DCTMOAS Chapter 4

Under Teacher Yang’s guidance, Chu Cheng’s recorded lesson went very smoothly. That same week, his explanation video was played during the grade-wide problem-solving session.

During break time, groups of three to five female students would deliberately walk by the language department office, pretending to pass by, sneaking glances at the handsome new teacher.

When Zhou Jin came to find Chu Cheng, he noticed the scene outside the door and teased, “Yo, Teacher Chu, you’re already this popular before even starting your classes.”

Chu Cheng had heard too many comments about himself in the past few days. His mood had been like riding a rollercoaster a few times—now it barely stirred. He replied with a joke:
“Those who rely on looks to please will lose favor once their beauty fades.”

“Don’t worry, not gonna fade for another twenty years,” Zhou Jin laughed, patting the partition of his desk. “Come on, let’s go to the cafeteria.”

At noon, 12 PM, it was peak lunch hour.

The flood of students crowding for food left the cafeteria packed. A quick glance revealed there were no empty tables.

“Teacher Chu, Teacher Zhou, sit here!” A few students not far off waved enthusiastically, quickly shoveling a few mouthfuls of rice before clearing their trays. “We’re done eating!”

Before Chu Cheng could respond, they had already squeezed into the crowd and left.

“Well damn, I’ve been working for years, and now I need your popularity just to find a seat,” Zhou Jin joked, placing two trays on the table.

“They’re not from Class 7—I’ve never even seen them,” Chu Cheng smiled, carrying a bit of pride as a newly minted teacher. While chatting, he suddenly noticed from the corner of his eye that Yu Siting was also in the cafeteria. The motion of breaking apart his disposable chopsticks froze for a moment.

Yu Siting seemed to be having trouble finding a seat too. Chu Cheng considered whether to invite him over, but the other had already walked to the other side with his tray.

Zhou Jin noticed Chu Cheng’s gaze and glanced back: “What are you looking at?”

Chu Cheng sighed softly, “That lone wolf, keep-away-from-strangers guy.”

Zhou Jin responded instantly, “Yu Siting, huh?”

Chu Cheng took a bite of his food and, after slowly chewing and swallowing, replied, “Mm~ Looks like my description was pretty spot-on.”

Zhou Jin said, “His class is the only one where students call their homeroom teacher ‘Big Bro.’ Speaking of him, how are things between you two?”

“He looks like a tough one to deal with,” Chu Cheng answered casually. “If I can avoid it, I will. Better to steer clear of direct conflict.”

“That’s not like you,” Zhou Jin said while twisting open a bottle of water.

“Workplace doesn’t allow me to have sharp edges,” Chu Cheng said slowly, with a trace of sarcasm that made Zhou Jin chuckle again.

After eating, Chu Cheng and his senior parted ways, and he returned to the office alone. Passing the math department, he saw Lu Yan alone through the window, hunched over the desk writing something.

Looked like he was being punished again.

Chu Cheng couldn’t help, and didn’t stop to disturb him. He went back to prepping his lesson plans for the new term.

Time passed; the sunlight faded into dusk, and stars began to rise.

One by one, the teachers in the language department left the office.

“Teacher Chu, I’m off for the day. Don’t forget to close the windows and lock the door when you leave.”

“Alright, goodbye.” Hearing the voice nearby, Chu Cheng looked up, suddenly realizing that only the two of them were left in the room.

The female teacher placed a bunch of grapes on the corner of his desk and said, “My parents grew these. I already shared them with everyone earlier. I saw you wearing headphones and working so intently that I didn’t want to disturb you.”

Chu Cheng accepted them graciously and returned a polite smile. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll be heading off now.”

After the last colleague left, the office returned to silence. Chu Cheng settled back into his work, continuing to revise the teaching materials.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when the fitness band on his desk gave a soft buzz.

10:40 PM. It was an alarm Chu Cheng had set for himself to avoid staying up too late—though he never actually went to bed at that time.

He rolled his stiff shoulders and, in the movement, noticed the fruit by his desk. He got up and took it to the break room to wash.

When he returned, he saw that the lights in the math department office were still on. Lu Yan was still inside, leaning on one elbow by the window, lost in thought.

