chong thought.

The man stood to one side at the bridge's entrance, waiting for Tang Chong to pass. Although the bridge was wide enough for two people to walk side by side.

Clearly, he didn't want to brush past a stranger.

Tang Chong walked past him, and the man waited a few seconds before stepping onto the bridge, as if waiting for the stranger's scent to dissipate.

Lu Junzhuo walked gracefully to the pavilion in the center of the lake.

"Who was he?" he asked.

"I don't know him," the woman replied.

Lu Junzhuo didn't ask further. He knew that their relationship only allowed him to ask one question.

If he asked more, she might ignore him, which would be embarrassing for him.

"I'm here," Lu Junzhuo said. This should have been said before "Who was he?" but he decided to say it in this order.

She would understand.

"How is the new member review going?" the woman asked.

"The five students personally responsible for by the president have all been reviewed. Two meet the conditions and can join. Three have slightly lower qualifications and didn't pass the first review. The three vice-presidents are each responsible for three students. Among these nine, four have top qualifications, two are second-tier, and the other three don't meet the standards," Lu Junzhuo said. "All the data can be compiled by 8 PM tonight, and the review report will be ready."

The school is a small society, where students' status depends on their parents' families.

There are sons of commoners, daughters of minor officials, sons of ministers, and even princesses.

The school's management will personally take charge of these students based on their parents' status. For example, the children of provincial or ministerial-level officials or above will be personally responsible for by the president. If there's anything to report or a mini-parent-teacher meeting, the president will communicate with their parents.

The children of vice-provincial or department-level officials will be handled by the vice-presidents. These students might not even know that they have been divided into interest groups.

The woman pondered for a moment and said, "As in previous years, some people's identities are well-hidden, and even our channels can't identify them."

Lu Junzhuo turned to look at the woman's flawless face, then quickly turned back, his eyes unconsciously admiring the scenery before him. "Have you received any intelligence?"

"The You family's member is also among this year's Nan University freshmen," the woman said.

Lu Junzhuo's expression changed slightly. "I thought the You family would choose Renmin University or Peking University for him. Why does he want to come and feel the salty sea breeze in the south?"

The woman didn't respond, as if suddenly remembering something. "Hasn't the little princess of the Qiu family also come?"

"Yes," Lu Junzhuo said. "But she failed the first review and wasn't selected."

"Why?" the woman asked.

Lu Junzhuo looked at the woman in surprise, thinking, "You designed the membership system. No one understands its strictness better than you, right?"

But he still answered, "I tried. I couldn't find any highlights in her."

"Is she beautiful?" the woman asked.

Lu Junzhuo hesitated slightly.

"She is very beautiful," the woman answered herself.

"Is her family wealthy?" the woman asked again.

"Wealthy," Lu Junzhuo answered directly. He knew that if he didn't answer, the woman would answer for him.

"Isn't that a highlight?" the woman asked.

"Su Shan," Lu Junzhuo frowned. "The Red Eagle only wants elites, not vases."

"You're wrong," the woman said. "She is a flower, not a vase."

PS: You are flowers, not cabbages. What a good flattery!