DCTMOAS Chapter 20

During the seven-day National Day holiday, Chu Cheng’s routine had been quite lazy. So the abrupt return to early mornings and late nights after the break left him feeling a little off.

But with his very first parent-teacher meeting in his teaching career approaching, he had to pull himself together — and once he got busy, the discomfort faded.

Wednesday was the school open day for Grade 11 at No.10 High School. Most students didn’t have to come to campus, but teachers were already bustling around handling various preparations, as parents began to arrive one after another.

According to the division of tasks set during the prior meeting between main and co-homeroom teachers, Yu Siting was primarily in charge of hosting the session and managing the overall structure today. Chu Cheng, meanwhile, had set up a desk next door to handle one-on-one consultations from parents about more specific issues.

As usual, the one-on-one meetings with parents would only take place after a sequence of formalities — including a homeroom teacher’s address, performance analysis, suggestions for home-school cooperation, and a speech from the school leadership.

“Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend today’s meeting. I’m Yu Siting, the homeroom teacher of Grade 11 Class 7.”

The man on stage was tall and dignified, standing at 1.88 meters, exuding charm and confidence in every gesture. Though he spoke with a serious demeanor, he managed to win over the parents with ease, earning their trust and admiration.

Lu Yan and a few other students were volunteers for today’s event, responsible for check-ins, reception, and guiding guests. Now that they had a break, they lined up at the corridor window outside the classroom, peeking in to watch the show.

One girl took out her phone, zoomed in on Yu Siting’s serious face, and began recording enthusiastically.

“My god, my big bro’s presence is unbeatable. Just standing there, he’s got the entire room in the palm of his hand. I need to save this — perfect material for praying to the academic gods before exams.”

“Why didn’t Teacher Chu fight for a moment in the spotlight like this?”

“Probably because he thinks his face is too young and lively — not convincing enough.”

“…”

Chu Cheng had already prepared all the materials he’d need for later. After sitting idly for a while, feeling bored, he got up and stepped outside for some air.

Looking up, he saw the group of students had stacked chairs and climbed up to peek through the high window into the classroom. He quickly called out, “Hey, you guys get down from there! Don’t disturb the meeting!”

Lu Yan turned back to him. “It’s fine, Teacher Chu. These windows are soundproof and one-way mirrored. They can’t see us from inside.”

Chu Cheng was half skeptical. “Really?”

“Totally! Loads of people have tested it. Come on up.” The students shifted to make room for him.

Chu Cheng hesitated for a few seconds, looking up, then finally gave in to the temptation and carefully climbed up.

To be fair, the angle of this corridor window was perfect — it gave a full view of the classroom and allowed him to observe every movement of Yu Siting below.

There were so many parents — all faces Chu Cheng had never seen before. If he had to face them directly, he might have felt awkward, but secretly observing like this felt completely fine.

As the saying goes, parents are a mirror of their children. There was some truth to that. As Chu Cheng carefully observed their clothing and behavior, he could more or less guess what kind of home environment each student came from.

“Mr. Chu, can you guess which one is my dad?” the student whispering beside him suddenly asked with a mysterious tone.

“Fourth row by the window, on the outside,” Chu Cheng answered without hesitation.

The student turned his head, amazed. “Whoa~ that impressive?!”

“That’s impressive? You’re too easily impressed,” Lu Yan teased with a grin. “Mr. Chu, show him another trick!”

Chu Cheng responded smoothly, “No problem. Let’s go from the back to the front. Last row: parents of Qiao Anze, Tong Yuan, Zhang Jinglei, and Bai Xiaolong. Moving forward to the left: Zhang Xi, Li Sheng, Xu Wanwan, Mu Yiyang…”

The student who had asked earlier looked like his jaw was about to drop. He asked in disbelief, “Are you a fortune teller or something?”

Seeing how gullible the kid was, Chu Cheng didn’t have the heart to keep teasing. He just smiled without saying anything.

Lu Yan gave him a look like he was looking at an idiot. “Have you considered the possibility that all the parents are sitting according to the seating chart?”

“You’re nuts!” The student burst out laughing and was about to say something more when his expression suddenly changed—as if a mouse had just seen a cat—and he shrank down instantly.