According to Tenth High School’s schedule, students finished evening study by 9:50.

Chu Cheng was a bit surprised. He knocked on the glass door and asked, “Why haven’t you gone home yet?”

Lu Yan looked up at him blankly, then tossed aside the math test papers nearby. His elegant brows were furrowed, and he looked rather frustrated.

Chu Cheng opened the door and stepped in, glancing at the desk. He saw that Lu Yan had already completed a sizable stack of worksheets, though there were still several blank ones left.

“So many?” Chu Cheng was shocked. “Don’t tell me you’ve been here since noon?”

Lu Yan mumbled softly with a hint of grievance, “You have no idea how hard his problems are.”

“Want something to eat?” Chu Cheng couldn’t think of what else to say. Seeing Lu Yan’s tired expression, he held up the box of fruit still dripping with water.

Lu Yan looked at it, licked his somewhat dry lips, and reached out to take a few grapes.

Chu Cheng’s heart softened. “You can have them all.”

Lu Yan shook his head and replied, lips barely moving, “This is enough. Thank you.”

The office fell silent for a couple of minutes.

Lu Yan quietly squatted next to the trash bin, eating grapes. Even the way he discarded the skins looked like he was holding in some frustration. Chu Cheng had originally wanted to chat with him, but seeing his low spirits, he just let out a soft sigh.

The aggrieved top student finished the grapes, wiped his hands clean, and returned to his desk to continue working on the papers.

Chu Cheng couldn’t bear to watch anymore and stopped him. “Enough. Don’t do any more. It’s so late already—pack up and go home.”

“I don’t dare,” Lu Yan gave a bitter smile.

Chu Cheng turned his head and noticed that Yu Siting’s phone was still on the desk. He instantly understood. “I’m right next door. If he comes back, I’ll explain for you.”

Lu Yan looked at Chu Cheng’s earnest, protective expression and finally managed a weak smile, chuckling softly. “No need, Mr. Chu. I’m fine. At the beginning of every semester, I always get scolded by him to the point of getting emo. It’ll pass in a few days. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Chu Cheng was surprised by the casual way he said that.

A student with grades as good as Lu Yan’s shouldn’t be singled out for criticism by the homeroom teacher. He had been such a lively kid, and now he’d been scolded into this subdued, compromising version of himself.

Could this be Yu Siting’s secret to producing so many top scorers?

Chu Cheng was dazed for a moment. Seeing Lu Yan already immersed in solving problems again, he had no choice but to quietly leave the office.

The first week of “re-focusing” classes passed in a flash.

On the official first day of the new term at Tenth High School, Chu Cheng clocked in earlier than usual. Because the very first class for Grade 11, Class 7 that day was Chinese—and it was Mr. Chu’s “debut” as a teacher.

As per usual protocol, a mentor was supposed to observe a new teacher’s first few classes. But Ms. Yang, not wanting to add pressure to her protégé, stayed away. Besides, she believed that Chu Cheng’s professional skills were more than capable of holding the class.

When the bell rang, Mr. Chu entered the classroom on the dot, holding his teaching materials.

Most of Class 7’s students were top achievers and highly self-disciplined. They were already seated and had their class materials prepared.

Chu Cheng had heard from Ms. Shen that Class 7 didn’t do the usual “stand and greet” at the start of class. Yu Siting thought it was unnecessary trouble for students to move their chairs around and disruptive to others. Even when asking questions, students weren’t required to stand.

So, Chu Cheng walked straight up to the podium. Standing above the students, he only needed to lift his gaze slightly to meet a sea of bright, expectant eyes. He made sure to glance toward Lu Yan’s seat. As expected, the boy was back to his energetic self.

Chu Cheng took a deep breath, suppressing the nerves of being the center of attention, then picked up a piece of chalk and wrote two flowing characters on the blackboard:

Chu Cheng.

“Some of you may have already heard about me, or recognized me from the orientation class video. But since this is our first time meeting face-to-face, it’s only right to make a proper introduction. My surname is Chu, and I’ll be your Chinese teacher this semester.”

