Chapter 22: Originally intended to become a beautiful story, it accidentally became a joke!

Innovation means being different from others.

Thus, in everyone's eyes, you are a freak.

Fang Yan did not think of himself as a freak; he was just a—

He thought about it seriously and then softly said to himself, "Dreamer."

The first time he read Xu Zhimo's "Farewell to Cambridge Again," he had such a fantasy: in the evening with the sky filled with rosy clouds, on a clear river where fish and seaweed could be seen, he would row a long pole, slowly sailing between the green mountains and clear waters, seeking the romantic passion and parting mood that inspired the poet to write this poem—or, enjoying this special sense of ease and contentment.

In the past, he had no chance to experience it. Now, he wanted to ensure his students would not have any regrets.

Some students had never even had such fantasies, but as a teacher, it was not only about imparting knowledge but also about opening minds—shouldn't teachers do this?

Students were highly sensitive to new things, as evidenced by the increasing number of students gathering on both sides of Que River.

"Hey, how romantic. Learning poetry this way must make it especially profound, right?"

"Exactly. Why can't our Chinese teacher think of such a good idea?"

"Showboating, this is the new Chinese teacher of Class 9 deliberately trying to attract attention—"

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Lu Chaoge, while enjoying the students' poetry recitations by Que River, listened to the students' discussions and became even more certain of her suspicions and concerns. She said to Zheng Jing, who was closely following her, "Zheng Jing, do two things for me."

"Principal Lu, what things?" Zheng Jing looked eager. Was she going to call Fang Yan over for a harsh scolding?

"First, write a student extracurricular activity application and place it on my desk. In Fang Yan's name."

"Second, notify the head of the first-year Chinese department, Jia Siting, to gather all the teachers to listen by the Que River."

"---" Zheng Jing felt his ears must be broken. "Principal Lu, isn't this too risky?"

Lu Chaoge sneered and said, "Not doing this is the real risk."

Lu Chaoge was a very smart woman. Although she had not been back in the country for long, she had accumulated some insights into the school's operational model and office politics.

Fang Yan's intention was naturally for the students, but his actions had put him in a dangerous situation.

First, he did not report to the school, and without reporting, there was no risk assessment by the school. If something happened, who would be responsible? The people on Zheng Tiancheng's side could very well use this as a target to cause trouble for him.

Now, she needed to help him fill out that application.

Although the application should be submitted to the Chinese department, she could use the excuse that he was new and didn't know the rules—this was still a reasonable explanation.

Second, his innovative teaching method had not been discussed and approved by the Chinese department, which would embarrass all the Chinese teachers and give them a reason to criticize.

If she took the initiative to set Fang Yan as a model and clearly told everyone that his approach was correct, they would have no choice but to learn and not question.

This would save Fang Yan a lot of trouble, but it would also add countless burdens to his future teaching career—jealousy exists everywhere. A new teacher becoming a model in just two days, how would the other teachers feel?

Of course, this did not matter to Lu Chaoge, and she believed it wouldn't matter to Fang Yan either. Mediocrity is the hallmark of the mediocre. From Fang Yan's class, she knew that the overly young man was actually the same kind of person as her.

"Principal Lu, I mean, we don't need to stand up for a troublemaker like Fang Yan and oppose the board members. Even if we save him this time, what about next time?"

"You won't understand." Lu Chaoge's beautiful eyes stared at Zheng Jing, speaking each word clearly. "I'm not doing this to protect Fang Yan; I'm doing it to protect Quezhong High School and its students."

"I don't understand."

"You don't need to understand." Lu Chaoge gave him a cold glance. "Just do it."

"Yes, Principal Lu." Zheng Jing, unwilling, glared at where Fang Yan stood and then ran quickly toward the teaching building.

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Fang Yan did not think so much; he was just doing what he wanted to do with all his heart.

Words can be powerful, but if you do nothing, that is truly terrifying.

What do mediocre people like to do the most? They try to drag you down to their level, making their faces look better, and proudly say to others: "Look, we are the same."

The number of onlookers increased, putting a lot of pressure on the students who were about to board the boat.

Some students were very brave, and the bigger the stage, the more excited they became.

However, more students suffered from stage fright. The number of people gathered on both sides of Que River could rival the number of students at a large school event—Class 9 students were the performers on stage.