And it wasn’t just him. The whole group of kids lined up watching the scene all ducked down in unison like a wave of dominoes falling.

Chu Cheng didn’t have time to react and was still standing upright, watching the parents.

The next second, when he tilted his head slightly, he made eye contact with Yu Siting, who had just looked up.

There was a hint of puzzlement in Yu Siting’s deep gaze, as if asking: What are you doing over there?

Chu Cheng’s smile froze.

What the hell? I thought it was one-way reflective glass.

Crouched beside him, Lu Yan tugged on his sleeve and quietly explained the information gap: “Duck lower, Mr. Chu. Only the podium spot can see you.”

Chu Cheng: “…”

You think it’s not too late for me to duck now?

Yu Siting, unfazed, withdrew his gaze. He continued calmly explaining the enrollment process for art-focused students to the parents. When he turned around, he casually tapped the watch on his wrist with his right index finger.

Was that a signal? His part is almost done?

Chu Cheng was startled and quickly climbed down from the stacked desks and chairs, hurrying back to the next classroom to get ready. Before leaving, he made sure to tap each of the mischievous kids on their foreheads.

Just wait—you’re all getting scolded later.

---

Just as expected, only a handful of students from Class 7 showed real interest in the special talent admissions program.

The parents who came next door to inquire about the details were all within the range that Chu Cheng and Yu Siting had anticipated—and most of them were polite and enthusiastic.

Chu Cheng handed out materials and answered questions patiently, even when he had to explain the same thing multiple times.

Time flew as parents came and went. Once everyone had gotten the information they needed, Chu Cheng finally had a moment to relax.

About half an hour ago, Zhou Jin had messaged him asking if he wanted to go to the cafeteria for lunch. Chu Cheng had only just now found time to reply.

But before his fingers could even touch the keyboard, the consultation room door creaked open again.

“Hello.” Chu Cheng looked up at the sound, his voice warm and clear.

The newcomer was a man in his early forties, dressed in a full set of dark workwear. His face bore the marks of a hard life, but he still walked with confidence.

Chu Cheng had already noticed this parent earlier while peeking out the window with the students. The man wore a worn-out glove on his right hand and hadn’t taken it off the entire time.

That made it easy for Chu Cheng to figure out who he was.

He was Zhang Xi’s father.

A factory worker who had lost two fingers in an accident involving machinery years ago.

“You must be Zhang Xi’s father? I’m Mr. Chu, the assistant homeroom teacher of Class 7, Grade 11,” Chu Cheng said politely, setting down his phone and standing up to introduce himself.

Because Mr. Yu had specifically mentioned Zhang Xi’s situation, Chu Cheng felt both uneasy and curious. As he spoke, he sized up the man’s stern and rigid expression, wondering what would happen next.

Meanwhile, since the middle of the seminar, Yu Siting had been completely surrounded by parents—layers upon layers of them—leaving him barely any room to breathe.

After countless long discussions and negotiations, he finally found a brief moment to break away and take a sip of water.

He glanced at his watch. Lunchtime had long passed. He wondered if the assistant teacher was done on his end.

“Brother.” A soft voice called out from nearby.

Zhang Xi slowly walked over, followed by a frail-looking middle-aged woman—her mother.

Although Zhang Xi wasn’t a talkative child, Yu Siting had taught her for a year and knew her fairly well.

After her father’s accident at the factory, even though he received some compensation, he was laid off. Since then, he’d only been able to pick up odd jobs, and his temper had become quite volatile.

Zhang’s father couldn’t see his daughter’s talent in painting and strongly opposed her pursuing an arts track. Only her mother supported her, but her health was poor and she could only manage housework. She didn’t have much say when it came to money—so ultimately, her father had the final word.

Looking at the sick mother leaning on the daughter for support, Yu Siting hurried over and said, “Mrs. Zhang, why did you come all this way in this condition? Please be careful.”

“Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Yu,” her voice was weak, clearly unwell, but she had forced herself to come because she loved her daughter.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about what you told me before. Zhang Xi really loves painting, but her father just won’t agree, and I can’t persuade him,” her tone was filled with helplessness.

