Although Lei Xiaofeng had made up his mind to endure it, there was a clear glint of anger in his eyes. Zhang Lei, who was standing to the side, saw it all clearly. Over such a long period of time, he knew Lei Xiaofeng better than anyone else in the class, if not better than his father.
After talking for so long, seeing that Lei Xiaofeng had no reaction and was huddled in his chair without even standing up, Teacher Yang walked over and tugged at Lei Xiaofeng's shirt. "Stand up! What kind of behavior is this? The teacher is talking to you and you just lie there like that. Is there some kind of gold ingot on the chair that makes you so reluctant to get up? Or have you left your brain in it?"
"Don't touch me!" Lei Xiaofeng wrapped his arm around the teacher's hand, blocking it. This crazy woman was getting more and more outrageous, and ignoring her only made her more aggressive.
"You dare to lay a hand on me? You dare to lay a hand on a teacher? You're completely out of control! Get out of here! You won't be attending my class anymore!" Teacher Yang pointed to the door and raised her voice, almost screaming, "Get out of here!"
Zhang Lei thought that Teacher Yang must have studied vocal music before, at least no music teacher had such a good voice. If Lei Xiaofeng had sat closer to the window, the window might not have been saved.
Normally, Lei Xiaofeng would just leave whenever he wanted; this was tantamount to him being dismissed from get out of class early. It would be even better if he didn't have class at all, as Lei Xiaofeng wouldn't care about that.
But today was different. Those thugs were waiting for him somewhere, and Lei Xiaofeng knew he couldn't just stand obediently at the entrance as punishment. That wouldn't be him, and he couldn't afford to lose face like that. But once he stepped outside the teaching building, anything could happen. Those rural kids were incredibly ruthless. Taking on one or two of them wouldn't be a problem for Lei Xiaofeng, but five or six? Lei Xiaofeng knew he didn't have the skill of a martial arts master.
“I’ve paid my tuition, I have the right to stay in the classroom. What right do you have to kick me out? It’s a national regulation that I attend classes here; this is compulsory education!” In this situation, Lei Xiaofeng certainly couldn’t leave, so he forcefully shook off Teacher Yang’s hand that was grabbing him.
Zhang Lei listened with great admiration. Although Lei Xiaofeng usually solved everything with his fists, he was surprisingly quick-witted and managed to leave the teacher speechless. Zhang Lei, who usually prided himself on being an award-winning comedian in the factory, couldn't remain so calm and composed in front of the teacher and even managed to shut up Teacher Yang's words.
However, this is not a debate competition, and the two sides are not equals. One side not only controls the discourse, but also holds the power of red and yellow cards.
"What did you say? Get up! Get out of here! Get out of here!" The Chinese teacher grabbed Lei Xiaofeng and dragged him out.
Although Lei Xiaofeng was only a teenager, he was still a boy. Even if he hadn't fully developed, he was still quite strong. At least one female teacher, who wasn't particularly outstanding, couldn't pull him away.
The two of them started to get physical and began to tear at each other. If they were just playing around, they would naturally control themselves, but Zhang Lei couldn't tell that their Chinese teacher, Ms. Yang, was in the mood for a friendly game with Lei Xiaofeng.
Maybe you think I used too much force, or maybe I feel you've started to really fight. This kind of tugging often sparks a real fight.
It's unclear when it started, but the two of them had really gotten into a fight. Lei Xiaofeng's actions were no longer limited to just brushing away Teacher Yang's hand that was grabbing his clothes. Although he didn't dare to actually hit the teacher, his movements showed some signs of fighting back.
Suddenly, a crisp "snap" echoed through the noisy classroom, as if all the doors and windows were singing in celebration. What a beautiful and melodious sound! At least that's what Zhang Lei thought. Whether the others thought the same way, especially Lei Xiaofeng, was another matter.
Perhaps it was an accident during the scuffle, or perhaps it was a coincidence, who knows? In any case, Teacher Yang slapped Lei Xiaofeng across the face with a crisp, clear sound. The pleasant, crisp sound was like a demonic noise, and the classroom, which had been in chaos because of this farce, suddenly fell silent.
"I'll fight you to the death!" Lei Xiaofeng had been in many fights, but because of his super-fast reflexes, no one had touched his face like that in a long time. This was a great humiliation for Lei Xiaofeng. Hadn't you heard that a tiger's backside and Lei Xiaofeng's face were things that couldn't be touched?
