Chapter 5
"Why should overwork subsidies be canceled? Aren't we risking our lives to plug the gap in a harmonious society?"
"They didn't say it was canceled, they just said they would create student files, use the quality of the files to grade teachers, and make it easier to give students a comprehensive evaluation later."
"Oh, cultural studies account for 30%, physical fitness for 30%, and talent for 40%. Don't they know what kind of people the students at the Magic Fishing Academy are? We've already lost two of them, cultural studies and talent. What's the point of making files? Making files requires teachers to visit each student's home. Those kids' parents are all rich and powerful; any faculty member could meet them."
“What Teacher Anna said makes sense. Director Ma, why don’t you report this to your superiors again?”
Chi Xia walked into the office empty-handed. She listened to some of the conversation, but not all of it. She only knew that she might be going to visit students' homes. She quietly sat down in her seat. Her colleagues were still having a heated discussion and seemed not to have noticed her.
"I think I understand now. This is to increase the workload of our teachers while forcibly reducing their salaries. Before the file system was implemented, every teacher at Magic Fishing Academy could receive the full amount of the overwork allowance. Now, we have to do this wasteful and ridiculous file system, and the scoring is up to them. The overwork allowance has to be paid according to the score. This is outrageous!"
"Director Ma, say something! When have the students of the Demon Fishing Academy not harming our physical and mental health? Isn't it only right that we receive overtime pay?"
A group of teachers surrounded Director Ma's desk, each one louder than the last.
Director Ma calmly unscrewed his thermos, blew on the tea to cool it down, took a leisurely sip, and turned to look at Chi Xia, who had just sat down opposite him. "Teacher Xia, how is your first day of class?"
Seeing that everyone was looking at her, Chi Xia pushed up her glasses with trembling hands and stammered, "It's...it's alright."
Director Ma nodded, then, as if remembering something, asked, "Where are your textbooks?"
Others also noticed that her desk was completely empty, and she hadn't brought back any of the textbooks she had taken with her. Chi Xia lowered her head, looking as if she had suffered a great injustice, and she pinched her fingers. The gazes of those watching her instantly became more sympathetic than curious.
“Director Ma, those devils’ guarantees are completely worthless. Even though you’ve given their guardians an ultimatum—that if they get rid of one more teacher, they’ll all be given a holiday—I don’t see any change in them. Teacher Xin was still sent to the emergency room, and the newly arrived Teacher Xia was still bullied to the point that she didn’t dare to say a word!”
After Anna spoke up for justice, she took two steps over and grabbed Chi Xia's hand. "Don't be afraid. Upload the content recorded by the Rubik's Cube to the sharing platform. I'll help you organize it. We'll pay whatever compensation is due. We absolutely can't let those sons of bitches of capitalists get away with it. They can't even raise their own puppies properly, sending them here to make us suffer, and they still try to find ways to deduct our money. They're inhuman! Just send as much as you can, I'll go get the money for you!"
Chi Xia looked at the others, all filled with righteous indignation. It seemed that her situation had given them a new breakthrough, but unfortunately, she hadn't given them any material to elaborate on.
She scratched her head awkwardly and bit her lip. "Um, I didn't record it. I forgot."
"What?!" Anna's eyes widened, and after exclaiming, she took a deep breath, gripped her hand tightly, and said softly, "Xia, are you... are you too scared to even record this?"
I wasn't scared, I was just busy dealing with those kids, I completely forgot, and it seems like she wouldn't get any compensation even if she recorded it.
But she nodded seriously, then shook her head in a fluster.
Anna automatically interpreted it as heartbreaking, bent down and hugged her, then turned to plead with Director Ma, pointing at Chi Xia, "Director Ma, how can you bear to see such a kind child like Xia forced to accept unfair treatment as soon as she comes in? Even if you don't care about us, you should care about Xia. She was so scared that she didn't even know what she was doing. Her frail little body went in and was eaten alive. It's a miracle she came out alive! Why should she still have to make home visits and write student files?"
Director Ma blew on his tea again and looked at Chi Xia, "Xia, would you be willing to do home visits for the students?"
Everyone stared at her. Chi Xia was completely bewildered. This time, she was genuinely bewildered. She was a newcomer, and she was already facing such a difficult situation on her very first day.
