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Chapter One: The Second Jade Pendant Appears
Zhang Qiu heard Jiang Xue calling him and came back to his senses, excitedly gripping his phone with both hands, exclaiming, "I'm still here, still here."
"Then you should come back quickly."
"Okay, I'm on my way back."
Zhang Qiu had made up his mind; regardless of the school's attitude towards him, he had to be present for the appearance of the jade pendant. After hanging up the phone, he woke the sleeping Rui Rui and called Yang Yu. After saying goodbye to both of them, he set off alone for Beiluan No. 1 High School.
Upon arriving at Beiluan No. 1 High School, he saw a large banner with red background and white letters hanging on the outer wall that read, "Warmly Welcoming American Aton High School for Exchange." Zhang Qiu walked into the guard room where an elderly guard with gray hair was sitting. Upon seeing Zhang Qiu enter, he said, "Go to the lecture hall; your director is waiting for you."
Zhang Qiu nodded and went in. It seemed the guards had already received the notification. Directly opposite the school gate was the first teaching building, which had a five-meter by two-meter black display screen in the center. Bright red letters flashed on it, displaying the same content as the banner at the entrance. Zhang Qiu did not linger and headed straight for the administrative building. He had attended a lecture about experiments in the lecture hall at the beginning of the semester, so he was quite familiar with the route.
Entering the administrative building, he did not see Jiang Xue, Lucia, or Director Zhao but spotted Wu Deyu in formal attire with slicked-back hair standing at the door of the Principal's Office. As soon as Wu Deyu saw Zhang Qiu, he waved him over, saying, "Come here; I need to discuss something with you first."
Zhang Qiu walked over and followed the principal into the Principal's Office. Wu Deyu pointed to the sofa and said, "Have a seat."
Zhang Qiu sat down without hesitation and quietly watched Wu Deyu. He had a feeling that Principal Wu had specifically stopped him from going directly to the Principal's Office for an important matter concerning him and that they would definitely discuss his club.
After sitting down, Wu Deyu also looked at Zhang Qiu. The two remained silent for a while until Wu Deyu smiled first and said, "Zhang Qiu, we called you back this time to inform you that the school's disciplinary action against you has been lifted."
Zhang Qiu remained unfazed and quietly waited to hear what was next. Seeing that Zhang Qiu did not respond, Wu Deyu felt a bit awkward but continued speaking on his own. "Today’s exchange group from American Aton High School chose our school among all ten schools in our city for this visit. Beiluan No. 1 High School has been an excellent institution since its establishment alongside the Republic and continues to produce outstanding students who consistently rank among the top in college entrance examinations over the years."
"Principal, what do you want from me?" Zhang Qiu interrupted impatiently, tired of hearing Wu Deyu repeat phrases often recited during weekly flag-raising ceremonies.
Wu Deyu was momentarily taken aback by this interruption but maintained a kind smile as he continued, "The leader of the exchange group, Lucia, specifically requested you to accompany them. After careful consideration, the school has decided to entrust you with this important responsibility. You must not let down the school's trust; I believe you will handle this perfectly."
Hearing Wu Deyu pronounce Lucia's name in a peculiar tone made Zhang Qiu smile involuntarily. Mistaking Zhang Qiu's smile for happiness, Wu Deyu added, "They are in the lecture hall on the top floor; you should go up now."
Zhang Qiu remained seated without moving or speaking, his gaze calm and unreadable. Wu Deyu asked, "What's wrong? Do you disagree?"
"Principal, I am very happy that the school has lifted its disciplinary action against me. However, there is something I need to tell you," Zhang Qiu said with a troubled expression, crossing his hands and biting his lower lip tightly.
"What is it?"
Zhang Qiu hesitated and stammered, "I got into a fight with Lu Bin off-campus again, so..."
"It's fine!" Wu Deyu waved his hand. "I already know about this. Lu Bin has canceled the plan for the sports hall at Yizhong, but this isn't your fault. After getting to know him over this period, I am very clear about Lu Bin's behavior. We don't need such an alumnus or such an investment at Yizhong."
Wu Deyu was imposing and powerful, but to Zhang Qiu, it all felt like hindsight, and purposeful hindsight at that.
"Now you can rest easy, go ahead," Wu Deyu urged Zhang Qiu once more.
"No, no. Principal Wu, have you forgotten? I am still facing a dilemma. If I go up there, doesn't that mean I will announce the dissolution of the club in front of the entire school during the flag-raising ceremony on Monday? I really can't do that, so I choose to go home and wait for the college entrance examination."
Qiu Wan stood up to leave, and Wu Deyu glared at Zhang Qiu's retreating figure. Zhang Qiu slowly walked to the door, his heart racing—why wasn't he calling me back? Hurry up! Zhang Qiu opened the door to the Principal's Office and had already stepped out when he lifted his other foot.
"Come back!" Wu Deyu's authoritative voice boomed in the air. Zhang Qiu abruptly stopped, beads of sweat forming on his back. Principal Wu had finally relented.
