Chapter 53
The clock struck 5:40 PM, with 5 minutes left before get out of class ended. Chi Xia finished the lesson, placed the books on the desk, stepped down from the podium, and scanned the neatly arranged students of Class 3, Grade 11.
"The college issued a notice at noon that starting next Monday, the second-year students will undergo their first physical fitness simulation test, which will last for a week. Home visits for talent assessment will be suspended for the time being and will resume after the test."
After Chi Xia finished speaking, there was a chorus of boos from below.
Li Yao: "Teacher, this physical fitness simulation test started so early! In previous years it was in the second semester of the second year of high school, but it's only the middle of the first semester. Are there any new items?"
Chi Xia: "Yes, we've added a team competition."
Li Xiao, one of Ye Feng's followers at the academy, raised his hand and asked, "Team competition? What the heck is that?"
Chi Xia: "Anyway, it's not a female ghost. I'll post the specific rules and competition instructions on the internal network later, and you can log in to see them yourselves. Starting today, everyone go back and bathe and burn incense to prepare for the exam. There will be three rounds of physical examinations before the exam, so do not use any prohibited items to improve physical fitness, including but not limited to stimulants, otherwise you will be disqualified from the exam on the spot."
Cheng Mo smiled and said, "It's just a simulation, why is it so strict? Teacher, you're not just trying to scare us, are you?"
Chi Xia pushed up her glasses and stared straight at Cheng Mo. "You can give it a try."
Cheng Mo raised an eyebrow. "What a joke. With my wild dog-like vitality, I don't need that stuff at all."
Chi Xia: "That would be best."
He Ying raised her hand, "Teacher, apart from the team competition, are the other assessment items the same as in previous years?"
Chi Xia: "Yes."
Sitting in front of Ye Feng, Chu Yuan grinned mischievously, "Teacher, what if I'm not feeling well or something comes up at home those days?"
Chi Xia: "I'll accompany you to the makeup exam afterwards."
Other students: "Pfft!"
Chu Yuan: "Well, I think my family is fine."
"bite!"
"get out of class dismissed."
Ye Feng got up and followed Chi Xia out. Chi Xia didn't turn around. The two understood each other without saying a word, and walked to the special passage to take the elevator down to the underground parking garage.
Chi Xia held her textbooks, her eyes glued to the floor indicator. Ye Feng leaned back with his hands in his pockets, frowning slightly as he looked at Chi Xia's profile. "You've got a neat haircut, is it really necessary to wear those ugly big frames?"
Chi Xia didn't look at him sideways. "Does it affect your communication?"
"Ding!" The door opened.
The two exited the elevator together. Ye Feng took out his car keys. "It's no trouble. A lot has happened these past few days. Shall we have dinner together and talk it over?"
Chi Xia stood by Ye Feng's newly replaced car door, waiting for the other party to unlock it. "Then let's get straight to the point. I only have fifteen minutes."
"Beep!" After unlocking, Chi Xia went around to the opposite side and sat in the back seat. Ye Feng had no choice but to get into the back seat as well.
The car door closed, and Chi Xia glanced at her bracelet before asking directly, "Did Xu Yuan find anything?"
Xu Yuan is the younger sister of the man Chi Xia killed at Old Madam Cheng's birthday banquet. As part of an exchange of information, Chi Xia promised to help him settle his sister.
Hearing Chi Xia ask about the results right away, Ye Feng frowned slightly. Even though he knew that Chi Xia had such a decisive and efficient style of doing things, it was still hard to accept, as if the two of them were just tools for exchanging information.
No one had ever treated him like this before. Ye Feng raised his light-colored eyes, his gaze indifferent, "Is it too much of a hardship for you to have a meal with me?"
Chi Xia: "A meeting for all faculty and staff of the second year of high school will be held at 18:20. No one is allowed to be late or absent?"
Ye Feng, who had been looking at the windshield, turned his head slightly after hearing Chi Xia's explanation. "What time will you finish? I'll wait for you."
"We can have dinner another day." Chi Xia looked at the bracelet again. "Young Master Ye, I have fourteen minutes left."