Lei Xiaofeng was the kind of person who would act recklessly once blood was on his head. He was the first to come to his senses amidst the deafening sound, and he kicked his Chinese teacher in the stomach.
Lei Xiaofeng moved quickly, and even though Zhang Lei was nearby, he couldn't see clearly whether the kick actually landed or not. But regardless of whether the kick landed or not, the fact that the teacher and student were fighting was basically confirmed. It had gotten so big that it was probably impossible to suppress it. Fights between students were common, but fighting with a teacher was quite rare, especially in a place that respected seniority and rules.
The two men had already been pulled apart by the students who rushed forward. Lei Xiaofeng was still cursing and swearing. Anyway, the cow had already been taken away, so what difference did it make if he pulled the stake a little more? On the contrary, Teacher Yang was much quieter. Just looking at the scene, one would think that Lei Xiaofeng had won a great victory.
Episode 1: Internal Strength Like a Drug Chapter 11: The Dog Train That Departed
Arguing with a teacher might be forgivable, but fighting with a teacher in class is absolutely unacceptable. Teacher Yang will have to make a public apology at teachers' meetings, and even in front of Zhang Lei's class. Lei Xiaofeng's punishment will naturally be severe as well.
Zhang Lei felt somewhat guilty, not towards Lei Xiaofeng—he felt that was too lenient—but towards Teacher Yang, who had always been kind to him. From beginning to end, even deliberately guiding the two teachers to witness Teacher Yang's child being bullied was all arranged by Zhang Lei. Teacher Yang was arguably the most innocent party member. Zhang Lei hadn't expected this incident to have such a significant impact on her, even extending her probationary period for Party membership by a year—a serious blow for a young teacher.
Lei Xiaofeng was, after all, a child of a power plant worker. The school did not expel him directly, but instead helped him transfer to another school. His family used their connections to get him a place in a nearby town, which was only a 20-minute train ride away.
Zhang Lei was very familiar with that small town. His family had lived there before they were transferred to the power plant. He still remembered many of the teachers there, who were his parents' old colleagues. Zhang Lei wondered if he should take a detour to say something bad about Lei Xiaofeng next time he went there.
However, before Zhang Lei could do anything malicious, Lei Xiaofeng himself got into trouble. He got into a fight with a female teacher. This time, Lei Xiaofeng learned his lesson and, before the teacher could do anything, he slapped her twice across the face. There, the school wouldn't tolerate him like they would with a private school; he was expelled immediately, no expulsion even offered.
With the tiger away, the monkeys reign supreme. Xiong Yong and his friends quickly regained their dominant position in the class. Even Wang Baozhong, the honest man Zhang Lei's mother mentioned, started forming a small gang with a few students from Zhang Lei's neighborhood. However, for some reason, they didn't invite Zhang Lei.
Although no one knew that Zhang Lei was the culprit behind Lei Xiaofeng's disappearance, his power was still fully demonstrated. Moreover, Zhang Lei's parents both taught here. As the saying goes, "It's not the county magistrate you should fear, but the local official." Zhang Lei was able to use the power of others to his advantage. However, for Zhang Lei now, it was good enough that others didn't bully him. He hadn't learned how to bully others yet.
What puzzled Zhang Lei was that ever since Tian Zhiguo heard that he had been selected for the math competition, he had been making sarcastic remarks to him, saying things like, "There are so many people who got 94 points, but you were the only one selected. You're just a teacher's kid."
Zhang Lei could understand if Tian Zhiguo was indignant because he also scored 94 points. To be honest, when he first heard Tian Zhiguo say that, Zhang Lei really thought he also scored 94 points and felt really bad. But after finding out that Tian Zhiguo only scored 82 points, it was really inexplicable.
Perhaps it was a stroke of luck, but despite focusing a great deal of energy on preparing for the competition finals, or perhaps the math competition problems made his mind more active, Zhang Lei achieved the highest overall score in the subsequent midterm and final exams. Especially in the final exams, he achieved at least a tie for first place in all subjects except Chinese. Before that, Zhang Lei had been so busy preparing for the competition that was starting in the summer that he hadn't even reviewed the material. Only after the exams did his parents tell him that they had been prepared for a significant drop in his grades, regardless of how he performed.
