Chapter Text
Lang Qianqiu loved his job. He really did.
As someone that had learned a lot from the teachers throughout his youth, he saw his career as a way of paying it forward to the next generation in the hopes that they too would look back on him just as fondly as his younger self once did with his own mentors.
Teaching was a rewarding position that provided him with a feeling of duty right down to his very core…
…There were some aspects, however, that he really could do without.
See, if one were to ask any teacher in the world right now what the worst part of their job was- there would be one solid answer that most would agree on.
It was not the long hours, not the terrible pay, not the bratty children…
No.
It was the parents.
Somewhere along the way, the dread of parent-teacher conferences had transferred from the subject and onto the subjector. It was no longer the students that had to be afraid- but rather their teachers. Gone were the days when parents would unequivocally listen to the other adults in the room… No, now it was always, ‘my darling would NEVER do something like that,’ and, ‘my sweetie pie deserves ALL of your attention.’
-And though this was not necessarily a bad thing in the grand scheme of things, Lang Qianqiu more often than not saw it become one.
See, just as one could not typically see a slow change in their own appearance over time, parents often could not see a rising problem in their child’s behaviour. This was because they saw them more than anyone else did and, even more than that, as their own flesh and blood, any critique on their actions were immediately taken as a direct offence to them.
Lang Qianqiu had been dealing with this kind of thing all night- and he was decidedly fed-up with it all. He had a short temper at the best of times, and looking at all these entitled parents and their smug children that would grow up to be just like them was doing his head in.
“Have a pleasant evening.” Lang Qianqiu said, his voice clipped and bitter as the door to his classroom clicked shut.
As expected, there was no return of pleasantries.
Lang Qianqiu refrained from repeatedly slamming his head on his desk over and over again.
What a nightmare…
He’d just finished speaking to the parents of the most disruptive child in class. He was a young boy that showed obvious signs of some kind of attention deficiency disorder and needed a lot of extra assistance. His parents were the ‘essential oils and no vaccines’ kind and were completely unresponsive to Lang Qianqiu’s suggestion to have him see a paediatrician.
They’d unironically told him that prescription medication slowly placed indetectable trackers in the patient's body so that the government could control them with their secret technology.
…After that, Lang Qianqiu had realised with bewildered resignation that there would be no point in arguing with batshit crazy.
He really felt awful for the kid though. It wasn’t his fault he had the dumbest fucking parents alive.
If they weren’t going to help him, though, Lang Qiangiu would just have to try. If medication was not an option- maybe there was something else he could do…
Lang Qianqiu sighed.
He could already see all the work piling up in front of his eyes. Nearly every child and their parents had added to his to-do list until Lang Qianqiu’s page was completely covered.
Evidently, he would be very busy this week…
Whatever. It did not matter. He was a righteous man. He did what was good and just.
He’d sworn to himself that he would do his darndest to make each and every one of these kids learn like hell and that was what he was going to do, dammit!
With an enthused vigour, Lang Qianqiu hastily scribbled another note in his book about researching fidget toys and better classroom visuals before leaning back in his chair.
Luckily, he only had one student left to talk through tonight… And he’d saved the best for last...
During these interviews, parents typically selected a time slot that best suited them and their schedules. When Lang Qianqiu saw that of all people, Gu Zi was lucky last, he’d nearly cried out in pure joy.
He had no doubt this would be an easy finish. A slow waltz to the end. After hours of being cursed at for having the audacity to teach kids how to count to ten in Mandarin… He knew that he could breathe a sigh of relief.
Gu Zi was Lang Qianqiu’s unofficial favourite student. He was new to his class, arriving only a few months ago in the middle of the year. His previous logged grades were average but he had shown serious signs of improvement since settling in here. He said please and thank you without fail. He never hesitated to share with others. He even gave Lang Qianqiu an apple before class one morning.
He was a prime example of good parenting.
Lang Qianqiu grinned. He hadn’t met his mother and father just yet. He did not even have their names logged into his filing system… But he already knew they’d be much easier to deal with than the others. Frankly, Lang Qianqiu was excited to meet them. It was always more fun to give good news, after all.
He straightened his posture and checked his watch. The time read 8:05.
Five minutes past their allotted time.
Strange.
Perhaps there was traffic and they were just late? It was a Friday night, after all. Everyone would be heading out around this time…
Yeah.
So Lang Qianqiu waited for another five. Still in that upright position of his.
…And then, another ten.
Finally, just as he was about to give their home a call- an extremely dishevelled man burst through the door.
On instinct, Lang Qianqiu jumped back in fright before slipping into a fighting stance. “Ah!”
This school was surrounded by gates and had pretty decent security. Not to mention it was in a very nice suburban area just north of the city…
-So how had a vagrant managed to come so far into these halls?
“You can’t be in here.” Lang Qianqiu told him, stomping toward the door. “You should leave before I call the authorities.”
“Hah?!”
Just as Lang Qianqiu was about to subdue the infiltrator himself- he saw Gu Zi pop up from behind his leg.
“Mr Lang!” Gu Zi’s eyes were like shining melted chocolate looking up at him. There was something in his expression that seemed to be pleading with him.
It was as if he’d already known Lang Qianqiu would get the wrong idea.
Lang Qianqiu blinked in surprise, “Gu Zi?”