Ye Feng sighed, a helpless smile playing on his lips. "I'll have someone add Xu Yuan to the Yu Clan Scholarship Fund list, giving her a monthly stipend of two thousand. That way, no one will trace it back to you."
Chi Xia: "Hmm. How's Dr. Huang doing?"
"After we linked Dr. Huang's bracelet, that person stopped contacting us. Overseas numbers are disposable, so we can't trace the user. It's also possible that the person came specifically for Bai Yu's operation, and once they confirmed that no one had been infected with the insects, they left."
Chi Xia turned to look at Ye Feng, "So, what do you want to ask?"
Ye Feng couldn't hold back any longer. He reached out and took her glasses, leaning closer to look at her delicate and sharp face. "Chi Xia, the way you killed Xu Yuan was extremely cruel. Even my men trembled when they saw it. Don't you want to explain anything to me?"
Chi Xia: "When obtaining useful information, it is indeed necessary to use some extreme methods. I thought you would understand."
Ye Feng carefully examined Chi Xia's face, which was calm to the core. "Alright, I accept your explanation. Next question: Is Chi Xia your real name?"
Chi Xia: "I don't use a stage name."
Ye Feng's light-colored eyes darkened slightly. "You said your previous job was as an embalmer, and that you could hide your embalmer work experience when you re-enter a non-professional job. But I can't even find out when you graduated from the college you attended, or even your family members and social connections. Can you tell me why?"
Ye Feng would question her true identity, which was within Chi Xia's expectations. When she interrogated that man, she was prepared to be questioned today.
Chi Xia: "You can use the time and energy you spend investigating me to find the informants of the Demon Fishing Academy. Brother Xu Yuan said he knows three people. Young Master Ye, you're oversimplifying things about the Demon Fishing Academy."
"Indeed. I don't even know who my trusted partners are." Ye Feng sat back down, looked away, and paused before asking, "How's the investigation going in your office?"
Chi Xia: "We're still investigating. Cheng Yang, Anna, and Xin Ran can be ruled out."
Ye Feng looked back at the other person and said, "What is the reason for excluding Teacher Xin? Just because he is your landlord? If that's the case, I'll give you an apartment and you can move out and live on your own."
Ye Feng was getting a little emotional, and just as Chi Xia was about to remind him, a car entered the underground parking garage. The sound made them both fall silent and look out the window.
The advantage of one-way glass is that they could see Director Ma's car parked nearby and watch him get out and walk towards the elevator, probably to attend a meeting.
After Ye Feng and Director Ma disappeared from sight and the elevator doors opened and closed, Ye Feng finally spoke, "Teacher, one last question: Was Tong Yue infected? Who cured him, and how?"
Chi Xia: "I was infected, but it's not serious. I'll be fine after injections and medication."
"Then why did everyone who had close contact with Bai Yu undergo S+ parasite testing, but you were the only one who didn't?"
Chi Xia now has reason to suspect that Nuodun Affiliated Hospital has also fallen into Ye Feng's hands. She pointed to her bracelet, "Seven more minutes, I'll answer you next time."
Chi Xia got out of the car, carrying her textbooks, and walked towards the elevator in the office building. The elevator on the left was located on the basement level, and Chi Xia pressed the button and it opened.
The moment the elevator doors opened, Director Ma stood motionless inside, as if he hadn't pressed any floor buttons after entering.
When Chi Xia saw the person, her pupils contracted slightly for a moment, but she walked in naturally and greeted him calmly, "Hello, Director."
Director Ma coughed lightly, "Hello, Teacher Xia."
Chi Xia went first and pressed the floor button.
"What are you doing in the underground parking garage with your textbook, Ms. Xia? I didn't see you when I came here."
Chi Xia: "Go get something from the car."
The journey to the third floor was taking longer, and Chi Xia subconsciously glanced at the indicator light.
Director Ma: "I think I just saw Ye Feng's car. Has he been skipping classes lately?"
Chi Xia had a feeling that Director Ma was targeting her. "No, no one in the class has been skipping class recently."
"Ding!" The elevator opened, and Chi Xia reached out to block it.
Director Ma: "No need to be polite, ladies first."
Chi Xia didn't stand on ceremony, "Okay, Director."
