Wen Chengye was very angry; Lin Wanxing was indeed deliberately provoking him.
However, the advantage of being a teacher was that no matter how angry Wen Chengye got, he could only stew in his own frustration.
The boy quickly walked back to his classroom.
Lin Wanxing, on the other hand, went to Classroom 408 of the senior year to report on the situation.
Lin Wanxing had already sent a message to Wen Chengye’s homeroom teacher, Teacher Lu, saying that the student had been found, which helped calm the anxious teacher.
As soon as Teacher Lu saw her, she asked, “Has Wen Chengye returned to the classroom?”
“He’s back.”
“No fights, right?”
“None.”
Lin Wanxing stood obediently in front of Teacher Lu’s desk.
In the office, Teacher Xu was present, and to her surprise, Jin Ziyang was also there.
The male teacher smiled at her and nodded in greeting.
Lin Wanxing nodded back.
“What exactly happened?”
Teacher Lu’s stern voice rang out, and Lin Wanxing quickly turned to explain that the football team was short on players, so the students hoped Wen Chengye would rejoin the team to compete.
The other teachers in the large office were all listening intently.
Teacher Lu frowned deeply as she listened. “Isn’t this just fooling around?”
Lin Wanxing replied, “We had no other choice, so we wanted to ask if Wen Chengye was willing. I apologize for disrupting his class today.”
“Teacher Lin, do you realize what time it is right now? The college entrance exam is just around the corner. Even though there’s still over half a year left, every single minute and second is crucial. Asking a student like Wen Chengye to play football—isn’t that just holding him back?”
Lin Wanxing said, “Actually, it mainly depends on the student’s own willingness. If Wen Chengye wants to play football, we could still give it a try.”
“Then is he willing?” Teacher Lu retorted.
“Uh…” Lin Wanxing hesitated. “Not at the moment.”
“Teacher Lin,” Teacher Lu said, adjusting her heavy glasses and pulling open a drawer. She took out a stack of test papers.
Lin Wanxing noticed they were the students’ recent monthly exam papers.
The test papers were neatly organized by subject, with a paperclip on each set.
On top of the stack was a summary table of the students’ scores, along with the answer keys for each exam.
Teacher Lu’s work was meticulous and thorough.
“I was planning to talk to you later today. Your football team has made significant progress in their grades, and I was going to praise you. I didn’t expect you to pull something like this,” Teacher Lu said regretfully.
“I’m really sorry,” Lin Wanxing said.
She pulled up a chair and sat down in front of Teacher Lu’s desk.
As the grade leader, Teacher Lu was responsible for handling the test papers of students who were not currently assigned to any specific class.
Lin Wanxing flipped through the students’ exam papers.
Starting with the score summary, just as Teacher Lu had said, everyone had improved significantly compared to the last monthly exam.
After all, during the previous exam, most of the boys had simply given up.
Skipping exams, sleeping during tests, only writing their names, or drawing turtles—such instances were everywhere. Now, at the very least, they were able to complete their papers.
For the humanities subjects, the students had recently studied various materials. Although their answers weren’t always correct, they could at least analyze the questions and write a few sentences. This change in attitude alone made the subject teachers more willing to give them extra points.
English required a sense of the language, and while the students were still somewhat unclear about grammar, their recent exposure to American TV shows and BBC gardening documentaries had slightly improved their guessing accuracy.To Lin Wanxing’s great surprise, she discovered that everyone, including Qin Ao, had completed their English essays.
‘
Although they were a bit off-topic… it was still good that they could write at all.
As for the math section, her friend preferred to teach systematically, so there were still large portions of the test that the boys couldn’t handle.
However, they managed to answer the basic sequence problems that her friend had covered.
And so, with small improvements in each subject, their overall scores showed significant progress.
After flipping through the test papers, Lin Wanxing set them down.
Teacher Lu spoke slowly, "Teacher Lin, today, I didn’t mean to criticize your work. You’ve managed to bring these kids to this level in such a short time—that takes skill."
