Chapter 21
"Teacher Jiang, I've heard so much about you, I never imagined you were so young."
The man, with a fawning expression, extended his hand to shake hands with Jiang Wanwan, and deliberately touched the back of her hand before parting.
A chill instantly enveloped Jiang Wanwan's entire body. She abruptly pulled her hand back, placed it behind her back, and rubbed it vigorously on her clothes, as if trying to wipe away the grease.
Mr. Lan seemed oblivious to the woman's aversion, and deliberately leaned close to Jiang Wanwan as he spoke, standing very close to her.
Jiang Wanwan was afraid that the other person's spittle would spray onto her face, so she silently moved her chair back a little.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, in order to better resolve the issue, Jiang Wanwan called Lan Lan over, hoping that the father and daughter could sit down and have a proper chat.
Lan Lan arrived at the office and was startled to see her father. She then turned to leave.
"Stop!" When Mr. Lan saw his daughter, his face fell, and he immediately adopted the demeanor of a strict father.
In the quiet office, the man's voice was exceptionally loud, sounding rather intimidating.
Lan Lan paused, bit her lip, hesitated for a few seconds, and then turned around and walked back.
Jiang Wanwan secretly observed the way the father and daughter interacted, her brow furrowing slightly. However, since many things were still uncertain, she did not intervene immediately.
Jiang Wanwan had the father and daughter sit side by side, and then she explained to Lan's father about the police's visit that day and Lan Lan's "bold" ideas.
The more Lan's father listened, the more gloomy his face became, as if shrouded in dark clouds before a heavy rain.
“Lan Lan is not a bad child at heart, but her thinking has gone astray. As her father, you must set a good example…”
Jiang Wanwan offered earnest advice, speaking not only to Lan's father but also to Lan Lan herself, hoping to encourage her to correct her mistakes in time.
However, before Jiang Wanwan could finish speaking, she saw Lan's father suddenly stand up.
The man flew into a rage, raised his arm high, and then brought it down swiftly, aiming straight for Lan Lan's face.
"Smack—"
The crisp sound of a slap echoed in the office, startling the other teachers who stopped what they were doing and stared at the scene.
Jiang Wanwan was also stunned by the scene. However, Lan's father still seemed to be angry and raised his hand again, wanting to slap Lan Lan's other half of her face.
"Please talk this out, don't hit the child!" Jiang Wanwan said anxiously, but it was too late. So she took a step forward and hugged the girl who looked numb.
The man's forceful slap finally landed on Jiang Wanwan's back, making a dull thud.
The strength of an adult man is beyond human imagination, especially when he has no intention of holding back.
Jiang Wanwan coughed when she was slapped, her nose wrinkling, but fortunately she managed to protect the girl in front of her.
Lan Lan felt as if she were in a warm embrace. She raised her head blankly and met Jiang Wanwan's worried and concerned gaze. Her expression changed slightly.
Her eyes slowly reddened, and her hands gripped the hem of her clothes, trembling slightly.
At this moment, the other teachers in the office also stood up and came to stop Mr. Lan from continuing to hit the child.
"The child is still young, please calm down."
"Lanlan's dad, let's talk this out, please don't hit the child."
"It's not a big deal, why make such a fuss?"
The teachers quickly spoke up to help persuade Lan's father, while also silently separating him and Lan Lan with their bodies.
Lu Dachuan, in particular, wore an extremely sour expression, as if he would knock the man down the next second if Lan's father made another move.
Seeing that everyone in the room was staring at him, Mr. Lan awkwardly withdrew his hand. He straightened his collar and seemed to have returned to his usual well-dressed appearance.
"This child is so disobedient! I'll have to trouble you teachers from now on," Mr. Lan said hypocritically.
The surrounding teachers all waved their hands in response, indicating that the other party was being too polite.
Jiang Wanwan now finally understands why Lan Lan is like this; it's simply a case of the upper beam being crooked and the lower beam being crooked as well. Lan's father is no good either.
However, bound by professional ethics, she had no choice but to greet him with a smile, "Dad Lanlan, let's call it a day then."
Continuing the conversation would only make her angrier and serve no purpose.
Upon hearing this, the crow's feet around Lan's eyes deepened, and he smiled politely, "Alright, from now on, I'll entrust Lan Lan to you."
Hearing the tone of his voice, which sounded like he was entrusting his daughter to someone, Jiang Wanwan thought the man was about to die. However, she knew that the man meant to put the school in full charge of his daughter.
Like many parents today, once they send their children to school, they don't care anymore. If anything goes wrong, they blame the school and the teachers for not educating them well.
Jiang Wanwan knew that she couldn't communicate with this kind of person. No matter how much she pleaded, they would think she was shirking responsibility.
So, she suppressed the urge to curse and asked Mr. Lan to leave the office.
"I have class later, so I won't see you off any further." Jiang Wanwan stood in the corridor, preparing to say goodbye to Lan's father.
