[Urban] Campus Maple Leaves Red (Complete) - 34

【Volume 2: Passionate Maple Leaves】 Chapter 2: Unintentional? Destined? (1)

"Dad, I'm back!"

A girl's cheerful voice came through the half-open bathroom door, instantly bringing Qingyu, who had been lost in thought in the bathroom, back to reality.

"It's Xiaozhu!"

Having lived at Old Li's house for a while now, although she hadn't had much contact with Old Li's precious daughter, Qingyu still recognized the voice that made her heart skip a beat.

Yes, when she was little, she was Xiaozhu's older sister. In many summer and winter vacations, as well as the joyful days on Saturdays and Sundays, she had gone through her budding teenage years, and Xiaozhu had grown from a little girl who occasionally had a runny nose into the girl she was back then.

Those carefree years, those seasons that seemed like they had just passed yesterday, were warm, memorable, and more importantly, a feeling that she couldn't quite explain before, but which was deeply hidden in her heart, now flowed clearly and deeply within her.

When everything that was hazy and unclear in her youth became clear and tangible, Qingyu knew very well that Old Li's daughter, besides being very affectionate towards her aunt and Fei'er, also showed a hint of unfamiliarity and hostility towards herself and the other women who had been involved with Old Li.

Qingyu could understand Xiaozhu's hostility and unfamiliarity; after all, given her relationship with Old Li, she was practically Xiaozhu's stepmother (even if only one of them). It wasn't easy for Xiaozhu, or any child, to be so tolerant and accepting of someone who had once been like an older sister now becoming her stepmother.

If it weren't for today's situation, Qingyu would have liked to further interact with Xiaozhu to melt away her unfamiliarity and hostility. But now, Xiaozhu was calling out for Old Li from room to room. If Xiaozhu saw her like this, wouldn't Xiaozhu's suppressed hostility and unfamiliarity suddenly erupt?

But now, could she still run away? Hearing Xiaozhu's footsteps and her calls, Qingyu, suddenly deciding to face her directly, dried herself off, put on her bathrobe, and went to greet her.

Her courage was commendable, but when she actually faced Xiaozhu's surprised face, Qingyu realized that her attempt to smile back resulted in a very strained expression.

"Sister Qingyu, where's my dad?"

Xiaozhu asked before Qingyu could speak, her surprise fleeting.

"Your dad had something to do at school; he went early this morning."

Old Li had told Qingyu last night that he would be going to school this morning, so even while Qingyu was inwardly grumbling about Xiaozhu's attitude, she still told her where Old Li had gone.

"Oh, is that so? Then I'll go to my sister-in-law's."

Aside from expressing her dissatisfaction that her father wasn't home, Xiaozhu said this to Qingyu indifferently and turned to leave.

"What kind of attitude is that?"

Qingyu muttered to herself as Xiaozhu walked away, her tone indifferent.

No wonder. Originally, Qingyu expected Xiaozhu to unleash her hidden unfamiliarity and hostility, and she was fully prepared to face it all. But who knew Xiaozhu would just say something indifferently and leave? Qingyu, who hadn't received a proper test, was instead quite frustrated.

Perhaps that's how people are; when they're prepared to be scolded, but unexpectedly don't, they don't feel relieved, but rather they'll grumble about it. In

a few days, the Qingjiang Province Middle School Basketball Tournament will begin, and the No. 33 Middle School girls' basketball team, representing Jiangzhong City, the provincial capital, is now in the practical preparation stage.

This practical preparation training is conducted with reduced technical training and high-intensity physical training, so the training mainly focuses on maintaining the players' competitive state and high physical reserves.

The less intensive training schedule gives the No. 33 Middle School girls' team some free time. So, after discussing with Lao Li and the coaching staff, to ease the pre-game tension of the female team members who had been in closed training, in addition to playing warm-up games against the Tiancheng Women's Basketball Reserve Team, they were also allowed more time to leave the training ground.

Early in the morning, Lao Li received a notice from the Beicheng District Education Bureau to attend a meeting. After the meeting, holding the approval from the Municipal Education Bureau for the No. 33 Middle School to use the vocational school's land for school expansion, Lao Li rushed to his school.

Yes, the Beicheng District Education Bureau had made it clear at the meeting that the expansion must be implemented as quickly as possible. Why was a school expansion being rushed so much? Lao Li didn't think too deeply about it, because no matter how far-fetched his thoughts were, he couldn't influence the decisions made by his superiors. Lao Li's current urgency stemmed from his desire to get the entire expansion project implemented as quickly as possible before certain leaders at higher levels clearly showed any intention to interfere with the specifics.

No wonder. Some instructions from superiors are just words, and as a subordinate, not only do you have to understand the intentions and not carry them out properly, but if you dare to act on your own initiative, you'll face even more scrutiny from the leaders in the future, which will require a lot of effort to handle.

Old Li isn't afraid of trouble, but you absolutely shouldn't go looking for trouble. That's why Old Li rushed back to assign tasks, trying to minimize the attention that leaders would give to No. 33 Middle School in the future.

Bad things are often remembered because some people want to see a spectacle, and good things are often remembered because they are good. The fact that people remember both good and bad things was evident in Old Li's constantly ringing phone on his drive back to No. 33 Middle School.

Old Li had met the secretary of Vice Mayor Yun, who was in charge of education in the city, but before today, this secretary definitely didn't remember knowing a principal of No. 33 Middle School. But now, the secretary of Vice Mayor Yun has very kindly told Lao Li that he wants to meet with Lao Li in a day or two. What should Lao Li do?

