[I] silently opened, then feigned death again after Xie Tao entered the instance, becoming a dead world that no one could open, attracting no attention.
[Yunzhou] was also sealed off after the players left, prohibiting players from re-entering.
During this cleanup operation, virtually no students were injured, except for one student who, in his excitement while running, accidentally broke apart. All other students were unharmed.
Furthermore, thanks to the deliberate protection of the students in Class 1, only Building 1 remained intact, so while other students had an afternoon off, the students in Building 1 still had to attend classes.
"It's not scarcity that's the problem, but inequality," so before going to class after lunch, Xingluo clung to Yan Chi's leg, crying. He desperately didn't want to go. "Can Feng Wang and the others demolish the school building now?"
Yan Chi: "..."
Proposing to demolish the school building in front of him, the teacher? Xingluo, did you really think this through?
"No, if you dare demolish it, I'll call Xing Zhinan over." Shen Mingsu coldly pried Xingluo's hands off Yan Chi's leg and waved to Shen Chang Le, "Take him away."
Shen Chang Le grabbed Xingluo's arm. "Let's go, class."
Xingluo was reluctantly pulled away by Shen Chang Le.
Yan Chi didn't have classes in the morning, and most students were still finishing their assignments. He discussed it with the other teachers and decided to give the students more time, but the assessment assignments had to be submitted before the closing ceremony of the sports meet that evening.
With nothing to do, Yan Chi wandered around the school with Shen Mingsu. Large areas of the school were reduced to ruins. Yan Chi glanced at the collapsed cafeteria and teaching buildings, gaining a new understanding of the destructive power of the players and students. "How long will it take to rebuild this?"
Shen Mingsu: "Rebuild? No need to rebuild."
He gently raised his hand, and a powerful force enveloped the ruins. The broken walls rapidly repaired themselves, and the crushed desks and chairs became brand new.
In just a few seconds, the cafeteria and teaching buildings were restored to their original state, exactly as they were before the players arrived. No wonder the director and the others had only noted the damage and hadn't sent anyone to repair it yet.
The repair team was right beside him.
Yan Chi looked at Shen Mingsu in surprise. "How did you do that?"
"Guess why I'm the principal?" Shen Mingsu winked at him, and Yan Chi shook his head, looking confused.
Those beautiful amber eyes reflected his own image, and Shen Mingsu's heart felt as if it had been brushed by a soft feather, a ticklish sensation he couldn't ignore.
Yan Chi was waiting for his answer when suddenly his face drew closer, and he lightly bit his cheek, leaving a faint pink tooth mark on his fair skin.
"Why did you bite me for no reason?" Yan Chi pushed him away, rubbed his bitten cheek, and glared at him, annoyed.
Shen Mingsu hugged him, his strong arms tightly encircling his waist. "Sigh, I just couldn't resist."
"Then tell me the answer quickly." Yan Chi was still wondering why he was the principal of Yunzhou School. "Is it because your father is also a principal?"
"No, not at all. My dad hates kids." Shen Mingsu smiled. "Actually, Yunzhou wasn't originally a school; it was Chang Le's family home. He was only two years old when his parents passed away, so I could only come and take care of him occasionally. Sometimes I'd find unwanted children on the street and leave them here."
"There were more and more kids, chattering away every day, it was incredibly annoying. If I hadn't found the director, I would have quit long ago."
The director took on the heavy responsibility as soon as he arrived at Yunzhou, taking excellent care of the children. Later, Shen Mingsu found Xi Chang and brought him back to play with the other children.
Yunzhou gradually took shape, and today, high-level bosses almost always send their children there. This way, they don't have to care for them themselves, and their children can develop their abilities in Yunzhou – a win-win situation.
After hearing Shen Mingsu's explanation, Yan Chi's first reaction was, 'Just how many places has Shen Mingsu been? He's like a street urchin!'
"Hmm? What are you thinking?" Shen Mingsu narrowed his eyes dangerously. He cupped Yan Chi's face, looking down at him. "Are you secretly thinking badly about me?"
Yan Chi thought for a moment and honestly said, "Street urchin isn't really a bad word, is it?"
Shen Mingsu laughed, exasperated. "I'm just wandering around aimlessly. How can you call me a street urchin?"
Because Xie Tao had told him that most people who wander the streets without a job are not good people, especially those wearing tight pants and loafers; you should immediately avoid them.