Since the school couldn't close this time, he could only study with a girl named Zuo Yaping, who scored 97 points in the first grade, under Teacher Pu's guidance after school.
Unlike before the preliminary rounds where anyone had time to teach, the school specially arranged a teacher who was good at tutoring math competitions, and the Ministry of Electric Power also issued special teaching materials. Although classes and exams were not suspended because we heard that we had received a special notice, the level of importance attached to it was obviously stronger than before.
Although it was always with two people, and the last time it was Zhang Lei's best friend, Zhang Lei still felt that he was more motivated to study with a girl. Could it be that he already understood that working together with a girl makes the work easier at such a young age?
Unfortunately, Zhang Lei hadn't developed yet and wasn't stimulated by male hormones, so he didn't understand what this was all about. He just knew that playing with girls was fun, and that girls were gentle and weak, so it was really fun!
In reality, what can two such young children do together? It's mostly a math competition, where they mainly give each other questions and play around when they're not in a hurry. There's absolutely no kissing or touching.
Moreover, this relationship is limited to this classroom. Not only is dating forbidden by teachers, but it will also be ridiculed by other students. It's as if playing with a girl is something extraordinary. Outside of this classroom, even if two people walk together, they will walk at opposite ends of the road. They can talk about anything they want to say in the classroom the next day.
Even so, someone still wrote a song for them, written by Zhang Lei and a few of his fairly good friends. It was something about how you and Zuo Yaping are about the same height and age. From then on, the two of them became even more careful with each other and didn't say a word to each other outside the classroom.
Perhaps girls mature earlier. Zuo Yaping was very accommodating to Zhang Lei, fully demonstrating the gentle side of a girl. She did whatever Zhang Lei said, which allowed Zhang Lei's chauvinistic tendencies to flourish, making him look forward to spending more time with Zuo Yaping.
In fact, humans are simple yet complex creatures. As long as two people are together and there are no conflicts, it is almost inevitable that they will develop feelings for each other. It's just that Zhang Lei was too naive at this point and had no sense of self-awareness as a man.
Most puppy love stories end in heartbreak, and Zhang Lei's didn't even qualify as puppy love. At this point, not a single hair on Zhang Lei's head popped out; at best, he had a vague crush on the girl.
However, Zuo Yaping already had a slight bulge on her chest, which attracted Zhang Lei's occasional glances. Zuo Yaping noticed but didn't get angry at Zhang Lei, at most she just rolled her eyes at him, not showing any dislike at all, it looked more like a flirtatious look. However, boys are indeed no different from blind men in this aspect before puberty, so Zuo Yaping's efforts were all wasted.
The final round of the Northeast Power Bureau was to be held in Jinzhou. This final round was held uniformly by the national power bureaus, but due to the distance, each bureau had its own examination room. However, the invigilators were to be exchanged to prevent cheating.
Jinzhou is in Liaoning, and the cost of bringing these students to Jinzhou is not small. However, these expenses are naturally borne by the power bureau, and the standards set are quite high. Apart from a lot of mosquitoes, there is nothing else to worry about. Zhang Lei, at such a young age, has enjoyed the comfort of spending public funds without having to spend his own money. Eating and playing is really too comfortable!
Zhang Lei's thoughts are very complex. The things in his head are definitely beyond those of children his age, and even beyond those of children his age many years later. However, he likes a simple life, and he can adapt better to a simple and regular life.
Life in Jinzhou was actually quite boring. Before the exam, the Dongdian Bureau had to conduct a training camp, where we would go over and over the same competition questions every day. The so-called interesting questions had long since lost all their fun. As for the few trips organized by the training camp organizers, they seemed insignificant in the long preparation period.
This situation would affect the performance of most children, but for Zhang Lei, it was a catalyst for exceeding expectations. Zhang Lei, who was only of average level among dozens of outstanding students in the various preliminary tests, actually won a place in the official competition.
It wasn't just among these few dozen people that I got the ranking; it was within the entire power bureau. Only three people from the TEPCO received awards, and the rest didn't even get a consolation prize.
However, perhaps because it was just the beginning, there were many problems with the program operation. It was only later that the article was published. The Junior Olympics not only restricts age, but also grade. By then, those who were already in junior high school and were in the second year of junior high school when the results were announced could not represent the power bureau in the national competition even if they won an award.
Therefore, although the award was returned, no one mentioned the so-called support anymore, since it was something that was vaguely described back then anyway.