Ch. 1121..1130
Chapter 1121: Are You Afraid?_1 “I know you love him, do you think Grandmother and I don’t love Morgan?
But it’s not about spoiling him, a boy, especially, cannot be pampered from a young age,” the Old Master said.
“Now he may appear like a small child at 5, but in the past, children his age would already be earnestly studying in school.”
“Let Morgan get familiar with the place first, and after he has built a good foundation, he can return, and afterwards, go on normal weekends and holidays,” the Old Master suggested.
Rarely so, even the Old Madam, who usually dotes on Morgan, nodded in agreement, “There is some truth in what Grandfather says.
Especially since Morgan has just awakened his abilities and sensed some danger.
It’s indeed reassuring to send him to Lanarn Training Ground.
...
Any imminent danger should emerge within a month and be resolved by then.”
Cindy Clarke and Adrian Zhekova nodded.
They came to discuss this with the elderly couple, especially to hear their opinions.
The little guy seemed a bit weak and helpless now.
He had already run over to Cindy’s side, hugging her waist, snuggling in her arms.
Seeing his vulnerable look, the Old Master and the Old Madam were also heartbroken.
The little guy had never thought that he would also be forced to separate from Cindy.
“Are you scared?” the Old Master asked Morgan.
Morgan nodded honestly.
Of course he was scared.
“This is what it means to be a child of our family.
It is an experience that comes with the territory,” the Old Madam sighed deeply.
“In a family like ours, the more you receive, the more you have to give.
Input and output are always balanced.”
“Not only you, your Great Grandfather, your Grandfather, your Second Grandpa, even your Third Grandpa who is now always out and about, as well as your Father, your Fourth Grandfather, your Second Uncle, Third Uncle…
all of them went through this.”
“Especially your Third Grandpa, even though he didn’t take on any businesses when he grew up, he still went to Lanarn Training Ground when he was 5.”
“Dad, did you also go?” the little boy asked Adrian Zhekova.
Adrian Zhekova nodded, “I was also sent there when I was 5.
Derek Smith, your big brother, also went there.
Even now, he is still training there.
But, since he already has a well-established foundation, he doesn’t need to be there every day.
Like your Great Grandfather said, he only stays there during holidays, and when there is school, he also needs to come back.”
“Indeed, Frank Smith, as well as Alexander Miller, are there as well.” Adrian patted Morgan’s head.
“So, you don’t need to worry about not having buddies.
All your buddies are waiting for you there.”
When Adrian first mentioned that he also went to Lanarn Training Ground at the age of 5, Morgan didn’t feel much about it.
After all, Adrian was now too old for Morgan to relate to his experiences.
However, when Adrian mentioned his little buddies such as Derek Smith, Frank Smith, and Alexander Miller, Morgan noticeably relaxed.
As long as he wasn’t alone and had friends with him, he wouldn’t be afraid.
“It’s too late now, you can ask your buddies tomorrow,” Cindy also suggested “You can gain some insight from them, it will also help you prepare mentally.”
Morgan nodded weakly, his mind was still in a daze.
He hadn’t processed everything yet.
How did a visit to the family mansion today result in an abrupt decision for him to start training?
Cindy’s heart ached as she watched him.
She hugged Morgan into her arms and kissed the top of his soft hair.
“Don’t worry, your dad and I will try our best to come and see you when we can,” Cindy assured him, then turned to Adrian.
Adrian nodded, “We should still give Willis Wolfe face, if we go there, we should be able to stay in his training ground.”
Though Morgan was still a small boy, he could not be duped easily.
Cindy then began discussing it seriously with him, “Your father has to work during the day and I need to study in the school, just like you.
Both of us are working hard.
This is what I propose: your father and I will go to the Lanarn Training Ground every Friday, and we will only return on Sunday night.”
“That way, out of a seven-day week, you would actually be spending two days and three nights with us.
You would only need to hold on for four weeks, then we can bring you back home,” Cindy explained.
By breaking up the timeline like this, the time appeared more fragmented, rendering it less daunting.
Morgan’s countenance visibly relaxed.
“When everything returns to normal, you will go for training on holidays, so you can join your little buddies and train together, then return together,” Cindy continued.
Upon hearing this, Morgan felt even more relaxed.
That didn’t sound too bad.
As long as there were his buddies, he wouldn’t be so worried.
“So…
did Frank and Alexander go there before I did?” Morgan asked.
“Of course.” Adrian nodded, “They have already undergone what you’re about to, so you must be brave.
There’s no way you can let your good friends surpass you.”
Morgan bobbed his head resolutely, “Okay!”
“For now, don’t worry about all that,” the Old Master advised, “You still have nearly half a month’s time to enjoy yourself and come to terms with the impending changes.”
“Rest assured, although the training is rigorous, the uncles at the Lanarn Training Ground are very caring.
If there’s anything you need, feel free to tell them.
Besides, they’re our friends too, so there’s no need for you to be formal.
However, during training, if you fail to meet the requirements, they won’t exempt you from punishment.”
Morgan nodded dejectedly.
Adrian knew that there’s no use saying too much now.
Morgan would have to experience it himself to understand.
Actually, once he gets used to it, it’s not that daunting.
“Don’t forget to tell your parents as well,” the Old Madam reminded them.
It would be inappropriate for them to bypass Maverick Zhekova and his wife, Victoria Wheeler, and converse only with the grandparents.
“When we go back later, we can stop by my parents’ house and discuss this with them,” Adrian Zhekova replied.
“Good,” the Old Madam was now at ease.
The couple then excused themselves to not disrupt the yet-to-be night sleep of the elderly people.
They knew they couldn’t rush this.
So, they decided to head back first.
Along the way, they stopped at Maverick Zhekova and Victoria Wheeler’s to discuss the matter.
Maverick Zhekova agreed with the Old Master’s opinion.
On the other hand, Victoria Wheeler, although she always vied for attention with Morgan, was hurting for the little guy just like Cindy.
After Adrian and Cindy left with Morgan, Victoria Wheeler, who till now had suppressed her urge to speak, finally couldn’t help but say, “This is simply absurd!”
“When Adrian first went to the Lanarn Training Ground, it broke my heart.
Now, Morgan is also going.
Adrian was alright back then, at least he had enjoyed the luxuries of home since his birth.
After enjoying five years of blessings before going to endure hardships at the Lanarn Training Ground, he deserved it,” Victoria Wheeler said.
“But, Morgan just got to know us.
Even though he never lived in hardship when he was with Cindy, as she did her best for him, it’s still different from growing up in our family.”
Chapter 1122: Can I Sleep with You Guys Tonight?_1 “We’ve barely had days of peace and we’re getting sent off to Lanarn Training Ground,” Victoria Wheeler didn’t blame her elders, but was annoyed at those causing trouble for no good reason.
What she couldn’t understand was the person behind all these schemes.
Could they not live their days in peace instead of thinking about harming others?
They wouldn’t even spare a child.
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How else would Morgan sense it?
Victoria Wheeler asked Maverick Zhekova with a hint of conspiracy theory, “Do you think Gabriel Zhekova and Ethan Zhekova are up to something?”
Within the family, only their lot would cling to the position of Family Head day in and day out.
...
But what was the saying again?
What’s meant to be yours will be yours.
Fate only grants you things you’re destined for, never forcing upon you what you aren’t.
The Zhekova Family’s Head position was not in the fate of his branch.
Desiring something not meant for oneself would eventually bring misfortune.
Ugh!
Maverick Zhekova laughed and indulged Victoria Wheeler’s musing.
He reminded her, “If you suspect them, don’t tell them about Morgan’s situation.”
“Am I stupid?
Of course, we can’t tell them,” said Victoria Wheeler.
“We shouldn’t even mention Morgan’s planned trip to Lanarn Training Ground.
Even if we can’t hide it forever, once Morgan leaves, it’ll be known.
But we should keep the secret for as long as we can.
I worry Gabriel and his son might start guessing based on clues.” Maverick Zhekova finished speaking, undaunted by Victoria’s glare.
Victoria nodded.
“Don’t worry.
Even when the secret is out, Zhekova children aren’t only allowed in the Training Ground because they’re the next in line.
