Pay Attention To Me

Chapter 3

On the first day of the new term, the weather was sunny and moderate.

Jiang Yao left the dormitory and directly collided with the Teaching Director.

When his new classmates had been giving him all the info on Yin Che, he had also been told about all the other individuals within the school who shouldn’t be messed with.

Director Zhang YinFeng was one of them.

Because of his surname Zhang (strong/tense) and his domineering name (peak of posterity), the students omitted two of the characters and referred to him as Zhang Jiaozhu¹.

He was in charge of the school’s moral education department. There were four loyal and devoted student leaders under his command, collectively known as the Four Guardians².

Although Zhang Jiaozhu was pretty strict  – waiting every day at the school gates to catch the late-arriving students and apprehending the rule-breaking students on campus – his reputation among the students wasn’t that bad. For any unsettled dispute, big or small, they knew they could look to him for help.

Such a conscientious and earnest teacher, a majority of the students actually would respect. It’s just that the Four Guardians under his command, in Zhang Ke’s own words from before, were just like “dogs threatening with their master’s power³.”

“Which class are you in? Those bangs are too long, they violate the school rules, get them cut.”

Zhang Jiaozhu had just left the school gate after catching a few late students, so he was in a bad mood and now had run into a student who seemed all sloppy. He instinctively opened his mouth and started scolding.

Jiang Yao stood at attention and respectfully replied, “Laoshi, the school rules don’t seem to have such a rule, correct?”

Before transferring to First High, he read through all the regulations on the First High’s official website, so he was absolutely sure that there was no such thing as “bangs are not allowed to be too long.” Otherwise, he wouldn’t have this hairstyle.

Whenever Zhang Jiaozhu lectured, no student had ever dared to talk back previously. This time, he had encountered someone willing to question him, so his expression turned grim, “You sure? Why do I remember there being one.”

Jiang Yao smiled, “Laoshi, Article 25 of the school rules stipulates that a male student’s hair may not fall beneath the neckline. Perhaps you are remembering that one?”

He supplied a way to get out of this awkward situation, backing himself up with his memorized school rules, so Zhang Jiaozhu’s expression improved a bit, “Oh, that’s right, it was that one. Fine, try to cut them a bit shorter, to not block your eyesight. Hurry on to class, the morning reading⁴ will begin shortly.”

“Okay. Goodbye, Laoshi.”

Jiang Yao took his time walking to the Grade 2 Class 1 classroom, arriving five minutes before the start of the morning reading.

His little middle-of-the-night saw blade-wielding carpenter deskmate had already arrived at their seats. Today, he’d changed into the white shirt of the school uniform and looked just as neat and clean as when in his personal clothes.

There was no difference between him and the group of boys brimming with youthfulness around him, except that he was folded over sleeping again.

Jiang Yao took his seat, hanging his schoolbag on the back of his chair, and compared the schedule written by the school committee on the blackboard with his schedule. He took out the textbook for the day.