Gold Medal Sweetheart

Although this was Jin Taize's first faculty meeting, his speech was brief, so the meeting, unlike previous ones, ended in just half an hour. Principal Wang once again delivered an impassioned closing speech, evidently excited about the change of leadership. In Jin Taize's previous speech, he had solemnly pledged, in front of the entire staff, his agreement to fund the construction of a new teaching building. Principal Wang's long-standing wish with Mr. Zhang had unexpectedly been fulfilled today through Jin Taize. Furthermore, the new boss was far more wealthy.

After the meeting, everyone had not yet recovered from the bombshell news of today, and they were still discussing it in groups of three or five.

The three people in front of Tang Xin talked as they walked.

Colleague A: "Today's news is too explosive, isn't it? I can't handle it!"

Colleague B: "Me too! We're actually connected to the Shi Tian Group!"

Colleague C: "But the president of Shitian is so handsome. He is so handsome." Colleague C said with starry eyes.

Colleague B: "No, I need to post it on WeChat Moments to spread the word!" As he said this, he lowered his head and fiddled with his phone.

Colleague C was much calmer, "How come there were no signs beforehand?"

"Haha, it's bombshell news! There are comments so quickly." Colleague B laughed while holding her phone. But a second later, she shouted unhappily, "You actually told me there's no truth without a picture. I should have taken a picture of that handsome guy and blinded you!"

Seeing that colleague B actually posted this news on WeChat Moments, colleague C scoffed and said, "Why are you so excited? You are related to the Shitian Group, not its boss."

Hearing this, Colleague A took the arms of the two colleagues beside him, raised his eyebrows and said with a meaningful smile: "But there is one person who seems to want to have something to do with this new boss." Hearing the implication of Colleague A's words, the three of them understood and burst into laughter.

Tang Xin, who was walking behind, had no time to savor everything she heard before the sounds from behind her came one after another.

"You said that as the formidable Shi Tian Group, a leader in the hotel industry, should have plenty of money. Why would they choose to invest in a small, unknown school like ours?" asked colleague Ding Fa. "Even if there were returns, for a company as large as Shi Tian, this amount wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between employees, let alone President Jin."

Colleague Wu was very calm and said, "People have said that they came here for lofty ideals and to contribute to education."

"With his financial resources, he could easily set up several universities, but he chose a middle school. This is incredible." Colleague Ding continued to carry forward the spirit of Sherlock Holmes.

"Then why did he come here?" Colleague Wu was also piqued by Colleague D.

"There are many female teachers in the school. He must be here for a certain female teacher, haha." Colleague Ding said casually.

When Tang Xin heard this, her body suddenly froze and her already slow pace slowed down even more. She couldn't help but turn her head slightly and saw in surprise that her colleague Ding and colleague Wu walked past her together.

I just heard colleague Wu joking with colleague D, "I guess they came here for you, haha."

"You saw through it, haha. I told him not to tell anyone yet." The two of them walked away talking and laughing.

"It seems today's suspension of classes was truly necessary. Everyone's completely distracted from work. This news is as sensational as when the US dropped two atomic bombs on Japan during World War II." An Qi caught up with Tang Xin from behind. Seeing the strong reaction in some areas, An Qi, a history teacher, commented with a touch of academic flair.

As soon as the meeting was over, Tang Xin walked out of the meeting room in a daze, like a wandering soul. An Qi saw this and quickly packed up her things and chased after her.

"What's wrong with you today? You were fine at the beginning of the meeting, but then you became a little off." An Qi looked at Tang Xin with concern. She had initially wondered if the principal's criticism had made Tang Xin a little upset, but she quickly dismissed the thought. This kind of thing had been happening to Tang Xin quite frequently recently. As a neglected employee, Tang Xin must have been quite defensive about this level of treatment.

Asked by An Qi, Tang Xin was truly at a loss for words. The entire situation, from beginning to end, felt like a vague dream. Listening to her colleagues gossiping about the day's events, she wished she could join in the gossip as an outsider. Now, she had a better understanding of the reality of being a celebrity in the spotlight, not always as glamorous as it seemed. It took a strong mental fortitude to be magnified and subjected to public scrutiny, even for the smallest details.

"It's okay, it's okay. I just think the new boss is too handsome and I can't look him in the eye." Tang Xin didn't know how to explain the whole story to An Qi, so she absentmindedly made up an excuse.

An Qi looked at Tang Xin, who was completely listless. She obviously knew that this was definitely not a natural reaction after seeing a handsome guy, but she didn't want to continue asking.

An Qi followed Tang Xin to the door of her second-floor office and kindly reminded her, "But I heard the new boss's office is on the third floor." She pointed upwards, "Diagonally above you."

Tang Xin then remembered that, starting last week, she had been assigned to clean the long-vacant office on the third floor. At the time, she was baffled, unsure what to do with the cleaned-up office. Now, she realized, after all, she was cleaning for that guy named Jin. While cleaning, she'd gone to the window of that office to take in the view. Then, looking diagonally downward from that window, she happened to see the window of her own office, on the other side of the teaching building.

Now she can only sigh that it is fate that plays tricks on her.

After Jin Taize gave a speech at the meeting, he returned to his office on the third floor. He opened the door and was greeted by a full view of the entire room. Although the room was small, it was neatly arranged. It had just been cleaned, and even though no one had been working there, everything still looked clean and tidy.

He walked to the window, gently pushed it open, and gazed out into the distance. The plastic playground in front of the teaching building, a green field and a circular running track, blended together in vibrant colors, imbued the space with boundless vitality. The white line of the track stretched into the distance, like a flight path carrying dreams and hopes. The trees surrounding the playground, summoned by spring, sprouted tender green leaves, making the entire campus appear tranquil and beautiful. He took a deep breath, feeling as if the air here contained a much higher concentration of oxygen than elsewhere.

Yes, it had been so long since he'd been back to campus, maybe six or seven years. Looking out at the playground that hugged the teaching building, he could vaguely see groups of boys dribbling—dripping past—jumping under the basketball hoops. The basketball traced a graceful parabola in the air, and the net danced like the light hem of a girl's summer skirt, spinning and soaring. In the distance, excited cheers and the girls' cheers rang out. On one side of the track, boys in gym shorts and tank tops stood behind the starting line, their hands planted on the ground. At the teacher's command, they all took their starting stance. The gun went off, and like arrows, they shot forward. Groups of students sat in the shade of the trees, some buried in books, some chatting about something cheerful. Suddenly, from one end of the playground, a petite figure glided gracefully, clutching a few books. Seeing the students racing on the track, she paused to cheer them on. A gentle breeze blew by, like a naughty child, ruffling the strands of hair that had fallen by her ears. With her slender fingers, she gently tucked them behind her ears. Wandering in the beautiful spring light, she took a deep breath and looked up at the teaching building, at the window. The corners of her mouth curved like the most lovely spring flower, blooming on her delicate face.