"I understand."
"I get your idea of All-round Development Education, but Wen Chengye is different. His grades are too good; it’s a real waste for him to play football."
"Did Wen Chengye do well in this monthly exam?" Lin Wanxing asked.
Teacher Lu didn’t answer but opened a document on the computer, selected Wen Chengye’s name, and let her see for herself.
Lin Wanxing was stunned.
Wen Chengye’s total score was 615, ranking 53rd in his grade, placing him firmly on the track for a 211 university with a shot at a 985 institution.
Lin Wanxing then checked his previous monthly exam score and found it was even higher—a remarkable 655.
"His grades are indeed very good, but they seem a bit unstable?"
Her mind filled with incredulous thoughts, Lin Wanxing hesitated slightly before speaking, "I heard he wasn’t in Class 1 before and got in through the placement exam?"
Teacher Lu replied, "Yes, Wen Chengye’s grades used to be poor, but many students are like that. They suddenly decide to work hard, and their scores improve rapidly. Fluctuations are normal when the foundation isn’t solid."
Perhaps thinking she was particularly concerned about Wen Chengye, Teacher Lu went on to share more about the student’s past.
Other teachers in the grade office who had taught Wen Chengye before chimed in with additional details.
The general consensus was that when the football team was still active, Wen Chengye’s grades were indeed poor, but after he stopped playing, his scores improved dramatically within a few months.
As she listened, Lin Wanxing flipped through his monthly exam papers again.
Finally, pointing to the math section where his scores fluctuated the most, she said, "His math performance is quite unstable."
"Oh, this time it was mainly carelessness. He swapped the positions of two major problems, otherwise his score would have been higher," Teacher Lu explained.
——
Lin Wanxing carried the test papers back to her small storage room.
Pushing the door open, she found all the young pups of the football team sitting inside.
The room was dim, with the setting sun casting light through the window frames.
They sat with drooping heads, their expressions filled with dejection, looking utterly listless.
It seemed that although they acted arrogantly around Wen Chengye, in private, they were deeply worried about the football team’s inability to recruit enough members.
Seeing her enter, Qin Ao coughed twice to alert the others.
In an instant, the students either straightened up or threw a few punches at the air, pretending to be full of energy.
"Teacher, when you come in, at least make some noise! Don’t just sneak in like that!" Qin Ao was the first to complain."I was panting, you just didn’t hear it." Lin Wanxing returned to her desk, set down the test papers, and began packing her things. "Why the sudden respect for teachers today? Are you here to pick me up after work?"
"Because of that Wen dog, he delayed our training for a whole day. We’re not here specifically for you!" Qin Ao rolled his eyes.
"Oh, so Wen dog is more important than me." As she spoke, Lin Wanxing stuffed a thermos and two bags of snacks into her bag.
Yu Ming, sitting on a soft mat, was the first to notice the stack of test papers.
His eyes widened in horror, and he tugged at Qin Ao’s sleeve, pointing at the papers.
Qin Ao: "What’s wrong? Having a fit?"
He then walked over and froze in place, his face equally horrified.
More and more boys gathered around.
"What’s going on?" Lin Wanxing asked with a smile, spreading out the test papers.
The boys reacted as if they’d been hit by a bomb, dramatically covering their eyes and stepping back in unison.
"Let’s talk this out properly, no need to hand out test papers."
"What the hell is this?!"
Lin Wanxing: "What’s the big deal? It wasn’t this dramatic last time."
"Last time, we answered randomly. This time, we wrote seriously," Chen Jianghe said.
"Because you wrote seriously, you’re afraid of not doing well?" Lin Wanxing asked.
"Exactly."
"What else?"
"I think you all did pretty well," Lin Wanxing said cheerfully.
Before seeing their own papers, the students didn’t quite believe her words.
But what surprised Lin Wanxing was how shocked and satisfied the students were with their scores once they saw their papers.
"Holy crap, did he grade these randomly? How did I get such a high score?" Zheng Feiyang asked.
