Too well-behaved! He looks so huggable!
As soon as the little one finished speaking, Lu Mingming immediately picked up a spoon and scooped two generous spoonfuls from the steaming minced eggplant and meat casserole into the child's lunchbox.
She didn't forget to add a spoonful of nutritious multigrain rice for the little cub, ensuring he would have a very satisfying lunch today.
Having been bullied at school for so long, Gray Red seemed to disbelieve he could receive such treatment at a prestigious academy. His eyes welled up, and he repeatedly waved his hands in refusal.
In his haste, his words came out choked, "Sister, sister, there's too much."
"Too much? My cub can eat twice as much as you."
Lu Mingming immediately interrupted the little cub's refusal with a serious tone, her hands not stopping as she placed a cup of pudding-flavored goat milk into his hands.
"Listen to your sister and eat more. That's how you stay healthy."
With that said, Lu Mingming bent her knees and gently pinched the little one's soft, fair cheek with her fingertips.
A child's face was always the best to touch, like fine, cool sheep fat jade, or smooth and tender as if it had been steeped in milk for a long time.
The little one shyly lowered his head and thanked her in a voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.
"Next time you want something, just come find me. But you need to speak louder. Your sister is older and her hearing isn't very good."
Lu Mingming exaggeratedly encouraged him.
Gray Red nodded and said in a slightly louder voice, "Thank you, sister~"
As soon as the little one finished speaking, he hugged his plastic lunchbox and sat in the farthest corner of the cafeteria, fully embodying the timid and easily scared personality that Cheng Shiqin had described.
But he was so obedient.
Even though Lu Mingming already had two little cubs at home, she most wished for a well-behaved, obedient cub like this one.
It was a pity he was from a noble family; otherwise, she could have found an excuse to adopt him.
Lu Mingming regrettably dismissed the thought.
After a while, cubs from other classes arrived at the cafeteria, accompanied by their attendants.
Not following the seating arrangement, the cubs arrived sporadically.
Perhaps they had too many expectations for the new intern childcare provider, the cubs craned their necks, sitting at their seats and eagerly awaiting their food.
In fact, as soon as the cubs entered the cafeteria, they smelled a peculiar aroma that tickled their appetites.
The cubs' upbringing prevented them from loudly searching the cafeteria, and they all sat with anticipation, hoping it was made by their class's childcare provider.
Over time, they were so held back that they began to discuss amongst themselves.
"Did you smell that?"
"It smells like meat. Look, Class A and Class B have the same thing, so it's definitely not from their class."
"I heard our teacher got third place in a competition this year. No one expected it. Maybe it's him."
Lu Mingming overheard this sentence and, after a quick review of all the sad things in her life, suppressed a smile.
This was indeed unexpected, as the Nine-tailed Fox's disqualification from the competition was also very abrupt.
When the cafeteria was almost filled with cubs from other classes, the first batch of cubs from Class A arrived just in time.
Seeing the Class A cubs arrive, the cubs from other classes uniformly stopped their discussions.
The slight liveliness brought on by their hushed whispers gradually faded, and the cafeteria returned to its listless state.
Lu Mingming gave a wry smile.
It was evident that Class A, which she taught, had quite the "prestige" in the entire academy!
It's fine; she would do her best to change the little cubs over these three days.
Estimating that the cubs from Class A and Class B were almost all present, Lu Mingming naturally began to look for her own cub.
The little white tiger had gained immense popularity and prestige in Class B, surrounded by a throng of cubs.
Even though he didn't intend to be, he couldn't resist the cubs' enthusiasm.
For the first time since his birth, Orlan Nal realized how popular he was among the cubs.
It was truly a sweet yet painful burden.
In stark contrast, the atmosphere in Class A was quite peculiar.
Perhaps because the new student, Snow Cream, who was supposed to be in the classroom, wasn't there, when the little Samoyed took his seat openly in Class A, all the cubs in Class A cast curious glances at him.
The little Samoyed calmly drank the warm water in his cup, unfazed by the intense gazes, diligently carrying out his daily wellness routine.
Gray Blue was the last cub to arrive at the cafeteria.
Well past the dining time, he unreservedly swaggered to the front row and snatched the seat that originally belonged to the cub in first place.