They have slots for others too.”
It depends on whether Gabriel and Ethan Zhekova would believe it.
Adrian Zhekova and Cindy Clarke brought Morgan home.
Adrian spoke to Cindy, “Although we’re clueless for now, it’s best we start investigating those we find suspicious.”
The thought of sending the little guy off to the Lanarn Training Ground upset Adrian to some extent.
That’s probably why he wasn’t in high spirits.
The little guy changed into his clothes and washed himself, then he sat on the couch dangling his short legs.
He was playing with a toy car in his hands.
When Adrian and Cindy stepped out, they saw the little guy deeply engrossed in his play.
A visible picture of pitiful innocence.
Adrian sighed and sat down next to the little one, “I was sent to the Training Ground at your age too.
But I suffered far less than those who lived there all year round.”
“Because I usually stayed at home and only went there on rest days,” he continued, “I guess, knowing that this would be my inevitable path from a young age, I took it as something I couldn’t avoid but had to brace myself for.”
“So, I was prepared for this before you were.
You’ve just returned to the Zhekova family, unlike me and other children of our generation who were indoctrinated from a young age with the concept of going to the Training Ground.
You could hardly accept it as quickly.”
“Of course, they too are under pressure, but yours is greater due to the suddenness of the news.” Adrian expressed his understanding of the little guy’s feelings.
The little guy gradually looked up, his round face staring at Adrian.
It was rare for Adrian to talk so long with him.
Gazing at Adrian’s soft expression, the little one felt reassured.
He put down the toy car and slowly moved closer to Adrian.
Only when he leaned his small body against Adrian did he stop.
Like a piglet feasting on delicious food, his face turned red as he quietly rejoiced inwardly.
Adrian smiled too, showing an expression full of tenderness.
A gentleness that differed from how he looked at Cindy.
Adrian stretched out his hand and ruffled the little one’s hair.
The young boy’s hair was soft and fine.
Touching it felt like petting a small furry animal.
“But, you always say you’re a big kid now and can protect Cindy,” Adrian added.
“At Lanarn Training Ground, you’ll learn a lot.
Only then can you better protect Cindy.
Even if it’s to protect Cindy, it would be beneficial for you to go to the Training Ground.”
Sure enough, no other reason for going to Lanarn Training Ground could top this one.
The little guy immediately perked up: “I’ll go!
No matter how hard or tiring, I’ll persevere.”
“In future, it won’t be Cindy protecting me.
It’ll be my turn to protect Cindy!” The little one clenched his fists.
Even his squeaky voice hinted at a resolute determination.
Witnessing the little one’s reaction, Cindy was both moved and bitter-sweet.
She decided to pamper him as much as she could before he left for the Training Ground.
“Remember you said that,” Adrian laughed.
“Once you’ve said it, you must follow through.”
The little one nodded eagerly: “I swear!”
“Off to bed now, you’ll still be allowed to call your friends tomorrow,” Adrian told him.
The little one hesitated, turning to look at Cindy, “Cindy, can I sleep with you guys tonight?”
The little one had made up his mind but was still torn.
Adrian found the situation amusing.
It wasn’t like the little one would never return after leaving.
His stay there was only for a month anyway.
But Adrian kept his amusement to himself and let the little one be clingy.
By not saying anything, he was essentially agreeing.
After all, the little one would soon be undergoing training.
Once his life at the Lanarn Training Ground began, it would represent a significant shift.
There’d be no more time for child’s play.
So for now, if they could pamper him more, they would.
This was just how life was for their kind of families.
In a typical family, a five-year-old would still be attending nursery, not yet steady with walking or jumping, and craving their parents’ attention.
Even when visiting relatives, parents wouldn’t want to leave their child behind, let alone send their child to undergo rigorous training.
Therefore, Adrian did not object when the little one suggested it.
He knew this little lightbulb wouldn’t be at home much longer.
“Sure,” Cindy agreed readily upon seeing Adrian not object.
Even if Adrian wanted to object, Cindy would have the final say.
Cindy couldn’t bear to be apart from the little one either.
“Then I…I’ll go take a bath and make sure I’m fresh as a daisy!” the little one said.
Ensuring he was clean and soft to the touch.
“I’ll prepare your bathwater,” Cindy responded, smiling.
Although, the little one can’t fill his bathwater himself.
He was too short and it would be inconvenient for him to do so.
However, the little one could totally handle taking the bath on his own.
Moreover, he was now at an age of modesty.
Even when Cindy wanted to help, he wouldn’t let her.
He’d cover his privates, not allowing Cindy to look.
It was uncertain whom he learned this from or what he’d overheard.
So, for the little one’s safety, Adrian had a small bathtub installed in his bathroom, perfect for his size.
In this way, they no longer needed to worry about him slipping in the bath or there being too much water, causing accidents.
Chapter 1123: Definitely Good, No Trouble_1 The position of the water outlet was fixed.
If the little one gets too big for its current size, then we will just adjust it accordingly.
In seven or eight years, he should be able to use an adult-sized bathtub, without us worrying about any accidents.
Time does seem to fly by when you think about it in this way.
It feels like in a blink of an eye, years have passed.
Cindy Clarke sighed a bit.
By then, Adrian Zhekova would be forty.
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Seeing Cindy’s expression, Adrian thought, wondering what she might be thinking about again.
The more he understood her, the more he realized that Cindy’s mind was always wandering about.
Everything seemed aimless.
With just a little distraction, her thoughts would be all over the place.
Morgan was always following Cindy, like a little puppy.
Wherever she went, he followed.
He was like glue, always sticking close, even stepping on the heels of her feet, sticking to her more and more every day.
Following Cindy to the bathroom, she adjusted the water temperature for Morgan and then started running the water.
As she sat and waited, she saw Morgan sitting quietly by the bathtub.
Cindy sighed silently.
She originally thought that once a boy grows up, he wouldn’t be as close to his mother.
One day, she would have to let go.
Cindy was prepared for this day, perhaps when he finished elementary school, or when he started middle school.
Cindy thought it would probably be when he started middle school.
It is during puberty when it is time for rebellion.
The more obedient he is now, the more likely he is to be disliked then.
But she thought she would have seven or eight years to enjoy Morgan’s affection.
Who knew that the day to let go could arrive so soon, catching her off guard.
Morgan’s bathtub was small.
Very soon, the tub was full.
Cindy threw a bath bomb into the water.
The blue bath bomb quickly dissolved in the bathtub, adding a Tiffany Blue hue to the water.
There was also a layer of foam on the surface of the water.
After everything was prepared, Cindy left the room first.
After a short while, Morgan emerged from his bath, smelling lovely.
The freshly bathed little dolphin was particularly soft and tender, making you want to hold him.
The scent of milk from the bath bomb lingered on Morgan.
It smelled like orange milk.
Cindy held Morgan in her arms and inhaled the scent from his neck several times.
Her breath tickled his skin causing him to laugh in Cindy’s arms.
He laughed so hard he could barely control himself.
Morgan rolled around in Cindy’s arms, then rolled into Adrian’s arms.
He really cherished his parents’ hugs at the moment.
“Silly boy,” said Cindy, “just because we’re leaving doesn’t mean we’re not coming back.
You just have to endure one month, and then it’ll be like going to a cram school.
By then, we’ll still be here.”
“You need to work hard at the Lanarn Training Ground, and when you come back, I’ll make a lot of delicious food for you,” Cindy promised.
“The uncles at the Lanarn Training Ground are all our friends, so don’t be scared.
If anything happens outside of training, talk to them,” Adrian advised.
“Although we have to train hard, don’t injure yourself,” Cindy said softly.
She had a hard time continuing.
If she said too much, she was afraid she might burst into tears.
Especially when she looked at Morgan’s innocent little face, she felt even worse.
But she had just comforted Morgan by saying it’s not like they wouldn’t be back after they leave.
Now she had to hold back her emotions regardless of how she felt.
Morgan obediently nodded, then said, “Cindy, you have school tomorrow, so we should go to bed early.”
Morgan’s thoughtfulness made Cindy feel both heartbroken and warm at the same time.
After agreeing, they all went to bed.
