The Principal’s Call

May 5th, a clear day, but from Classroom 2 of Grade 6 came a perverted roar.

“Qin An, what the hell did you write?” Lin Chunlan was so furious she almost threw the exam paper in his face.

In contrast, her attitude toward An Qi was exceedingly friendly. “Your essay is perfect. The use of parallelism, metaphors, and other rhetorical devices is excellent. The emotion is genuine, and your handwriting is beautiful. Keep up the good work.”

An Qi blinked her big eyes, curious. “Qin An, what did you write that made the Chinese teacher so angry?”

“Better not to look. It’s all nonsense I made up.” Qin An had glanced at his essay score on the paper—seemed like a big fat zero. Apparently, his show-off writing style hadn’t paid off.

“Hehe, I love seeing what you write.” An Qi snatched the exam paper he was holding above his head.

The first thing An Qi noticed was his handwriting. It wasn’t pretty, but it was neat, almost like it was printed by a machine. At first, reading it felt wonderful. But gradually, the flavor changed, especially when it touched on matters of love and affection. She couldn’t understand it at all, and it seemed to mention something about the deskmate “you.”

“How can you write such messy stuff? No wonder Teacher Lin is angry.” An Qi’s pretty face flushed.

“Alright, give it back.”

“No way. A zero-score essay is rare. I want to keep it as a souvenir. Besides, you took my carefully prepared exam paper once, remember?”

Qin An had no choice but to spread his hands and watch helplessly as she tucked his masterpiece into her bag.

Neither of them noticed that the class monitor had observed their playful interaction.

When the math papers were handed out, the math teacher, who was also their homeroom teacher, gave high praise to Qin An and An Qi. They were the only two in the class to get a perfect score, and they were deskmates. Especially Qin An, who had been unremarkable before, had made a huge leap this time.

It was said that his language basics section was perfect, while his essay sparked controversy. Some teachers recommended a perfect score, but Teacher Lin Chunlan overruled them, insisting the kid must have copied or memorized it. How else could he write something so mature?

“Will An Qi and Qin An from Class 2, Grade 6 please report to the principal’s office immediately. Repeat: Will An Qi and Qin An from Class 2, Grade 6 please report to the principal’s office immediately.”

The sudden broadcast caught both of them off guard. The math teacher urged them, and they walked out of the classroom side by side.

Huang Jiajun watched their close relationship with inexplicable jealousy. She looked at her own paper, which had barely scraped a sixty thanks to the teacher’s good mood, and then at the empty seat beside her. An overwhelming loneliness washed over her. Why wasn’t it me?

Walking down the corridor, An Qi still bounced along. She always seemed so cheerful.

“Qin An, you only got 170 this time, right? I got 199! I win the bet!”

“Seems like it.” Qin An rubbed his nose. Making that bet had been a terrible decision.

“You’re not going to back out, are you?”

Qin An quickly waved his hands. “No, no. I’m just wondering what you want me to do.”

“Hmm, I haven’t thought of that yet. Put it on hold for now!” An Qi said after a moment’s thought, but the sly smile at the corner of her mouth betrayed her.

Soon they arrived at the principal’s office. It was Qin An’s first time here. An Qi led the way, and judging by how familiar she acted, she must be a regular.

An Qi didn’t knock. She just called out, “Uncle Li, I’m coming in.”

“An Qi, you’re finally here. I wouldn’t dare keep your father waiting any longer.”

Unlike Qin An’s silence, An Qi greeted politely: “Hello Principal Li, hello Teacher Tong. Dad, why are you here?”

To the left of Principal Li, who sat in the middle chair, was a man with a square face. His eyes were bright and piercing, and he looked fairly young, though his temples were already gray. He’s a man with a story, Qin An judged.

Before Qin An could take a good look at the person on the right, a little girl crashed into his arms, shouting, “An, I missed you so much!”

Who else but Tongtong!

And the tall woman with her arms crossed on the right was none other than the demon with the 34D chest that Qin An feared the most. Her charming smile was poison to him.

“Actually, I called you here because of your recent achievements. An Qi has been ranking first in the whole school, so I’m awarding her the title of Learning Model. As for Qin An, I heard you’ve performed many acts of bravery outside school and are a model Young Pioneer, so I’m giving you the title of Outstanding Young Pioneer.”

Principal Li rested both elbows on the desk, chin on his hands. Qin An couldn’t read his expression, only seeing the reflection on his glasses.

But when he saw Tongtong, like a bubbly girl, playfully sticking out her tongue at him, he knew who was behind this. Was this what she had mentioned last time? He vaguely remembered her whispering in his ear that day—I know everything you’ve done—which had scared him into a cold sweat.

“Alright, get ready. We’ll present the awards.”

“Um, do we have to be so formal? It’s just a Young Pioneer thing. No need to change clothes, right?”

Qin An’s suggestion was elegantly ignored. With Tongtong pulling one arm and Tongtong (the little one) clinging to the other, he was dragged into the changing room.

“Principal Li, about my plan to donate a computer lab to the school, what’s your decision?”

An Tie didn’t even spare a glance at his daughter as he discussed business with Principal Li. An Qi seemed used to this. She just lowered her head and tugged at the hem of her clothes, but she probably didn’t notice that her eyes were already moist.

The original mid-class exercises were canceled, which was cause for celebration for most students who were basically coasting. Doing the radio calisthenics was just too boring.

It was the same old clichéd speeches, same old clichéd commendations, same old clichéd rewards—certificates.

Qin An was forced into a small suit and a tie. The clothes fit perfectly, so perfectly that it felt strange. An Qi wore a little red dress, a simple A-line short dress, retro and pretty, elegant yet cute, with a big bow tied in her hair that amplified her grace to the fullest.

Huang Jiajun watched Qin An and An Qi on stage, looking like a perfect golden couple, and felt a pang of bitterness. She twisted the hem of her dress, as if planning to tear it apart.

Wang Luoran was unusually quiet. Normally, she would have shouted something like, “Little Anzi, you’re amazing!” But now, she reached out toward Qin An’s direction and muttered, “Getting farther and farther away, Qin An…”

“How could Brother be like this! Dressed so formally, is he planning to marry that vixen?” Qin Yage stomped her little white shoes in frustration. “Didn’t he say that a sister-in-law was totally unnecessary?”

A gentle breeze swept by, and the twin ponytails behind Qin Yage fluttered in the wind.