Oh no! Yan Chi's heart skipped a beat. He rushed back to the classroom, only to find two boys fighting. One of them was none other than Feng Wang, the red-haired boy.
As for the other, Yan Chi took a moment to recognize him before confirming his name was Tan Mo. Just like his name, he was taciturn. Yan Chi didn't know how the two had started fighting, and he rushed forward to break them up.
Feng Wang punched Tan Mo in the face, making a dull thud. Tan Mo wasn't one to back down easily; his strength was evenly matched. He flipped over and knocked Feng Wang to the ground, retaliating with a punch of his own.
The violent fight overturned all the surrounding tables.
Only the boy who looked like he had albinism anxiously tried to break up the fight, calling out "brother!" while the other students stood by, watching with amusement.
Yan Chi rushed forward and grabbed Feng Wang's arm, trying to stop him, "Don't fight! Let go of him!"
Feng Wang was ruthless in his fights, showing no regard for anyone pulling him away. His strength was incredible; with a light flick, he sent Yan Chi flying.
Yan Chi crashed into the corner of a table, a sharp pain shooting through his lower back, causing him to fall to the ground.
Mingcai, who had rushed over, helped Yan Chi up, frowning and scolding, "Feng Wang, are you crazy?! You dare hit a teacher?! You'll see if the school calls your dad!"
Feng Wang ignored her, grabbing Tan Mo's neck, veins bulging, his voice fierce, "Apologize to my brother!"
Tan Mo's pupils were larger than average, pure black, sending chills down one's spine when he stared at someone. He angrily pushed against Feng Wang's arm, "I didn't make him cry! He's just weak!"
Another heavy punch landed on his cheek, blood trickling from Tan Mo's mouth.
Yan Chi's vision blurred, and he hurriedly said to Mingcai, "Quickly, go and call the director over."
"Okay."
Mingcai turned and ran.
Yan Chi couldn't control the situation and didn't know what to do, but he couldn't just watch Tan Mo get beaten.
Yan Chi stood up, using the table for support, and grabbed Feng Wang's arm again, trying to separate the two wrestling.
Feng Wang, annoyed by Yan Chi's presence, kicked Tan Mo away, then grabbed Yan Chi by the back of his collar and threw him into the crowd, not caring if he fell.
The blond, blue-eyed Sethia helped Yan Chi up, his face contorted with grief, "Teacher, don't interfere, Feng Wang is very fierce. Li Huai, go and control your brother!"
Li Huai was also frantic, but he was too weak to hold Feng Wang back, and could only cry and call for his brother.
Yan Chi was frantic, glancing several times towards the door, hoping Mingcai would bring a savior, but the turning point came faster than the headmaster.
The battle between the two shifted from the front row to the back. The only boy concentrating on his homework once again tore his paper due to the desk's shaking. Expressionless, he put down his pen, grabbed a thermos from the student in front of him, raised it high, and smashed it down on Feng Wang's head.
Instantly, the classroom fell into a deathly silence. Feng Wang lay on the floor, his head caved in, and glaring blood gushed out.
Yan Chi trembled uncontrollably. He wanted to speak, but his throat felt blocked; his legs were weak, and his fingers trembled violently.
Sethia, supporting him, didn't notice his abnormality and let out a long sigh, "Finally dead."
These words were like the last straw. Yan Chi's vision went black, his body went limp, and he fainted.
Sethia, in a panic, hugged Yan Chi, shaking his shoulders. "Teacher, what happened? Oh my god, the teacher is dead too..."
The students' playful fighting was insignificant, but if it involved the teacher's safety, the school would intervene, and might even punish the students who endangered the teacher.
As soon as Sethia spoke, all the students immediately surrounded Yan Chi, calling out "Teacher" helplessly. Several even nudged Yan Chi's arm, but he didn't react at all.
Some, eager for drama, chuckled, "Oh dear, it seems he really is dead! Hahaha, everyone's scared, at most we'll just have to be buried with him."
Some students were already preparing for Yan Chi's funeral. "Can I have his body? I heard rotting corpses make great fertilizer for flowers."
"I want some too! My darlings haven't had meat in ages!"
Another student, just awakened and looking bewildered, asked, "What happened? Who is this? Why is he lying in our classroom?"
"Waaaaah, please stop! The school will definitely not forgive us!" Sethia cried, then suddenly looked at Li Huai. "Li Huai, can you heal him? Please save Teacher Chi; maybe he can come back to life."
