Chapter 46 Teacher Shen's little fangirls and fanboys...
"Teacher Shen, sorry to bother you."
Li Rui gently placed a cardboard box in an empty corner of his desk. The box wasn't heavy, and it was clear that inside, besides some odds and ends, there was a gift box with an LV logo, and next to it was a stack of letters in various colored envelopes.
“Teacher Shen…” The female student placed the bouquet on the table, her voice a little disappointed, “When the students in the class heard that you were going to resign, they spontaneously wrote you a handwritten letter and some small gifts as a token of our appreciation.”
She pointed to the cardboard box and added, "This was prepared by several classes together, please accept it."
Shen Beidao's gaze swept over the thick stack of letters. He reached out and picked up the top one, nodding.
"I've received the letter," he said gently. "Thank you for your kind words, classmates."
Then, his gaze fell on the gift box with the prominent logo, he lightly tapped the edge of the box with his fingertip, and looked at the two students, "But this gift is too valuable, I cannot accept it."
Li Rui seemed to have expected this, and quickly explained, "Teacher Shen, this wasn't a gift from just one person. It was bought by several classes together, using the leftover funds from previous team-building activities, plus some money that some students voluntarily pooled together."
"The class committee has already announced it in the group chat. Everyone agrees to use this sentiment as a gift for you. Please accept it, otherwise... we won't be able to explain it to you."
The female student nodded in agreement. "Ms. Shen, a few of us class officers would like to invite you to dinner tonight. Do you have time?"
Looking into the sincere eyes of the two young men, Shen Beidao remained silent for a moment. He understood the students' feelings, but he had his own principles.
He didn't refuse directly, but changed the subject for the time being: "I appreciate your kind intentions, and I will be there on time for tonight's dinner."
The female student smiled and said, "Let's set the location at Yuanlai Restaurant near the east gate of the school."
"Okay." Shen Beidao nodded, then looked at Li Rui, "Li Rui, can you stay behind for a moment? I have something to tell you."
The female student left first, gently closing the door behind her.
Only the teacher and student remained in the office.
Before Shen Beidao could speak, Li Rui asked first, "Professor Shen, did you decide to resign because of those messy comments on the school forum?"
He spoke faster, with a hint of urgency and worry, "Actually, you don't need to care about any of that! It's just idle people making things up and talking nonsense! Nobody will remember it after a while! You teach so well, and the students all really like you..."
After listening quietly, Shen Beidao pulled out the chair next to him and gestured for Li Rui to sit down.
"Do you think I, as a teacher, have such a low psychological capacity?" His voice was calm, carrying the composure that comes with experience. "I have indeed read some things on the forum, but those are far from enough to make me decide to resign."
Li Rui sat down as instructed, but his expression remained tense, indicating he was not entirely convinced.
Shen Beidao stopped explaining, and instead took out a folder from the drawer, opened one of the pages, and pushed it in front of Li Rui.
It was a printed document detailing the graduate admissions process for our university and several partner institutions, along with some handwritten annotations and suggestions.
“I asked you to stay because I wanted to talk to you about your postgraduate entrance exam.” Shen Beidao’s tone turned serious. “I’ve already spoken with several professors in the department who supervise master’s students and given them a brief introduction to your situation.”
They stated that if your written test score is above the passing mark, and you perform normally during the interview, demonstrating your professional abilities, your chances of being hired are very high.
Li Rui was stunned. He looked down at the materials in front of him, which must have taken a lot of effort to organize. He choked up and didn't know what to say for a moment.
Shen Beidao's finger landed on the data page, tracing over several professional fields he had circled.
"However, choosing a major requires careful consideration."
He continued, "These areas, such as German linguistic theory research and Sino-German intercultural communication, are highly academic and have relatively limited future paths, mainly involving academic research or university teaching. The advantage is stability, but the disadvantage is that they may be rather tedious and the circles are relatively narrow."
His finger moved to another area: "These ones, like German for Business and Trade, and Regional Studies of German-speaking Countries... are more applied, related to the market and enterprises, and have a wider range of future development opportunities. You can go to foreign companies, trading companies, etc., and the competition is also more intense."
"Personally, I would recommend that you consider a major related to German for business and trade. You have a good foundation in language, clear logical thinking, and a down-to-earth personality. Studying this major will allow you to leverage your language advantages and also get in touch with the field of economics and trade, which will give you more options in the future."
