I just had to get first in the class for physics. The class representative for physics, Niu ShiLi classmate, lost again by one point. Needless to say, he was filled with anger.
It’s not a good sign to get first for physics! I even got the bonus question, added together, I got a perfect score! There was no other student who achieved the same score in our grade!
Before the results of the language exam was released, the class leader came over with a serious expression and asked me to go to the principal’s office.
“Principal’s office? Why do I have to go to the principal’s office?”
I had a startled expression.
“I don’t know, but based on your expression, I’m guessing you haven’t done anything good?”
“If I did something bad, shouldn’t it be the headteacher looking for me? How did a high position person like the principal get involved?”
“Don’t ask me, ask yourself!” The class leader’s eyes that felt resentment for failing to meet expectations swept over my face, making me even more uneasy.
To be honest, if it was the headteacher or vice principal looking for me, I wouldn’t even tremble. One was a psychology pervert and the other was an empleomania. They both belong to the types of people I despise. If they dared to admonish me, I would definitely talk back. Even if I was punished, I would use all sorts of fallacious reasoning to put them in an awkward spot.
But this time, it was the old principal asking for me. The one with not much hair left on his head, who was usually pretty erratic, and was always impudent when speaking with students… A person I have always respected, why was he looking for me?
Seeing that I was hesitant to move, the class leader urged: “Why aren’t you going? Are you afraid of going to the principal’s office?”
Afterward, her tone slightly relaxed: “Do you not know where it is because you’ve never been there? Then I will accompany you, you can follow me.”
I followed the class leader while my mind was in a mess and we arrived in front of the mahogany door of the principal’s office.
Shu Sha knocked politely on the door and asked: “Principal, are you there? We are students from 2-3…”
“Come in, the door isn’t locked.” Every time the principal said a few words, he would laugh a few time. The “ho ho ho” kind of laughter like Santa Claus in American movies.
After Shu Sha pushed me forward, she introduced me to the old principal: “This is Ye Lin classmate.”
The principal behind the desk stared at me with rapt attention, and I felt like my face was burning up.
“If there’s nothing else, I will take my leave.” Shu Sha, who completed her mission, said her goodbyes. But before she closed the door, she asked, “That… principal, he won’t be expelled, right?”
She was obviously referring to me, was this grave atmosphere not my imagination? Am I already on the verge of being expelled from school?
“Don’t worry, it’s all right.” the old principal waved his hand to make Shu Sha feel relieved. His face was always cheery. “I just wanted to have a chat with Ye Lin classmate about his ideal, his future, and life. You can head back, say hello to teacher Yu for me!”
Shu Sha nodded slightly and closed the door.
Before she left, she sent me a glance. She probably wanted me to honestly admit my mistakes, and ask for lenient treatment.
The old principal asked me to pull a chair over and sit down. Then the two of us were seated face to face with a desk in between. Seated so closely, I can even clearly see the age spots on the principal’s face.
“Uh-huh, Ye Lin classmate, I heard that you got a pretty good score on this midterm exam…”
Here it is, so it was about the midterm exam! My cheating must have been discovered! At the very least, all my scores would be invalid, and then I would be criticized.
Seeing me getting more and more nervous, the old principal still talked cheerfully.
“Haha, I’m actually very willing to believe in the drive of the male students. You should be praised If you have achieved good results through hard work!”
Is he mocking me? He is definitely mocking me! I was so ashamed I couldn’t lift my head.
The old principal changed the topic: “Unfortunately, the 4th examination room has a poor record, there was someone who…”
I don’t even have to think about it, the old principal is definitely going to say “someone who cheated!”
Unexpectedly, the old principal said: “Someone who fell asleep in the examination room. His saliva ruined the examination papers, so he did not get a score.”
Huh? Who is he talking about? Was he talking about Li ErLeng, who was snoring throughout the exam?
The old principal then showed an expression of deep regret. “Ye Lin classmate, you fell asleep too, right?”
“Huh?” I couldn’t respond for the time being.
“You slept through three subjects: language, English, and politics, right?”
Seeing that I was still dumbstruck, the old principal grabbed the small wooden fish with the word “Fu” next to his hand and made slammed it hard like a gavel.
“Admit that you fell asleep!”
I shrank back and repeated in a hurry: “I fell asleep.”
“Um, that sounds about right…” The old principal took a sip of his green tea that was in a porcelain cup, probably because the tea was already cold, he frowned after drinking it.
“Because you fell asleep, you drooled, so the exam of those three subjects were ruined. No matter how good you answered, you can only score zero points —— do you have any objections?”
I suddenly understood, the school probably has already determined that the results of those three subjects was plagiarism, but they did not catch me in the act. When I copied it, I was a little smart, I did not copy Xiao Qin’s exam word for word. That’s why the principal wants to force me to cancel my own grades!
“Umm… did I have that much saliva?”
Although it wasn’t unjust to cancel my grades, but I still put in my own effort for those three exams, such as the essay on the language exam. Also, wouldn’t it be too cruel for dad to receive three zero point exams at the parent-teacher conference?
“Eh, you still dare to bargain?” The old principal stared at me.
I became more courageous because the school did not have actual evidence of me cheating.
“Well, principal, I admit I fell asleep, but my saliva… probably only ruined half of the paper?”
“Nonsense! You ruined at least 76% of the exam!”
“Principal, let’s each concede a bit, let’s say 23%!”
“23%? Are you referring to the part you ruined or the part you didn’t ruin?”
“Obviously it’s the part I ruined…”
“You will only get 13%, regardless you will have failed!”
“Well… I don’t care if I fail. I just don’t want to get zero points.” I scratched my head and looked very embarrassed. “While my grades are poor, I still haven’t scored zero points yet.”
The old principal laughed coldly. “You win! Get back to class! Don’t do this again!”
I nodded and stood up from the chair.
When my hand touched the doorknob of the office door, the old principal asked from behind:
“Do you know why you only fell asleep in these three subjects?”
How should I know! You were the one who kept saying I fell asleep! In China, there are deaths claimed by authorities to be suicide, there is forced happiness, and there’s forced sleep like me! Isn’t it because you found out that I cheated but there’s no real evidence, so you hoped I would admit it?
“Well, because I think you’re not stupid.”
“What?”
“This time for the sciences, the teachers deliberately made the problems difficult, but you actually got a very good score, and you didn’t fall asleep…”
Stop always mentioning sleeping! Simply saying plagiarism would be better!
“So this time, we won’t make it a big deal, unlike some people who suggested that we should thoroughly investigate whether or not you cheated… Can you take the test with your real strength next time and show them?”
I felt a bit of warmth in my heart, but I said, “Why do I have to do something so bothersome?”
The old principal clasped his hands together and looked amiable. “Let’s just say it’s for me… I made a bet with the vice principle, saying that when you take the final exam, your mathematics, chemistry, and physics score will exceed the average score of your year. If I win, he owes me a can of Xihu Longjing tea.”
I didn’t ask the principal what he has to give the vice principal if he lost the bet.
It’s only the average score of the three sciences, the old principal will not lose. On physics alone, the goal would have been achieved.
After I left the principal’s office, I calculated my gains and losses.
In fact, even if I only got 13 on those three subjects, it was still better than what I could’ve done myself.
It’s okay, at least I did better than last semester, Dad should not be particularly fussy, right?
I was wrong, my grades were not the focus at all.
After returning from the parent-teacher conference on Saturday morning, the old man smelled like alcohol from head to toe. Both his eyes were bloodshot, and his glasses frame was bent.