Li Huai, holding the blood-covered Feng Wang, hesitated, glancing at Yan Chi. He remembered Yan Chi had helped him hold Feng Wang back, and was very grateful to Yan Chi. "Okay, I'll try."
Li Huai gently put Feng Wang down, walked to Yan Chi's side, and squatted down. He extended his pale wrist, searched around, and finally picked up a pen. With the sharp tip, he drew heavily across Yan Chi's wrist.
Yan Chi's mouth was pried open a crack, and Li Huai dripped blood into it. His wound healed rapidly, staining Yan Chi's lips crimson.
Li Huai gazed at Yan Chi expectantly.
One second, two seconds… fifteen seconds…
Sethia choked back sobs, “It's over, Teacher is really dead.”
Meanwhile, on her way to find the director, Mingcai encountered Shen Mingsu, who was leaning against the riverbank railing watching fish. Shen Mingsu held a handful of stones, throwing them to smash any fish that swam by and bit the hook.
The man fishing on the bank had veins bulging on his forehead. He took a few deep breaths, suppressing his anger, “Are you bored?”
Shen Mingsu threw another stone. A beautiful blue fish tail flashed across the lake with a cry of pain.
Shen Mingsu: “…Sorry.”
The fisherman was annoyed. “My fish!”
Shen Mingsu: “That’s not your fish, it’s the teacher I hired.”
The fisherman glared at him.
"Principal!!!"
Mingcai rushed to Shen Mingsu's side, frantically pulling him away. "Principal, you have to break up the fight! Feng Wang and Tan Mo are fighting, and the teachers can't stop them!"
"Okay, okay, I'll go right away." Shen Mingsu remained as calm as a mountain, leisurely waving to the fisherman. "See you later."
The fisherman re-baited his hook. "Never let me see you again!"
Mingcai brought Shen Mingsu back to the classroom. The students, as if seeing a savior, immediately dispersed, revealing the unconscious Yan Chi.
Sethia cried out, "Principal, what do we do? The teacher is dead! Principal, please don't punish us! Waaaaah, it's not our fault!"
The man pushed through the students, squatted down in front of Yan Chi, and placed his long, slender fingers on Yan Chi's neck. "It's alright, he's not dead, he's just unconscious."
The students all breathed a sigh of relief.
"But..." Shen Mingsu's tone shifted, his dark green eyes filled with immense pressure, and every student who met his gaze lowered their heads. "Tell me, what did you do to scare the new teacher like this?"
No one answered. Shen Mingsu called on a name. "Chang Le, you tell me."
A young boy who resembled him by about seven or eight points stepped forward and addressed Shen Mingsu as "Uncle."
"Use my position during work hours."
Shen Chang Le was speechless. "...Principal."
"Tell me what happened." Shen Mingsu noticed blood on Yan Chi's lips, the bright red blood standing out starkly against his pale face. "You actually angered the teacher to the point of vomiting blood?"
Sethia weakly said, "It wasn't the teacher who vomited; Li Huai fed him blood. We wanted to save the teacher."
Shen Mingsu looked at Li Huai, who obediently nodded.
Shen Chang Le recounted the events, and Shen Mingsu, having grasped the gist, nodded, bent down, and picked up Yan Chi. "Alright, you can go to Teacher Youyou's class next door."
Like a bolt from the blue, every student's face was filled with resistance. Sethia burst into tears, grabbing a bag of snacks and stuffing them into his mouth while crying, "Principal, can't you change the punishment?"
Shen Mingsu was handsome, and his smile was pleasing to the eye, but to the students, it was nothing short of a devil's laugh.
"No, Teacher Youyou will be here soon. You should go now."
With that, ignoring the students' pleas and attempts to stop him, Shen Mingsu carried Yan Chi out of the classroom.
In the infirmary.
The school doctor was quite surprised to see Shen Mingsu and Yan Chi in his arms. He pulled back the curtain, allowing Shen Mingsu to place Yan Chi on the bed, and then examined him. "He's fine, just a bit shaken."
Shen Mingsu sat beside him, watching the sleeping Yan Chi.
Shen Mingsu had seen Yan Chi briefly from afar in the small office when he came for his interview. He remembered him as a lively and well-behaved new student, but he hadn't expected him to be so timid.
"Li Huai fed him blood. Check if there are any abnormal reactions."
The school doctor's eyes widened in surprise. "Li Huai, that little devil? Oh right, he's also a freshman this year."