"This teacher gave me 20 points for my essay? Do I even deserve 20 points?"
"I got points for my English essay too—7 points! How could the teacher give me 7 points??"
They huddled together, chattering noisily.
The gloomy atmosphere in the small storeroom vanished completely. The boys excitedly held their test papers, eager to have her explain the questions right then and there.
Lin Wanxing’s stomach growled with hunger. She told them to take their papers and herded them all out of the storeroom.
——
Since the students had settled into a routine of training and studying, it felt like a long time since Lin Wanxing had walked home with them.
They headed from the school to No. 17 Wutong Road.
It was evening, and the autumn sunset cast a gentle orange-red glow.
The road was bustling with traffic, shops lined both sides, and a long queue had formed outside a braised meat shop. The aromas of mutton soup and grilled skewers wafted from various eateries.
The students, having spent the entire afternoon without eating, were tantalized by the scents along the way. They began discussing what ingredients they had at home and what else they needed to buy, like a bunch of homemakers.
Talking about food lifted their spirits even more.
Lin Wanxing thought that the newly returned test papers and their anticipation for dinner would temporarily distract them from their worries.
But the matter of the football team still weighed on their minds, and before they knew it, the conversation circled back to the team.
Bringing it up again, Qin Ao gritted his teeth in frustration at "that old Wen dog": "He’s such a bastard—immune to both soft and hard tactics, stubborn as hell, and downright despicable!"
"It’s not like you’re meeting him for the first time," Fu Xinshu said.
"Boss, how can he be so ruthless?" Yu Ming followed behind, sighing sincerely. "He really came alone today, trying to screw us over. He wasn’t even afraid we’d beat him up. That’s just too vicious!""Wen Dog's character is truly awful. Even if he's willing to join our team, I still think he's up to no good. Maybe we should just forget about him." Lin Lu said while nudging Qi Liang.
"Why are you pushing me? Wen Dog is scum, but am I any better?" Qi Liang clasped his hands behind his head, speaking listlessly.
"You just can't get over him!" Qin Ao snapped.
"What else can we do? Finding someone who can play soccer now is like waiting for pie to fall from the sky." Qi Liang said slowly.
"If that old dog Wen ever gives me any leverage..." Qin Ao grew even angrier. "I'll make him crawl on the ground one day!"
Lin Wanxing patted Qin Ao's shoulder and laughed. "Please calm down."
"What do we do next?" Chen Jianghe's voice sounded, clearly addressing her.
"There are always more solutions than difficulties." Lin Wanxing eyed a cold noodle stall by the roadside. "If it really comes to it, we can always ask Chen Weidong to play in the match."
"Teacher, I really don't like hearing you say 'if it really comes to it'." Zheng Feiyang complained loudly. "That guy's already left with all his excuses. I really don't want to go begging him."
"So you'd be happier with Wen Chengye?" Lin Wanxing asked with a laugh.
"Teacher, you're disgusting!"
"But you clearly care about Wen Chengye a lot." Lin Wanxing continued laughing.
"Stop talking!"
"Gonna be sick, gonna be sick!"
The boys wailed in unison, telling her to shut up.
"Ah, I'll never understand you boys." Lin Wanxing was dragged away from the cold noodle stall by the boys. After walking a few steps, she became interested in the neighboring beef pie stall.
"Are you hungry?" she asked.
"What are you planning?" the boys asked.
"Everyone's worked hard. Teacher's treat." Lin Wanxing said, about to ask the vendor for several pies.
"Seven yuan for one beef pie? Are you crazy, teacher!" Zheng Feiyang ran to the stall, saw the price list, and suddenly raised his voice.
Lin Wanxing: "Huh?"
Zheng Feiyang's exclamation drew the other boys over.
Soon the whole group gathered around the vendor's stall, beginning to scold her.
"You actually want to eat seven-yuan beef pies? That's so wasteful!"
"How much does a pound of beef filling cost anyway?"
"Right! Do you know how much flour costs per pound?"