A call from the deputy director of the Municipal Education Bureau and the secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission is at least a work-related interaction. But this Director Ma of the Municipal Industry and Commerce Bureau—Lao Li can't remember ever seeing him before! A bunch of calls have come in, some from people with connections and some from people without connections. Even though none of these calls have a clear purpose, Lao Li knows that everyone knows about his school's expansion.

He wanted to get away from this trouble as quickly as possible, but now it seems he has no time to hide. Since he can't hide, he won't try. Thinking about it, Lao Li, who hadn't turned off his phone, slowly drove towards the school.

Director Ma of the Municipal Industry and Commerce Bureau? A call from someone he's never had any dealings with? Lao Li is absolutely certain that even if he were Director Ma, he would never do such a thing. In other words, since the two sides had no prior interaction, even Vice Mayor Yun, the mayor in charge of education, couldn't easily issue orders directly to his subordinate (although he had the authority, things weren't that simple). Director Ma's administrative rank was higher than his, but he definitely wouldn't be calling him for that reason. So what could be the reason for this call at this time?

Old Li didn't pay much attention to other calls; he'd been thinking about Director Ma's call the whole way. When he finally managed to concentrate, he realized he was just one street away from his school.

Two familiar figures stood at the bus stop. If Old Li hadn't focused his attention then, he would have missed them entirely.

Old Li slowly parked the car next to the two of them, rolled down the window and called out to them, "Lulu, Hanyue, where are you going?"

For a while, because they kept feeling like the car behind them was following them, Hanyue and Lulu were a little overly sensitive to cars coming from their side. Sure enough, when they heard a slight braking sound, they both tensed up and looked over with wary eyes.

Thankfully, as the car window rolled down, Old Li was smiling and waving. The two girls, visibly relieved, smiled and walked towards Old Li's car. The quick-witted Lulu blurted out, "Hehe, it's Teacher Li! If you're not busy, could you give Yueyue and me a ride?"

"Sure, I'm free right now, buddy, I'll take you two there first."

Since going back to school would only cause more trouble, Old Li didn't mind at all. He readily agreed to be the driver for the two girls and opened the car door.

"Teacher Li, guess where Yueyue and I are going?"

Lulu, barely settled in the back seat, asked Old Li mysteriously, clinging to the back of his seat.

Since Old Li escorted Hanyue and Lulu a few times for protection, and with the recent rehearsals for the school's performance, quiet and reserved girls like Hanyue were alright, while lively girls like Lulu, who, in school or other situations requiring a more formal demeanor, showed due respect to their teacher, Old Li, became more casually affectionate in their more relaxed interactions.

Old Li is almost fifty, but it's hard to find any trace of his generation in him. On the contrary, he often makes those around him forget his age, allowing them to interact with him as equals in a very relaxed manner.

Old Li himself also enjoys these interactions, finding pleasure in spending more time in relaxed conversations.

Just like Lulu now, a young girl's cheerful yet slightly mysterious face, fully reflected in the rearview mirror, her clear yet sweet voice, the soft, fragrant breath brushing against her ear in her slightly hurried breathing, was like a gentle breeze blowing through one's heart. The

slightly upturned corners of her mouth, the slightly widened eyes due to a hint of mystery, and the uncontrollable expectation in her eyes—Old Li's heart, gently stirred by the breeze, fluttered. Without uttering his guess, Old Li gently started the car.

With an air of certainty, even though Old Li didn't answer her, Lulu knew very clearly that Old Li had guessed where she and Yueyue were going.

Could he really have guessed that accurately? Surprised, Lulu looked at Old Li's confident half-face in the front, then turned to look at Hanyue sitting beside him.

Han Yue looked at Lulu, who was casting a questioning glance at her, smiled slightly, and shook her head, indicating that she didn't know either. After wondering how Old Li had guessed, she gestured to Lulu with her eyes.

Lulu paused for a moment, then quickly understood Han Yue's meaning: "That's right, since neither I nor Old Li have said where we're going, even if Old Li really guessed where Yueyue is going, I won't say, 'Teacher Li, you're such a grown-up, why don't you ask before making wild guesses!'"

She was eagerly anticipating her new idea and wanted to tell Old Li more about it. So, to contain her excitement, Lulu reached out and took Han Yue's hand .

"Lulu, let me tell you a story,"

Old Li's voice came just as Lulu's hand touched Han Yue's.

A story? Why did he suddenly decide to tell a story? Although quite unexpected, Lulu, already having had her own thoughts, wasn't bothered by the surprise. She replied with a grin, "A story! I love stories! Teacher Li, please tell me quickly!"

Old Li glanced in the rearview mirror, saw Han Yue frown slightly after hearing his suggestion, and then began telling the story, following Lulu's answer.

Two close friends from long ago, one quiet, one lively…

until one day, the lively girl and the quiet girl shared a common wish. They made many preparations for this wish and promised that whoever helped them fulfill it would receive good fortune. Not long after,

a person appeared before the two girls. He told them he could help them achieve their wish. The two girls were overjoyed because finally someone had come to help them realize their wish! So, together with their helper, they embarked on the journey to fulfill their wish.

A slight smile appeared on Old Li's lips, but he didn't continue his story. Just then, Han Yue secretly stuck out her tender little tongue in the rearview mirror, while Lulu simply slumped against the back of her seat, looking utterly deflated.

"Teacher Li~" Lulu called out weakly from behind, not noticing the two girls in the rearview mirror after just turning a corner.