Morgan was on summer break and no longer had to go to the nursery.
When Cindy woke up in the morning, Morgan also woke up.
“Let’s sleep a bit more,” Cindy whispered.
On the other side of Morgan, Adrian also woke up.
Because they were taking Cindy to the Pingla Academy today and didn’t have to go to work early, Adrian had a solid sleep.
It’s just that Morgan’s sleeping habits really were not that good.
He was used to sleeping alone.
With the weather so hot, he usually slept splayed out, not even bothering with a blanket.
Last night, things had changed so drastically that he had to sleep with Cindy and Adrian.
He had to sleep in the middle spot to show he was the cherished child of his parents.
At the beginning of the night, it was quite comfortable.
But by the middle of the night, it was so hot that even the air conditioning didn’t help.
If he rolled to the left, he would be against Adrian’s chest, which was hotter than the peak of summer.
Adrian, being a grown man, was always warm to the touch.
Morgan just couldn’t take it.
He quickly rolled to the right to be closer to Cindy.
Although she wasn’t as warm as Adrian, it still became uncomfortable after a while.
Moreover, having someone on both sides made it impossible for him to spread out and sleep comfortably.
Morgan was really uncomfortable.
With all his, tossing and turning, he even woke up Adrian in the middle of the night.
Finally, they managed to fall back asleep and didn’t know about Morgan’s struggles anymore.
Now, early in the morning, his little leg was still resting on Adrian’s waist.
When Adrian opened his eyes, he saw that even though Morgan was awake, he hadn’t moved his little leg yet.
“Let’s go with dad to send you to school together.” The experience felt rather new and exciting.
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Since, Morgan was on vacation and didn’t have anything to do.
Cindy thought it was okay and asked Adrian, “Should we let Cleave Roland know that once we’re at the Pingla Academy, he can take Morgan to the family mansion?”
During the daytime, when she and Adrian were not at home, they couldn’t leave Morgan alone at home.
Unexpectedly, Morgan turned over and said to Adrian, “Dad, take me to the company.”
Adrian didn’t need to ask to understand Morgan’s thoughts.
Morgan wanted to seize every opportunity to spend more time with them.
Adrian knew that things weren’t as scary as Morgan imagined.
But still he said, “If you sit quietly and don’t cause trouble, I can take you.”
“I promise to behave and not cause any trouble!” Morgan immediately replied.
“Also, I need to work so there’s no one to play with you.
You might be bored on your own,” Adrian gave him a warning beforehand.
“It’s okay, I can bring my tablet.” Morgan had planned everything.
Seeing that he had everything figured out, Adrian gave his approval, “Fine, as long as you behave, I’ll take you.
If you get bored, don’t make a fuss and demand someone to take you home.
Everyone is working and can’t waste work time on you.”
“I promise,” Morgan quickly replied.
He was not unfamiliar with Pingla.
Once those conditions were agreed upon, Adrian promised to fulfil the request.
If Morgan dared to act capriciously today, in the future he shouldn’t think about going to the company with him.
Chapter 1124: They Are All Her Brothers and Sisters_1 “Are you sure this is alright?” asked Cindy Clarke.
“He will take over Pingla anyway, it’s good for him to get used to it in advance,” Adrian Zhekova said.
Cindy Clarke: “…”
This is way too early.
At his current age, even if he goes to the company with Adrian Zhekova, what can he remember?
Even if he could remember, he wouldn’t understand.
At most, he would just feel the atmosphere.
Never mind, she could not understand this kind of education method in large families.
...
It’s too advanced.
Regarding the issue of his education, Cindy Clarke handed it all to Adrian Zhekova.
Let Adrian Zhekova decide.
Originally, even if he wouldn’t become Family Head, the child would have to inherit Adrian Zhekova’s business anyway.
Moreover, he is now awakened with the potential Family Head ability.
Although it’s presumptive, but judging by the reaction of the elders, although it has not been thoroughly verified, it seems to have been confirmed.
That’s right, based on the elders’ experience, they judge very accurately.
With this, he, as a child, has to be the Family Head in the future.
The issue of his current education has to be re-planned.
There is even more to learn than merely inheriting some part of Adrian Zhekova’s position.
In the future, the child will shoulder even more responsibilities.
What the child needs to learn is beyond Cindy Clarke’s understanding.
She has never been exposed to it.
So, let Adrian Zhekova handle this matter.
Adrian Zhekova knows more than her.
And he will always have the child’s best interest at heart.
“Alright,” Cindy Clarke agreed with a nod, “since daddy has agreed, then you go with daddy to the company.”
The child immediately perked up, propelled himself up with a push of his legs.
Adrian Zhekova: “…”
Did the child forget that he still had one short leg on his father’s waist?
With one push, it hit right on his waist.
Adrian Zhekova held his waist, feeling like his kidneys were about to fail.
Cindy Clarke: “…”
Adrian Zhekova looked a little wronged, and even a bit pitiful, and told Cindy Clarke with a hint of complaint: “My waist is going bad.”
Cindy Clarke: “…”
“If we can’t have a daughter in the future, blame him,” Adrian Zhekova said again.
Cindy Clarke: “…”
Although, it seemed the child did kick quite hard.
But blaming the child is unnecessary.
Cindy Clarke glanced at Adrian Zhekova’s waist.
Could one kick really wreck his kidneys?
If they really can’t have a child, it would be because Adrian Zhekova is not capable.
Perhaps Cindy Clarke’s disdainful gaze was too obvious.
Adrian Zhekova could see it at a glance.
Adrian Zhekova: “…”
He can!
His waist is fine!
Is it just because he got kicked?
He can still hold on!
In order to prove himself, Adrian Zhekova didn’t say a word.
He silently did a Koi Flip to prove that his waist is good and his core strength is strong!
Cindy Clarke: “…”
Cindy Clarke didn’t want to deal with this joker for now.
What victory and defeat does he want to highlight this early?
Cindy Clarke went to wash up.
Adrian Zhekova scratched his head, and obediently went to wash up too.
The three of them got dressed and went to the restaurant, where Aunt Jenkins had already prepared breakfast.
After breakfast, the three of them set off together.
When they arrived at the under Pingla Academy, Cindy Clarke had her student ID.
Adrian Zhekova also registered as required, and the three of them entered the school gate together.
Unlike the quiet and empty school of yesterday, it was a bit lively today.
However, due to the high threshold, there are not as many students as in normal universities.
It’s lively in relative terms.
Cynthia Florine and others had already asked Cindy Clarke for her arrival time in advance.
They checked each other’s schedules.
Those without classes were waiting in front of the teaching building.
The passing students saw Jasmine Hudson, Gladys Joy, Yannick O’Brian, Bartholomew Bailey, and Leon Hernandez gathered together, and they couldn’t help but take a second look.
The students were very familiar with the ones who participated in this Pingla Competition.
Not every competition ends with the competitors becoming good friends.
Their relationships with each other are even worse, which is actually in the majority.
For them to become such good friends after the competition and for all ten of them to stick together so unitedly, it’s quite rare.
However, because they are back at school and busy with their classes,
they only have time to hang out together occasionally.
It’s quite rare for them to be together in this many numbers at once.
Though there are only five now, it’s already quite a lot.
Many people are curious about who these five are waiting for.
Because of their outstanding performances in the Pingla Competition, when they returned, they received quite a few challenge letters.
Winning more than losing.
Winning is not a big deal, as their abilities are obviously good.
Some students with stronger abilities than them felt they were making good progress, so challenged them.
Surely they are making progress, and the gap in ability is narrowing.
But they are still losing after all.
Their abilities can’t be underestimated.
Moreover, after the competition, the ten of them got together and formed a tight-knit group, which is rarely seen.
Parker Honi is particularly strong among the school students and is in the top part of the pyramid of abilities.
And other nine, although not as good as Parker Honi, but to be able to participate in the competition through selection, their abilities are also quite strong.
This small group of ten people is very united.
Their comprehensive capabilities shouldn’t be underestimated.
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This has made them a presence in the school that can’t be easily messed with.
Therefore, they have attracted a lot of attention.
“They’re here!” Gladys Joy spotted Cindy Clarke and her family first.
