Damn it, I'm surrounded by childhood sweethearts-Chapter 552 - 387. The principal offers a cigarette

"Qingfan, how much does your family plan to donate to the school?"

Xu Qingfan suppressed a laugh and answered seriously, "Six hundred thousand, which is intended for providing living allowances to underprivileged students."

"Wow... that's really good, you know! We have two students in our class from families with financial difficulties too. It's a great idea!" Guo Youcai was initially taken aback but quickly voiced his approval.

"Yes."

Guo Youcai wanted to ask what kind of company Xu Qingfan's family had that they could donate such a large sum in one go, but just then, they arrived at the principal's office, so he had to put his question on hold.

"Come in." After knocking three times on the door, Principal Song's voice quickly came from inside.

Guo Youcai opened the door, and Xu Qingfan waited politely for him to enter before following.

"Principal Song, I've brought the person..."

He had not finished speaking when Song Dongsheng had already come forward to shake hands with Xu Qingfan.

"Welcome, welcome! On behalf of Licheng Middle School, I am truly delighted to welcome you, Qingfan!"

"Hello, Teacher Song." Xu Qingfan extended his hand for a handshake.

"Haha, good! I still prefer students to call me teacher. Please have a seat, Qingfan. And Teacher Guo..."

"Ah, then I won't disturb you and Principal Song any further. I should go back and attend to the students' discipline." Having been in the workforce for many years, Guo Youcai promptly excused himself.

After he left, the two soon sat down on the sofa by the coffee table reserved for guests.

"For a long time, our promising local students have been going to Hong Kong for high school. With the rank of second in our district, Qingfan, I am sincerely happy that you chose Licheng Middle School!"

Song Dongsheng bowed his head, busying himself with the tea set, and chatted with Xu Qingfan in a composed manner.

"Licheng Middle School has a good school spirit and environment, and the teaching staff is excellent as well. I believe my alma mater will get better and better, and years from now, I will be glad for making this decision!"

"Hahaha, good!"

Xu Qingfan, having dealt with the Zhang family not just once, was naturally skilled in handling even smaller fry like Principal Song, so their conversation was full of mutual praise and grew increasingly harmonious.

"Genuine West Lake Longjing tea. I don't even allow myself to drink it ordinarily, but for the title of 'Teacher Song,' I've made an exception today and have it prepared."

Song Dongsheng poured the brewed tea into Qingfan's cup, and Xu Qingfan raised his fists and knocked on the table, lifting the tea to take a sip.

"Excellent tea."

An unmistakable look of admiration shone in Song Dongsheng's eyes. Even without the halo of academic achievements, just this ability to navigate social interactions predicted that the young man before him was destined for greatness.

"Regarding the donation to the school, I'd like to express our gratitude on behalf of the school. I believe you have some specific ideas on how the money should be used, right?"

Seeing that they were moving on to serious matters, Xu Qingfan put down his tea cup and sat up straight again: "Yes, I mainly want to use the funds to support underprivileged students, and I've written down some of my thoughts here."

He pulled out the hand-written A4 paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and handed it over with both hands.

"Oh? Supporting underprivileged students is a fine idea. Let me take a look."

Very soon.

"Good!"

"Great!"

"This plan is excellent!"

After briefly scanning the content, exclamations of admiration echoed continuously through the office, naturally all from Song Dongsheng.

"If you think there's no problem, Principal Song, there are no issues on my end either. The six hundred thousand has already been transferred into the designated account in advance. If more funds are needed later, my company will continue to contribute until I graduate from senior year."

Talking about official matters, Xu Qingfan stopped addressing the other person as teacher.

"This idea is really great, and as soon as I officially start work tomorrow, I'll personally take care of the liaison. Once again, on behalf of Licheng Middle School, I extend our heartfelt thanks to Qingfan and Good Taste Takeout!"

Xu Qingfan hunched his body in a bow, a gesture of respect from a junior, and stretched out his hand to shake the other person's hand again.

"It's also because I have such a classmate by my side that I wanted to do something. After all, high school is not only a time for growing but also the battlefield of exams. How can one fight on an empty stomach!"

"I wonder what this classmate's name is. That's really a negligence on our school's part!" Song Dongsheng said with an annoyed slap on his thigh.