"What is it?"

With heavy traffic, Old Li only glanced in the rearview mirror before Lulu, who had already sat up straight, asked him.

"Teacher Li!"

Lulu called out to Old Li almost word by word, then interrupted, "You have absolutely no sense of humor! You just ruin people's moods! You..."

Like a little hedgehog suddenly bristling with quills, Lulu roared, but her little hands also pushed and shook the back of Old Li's seat.

Although his driving skills were passable, Old Li, who had a bit of a shaky grip on the busy road, didn't consider himself a match for a driving god. So, seeing a parking sign, he quickly pulled over and stopped. The

arrogant and fiery Lulu, along with Han Yue who kept adding firewood to the car, were there too. Old Li, who thought he was being clever by exposing the little woman's thoughts, was thoroughly criticized. He had no choice but to half-stand up and then turn around, squeezing through the gap between the two seats.

There were two little girls on either side, but they were all a bit flustered by Old Li's sudden appearance between them.

Before the hedgehog-like Lulu could react, Old Li reached out and pulled her close.

His original intention was just a spur-of-the-moment thing to tease the little girl, but when he actually pulled her close, a strange flutter in his heart stirred. His eyes softened instantly as he met the little girl's panicked gaze.

In the quiet carriage, even the bustling noise outside seemed to have disappeared. Old Li looked at Lulu's eyes with increasing gentleness, and as Lulu's panic gradually subsided, a blush slowly rose on her face, and a strange light flowed between her eyes.

Lulu's cheeks were bathed in the pink of early spring peach blossoms, and her hazy, strangely bright eyes blinked slightly, as if they were half-closed. Her breathing rose and fell softly, and her lips moved slightly. She seemed to be falling asleep, or perhaps she was expecting something to come. Old Li, who was not thinking about anything, let his long breaths fall on the girl's face...

Is this where the passion ends? I'm really afraid of being suspended again!

[Volume 2: Passionate Maple Leaves] Chapter 2: Unintentional? Destined? (2)

As the manufacturing level of various family cars has improved, everyone has noticed that when a car's speed exceeds 20 kilometers per hour, all the doors automatically lock. Even after the car stops, the doors can only be opened by unlocking the central locking system. The reason for

locking the doors at this time is simply to better ensure the safety of passengers. However, this very reason has caused Han Yue, whose legs are still burning with pain, to curse the car door she had tried to open for over an hour without success. Another wave of burning pain washes over her

as she curses her inability to open the door. She glances sideways at Lulu, who is half-lying, half-sitting beside her.

When Old Li suddenly gets up and comes to them, it really startles them. While they are still somewhat flustered, Old Li has already pulled Lulu into his arms.

In that instant, Lulu, like a little hedgehog, not only retracted all her quills under Old Li's gaze, but without them, she became as soft as water.

When she saw Old Li begin to kiss Lulu, her heart nearly leaped out of her chest. At that moment, for some reason, a sudden, intense fear gripped her; she desperately wanted to open the car door and escape.

However, that car door was utterly awful; it truly deserved to be cursed to the deepest hell, because at that very moment, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't open it.

And so, in this fear and futile effort, she saw Old Li almost meld Lulu into his body, and amidst his increasingly rapid breathing, Lulu, after a series of faint moans, began to cry out.

Lulu's writhing, Lulu's cries—a fear she had never experienced before, something she had never known before, was awakened within her soul!

This fear, intertwined with something deeper that had suddenly been awakened, made him grip the car door switch tightly with three fingers, and his eyes were glued to every detail of Old Li and Lulu's every move.

Lulu's clothes, rather than being clothes, revealed every most intimate part of her body, and Old Li lingered over and over those most intimate parts of these girls' bodies…

Lulu went limp with a low, hoarse moan, and after Old Li had thoroughly soothed her, he slowly reached for himself…

Old Li had only lingered over Lulu countless times with his mouth and hands, but what about himself? It seemed that the whole ending stemmed from that thing that had suddenly been awakened within him.

This thing that initially terrified him, but later dominated everything, had driven him uncontrollably into madness…

Why did such a thing reside within him, and why had it been waiting to be awakened one day? Suddenly, Hanyue remembered something that happened when she was a child at her maternal grandmother's house in the countryside.

Hanyue was born, but instead of feeling joy at the arrival of her new life, her parents were shrouded in worry for days.

Hanyue's parents didn't have any preference for boys over girls; in fact, her father preferred girls. Hanyue's birth caused them immense distress because her newborn body was covered in a layer of fine, snow-white down.

Downy fur is the kind of fur we feel for newborn kittens and puppies. But now, it appeared in a place where it shouldn't grow, and this downy fur didn't evoke affection; it even instilled fear! Yes, what would become of a girl covered in downy fur?

Her maternal grandmother, who was taking care of Hanyue's mother during her postpartum period, saw her parents' distress. While grieving for Hanyue's mother, she secretly made a decision.

The full-moon celebration is an important moment for every newborn as they face the beginning of their lives! For Han Yue, just a month old, this moment was spent nestled in her grandmother's arms as they walked along a snow-covered country road.

At one month old, Han Yue grew to three years old under her grandmother's loving care. That year, not only did Han Yue's mother give birth to a younger sister, but Han Yue herself also underwent significant changes.

The downy hair that had covered her little face had completely fallen off within the year.

Han Yue's grandmother was a devout Buddhist. Since bringing Han Yue home, she had been praying fervently to Buddha, hoping that Buddha would bless her precious granddaughter.

