Genius Fundamentals

Chapter 17: Zhuan Zhu (2)

Lin Zhao Xi was so frightened that she turned her head and made for a run.

Alas, the little boy had quick eyes and hands. He hurriedly hugged her fleeing leg and shouted: “Sister Xi is going to run away, everybody come get her!”

Lin Zhao Xi looked at the boy clinging to her leg, wondering how could she have so little prestige among the children in the orphanage if she were known to be a walking nightmare.

Standing still, she shook her leg and said, “Lin Aimin, are you done yet?”

“No, Auntie said whoever catches you first will get five pine nut candies.”

Lin Zhao Xi was just about to swear when a big hand came from behind and pinched the back of her neck. Wanting to shout in pain, she quickly looked back, but after seeing a gloomy face looking back at her, all her painful cries were swallowed.

Five minutes later, in the dean’s office.

The orphanage didn’t have many lights on, and the garden house outside the window looked dark, but there was a warm yellow light in the office.

The surrounding walls were full of photos, and the bookcase against the wall was filled with awards and trophies. Most of the awards were outdated and many were meaningless — like a school reading contest’s third-place winner’s certificate.

But no matter how big or small they were, they would still be proudly displayed in a frame.

Lin Zhao Xi stood silently, glancing at each certificate and the name of the winner. She looked at it for a long time until the master of the office put down her pen and interrupted her with a light noise. She hurriedly looked up with a smile on her face.

Seeing the little girl’s obviously ingratiating smile, Dang Aiping was very disappointed.

This afternoon, she had received a phone call from Lin Zhao Xi’s headteacher. She thought there was something wrong with her ears. She wasn’t surprised that Lin Zhao Xi had hit someone, but skipping class, how was that possible?

Because every child here knew that orphanages also had primary school courses, it wasn’t easy for them to study outside.

In her career spanning over 20 years, she had never seen children play truant because of trifles, so much so that many wouldn’t miss school even with a 40-degree fever.

She was angry, but she knew that Lin Zhao Xi had high self-esteem, so she calmed down.

Gazing into the dark eyes of the little girl, she slowly said, “Today, I got a lot of phone calls.”

Lin Zhao Xi froze.

Of course, she knew it was wrong to skip class, and she was ready to be scolded.

But for her, no matter how terrible the next reprimand and punishment was, she could not resist the impulse to find Old Lin.

But now, there was neither scolding nor anger, the atmosphere in the office was quiet, and the dean herself did not look angry. Nonetheless, Lin Zhao Xi felt uneasy.

“I called all the hospitals in the city, large and small, and even the traffic police. They all said that no 12-year-old girl was taken to the hospital because of a car accident today, I was relieved.”

The lady across the desk, in a cotton yellow and black check shirt, was over forty. She spoke slowly, and when she finished, she pushed her glasses up and looked over at Lin Zhao Xi calmly.

It was clear that everything was quiet, but Lin Zhao Xi’s mind was suddenly confused.

Yes, when a child doesn’t show up at school, the parents’ first reaction would be to think something bad happened. In the past few hours, the motherly dean must have made a lot of phone calls and talked to a lot of people.

She wanted to be cute and say something funny, but it was all stuck in her throat and she couldn’t say anything.

Just then, the dean spoke again.

“I’m glad you’re fine. Go back.”

Lin Zhao Xi looked up suddenly.

Before she came, she had already thought of how to explain her disappearance, like being too scared after fighting with her classmates today and having to face her, so she didn’t dare to come back.

But when she heard that plain and ordinary sentence, all the careless excuses suddenly refused to part her lips and she couldn’t say a word.

“I’m sorry.”

After thinking for a moment, she stood upright, took it seriously, and apologized.

“Where are you wrong?” asked the dean.

“I shouldn’t have skipped class and worried you.” She spoke honestly of what was on her mind.

“No.” The dean shook her head.

“I skipped class and failed to cherish the hard-won learning opportunity, I’m sorry to myself.”

Again, a shake of the head.

It was at this moment that Lin Zhao Xi empathized with the boyfriends who tried to coax their girlfriends — What did I do wrong?

They’ll never find the right answer.

She sniffed, thinking she might cry. But it was just a bad feeling, she couldn’t cry.

The stalemate lasted for a while.

Finally, the woman behind the desk sighed gently and said, “It’s all right. If you can’t think of it, forget it. Go back.”

For some inexplicable reason, Lin Zhao Xi’s legs and feet were rooted to the ground, she couldn’t move her feet.

The gentle voice sounded. “If you don’t go, then I’ll be off.”

With that, the motherly dean of the Red Star Orphanage stood up. She picked up her bag from the hanger and left the room.