The Ultra-Alpha School Hunk Has Transmigrated into a Cannon Fodder Omega! - Chapter 35

Inside the office, Xu Lei took a sip of tea while flipping through a book, making occasional notations.

“Teacher Xu? Teacher Xu!”

Xu Lei suddenly snapped back to reality. The Chinese teacher from the neighboring class said to him, “I called you several times, but you did not respond.”

Xu Lei gave an apologetic smile. “I am sorry. I was so absorbed in my reading that I did not hear you.”

The teacher raised an eyebrow and lowered their voice. “Did you hear what Teacher Huang said?”

“Which Teacher Huang?”

“Which one else? The Class Teacher of Class 8, the one who is competing with you for the Excellent Teacher award.”

Xu Lei nodded and asked, “What did Teacher Huang say just now?”

Seeing how indifferent Xu Lei was, the teacher said with a hint of frustration, “She said a lot. The gist of it was that the award will definitely be hers this time. She even mocked you with some very sarcastic remarks.”

Xu Lei simply smiled. “Teacher Huang has a long teaching career and is a veteran at this school. Her teaching experience is vast, and her class achieves excellent results. It would be well deserved if she received the title of Excellent Teacher.”

“Are you not even a little angry?”

“What is the use of being angry? I would rather spend that time reading.”

The neighboring teacher said in disbelief, “Your personality is far too indifferent. You are not competing for anything even at a time like this. I am truly curious how you ever earned the title of Provincial Special Grade Teacher.”

Xu Lei thought for a moment and said seriously, “By strength.”

The teacher was left speechless.

Xu Lei continued, “Fame and merit are merely external things. If I receive them, it is a sign of recognition for which I should be grateful. If I do not, it simply means I have not done well enough and need to keep working hard. As teachers, our most important task is to teach our students well. Everything else comes second. I have not even finished preparing for my next lesson, so how could I have time to fight over these things?”

“Teacher Xu speaks with such philosophy. You truly live up to your title,” a woman’s voice interrupted.

Xu Lei looked up and saw the newcomer. He smiled and said, “Teacher Huang, you flatter me.”

Teacher Huang, the Class Teacher of Class 8, was a woman in her forties. She was short and plump, wearing a black sweater and matching velvet lantern pants. She wore heavy makeup and had a habit of looking down on others with a very sharp and critical gaze.

Teacher Huang also taught Chinese. “No wonder my class’s Chinese scores are not as good as Class 10. It turns out the problem lies with me. My level is simply a step below yours, Teacher Xu.”

“Not at all. Teacher Huang is too modest. You have ten more years of teaching experience than I do. Your experience is much richer,” Xu Lei replied.

“If I were truly as capable as you say, I would have become a Provincial Special Grade Teacher long ago,” Teacher Huang said sarcastically, her hostility undisguised.

She had held a grudge against Xu Lei since the day he arrived. As the most experienced and outstanding teacher in the grade, she was supposed to be a shoo-in for the position of Chinese Department Head. However, a Provincial Special Grade Teacher appeared. Before Xu Lei arrived, the school leadership had already informally decided on her for the role. If Xu Lei himself had not declined the position, she would not be the Department Head today. She had initially wondered how impressive a Provincial Special Grade Teacher could be, but Xu Lei rarely spoke and spent his days reading. Yet, this unassuming man was the most capable among them and also the most popular. She had spent so much time building her social network, only to be surpassed by Xu Lei in less than half a semester. She was naturally furious.

The more Teacher Huang thought about it, the angrier she became. Her tone grew even more bitter. “Who do you think will get the title of Excellent Teacher this time?”

Xu Lei followed her lead and said, “Based on all the indicators, it should be you, Teacher Huang.”

“You certainly have a way with words, Teacher Xu. How could it be me while you are here? Besides, if I were to win the award, would it not make the Provincial Special Grade Teacher award seem completely lacking in standards?”

These words were very harsh. Even the teacher at the neighboring desk looked uncomfortable, but Xu Lei remained cheerful.

“It is indeed not an award with a great deal of prestige. If you had wanted to pursue it, Teacher Huang, you would have secured it long ago. Perhaps you have always looked down on this title? Otherwise, with someone as excellent as you, why are you not a Provincial Special Grade Teacher yet?”

Teacher Huang was stunned. She never expected the habitually cheerful Xu Lei to have such a sharp tongue. She was momentarily silenced by his retort.

Xu Lei did not push his advantage. He simply said, “Teacher Huang, I recall you have a class next period. You should probably head over.”

After Teacher Huang left in a huff, the neighboring teacher turned to Xu Lei and said, “I did not expect that, Teacher Xu! I thought you would let yourself be bullied, but you were hiding your true strength!”

Xu Lei smiled and replied, “Speaking is also a matter of literary cultivation. Different words produce different effects. With practice, one’s cultural level and writing ability will improve.”

The teacher was speechless once again. Neither of them noticed the Academic Representative who had been standing at the office door for a long time. He had entered earlier but stayed back when he saw the teachers talking. He had been standing there for five minutes and heard every word.

The Motivation of Class 10

It was the long break between classes, and the room was chaotic. Li Tianrui stood with his hands on his hips, fuming with anger. “The students of Class 3 have been so arrogant lately. They are practically floating when they walk. They keep telling me their teacher is the best in the grade and that their class is the most outstanding.”