The boss wants you to answer "Yes".
Your colleague pleads with you to say no.
Director Ma: "Xia?"
"Oh my, I'm exhausted." Lin Keli rushed in, put down her bag and car keys, and took a sip of water. "Director, Teacher Xin was fortunate to be taken to the hospital in time. I'll send you his disability assessment report and video in a bit."
Lin Keli's commotion saved Chi Xia, and everyone looked at Lin Keli. Anna immediately rushed over, "Lili, my poor teacher Xin, how is he?"
Lin Keli took another sip of water. "Two ribs are broken, there is a moderate fracture in my cervical vertebra, and my neck is in a cast. My crippled leg and the cast on my neck complement each other."
Anna let out a wail, "Director! Listen to this! This is the cry of the people! Justice is being torn apart by evil time and time again! Are you going to let those bullies endlessly bully and oppress us poor people?"
Lin Keli was startled. She had been busy dealing with Teacher Xin's matter and was unaware of the latest document notification. "What happened? Did I miss something?"
Anna pulled her aside and recounted the story to her with great emotion. Lin Keli laughed, "That's it? It's just a home visit, isn't it?"
Everyone: “…”
Director Ma: "Each of you should learn from Lili. That's what makes her our honorable permanent guest."
Lin Keli smiled, "Director, is this the number for each home visit?" She held up two index fingers and crossed them to make a ten.
Everyone: "Hahaha!"
Anna patted Lin Keli on the shoulder excitedly, "This is our glorious warrior."
Director Ma thought for a moment, then called his superiors back. "Chairman Feng, we've carefully read your document and unanimously approved it. It's just that there have been quite a few injured teachers recently, so the consultation fees and caregiver fees... Okay, thank you in advance, Chairman Feng. I'll arrange for the teachers to make home visits immediately. Alright, then I won't take up any more of your time. Goodbye."
After hanging up the phone, Director Ma looked at the group of money-grubbing ghosts surrounding him and sneered, "Go ahead with peace of mind. Chairman Feng has already spoken to the parents of those students. Your trouble fees will be paid by those parents."
"The director is awesome!"
"Director, accepting red envelopes isn't against the rules, is it?"
Director Ma smiled and said, "If you're very busy, I can help you out."
"No, no, no, we have plenty of time. We'll start preparing right away. How can we trouble the director? He has a lot of things to do, and it would make us seem incompetent."
The soft rustling of laughter enlivened the harmonious atmosphere in the Grade 11 office.
"Smack!"
Lin Keli suddenly slapped her forehead. "Look at my terrible memory! How could I forget this? Teacher Xin needs someone to accompany her tonight. Unfortunately, the hospital is short-staffed and all the caregivers have been temporarily transferred by the nursing home next door. Who among you is available to help take care of Teacher Xin tonight?"
Everyone fell silent upon hearing this, and even Anna quickly returned to her workstation, instantly creating a false sense of busyness.
Lin Keli laughed and scolded, "Do you guys have to be so realistic? Cheng Yang, you're coming with me."
Cheng Yang was the young male teacher who had interviewed Chi Xia at the beginning. When he heard his name called, he said in a serious tone, "My mom has been calling me home for dinner today. She's been nagging me about it several times already. I don't want to upset her. How about next time?"
Lin Keli pointed at him, "You're something else, you scheming green tea. Anna, shall we go see your poor little thing?"
Anna blinked her long eyelashes and giggled, "Honey, I promised my aunt I'd go on a blind date. This is my last shot at 35. You can't bear to see me all alone, right?"
Lin Keli sighed heavily. "I've seen through you guys now. You're all obsessed with money. You never hesitate to exploit Teacher Xin, yet you've been sticking to your posts for two months, even with an injured arm and a limp. You ungrateful bastards, I'll go myself, right now. Director, this doesn't count as absenteeism, does it?"
Director Ma shook his head. "Thank you for your hard work. The caregiver fee will be transferred directly to you. I'll make the decision: double."
Lin Keli changed into a pair of flat shoes, slung her bag over her shoulder, grabbed her keys, and was about to leave—
"Sister Lili, I...I'll go with you." Chi Xia stood up, fidgeting with her fingers, seemingly afraid of being stared at; she kept her head down.