Alerted by Gladys Joy, the others also spotted them.
They hastened to greet them.
“Have you guys been waiting for me?” On seeing them, Cindy Clarke was also pleased.
Since the end of the competition, they hadn’t had a chance to meet and had only chatted in the group.
“Yes, we don’t have classes, so we’ve been waiting here.
We figured you wouldn’t know anyone since it’s your first day,” Yannick O’Brian explained.
They have anticipated that for Cindy Clarke’s first day, Adrian Zhekova would certainly accompany her.
But Adrian Zhekova can’t possibly stay here all day, can he?
Seeing that they were reliable, Adrian Zhekova felt at ease.
“Cindy Clarke will be studying here in the future, so I’ll have to rely on you to take care of her,” said Adrian Zhekova.
Cindy Clarke felt a little embarrassed.
She was an adult, and two or three years older than Yannick O’Brian and the others.
They were all her little brothers and sisters.
But now, she had to rely on her little brothers and sisters to take care of her.
This was really embarrassing for Cindy Clarke.
Although the child didn’t say a word, he kept nodding his head on the side.
Everyone collapsed under the child’s adorable attack, wishing they could just hold him in their arms.
But with Adrian Zhekova there, they dared not act rashly.
“By the way, have you done all the procedures?
Like registering for the dormitory, class division, etc,” asked Leon Hernandez.
“Everything’s done,” said Cindy Clarke, recalling that they had asked her earlier which class she wanted to attend.
Chapter 1125: Forced Level Skipping_1 “It seems like I’ll be placed in first grade.” Cindy Clarke said with a wry smile.
“You all will be my senior classmates.”
Parker Honi is in second grade, right from the start of the school year, he became the most superior newcomer at Pingla.
The others are also distributed among the second and third grades.
“Damn!
We were hoping at least one of us could be in the same class as you, so we could help each other out if needed.” Bartholomew Bailey said.
“No problem, you guys forgot?
Our school can enforce level skipping.” Leon Hernandez spoke.
...
“Enforced level skipping?” Is there a mandatory requirement for level skipping?
“Yes.” Leon Hernandez smiled and nodded.
“If a student’s performance is exceptionally outstanding and judged by the teachers that the current grade’s curriculum can no longer help the student, regardless of the student’s willingness, the student will be forced to upgrade directly.”
“It’s not unprecedented.
There are students from the Culinary Dynasty in our school.
Before they came here, they had already studied culinary arts for over a decade in their family.
They are already seasoned chefs.
The first-grade curriculum for them is somewhat outdated, so the teachers have deemed them eligible for level skipping.”
“However, so far, only those who have directly skipped to the second grade.
Although the first-grade curriculum cannot satisfy them, the second-grade curriculum can sufficiently handle them.
There has yet been anyone who was able to continually skip levels.” Leon Hernandez explained.
“Right!” Gladys Joy clapped her hands.
“As long as you can skip to the second grade, you can be in our class.”
No one there doubted that Cindy Clarke couldn’t skip a grade.
If Cindy Clarke could outperform all of them, her skills couldn’t be confined to the first grade.
So, everyone again accompanied Cindy Clarke to meet the teachers in charge.
Unexpectedly, Wesley Gordon and Hunter Clarke also made a personal visit.
“Teacher Gordon, Teacher Clarke.” At school, Cindy Clarke changed the way she addressed them, “Why are you guys here as well?”
“We heard first thing in the morning that you were coming to sit in, so we also came over.” Wesley Gordon said with a smile.
“Why are you in the first grade?”
The teacher who was about to take Cindy Clarke to her classroom nearly broke out in a sweat, and it wasn’t from the heat.
This big group of people followed, including Adrian Zhekova.
It was already quite pressure-inducing, and then Wesley Gordon and Hunter Clarke also joined in the fun.
Both of them are teachers at Pingla Academy as well as vice principals.
They hold a very high reputation at Pingla Academy.
“Teacher Gordon, as you well know, this is the policy,” the teacher explained.
“No matter what, new students have to start from the first grade and be assessed based on their performance.”
Wesley Gordon casually replied: “It doesn’t matter, after all, Cindy Clarke definitely won’t stay in the first grade for long.”
The teacher felt a bit surprised.
Wesley Gordon is always strict, he holds a high reputation among students in school.
Especially when he remains expressionless, he has been referred to by students as “the poker-faced god”.
Moreover, he demands high standards, and only a few could receive good reviews from him.
It was unexpected for the teacher that Wesley Gordon gave such a high appraisal of Cindy Clarke.
The teacher set aside Cindy Clarke’s identity as Adrian Zhekova’s wife and considered her solely as a cook.
No, not even a cook yet.
Without graduating from Pingla and without its endorsement, one cannot be considered a cook.
It is indeed true that she is Adrian Zhekova’s wife; could that have nothing to do with her culinary skills?
The teacher had witnessed the competition and knew of Cindy Clarke’s proficiency, but he hadn’t expected that Wesley Gordon would genuinely hold such a high opinion of her.
His evaluation even seemed to surpass the abilities and results she demonstrated in the competition.
Is Cindy Clarke really that great?
The teacher could not help but glance at Cindy Clarke.
Cindy Clarke caught his gaze and responded with a smile, making the teacher feel somewhat embarrassed.
All the teachers in the school have responsibilities.
And they are assigned to grades based on their level of proficiency.
Generally speaking, the first-grade teachers’ abilities are inferior compared to those in the second and third grades.
After all, the higher you go, the more advanced the students’ abilities become.
The abilities of the teacher should not be lacking.
All the teachers who manage to get into Pingla are competent.
Their levels of proficiency are relative.
And the teachers in the fourth grade, essentially, don’t teach much on a regular basis.
Their role more resembles that of tutors in college, responsible for some of the students’ daily affairs.
As for the curriculum, it is usually taught by teachers at Wesley Gordon’s level.
Teachers like Wesley Gordon mainly take charge of the third-grade curriculum.
Because of limited experience, they only intermittently teach the fourth-grade curriculum.
Most of the time, students carry out project studies on their own.
Famous chefs invited from outside are responsible for the fourth-grade curriculum.
Even if it’s not possible for them to be there all year round.
But by inviting multiple people and arranging their times well.
Each person is responsible for a period of time, that’s enough.
Everyone needs to level up anyway, as long as they reach the fourth grade, they can all receive guidance from master chefs.
So, the students don’t need to be in a hurry.
Wesley Gordon reminisced about the first-grade chefs who taught and shook his head.
Not saying it out loud, he quietly told Hunter Clarke: “Those people, they can’t teach Cindy Clarke.”
Hunter Clarke laughed, “I think you might as well take Cindy Clarke as your own student.”
Not a student and teacher in school, but a true master-disciple relationship with tradition.
Hearing Hunter Clarke’s suggestion stirred something in Wesley Gordon.
He indeed had such thoughts.
“However, I heard that Cindy Clarke’s master is Santiago Longhurst.” Wesley Gordon said, “I believe my skills are not worse than his, I’m not afraid of rolling up my sleeves for a competition.
The victory is even fifty-fifty.”
Seeing Wesley Gordon’s confident expression, Hunter Clarke thought to himself that Wesley Gordon was not blindly overconfident.
He truly had the skills.
“But since Cindy Clarke already has a master, it’s not right for me to snatch her away,” Wesley Gordon said.
“From what I know, Cindy Clarke can be considered Santiago Longhurst’s nominal disciple at most.” Hunter Clarke whispered.
Hunter Clarke, coming from the Culinary Dynasty of the Clarke Family, similar to the Longhurst Family, was a descendant of a line of royal chefs.
“I know a bit about their Longhurst Family.
Their traditions could even be considered stubborn.
They have rules like passing down only to men, not to women, something only seen in TV dramas, but their family really has this rule.
Just cause of this, Cindy Clarke is out of the equation.” Hunter Clarke said.
“Moreover, the true skills are kept within their own family, not disclosed to the public.”
“What Santiago Longhurst taught Cindy Clarke should be only slightly more than what ordinary culinary schools or chefs provide.” After all, he is a master, and even if he has many skills that he can’t teach due to his codes, his practical experiences and craftsmanship are much superior to ordinary chefs.