“So you’re the fucker that’s making me get out of bed at this hour?” The man beside him said with a growl, his voice shrill and manic. He rubbed at his head and yawned as if he had just been woken up.
‘This hour?’
It was eight at night!
Lang Qianqiu inspected the man once more with a renewed curiosity.
His hair was an absolute mess- hanging in greasy strands over his concerningly pale face. He was wearing a button-up that looked strangely like the top half of a pyjama set, and cargo shorts that were about three sizes too big. Alongside this, he had two different coloured sneakers on his feet- both of which seemed to be manufactured for the left side of one’s foot. Lang Qianqiu could also tell that he was quite young. At most in his mid-twenties- just like him.
“Are you… Gu Zi’s brother?” Lang Qianqiu cocked his head to the side. There were a few young parents that he’d spoken to tonight, but this man would have to be the youngest if he truly was Gu Zi’s father.
He had to be a weird sibling. Perhaps a neglected oldest child in a marriage long since dissolved.
“Nuh-uh, dipshit,” He responded, “he’s my kid!”
Lang Qianqiu frowned. “Hey. Don’t swear in front of your son.”
“Fuck you.”
…Well.
“Daddy! Don’t be mean to Mr Lang!” Gu Zi warbled, hugging his father’s leg. “He’s very nice. I like him a lot.”
Lang Qianqiu’s heart warmed at that. Was Gu Zi just used to his father’s behaviour? Was he just always like this?
“That fucker?” The man snarled, jutting a finger toward Lang Qianqiu. “Heh. Shithead looks like he’s a few egg salad sandwiches short of a picnic basket.”
“What did you just say?”
Lang Qianqiu could feel his temper rising once more.
He did not like this man. At all…He seemed like the worst parent possible to have such a sweet child.
-But Lang Qianqiu knew how quickly these things could escalate. Especially with someone as obviously unstable as the person in front of him.
Lang Qianqiu liked this job too much to fuck it up.
He took a breath and levelled his gaze at the man. “Are you here to pick a fight or are you here to talk about your son with me?”
The man’s face twitched into a frown. His sharp eyes flicked toward the door and then back at Gu Zi’s imploring expression.
After a moment of tense silence, he sighed and raked a clawed hand through his filthy dark hair.
“Fuckin’ whatever. Just tell me how the little shit’s goin’ so we can leave.”
Lang Qianqiu rolled his eyes and motioned for him to have a seat. “First off, what’s your name?”
The man seemed suspicious, even over such a simple question. He raised a paper-thin eyebrow at him before slumping down in his seat. “Qi Rong.”
Lang Qianqiu almost felt victorious at that. So he did have a name.
-And what a name it was…
Lang Qianqiu grimaced. Definitely apt enough, but he hoped it had not been the one he was born with.
“Okay. Well, as your son said before. My name is Lang Qianqiu. Gu Zi’s teacher.”
“Fuckin’ obviously.”
Lang Qianqiu bit his tongue. “...You know, a lot of these kids are at an age where they have begun to show an interest in rebelling. I have a swear jar in the classroom to stop them from cursing.” Lang Qianqiu gestured to the small mason jar about a quarter-full of coins. “I think you owe me about five bucks already.”
Qi Rong snarled at him before kicking his mismatched shoes up on Lang Qianqiu’s desk. “You shouldn't be stealin’ money from kids. That’s actually real fucked up. Do you get some kind of sick joy takin’ their pocket money? Are you a pervert? Hey!” He nudged a mortified Gu Zi with his elbow. “You hear that Gu Zi? Your teach is a perv. We gotta put him in prison.”
Lang Qianqiu slammed his hands on his desk. “Mr Qi… You really don’t want to make me angry.”
Qi Rong burst out into laughter. “Mr Qi? No one’s ever called me that before! Oh, that’s funny as shit. Say it again! Say it again!”
Enraged, Lang Qianqiu reached over and grabbed Qi Rong by the collar.
Qi Rong only continued to laugh. The sound grew louder and more manic as time went on, making Lang Qianqiu angrier and angrier.
Qianqiu… Don’t punch him. You can’t punch him. You’d get fired for sure. You like this job. You like the benefits. You like the little cupcakes that Susan leaves in the teacher’s lounge on Thursdays. If you get fired here you’ll have to teach at the public school an hour away. They’ll put you with sixth grade. We both know you can’t do algebra for shit.
Lang Qianqiu let out a breath, his shoulders relaxing. He let go of the other’s collar and closed his eyes. “Qi Rong.” He said this time, not wanting to elicit another crazed reaction from the man. “Gu Zi is a wonderful little boy. You have nothing to worry about from him… But the fact that you are his father is, frankly, unbelievable to me. You’re dirty, visibly unhinged and impossible to hold a conversation with. Don’t ever come to these conferences again if you plan on behaving like this each time.”
Qi Rong stared at him then, having finally stopped cackling like the madman that he seemed to be.
Lang Qianqiu watched as Qi Rong reached into one of his many pockets and, for a second, he thinks he’s about to be blasted into next week.
Instead, though, Qi Rong fishes out a very nice looking wallet. One of which Lang Qianqiu was almost certain he stole.
…Qi Rong then slams a wad of cash into the swear jar of Lang Qianqiu’s desk and takes a massive breath.