"Li Huai is quite generous. I heard a drop of his blood fetches an astronomical price on the player market, and he's willing to give this kid so much." The school doctor gently held Yan Chi's hand, carefully feeling his condition. "He's fine, he's absorbing it very well."
Shen Mingsu nodded, gazing at Yan Chi's face. The more he looked, the more familiar the face seemed.
But Shen Mingsu couldn't quite place who he resembled.
That fair, delicate face, those curled eyelashes, those rosy lips… Shen Mingsu's thoughts suddenly drifted, completely forgetting why he had initially been staring at Yan Chi's face.
The school doctor covered Yan Chi with a light blanket. "Tell me, who is this child? Why did you have to bring him here personally?"
"…"
The school doctor called again, but Shen Mingsu still didn't respond.
He turned his head and found Shen Mingsu staring blankly at Yan Chi. The school doctor was speechless, patting Shen Mingsu's shoulder. "Snap out of it!"
Shen Mingsu reacted slowly. "Um, what did you say?"
The school doctor asked again, while simultaneously dragging Shen Mingsu's chair further away from Yan Chi.
Shen Mingsu: "The new teacher at the school, and what are you doing?"
"You're too close, affecting his breathing."
The school doctor said without changing his expression, while crossing his arms and scrutinizing Shen Mingsu as he walked back and forth. "Shen Mingsu, we've known each other for so many years, but I never imagined you could be so shameless."
Shen Mingsu's face stiffened. "I...how am I shameless?"
He narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Can you read minds?"
"Your disgusting behavior doesn't require mind reading! I saw it with both eyes! You actually hired child labor?!" The school doctor sternly condemned Shen Mingsu, pointing at Yan Chi on the hospital bed. "This is barely an adult, and you let him work. No wonder his physical condition is poor; it turns out there's a heartless capitalist like you behind him!"
Shen Mingsu was even more shocked than him. "He's not even an adult yet?"
The school doctor questioned, "You didn't know?"
Shen Mingsu shook his head and decisively called the head of the department.
The director, breathing weakly, asked, "What is it now, my boss?"
"Yan Chi isn't even an adult yet! How could you hire someone like this? You hired a child!"
The director was incredulous. "How is that possible? His ID card clearly says he's an adult. I checked it countless times."
Shen Mingsu took a deep breath. "Are you even human? Just look at his face."
The director: "..."
Right, they're not human, are they?
The director felt guilty. "Then what should we do? Let him go? But he's the only teacher in our school with a teaching certificate. We really can't find anyone else to replace him."
Shen Mingsu asked the school doctor, "Can you tell how long it will be before he reaches adulthood?"
"About this month." The school doctor poked Yan Chi's cheek; it was soft, like a cream cake. "Li Huai's blood is very nourishing; it's prematurely pushing him into his growth period."
Shen Mingsu thought for a moment. "Then it doesn't count as child labor."
Besides, they're not human, and they don't need to follow human rules.
Shen Mingsu's mood instantly brightened. He told the director on the other end of the phone, "Forget it, don't let it happen again."
Half an hour later, Yan Chi slowly woke up. He looked blankly at his unfamiliar surroundings and Shen Mingsu beside him.
The school doctor asked with concern, "Are you alright? Are you dizzy?"
Yan Chi slowly shook his head. Suddenly, his dazed mind began to function again. He sat up abruptly and grabbed the school doctor's hand. "You're a doctor, right? You have to save my student! A boy is bleeding from his head, a lot of blood… How is he now? Is he really…"
Yan Chi couldn't utter the word "dead."
The school doctor hurriedly reassured Yan Chi, "He's alright, he's safe."
Yan Chi's eyes welled with tears, the corners of his eyes red, and his voice trembled with sobs, "Really? But...but some students said he's gone..."
"No, he's alive and well. You can ask him if you don't believe me." The school doctor pulled Shen Mingsu over. "The principal, remember him? He brought you to the infirmary and knows that student is safe now."
Yan Chi didn't recognize Shen Mingsu, but hearing the doctor's words, his hopeful gaze immediately fell on Shen Mingsu.
Shen Mingsu awkwardly tilted his head. "Yeah, he just came back to life. Should we go see him?"
Yan Chi's mind went blank again. "Just came back to life? What do you mean?"
Shen Mingsu kindly explained, "He was dead, but he just came back to life."
"Oh. I see. I guess I'm still dreaming."
Yan Chi closed his eyes and fainted again.
Shen Mingsu: "..."
He slowly met the school doctor's gaze, a gaze that seemed to want to chop him up.
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