“So if you genuinely have this idea, it won’t harm anything.” Hunter Clarke said.
Wesley Gordon rubbed his chin, then shook his head again.
“What’s wrong?” Hunter Clarke smiled, “You’re not usually the indecisive type.”
Chapter 1126: Unreasonable_1 Wesley Gordon looked around and then said, somewhat embarrassed, “Actually, I’m afraid I really don’t have much more to teach Cindy Clarke.
If I teach her what little I know, I’ll soon run out of things to teach her.
I’d be taking up the title of master while delaying her progress.”
“I noticed this during the competition.
She improved with each match.
From every critique we provided, she took notes and made incremental improvements.
And each time, she managed to come up with some new techniques.
I reckon, what we can offer her is mostly wisdom accumulated from experience.”
“Cindy’s current weakness lies in her lack of practical experience in the kitchen,” Wesley Gordon continued, “As for formal education, Santiago Longhurst has already provided her with that, which isn’t a problem.”
Hunter Clarke nodded, “I also feel that Cindy won’t be able to stay in the first grade for long.”
“Although there are five judges in the Pingla Competition, Charles Dean has already returned to his home country and no longer teaches here.
...
Michael Greene and Rosaline Parker each have their own restaurants to look after and only come back to teach when scheduled.
They don’t live here on a consistent basis and are not responsible for first-grade courses.
Apart from the two of us, nobody else in the school has interacted with Cindy.”
“In our school, students and teachers alike are rather prideful. They won’t submit to you unless you’ve earned their respect,” Wesley Gordon stated.
That temperament isn’t necessarily bad.
Wesley Gordon actually quite liked it.
There was a competitive spirit which encouraged everyone to strive for progress.
Not admitting defeat prematurely, pretty good.
“Teachers from other grades won’t be interacting with Cindy, and I suspect the first-grade teachers might not be too pleased to have Cindy leapfrog grades,” Wesley Gordon commented, “We should pay closer attention to her.”
“Your concern is almost on par with a father’s,” Hunter Clarke teased, laughing.
“Nonsense!” Wesley chuckled, “Becoming a Master, I’ve been considering my teaching ability and I’m afraid it might not be enough for her.
Even if I can teach Cindy something now, she’ll surpass me sooner or later.
So, it could be better this way.
In the future, what I can do is to exchange more ideas with Cindy on cuisine.”
“On the other hand, I can provide help in other areas to a larger extent,” Wesley Gordon added.
Although Cindy has Adrian Zhekova and Samson Zhekova looking out for her at school.
Their positions are after all too high to be concerned with many things.
So, Wesley Gordon thought that they should pay more attention to detail with Hunter Clarke.
The conversation Wesley Gordon and Hunter Clarke had was far from where everyone else was walking.
Since they were speaking in hushed tones, Cindy and the others at the rear didn’t hear them.
Unknowingly, they arrived at the classroom Cindy was about to enter.
ƝονǤο.ᴄᴑ
The classrooms for the cooking academy were not all the same.
Cindy just glanced around when she came yesterday, not paying much attention.
However, she didn’t have much time to look around now either.
Following Cindy were Wesley Gordon and Hunter Clarke, and the Homeroom Teacher who greeted them at the beginning.
Wesley Gordon, Hunter Clarke and Adrian Zhekova, along with the little guy, waited outside the classroom without entering.
Cindy told Adrian Zhekova and the little guy, “I’m going in, you two can leave without worries.”
She is grown-up and here she is, with Adrian Zhekova escorting her to the classroom like she’s a kid going to school.
Cindy found it embarrassing.
Adrian Zhekova said, “We’ll wait here and watch.”
Cindy: “…”
“Alright then,” Cindy had to agree reluctantly.
The Homeroom Teacher said, “Cindy Clarke, please follow me in.”
The Homeroom Teacher then turned his attention towards Wesley Gordon and Hunter Clarke.
Were you two intending to stand by the door and watch too?
It makes sense if Adrian Zhekova wants to do so because he’s family.
But what about you two?
Do you intend to act as family members too?
“Are you two?” The Homeroom Teacher had to ask at last.
“We’re also coming inside to take a look,” Hunter Clarke said with a smile.
Official students of the Pingla Academy have always been rather dismissive of guest students.
In the school, no one cares about the others’ status.
A bunch of them only spoke in the language of capability.
Adrian Zhekova was unfamiliar with this as he doesn’t stay at the school.
But Wesley Gordon and Hunter Clarke were aware of it.
So, they wanted to lend Cindy some support to help her settle in the academy.
“Brother, sister-in-law,” At this point, Samson Zhekova hurried over.
“I’ve just finished a class.” Samson Zhekova approached, sweat trickling down his forehead.
With the hot weather and him wearing a suit, the heat was unbearable.
During class, the classroom was air-conditioned, which wasn’t too bad.
Even though he wore quite a bit, he didn’t feel it.
But the moment he stepped out from the air-conditioned room, it felt like he walked into a sauna.
No doubt it was extremely hot.
Adding on the fact that Samson Zhekova ran over.
The sweat made it seem as if he’d just taken a shower.
Cindy laughed, “You didn’t have to rush.
Anyway, I’m going to take classes here, we can meet anytime.”
“No, it’s different, it’s different.” Samson Zhekova responded, “You’re here for the first day, I must be present.”
If not, it would not be proper.
Samson Zhekova had timed this, he could come after finishing his class.
Even though it was a bit rushed, he could still make it.
Unless under extremely special circumstances, the teachers seldom ask for leave or reschedule classes.
Even if he is the headmaster.
The management of the academy is indeed strict.
While Samson Zhekova is young, his position as headmaster is not merely down to the Zhekova Family’s influence.
It is because he himself is talented.
If not, Adrian Zhekova wouldn’t have been able to help him secure the position of Vice President of the International Chefs Association so smoothly.
If he himself doesn’t show ability, any assistance from Adrian Zhekova would be useless.
One could say, while Samson Zhekova is young, putting aside everything else and judging solely on his culinary skills, he is undoubtedly the best within Pingla.
This includes all the teachers and students at Pingla.
While some students at Pingla may surpass their teachers, but not all of them.
The ceiling level of talents like Wesley Gordon and Hunter Clarke still exists.
There are a good number who exceed the skills of first and second-year teachers.
Even so, among them, not everyone, not even Wesley Gordon or Hunter Clarke or the previous graduates, can surpass Samson Zhekova.
Needless to mention, in addition to his kitchen skills, Samson Zhekova has an exceptional ability to accumulate wealth.
He’s been able to get the Pingla Academy’s income on par with Majestic and Virtuoso.
It can be said that except for the Pingla Headquarters.
Majestic, Virtuoso and Pingla Academy.
The seemingly insignificant Pingla Academy ranks second in terms of profit.
As for the last place, it is naturally occupied by Virtuoso.
Homeroom Teacher: “…”
Alright then.
It’s Cindy’s first day as a guest student.
Chapter 1127: Does the School Lack This Little Income?
_1 Okay, so the family members attending is understandable.
Even Wesley Gordon and Hunter Clarke have come.
That’s fine, after all, they’ve formed a mentor-like relationship from the Pingla Competition.
But now, even Samson Zhekova has come.
Well, whatever.
...
Samson Zhekova is technically a family member too.
Cindy Clarke could not help but ask: “Are all of you coming in with me?”
“My brother should not go in, he doesn’t belong to the school.
It’s inappropriate for him to go in.” Samson Zhekova bravely stated.
Adrian Zhekova: “…”
Later on, he should find a suitable position or title in the school.
That way, he can be with Cindy in a more legitimate way.
His status won’t then be limited to just being a family member.
After considering it, Adrian felt this was quite achievable.
Homeroom Teacher: “…”
The Homeroom Teacher looked helplessly at Samson.
Is it really appropriate for you to go in?
Actually, Cindy’s arrival time was also considered inconvenient.
Just in time for almost the end of the semester.
The little guy, Morgan’s nursery breaks earlier than most schools, so he was already on vacation.
But Pingla Academy will also be on vacation in two weeks.
After the end of the semester, it’s time for the International Culinary Competition qualifying competition.
