"That also counts as a problem student," the homeroom teacher of Class A concluded, while the homeroom teacher of Class E shook their head. "Problem students are those who frequently fight, don't take their studies seriously. At least Alice is not involved in these two things."

"Well, that also counts as a good student," the homeroom teacher of Class A smiled. "But now, skipping classes is becoming a serious issue for her." The homeroom teacher of Class E frowned.

"Because her phone is unreachable, I even went to her address that she provided a few days ago."

"Did you see her? Did you try to convince her to come to school?" the homeroom teacher of Class A quickly asked, and the homeroom teacher of Class E shook their head and sighed. "I failed; I didn't even get inside the door."

The homeroom teacher of Class A looked surprised, "That's a bit disrespectful to the teacher. When a teacher goes to find a student, they should be welcomed. Even if she doesn't want to go to school, she should at least provide a reason."

"I asked her the same thing, but all Alice said was, 'I don't want to go to school anymore,' and that was her only response."

"Then, what about her parents? The parents should also step in; they can't let their child be so stubborn."

"Apparently, Alice doesn't live with her parents. It seems she rented a house by herself. I asked the landlord when I went up, and that's what she said. Alice is the only one renting that place."

"Do high school students now start renting houses by themselves?" the teacher of Class A found it quite rare.

"Students these days are different from our time. They start dating in middle school, don't they? We only started having romantic interests in college. But let's not dwell on that. I need to figure out how to contact Alice's parents. Only they can solve this issue."

"Hehe, being a homeroom teacher is not easy," the playful tone of the homeroom teacher of Class A remarked.

"Well, you've also become a homeroom teacher. You should understand," the teacher of Class E replied.

"I just started a month or two ago... I took on the role of a homeroom teacher with a try-it-out attitude."

"A new official wants to make a mark. Haven't you encountered any challenging situations?"

"The students in Class A are well-behaved and motivated. I don't think I'll face any challenging situations. But even if I do, I'll immediately pass the responsibility and resign," the homeroom teacher of Class A said.

"That would cause disagreements among other teachers, the headteacher, and even the principal."

The homeroom teacher of Class A stuck out their tongue. "I'm just kidding. If I do encounter a challenging situation, I'll handle it seriously. After all, I'm a teacher. A teacher's duty is to teach and guide students, stopping them from misbehaving and being disinterested in learning."

"That's good; fulfill your words," the homeroom teacher of Class E said, looking tired.

"Being a homeroom teacher is quite exhausting. Teacher Wu, you should also take care of yourself and rest more."

"Thank you, but I won't be able to rest well if I can't solve Alice's matter," the homeroom teacher of Class E sighed.

"Um..." the two teachers were chatting as if I didn't exist. To avoid wasting precious physical education class time, I had to interrupt their conversation.

"Sorry, I got too engrossed in chatting with Teacher Wu and forgot about your presence," the homeroom teacher of Class A apologetically said.

"It's okay. I wanted to ask, Teacher Wu, do you have Alice's address?" I asked the homeroom teacher of Class E.

"When students enroll, they provide personal information, including phone numbers and home addresses, to help teachers understand their backgrounds better and also for home visits when necessary."

"Well then, Teacher Wu, when you went to find Alice, couldn't you persuade her to come to school?"

"Teacher Wu, I remember you mentioning that you have a daughter. You don't have to worry so much," the homeroom teacher of Class A interjected.

"Students are like our own children, so of course we have to worry. As long as they are still my students," the homeroom teacher of Class E replied earnestly.

"Teacher Wu, you are truly great. If it were me, I wouldn't treat them as my own children because they are always causing trouble and being mischievous," the homeroom teacher of Class A scoffed.

"So, is that the reason why you're still not married, Teacher Liu?" the homeroom teacher of Class E glanced at the homeroom teacher of Class A disdainfully.

The homeroom teacher of Class A quickly averted his gaze and looked at me. "Student, you better get to the point..."

"Well, I wanted to ask if it's possible for me to have Alice's home address. I want to personally find her and try to persuade her," I said, thinking of a solution since the topic was handed to me.

"Sure, I can give you Alice's address, but..." the homeroom teacher of Class E hesitated.

"What's the matter?"

"Do you really just want to be friends with Alice? Do you have any ulterior motives?" the homeroom teacher of Class E was concerned about this.

