NABC Chapter 52 - 52 - 052: Snatching the Student
Chapter 52 - 52 - 052: Snatching the Student
Chapter 52 – 052: Snatching the Student
“What... what is going on?”
“Everyone is scrambling for Xiao Han?”
Many in the classroom were abuzz, finding it unbelievable and hard to trust. Everyone was well aware of what kind of person Xiao Han used to be. Even though his scores had dramatically improved in the recent city-wide exam, it wasn’t enough to warrant such a scramble by several teachers, was it?
“Ah, compare yourself to others and you’ll be filled with despair.”
“Maybe Xiao Han cheated during the city-wide exam.”
“Right, right, he must have cheated!”
Many students started to make a ruckus, none willing to believe that a poor student could score better than them. Let alone secure the second rank in the whole grade. That was absolutely impossible. Therefore, they’d rather believe that Xiao Han had cheated than accept that he achieved this through his own abilities.
If Xiao Han truly relied on his own strength, why then had his previous results been so terrible? He was even repeatedly insulted and considered lackadaisical by Liu Jinmei.
How could someone possibly improve so quickly in just over a month? In just a month’s time, he went from being the last in class to first in class, the second in the entire grade. Such a meteoric rise, who could believe it? Other than cheating, who would believe such progress?!
“Xiaoliang, what on earth is going on?” a boy beside him asked curiously, looking at Jiang Xiaoliang.
“How would I know?” Jiang Xiaoliang shook his head and said, “Could it have something to do with the match on the sports field yesterday?”
“What match?” the boy asked curiously.
“I heard... Yesterday on the sports field, someone defeated Chen Chen,” Jiang Xiaoliang said with a frown. “Could it be... that someone was Xiao Han?”
“Impossible!” The boy jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, exclaiming incredulously, “No way! Xiao Han never even participated in a single sports meet during his three years in high school. He’s always been lackluster in PE class, with no achievements in sports competitions. How could it possibly be him!”
“This...” Jiang Xiaoliang had an ominous premonition.
If not for this, why on earth would the head of the Physical Education Department, Li Qiangguo, seek him out? And even specifically request for Xiao Han. It was evident that there was something fishy going on. Hence, Jiang Xiaoliang harbored an ill foreboding. Could a problem be on the rise?
“I heard it was Xiao Han who defeated Chen Chen yesterday!” a boy from the first group hurriedly joined the conversation.
“Really?” Jiang Xiaoliang asked quickly.
“Yes!” The boy nodded eagerly and said, “A classmate of mine told me. He’s from the Physical Education Department. He was at the scene yesterday and even specifically inquired about Xiao Han.”
“Dammit!” Jiang Xiaoliang, upon hearing this, reacted with shock and anger, “What the hell is going on with Xiao Han? Suddenly he’s like he’s eaten gunpowder. Has this guy run into some trouble? Otherwise, why would they be so concerned about him?”
A few people got together to discuss quietly.
“Maybe... Xiao Han has been pretending all along!”
How could Li Hengzhong not know who Xiao Han was? Who was he? That name was one he’d never forget in his life—the mysterious lecturer from the Hanmen Training Class. He had personally visited him, and Xiao Han had scored full marks on a set of Cambridge University entrance examination papers right before his eyes.
It was also because of this that he agreed to Xiao Han becoming the image spokesperson for the Hanmen Training Class.
However, Li Hengzhong immediately calmed down again because he felt that there were just too many people with the same name in this world. Besides, how could the Xiao Han from Hanmen be the same as the Xiao Han from Linjiang No. 1 Middle School. The former was a national-level lecturer who had changed the academic fortunes of a hundred students.
“No... I don’t know him.” Li Hengzhong hastily shook his head and said awkwardly, “It just sounded familiar to me.”
“Principal, I’m set on having Xiao Han,” Li Qiangguo stated.
“I absolutely won’t let go!” Liu Jinmei uttered coldly, “Xiao Han is a student from our class, and since I am the class teacher, I must take responsibility for him. Moreover, if the Principal insists on having Xiao Han go train for sports, then I will resign!”
Hisss...
Whether it was Li Hengzhong or Li Qiangguo, both inhaled sharply from the shock. The extent of her protective instincts truly frightened both men.
Liu Jinmei was a star teacher at Linjiang No. 1 Middle School. Many schools hoped to temporarily transfer Liu Jinmei to teach, but Li Hengzhong had always been reluctant. After all, society does not lack teachers, but it does lack experienced teachers with exceptional teaching abilities. Every school wants to allure good teachers to their own turf in order to boost their admission rates.
This was without doubt.
And now, Liu Jinmei had brought up resignation. This was truly surprising and even more shocking to Li Hengzhong.
“Teacher Liu, please don’t!” Li Hengzhong hurriedly pleaded, “You are our star teacher for the senior third grade group. We cannot afford to lose you.”
“I won’t allow Xiao Han to leave!” Liu Jinmei laid down her harsh terms, “If Xiao Han leaves, I leave too. Only if Xiao Han stays can I stay.”
“This...” Li Hengzhong, curious, asked, “Is Xiao Han’s academic performance really that good?”
“Of course!” Li Qiangguo and Liu Jinmei almost simultaneously nodded in agreement.
“This...” Li Hengzhong was dumbstruck once again, unsure of who to listen to at this moment. One was a PE teacher, the other a Math teacher. Both approved of the student. That meant the student was indeed impressive. He quickly asked, “Li Qiangguo, tell me, how exceptional is this student?”
“His hundred-meter dash speed is almost at ten seconds,” Li Qiangguo hurriedly said, “and that is without any professional training!”
“What!” Li Hengzhong was shocked, staring at Li Qiangguo with his mouth agape, “What did you say? He actually ran it in eleven seconds?”
Eleven seconds is a threshold for the 100-meter sprint event. Ten seconds is another barrier. An athlete who runs within eleven seconds is quite impressive, able to become a national-level competitor. However, to run within ten seconds is to be a world-class athlete.
“No!” Li Qiangguo shook his head, “This time he ran it in ten point zero seven seconds. That’s already close to ten seconds. This performance is almost on par with international competitions. With formal training, he could definitely compete internationally. At that point, our Linjiang No. 1 Middle School could also be considered a very impressive institution.”
“My goodness!” Li Hengzhong knew what this performance meant—it signified that an international-class athlete was about to emerge.
“What of it?” Liu Jinmei said disdainfully from the side, “No matter how impressive it is, it’s just a sport after all. Comrade Deng Xiaoping once said, ’Science and technology are the primary productive forces!’ We need to focus on the development of science and technology, to take the lead in this field.
If we’re to lead in science and technology, then we definitely need the cultivation of scientific talent. I think Xiao Han is an excellent candidate. The country needs such talent, not brutes!”