One Hundred and Eight Leave Requests

Students at a vocational school are dropping out one after another. Each student’s file contains a long-term sick leave request signed by a parent, yet their parents insist their children have never been ill. Fang Jing, the thirty-seven-year-old deputy director of student affairs, must investigate the wave of dropouts that seem to have vanished, while keeping enrollment up, teachers paid, and her own job secure. She’ll encounter students eager to make money as soon as possible, parents whose wages are being withheld, local businesses that depend on the school’s enrollment, and teachers unwilling to admit they were deceived.