Chapter 1 — Pointed Hat Class Contest

In the first month's exam after I took over the twelfth grade, the top student in the whole school led twenty-five good students to skip the exam. There are only three minutes left until the exam starts. Twenty-six people stood neatly outside the exam room, blocking the entire hallway. The male student in the lead is very tall, the zipper of his uniform only reaches his chest, and in front of his chest is the school's student representative badge. Department of Hanh. Five times in a row, he ranked first in the block in the citywide exam, won first prize at the provincial level in the excellent student contest, and was also the face with the largest print on the school's admission brochure. At this moment, he was using that valuable face to inform me: "Vice Principal Van, as long as the school agrees to the three conditions, we will immediately enter the exam room." I looked at the electronic clock on the wall. Eight hours twenty-seven minutes. “Say it.” “First, cancel the zero score on Diep Mien's last Math test.” “Second, make sure she continues to stay in the spearhead class.” “Third, Bach Tung is not suitable to teach us, ask her to leave the twelfth grade.” He spoke slowly and calmly. It doesn't look like a student making demands of the school, but like the chairman of the board of directors is arranging quarterly personnel changes. The twenty-five students behind him also cooperated extremely well. No one talked, no one entered the exam room. Each person was holding a transparent bag containing school supplies, but the exam card was tightly pressed in the palm of their hand. Very good. Others stopped the exam and had to more or less shout a few slogans. They even omitted the slogan. After all, they are all good students, knowing that the voice is also a non-renewable learning resource. I turned my head to look at Khau Chi Thanh, the twelfth grade vice president standing next to me. “Zero point?” Khau Chi Thanh wiped the sweat from his forehead. "It was last week's stage test. That day, Diep Mien's condition was not good, so she didn't do the Math test." “What does it mean if you don't do your homework?” He hesitated for a moment. Bach Tung stood at the other end of the hallway and spoke bluntly: "The entire answer sheet is blank, only the full name and registration number are written." I looked at Diep Mien in the crowd. The girl stood behind So Hanh, her face slightly pale. “You submitted the exam?” Diep Mien pursed her lips. "Yes." “Someone won't let me do my homework?” "No." “The machine has a problem?” “Neither.” “So why ask to cancel zero points?” The girl had not yet answered, So Hanh spoke first. "That day Diep Mien was not well. Normally her Math score is about one hundred and ten. Ms. Bach can clearly refer to her daily achievements, but she insisted on scoring zero." I almost thought I heard wrong. "If you don't write anything on the exam day, do teachers have to refer to the results from another day to give you a score?" So Hanh's face remained calm. “Special cases should be handled specially.” Bach Tung said in a cold voice: "I told Diep Mien that she can apply for a make-up exam according to school regulations. The make-up exam score will be recorded separately, but this blank exam can only be a zero." “Wouldn't that still leave a point?” So Hanh frowned. "If because of this achievement Diep Mien is removed from the spearhead class, who will be responsible?" I looked at Diep Mien. “Do you agree to participate in the make-up exam?” Just as Diep Mien was about to open her mouth, So Hanh answered for her. “Not accepted.” I raised my eyebrows. “I'm asking her.” The hallway immediately fell silent. So Hanh's face finally changed a bit. Diep Mien tightened her grip on her school bag and said in a low voice: "If I can make up the exam, I..." "Mien Mien." So Hanh interrupted her. The voice was not heavy, but clearly meant to remind. Diep Mien immediately shut up. I got it. It doesn't matter whether the blank test is a zero or not. It doesn't matter whether you get a make-up exam or not. The important thing is that So Hanh has spoken up, so this zero point is not allowed to exist. If not, before grading the test in the future, won't the teacher still have to look at the standard answers? How can a person who is used to considering himself as the standard answer be able to handle it?