Of course, this is just my personal suggestion; ultimately, it depends on your own interests and long-term plans.
He then pulled out the documents from the bottom and placed them on top, including a promotional leaflet for admissions. "The program in this document is a collaborative program with a German university, which requires studying abroad for about two years."
This involves choosing a country, tuition fees, living expenses... These are things you need to discuss with your family, so I won't offer too much advice.
After Shen Beidao finished speaking, he pushed the documents towards Li Rui again, leaned back in his chair, and looked at him calmly: "What I can do is provide you with the most comprehensive information possible and some experience-based advice. Which path you choose is up to you."
Li Rui kept his head down, his emotions, which had been building up because of Shen Beidao's departure, were now overwhelmed by even more complex feelings.
He hadn't expected that Shen Beidao would consider things so thoroughly for him, far exceeding the scope of a regular teacher's responsibilities.
Li Rui felt a lump in his throat and his eyes welled up with tears.
In the end, all the words that were stuck in my chest were reduced to just one incredibly sincere sentence:
"Teacher, I wish you and Lin Yi a long and happy marriage."
These words came out of Li Rui's mouth somewhat abruptly.
Shen Beidao smiled helplessly, "You are my most outstanding student during my tenure."
His words carried the encouragement of a teacher, "Even without Lin Yi's connection, as his teacher, I would still provide assistance to the best of my ability, however..."
His smile deepened: "Since you have offered such wonderful blessings, I will gladly accept them."
The atmosphere relaxed.
Shen Beidao turned his gaze back to the conspicuous gift box on the table.
He reached out and took out the thick stack of letters, then pushed the gift box back in front of Li Rui.
"If you can get a refund, then do so. If you can't, then put it on the platform and resell it. You'll be responsible for the remaining money. You can arrange it reasonably to return it to the participating students, or use it for future class activities. I believe you can handle it well."
Li Rui opened his mouth, as if to say something.
Shen Beidao raised his hand, gesturing for him to look at the surveillance camera in the corner with its red work light on.
"I am still a teacher now." He lowered his voice. "Accepting valuable gifts from students is against the rules. I don't want to be branded as a 'corrupt' person after I leave. That would be bad for the school, for me, and for you all. Do you understand?"
Li Rui followed his gaze to the camera, then nodded, "Yes, I understand, Teacher Shen, I will handle it."
...
In the evening, after the last class.
Shen Beidao arrived as promised.
There were already more than a dozen people in the private room, all of whom were class officers from their respective classes, as well as a few students with good grades.
Upon seeing him enter, the previously noisy private room instantly fell silent. Everyone stood up, their eyes fixed on him, filled with reluctance.
Shen Beidao waved his hand, gesturing for everyone to sit down, and joked, "Sit down, everyone, don't be so formal. I'm just changing jobs, not moving abroad to settle down. We might even bump into each other while shopping in Jiangzhou in the future."
"Teacher Shen, are you really leaving?"
"The student council is still updating your personal account!"
"Why don't you stay here, Teacher Shen?"
"If you leave, all that'll be left at our school is Mediterranean!"
"Hey! Teacher Li isn't here, and you're still cricketing."
"I know Professor Shen won't tell Teacher Li! Do you know why?"
"Why?"
"Oh dear! There's a generation gap! Apart from Professor Shen, who can play with us? Do you really expect teachers of our fathers' generation to be here with us, 'Makka Pakka'?"
...
He enjoyed his meal very warmly.
After a brief commotion, the students took turns expressing their gratitude and reminiscing about the fun moments from class...
Shen Beidao listened patiently, responded appropriately, and occasionally offered some pertinent advice about his studies and future.
He didn't stay until the end.
More than halfway through the meal, he got up and excused himself, saying he had to prepare for an early class the next day.
Before leaving, he quietly went to the front desk to settle the bill and also instructed the waiter to prepare a dozen or so exquisite small snack gift boxes according to the number of people present, to be given to his classmates after the dinner.
Perhaps this was the most humane night of his coaching career.
He had always been restrained, maintaining a proper distance from his students and striving to preserve his dignified image. But today he discovered that his classmates often joked about him in private and even gave him various "unapproachable" nicknames...
Stepping out of the restaurant, the night breeze carried a chill. Shen Beidao tightened the collar of his trench coat, which dispelled some of his drunkenness.
When he decided to return to China to develop his career, his father strongly opposed it. In his father's plan, he should go directly into the family business, rather than go to a university to become a teacher.