Lin Keli glanced at Director Ma, and seeing him nod, she happily came over and took Chi Xia's arm. She then jokingly mocked those who had rejected her, "Sure enough, only Xia, whom I recruited, is truly on my side and can't bear to see me suffer even the slightest grievance. So, I'm going to use half a month's salary to treat her to Shengang lobster!"
Cheng Yang stood up abruptly. "Lily, do you still remember now that I regret coming here? I suddenly remembered that my mom's cooking isn't very good."
The others tried to suppress their laughter, but Director Ma took a sip of tea and started to laugh too.
Lin Keli rolled her eyes at him, "Too late! You won't even get a chance to wash the dishes."
"Hahaha."
Amidst the laughter and chatter in the office, Chi Xia was led out by Lin Keli, who linked arms with her.
"Xia, have those wolves in Class 3 bullied you?"
"It's...it's alright."
Lin Keli slowly exhaled, "They still have some conscience. Our tests showed that they treat female teachers slightly more gently than male teachers; they only threaten but almost never physically harm them. It seems we made the right bet this time."
Chi Xiaxin said, "No, it's just that their gameplay has been upgraded. They no longer use direct punches and kicks, but instead use bio-mutants. Once you get hit by one of those things, it's not something that can be cured by just staying in the hospital for a couple of days and getting a cast."
Especially the reptile that Ye Feng placed in the third book at the end; once that reptile comes into contact with the skin of a living creature, it will immediately mutate and burrow into the living creature's body.
They only feed on subcutaneous tissue cells, traveling all over your skin. When they are full, they urinate, and that urine forms a powerful predatory tissue inside the living organism, specifically targeting and attacking the organism's immune cells.
Before it can finish consuming the subcutaneous tissue cells of a living creature, the creature's body will be wasted by its urine, leaving it a useless, defenseless body. The only solution is to continuously inject antibodies.
The key point is that once that thing enters the body, it's incredibly difficult to remove.
But Chi Xia didn't say anything. She lowered her voice, softened her tone, and spoke with a slight stutter, "Have you ever hired female teachers before?"
Lin Keli: "I've recruited three students, and the longest one lasted was one class. You've already broken the record, and the director has high hopes for you."
“Those three female teachers weren’t physically injured, but they all went to…” Lin Keli glanced at Chi Xia as she spoke, and seeing her innocent and naive face, she couldn’t help but tell the truth, “to receive treatment at a mental hospital. The one who has been there the longest is still receiving treatment. Are you scared?”
As they arrived at the first floor, Lin Keli led Chi Xia down to the basement in a private elevator. Chi Xia pursed her lips and said, "It's...it's alright."
Lin Keli held her hand, "Remember to record it. The academy will cover everything for you, and I'll try my best to get you promoted as soon as possible."
"Thanks."
The two got into the car, drove out of the underground parking garage, and drove for nearly 1 kilometer when Lin Keli's phone rang. She put on her headset and answered it.
"What?" He slammed on the brakes, and the car came to a sudden stop.
Chi Xia's instinct was to instantly stop her momentum, but after realizing her identity, she relaxed all the cells in her body and let her head hit the car window with a "thud".
Lin Keli immediately gave her an apologetic look and patted her hand reassuringly. Seeing Chi Xia shake her head with a smile, she then said to the person on the other end of the communication, "Send me your location, I'm coming over now."
After hanging up the phone, Lin Keli grasped Chi Xia's hand apologetically, "Can you drive?"
Chi Xia nodded slowly, and Lin Keli handed her her car keys. "I owe you a big favor. There's been a family emergency. My mother suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and collapsed. She's at the Third Hospital near our home, and I have to go there to be with her. Could you drive to the affiliated hospital to check on Teacher Xin yourself?"
Chi Xia nodded seriously, "Okay, Sister Lili, your matter is urgent, you can take the car."
Lin Keli smiled gratefully and shook her head, "It's okay, it's more convenient for me to take a taxi."
Chi Xia watched as Lin Keli got into a taxi, started the car, and headed towards the affiliated hospital.
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