Yan Chi felt that if he said this aloud, Shen Mingsu would probably explode with anger on the spot, so he considerately kept it to himself. Looking up at Shen Mingsu's face, he reached out and hugged his waist, softening his voice, "Give me a hug, okay? Don't be angry anymore, okay?"
Shen Mingsu's lips couldn't help but curve upwards, but he still restrained himself, forcibly suppressing it. "Teacher Xiao Chi, are you treating me like one of your little brats, trying to appease me?"
Did he? Yan Chi blinked. This was always his way of appeasing people; it was his previous teacher who had suggested he become a kindergarten teacher.
Yan Chi considered it seriously, "You...don't like it?"
Then he could try another approach.
"Not really, I like it a lot, please don't overthink it." Shen Mingsu knew when to stop, afraid that Yan Chi, with his strange thought process, would come up with some weird idea.
Then he would be the one who suffers.
After repairing the cafeteria and teaching building, Shen Mingsu and Yan Chi headed towards the botanical garden. As they passed the lake, they noticed Lin Heng fishing at his usual spot.
Yan Chi watched his retreating figure with a touch of melancholy. It seemed as if everything had returned to the peaceful and tranquil campus before the players arrived.
Upon closer inspection, Yan Chi noticed something was amiss. Lin Heng's fishing rod had no hook, and he wasn't using bait; instead, he was using a grape-flavored gummy candy.
Lin Heng tied the gummy candy to the fishing line, skillfully cast it into the water, and focused intently on the surface. A moment later, the line was tugged by a fish underwater.
He pulled up the rod; the grape gummy candy was gone.
Lin Heng then tied a strawberry-flavored gummy candy to the line and cast it back into the water, concentrating on fishing.
Yan Chi stared for a while, then asked with genuine curiosity, "Is this some kind of new fishing technique? Do fish eat gummy candies?"
Shen Mingsu watched the ripples on the water, his hands itching to throw stones, but with Yan Chi watching, he suppressed his urge and said cryptically, "Maybe the fish he caught just likes them?"
A fish that likes gummy candies… Yan Chi pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized, and hurriedly asked Shen Mingsu for confirmation, "It's Xi Chang, right?"
Shen Mingsu, seeing that he had finally understood, said, "Yes, it's him."
Then it's not surprising.
Yan Chi also understood Lin Heng's strange behavior, "So he's giving Xi Chang a gift, huh… this friend is really worth it."
Shen Mingsu: "…?"
Friend?
Shen Mingsu rubbed his temples. "Teacher Xiaochi, do you still think Lin Heng and Xi Chang are friends?"
Hearing his somewhat serious tone, Yan Chi's heart skipped a beat. He secretly glanced at Lin Heng and lowered his voice, "Aren't they friends? Have they fallen out? Has Xi Chang broken off their friendship?"
If that's the case, then Lin Heng's behavior is a bit too persistent.
Seeing that Yan Chi hadn't considered that possibility at all, Shen Mingsu couldn't help but sigh deeply, feeling incredibly fortunate.
Luckily, he confessed early. If he had listened to Lin Heng's advice to pursue him slowly, Yan Chi probably wouldn't have realized he liked him even if he was dating someone else.
A splash rang out, and Xi Chang swam to Yan Chi's side, waving enthusiastically, "Little Chi, Little Chi, come here!"
Yan Chi approached the water's edge and squatted down. "What's wrong?"
"These candies are for you." Xi Chang took Yan Chi's hand and placed a few candies in it. "These taste really good, try some."
Yan Chi stared at the candies in his palm, his whole body stiffening. He slowly turned his head to look at Lin Heng, who was still in his fishing posture, looking at Yan Chi with a droopy expression.
"I don't want any, you eat them, you eat them." Yan Chi dared not accept the candies offered as an apology and quickly returned them.
Xi Chang didn't understand why Yan Chi disliked these sweet candies; they were clearly delicious. "Sigh... okay then."
Watching Xi Chang slowly eat the candy, Yan Chi felt a sense of relief, but couldn't suppress his curiosity. "Are you still angry with Teacher Lin?"
Xi Chang was taken aback. "Angry? Why would I be angry?"
This reaction was somewhat unexpected by Yan Chi. "Aren't you angry because of Xin Xia and the others?"
Xi Chang stared blankly. "Who's Xin Xia?"
Yan Chi: "...You really forgot?"