The two walked side by side in the corridor. Director Ma walked at a leisurely pace, and Chi Xia did not deliberately speed up, but even slowed down slightly, letting the director go first.
As they approached the office, Director Ma paused and looked at Chi Xia. "Teacher Xia, I've heard some rumors that there are teacher-student relationships in our college. What do you think?"
Chi Xia smiled, "Director, rumors are not to be taken seriously."
Director Ma nodded and continued walking forward. "As teachers, it's best to keep some distance from students, don't you think?"
Chi Xia: "The director is right, I will pay attention."
After the two went inside, Lin Keli, who had been called back to the grade meeting, squeezed Chi Xia's hand and closed the door.
Director Ma: "Teacher Lin will explain the specific requirements for this physical fitness simulation test. Everyone should take notes and strictly follow them."
The meeting lasted for nearly two hours. Lin Keli was speaking at the top of the class when Chi Xia posted intranet information on Lin Keli's computer, while the other teachers took notes on the meeting content.
It's clear that the academy attaches great importance to this physical fitness test. Among the three assessment indicators—talent, culture, and so on—this is the only one that has allowed Magic Fishing Academy to maintain its long-term success.
Finally, Director Ma gave a concluding speech, stating, "The requirement from above is that the overall score of this test must not be lower than 90%. Any class that drags down the overall score will have its homeroom teacher's bonus deducted for half a year."
Anna: "Since you value it so much, why don't you give us more time to prepare? Today is Tuesday, and with the weekend, students only have five days to prepare."
Director Ma: "How do we prepare for the physical fitness test? It's not like memorizing knowledge points for a cultural class. Physical fitness is about physical condition, isn't it similar to a physical examination?"
Cheng Yang: "Director, you can't say that. If we had notified them earlier, at least we could have increased the amount of morning runs and exercise among the students."
Director Ma opened his thermos and slowly took a sip of hot tea. "The higher-ups want to see what these students are doing behind the scenes when their academic performance and talent are both lacking. If they just give up on themselves, then there's no need to bother with any welfare policies; we'll just cut them off completely."
Before the female teacher surnamed Zhou could say anything more, Director Ma said, "Alright, stop complaining as soon as you're told to do something. Everyone has their own reasonable considerations when making a decision."
Xin Ran, who hadn't reacted much, looked up and asked, "Director, is there a punishment for failing the exam, and a reward for doing well?"
Director Ma pointed at Xin Ran and said, "Come, come, learn from Teacher Xin and always think about things from a positive perspective."
"So, does it exist or not?"
"Yes, Director, stop making empty promises and get to the point."
Director Ma: "Yes. If you do well on the exam, I'll treat everyone to a two-day weekend trip. You can choose the destination."
"Wow!" The office erupted in excitement as everyone started discussing where to go.
Director Ma stood up, looked at the group of people who were so excited that they forgot to leave work, and said as he walked out, "Remember to lock the door when you're the last one to leave."
Lin Keli responded and immediately squeezed onto a table with Chi Xia to talk.
Lin Keli hugged her. "You've worked so hard these past few days, baby. I checked, and you handled all the procedures very well, without any mistakes or missignations. You're amazing! To show my sincerity, I'll treat you to dinner tonight. What would you like to eat?"
Chi Xia: "You're too kind, Sister Lili. Is Auntie feeling better?"
Speaking of Lin Keli's mother, her face darkened, and the hand that had been playfully playing with Chi Xia's fingers instead gripped hers. "The doctor said that's probably how it is, just hanging on by a thread."
"A cerebral hemorrhage shouldn't be too serious, right? With today's advanced technology, how could this happen..."
Lin Keli sighed softly, "My mother is obsessed with not having any technological products in her body. She says that way she can die with dignity and not have her body parts picked up by the crematorium staff. I've been trying to persuade her these past few days to install simulated brain tissue, but she doesn't agree."
Chi Xia: "Shall I go with you to see Auntie?"
Lin Keli's eyes lit up. "Really? How about tonight?"
Chi Xia: "Okay."
If Lin Keli's family members are fine, then she is most likely fine too.
When the two arrived at the hospital, they did not see Lin Keli's seriously ill mother, whom she had mentioned...
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