Zhang Qiu turned around and walked back to stand in front of Wu Deyu's desk. Wu Deyu sat in his chair with a dark expression, his voice even grimmer: "Your club must not cause any trouble in this month before the college entrance examination. Can you manage that?"
"I can," Zhang Qiu simply replied with one word. He had already promised not to cause trouble before; now he had gone around in circles only to return to the starting point. Moreover, he had been cleared of any punishment.
Wu Deyu received the assurance and waved his hand. "Go ahead; they are in the lecture hall."
"Principal, then I'll take my leave," Zhang Qiu said goodbye and left the Principal's Office. The moment the door closed behind him, Wu Deyu unexpectedly slammed his fist on the desk. The last time Wu Deyu got this angry was when he was still a director dealing with mischievous students.
Zhang Qiu bounded up the stairs three steps at a time, feeling a surge of energy from within as his tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed. Outside the office building, clouds blocking the sunlight drifted from west to east, revealing vast stretches of blue sky. The fiery sun shone brightly overhead, casting golden rays down upon the earth and filtering through the windows onto Zhang Qiu. A cool breeze blew by, tousling a strand of hair on his forehead.
Zhang Qiu stood at the entrance of the lecture hall, adjusted his breathing, smoothed his hair, and knocked on the door.
"Come in!"
Zhang Qiu pushed open the door; inside the large lecture hall sat only a few people in the front row—dozens of blonde-haired, blue-eyed foreign youths occupying chairs made the space feel cramped. Jiang Xue sat among them with an unfamiliar student, appearing even more delicate and fragile. Director Zhao and an almost bald foreign elder sat on stage; despite the heat, the elder wore a shirt and suit.
The elder had a broad nose adorned with gold-rimmed glasses; tufts of white hair were scattered around his head, and a layer of coarse beard covered his rosy face. He was tall like a bear but had a friendly demeanor; conversely, Director Zhao exuded an air of authority. Upon seeing Zhang Qiu enter, Director Zhao cleared his throat twice and was about to speak when he was suddenly interrupted.
"Hello, I'm Lucia; you can also call me by my Chinese name, Xia."
The girl sitting next to Jiang Xue stood up with a bright smile and greeted Zhang Qiu in awkward Mandarin, abruptly cutting off Director Zhao and forcing him to hold back his words.
Director Zhao's expression was slightly displeased. Is this how the students from Aton High School behave? They have no sense of decorum at all. The leaders haven't even spoken yet, so how can they casually greet each other and stand up? It's simply outrageous. Director Zhao thought this but couldn't voice it. He glanced at the teacher from Aton High School beside him, who appeared completely unfazed, as if nothing had happened.
Zhang Qiu walked up to Lucia, first greeting Jiang Xue before sizing up the blonde girl from America. The girl had the prominent features typical of Westerners, with large eyes resembling blue glass beads that sparkled with youthful vitality. Her long golden hair cascaded down her shoulders like a flowing golden waterfall. Lucia's skin was even fairer than Jiang Xue's, and her crop top, which exposed her navel, accentuated her figure, revealing a smooth abdominal line. Her chest was notably full, resembling two rabbits trapped in a cage, almost bursting free. Zhang Qiu smiled and extended her hand, saying, "Hello, Lucia, my name is Zhang Qiu."
Jiang Xue stood up and introduced Zhang Qiu to Lucia in fluent English: "This is Zhang Qiu, the holder of one jade pendant." She then smiled slightly at Zhang Qiu and added, "She is the holder of another jade pendant."
Jiang Xue's voice was low; the surrounding classmates could hear her but didn't understand what she meant by "jade pendant" and were not particularly interested. However, Director Zhao at the front was intrigued and strained to catch some information. Unfortunately, he couldn't hear anything and certainly didn't understand.
Director Zhao timely spoke up: "Students, please be quiet. Now that everyone is here, we will officially begin our meeting." With that, another student started translating for the foreign students.
Lucia quickly addressed Director Zhao: "Hello, teacher. I think I should talk to Zhang Qiu first."
Director Zhao looked at the foreign student dressed so revealingly as she rambled on in a language he couldn't comprehend and quickly turned to Jiang Xue. Jiang Xue translated accurately into Chinese. Upon hearing it, Director Zhao's expression changed; he turned to Iris from Aton High School beside him and said, "I think we should hold the meeting first; it's more important."
Teacher Iris shook her round head repeatedly and said, "No, no, no, Mr. Zhao. I'm just leading this exchange activity; the person in charge is our exchange group leader Lucia. Let's follow her lead."
Director Zhao's expression grew even darker. This Aton High School was simply outrageous; the teacher in charge wasn't even the group leader! Even if she wasn't the leader, it should still be managed by a teacher—how could they let students run amok? Lucia looked at Director Zhao with wide eyes while Zhang Qiu understood Director Zhao's dissatisfaction and said to him, "Director, let's hold the meeting first."
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