Lin Li: "No need to trouble yourself, Teacher. My homeroom teacher already knows my name. You don’t need to inform him. Thank you for your kindness."

Inspecting Teacher: "?"

Oh, though Lin Li’s words did earn another progress point in the task once heard in the classroom, it also earned the reddened face of the inspecting teacher.

The inspecting teacher directly told Lin Li, "You don’t need to continue this exam. I don’t think you need to stay at this school either. Pack up and arrange for your parents to pick you up," then walked toward the seating chart posted outside the classroom, intending to find Lin Li’s name.

Suspected to be on the verge of being expelled from the sect, Lin Li knew it was just words spoken in anger but felt he still needed to plead with the elder.

So he obediently informed the inspecting teacher, "Teacher, my name is Lin Li, from Class Four, Grade One, and my homeroom teacher is Xue Jian, Teacher Xue."

When Lin Li introduced himself, the inspecting teacher suddenly paused his actions.

He first checked the seating chart, then looked at the empty desk in the classroom before finally returning to Lin Li’s front:

"You... are Lin Li? The one who came first in the midterm exams... Lin Li?"

The teacher’s voice lowered a bit as he saw Lin Li’s sincere nod, and his expression turned significantly complicated.

Lin Li did not know this teacher, but this inspecting teacher was quite familiar with Lin Li.

Moreover, he himself was from the Academic Affairs Office, and when Xue Jian called the Academic Affairs Office on Tuesday night, he was present. The solution to place Lin Li in the last exam room was even his idea.

He naturally remembered Lin Li’s name and rank, and he knew the grade’s top scorer for this exam was in the last exam room.

And even if not for this, the incident about "Bai Tongxue" acting bravely and winning the school an interview and report was one that most teachers at Nansang Middle School had shared through tweets and were aware of.

Being part of the Academic Affairs Office, he had certain responsibilities in publicizing, and he also knew who was behind "Bai Tongxue."

It was this Lin Li.

In some respects, Lin Li had already reached the point where there was no need to fear having no friends, as everyone knew him.

How could it be him?

After pondering in a complex manner for a while, the inspecting teacher suddenly realized, convinced that he understood everything, glanced at the classroom, his face cooling slightly. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Then he pulled Lin Li over to the staircase, inquiring with concern:

"Lin Li, are these students forcing you to admit this? All this self-heating hot pot is brought by them, and now they’re making you take the blame? How outrageous! It’s getting more and more exaggerated!"

Lin Li was bewildered.

Seeing the inspecting teacher so angry, Lin Li quickly confessed: "Teacher, there’s no such thing, I brought it."

"Don’t be afraid. Tell the teacher the truth, and I promise nothing will happen to you now or in the future. Our Nansang Middle School has zero tolerance for bullying, no indulgence whatsoever, and you will not be subject to any threats or coercion."

The inspecting teacher’s eyes even showed a hint of guilt.

Lin Li: "(;☉_☉)?"

Really?

Did they really suspect me?

Lin Li: "Teacher, your stereotype is too severe. All Nansang Middle School students are outstanding. Although their grades are poor, their morals are not low. There’s really no threatening behavior, this hot pot was indeed brought by me, and I even shared it with them."

Afraid that the inspecting teacher wouldn’t believe him, Lin Li pretended to rummage through the pile of backpacks by the classroom door and ’pulled out’ another self-heating hot pot, displaying it to the inspecting teacher.

He even asked the inspecting teacher, "Teacher, are you sure you don’t want to try it? Just take a bite, then maybe look the other way for a moment~".

Upon seeing this scene, the inspecting teacher felt the sky was falling, his facial features twitched slightly, with a bit of horror in his eyes, unable to speak for quite some time.

At last, he asked Lin Li to wait there for a moment while he went to consult Teacher Guo about the situation.

When the inspecting teacher returned from Guo Zhun, his facial features were no longer just slightly twitching.

Really?

He really was the mastermind as the top student of the grade?

So it turns out the most excessive person in this classroom was him?

Wait a minute, isn’t this really the top student mistakenly placed in the last exam room, not the last student mistakenly placed in the first exam room?

At that point, Lin Li and the inspecting teacher locked gazes for a long time, which made even Lin Li a bit embarrassed.

Staring at someone like this, it’s quite embarrassing o(*////▽////*)q.

Finally, it was the inspecting teacher who broke the silence, losing his expression: "Lin Li, did you finish the test paper?"

Upon hearing, "I finished," the inspecting teacher, who expected Lin Li to say he hadn’t, almost choked on his own breath, then gritted his teeth:

"Then you should go back and check it over."

"However, Lin Li, there will definitely be punishment from the school for this behavior. The specific content of the punishment will need to be discussed with other teachers, just to let you know in advance and prepare yourself mentally."

Punishment must still be administered.

If it were done privately, it would be fine. Frankly, if Lin Li had eaten hot pot alone in the exam room, considering his top rank in the grade, it could have been allowed with leniency, without any penalty.

But this time, Lin Li ate in front of the whole class, and to let it go without any punishment would be unreasonable.

But for the specific punitive measures, not only must it be discussed with other Academic Affairs teachers, but the principal may also need to be consulted — to ask if there are follow-up interviews or events involving the public, handling it with this perspective in mind.