Chapter 168: Challenging Authority

When Xu Chen returned to the classroom, only a few scattered students remained.

He grabbed his backpack and strolled out of the school without a care.

He stopped at McDonald’s for a meal deal, headed up to the second floor, found an empty spot, and ate slowly while scrolling on his mobile phone.

As he left and went downstairs, Xu Chen paused, then decided to get three burgers to go.

……

He wandered back to the school at a leisurely pace.

The first- and second-year students were still in class, so the campus buzzed with people during the midday break.

The third-year classrooms were empty now; all the students in each class had submitted their college applications and gone home.

It was nearly one o’clock in the afternoon when he walked back into Class 5.

Three students stood in the classroom.

Seeing Xu Chen enter, they quickly surrounded him, their expressions tinged with urgency.

Xu Chen said nothing at first and just closed the classroom door.

One of the boys hurried to the back and shut the rear door as well.

Xu Chen asked, “How did it go?”

The three stayed silent and each pulled out a voice recorder, handing them to Xu Chen.

“Xu Chen, what do we do now? I’ve already changed my application.”

The homeroom teacher called my parents on the spot. After hearing him out, they scolded me and insisted I listen to the teacher!

The three in front of him were the ones Xu Chen had run into yesterday—they were clearly facing the same situation…

Xu Chen said, “Don’t panic yet. Have all of you changed your applications?”

A shy girl spoke up:

“Mine’s been changed as per the homeroom teacher’s request. He told me to apply to Guangdong Polytechnic, saying it’s a top school.”

“Then he mentioned that once the acceptance letters arrive, he’ll give me 800 yuan as a bonus.”

Xu Chen fell silent, surprised that Zhang Liqun had resorted to bribes.

Another boy said:

“Mine’s changed too. The homeroom teacher made me drop finance and switch to a less popular major so I could get into a 211 university…”

“I didn’t want to at first, but he just tore up my application form and made me fill out a new one.”

Xu Chen nodded; it was the same “half-threat” tactic again.

He picked up the bag of burgers he was carrying:

“Haven’t you guys eaten yet?”

“Take it easy—grab some food first.”

The three hesitated a bit but took the burgers and shared them.

“Xu Chen, did you change your application?”

Xu Chen smiled. “Mine’s changed too.”

“Ah?! Why did you change it?”

Xu Chen explained:

“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have a legitimate reason to speak up.”

“Theoretically, homeroom teachers can give application advice.”

“If I hadn’t changed it, Zhang Liqun and the school could just say he was offering suggestions…”

“Now that this has happened at school, they’ll want to sweep it under the rug.”

“But he’s clearly used threats and bribes, and we’ve all changed our applications unwillingly, so now we can stand our ground.”

As he spoke, Xu Chen pulled out his laptop and transferred the recordings from all four voice recorders into it.

One of the girls said:

“Xu Chen, is this really okay? He’s our homeroom teacher, after all.”

Xu Chen replied:

“Have you thought about what happens if you get waitlisted?”

“It means schools you could’ve gotten into might now be out of reach, leaving you with second-tier options.”

“That’ll affect job hunts and future promotions down the line.”

“This won’t cost Zhang Liqun anything, but if you get accepted, he’ll pocket bonuses and climb the ranks…”

What Xu Chen described was his own past experience.

In his previous life, starting from a second-tier university had made breaking into big cities, landing jobs at major companies, and advancing in his career much harder than for those around him.

Even getting laid off was partly due to his education; when the team downsized, his qualifications put him on the chopping block.

Surrounded by returnees from top schools like Tsinghua and Peking, he from an obscure second-tier place was the easy target…

Xu Chen paused and added:

“Of course, the final call is yours. If you want to stick with your current applications, you don’t have to join in.”

“I’ll delete your recordings, and I’ll handle this myself.”

The three glanced at each other and finally said:

“Xu Chen, we’ll follow your lead!”

“What you said yesterday and today makes sense. Switching schools is too risky—it could mean adjustments or even waitlisting.”