So that's what the homeroom teacher of Class E was worried about. I patted my chest and said, "Other than that, I have no other intentions. I genuinely want to be friends with her and I don't want her to miss school because of some reason."

"Alright, then. I'll give you Alice's address. If she has any difficulties or encounters any problems, make sure to let her know that the teacher will help her, and the classmates will help her too," the homeroom teacher of Class E wrote Alice's address on a piece of paper and handed it to me. I nodded and said, "I will definitely convey the message and persuade her to come to school."

"Thank you for your help," I put the paper away in my pocket and left the teacher's office. I returned to the playground just in time for assembly. Luckily, I managed to finish this matter before the PE class. I didn't expect Alice to have been absent from school for a few days. I wonder what happened. The homeroom teacher of Class E had talked to her a couple of days ago, so it can be ruled out that she passed away suddenly. But what could be the reason? I can't figure it out no matter how hard I think. I'll have to ask her about it later. Also, I haven't seen her in the backyard for the past few days, so there must be a reasonable explanation. Anyway, I'll look for her after school. I checked the address and it wasn't very far, and it was familiar to me, so it saved me some time finding the place.

After the PE class, there was still one more class. I didn't have much focus on this class, as I kept thinking about this matter. I finally made it to the end of the school day.

"Youjie, what are you daydreaming about?" Su Yuqian suddenly appeared in front of me, looking unhappy.

"N...nothing, let's go," I said, actually thinking about how to refuse her offer to go home together.

"It seems like you weren't paying attention in class again. You're voluntarily lagging behind," she said in a disapproving tone.

"That's... not true," I felt a little guilty.

"I could see it clearly. During the 45-minute class, you were looking out the window for at least twenty minutes," she said.

"You noticed that..." I was quite impressed by Su Yuqian, but then I thought of something and wanted to embarrass her a bit. "Weren't you also not paying attention in class? You were looking at me for twenty minutes," I said. Su Yuqian blushed after hearing that. "Nonsense, I was monitoring your... studying, not looking back at you," she said, feeling proud that she was not caught by the teacher. "Okay, okay, I got it. Next time, I will pay attention in class," I assured her.

"Whether you pay attention or not has nothing to do with me," Su Yuqian said, turning her back to me.

"But you said you were monitoring me studying. Why does it not matter now?" I asked.

"Shut up! Idiot! I can do whatever I want," Su Yuqian yelled, luckily there were no other students in the classroom, or we would have been embarrassed. Su Yuqian was really willful, but I didn't want to argue with her.

"Well then, I'll slowly improve," I said slowly, looking at her. I didn't know what expression she had on her face as she had her back turned to me.

"We should go now..." Seeing that she didn't respond, I said and picked up my backpack, got up from my seat, and walked past her, glancing at her. I didn't know why her face was so flushed.

"Are you running a fever? Your face is red," I asked, puzzled.

"I'm not running a fever, you clueless idiot," Su Yuqian muttered under her breath.

"What?" I was completely baffled. If she's not running a fever, then what's going on? And what did she say just now? It's really bothering me.

"Let's go, are you planning to spend the night here?" Su Yuqian suddenly said, leaving me wondering why she said that and why she stopped talking. Well, I guess I should think about how to refuse going home with her now. It's a tricky situation. Should I tell the truth or make up a lie? Of course, telling the truth would only make things worse. I'll need to come up with an excuse to get out of this.

As we walked out of the classroom, through the hallway, and past the school courtyard, I felt more and more anxious. I still couldn't think of a suitable reason. If this continues, I'll have to go home with Su Yuqian. Maybe I should just turn back and go the other way after saying goodbye. But that would waste a lot of time. The address Annie, the class teacher of Class E, provided me with is not in the direction of my house or Su Yuqian's.

"Why did you stop?" I slowed down my pace after we stepped out of the school gate.

"Yuxi... I..." I had a hard time finding the words.

"What's wrong with you? You're being all hesitant," Su Yuqian became suspicious of my strange behavior.

I wanted to go home alone today. Oh, a friend invited me, and I realized I left something in the classroom... I quickly thought of a few options, but they all seemed unlikely to succeed. Su Yuqian also has the same problem as Zhiye, which is being overly suspicious. Although not as bad as Zhiye, I really don't know what to do now.