"He's from class 10 of the first year, his name is Xie Rui. I don't know much else." Qingfan thought about it and, seeing no harm, picked up a pen and wrote down Xie Rui's name on the same piece of paper.

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After another round of friendly formalities, Song Dongsheng suddenly shifted the topic, "Qingfan, are you getting used to school life and studies? Is there anything you find uncomfortable?"

This was the subtext, suggesting that if there were any backdoors needed, now was the time to mention them—after all, there's no such thing as a free lunch.

Xu Qingfan caught the hint and chuckled, "The school's learning environment is great, classmates are friendly, and the food in the cafeteria is delicious too, but..."

After a pause, he continued, "My family wants me to get some exercise. I dabbled with an internet company over the summer holidays, so I might need to ask for leave often, not sure yet."

"That's excellent. Young people should definitely get some exercise. After all, the knowledge in textbooks is, ultimately, static. It's important to put it into practice!" Regardless of what Song Dongsheng truly thought, at that moment, he showed support by clapping his hands.

"I'll take note of the matter about asking for leave. I'll speak to Old Guo personally later on."

"Mhm, mhm." Xu Qingfan nodded obediently, then put on a hesitant expression.

"What's up?" Song Dongsheng took the bait immediately.

"About the donation to the school, I don't want to reveal my identity, but just now, the class teacher said the principal asked me to come to the office. I'm afraid my classmates will get the wrong idea."

Xu Qingfan spoke hesitantly, then suddenly changed the subject, pointing to the cigarette pack on the table, "So, Teacher Song, how about this? You hand me a cigarette, I take a photo, and then I tell everyone we're good buddies."

"Pfft!"

Song Dongsheng truly couldn't hold back, and the tea he was drinking sprayed out of his mouth.

Fortunately, Xu Qingfan had been prepared, and with a swift dodge, he avoided the magical attack.

A moment later.

"Hahaha, thank you, Teacher Song, thank you. I promise I won't share the photo, and I'll just keep the cigarette as a memento. I never smoke!"

Watching Xu Qingfan, who seemed to have become a completely different person, Song Dongsheng fell into thought.

"Cough cough... Smoking is harmful to health. It's best not to smoke at all." He managed to maintain his expression while speaking.

After putting away his phone and the cigarette, Xu Qingfan once again reverted to his usual image of a sincerely respectful gentleman.

"I know, Teacher Song. You're a heavy smoker; it's best if you also get your health checked every year."

"Right, you should go back to evening self-study. Although entrepreneurship is important, you can't neglect your studies either. It's best when you can handle both well." Song Dongsheng was really struggling to maintain his composure as he issued a subtle dismissal.

"Thank you for your time, teacher. I'll go and work on both!"

After getting up, Xu Qingfan bowed sincerely, shook hands politely with the other party, and then left the principal's office.

"Pfft... Hahaha!"

Once Xu Qingfan had gone, Song Dongsheng couldn't help but burst into laughter alone in his office.

Getting a principal to hand over a cigarette—it was something he too had daydreamed about during his school days.

"This cheeky kid, hahaha!"

Song Dongsheng shook his head, and just as he was about to clean up his mess, the door suddenly opened again.

"Oh, that's right!"

Song Dongsheng's smile froze on his face as he looked in astonishment toward the doorway where Xu Qingfan was peeking in.

"There's one more thing I need to report to you, Teacher Song."

"Speak!" Seeing Xu Qingfan's knowing look, Song Dongsheng's mouth twitched slightly.

"Our student council's vice president, I think his name is Du Haitao, he has a bit of a grudge against me. It was just a small matter, but he said that anyone from our class who applies to the student council will be rejected this year. I think it's a bit of personal revenge, so I wanted to report it to you."

"Got it. Is there anything else?" Song Dongsheng stood up straight and looked seriously at Xu Qingfan at the door.

"No, that's all. Mr. Principal, you're busy. I'll head back to evening self-study!" Xu Qingfan waved, quickly closed the door behind him, and left.

After waiting a while to make sure he wouldn't come back, Song Dongsheng shook his head and said with a wry smile, "This cheeky kid!"

"It might actually be a good idea to let him be the vice president."

...