“Getting into a top school doesn’t matter much to us, especially if it means four years in a major we hate.”

“Better to play it safe and secure a solid university spot first!”

As soon as the words fell, the other two nodded.

The other girl asked:

“So, what’s next? The applications are already submitted, right?”

Xu Chen said:

“The deadline’s tomorrow afternoon. The school will collect and enter them before submitting everything.”

“After lunch, I’ll take you to the school admin to change them back.”

“Then… we’ll need to report Zhang Liqun.”

“Do we really have to report him?”

“He’s been our homeroom teacher for three years…”

Xu Chen paused, sighed, and said:

“This is my personal move—you don’t have to worry or get involved.”

“It’s not just for me or us.”

“Zhang Liqun’s been a homeroom teacher for years—who knows how many seniors he’s tricked before.”

“If this goes on, he’ll keep harming underclassmen…”

“If someone has to be the ‘bad guy,’ let it be me.”

One of the boys said:

“Xu Chen, I’m in on this!”

“What the homeroom teacher did is just wrong!”

“Gambling with our futures for his bonuses and promotions…”

……

……

The four waited in the classroom until 1:30 PM, then headed to the Comprehensive Building.

They went straight up to the third floor and arrived at the Academic Affairs Office.

This was the most direct way to handle it.

Xu Chen raised his hand to knock, but after a thought, he wandered to a few nearby offices.

Finally, he stopped at the door of a certain vice principal’s office.

This was Vice Principal Zhao Xueqian, whom Xu Chen had met before when First High School and Experimental High School competed for Xie Bingran.

This vice principal also oversaw academic affairs.

Without hesitation, Xu Chen knocked three times.

A moment later, the door opened from inside, and Zhao Xueqian looked at the four students with surprise.

He thought for a second and recognized Xu Chen:

“Xu Chen?”

Xu Chen said, “Hello, Vice Principal Zhao!”

The three students behind him greeted as well.

Zhao Xueqian asked, “Is there something you need?”

Xu Chen replied, “Yes, we’re facing some issues and aren’t sure who to turn to.”

“I met you last time with Xie Bingran’s matter, so I came to you.”

Zhao Xueqian smiled and ushered them inside.

“Tell me what’s going on—I might be able to help…”

Xu Chen said, “When we were filling out our college applications, our homeroom teacher used various excuses to force us to change them.”

Zhao Xueqian drew in a sharp breath:

“That… can’t be right?”

Xu Chen didn’t elaborate further and pulled out the voice recorder, playing the key parts.

Especially the bits about threats and bribes—like promising bonuses, calling parents, specifying schools and majors, even tearing up application forms…

Zhao Xueqian listened quietly, his face darkening.

After it ended, he said nothing, just sat there smoking half a cigarette with a grim expression.

Then he grabbed a sheet of paper from his desk:

“Write down your names and student IDs here.”

Seeing the students hesitate, Zhao Xueqian explained:

“We’ll fix the main issue first—get your applications changed back.”

“The forms have already been turned in, but I’ll pull yours out and give you new ones to refill.”

Xu Chen nodded: “Thank you, Vice Principal Zhao.”

He picked up the pen and wrote his name and ID first.

The three students behind him followed suit…

“Wait here a minute.”

With that, Zhao Xueqian took the paper and left.

The three classmates behind Xu Chen exchanged glances, looking uneasy.

From the sounds outside, Xu Chen figured Zhao Xueqian had gone to the Academic Affairs director next door.

Soon, Zhao Xueqian returned.

“No need to worry—the forms are still at the school, and we can change them back now.”

He sat back down and said:

“On behalf of the school, I apologize to you four students.”

Xu Chen just nodded slightly without speaking.

Zhao Xueqian smoked and glanced at the voice recorder on the desk:

“How did you think to record this?”

The question carried a hint of suspicion.

Xu Chen’s expression didn’t change as he explained:

“This was my idea.”