The spots for the competition can be determined within a week.
Then, we will start to send the competition team.
Students who stay behind during the vacation will still remain at the school.
In this way, regular semester studies will not be affected.
Unfortunately, Cindy arrived late but since she has completed all the required process.
She must participate in the final exams.
Even the guest students need to take the exams and their results are included in the ranking of regular students.
The last ten students in the grade are to be held back and repeat a year.
This is also an idea proposed by Samson Zhekova.
Pingla Academy did not have this rule before Samson Zhekova became the headmaster.
The condition for repeating a year was just having unsatisfactory results.
There was a cut-off line for satisfactory results.
But after Samson Zhekova became the headmaster, in order to inspire students’ progress, they were being whipped up at all times.
Don’t think that you will be fine as long as you pass, some students will inevitably feel complacent.
So, there’s no cut-off line.
Just the last ten students of each grade are forced to repeat a year.
Nobody wants to repeat a year, it’s embarrassing.
So everyone puts more effort into improving their abilities.
No matter how much one improves, there will always be ten students lagging behind.
However, this system has uplifted everyone’s abilities overall.
Being the last ten doesn’t mean you’re doing badly.
There are just others who are doing better than you.
If you don’t want to be left behind, you have to continue to work hard.
So, there will always be ten students repeating a year.
There’s no such thing as everyone moving up a grade in the same year.
However, Cindy suspects that one major reason Samson Zhekova implemented this rule was to collect more tuition fees.
Each grade only has ten students, but across four grades, that’s forty students.
Who knows, there may be some people who can’t graduate for this reason.
Nobody wants to put in so many years of effort and not even get a graduation certificate in the end.
The number of students that repeat a year is fixed.
The extra tuition fees collected is also fixed.
ɴονǤᴑ.сօ
Moreover, Cindy guessed right about this.
What Cindy doesn’t know is that Samson Zhekova’s father, Jayden Zhekova, who never cares about making money, once asked him in deep sorrow, “Does the school lack this little bit of income?”
Does Zhekova Family lack this little bit of money?
Are you going against your conscience just to earn a little more?
Unexpectedly, Samson Zhekova said very confidently: “A fly’s leg is also meat, and making a little more is still more.”
To make matters worse, Samson’s regulations resulted in rapid improvement in culinary skills among students at Pingla Academy, who were working assiduously.
Tuition fees are small matters, family homes don’t lack money, but they can’t bear to lose face.
The students’ academic results were so good that even their parents felt gratified to see them.
They increasingly felt that Pingla Academy is a good school.
Samson Zhekova’s regulations are good regulations.
No one thought that Samson’s intention might just be to make more money.
Now back to the main topic.
Cindy Clarke joins at this time.
As the homeroom teacher, I believe she will likely rank at the bottom upon examination.
As a result, she’ll have to repeat the year.
It would be better to wait for school to start in September, and study together with the new first-year students, progressing at the same pace.
Given Cindy’s culinary skills, I believe she would be able to graduate smoothly.
However, since Cindy Clarke has arrived, the Homeroom Teacher didn’t say anything.
“All of you are coming in with me, is that not going to be a bit conspicuous?” said Cindy, “If our classmates notice, they will think that I am seeking special treatment by pulling strings, won’t that look bad?”
First of all, psychologically, her classmates will reject her.
“It’s okay, the students at Pingla Academy always speak with their abilities.
As long as you can suppress them with your abilities, no one will dare to do anything to you.” Samson Zhekova said, “Sister-in-law, I have a lot of confidence in your abilities.”
“However, students are usually not too kind to guest students.
If we go there together, they will know that there is someone backing you in the school.
Even if they don’t like you at first, at least they won’t have the guts to trouble you.
Otherwise, none of them are kind-hearted, and they don’t care which family you come from.
Guest students have been ridiculed often.” Samson Zhekova explained.
Cindy didn’t expect that there would be such a serious hierarchy of disrespect within Pingla Academy.
“However, since you are on good terms with people like Parker Honi, no one will dare to trouble you with them around.” Samson Zhekova didn’t bother to mention Adrian Zhekova.
Adrian Zhekova wouldn’t be of much help, his title won’t make much difference in school.
Especially since there are a bunch of students here, in their rebellious years, saying “I’m not afraid of power” every day.
Anyone who tries to be arrogant due to their family background is more likely to backfire.
Therefore, as soon as Cindy comes in, she will be treated just like a regular student.
Nobody will think about Adrian Zhekova behind her.
Of course, Cindy didn’t plan to use Adrian’s title for anything.
Just then, she frowned and said, “Isn’t this kind of hierarchy of disrespect a bit negative?
Even if they are guest students, they also enrolled through the regular process, and paid all the required fees, even more so in some cases.
Furthermore, they came to learn more and improve their skills.
Any person striving to improve should not be belittled and bullied like this.”
“That’s true, but can you reason with a bunch of rebellious youngsters?
Every family has a rebellious child.” Samson Zhekova helplessly shook his head.
Cindy Clarke: “…”
You’re not much older.
Lil Morgan protested: “I’m not rebellious, I’m being good.”
Samson Zhekova looked down at the little tyke: “You’re not yet at the rebellious age.”
“I won’t be rebellious when I grow up.” The little guy immediately replied, “I will not bully anyone.”
Samson Zhekova: “…”
Isn’t ostracizing guest students a form of bullying?
Chapter 1128: Just Like Watching Zhou Ba Pi_1 “However, this kind of thing can’t really be managed,” Samson Zhekova stated, “After all, it’s a matter among the students.
The school can establish certain rules and regulations, but it can’t explicitly dictate that you can’t look down on guest students.”
“Yeah, and even if such a rule was really established, would the students actually obey it?” The Homeroom Teacher also added, “We can’t always be watching what the students do in their private lives, nor can we control it.”
“Even though we are aware that such situations occur, we can’t always be monitoring and controlling them.
Therefore, establishing such rules and regulations would just be for show.
They won’t have any restraint, and in the end, they’ll just become a joke,” the Homeroom Teacher stated.
Cindy Clarke nodded, understanding the dilemma.
“Fortunately, even as a guest student, nobody is a pushover.
It’s not possible that they just suffer bullying.
...
In recent times, they may be looked down upon, but they hardly ever do anything to really bully others,” Samson added.
“If they don’t want to be looked down upon, then they should make the effort to win against those who belittle them.
If they have real abilities, even guest students will gain respect,” the Homeroom Teacher stated.
“That’s true,” Samson Zhekova agreed, “Frankly, the inner culture of Pingla Academy is a continuous competition where strength is respected.
Although it’s not as exaggerated as survival of the fittest, if one wishes to survive in Pingla Academy, they must constantly improve.”
“Speaking about our dormitories…” Samson Zhekova brought up suddenly. Cindy Clarke batted her eyelashes, what about the dormitories now?
There were still things she didn’t know?
Cindy cast a questioning gaze towards Adrian Zhekova.
Adrian Zhekova thought of it too and gave Cindy an apologetic look.
He hadn’t thought of it earlier.
But this didn’t really concern Cindy all that much.
As expected, Samson Zhekova explained, “It doesn’t concern you a great deal, Cindy.
But since it came up, it would do good for you to know.”
“Housing conditions for first-year dormitories in Pingla Academy are all the same.
The dormitory suites in the school are differentiated into different levels.
Like you, you live in a single apartment.
There’s no outside disturbance, and there’s everything you need, just like rental apartments outside.”
Cindy Clarke nodded.
Samson Zhekova continued, “But there’s also a two-person and a four-person suite.”
Of course, a suite of four would be the limit.
“Two-person and four-person suites are also fitted with a kitchen set, but there’s only one.
If it’s to be used, both or all four have to take turns.
Surely, the conditions are not as good as a single suite.”
“Due to good financial conditions at home, nobody chooses the two-person or four-person suites just to save money.
Since Pingla has a set admissions quota each year, there are enough single apartments.”
“However, at the end of the year during the final exam, the bottom ten in the class not only receiving failing grades but are also forcibly moved into four-person suites.
No matter how much money you pay, you can’t stay in a single suite anymore.