Class 8 also had a grudge against them. During the sports meet, Class 8 had competed with Class 10 for first place. In the end, Class 10 won, leaving Class 8 dissatisfied. Now that they finally had something to brag about, they were going out of their way to provoke the students of Class 10.

Wang Hao added, “Exactly! Class 8 has lost their minds. Even when I just go to the restroom, they corner me and nag me to death.”

“It is because you were too arrogant after winning first place at the sports meet,” Bai Yu said. “Think about what you did. You walked past the door of Class 8 three or four times carrying the certificate and trophy, saying how easy it was to win and that you barely had to try. Can you blame them for holding a grudge?”

Li Tianrui was caught off guard. He hesitated before saying, “I was just too happy back then. I did not handle it with enough tact. I have reflected on it since then.” Li Tianrui had a strong sense of class honor, but teenage boys are easily carried away by the heat of the moment and do stupid things.

Wang Hao scratched his head. “How did our class do so poorly in the monthly exam? Brother Jiang is first in the grade, and Brother Ji would be in the top one hundred even without a Physics score. Look at our Academic Representative; his grades are also excellent. Why is our class’s overall average so low?”

Bai Yu remained silent for a few seconds before asking, “Do you really not know?”

Wang Hao looked puzzled.

“Look at your own ranking before you speak,” Bai Yu said.

Wang Hao said without much confidence, ” I did not drag us back that much. I only dropped by about thirty ranks.” He never paid much attention to his grades. To him, there was no difference between being ranked six-hundredth or eight-hundredth in the grade. Either way, it resulted in a lecture at home.

Bai Yu explained, “Between the top one hundred and the five hundredth place, a single rank might be a matter of a few points. But in the bottom three hundred, a single rank could mean a difference of ten points.”

The Academic Representative returned at that moment. “I heard Teacher Huang mocking Old Xu in the office.”

Teacher Huang was quite famous in the grade. She was indeed an experienced teacher with great exam techniques, but she was also known for being very sharp and sarcastic. However, since everyone was focused on the exams, they tolerated her attitude. When the eleventh grade started, many parents tried to use their connections to get their children into Class 8.

Before Old Xu arrived, Teacher Huang was considered the best Chinese teacher in the grade. However, after Old Xu came, many changed their views. Old Xu had a high level of literary cultivation, and his analysis of texts was deep. He also had his own set of effective exam techniques.

The representative fell silent for a moment before continuing, “Teacher Huang said some very nasty things. She claimed the Provincial Special Grade Teacher title was meaningless and mocked Old Xu for not being able to win the title of Excellent Teacher for the grade.”

Even the usually carefree Wang Hao was silent. The reason Xu Lei could not win the title was entirely because of them.

Li Tianrui had the same thought. “No, dammit! We cannot let this happen!”

Just then, Ji Cenzhou walked in. After hearing the full story, he said, “Most of you do not know this, but regarding that incident with Liu Qi, Teacher Xu actually spoke to the Grade Dean on our behalf. He has also comforted me privately many times. Teacher Xu really is a good teacher.”

Bai Yu nodded. “He protected us, so we have to protect him too. Old Xu is a once-in-a-century kind of teacher. Why should he not get the award? Even if we do not do it for ourselves, we have to do it for him!”

Wang Hao shouted, “Exactly! We have to make sure he gets the award this time!”

Bai Yu rolled his eyes. “Of course, but do you realize the problem? You are part of the main force. If the students at the back improve and the ones at the front keep making progress, we can take the top spots in the grade during the midterm exam.”

“Why are we the main force?” Wang Hao asked.

This was a point of eternal frustration for Bai Yu. “Do you know how hard it is for those of us at the front to gain an extra ten points? I work my heart out, but if the final math problem is a bit more difficult, I am helpless. But you guys are different. You have a whole world of room to improve on your exam papers.”

Wang Hao was fired up. “It is just studying, right? How hard can it be? Just watch me in the midterm. I will catch up to all of you easily.”

Bai Yu rolled his eyes again. “Fine. Try actually paying attention in class for a full day first.”

School was nearly over, and Wang Hao was sprawled on his desk like a wilted eggplant, groaning continuously. “It is so hard! This is way too hard! What kind of ancient language is the teacher speaking? Why does it sound like a lullaby? I am exhausted just trying not to fall asleep. I have no energy left to listen. I have no idea what the math teacher is talking about. When I finally found an English class I could follow, I realized I was on the wrong page. And do not even get me started on Biology. Why do I need to know why yellow corn and yellow corn produce purple corn? Corn can give birth to whatever it wants! Why do I have to study this until I am exhausted?”

Bai Yu had expected this. He tapped Wang Hao on the head with a book. “Do you still dare to say that studying is easy?”

“I do not! I will never say it again!” Wang Hao held up his fingers as if kneeling to them. “Great bosses, please save me.”

Jiang Mosen glanced at him. “I cannot. I have Ji Cenzhou.”

Wang Hao turned piteously to Bai Yu. “Brother Bai, can you take me in?”

Bai Yu looked at him with disdain. “I have a bad temper. If you keep failing to understand, I will get angry.”

“It is fine! If you get angry, just hit me with a book,” Wang Hao said, pointing to his head. “If you hit me, I promise I will not say a word.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he was hit.

Wang Hao was stunned, his face written with confusion. “Why did you hit me?”

Bai Yu patted his head gently and said, “I was just testing the feel of it.”

Wang Hao was speechless.

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