"Um... I have a terrible memory." Xi Chang said somewhat embarrassedly, twirling his dark blue hair with his fingers. "I forget people I don't really like or aren't familiar with after a few days. I can't remember them."
Yan Chi was amazed, yet also felt it was understandable. Xi Chang was like a fish; a fish's short memory was normal. He also understood why Lin Heng had said, "Once Xin Xia and the others leave, Xi Chang won't be angry anymore."
It turned out Xi Chang simply couldn't remember them; forgetting them naturally meant he wouldn't be angry anymore.
Yan Chi felt a pang of embarrassment. Luckily, he hadn't said too much. If he had inadvertently reminded Xi Chang and triggered that part of his memory, Yan Chi would have been deeply guilty.
Adhering to the principle of saying less to avoid mistakes, Yan Chi chatted with Xi Chang for a few more minutes before leaving with Shen Mingsu.
Before they were far away, Yan Chi noticed that Lin Heng had stopped giving Xi Chang gummies and was instead putting vitamin pills in his mouth—the sweet, orange-flavored kind. "Wow, that's quite a balanced diet..." Yan Chi sighed, turning away and walking into the botanical garden with Shen Mingsu.
Last night, many players chose to hide in the botanical garden, resulting in significant damage. Large swathes of once lush trees were uprooted, flowerbeds were trampled and scattered, leaves and petals lying in the mud, a scene of utter chaos.
The ancient tree, seeing them arrive, looked like a wronged child, complaining, "Those players are so mean! They took so many flowers and plants! Those were my precious plants, the ones I'd nurtured for so long!"
Shen Mingsu restored the fallen tree. "They didn't take them; they all fell outside the gate."
The players who took the plants were killed by Ahui, who was waiting outside, as soon as they left the botanical garden.
The ancient tree's cherished flowers returned to its trunk, the broken flowerpots were restored, and the butterflies and dragonflies in the soil began to flutter again.
A silvery-white swallowtail butterfly landed on Yan Chi's fingertip. It fluttered its wings, displaying its beauty.
Yan Chi's eyes flashed with amazement. He gently stroked its shimmering wings and praised the pretty little butterfly, "You're so beautiful! The most beautiful butterfly I've ever seen."
The butterfly seemed shy as it nuzzled Yan Chi's finger.
Seeing his enjoyment, Shen Mingsu suggested, "If you like it, why don't you take it home and put it in your yard?"
Yan Chi shook his head. "Forget it, these are all public property."
Shen Mingsu chuckled. "What public property? These are all my property. What's mine is yours, isn't it? It's just a butterfly."
Yan Chi: "..."
He almost forgot that this person was the principal.
Shen Mingsu reached out and touched the butterfly's wings. "But this is the last one of these butterflies left. Otherwise, we could have caught more and put them all in our yard."
Yan Chi's hand trembled. "Is it... the only one left in the whole world?"
Shen Mingsu thought for a moment. "As far as I know, the Moonlight Swallowtail doesn't exist in other worlds either."
Yan Chi gasped. This swallowtail butterfly, smaller than his palm, was rarer than a giant panda!?
Yan Chi: "You just left such a rare butterfly in the botanical garden?"
Shen Mingsu didn't understand his sudden strong reaction. "Uh... what should we do?"
"We could build a special breeding base to protect them." Yan Chi presented the method for protecting giant pandas, "Just like you would with giant pandas. Do you know what giant pandas are?"
Shen Mingsu pondered for a moment, then nodded. "I understand. Then, should we also protect those rare plants and animals?"
Yan Chi was surprised: "Are there other endangered plants and animals here?"
Shen Mingsu casually pointed to a few small flowers and grasses. "These all are."
This small botanical garden is truly a hidden gem. Looking at the plants and animals, Yan Chi said, "...Then let's protect them all."
Shen Mingsu was motivated, and he directly built a separate cultivation garden next to the botanical garden, already planning in his mind, "I'll have Ahui move all the plants here, and Lian Deng will handle the animals. Once this place is developed, we can even charge admission? Humans seem to do it that way."
"We can also bring Xi Chang over; he's rare enough, the only remaining mermaid… that's a good title, and we can even put on a mermaid show for the audience."
Yan Chi: "…"
As Shen Mingsu spoke, a chill suddenly ran down his spine. He turned to look at Yan Chi.
Yan Chi was looking at him with the eyes of someone looking at a class enemy.
Yan Chi: "…Heh."
Sleep in the couch well shen mingsuu 🤣
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