"I know you are nervous," Fang Yan looked at the remaining dozen or so students who had not yet boarded the boat and said loudly, "To be honest, I am as nervous as you. I was supposed to teach only 40 students in Class 9, but now I have to teach the entire school—"

Everyone laughed, but it was somewhat forced.

"Actually, there are many solutions. We can wait until the bell rings and then continue, or I can say we are done and take you back to the classroom—but I don't want to do that."

"Why not? Because there are too many students, I become timid? Because there are onlookers, I choose to give up? I am not a brave soldier who can fight on the battlefield, but I am definitely not a coward who runs away when the crowd is slightly larger."

"If we give up today, the next time we encounter such a situation, or an even bigger one, will we still choose to give up? Sometimes, giving up once is like giving up on your life."

"You are still young, and you have countless opportunities to back out. I am also young and have countless opportunities to start over. But when we leave Quezhong, enter university, and enter society, when we become worldly and jaded, we will certainly regret today's abandonment."

Fang Yan raised his voice and asked loudly, "Now tell me, do you want to fight like a brave warrior, or do you want to be a coward and a deserter?"

"I'll go." A tall boy shouted loudly. His name was Zhao Lei, the student who had delivered the fake sick leave notes to Zheng Guodong, Chen Tao, and Li Yang before class. Fang Yan had a deep impression of him. His face was flushed, and he was stirred by Fang Yan's words, eager to be a brave soldier on the battlefield.

"I'll go. I'll go. I'm not afraid of the crowd."

"Why should you go? We were supposed to go by student number, and now it's my turn—" a girl with glasses shouted angrily.

Fang Yan chuckled; these students had made the right choice.

Of course, under his wise leadership.

Lu Chaoge watched this scene from a distance, feeling infinite joy and satisfaction.

"Perhaps, breaking the deadlock through this guy is not bad," Lu Chaoge murmured.

Zheng Guodong, Li Yang, and Chen Tao also came. To gain sympathy, Zheng Guodong had a bandage over his eye, and Li Yang and Chen Tao's faces were smeared with red medicine. The distribution of the medicine was very uneven, indicating that the 'nurse' who applied it was very amateur.

After they arrived, they did not greet Fang Yan but stood far back in the crowd, looking at him with malicious eyes.

They had originally planned to stay in the hospital for two more days and had sent a message to Zhao Lei to ask for a day off. Unexpectedly, Zhao Lei quickly replied: the teacher did not approve the sick leave, either come to class or it would be counted as truancy.

They had considered stubbornly refusing to come, but Chen Tao's words woke them up: If we don't go, won't that bastard have a good excuse to kick us out?

So, they quickly packed up and ran to school.

When they arrived at the classroom, they found it empty.

After asking a student from the neighboring class, they learned that the "two fires" teacher had taken all the students to Que River for class. Although they didn't understand why, they ran over to join the group.

They ignored Fang Yan, and Fang Yan did not initiate conversation either. He just quietly told Huang Haoran, who was standing beside him, that Zheng Guodong, Li Yang, and Chen Tao had skipped class without reason.

"I'll note it down," Huang Haoran said cooperatively.

The class continued, and the recitations resumed.

The students who boarded the boat later did not become nervous because of the crowd; instead, they put in all their effort and performed even more enthusiastically.

Their recitations became more heartfelt, and their performances more refined. The tall boy named Zhao Lei performed vividly, and even Fang Yan praised him greatly, being the first to applaud.

The bell rang, and most of the students on the shore dispersed, but a group of spectators remained.

Lu Chaoge, Li Mingqiang, Chen Dahai, and many other familiar and unfamiliar teachers and leaders from Quezhong High School stood by, making Fang Yan smile bitterly.

He knew it had become a big deal.

The last student to board the boat was a girl. Fang Yan patted her shoulder and said with a smile, "Give everyone a perfect ending."

The girl adjusted her small red glasses and said, "Teacher Fang, I will do my best and not let you down—"

"It's up to you."

The girl boarded the boat, and the bald man rowed it to the center of the river.

"Silently I depart, as silently I came. I wave my hand—"

Splash!

The girl was so focused on reciting that she didn't notice the slippery deck. Without warning, she fell into the Que River.

"Teacher Fang, a student has fallen into the water—" the bald man shouted to the shore.

"Save her!" Fang Yan shouted urgently, and with a splash, he jumped into the river, swimming desperately toward the center of the Que River.

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