Chapter 108: When Heaven Is About to Confer a Great Responsibility on a Person

Hao Lei led Zhang Shen out of the principal's office. Zhang Shen had assumed the turmoil had finally subsided, but little did he know, this was only the beginning.

Instead of returning to the classroom, Zhang Shen was taken to Hao Lei’s office. She pulled dozens of exam papers from her drawer—a sight that, for someone who had just scored 30 points, felt like a scene from a nightmare. Her next words nearly made him collapse.

"Finish all of these over the next two days. I believe your grades will improve by at least one tier."

"All of them?" Zhang Shen repeated, his voice filled with resistance.

"Yes!" Hao Lei’s crisp, decisive answer shattered his fragile spirit.

"Teacher, the exams just finished. Why are we doing this again?" Zhang Shen had thought Chen Rong was just making idle talk and that Hao Lei wouldn't take it seriously. He hadn't expected such terrifying efficiency.

Ignoring Zhang Shen’s agitation, Hao Lei continued, "Zhang Shen, this is all for your own good, as intended by the principal and Director Wei. How could I, as your teacher, not carry it out? Besides, 'when heaven is about to confer a great office on a man, it first exercises his mind with suffering.' Perhaps if you do more practice tests now, you'll encounter similar questions during the actual exam. Wouldn't that be a case of 'finding something without effort when you've worn out your iron shoes looking for it'?"

Zhang Shen dared not dream of unknown answers; he only knew his current predicament was dire. "So..."

Before Hao Lei could finish, a knock at the door interrupted her.

"Come in!"

To their surprise, it was Lu Ming.

"Teacher Lu? What brings you here?"

Seeing Zhang Shen and Hao Lei, Lu Ming didn't seem to mind; he just flashed a cheeky grin at Hao Lei. Sensing that Lu Ming had some sappy things to say, Zhang Shen immediately looked for an excuse to slip away. "Teacher, I still have things to do, so I’ll be going!"

"Wait, you haven't taken the papers!"

"Zhang Shen, stay for a moment. I have something to say to you."

For Zhang Shen, if Hao Lei keeping him meant forcing him to do homework, surely Lu Ming wouldn't be trying to drill him on physical education!

As both teachers beckoned him to stay, Lu Ming looked affectionately at Hao Lei and said, "Xiao Lei, I’ve realized we’re becoming more and more in sync."

Zhang Shen, trapped in the room, wanted nothing more than to escape this display of intimacy. Hao Lei herself seemed somewhat uncomfortable with Lu Ming’s antics in the office.

"Speak, what is it?" she asked, getting straight to the point.

No longer hiding his intentions, Lu Ming handed her an exquisite gift box. "Xiao Lei, with graduation approaching, I thought I’d get you a gift. I went to the mall yesterday to pick this out. Take a look and see if you like it."

"You bought this for me?"

Lu Ming nodded like a bobbing bird. As a couple, exchanging gifts was perfectly normal. Hao Lei opened the package, and as she unwrapped the final cord, she revealed a beautiful black backpack.

"Wow! Isn't this the one from my shopping cart?" Clearly, the gift had delighted her.

"Yes! I saw it in your cart and wanted to get it for you before graduation. Isn't that more meaningful?"

Zhang Shen, unable to leave, decided to take a closer look at the bag. To his shock, it looked exactly like the one Huang Wanting had. Could Lu Ming have bought the same model? He couldn't help but interject, "Teacher Lu, how much did this bag cost?"

Lu Ming glanced at Hao Lei and held his head high. "Not much, just 5,000 silver coins."

Zhang Shen couldn't believe such a plain black bag could cost that much. Lu Ming had clearly raised his voice to impress Hao Lei, but his next sentence threw Zhang Shen directly into the fire.

"Xiao Lei, do you know? Zhang Shen actually gave me the idea."

Hao Lei’s joyful smile stiffened instantly. "Zhang Shen told you?"

"Yes! That day, Zhang Shen came to borrow money, saying he wanted to buy gifts for his classmates before graduation. I thought it was a great idea, so I started paying attention to your tastes. How about that? I’m quite thoughtful, aren't I?"

Although Lu Ming didn't expect Hao Lei to shower him with praise, he felt that involving Zhang Shen in this moment of winning her heart was a nice touch. After all, he had just learned that Zhang Shen had only scored 30 points on the exam.

However, Hao Lei’s reaction was something that would haunt Zhang Shen's dreams. "Zhang Shen, no wonder you only scored 30 points. It turns out all your focus was on buying gifts. It seems I’ve been too lenient with you."

With that, Hao Lei pulled another stack of papers from her drawer. Combined with the first, there were at least several dozen. Zhang Shen was stunned; she was clearly trying to end him.

"From today on, you will complete ten pages a day and hand them to me every evening."

Hao Lei’s voice was firm, leaving no room for argument. Helpless, Zhang Shen looked at Lu Ming, hoping he would intervene, especially since he had stolen the gift idea from him. But noticing Hao Lei’s fury, Lu Ming wisely decided to stay out of it to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

Realizing his plea for help was futile, Zhang Shen scratched his head and muttered, "Understood."

To Zhang Shen, Hao Lei’s office was now akin to hell; he never wanted to step foot in it again. He hurried back to the classroom during the break after the second period.

Seeing him clutching the massive stack of papers, Wang Ying, Ye Qiong, and Meng Ran gathered around.

"What happened to you?"

"Has our 'miracle doctor' been provoked?"

"Brother Zhang, what is this all about?"

Facing their questions, Zhang Shen was close to tears. "The principal wants to improve my grades, so Hao Lei gave me all these papers. I have to hand in ten of them every day."

Hearing this, Meng Ran couldn't help but laugh. "Brother Zhang, you’ve really hit the jackpot!"