"One each would cost seventy yuan!"
The boys stood before the beef pie stall, starting to calculate the costs.
"Exactly! Let's go buy groceries later. We'll make them for you when we get home. Don't be so wasteful, woman."
The vendor's forehead veins bulged - this was clearly ruining his business.
"Sorry, so sorry." Lin Wanxing hurriedly apologized to the vendor and, before he could get angry, quickly dragged her complaining students away.
The students expressed great indignation at her behavior - being perfectly capable of cooking herself yet planning to eat street food.
From earning money collecting trash to starting vegetable gardening, the students' stinginess had intensified, reaching the point of counting every penny.
For example, though they had agreed to make pies, when they actually reached the market, the boys didn't buy beef filling.
Because the chilled meat prices at the market weren't good - apparently online coupons were cheaper.
Previously the boys would plan menus, but today's plans had been disrupted by Wen Dog, so they could only eat whatever was available.
Based on vegetable prices, the boys finally decided on braised noodles with green beans for dinner, reportedly a popular online recipe recently - though this had much to do with green beans and pork being cheap.
Carrying several bags of groceries, they returned home and pushed open the rooftop door to find Wang Fa sitting outside drinking a beverage.Lin Wanxing had grown accustomed to the scene of her students bustling about while she and Wang Fa waited to be fed.
So she set down her bag, washed her hands, grabbed two packs of snacks, and sat down opposite Wang Fa.
"Hungry?" Lin Wanxing tore open a bag of Cheetos and handed it to him.
Wang Fa nodded, casually picking up the teapot to pour half a cup of freshly brewed lemon black tea into her mug. "Why are you so late today?"
Lin Wanxing lifted the teacup, blew on the steam, and began recounting her extraordinary experience of the day.
She started from the boys' "Prince Wencheng's Daily Chronicles," all the way to Wen Chengye bluntly rejecting Lin Lu. When the story reached the part at the construction site where Wen Chengye tried to sabotage his teammates, Wang Fa finally showed a hint of surprise.
"Though it might be premature to think about this now, if Wen Chengye really joins us, would you feel like 'this batch is harder to manage'?" Lin Wanxing asked.
Meanwhile, the students on the rooftop were each busy with their tasks.
The spring onions in the vegetable garden were thriving, and they had just finished discussing making scallion oil. Now they occasionally exchanged lighthearted insults amidst the noisy chatter.
Wang Fa took a sip of tea and countered, "Does Teacher Lin have some misunderstanding?"
"What?" Lin Wanxing didn't understand.
Wang Fa smiled and asked, "Do you think our current players are easy to manage?"
"It should still be better than before, right?" Lin Wanxing sounded uncertain.
"Or do you think the players I've coached before were all well-behaved, so I'd find one 'troublesome' player difficult to handle?"
"Eh?" Lin Wanxing looked at his relaxed expression with confusion.
"I was a player myself initially. Some kids in our team were sent by their parents to play football precisely because they showed violent tendencies in childhood. Their parents hoped sports would help channel their excess energy." Wang Fa added, "Of course, not all students who come to play football are like this - it's just one scenario."
"Mhm."
"Later when I became a coach, although the team had strict rules, many still hung around street corners. Those with self-control at most got into fights or used their youth team status to pick up girls. Those who couldn't control themselves had their legs broken or got into drugs, ultimately ruining their careers. So don't worry about Wen Chengye causing me any trouble." Wang Fa explained calmly...
Lin Wanxing suddenly realized she had indeed been overthinking.
Wang Fa was once a lion who had reached the summit. Throughout his long life, he must have tamed many untamed beasts.
Compared to those players, the children of Hongjing No. 8 Middle School were indeed just newly weaned puppies.
Lin Wanxing said, "I'm just afraid they'll give you headaches with their arguing."
Wang Fa: "Anything involving a collective with shared goals will inevitably involve arguments. Whether they're difficult to manage depends on just one thing."
"What?"
"Team performance." Wang Fa said frankly.
