31: Chapter 31 Tiezhu, don't go, the teacher is coming!

[Teacher Wen Ruyan's Affection Level Change: 42 to 45]

[Increased by 3 points (Affection increased due to sincere actions)]

Fang Jiming looked at the changing number and sniffed.

"I rode a shared bike for ten kilometers and got soaked in sweat, only to gain three points."

"The cost-effectiveness of chasing someone is just too low." He ruffled his hair. "I spent thirty-two yuan on a cup of coffee and put in the sweat of two legs just to trade for three points of affection."

"At this rate, I'll have to ride until I retire to reach the dating phase."

He put his phone back in his pocket and looked up at the closed door at the end of the corridor.

A very faint laugh could be heard from behind the door.

Fang Jiming pricked up his ears for a second, confirmed he wasn't hallucinating, then happily whistled and strolled away.

At 7:20 on the third morning, the classroom of Class 18 was filled with all sorts of chaotic sounds.

Qian Duoduo was arguing with Zhang Ming about who sabotaged whom in the game last night.

Zhao Dazhuang buried his head in his school uniform sleeve, which was imprinted with keyboard marks, to catch up on sleep.

A few girls were passing around a romance novel they had gotten from who knows where.

Fang Jiming stood on the podium, holding the tattered class roster, and began to take attendance.

"Zhang Ming."

"Here."

"Qian Duoduo."

"Here, here, here, Brother Fang, I'm here."

"Lin Xiaoxi."

No one answered.

Fang Jiming looked up and scanned the corner of the classroom. Lin Xiaoxi was sitting by the window, head down, Drawing in her notebook, with earphones in, completely unaware.

"Lin Xiaoxi, can't you hear me, or are you selectively deaf?"

Su Xiaoxiao, sitting next to her, nudged Lin Xiaoxi's arm. The latter then took out one earphone and answered softly.

Fang Jiming checked the roster and continued reading down the list.

"Lu Zihao."

"Yeah."

A heavily nasal response came from the last row, slightly louder than the day before.

Fang Jiming didn't look up and continued down the list.

"Han Bingbing."

"Present."

"Zhao Dazhuang."

"Yeah," Zhao Dazhuang replied indistinctly after being pushed awake from his sleep. "Present."

The list grew shorter as he read, and Fang Jiming's pen tip stopped when it crossed a name.

"Wang Tiezhu."

There was no response in the classroom.

He called out again.

"Wang Tiezhu?"

Still nothing.

He looked up toward the empty seat to the left in the middle of the classroom.

The desk was clean; even the books had been cleared away.

Fang Jiming closed the roster, tucked it under his arm, and looked around the classroom.

"Does anyone know why Wang Tiezhu didn't come today?"

The thirty-some students looked at each other, and most of them shook their heads.

A tall, thin boy sitting next to Wang Tiezhu raised his hand.

"Teacher Fang, when school ended yesterday, Brother Tiezhu told me he might not come anymore, but he didn't say anything more specific."

Fang Jiming frowned.

"What do you mean by 'might not come anymore'?" His expression darkened. "Did he ask for leave, or did he drop out?"

The tall, thin boy scratched his head.

"He didn't say clearly. He just said that one sentence and then left. His back looked quite heavy."

Fang Jiming opened the roster and checked Wang Tiezhu's information.

The school records stated that his father, Wang Jianjun, was a worker, and his mother, Li Xiulan, was unemployed.

The home address column listed an address in a village-in-the-city at Qiaonan Old Street, a place Fang Jiming had never been to.

In the remarks column, the words "Family difficulties, recommend attention" were written in red pen.

The ink of the teacher who wrote this note had faded, looking as if they had paid attention once and then no one ever bothered again.

Fang Jiming closed the roster, a bad premonition rising in his heart.

He walked out of the classroom, stood in the corridor for a few seconds, and then silently thought in his mind.

"System, use the Clear at a Glance item, target Wang Tiezhu."

[Ding]

[Confirm use of one-time item: Clear at a Glance]

[Consumption of Teacher Virtue Points: 30 points]

[Remaining Teacher Virtue Points: 90 points]

[Target: Wang Tiezhu]

[Current emotional state: Extreme despair]

[Core predicament: Father suffered a work-related injury resulting in high paraplegia, family economic collapse, and has developed a strong desire to drop out and work]

[Dropout tendency: 92%]

[Warning: This student's dropout tendency is approaching the critical value. If no effective intervention is made within 72 hours, there is a high probability he will formally complete dropout procedures.]

[Reminder: Current class dropout rate is 18%. Only four students away from the 30% red line.]

Fang Jiming stared at the jumping numbers, his chest tightening.

"Class, everyone review what I taught yesterday this period. I'll test you when I get back."

"Okay, Teacher," the students responded scattered, but Fang Jiming didn't pay attention; his mind was entirely on Wang Tiezhu.

He turned and walked quickly to the stairwell, just in time to bump into Teacher Wen Ruyan, who was coming upstairs carrying a water cup.

Teacher Wen Ruyan looked at his hurried appearance.

"Where are you going?" She kept her distance. "The first period is about to start."

Fang Jiming waved the roster in his hand at her.

"Wang Tiezhu didn't come to class. I have to go to his house to check. This kid might drop out."

"Please, Teacher Wen, help look after the students in my class. Thank you."

The expression on Teacher Wen Ruyan's face changed.

"Wang Tiezhu?" She recalled. "That boy who doesn't talk much but writes pretty good essays?"

"Did something happen at his home?"

Fang Jiming didn't have time to explain in detail.

"Teacher Wen, I'll borrow your e-bike. Shared bikes are too slow."

Teacher Wen Ruyan took a set of e-bike keys with a teddy bear keychain from her pocket and tossed them to him.

"It's parked under the sycamore tree behind the office building, the blue one."

"The battery is fully charged; it's enough for you to ride twenty kilometers."

Fang Jiming caught the keys and turned to rush downstairs.

Teacher Wen Ruyan called after him.

"Fang Jiming," she raised her voice, "you must be back before the second period. Your math class cannot have another empty slot."

Fang Jiming waved his hand without looking back to show he understood, leaping down the stairs two or three steps at a time.

Teacher Wen Ruyan: ( ˊ ̥ ̥ ̥ ̥ ̥ ³ ˋ ̥ ̥ ̥ ̥ ̥ )

She stood at the stairwell watching his disappearing back, holding her water cup for a long time without drinking.

"Is this person here to be a teacher or a neighborhood committee auntie?"

"He gets so anxious just because a student skips class for one day."

She muttered and turned to walk toward the office, but after two steps, she turned back and glanced at the empty stairwell.

"Ride slowly on the road."

Her voice was extremely soft, and after saying it, her ears turned red.

Fang Jiming rode Teacher Wen Ruyan's little blue e-bike and sped out of the gate of No. 19 Middle School.

Security guard Uncle Zhang, holding his enamel mug, hadn't even had time to say hello before seeing a gray figure fly past.

Uncle Zhang: ( ꏿ ᷅ ᴗ ꏿ ᷄ )

"This substitute teacher runs out every day like he's fighting a fire."

"Even the people from the Education Bureau aren't as proactive as him."

Fang Jiming followed the navigation on his phone, passing through the narrow alleys of Qiaonan Old Street, where two e-bikes couldn't even pass side-by-side.

He bypassed the fishy-smelling morning market and the vacant lots piled with demolition waste, finally stopping in front of a cluster of low, dilapidated self-built houses.

Village-in-the-city.

The corner of Nanqiao City that people least want outsiders to see.