Now, the changes in Han Yue's face filled her grandmother with joy. So, besides praying even more fervently to Buddha herself, she also had her babbling granddaughter join her in worshipping Buddha.

However, this continued for four years. Seven-year-old Hanyue, apart from losing all the downy hair on her face, still had the same amount of downy hair on her body.

Perhaps her heart wasn't devout enough, or perhaps she was too far removed from Buddha. Looking at her shy granddaughter, who dared not even meet strangers and wore thick clothes to cover herself even in the sweltering summer, the elderly grandmother led her granddaughter on a pilgrimage of over twenty miles through the mountains to a temple.

They didn't see the Buddha statue because, near the temple, the grandmother met a man who lived there year-round. This man wasn't a monk, but everyone in the temple, from the monks to the worshippers, respected him greatly. This was because he not only frequently told fortunes and interpreted divination slips at the temple, but his medical practices also benefited many people.

The grandmother not only knew this man, but he had also treated her illness. Seeing her benefactor before her, the grandmother quickly pulled her granddaughter forward to express her gratitude once more.

The person being thanked by the grandmother spoke to her while constantly glancing at little Hanyue, who was dressed in thick clothes. Finally, the person reached out and took out a handkerchief to wipe Hanyue's sweat-soaked face, letting out a soft sigh.

The grandmother was very flustered, believing that the sigh foreshadowed her granddaughter's fate. But at that moment, the person began to comfort Hanyue's grandmother.

He told her that the downy hair on the child's body would all fall off by the end of the year, and that Hanyue would definitely grow up to be a beautiful and lovely girl. However, the person hesitated

, seemingly afraid that his granddaughter would suffer any more hardship. The grandmother even knelt down, begging the person for guidance. Unable to refuse the grandmother's plea, the person began to give her advice.

The advice wasn't extensive, but the key point the person emphasized was that to ensure Hanyue's future life was free of major upheavals, she must avoid excessive contact with outsiders. This person also suggested that since her grandmother was so devout to Buddha, Hanyue should read Buddhist scriptures more often.

This person lived in a secluded courtyard within the temple. After Hanyue shed her pubic hair at age seven, her grandmother sent her to this secluded courtyard, where she lived under this person's care for another four years.

At eleven, Hanyue was finally brought back to her parents. Having lived with this person for four years, Hanyue had learned a great deal. She passed the sixth-grade entrance exam directly and began her new life.

However, after Hanyue's grandmother witnessed the person's words come true at age seven, she treated them as gospel. Furthermore, as Hanyue grew older, her grandmother deeply understood why Hanyue should have minimized contact with others.

Yes, Hanyue is too... too...

Because Hanyue is only a teenager, although years of reciting scriptures have given her a subtle, aloof air, there's something hidden deep within that aura. At certain unexpected moments, Hanyue's every smile and gesture is captivating, beyond mere allure; it's more like a beauty that could bring ruin to a nation.

All we ask is that this girl not be burdened by her looks and can live a peaceful life. That's why her grandmother and parents are desperately trying to persuade her to finish high school as quickly as possible and find her a husband. Hanyue

's parents can't convince her grandmother no matter how hard they try, but even Hanyue herself has agreed. And Hanyue's parents are genuinely afraid that their grandmother might cause trouble because of this. There was no way to refuse, even if one disagreed. However, considering how Hanyue could acquire a skill to improve her livelihood, and given that the vocational school's clothing design program was just starting to enroll, Hanyue, who had excelled academically after junior high, was admitted to the vocational school's clothing design program amidst much regret. "

A daughter of the Yang family has come of age, hidden away in her secluded chamber, unknown to the world." The third and fourth lines of the "Song of Everlasting Regret" introduce the unparalleled beauty who could topple kingdoms with a single smile. But from the moment her innate beauty was revealed, her tragic end was destined—meeting again beneath the moonlit spring in the netherworld.

Hanyue emerged from her secluded chamber. On that desolate spring terrace under the cold crescent moon of a thousand years ago, would her lonely figure also remain?

I dislike the endless cycle of tragedy in this world, yet reality is always unavoidable, leaving me utterly lost and confused...

Han Yue could drive a man to madness, but she herself was equally mad for the man who entered her heart. So when everything that had happened in the cramped carriage resurfaced in her mind, she truly understood why that person she met at seven had said those words. She also understood why her grandmother had risked her life to make such an arrangement for her.

Yes, once Han Yue's body understood love, it was a raging fire that could never be extinguished. It was this fire that, even with Old Li's formidable willpower, finally caused him to erupt completely when Han Yue, who had just lost her virginity, came for the second time.

This outburst brought the somewhat lost Old Li back to his senses. He was extremely reluctant to part with Han Yue's body that was about to take his soul, but once he was clear-headed, Old Li realized that now was not the time to linger. So, after spending some time cuddling with the two girls, Old Li returned to the driver's seat and obediently went back to driving.

Han Yue and Lulu had only one purpose in leaving home today: to visit Old Li. Of course, visiting was one aspect; their deeper thought was that, if the opportunity arose, they wanted to stay at Old Li's house for a few days during the holidays.

From Fei'er to the girls in the school's girls' team, these women who appeared in Old Li's life were almost all women he had passively and reluctantly accepted into his life. Old Li, who had undergone a significant change after meeting Bai Xue and Yue Yue, had developed a more proactive attitude towards women. However, in his sober reflection after everything that had just happened, Old Li suddenly realized that when faced with a woman who could move him, his possessiveness and aggression had been subconsciously aroused.

