Person examined: Yu Xiaxing.
Height: 168 cm; weight: 50 kg.
Great! I’ve finally reached three digits!
Fat is an important protective layer for the body. In her previous life, she had eventually wasted away to just seventy pounds, leaving her so frail that she couldn’t withstand even the slightest bump or knock.
She continued reading.
Blood count, urinalysis, liver and kidney function, blood lipids and glucose… A long string of indicators, most of them within the normal range.
The only less-than-ideal result was an irregular heartbeat.
However, the doctor had noted that it wasn’t serious and recommended maintaining a healthy schedule and regulating it gradually.
In her previous life, her condition had eventually progressed to heart failure. She needed to start taking it seriously now.
She touched her chest and could feel her steady, powerful heartbeat.
Every now and then, it skipped a beat, but compared to the palpitations, chest tightness, and shortness of breath she’d experienced in the later stages of her previous life, this was practically nothing.
Just then, the internal phone rang.
It was Lu Yanzhao.
“Board Director Yu, the medical examination center has completed its summary report on the faculty, staff, and students. Would you like me to brief you on the overall situation?”
“Mm-hmm. Go ahead.” Yu Xiaxing was in a good mood.
On the other end of the line, Lu Yanzhao’s voice was calm and clear as he began reading off the figures.
“A total of 2,107 students, faculty, and staff participated in this medical examination. There were 1,825 students and 282 faculty and staff members.”
“Overall health assessment: 65 percent were rated good or above, 30 percent were average, and 5 percent had health issues requiring attention. Fortunately, there were no serious illnesses such as terminal diseases.”
“The most common problems among faculty and staff were lumbar spine issues and chronic pharyngitis.”
“Among the students, the top three prevalent problems were poor eyesight, accounting for 88 percent; scoliosis or poor posture, accounting for 42 percent; and brain fog, accounting for 68 percent.”
Yu Xiaxing was puzzled. “I can understand nearsightedness and spinal problems among students, but brain fog? What kind of illness is that? Is it serious? Have they grown something inside their brains? How did so many children end up with brain fog? Do we need to spend money treating it?”
Lu Yanzhao explained patiently, “No, it’s not really considered an illness. It’s more like a layer of fog covering the brain, making it impossible to think clearly. The person feels mentally sluggish, thinks slowly, has difficulty concentrating, and experiences memory loss… It’s very common among students.”
“I see.” Yu Xiaxing slumped back in her chair, recalling her own school days. She seemed to remember having a few days like that every now and then.
In any case, this round of medical examinations had managed to spend money while also letting her get a checkup at the school’s expense. That was already fantastic.
She lay facedown on her desk, turned on her computer, and listened to Lu Yanzhao continue his report while routinely stirring up trouble in the parents’ group chat.
Dian Dian’s Mom: “Why does the medical examination have to take up class time? Couldn’t they do it over the weekend? I think this Board Director is being completely ridiculous! Who agrees and who objects?”
After she sent the message, the group fell silent.
Huh? That was strange.
For the past few days, because of the evening self-study issue, everyone had been cursing her nonstop. She had even made several friends who joined her in criticizing the Board Director.
Zihan’s father in particular had already called the Education Bureau to report her. Yu Xiaxing was deeply grateful to him.
Usually, whenever she started a pile-on, those people would follow immediately.
What was going on today…? Why hadn’t anyone joined in yet?
-
Meanwhile, at the other end of the city, in an ordinary high-rise apartment building, Zihan’s parents were frantic.
They were the parents who had led the charge in the group chat to “report the Board Director,” and they had been the first to call the Education Bureau to file a complaint.
At that moment, the couple sat helplessly on their living-room sofa.
Their son’s medical report lay on the table in front of them.
It showed not only severe brain fog, but also cystitis.
Their son said miserably, “Now you know, right? Every day in class, no matter how hard I try to concentrate, I just can’t. I sit there like a block of wood. The teacher works so hard explaining everything, but my brain simply won’t process it.”
“You used to call me stupid, and I thought I really was stupid. I was under so much pressure every day. Sometimes I even had thoughts of killing myself…”
“Only now do we know that it was brain fog caused by long-term sleep deprivation.”
“Board Director Yu must have realized how severe our brain fog was, which is why she had evening self-study end earlier.”
“But after I came home, you still forced me to study until midnight and made me get up early to memorize things… The only Board Director who actually knew how to care about me—and you went and reported her!”
As he spoke, tears rolled down his cheeks.
Zihan’s father looked at the medical report, at the long list describing his son’s low scores on tests of attention and memory.
