Only one person had been exempted by Teacher Pan and let off early, and that was Lotus Sun...
The students in class did actually understand that Teacher Pan couldn't afford to offend this Young Miss at all... What Wang Ling found most impressive was how Teacher Pan's smiling face as she sent Lotus Sun off instantly changed when she returned to the classroom - she flipped faces faster than flipping through a book.
Moreover, Teacher Pan even specially explained why she had let Lotus Sun leave. "Student Lotus Sun always gets good grades, is sensible and never makes trouble! Her parents personally gave me a phone call to explain the situation. Otherwise, I wouldn't have let her off so easily, even if it was Student Lotus Sun! Am I, Pan Shengcong, the kind of person to bow and scrape to others?"
This time, Wang Ling heard everyone speak in unison in their hearts: YES!
...
The days were very long in July in Songhai city. Wang Ling left school close to half past six, but the sky was still bright and it wasn't even sunset yet.
He followed behind Super Chen and Dopey Guo, and could hear them grumbling as they walked.
Dopey Guo: "This Old Pan didn't give us any face at all. In all of my sixteen years of school, she's definitely the worst teacher-in-charge I've ever seen! Now that she's taken our phones away, we might never get them back..."
Super Chen laughed. "It's just over ninety marks in every subject, so what? I can do that."
Dopey Guo's jaw dropped. "When did you become so motivated?"
Super Chen: "Actually, after thinking about it, Old Pan does have her flaws, but her job isn't easy. She's taught so many elite classes but none of them have placed very well in the district ranking. People in and outside school badmouth her behind her back, but she doesn't care at all, and still persists in being the first person to arrive at school every morning."
When Super Chen said this, Dopey Guo was silent for a bit. Everything the other boy had said was the truth, and there could be no doubting Teacher Pan's professional dedication.
Super Chen: "Also, think about it, during the Shuigou Sect incident, Old Pan was busy contacting parents the whole time, and for so many days, but she never complained. She might be too intense usually... but she also has her good points."
Dopey Guo frowned slightly. "What you say does sound reasonable."
Behind them, Wang Ling was a little startled; he had completely never expected to suddenly hear the two "cheek gods" in class, who usually complained about Teacher Pan the most, actually discuss her merits.
Tch...
Maybe they had drunk fake wine or taken fake medicine...
Just as Wang Ling walked out of the school gates, he saw that Super Chen had already arrived at the crossing up ahead. As if he had been jerked out of a nightmare, he was sweating profusely and gasping for breath. "Holy shit! Scared me to death!"
Dopey Guo: "???"
Super Chen: "When we left the teaching building just now, did you feel Old Pan's gaze focused on your back?"
Dopey Guo: "No..."
Super Chen spoke in a whisper, "People at the Golden Core stage have very sharp ears! But usually it's safe once you're outside the school..."
Dopey Guo: "So what you said just now..."
Super Chen rubbed his jaw. "Mm, it was to ease the conscience - half of it was true!"
Looking at them from a distance, Wang Ling then saw an elegant and beautiful lady with long hair and fair skin wearing high-heeled shoes who was standing next to them.
The corners of Wang Ling's lips twitched: "..." Wasn't this Teacher Pan's second form?
Because of school regulations, teachers weren't allowed to wear heavy makeup or take any youth-retaining medication; in school, Teacher Pan usually looked like a middle-aged auntie.
However, Wang Ling had seen this youthful form of hers before!
Back then, Teacher Pan had used this form when she had paid him a home visit! The memory was still fresh in Wang Ling's mind since the old man had made her a meal of "sweet and sour spare ribs."
But after more than half a semester in Senior Grade One... Wang Ling was still the only person to have ever seen her in this form.
...
Teacher Pan pretended not to recognize Super Chen and Dopey Guo as she stood next to them on the roadside while she secretly listened to their conversation.
Dopey Guo: "No wonder you were praising Old Pan so excessively when we were inside the school, like you'd taken bad meds."
Super Chen tsked as he hooked an arm over Dopey Guo's shoulder. "You! We've been coming to school early in the morning everyday to swap and copy homework for so long, why hasn't your sense of vigilance increased? But maybe it's because my seat is closer to the door, so I'm usually more on guard..."
Dopey Guo burst out laughing. "Tch, maybe you're just paranoid?"
Super Chen: "To be honest, even now it feels like Old Pan is next to us."
Next to them, the corners of Teacher Pan's lips twitched. "..."
...
When Wang Ling got home, he found Sheep in especially high spirits today.
Sheep was dressed in a new set of clothes: it was a purplish black gothic dress which even came with a small lace parasol.
Today, Wang Ling had gotten Sheep to deliver that tattered Taoist robe to Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal. After that, the latter had directly taken her to Fatty Luo's shop for brush-up maintenance. The clothes Sheep wore in human form had a lot to do with the paint on her framework. The better the paint quality, the purer the color, and the prettier her human clothes would be.
As for that lace parasol, it was a freebie from Fatty Luo.
It was just that the material used seemed a little familiar to Wang Ling...
Back in his room, Wang Ling texted Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal to let him know that Sheep had already returned home, and in passing asked about progress on the space assessment.
About five or six minutes later, Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal replied, "Hahaha! Good that she's home! The space assessment is still in progress; activating the instrument takes time, and we need to investigate the data. Don't worry, Brother Ling, I'll keep an eye on it! By the way, Sheep should be very happy today, right? Fatty Luo specially made that white lace umbrella!"
Wang Ling couldn't help asking, "What's it made of?"
Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal: "The hair which Little Silver dropped at my place."
Wang Ling: "..."
Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal: "I heard that last time, Little Silver was played by Brother Loopy Toad, and the blow from getting its heart broken was especially heavy."
Wang Ling: "..."
[0] Refers to being single during Chinese romantic festivals like Qixi.