Male possessiveness and the aggression it embodies are latent to varying degrees in every male; time, environment, and even changes in mindset are the main factors that trigger them. If time could rewind twenty years, perhaps none of the events that occurred in Old Li's marriage and family would have happened. Those things lurking within Old Li, even if he had turned to ashes in the chimney, would still remain.

Life is unpredictable. Having been gradually awakened, is Old Li still the same person he once was?

Han Yue was carefully helped out of the car by Lulu. A series of cheerful voices rang out as Xiao Zhu quickly came to greet them. Holding Old Li's hand, Xiao Zhu politely greeted Han Yue and Lulu, then led Old Li and the two girls into the house. There

were three girls in the living room. One stood up and greeted Old Li generously as "Uncle," while the other two stood up somewhat awkwardly, looking at the group that had entered with Xiao Zhu.

"Hehe, Xiao Lu's here! You're on vacation too, so stay at your uncle's house for a few more days,"

Old Li said with a smile, affectionately patting the little girl's head with his large hand as he saw his brother-in-law's daughter, Xiao Lu.

Xiao Lu's father, who is also Lao Li's brother-in-law, married while serving in the military. His wife was also from the same military region and was one of the more well-known performers in the army's cultural troupe.

Three years after their marriage, they had Xiao Lu. However, both parents were busy with their work and didn't have much time to care for her. Eventually, Xiao Lu's mother gave up her career and became a civilian cadre in the military region headquartered in Jiangzhong City.

Xiao Lu attended the military region's kindergarten and primary school, which were right next to Lao Li's house. So even though Lao Li was no longer the principal of the primary school, he watched Xiao Lu grow up.

Xiao Lu's father, whether in the military or in civilian life, was always away from home and rarely provided for his family. When Lao Li met Xiao Lu, he was no longer legally her uncle-in-law, but having always been very supportive of his ex-wife's family, he also devoted some of his energy to caring for Xiao Lu and her mother.

Xiao Lu rarely saw her father, and Old Li was a very approachable person. Therefore, since Xiao Lu met Old Li, she developed a very deep bond with him and her older sister, Xiao Zhu.

Xiao Lu would be entering her final year of junior high school next semester, and from then on, she would attend the city's No. 5 Middle School. Although she didn't see Old Li as often anymore, her affection for his family remained strong. Now, during the holidays, she and Xiao Zhu went back to what felt like her childhood home.

Before Old Li and Xiao Lu could even exchange a simple greeting, Xiao Zhu, saying, "You two can talk later," pulled Old Li aside and introduced him to two other girls.

These were Xiao Zhu's classmates and roommates from their time at the boarding school. Although Old Li had heard a lot about these two girls from Xiao Zhu, this was the first time he had actually met them in person.

Listening to his daughters introduce themselves and greeting their classmates, Old Li turned to introduce Lulu and Hanyue, who had come with him, when Fei'er, who had somehow followed him in, stood behind him, arm in arm with Hanyue.

Fei'er's ambiguous smile sent a chill down Old Li's spine. Judging from Fei'er's arm around Hanyue, she clearly knew what had happened to Hanyue! Even with his possessive and aggressive nature fully awakened, Old Li, having done something wrong, would still tremble at the sight of Fei'er, even if he had ten times the courage.

Before Fei'er's pregnancy, even if she could control herself and not provoke Old Li in public, a single, intense glare from her would send chills down his spine. She wouldn't be Fei'er then. Having become pregnant with Lao Li's child and gone through so much, Fei'er, who used to greet the girls with a smile, had learned not to use her eyes or actions to intimidate certain people.

Fei'er sat down with Han Yue, and Xiao Zhu, who had been very affectionate with her sister-in-law since she entered the house, also sat down next to her without any choice.

Xiao Zhu's two classmates had just met everyone. Although Han Yue and Lulu had met Lao Li's family before, they weren't very familiar with each other. It was just a brief awkward silence when the women met, but it passed quickly.

Old Li dared not leave before Fei'er, so even though he couldn't join in the conversation, he stayed by Fei'er's side while she chatted intimately with the group of girls.

A little while later, Fei'er's mother arrived, followed by Qu Rou and the woman in the cheongsam. Then, Old Li's sister-in-law, Tie Yi, and her daughter entered one after the other.

The living room now felt cramped, so everyone, from the older women to the younger girls, came to the garden at Fei'er's invitation. Since Old Li had removed the bluestone blocking the spring, the gushing water had overflowed the garden, filling the previously dried-up pond.

The transplanted water lilies now had new buds emerging, and the koi carp, bought at the same time, flashed before their eyes, splashing as the excited girls threw in their bait.

The bamboo swayed in the breeze. In the pavilion with several cups of tea, Old Li, Tian Rong, Tie Yi, Da Mei, Qing Yu, and Fei'er sat on one side, while the woman in the cheongsam and Fei'er's mother sat opposite them , keeping a slight distance between them.

The conversation revolved around the expansion of No. 33 Middle School. The school expansion itself wasn't particularly noteworthy, as both the budget and funding (even though most of the funding was self-raised) required detailed designs and approval from higher authorities. The current issue was the change of land use, whose specific implementation was still under discussion.

Old Li's phone had accumulated several unfamiliar numbers, so regardless of when the school expansion would begin, all specific details regarding the expansion needed to be finalized beforehand; otherwise, the number of people contacting him would only increase.