He remembered once pushing open his son’s bedroom door and finding him asleep at his desk, a puddle of drool beneath his mouth and a pen still clutched in his hand.
His first thought at the time had been that his son was hopelessly lazy, falling asleep whenever he was told to study.
It had never occurred to him that his son’s brain was already struggling.
He also remembered how he had ranted every day with several other parents in the group chat, cursing Yu Xiaxing for being “irresponsible” and “holding the children back,” even encouraging everyone to call the Education Bureau and file complaints…
His face burned with shame.
That Board Director seemed to be a young woman barely in her twenties.
He imagined the young woman facing the parents’ abuse in the group chat—too timid to speak up, too afraid to resist them.
All she could do was set aside the school’s other operations and pour all its money into medical examinations for the students.
She had done it to prove that such extreme academic pressure could only break the children.
After a long silence, Zihan’s father finally said, “I just called your homeroom teacher and told her about your condition.”
“She said you’re a very well-behaved child, not the type to sneak out of class and fool around. So she agreed that from now on, you can sleep whenever you’re tired and go to the bathroom whenever you need to. Just be quiet and don’t disturb the others while they’re listening.”
As soon as he said it, the whole thing suddenly struck him as absurd.
Wasn’t that simply a basic human right?
Why did adults treat it as though they were granting children a special favor?
Zihan’s father slapped himself in shame.
I’m such a terrible person!
Zihan’s mother grabbed her husband’s hand. “All right, all right. What good does hurting yourself do? Let’s call the Education Bureau and withdraw the complaint. We need to make amends.”
“I’ve reflected on this too. The school and all of us parents only cared about the children’s academic performance.”
“Only this Board Director considered the children as whole people—from improving the cafeteria, to education about setbacks in adolescence, to helping them relieve brain fog. She’s the only one who truly thinks about every aspect of their well-being.”
“After we withdraw the complaint, we should send her something to thank her. Though I don’t think a Board Director is allowed to accept gifts… In that case, let’s have a banner made for her instead.”
Zihan’s father nodded.
He hurriedly called the Education Bureau.
“Hello, Director Zhang… Yes, I called you last week… It’s about the complaint we filed against Board Director Yu.”
The other party replied in an official, businesslike tone, “Don’t worry. We’ve already recorded your complaint and are processing it according to the proper procedures…”
Zihan’s father quickly interrupted, “No, no, I want to withdraw the complaint! We parents were in the wrong! We complained recklessly without understanding the situation! Board Director Yu is the one who genuinely cares about the children! She ended evening self-study early so the students could recover from their brain fog!”
After hanging up, Zihan’s father said to his son, “Go get some rest. From now on, Dad won’t pressure you anymore. Get plenty of sleep first—we’ll worry about studying afterward.”
“Yes!” The boy happily returned to his room.
Now that he had some free time, Zihan’s father noticed that someone had posted another message in the parents’ group chat.
Who is Dian Dian’s Mom, anyway? Why is she still fussing over reporting the school board director? Doesn’t her child have brain fog too?
Zihan’s father replied in the group chat:
“Parents, I’ve just received my child’s medical examination report, and there’s something I’d like to say.”
“Regarding the cancellation of evening study sessions and the changes to the school schedule, I opposed them just as strongly as everyone else and even called to file a complaint.”
“But now, I must sincerely apologize to Board Director Yu, even though she isn’t in this group and won’t see this…”
“I’m going to withdraw all my complaints immediately. My child has been diagnosed with brain fog, and the doctor clearly said it’s related to long-term sleep deprivation and excessive stress. My child also has scoliosis…”
“We’re always blaming our children for not working hard enough, but we forget that they’re human beings of flesh and blood too! Is sacrificing their health really worth it?”
“Board Director Yu’s methods may be extreme, but her intentions have always been aimed at giving our children a healthy new beginning. Unlike us, she at least knows how to help them study efficiently!”
After the message was sent, several parents gradually began to speak up.
Zihan Qian’s mother: “My daughter has also been complaining about dizziness and poor memory lately. I thought it was because she was spending too much time on her phone.”
Dian Dian’s Mom: “Brain fog isn’t necessarily caused by lack of sleep. It could also be the result of a fever or a cold. Don’t credit her with every good thing that happens! Those who want to report the school board director should keep doing so!”
Zhihan Sun’s father: “Dian Dian’s Mom, have you had some personal grudge against the school board director? You’re the one who attacks her the most every single day!”
Zihan Li’s grandmother: “Hmph, look at Dian Dian’s Mom. Your child is even named Dian Dian—what kind of mother could you be? You gave your child a name that sounds like a dog’s, and every day you try to use everyone in this group as your weapons…”
