Chapter 4

On the day of the parent-teacher meeting, my mom specifically requested for a half-day leave from work.

She wore a pristine white shirt and combed her hair neatly. Although the corners of her eyes were etched with wrinkles of fatigue, her eyes twinkled like the stars in the sky when she saw my ranking amidst my level.

“You’re incredible, Jordan. I knew you could do it.”

She held my hands affectionately, a bright smile on her face.

Denise’s father was here, too. He was dressed in a smart suit, surrounded by many other parents. His face was beaming with satisfaction.

Ms. Sable was like an escort fawning over him.

When the meeting was called to order, the students sat down next to their parents.

Ms. Sable stood on the stage and took 20 full minutes praising Denise and her father to the high heavens, saying that Denise is a genius that’s hard to come by and the pride of the school.

Her tone then took a complete turnabout.

“Of course, we have some extremely negative examples, too. Students who not only refuse to become better, but are so wicked they even try to influence our outstanding students!”

Ms. Sable then pulled out a test paper. It was the one from the monthly exam, when Denise used my test paper as draft paper.

Ms. Sable slammed my paper on the table and shot my mom a piercing look.

“Mrs. Schmidt. Not only did Jordan pick a fight with a classmate before the exam, but he even came in last for the paper!

“He refuses to learn humbly from Denise and even fights with her over something trivial.

“He has no respect for his teachers and is extremely unruly and incorrigible! I have no idea how you discipline him at home.”

The classroom went quiet as all the other parents turned to look at my mom.

My mom looked stunned. She instinctively stood up to explain herself.

“Ms. Sable, isn’t this the monthly exam before the last? In the latest monthly exam, Jordan improved by leaps and bounds…”

“Is he going to be invincible after just one good showing?”

Ms. Sable broke her off rudely.

“I found it strange, really. I’ve been teaching him for close to three years. His results have always ranked outside the top 300. How did he suddenly come in within the top 100 students? He knows best how he achieved these results!”

Ms. Sable glared at me, disdain overflowing in her eyes.

“As his teacher, I must give him a piece of advice. Since it’s just the monthly exam that I caught him cheating on, I’m willing to give him a chance to turn over a new leaf. But if he were to cheat at a major exam, the national laws wouldn’t be as forgiving as I am!”

I clenched my fists, my entire body shaking.

Ms. Sable was just assuming that I had cheated during the exam.

“Impossible!”

My mom stood up in a rush, standing right in front of me protectively like a huge mountain.

“My son will never cheat at an exam! He improved so much because he started attending extra lessons and has been studying very hard. I might be uneducated, but I know you need evidence to accuse someone. Ms. Sable, you accuse my son of cheating during the exam, but where’s your evidence?”

My mom looked unwaveringly at Ms. Sable.

It was my first time seeing her so strong and unyielding.

A hint of uncertainty flashed past Ms. Sable’s face, but she quickly recovered and slammed the table once more in a fit of pique.

“What do you mean by this? Would a teacher slander a student? An apple doesn’t fall far from the tree indeed! Since you both show no remorse, there’s no need for me to be forgiving to the both of you.”

With that, she projected a video on the screen.

“I’ll show everyone today what a negative example truly is!”