Not just the last ten but the bottom twenty will be moved to four-person suites.”
“There’s a total of 100 students in each grade in Pingla Academy,” Samson Zhekova informed, “Students ranked 51st to 80th have to move into double occupancy dormitories.”
“Although staying in a group dormitory means you have company, after all, they have come here to study, not find playmates.
Considering the competition mechanism in Pingla, even though they are classmates, they are also competitors.
As for partners, it’s very precious and not something that can easily happen just because they are living together.”
“On the contrary, when it comes to multiple people sharing one dormitory, although they can perform their cooking operations in the school study room during the daytime, the study room is limited.
It’s just like in a regular college, the early bird catches the worm.
But with a single-person dormitory, it’s different.”
“You don’t have to go to the study room specifically.
You can do your research in your dormitory, it’s convenient and comfortable, and if you are more thoughtful, you won’t have to worry about being seen by others.”
“However, in the group dormitories, one kitchen shared by two or four people, how is that enough?” Samson Zhekova questioned, “That’s just one point, but the most important is, it’s similar to failing and becoming the last ten in class, they can’t afford the loss of face.”
“Of course, if you perform better next time and move out of the bottom half into the top fifty, you can move back into a single person apartment.”
“Therefore, though the internal competition at Pingla Academy isn’t cruel, for their dignity, it gets pretty heated,” Samson Zhekova said.
Cindy Clarke gave Samson Zhekova a complex look, then turned to Adrian Zhekova, asking, “Did all of these rules come into effect after Samson joined?”
Adrian Zhekova just nodded.
Then the couple simultaneously turned towards Samson Zhekova.
Samson Zhekova: “…”
Why is this newlywed couple looking at him as if he’s some kind of skinflint?
What the heck!
“However, the dormitories for guest students are fixed, regardless of their performance, they don’t need to move,” Samson Zhekova said with a somewhat embarrassed smile.
Cindy Clarke: “…”
What were you so embarrassed about?
Did I say anything?
Just then Samson Zhekova spoke, “After all, the guest students have paid so much tuition fee.
Moreover, they won’t get a Pingla graduation certificate in the future.
They can’t use the Pingla certificate to give themselves an advantage.
Even if they say they have the experience of studying at Pingla, without the graduation certificate, who would believe it?”
“Even if there’s evidence to prove it, others will say, you were just a guest student, no need to glorify yourself,” Samson Zhekova said, “You could say, apart from the excellent teaching staff and teaching environment that Pingla provides to the guest students, there’s nothing more.
Isn’t it justified that they live comfortably?”
“The main reason is, guest students managed to get in by contributing a large amount in donations, isn’t it?
If they don’t provide better living conditions for them, wouldn’t it be embarrassing to receive such large donations?” Cindy Clarke said teasingly, with a sarcastic smile on her face.
Cindy Clarke really hit the nail on the head, spot on.
Samson Zhekova, unable to resist, treated Cindy Clarke like a confidant, “Isn’t it, we also can’t just take their money for …”
He hadn’t finished his words when he saw Cindy Clarke’s “as expected” face with a smile.
Samson Zhekova immediately swallowed his words, saying, “Well, not everyone, Cindy, you got in without spending a penny.”
Cindy Clarke: “…”
She had a feeling that Samson Zhekova was indirectly asking her for money.
Wesley Gordon: “…”
Hunter Clarke: “…”
Are the members of the Zhekova family always like this?
Initially, they felt Cindy Clarke’s temperament didn’t really fit in with the Zhekova family.
Turns out they were wrong.
They had just not seen her interacting with the Zhekova family.
Looking at it now, they had to admit, people do change once they step through the door of another family!
The Homeroom Teacher looked around and realized they were already at the entrance of the classroom.
Chapter 1129: Study Hard at School_1 They talked for so long without entering, doesn’t a class in the classroom need to start?
Originally, they were talking about important affairs, so the homeroom teacher didn’t feel right interrupting.
Who knew that as they continued to talk, the topic got stranger and stranger.
If they really kept talking like this, the homeroom teacher highly doubted they would stop.
Would you believe if they could talk at the door until the end of school?
The homeroom teacher thought, the Zhekova family sure likes to talk.
“Headmaster, CEO, Mrs., shouldn’t we go into the classroom to prepare for class?” reminded the homeroom teacher.
...
Please remember why we’re here!
The homeroom teacher kept a calm face, but inside, he was on the brink of exploding.
Out of all these people, indeed Cindy Clarke is the most sensible.
You can hear Cindy saying, “Let’s go in.”
Cindy turned to Samson Zhekova and others saying, “You guys don’t really need to follow me in.”
Wouldn’t that make her seem too high-profile?
“No way”, Samson Zhekova shook his head, “Besides, even if we don’t follow you, everyone still knows you.
No matter what, you can’t keep a low profile.”
“Our school is right here.” Samson Zhekova said, “They are studying at our school, so they should treat you with some respect.”
They should consider whose territory they’re on.
Seeing his insistence, Cindy had no choice but to agree.
Therefore, Cindy followed the homeroom teacher into the classroom first.
Currently, it is still break time before class begins, so all the students are standing behind their desks chatting with each other.
It was pretty noisy inside the classroom at the time.
Seeing the homeroom teacher came in, no one really cared.
After all, it’s break time.
But they noticed Cindy Clarke was behind the homeroom teacher.
Unconsciously, everyone stopped talking and curiously looked at Cindy.
Although they were first-year students, they couldn’t be considered new students anymore.
Looking at it, this semester is almost over, and in two more months, they will be promoted to the second grade.
During the Pingla Competition, they had all watched the games, and many even bought tickets to the event.
They are familiar with Cindy.
Why did Cindy come over?
Has the Lady Boss come for an inspection?
There is a lot of hierarchy for this Lady Boss, Cindy Clarke.
Before they had time to contemplate, Samson Zhekova also came in behind her.
As a principal, Samson Zhekova had much more credibility than the homeroom teacher.
Particularly, this series of competition systems truly caused the students to grit their teeth at the mere mention of Samson Zhekova.
Yet Samson Zhekova was very capable.
Under the atmosphere of Pingla Academy, which values strength, they thought Samson Zhekova’s approach…though it made them angry, there’s nothing wrong with it.
To make things worse, they saw Wesley Gordon and Hunter Clarke followed in after Samson Zhekova.
It’s obvious that these people were here for Cindy.
Indeed, she’s really the Lady Boss!
Whenever she visits, she always has a following!
It must be for an inspection, right?
Thus, even the headmaster and the two teachers are here as company.
But just when the students thought they had it all figured out, they suddenly saw Adrian Zhekova sticking half of his body into the room from the door.
One foot was within the boundary of the classroom door and the other foot was still outside.
With his sneaky posture, he looked just like a homeroom teacher in middle and high school, hiding at the back door and secretly checking if the students are studying properly.
Everyone: “…”
Well, you might as well just come in.
After all, we’ve already seen you.
By standing sneakily at the door, you’re distracting us.
We can’t help but wonder what’s happening on your side every now and then.
To everyone’s surprise, while they were observing Adrian, suddenly, a head popped out behind Adrian, or rather, behind his leg.
The head was round and looked exactly like a mini version of Adrian’s head.
Both of them were acting sneaky and suspicious.
Everyone: “…”
“Let me introduce you all, starting from today, we’ve added a new student to the class.” The homeroom teacher said this but he felt this wasn’t right.
Cindy doesn’t seem to be here to be a student.
“It’s Cindy Clarke.” The homeroom teacher said, “Starting from today, she’ll be auditing our class.”
The students didn’t expect Cindy wasn’t here for an inspection, but she was here to be a student, specifically a guest student.
All the stoves are already chosen, fixed positions.
Only the last one was left for Cindy.
Since she’s here to be a student, she couldn’t be given special treatment, right?
The homeroom teacher said, “That last position is yours.”
Cindy nodded and walked over.
She didn’t introduce herself.
From what Samson Zhekova said, in Pingla Academy, it doesn’t matter who you are.
If you’re strong, everyone respects you.
If you’re weak, it doesn’t matter who you are.
Therefore, introductions are not necessary here.
Moreover, they didn’t truly want to get to know each other.