Though brief, it was the perfect summary.
Lin Wanxing thought about it and realized it was true.
When the team performs well, all members unite and push for championships. But when performance suffers, they start blaming each other and gradually fall apart.
Performance and relationships complement and influence each other - this is the simplest truth. But perhaps this very fact is what made Wang Fa weary.
Lin Wanxing took a sip of the increasingly sour lemon black tea and didn't ask further.Since Wen Chengye no longer came to play football at all, it was difficult for them to continue the discussion.
——
The boys worked together efficiently, and in just over half an hour, food for twelve people was laid out on the table.
Just then, the rooftop door creaked open.
The iron door let out a soft "squeak," but the students were all busy with their tasks and didn’t notice the newcomer.
A young man in a blue work uniform stood in the doorway. He wore a matching helmet and carried a paper bag in his hand, looking around with a bewildered expression.
His outfit was so conspicuous that even without turning around, Lin Wanxing could tell the words "Are you hungry?" (Ele.me) were printed on the back of his uniform.
"Did you order takeout?" Lin Wanxing asked Wang Fa.
Wang Fa shook his head and pointed at the students. "We’ve already been warned."
"Did any of you order takeout?" Lin Wanxing called out as she walked over to greet the delivery guy.
"Is this takeout for us? Who’s it for?"
The delivery guy pulled out the receipt from the bag. Having climbed five flights of stairs, he was panting slightly. After glancing at the receipt, he said, "Qi Liang."
"What?" Qi Liang, who had been sorting beans, stood up instinctively upon hearing his name.
"Did you order takeout?" Lin Wanxing asked.
"What takeout?" Qi Liang tossed the beans aside and walked over.
Lin Wanxing took the bag, and the Ele.me delivery guy left directly.
"Wen’s Pies," Lin Wanxing read the printed words on the paper bag, finding it rather bizarre. "Did you order pies?"
"What the hell?" Qi Liang, usually slow and deliberate, now seemed unusually flustered as he took the bag in confusion. Opening it, he found neatly wrapped pies inside.
"Are you being this considerate of your teacher, buying these especially for me?" Lin Wanxing asked in astonishment.
"I didn’t buy them. I never ordered this," Qi Liang snapped, snatching the receipt in frustration. "Don’t flatter yourself. Even if I were feeding pigs, I wouldn’t buy this for you."
"So harsh?" Lin Wanxing put on a wounded expression.
Hearing the commotion, the students gathered around, peering at the receipt together.
The receipt listed the shop name as "Wen’s Pies."
The order included six flavors: red bean, beef, osmanthus sugar, three delicacies, leek and egg, and preserved mustard tuber with pork.
Each flavor came in two portions, adding up to exactly twelve pies—matching the number of people on the rooftop.
Finally, they double-checked the address on the receipt—No. 17 Wutong Road, Rooftop.
It was the right place.
It seemed someone had specifically ordered this bag of pies for them.
The students realized this too and were utterly surprised.
Lin Wanxing couldn’t help but glance at Wang Fa.
Wang Fa walked over. "It wasn’t me. I’m always freeloading—when have I ever spent money willingly?"
That seemed true.
Lin Wanxing then looked at the phone number on the receipt. The number on the Ele.me receipt was garbled, offering no clues.
The receipt passed around among the students, and Lin Wanxing observed everyone’s expressions.
Each of them looked equally puzzled—clearly, none of them had ordered the pies.
Qi Liang finally grew exasperated. "What’s going on? Is this really 'pies falling from the sky'?"
Lin Wanxing examined the receipt but found no clues about the purchaser.
The only suspicious detail was the two numbers in the remarks section.
Yu Ming raised his hand. "What do these numbers, 19 and 20, in the remarks mean?"
Lin Wanxing shook her head.But for some reason, a familiar feeling surfaced in Lin Wanxing's heart.
"Could it be... that 'mysterious person'?" Lin Lu's voice rang out.
His eyes were wide open, his face full of excitement.
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