The little hamster cub, being rather timid, dared not utter a word of protest. Holding back tears, he picked up his lunchbox and was about to move to the back of the line when—"Wait a moment."
Lu Mingming suddenly spoke, interrupting, drawing everyone's attention.
The hamster cub turned around, his nose red, and looked at Lu Mingming.
Lu Mingming strode to the hamster cub, took her hand, and uttered her first slightly cold words: "Everyone should understand the principle of first come, first served. Be good and go to the back of the line."
Although she didn't name anyone specifically, everyone present knew she was referring to Gray Blue.
A sudden surge of immense anger rose within Gray Blue. Coupled with his noble pride, ingrained since childhood, he couldn't contain himself. His expression hardened, and he retorted:
"I was giving you face just now, don't get too full of yourself."
Gray Blue pointed at Lu Mingming viciously and continued to speak unkind words, "I'm taking this seat today. What are you going to do about it?"
Never had a student openly embarrassed a teacher like this. The surrounding cubs watched the scene in silence.
None of the little cubs stepped forward; they were afraid to offend the people behind Gray Blue.
Their own cubs couldn't stand it. The tiger and the dog suddenly charged towards Lu Mingming's feet, their eyes seeming to gather a scarlet, burning flame, their gloomy gazes fixed on the enemy.
As cold as if poisoned, it startled Gray Blue into stammering, daring him not to continue his outburst.
Cheng Shiqin took off his sanitary gloves and walked over, his knuckles cracking with a series of pops.
He sneered, "What are you going to do? Rebel? I'm not afraid of you."
Lu Mingming stopped Cheng Shiqin's actions and calmed herself, "Every place has rules. If you follow them correctly, you will receive the corresponding service. Regardless of your identity, with me, it's fair and just."
The trace of regret in his heart vanished, and the struggle in Gray Blue's eyes receded, his entire eyes abnormally bloodshot and red.
He glared fiercely at Lu Mingming and turned to leave.
"You wait for me!"
His hoarse voice seemed to surge from the edge of hell.
"Are you alright?"
Cheng Shiqin comforted her.
A cook who had been working at the academy for a long time walked up to Lu Mingming and complained:
"He's always like that, Teacher Mingming, don't take it to heart."
Recalling the look Gray Blue gave her before leaving, which made her heart tremble, Lu Mingming shook her head.
Things didn't seem that simple.
Lu Mingming couldn't understand. Gray Blue had been very obedient that morning, reluctantly but obediently following instructions. How could he have become so malicious by noon?
And what was that red light in his eyes?
Did everyone think this was Gray Blue's normal behavior, which was why no one noticed anything wrong with him?
Seeing Lu Mingming lost in thought, Cheng Shiqin, mistaking her for being sad, patted her shoulder:
"If that brat says anything like that again, I'll stand up for you. Don't worry."
You don't have to stand up for me; I always have.
The little white tiger glanced subtly at Cheng Shiqin before looking away again.
Lu Mingming managed a smile and began distributing lunch to the cubs in Class A.
After the commotion ended, the wrist of a thin figure sitting in a corner flashed with his light communicator.
He lowered his gaze, ate the minced eggplant and meat casserole in his plastic lunchbox clean, and silently left the cafeteria, heading familiarly towards the quiet small woods to the west.
He answered the light communicator call, and a pretty little girl in a white dress appeared on the projection before him.
Strangely, the little girl's voice would change from a sweet girlish tone to a crisp male voice.
If Orlan Nal were present, he would surely recognize the cub beside the Nine-tailed Fox that Lu Mingming had encountered in her first round of competition.
"How is the situation?"
The little girl giggled.
The thin figure looked very timid, as if even speaking loudly would startle him.
He slowly raised his head—it was Gray Red.
The one who had left a pitiable impression on everyone slowly shed his usual demeanor, becoming confident and flamboyant.
He raised his hand and pushed aside the bangs that covered most of his face, revealing a full, smooth forehead and delicate eyebrows. At first glance, he was a very beautiful little boy.
Gray Red grinned, his face full of disdain:
"The plan is proceeding smoothly. They're all just a bunch of fools."