According to the expansion plan submitted by No. 33 Middle School to the Education Bureau, a well-known construction company from another city was to undertake the project. Old Li, Qingyu, and Da Mei all knew that this construction company was just a temporary player Qingyu had brought in; they wouldn't actually participate.

This was because commercial development required qualified developers. Qingyu and Da Mei wanted to profit from this development, so they were simply using the company's qualifications to secure the development rights; they would handle the rest. In other words, they needed to raise enough funds first and then find a reputable contractor.

When Old Li submitted the proposal, Qingyu and Da Mei initially thought that even if it was approved, the project wouldn't be completed based solely on the proposal. There might be higher-ups involved, and it might have to go through a public bidding process.

But now, everything seemed too smooth, and following this smoothness came a series of unfamiliar phone calls to Old Li's phone.

It's obvious that delegating all the rights regarding the expansion to No. 33 Middle School is, in essence, a way for someone to keep those rights firmly in their own hands. In other words, someone with sufficient power wants to use that power to interfere in the expansion of No. 33 Middle School, but they're not doing it openly; they're doing it behind the scenes.

Since returning from the meeting at the North District Education Bureau, Old Li has received quite a few calls from people wanting to get involved in the No. 33 Middle School expansion project. However, after analyzing these calls with Da Mei and Qing Yu, none of them seemed to have that kind of influence. Because if it were just the development and expansion of a single school, it wouldn't be a big deal. But if you connect it to the overall development of North District and the connection to the highway, the land around the vocational school will have enormous potential for appreciation.

Only such huge profits could entice someone with enough power to get involved! That said, the North District redevelopment project hasn't been publicly announced yet; anyone who knows about it beforehand is no ordinary person. For some reason, Lao Li was thinking about the phone call from Director Ma of the Industry and Commerce Bureau. This unexpected call, like the mystery before him, left him feeling uncertain.

[Volume 2: Passionate Maple Leaves] Chapter 2: Unintentional? Destined? (3)

Anyway, Qingyu and Damei were handling the specific matters of the school expansion. Based on their abilities, Lao Li believed that even if someone in Qingjiang Province wanted to get involved, it wouldn't be easy for them to do so. Now, the rights to expand and develop the school have been completely delegated to No. 33 Middle School. So, everyone discussed how to get all aspects of the work moving forward as soon as possible.

The expansion of the school means an increase in the enrollment scale. However, No. 33 Middle School is now facing not only the problem of finding students, but also the problem of keeping all the existing students at No. 33 Middle School to continue their studies. So, everyone quickly turned to expanding the student body and retaining boarding students.

The scholarship fund is one of the measures that must be introduced as soon as possible, because the enrollment for the high school class this year is about to begin. Complementing the student aid fund is a scholarship system, which is also a major measure to attract high-achieving students to study at No. 33 Middle School. However, No. 33 Middle School still has a considerable amount of debt to repay, so it's best if the school itself doesn't handle both the student aid fund and the scholarship system.

Having a third party establish the student aid fund and scholarships means that even the creditors who most want to force No. 33 Middle School to repay its debts have no reason to use this as leverage. Many people in the world know that after implementing a series of measures, No. 33 Middle School may be able to overcome its difficulties and repay its debts, but nothing is safer than having the money they actually have in their own pockets.

On the other hand, with a third party involved, No. 33 Middle School doesn't need to painstakingly explain to each creditor, saving a lot of time and allowing the school to focus its energy on other areas.

Fei'er's mother used to be involved in charity work, and her job at that charity was to sponsor impoverished students to continue their education. During her years working for official charities, Fei'er's mother's biggest feeling was helplessness. There was the helplessness of complicated approval procedures, the helplessness of coordinating countless interpersonal relationships, and most frustratingly, those who truly needed assistance were helplessly deprived of the eligibility criteria due to these approval and coordination processes.

Somewhat disheartened, Fei'er's mother, who had taken a long vacation, decided to spend time with her daughter, who was alone in a foreign land. Her daughter understood her feelings, and now, she wanted to ask Fei'er to handle the same charitable work.

Frankly, a million-yuan charity fund for a school seemed incredibly small to Fei'er, who had seen the world. However, it had one major condition that appealed to Fei'er's mother: all recipients were subject to review and decision-making by a fund manager. In other words, she had complete control over how the fund was managed.

Having witnessed so much helplessness in the real world, Fei'er's mother, on her long vacation, decided to give it a try.

Now, the funds for the scholarship fund are in place, and all the preliminary preparations have been handled by my daughter and the woman in the cheongsam sitting next to me. My daughter mentioned that there will be an unveiling ceremony for the fund, and since the city television station has been recently tracking and reporting on the educational situation of impoverished students, my daughter contacted her colleague at the station, and the station will also report on the unveiling ceremony.

My daughter has listed herself as the registered manager of the fund, and she told the television station that she designed the basic operating procedures for the fund. In other words, my daughter is now putting herself in the spotlight to help someone with ulterior motives.

Ever since her daughter mentioned the scholarship fund, she'd been asking her countless questions about it. Putting aside her dislike for that person with ulterior motives, establishing this scholarship fund was indeed a good thing. To be honest, no matter how much she disliked that person, she couldn't let that personal feeling deprive children who deserved assistance of their opportunity.

Whether her daughter had exploited her feelings or if she was simply too soft-hearted, it didn't matter now, because she hadn't objected to attending tomorrow's unveiling ceremony.