that story. Eight hours twenty-eight minutes. The proctor in the exam room stuck his head out. “Vice Principal Van, are there any more questions?” Khau Chi Thanh quickly pulled me aside. “Vice Principal Van, don't confront them directly first.” "So Hanh is the brightest candidate for the position of valedictorian in the city this year, the students behind him are also in the top fifty of the grade. This is just an internal monthly exam, just temporarily remove the zero score, let them take the exam, then we will slowly coordinate to resolve it." I looked at him. “How many years have you been the homeroom teacher?” “Six years.” “In these six years, how many times have they suspended the exam?” Khau Chi Thanh's eyes suddenly flashed. “Three times.” “How many times has the school compromised?” He said nothing. I answered for him. “Three times.” The first time, they criticized the exam room for being close to the bathroom and asked to change rooms immediately. The second time, they thought the examiner's footsteps were too loud and asked everyone to retake the exam from the beginning. The third time, So Hanh felt that the difficulty of an English test was unreasonable, so he led the class to refuse to submit the test. The school all agreed. After agreeing, they spread propaganda everywhere that students dare to express their opinions and that the school respects individuality. Before accepting the job, when I read these documents, my blood pressure almost jumped to ninety-eight when I passed a major university. No wonder they can stand here so neatly today. Children don't naturally grow up to be this way. It was all thanks to a group of adults squatting next to them, feeding them spoon by spoon. Eight hours twenty-nine minutes. I picked up the walkie-talkie. "All exam rooms pay attention and hand out questions at the scheduled time." Khau Chi Thanh's face changed. “Vice Principal Van!” I didn't pay attention to him. “Exam starts on time at eight thirty.” “Students absent from exams are recorded according to normal regulations.” “Fifteen minutes after the start of the exam, close the entrance to the exam room.” The students in the hallway finally reacted. Someone asked in a low voice: "Is it really recorded as absent from the exam?" “Impossible?” “Isn't it negotiated in advance every year?” So Hanh raised his hand. The chatter immediately disappeared. He looked at me, without any panic in his eyes, even looking down with a bit of pity from above. “Vice Principal Van, you just arrived so you may not understand clearly.” “Twenty-six of us decide the school's key university admission rate this year.” "If we as a group miss exams, what is affected is not our individual achievements but the teaching evaluation of the whole school." I nodded. “You're right.” The corner of So Hanh's mouth curled slightly. Khau Chi Thanh also breathed a sigh of relief. I continued: "Therefore, you must understand more clearly than other students that exams are not something used to intimidate others." So Hanh's smile stiffened. The exam bell rang on time. The deafening sound echoed throughout the hallway. The supervisor started handing out the questions. The blank exam papers were placed one by one on the table. The students behind So Hanh clearly began to stir. A male student wearing glasses asked in a low voice: "Class monitor, should we just go in first? After entering, we can still submit blank papers." So Hanh turned his head to look at him. “If we go in now, the school will think they can defeat us one by one.” That male student didn't speak anymore. So Hanh looked at me again. "As long as you tell Bach Tung to apologize to Diep Mien now, we can still get to the exam room in time." Bach Tung's face turned pale, but she still stood straight. I asked her: “Did you give the wrong score?” "Are not." “Do you refuse Diep Mien to apply for a make-up exam according to regulations?” "Are not." “Then go watch the exam.” Bach Tung was stunned. “What now?” "My job today is to proctor exams, not stand in the hallway waiting for students to decide their careers." Bach Tung turned and walked into the exam room. The door closed right in front of So Hanh. The sound is not loud. But the faces of all twenty-six people in the hallway changed at the same time. It seemed that only now did they realize that I didn't wait for them to give me a step down. Exam

has really begun. And I really have no intention of begging. At this moment, the sound of hurried footsteps was heard at the other end of the hallway. A female student ran over holding a stack of spare answer sheets. The girl's name is La Thanh Hoa, a student in regular class number 11, in charge of giving documents to the examination team. So Hanh's people blocked the entire hallway, the girl could only stop. “Please give way.” No one moved. So Hanh frowned. “Go around from the other side.” La Thanh Hoa looked at the time. “Going on the other side, you have to go through two buildings.” “Then run faster.” He spoke very naturally. It's as if students often having to run an extra ten minutes is part of the school's infrastructure. La Thanh Hoa gritted her teeth and turned around to leave. “Stop.” I called the girl. Then look at the other twenty-six people. "This is the entrance to the exam room, not a private room for students taking the exam." “Stand close to the right, leave the way out.” No one moved. So Hanh coldly said: "We are expressing our request to the school." “Expressing demands does not need to occupy the entire hallway.” I pointed to the floor. “Now stay away.” "If not, in addition to being absent from the exam, you will be charged with disruptive behavior in the exam room." A female student instinctively took a step back. Then there's the second person. The crowd finally parted a crack. La Thanh Hoa held the answer sheet and passed between them. As she passed me, she said in a low voice: "Thank you, Vice Principal Van." I don't answer. It's not because I'm cold. But because I feel like this thank you is really wild. A student walking normally in school also needs to thank school leaders. It seems that this school's problems are thicker than the stack of handover documents I received. Fifteen minutes after the start of the exam, the entrance to the exam room closes. All twenty-six students did not enter. So Hanh looked at the closed exam room door and his face finally darkened. “Vice Principal Van, I hope you can handle the consequences.” I took out my phone and called the teaching department. “Prepare twenty-six absence records.” So Hanh smiled coldly. “I was talking about transferring schools.” "Know." I nodded. “By the way, prepare the transfer application form, so you don't have to find the format yourself.” Khau Chi Thanh took a deep breath. Some students were also completely panicked. “Are you really letting us move?” “The school doesn't keep it?” “My dad only told me to stand with the class president for a while, he didn't say he actually changed schools.” So Hanh turned his head and glanced. The chatter immediately stopped. His ability to control crowds is even more proficient than that of the homeroom teacher. No wonder Khau Chi Thanh has lived so lightly these past six years. It's okay if you don't know how to manage. Find a student to take care of it for you. So Hanh stared at me. “You will regret it.” I looked at the clock.