Chu Feng thought that it was quite amusing. Ms. Luo was only delivering overused platitudes. Not only was it devoid of any useful content, but it was also very boring.
Yet somehow, that man could be "deeply moved" by the teacher's "dedication."
He must have aced the comprehension test back in school!
The other parents were not very happy that someone had spoken on their behalf, nor did they feel like applauding that boring speech.
However, they did so out of courtesy anyway.
Ms. Luo was incredibly flattered. She said, "Thank you, everyone. If all the parents can empathize with the teachers like Mr. Jiang did, our job will be much easier."
"You flatter me, Ms. Luo. All I did was walk a mile in your shoes."
The shrewd-looking man smiled fawningly and took one step ahead. "Ms. Luo, I've heard that you're a tea connoisseur. I've brought some genuine Mount Shi Longjing tea I asked someone to buy. Would you like to have a taste?"
"Oh, really? You're too considerate, Mr. Jiang."
"Don't mention it. It's our obligation as parents."
Ms. Luo was satisfied by that man's flattering words. She never stopped smiling.
The other parents smirked while whispering to each other, using words like "bootlicker" and "brown-noser" to describe that man. They were unhappy that he had used the other parents to make himself look good in front of the teacher.
Chu Feng watched all that with curiosity. He asked, "Who's that guy? Why is he such a show-off?"
"His name is Jiang Fengguang. His shamelessness knows no bounds," Yun Muqing rolled her eyes and said.
Jiang Fengguang was infamous among the parents for being a serial bootlicker.
He was a civil servant, and he held a minor leadership position obtained by brown-nosing his superiors. Unfortunately for the other parents, Jiang Fengguang brought that obsequious behavior into the parents' chat group. He volunteered to be the admin, and he often spoke up "on behalf" of the other parents.
He was the first one to reply to any announcements from the teachers. Not only that, he would often share requests for votes or shares whenever the teachers or his child needed to win a popularity poll. In short, he was very annoying.
Also, during special occasions, he would rally the other parents to chip in money to buy presents for the teachers "to appreciate their sacrifice". At first, he would ask for a few hundred yuan to buy bouquets. That evolved to shopping vouchers worth a few thousand yuan and even luxury handbags worth several ten thousand yuan.
Worst of all, when the kindergarten principal's dog died the week before, he had posted his condolences in the group and even asked everyone to chip in two hundred yuan…
"That guy is a total weirdo. If we're at war now, he'll be the first one to betray the country," Yun Muqing said through gritted teeth. "Why do you think anyone would behave like that? Is it so fun to suck up to someone else? What benefits can a kindergarten teacher give him? At most, they'll give his child some candy or offer the child the best seat in the classroom. I wonder why he'd sacrifice his dignity for that."
Chu Feng chuckled and said calmly, "It's not that he doesn't value his dignity, but he's used to brown-nosing for his entire life. I've read this in a book before: It's not wrong to be submissive, as long as one strives to elevate themselves from that position. However, if one finds comfort in submission, they would be truly irredeemable. It seems that Mr. Jiang is stuck in that mindset, so he'll be submissive for the rest of his life."
Yun Muqing thought about it for a while and smiled. "When you put it like that, I don't really find him that annoying. Instead, I kind of feel sorry for him…"
What value would a person have if they sacrifice their dignity to gain others' attention? They would be worse than a dog. At least a dog would bare their teeth at their enemies.
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