Looking at her daughter, and then at that person, Fei'er's mother truly didn't know what to feel… Her

daughter quietly got up. Where was she going in the middle of the night? As her mother, she knew without a doubt. But could she stop her now? If she didn't stop her, wouldn't that mean she was tacitly approving? Tacitly

approving! This meant she was compromising. Did she mean she was...?

After her daughter quietly left, how did the mother fall asleep amidst her intense inner struggle? The mother could no longer know. Meanwhile, the daughter, having reached her destination, was inflicting the most severe punishment on someone in a gentle yet most torturous way.

Knowing why Fei'er had come to see him so late, Old Li, who had done wrong during the day, was already waiting at the gallows. And Fei'er would absolutely not let her father-in-law's mistake go unpunished just because he knew he was wrong. So, Fei'er didn't actually put her father-in-law's neck on the gallows, but she was determined to use the stockings she had taken off her legs to tie his hands to the headboard.

Two bright red nipples, tinged with a faint purple tinge of pregnancy, made the father-in-law's eyes practically pop out of his head with desire. She almost touched them, making him swallow hard, but she wouldn't let him taste them…

The hard, stick-like things seemed about to explode, but Fei'er would only gently rub them with her delicate toes…

Her eyes reddened, her breathing became heavy, and sweat began to pour down her face. As Fei'er bent down, the stocking tightly binding her father-in-law's hands was easily untied…

The world is going to the dogs; even Old Mu has learned to be lazy and skip writing a thousand or eight hundred words.

In a hazy drowsiness, a familiar scent, penetrating to her bones, flowed through her nostrils. In her sleep, she unconsciously embraced Old Li, drawn by that all-too-familiar scent. Subconsciously pressing his face close to that familiar place, and subconsciously hugging it tightly, Old Li finally fell asleep peacefully.

The unveiling ceremony of the foundation was held in the small auditorium of No. 33 Middle School. The school representative was Tian Rong, the Party Secretary and Vice Principal, and the foundation's authorized agent was Fei'er's mother. The school expressed its gratitude and explained that with the foundation's support, it would further expand its teaching ideas. The foundation, on the other hand, explained in more detail the purpose and operating philosophy of its establishment. Everyone knew that No. 33 Middle School had to make the most of this free advertising opportunity from this print and television media outlet; otherwise, it would be a complete waste.

The expansion of a school requires a concrete plan, and all the middle-level and above leaders of No. 33 Middle School were discussing this matter in the conference room. This was the first time this matter had been so clearly explained to the middle-level cadres, so it was normal for everyone to have some discussions about it.

According to the plan presented by Principal Li, the original layout of No. 33 Middle School will remain unchanged. The only difference is that the current teaching building will separate the senior high school classes, becoming the junior high school section.

The expansion on the vocational school land will house the senior high school teaching building, student dormitories, and a shared computer lab for both junior and senior high students. Existing facilities such as dormitories and the gymnasium will be partially renovated during this expansion to better suit the school's teaching needs after the new teaching area is operational.

While the school's middle-level administrators expressed some opinions about the renovation and expansion, they didn't really take it too seriously. What they discussed most was Principal Li's last point: through coordination with the developer, a residential development will be built on the site of the former vocational school teaching factory, and the school promised to offer these units to its faculty and staff at below-market prices.

Isn't the current location of the vocational school teaching factory too remote? While it's closer to the school, it will make life much more inconvenient for everyone. Furthermore, how much lower than the market price? Is it a few tens of yuan per square meter, or a hundred yuan? Since their own work and life were directly affected, the middle-level managers were much more talkative.

Now that welfare housing is no longer provided, the decision to buy a house is entirely up to each individual. The school is just helping to make connections. It will be a while before the houses are completed, so everyone should just be aware of this arrangement. Once the houses are finished and everyone has discussed it with their families, they can make a decision.

Summer vacation has begun, and teachers' summer training is about to start. To facilitate the renovation project of the school's teachers' offices, starting this afternoon, all teachers currently working in the original teaching building will move to temporary offices. The teachers' summer training will also be conducted off-campus. After Secretary Tian Rong's instructions, the meeting in the small conference room temporarily concluded. As the school's middle-level managers left in twos and threes, now, including Vice Principal Yang Shaohua, who hadn't been seen much at the school before, only six people remained in the small conference room.

This morning, the No. 33 Middle School girls' team played a warm-up match against a combined team from the No. 5 and No. 3 Middle Schools. Overall, after a closed training camp, the No. 33 Middle School girls' team has largely finalized its roster for each position. Now, they need to fine-tune their teamwork between the two lineups, meaning a smooth transition between the starters and substitutes.

The starting lineup consists of center Ya Rou, power forward (the player from Tiancheng Women's Basketball Team), small forward Zhang Nan, point guard Yu Lian, and shooting guard a dark-skinned girl from No. 3 Middle School. Players

who have recovered from their foot injuries and can substitute for center are Yuan Yuan, Lü Na, Tian Tian, and Shu Wen, who will rotate between the two forward positions. Other players will rotate between the guard and forward positions depending on the situation.

Before Ya Rou and others joined the No. 33 Middle School girls' basketball team, their main playing style was fast-paced offense and varied tactics. Now, with Ya Rou and a power forward, the team's speed in both offense and defense has slowed down considerably. This means that because of these two players, the No. 33 Middle School girls' team has to abandon some of their usual tactics to adapt to their presence.

Finding a balance, combining height and speed as much as possible, has been the main focus of Xie Xin and Coach Mi's recent training. After several warm-up matches, especially today's game, Xie Xin and Coach Mi finally felt relieved, as the players' application of tactics on the court basically demonstrated what they had repeatedly emphasized in training.