When Lan's father heard Jiang Wanwan's words, he expressed his understanding. However, he then took a box out of his pocket.
"Teacher Jiang, this is a gift I prepared for you. I hope you won't find it offensive."
As he spoke, he opened the box in front of Jiang Wanwan.
A crystal-clear jade bracelet was revealed, its rounded edges radiating a soft glow, clearly indicating its high value.
Seeing this, Jiang Wanwan remained calm, but her tone was extremely firm: "Thank you for your kindness, but I cannot accept it. Don't worry, I will definitely take good care of Lanlan in the future. This is the duty of every teacher."
Seeing that he had been rejected, Mr. Lan was not angry. Instead, he spoke again: "Oh well, let's just consider it as making friends. Teacher Jiang is so beautiful, you'd think she was a college student."
In his eyes, teachers all had an air of arrogance, and they would only accept gifts if people begged them to do so, which was like being a prostitute while pretending to be virtuous.
Mr. Lan was always a shrewd old man, but he was willing to humble himself in crucial moments.
Jiang Wanwan felt nauseous looking at the man's slick appearance, but fortunately, she managed to control her expression and didn't show it.
"Please don't be so polite, we're all doing this for Lanlan's own good."
The implication is clear: take your bracelet back. If it weren't for Lanlan, I wouldn't want to know you at all, let alone be your friend.
Rejected again, Mr. Lan's expression twisted. He stared at Jiang Wanwan for a few seconds, then snorted coldly, put the bracelet back in his pocket, and walked past her.
After seeing Lan's father off, Jiang Wanwan lowered the corners of her mouth and turned to go back to her office.
When she turned around, she saw Lan Lan standing in the corner, looking at her with an inscrutable expression.
"You should go back to class too," Jiang Wanwan said to the girl.
Lan Lan stood still, biting her lip, and whispered to Jiang Wanwan, "Teacher Jiang, do you know why my dad hit me?"
Jiang Wanwan looked at the girl in surprise, not expecting her to say such things so calmly.
"Why?"
"He called you to show you, so that you wouldn't contact him again."
Lan Lan spoke nonchalantly, her eyes filled with mockery.
Lan's father never cared about her. To her, he was only her biological father. The time he spent with his mistresses was less than the time he spent with his daughter.
Jiang Wanwan felt a pang of heartache seeing the girl's gloomy demeanor.
She approached the girl, looked gently into her eyes, and said slowly, "You can tell me anything in the future. I am both your teacher and your older sister."
Perhaps it was the sincerity in the woman's eyes that touched the girl; her blue eyes welled up with tears, and the tears she had been holding back finally fell.
Even if she's rebellious, she's still a teenage girl. With someone caring for her, she can no longer suppress the grievances she had no outlet for. Her former toughness and unapproachability were just a protective shield.
Jiang Wanwan gently patted the girl's back, feeling the slight dampness on her own clothes.
At that moment, she once again realized the weight of her responsibility: those young, helpless, and lonely hearts needed a teacher to gently care for and nurture them.
This girl, who had kept herself prickly like a hedgehog, finally began to open her heart to Jiang Wanwan.
It turns out that her mother was Lan's father's first wife, but she unfortunately passed away from cancer when she was only 8 years old.
Lan Lan's father started having affairs while her mother was still in the hospital. Lan Lan even suspected that her mother was angered to death by her father. Unfortunately, she has no source of income and still has to rely on her father to support her.
Lan Lan hated her mother for leaving her to suffer alone, but she hated her cold and lecherous father even more.
Only when she was being pursued and scrambled by those boys could she find emotional comfort and experience the feeling of being cared for and loved.
After hearing Lan Lan's true thoughts, Jiang Wanwan felt a pang of sadness and realized that many people, including herself, had misunderstood Lan Lan.
She wasn't truly wallowing in self-pity, nor was she deliberately trying to attract attention; those were simply her silent cries for help to those around her.
Through those sorrowful eyes, Jiang Wanwan saw a little girl, scarred and harboring a hidden sense of inferiority.
She sighed inwardly and gently stroked the other person's hair. "If you want to get rid of your current life, you must first become strong enough to despise all the meanness and injustice."
What are those little squabbles with boys? They might give you temporary satisfaction or envious glances from your peers, but ultimately, they're not truly yours.
Human hearts are fickle. Rather than placing your hopes on others, it is better to climb to the top yourself and carve out a path full of flowers through thorns.
"Teacher Jiang, can I really do it?" Lan Lan asked hesitantly after hearing Jiang Wanwan's words.
Without the slightest hesitation, Jiang Wanwan immediately replied affirmatively, "Of course! I believe you."
Lan Lan's dim eyes gradually brightened, as if a rose seed had been planted in her heart, allowing her to dispel the fog before her eyes.
"I understand, thank you, Teacher Jiang!"
The girl revealed a long-lost smile, which, bathed in sunlight, made her look like a newborn.
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