“The homeroom teacher talked to me yesterday and specified the school I should apply to.”

“I asked the others, and they were in the same boat.”

“I worried he’d do it again today, so I prepared the recorders in advance.”

He didn’t say more; the recordings clearly showed Zhang Liqun’s coercion and bribes.

Things like bonus promises, parental calls, school and major dictates, and tearing forms left no room for denial—it was outright manipulation.

Zhao Xueqian smoked in silence, clearly weighing his options.

Xu Chen knew what was going on but stayed quiet.

After finishing his cigarette, Zhao Xueqian said:

“Don’t worry—whatever happens, we’ll get your applications fixed first; that’s the priority.”

They waited a while until a knock came at the door.

“Come in!”

It was the Academic Affairs director, holding several sheets of paper, looking flustered as he hurried to Zhao Xueqian.

Zhao Xueqian took the application forms, glanced at them, and handed them to Xu Chen and the others.

The director gave each of the four blank forms:

“Refill these and hand them back to me—I’ll submit them personally.”

Xu Chen and the others found a table and quickly filled out the new forms.

After double-checking, they gave them to the director, who took them away.

They tucked the old forms into their pockets, as Xu Chen had quietly advised:

“Keep the old ones safe—don’t throw them out…”

……

Once the new forms were submitted, the four returned to Zhao Xueqian.

Zhao Xueqian smoked and said quietly:

“Xu Chen, this is a complicated matter.”

“Though it’s Zhang Liqun’s personal actions, it’ll reflect badly on the school.”

“It’s against education bureau rules…”

“Luckily, you came to me, and we’ve changed the applications back.”

“We’ll need to discuss how to handle Zhang Liqun—it might take some time, so please understand.”

Xu Chen kept a straight face but inwardly smirked.

They were all about to graduate; drag it out for ten days or half a month, and no one would care anymore.

Maybe the school would just give Zhang Liqun a light slap on the wrist to keep things quiet.

That would be unfair to the seniors he’d already wronged…

Xu Chen said nothing, pocketed the voice recorder, and added:

“You should look into this quickly…”

“I’ve compiled the recordings and details into an email and sent it to the education bureau’s public inbox.”

“If they ask and the school hasn’t decided yet, that might not look good.”

Zhao Xueqian: “……”

Xu Chen continued: “Plus, I have friends who are reporters—for the provincial paper and TV…”

Zhao Xueqian froze, then stood up:

“Xu Chen, no need for reporters…”

“I’ll talk to Principal Yang right away and set up an internal process.”

“We’ll update you four this afternoon and report to the education bureau…”

“Does that work?”

The three behind Xu Chen exchanged looks, their expressions mixed.

Xu Chen said calmly:

“Vice Principal Zhao, just follow the school’s procedures—we students can’t interfere.”

“Also, to be upfront, I’m recording this conversation too.”

“We’re just protecting ourselves as victims.”

“We’re only eighteen, after all—powerless against teachers and the school…”

“Please understand that as well.”

Zhao Xueqian paused, then smiled: “I understand!”

Xu Chen’s tone was even, but his words carried weight.

The implication was clear: They were watching not just Zhang Liqun, but how the school handled it—all the way through.

Since he’d started this, Xu Chen meant to see it through cleanly, no loose ends.

Zhao Xueqian’s face grew darker, but he forced a smile for Xu Chen.

Xu Chen went on steadily:

“I want a clear outcome from this.”

“I bet past seniors faced similar issues.”

“If I don’t speak up, underclassmen might suffer too.”

“But I’m sure this is just Zhang Liqun’s doing, not how all homeroom teachers at First High School operate.”

“I trust the school will handle it seriously, without delays or cover-ups…”

Zhao Xueqian thought for a moment and said seriously:

“Xu Chen, as vice principal, I promise the school will address this properly.”

“Principal Yang’s in a meeting, but I’ll call him now. The school committee will decide today and report to the education bureau.”

“How does that sound?”