The school is going to expand, and some construction workers have already appeared on campus in small groups. In a week, the girls' team members will leave the school to familiarize themselves with the venue at the city's competition venue. In other words, including these few days of training, Coach Mi has at most twenty days left before leaving No. 33 Middle School.

There will definitely be more middle school basketball tournaments in the future, and we will still meet the basketball team of No. 33 Middle School. However, the players who participate in the games will not be the same as they are now. Having been a coach for over ten years, and having coached four or five batches of children, I don't know why, but even before parting ways with these children, I've already begun to feel secretly sad.

I really don't know how I will feel when the final farewell arrives. With a touch of melancholy, Coach Mi composed himself and stepped off the bus with the players.

In a small meeting at No. 33 Middle School, a meeting chaired by Secretary Tian Rong was underway. The meeting had two agendas: welcoming new colleagues and making new adjustments to the work assignments of the school's main leaders, according to the arrangements of the Municipal Education Bureau.

There were seven new colleagues, one of whom was a powerful section chief from the former Logistics Department of the Municipal Education Bureau, reportedly with extensive experience in infrastructure work. The other six were relatively young teachers who had come to No. 33 Middle School to strengthen its teaching staff under the care of the Municipal Education Bureau. All the new colleagues arrived at No. 33 Middle School at 10:00 AM, led by the Deputy Director of the Municipal Education Bureau and the Director of the Personnel Department.

The decision to send an additional vice principal and continue to send more teachers to No. 33 Middle School had only been communicated to the school yesterday afternoon, and these new colleagues had appeared at No. 33 Middle School less than 18 hours later.

After announcing the organizational decisions, the leaders of the Municipal Education Bureau gave a brief speech, politely declined No. 33 Middle School's attempts to retain them, and left. The academic affairs meeting of No. 33 Middle School continued under the chairmanship of Secretary Tian Rong.

The so-called work adjustments mainly involved two people: Vice Principal Yang Shaohua, who had finally returned to work, and Vice Principal Yang Shaohua, whose main responsibility was to take over some of the work currently handled by Tie Yi, specifically the teaching work of the junior high school. The newly arrived vice principal took over the logistical work previously handled by Vice Principal Xu, and also assisted Principal Li in managing the school's expansion project. As for the work of others, there were basically no major changes.

Because the renovation work on the school office and some school buildings had already begun, the meeting for all faculty and staff, as well as the new leaders and colleagues, which was originally scheduled, had to be postponed until the summer teacher training. Fortunately, everyone, whether new leaders or new colleagues, was very understanding and didn't mind the arrangement. So, after Secretary Tian Rong announced the end of the meeting, everyone chatted and laughed as they prepared to attend the welcoming banquet later.

To be honest, Tian Rong hadn't had a chance to discuss the personnel arrangements with Lao Li after receiving the Education Bureau's notification that afternoon, and the Education Bureau had already sent the personnel to the school this morning. However, neither Tian Rong nor Lao Li felt caught off guard, although they felt the Education Bureau's arrangement was a bit rushed.

Indeed, apart from the shortage of teachers for frontline teaching, other tasks such as school management were really not a problem – one more or one less person wouldn't make a difference. With someone coming, some work would be distributed; without someone coming, everyone would share more of the workload.

The new leaders and colleagues, having their own matters to attend to, left the school to take care of their own business. After seeing them off, Lao Li, Tian Rong, and the others returned to the school.

Lao Li went directly to the girls' team's residence, while Tian Rong and Lao Xu found the person in charge of the school's renovation project and, together with him and several technicians, reviewed the blueprints to finalize the renovation details.

The female players and coaches were watching the video of the warm-up game they had just played that morning. After greeting each other, Coach Mi continued with the post-game summary.

The high-speed, combination-playing style of play was quite evident in this warm-up game. One prominent issue was the disorganized repositioning of the players when fast breaks didn't present good opportunities. Specifically, the power forward and center often overlapped when contesting for position under the basket, resulting in almost exclusively inside-out passes. While this wasn't too difficult against teams like the combined teams of the Third and Fifth Middle Schools, it caused problems against stronger opponents.

Coach Mi, who has extensive experience in half-court offense, emphasized to the players that the tactical coordination between the power forward and center should not be equated with a two-center strategy. The power forward should focus on playmaking and spacing, rather than solely emphasizing offense under the basket. Other players must pay attention to the rotation and positioning of the power forward and center, ensuring that passing and cutting, and creating opportunities all revolve around this central theme.

Coach Mi's coaching skills were highly admired by both Lao Li and Xie Xin, and it was she who largely solved the shortcomings of No. 33 Middle School in attacking positional plays. Previously, the No. 33 Middle School girls' team had to desperately run and weave to stretch the opponent's defense in positional plays, but now, thanks to Ya Rou and the power forward, the players only need to use almost half the energy to achieve the desired effect.

In today's basketball competition, only teams with a relatively balanced offense and defense have a chance to go far. To defeat a balanced team, one must find multiple ways to handle positional plays, and seeing the current No. 33 Middle School team gives Lao Li hope that they can go further.

After watching their own team's game, the next step was to watch videos of other participating teams' previous matches. This would allow the players to understand the opponents' tactical styles and also give them a direct understanding of some key players on each team.

The videos were edited, so watching the videos of four participating teams this afternoon only took a little over an hour. After getting up to let the team members do their own thing, the members of the coaching staff of No. 33 Middle School gathered together.

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