“Alright, everyone prepare, in one minute, class will start.” The homeroom teacher said.
He was also straightforward, he didn’t introduce Cindy much either.
No matter how well she performed in the Cooking Competition, here, she still had to follow the rules of Pingla.
With this, Cindy felt even more comfortable.
She felt like an ordinary student, with no special treatment, which she liked.
“We’re just here to watch around.” Wesley Gordon blurted out.
But he felt too embarrassed to say directly that he was here to support Cindy.
Everyone: “…”
Got it.
They had the guts to support her.
But surprisingly, Wesley Gordon and Hunter Clarke had such a high regard for Cindy.
In Pingla, there are many students with good family backgrounds.
Wesley Gordon and Hunter Clarke are not the kind of people who are eager to curry favor with others.
On the contrary, as long as the student is strong, willing to make an effort, they like them very much.
It seems that Cindy’s strength is indeed strong?
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Hunter Clarke seemed more agile than Wesley Gordon.
She smiled softly at Cindy Clarke, and then walked out of the classroom.
When people saw this, they knew she was here for Cindy!
When everyone looked at Cindy Clarke again, their look became more complex.
Although Hunter Clarke was smiling gently, she had a reputation of being a female demon at school!
They had never seen her so gentle to anyone before!
Samson Zhekova was more obvious.
He waved directly at Cindy, “Sister-in-law, I’m going then, if you need anything, just find me.”
He was waiting at the school, ready to see who would dare to mess with Cindy!
Everyone: “…”
Why did they feel threatened by the headmaster?
Adrian Zhekova was blocked at the door, with a comforting and satisfying smile on his face.
Samson Zhekova: “…”
Adrian Zhekova then turned to Cindy: “Cindy, I’m leaving now.”
The little guy hugged Adrian’s leg for balance, while extending his short arm and waving at Cindy, “Cindy, I’m leaving too.
Study well at school.”
Everyone: “…”
Someone burst into laughter.
It seems like this is the young master of the Zhekova family.
Chapter 1130: First Try_1 I didn’t expect it to be so interesting.
This only piqued the curiosity of the crowd about Cindy Clarke.
Not out of interest in her status as the wife of the CEO of the Pingla Group.
But because her husband, Adrian Zhekova, the CEO of the Pingla Group, and her son, are quite an interesting duo.
After Adrian and the others left, everyone turned to look at Cindy with curiosity.
Cindy, unaffected, met their gazes with a smile and a nod.
This was a small gathering, and Cindy was not flustered.
...
At that moment, the teacher for this class entered.
Among the teachers in the academy, Cindy only knew Wesley Gordon and Hunter Clarke.
So, she naturally didn’t recognize this one.
The teacher who entered was a middle-aged man who was a bit short and slightly chubby.
He was only about 1.7 meters tall.
Although somewhat chubby, he didn’t have the cheerful look that chubby men usually have.
He looked quite serious, not smiling at all.
Of course, this teacher knew that Cindy was auditing the class.
There was only one guest student in this class, Cindy.
The academy does not admit many guest students each year.
They can usually maintain a ratio of one guest student per class.
“I’m Mason Lawson”, Mason Lawson introduced himself, then said, “Today we have a new student in our class.” “According to the school’s rules, every new student must demonstrate a dish of their own,” Mason stated, “Everyone will critique it, and it will be an initial assessment of their culinary skills.” “When previously admitted students joined the class, they all prepared this dish.
Today is Cindy’s first day in school, so in accordance with the rules, Cindy will prepare a dish during this class.
The theme and cuisine are not limited.
Whether it’s stir-fry, dessert, pasta, soup, or even international cuisine, it’s all acceptable,” Mason said.
Mason pointed to a wall in the classroom: “This side has a freezer and a refrigeration unit, which hold the usual ingredients used in classes.
Take what you need,” he instructed.
Since today is mainly for Cindy’s test, there is no specific topic.
Usually, every class has a specific dish.
In the refrigeration unit and freezer are the ingredients needed for the day’s class.
Enough for a class of students, not much else.
Hence there isn’t a separate food storage room inside the classroom itself.
The most abundant ingredients are in the self-study room.
Exception being special ingredients requested by the students.
The rest are plentiful to meet the needs of students’ daily practice.
There are occasional instances when things are not perfect.
After all, you cannot plan for every contingency.
Thus, students need to register in advance if they require some specific ingredients.
“Is there a designated time?
Or can it be anytime during the class?” Cindy asked.
Their class hours are different from the usual class hours.
After all, a dish, from chopping the vegetables to putting them into the pot, usually takes about an hour.
If the class is the usual 45 minutes, by the time the teacher finishes explaining, the remaining time might just be enough for chopping vegetables.
What kind of class would that be?
Therefore, a class in the academy is usually one and a half hours long.
However, there are exceptions.
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Based on the curriculum, some classes are two hours long.
Today’s class is one and a half hours long.
“Let’s use the standard of the Pingla competition: one hour,” Mason Lawson said, “Leave the remaining half-hour for everyone to taste and then express their opinions.” People felt a bit sorry for Cindy but were also interested to see how things would play out.
When they first started, they all started together and made their entrance dishes together.
There wasn’t enough time to pay attention to others, which was good enough.
But now, so many people were watching Cindy’s cooking.
It would be hard not to critique any flaws they observed.
This would increasingly affect the performance level.
Just like a cycle, the worse the performance, the more people would talk, the more people tease, the worse the performance would be.
If this cycle continues, won’t it just get worse?
“So, can I start now?” Cindy asked again.
As it was class time, Mason just nodded, “You can start now.” Cindy was not in a rush, she first went to the freezer to see what was available.
She wanted to see what ingredients were available and then prepare her dish according to the available ingredients.
Upon arrival at the freezer, Cindy thought to herself that it was indeed the Pingla Academy on top of everything.
Such distinction is expected, standing out from the crowd.
It is not only the best culinary academy in Hearth Nation, but also one of the top four culinary academies in the world.
Just looking at these ingredients, let alone ordinary culinary schools, even ordinary restaurants probably don’t have such a complete range.
This was just the backup ingredients for a simple cooking class.
Cindy couldn’t wait to check out the ingredients in the self-study room.
She wondered what would be available in the food storage room there.
The reason for Cindy’s admiration was that she actually saw Villari Ham here.
Now when you watch any TV drama or showoff, they always bring out something like Spanish Ham or Italian Parma Ham.
But they don’t realize that our country’s Villari Ham, together with the other two, forms the three great ham varieties in the world, not inferior to those famous foreign hams in any way.
Villari Ham is made from a pig variety called the “Two-Headed Raven Clan”.
This variety of pig doesn’t yield much.
The middle is white while both ends are black, hence the name Two-Headed Raven Clan, also referred to as Panda Pig.
This type of pig is free-range and not typically bred.
And the chosen hind leg has thin skin and fine bones.
Cindy was very pleasantly surprised to find this rare ham in a regular classroom.
It seems even more complete here than in the cooking competition.
I wonder if it’s because of the ham.
There’s even a cleaver on the tool rack.
Cindy didn’t rush to pick other ingredients.
After making a round just now, she already knew what was available.
As there were no restrictions on how often you could pick-up the ingredients, Cindy decided to take it slow, one item at a time.
She first brought over the ham and the cleaver.
Upon seeing this, everyone was surprised as right off the bat, she had set such a high bar.
This ham is a top-quality ingredient.
Given that the ingredient itself is high-grade, plus the meticulous production process and the long duration, this ham isn’t cheap.
Having such an ingredient, even just casually cooking it would be delicious.
Was Cindy trying to take a shortcut?
Mason had been eyeing Cindy’s actions the whole time.
Seeing her directly choosing ham at the very beginning, he felt a bit disappointed.
He’s not stingy with the ham.
He was just under the impression that if someone is here to learn, they should try to use the most common, simple ingredients and maximize their tastiness.
Can restaurants use such expensive ingredients for every dish they serve daily?
If so, it would raise the positioning and price of the restaurant too.
Such extravagant dishes can be afforded by rich people, but what about ordinary people?
Mason had never liked this kind of invisible barrier that turns away customers.