(143)

Cai Wenchuan's initial joy suddenly turned to gloom. The principal wanted to see him? It couldn't be anything good. Seeing the somewhat mocking looks from his colleagues, he nodded and walked heavily toward the principal's office.

The portly principal waited for him imposingly in his office, an atmosphere of low tension permeating the air.

Cai Wenchuan walked in, and the principal, seeing him solemnly, nodded and said in a completely emotionless tone, "Professor Cai has arrived, please have a seat."

Cai Wenchuan sat down opposite the principal. His intuition told him that this was not a good thing, but since he was already there, he might as well make the best of it. He asked, "I wonder what the principal wants to see me about?"

The principal looked up at him, and after a few minutes of silence, he got straight to the point: "Professor Cai, at our Q University, teacher-student relationships are strictly prohibited!" His voice was not loud, but it was firm and resolute.

Cai Wenchuan's expression changed, as if a whip had lashed his body. Sure enough, it seemed that Xiaoyu was right. The widely circulated teacher-student romance had already reached the principal!

These past few days, he had been harboring resentment. He thought it best to be frank and express his dissatisfaction to the principal. He raised his head, looked directly at the principal, and said, "Principal, what I don't understand is that our country stipulates that anyone over eighteen is an adult and has the freedom to date. Many universities, including our Q University, allow students to date, and even marriage and having children are permissible. In the last graduating class, there was a couple who got married and had children on campus before graduating with their master's degrees. Why can't teacher-student relationships be allowed?"

Upon hearing this, the president of Q University laughed. He stood up from his office chair, walked to the window, put his hands behind his back, looked at the snow scene outside, and slowly said to Cai Wenchuan, "Professor Cai, you are still young and impetuous. Why does Q University forbid teacher-student relationships? Because you are a teacher! Your position gives you a lot of power! Explicitly prohibiting teacher-student relationships is to supervise power, prevent the corruption of power, and not give those in power an opportunity to abuse their power."

Cai Wenchuan's shoulders trembled. The principal's voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a whip, lashing him hard.

The principal turned around and said sternly to Cai Wenchuan, "If you approve of teacher-student relationships, when your girlfriend is your student, will you give her grades fairly? Even if you think you're being fair, what will the other students think? That's why Q University doesn't allow teacher-student relationships!"

Cai Wenchuan understood. He nodded heavily, speechless. The principal was right; the school had its own considerations.

Seeing that his words had an effect, the principal softened his expression and said gently to Cai Wenchuan, "Professor Cai, you are young and promising, and a popular professor at our Q University. I would like to arrange for you to be admitted next year. Your future is limitless, so please be mindful of your words and do not jeopardize your own future or affect that girl's future."

Cai Wenchuan stood up and nodded. As a university teacher, his professional ethics made him blush with shame. He had indeed almost lost his temper, letting his emotions run wild like a lion unleashed, causing him to lose control.

This can't go on!

Teachers are those who impart knowledge, teach skills, and resolve doubts. The Heavenly Emperor, who considers teachers his own parents, cannot insult the teaching profession. As for Xiaoyu, three and a half years have passed in the blink of an eye; time flies much faster than we imagine.

He bowed slightly to the principal and said in a hoarse voice, "I understand. You're right. I'll pay attention in the future."

The principal smiled with relief and said gently to him, "It's nothing, you can go now."

Cai Wenchuan said goodbye and slowly walked out.

As he walked out of the office, thinking about what the principal had just said, and remembering that there were still three long years to go, his heart couldn't help but feel a little heavier.

It was lunchtime again. With Wen-gege's instructions and seeing the extra four thousand yuan on her meal card, Ye Wenyu generously added some dishes for herself. She ordered a fragrant fish head, a juicy braised pork belly, and two bright green and delicious vegetarian dishes. Her plate was full, the colors were vibrant, and the aroma was irresistible, making her feel great and her mouth water.

Her mood improved, and she smiled broadly.

Yuan Yuan was genuinely dieting to lose weight. She still only ordered one vegetable dish. Seeing Ye Wenyu across from her eating large amounts of meat and fish, Yuan Yuan threw down her chopsticks, which were chewing on cucumber slices, and sighed, "I've been dieting for half a year with no results. What's the point of dieting? I'm not dieting anymore." She also ran to the cafeteria window again and ordered two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes: chicken leg, pig's trotter, braised pork, and a French fry, plus a cup of cola—all kinds of high-calorie, high-fat foods that would make her gain weight.

Ye Wenyu's eyes widened as she watched. She laughed and kindly reminded Yuanyuan, "If you eat like this, all your previous weight loss efforts may be wasted."

The rebound is frightening.

Yuan Yuan had already pounced on her lunchbox and started wolfing it down. She ate without looking up and mumbled, "No, if I don't eat my fill, how will I have the energy to lose weight!"

Haha, Ye Wenyu laughed, her laughter ringing out like a clear bell throughout the corner of the cafeteria. She started eating herself, feeling so happy to have meat to eat. The braised pork with its perfect balance of fat and lean meat was so delicious that she almost swallowed her tongue.

These past few days, since she stopped having lunch with Brother Wen, she finally felt full for the first time.

Feeling so peaceful and happy after a full meal, I feel warm all over and full of energy.

After the two finished eating and drinking, they patted their bellies. Yuan Yuan, with a can of cola in her mouth, slowly asked Ye Wenyu, "Have you figured out who paid for the money on the meal card?"

Ye Wenyu nodded and said softly, "It should be a subsidy for students from impoverished families."

Yuan Yuan thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "Really? As far as I know, the subsidy for students from impoverished families is usually deposited into their meal cards at the beginning of the semester. There's no reason for it to be deposited again in the middle of the semester."

Ye Wenyu's heart skipped a beat, and a big question mark appeared in her mind. She also felt that something was wrong. Yesterday, when she found Brother Wen and asked if he had secretly put money on her meal card, he shook his head and denied it, telling her that it was a poverty subsidy from the school.

But she never applied for financial aid for students in need. Although she was very poor, she did not receive any financial aid quota from the school. So how could the school's financial aid suddenly be deposited into her meal card?

There is something strange about this place.

As Yuanyuan just mentioned, this isn't the time for the school to distribute subsidies to students from impoverished families.

Ye Wenyu asked Yuanyuan, "So, which department issues the subsidies for students from impoverished families?"

Yuan Yuan glanced at her and said, "Go to your department's student affairs office."