However, he had a strong desire to avoid being bound by a set path, and coincidentally, not long after returning to China, he joined a talent recruitment program. So, with the mindset of "experiencing another kind of life," he participated in the interview.
Then, three years passed in the blink of an eye.
The feeling of standing on the podium was initially unfamiliar and challenging.
Later, through his explanations, he revealed the logic of a complex language, and his teaching enlightened his students...
All of these experiences were wonderful, and the sense of fulfillment and value filled his life over the past three years.
He wouldn't call it a fanatical passion, but he did gradually get used to the job in the process.
That's life, most of the time.
You may not find your so-called destined passion from the start, but if you do choose it, try to immerse yourself in it and discover its meaning and joy.
Often, it's not about choosing what you love, but about striving to love what you choose.
What I fear most is that I will always be hesitant and observing, wasting time and cooling down my enthusiasm.
Shen Beidao exhaled softly, and the white mist quickly dissipated under the streetlights...
*
Shen Beidao returned home and pushed open the door.
A medley of food smells wafted towards me.
"Professor Shen is off work?"
Lin Yi poked his head out of the kitchen, wearing the dark apron that Shen Beidao often wore, holding a spatula in his hand, his face smeared with brown marks, looking silly but very cute.
"I made cola chicken wings today! And a deluxe version of egg and ham instant noodles! Which one do you want to eat first?"
Looking at his pitiful appearance, Shen Beidao felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He was really embarrassed to say that he had already eaten, especially since it was a farewell banquet with the students.
He took off his coat, hung it up, changed into slippers, and walked over, saying politely, "Try our Lin Xiaotu's signature cola chicken wings first."
Just as he approached the kitchen doorway, Lin Yi suddenly wrinkled his nose and immediately sniffed at him.
"Beer smell?" He looked up, his eyes immediately showing the familiar look of rejection. "Another business dinner? Go take a shower first! Wash off all this awful smell from yourself, or you're not allowed to touch my cooking!"
He put down the spatula, and with the back of his hand, which was not greasy, pushed Shen Beidao's chest, urging him towards the bathroom.
Shen Beidao smiled helplessly and obediently accepted the expulsion. Before entering the bathroom, he took his phone out of his pocket and casually stuffed it into the front pocket of Lin Yi's apron.
"Hurry up and wash them, the noodles won't taste good if they stick together!" Lin Yi shouted through the door, then turned back to the kitchen and started scooping out the noodles.
At that moment, his cell phone in his apron pocket began to vibrate incessantly.
"Buzzing...buzzing..."
Lin Yi thought to himself: Who's calling so late at night?
He hesitated for a moment, wiped his hands, and took Shen Beidao's cell phone out of his pocket.
The screen is lit up, showing that the caller's location is local, but no name is stored.
The vibration stopped, but then several previews of WeChat messages popped up at the top of the screen.
First message: [Teacher Shen, did you read the letter I wrote to you? I mustered up a lot of courage 〒_〒]
Article 2: [Since you're no longer a teacher, there will be no longer a teacher-student relationship between us, and it won't affect your career. I think I should be brave for myself this time!!]
Article 3 [Teacher Shen ●v● I'm downstairs at your place now. I'm so sorry... I followed you back. Could you come down for a moment? I have something I'd like to tell you in person.]
Article 4: [Teacher Shen, it's okay. I'll give you time to think. I'll wait for you until you come down.]
-----------------------
Author's note: Please leave a comment!
This story is probably nearing its end; it's probably around tens of thousands of words long.
The details about Zhang Zexuan will likely be covered in the extra chapters.
Notice! ! !
I read it again, and I realized there might be some ambiguity in the beginning. But let me clarify, this story isn't just about romance. I believe a good teacher can truly influence a person's entire life. (Lin Yichen Beidao 99999)
Also, it's not that Teacher Shen is biased. In our schooling, there are always teachers who pay more attention to one person. For example, this student has good grades, that student is more outgoing, and that student often helps the teacher. But that doesn't mean they won't give advice to the whole class. I'm not good at writing the whole story perfectly. Teacher Shen and Li Rui probably just admire each other. Li Rui was Shen Beidao's assistant in the early stages, so they were probably both teacher and friend. They didn't have any other feelings for each other. Really, no!!! The only feeling was that they both had a crush on Lin Yi, but Li Rui didn't dare to say it for fear of losing a friend. Teacher Shen scared him into shutting up.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com