Yu Siting remained serious. “But this is something the school can’t interfere with. It has to be decided by the student and the parents.”

“I understand, I do. But I heard from my daughter that if she gets accepted as an art student, she could apply for a scholarship, and if approved, she could study for free all the way until college entrance exams.” Mrs. Zhang nodded repeatedly as she explained, choosing her words carefully, afraid of saying something wrong.

“She might not be that lucky. But I can’t let my child miss the chance to even try. So even if I have to crawl here, I’ll come and sign for her.”

“Mom… what are you saying?” Zhang Xi gently squeezed her mother’s arm, tears already welling up in her eyes.

Yu Siting took a slow, deep breath. After a moment of silence, he turned his head and instructed, “Lu Yan, go get me a copy of the financial aid review form for the art specialty students.”

“Right here.” As soon as he spoke, Class Leader Lu was already there with the paperwork and a pen.

“Thank you, Mr. Yu.” Zhang Xi’s mother took the form, emotions overwhelming her. She rubbed the paper repeatedly with her fingertips and said awkwardly, “Her dad is too stubborn. I told him this morning he didn’t need to show up, but he insisted on coming to the school for an explanation. I really couldn’t stop him. I’m sorry to trouble you again.”

Zhang Xi’s father came too?

Yu Siting’s expression darkened as something clicked in his mind. He cut in, “Please go ahead and fill it out. I have something to take care of.”

Without waiting for a response, he turned and strode quickly toward the consultation room at the end of the hallway. Lu Yan hurried after him.

“Is there an argument going on next door?”

“No way. That’s Teacher Chu in there—he’s known for his good temper.”

“……”

The door beside Class 7’s classroom remained firmly shut. A few volunteers who had come early in the morning were still gathered outside, whispering to each other, but none dared approach.

From a distance, Yu Siting saw this, his brows furrowing as he quickened his pace.

When he reached the consultation room, he pushed open the door. Bathed in the bright light from the window, he saw two figures standing face to face.

“Then tell me—what’s the point of drawing all this crap?!” one of them shouted in rage, flinging a stack of sketch papers and an academic transcript across the room.

“I really don’t get why a supposedly proper school, with certified teachers like you, would support such a useless scam! Is it because you don’t teach properly in class and instead spend your time pushing this nonsense onto the kids? If she can’t get good grades, then she should just drop out, get a job, and get married. That would ease my burden. There’s no other path she can take.”

The snow-white sketch papers scattered across the floor, fluttering down at Chu Cheng’s feet.

For a newly appointed teacher, being yelled at by an aggressive parent might usually trigger feelings of anger or grievance.

But Chu Cheng’s expression remained completely unchanged. He stayed calm and composed, yet gave off a palpable sense of presence.

In that moment, he was far from intimidated.

Chu Cheng even lowered his gaze to glance at the scattered drawings with genuine appreciation before lifting his eyes to meet the man’s without flinching, then spoke in a poised and graceful tone.

“Going to school and studying are just channels for children to gain diverse knowledge and information. It can’t turn everyone into top scorers or geniuses through exam-focused methods. But it can help each child find their own strengths and passions, leading their lives toward different kinds of brilliance.”

“If you insist on forcefully choosing the path for your child, I have no right to interfere. And I’m sorry that, as an educator, I haven’t been able to earn the trust and satisfaction of every parent.”

Chu Cheng stood upright, embodying the dignity and backbone a teacher should have at this moment.

Then his tone shifted—still firm and sharp, his words clear: “But you don’t really understand education, do you?”

Even Lu Yan, who was pressed against the door, was intimidated by this aura and laughed admiringly, “Oh man, he’s so tough.”

Yu Siting quietly watched that dignified figure for a few seconds, then closed the door.

Lu Yan looked up at him: “Aren’t you going in to say something?”

Yu Siting met his gaze, showing no attempt to hide his satisfaction: “Do you still need me?”

Author’s note:
Big brother sprinted over the last second like: “Move aside, my beautiful vice class leader is being bullied!”
The next second, he watches with satisfaction: “As expected, the one I trained has some resilience.”