He gave a simple self-introduction, then lowered his head slightly and nodded to the students. “I’m honored to be a part of your youth. We have a long journey ahead—I hope we’ll get along well.”

The new teacher seemed surprisingly approachable. Chu Cheng’s friendly demeanor and respectful attitude lightened the atmosphere in the room considerably.

Some outgoing students quickly started firing off questions—about his age, his alma mater, his hobbies, and even asked him to show a talent.

“You have to perform a talent?” Chu Cheng caught the remark among the sea of voices—sounded like someone was trying to test him.

The students naturally chimed in, egging him on. “Otherwise, it’ll be hard for you to survive here.”

“Oh really?” Chu Cheng’s smile was calm and radiant, making his already handsome face even more striking. “Then what talent did the homeroom teacher perform when he started? Tell me so I can take notes.”

The students burst out laughing, some dramatically pretending they’d been shot in the heart.

“Ugh—tough one.”

“Don’t bring him into this!”

“His talent is giving us a hard time, obviously!”

“…”

Chu Cheng brought the class back to order. “Alright, settle down. We’ll talk about talents later—but only after we finish this class.”

“Alright!”

“We’re ready, go ahead~”

“Turn to page 102 in the elective textbook. The first lesson this semester is Li Bai’s Bring in the Wine.”

“First, let’s look at the background. This poem was written around the 11th year of the Tianbao era, when Li Bai was drinking and climbing high with his friends…”

Chu Cheng opened the lesson slides he had revised many times, now thoroughly familiar with them. He controlled the presentation with a clicker as he slowly strolled down the aisle between the student desks.

With a solid foundation of knowledge and thorough preparation, he gradually entered the flow of teaching. His delivery was both detailed and appropriate, and he also kept the classroom atmosphere lively and engaging.

The class time passed quickly. With only a few minutes left, Chu Cheng had the students practice reciting the poem.

“I’ve memorized it. Doesn’t that count as a talent?” Lu Yan asked, resting her chin in her hand as Chu Cheng walked by.

Other students chimed in: “We’ve memorized it too!”

Chu Cheng smiled and said, “So talented, huh? Then, how about I teach you all a song?”

For a moment, the students didn’t react.

Until Chu Cheng walked back to the front, selected an instrumental track on the computer, leaned against the podium, and began to sing: “A promised talent for you. This song is performed by Chu Cheng, lyrics by Li Bai.”

The students immediately erupted with excitement upon hearing this.

As the music began to flow, Chu Cheng brought the classroom microphone to his lips and casually began singing Bring in the Wine.

Adapted from a wine-inviting poem and accompanied by traditional instrumental music, the song lacked the intense vigor of guitar or symphonic arrangements, but instead carried a laid-back, free-spirited vibe.

Chu Cheng’s youthful voice captured Li Bai’s unrestrained spirit after seeing through the grandeur and desolation of the golden age—disheartened in life yet still full of pride.

“Bring in the wine, let the cups never stop. I sing a song for you, please lend me your ears.”

The lingering charm of the final notes fit the moment perfectly, like magic, capturing the full attention of every student.

When Yu Siting came to check the class and heard the commotion, he peeked halfway through the back door, his gaze lingering for a moment on the figure beside the podium.

Judging by the singer’s demeanor, it was hard to believe that he wasn’t someone who smoked and drank in private.

The song wasn’t long. Chu Cheng finished the final line just as the bell rang and waved to signal the end of class. The students were still brimming with excitement, with some even falling in love with a poem because of its musical adaptation.

“By the way, is there already a class representative for Chinese?” Chu Cheng asked suddenly as he packed up his things.

A student in the front row turned and pointed: “Yes, it’s Han Rui.”

Chu Cheng followed the direction and saw a fair-skinned girl sitting by the window. He repeated gently, “Han Rui, right? Got it. Then you’ll continue as the class representative. Come see me at the Chinese department office before school ends.”

The girl, who had been quietly reading, stood up gracefully and responded with a smile, “Okay, Mr. Chu.”

The first class was finally over. Chu Cheng returned to the office with his book, leaned back in his chair, and let out a long breath.

Those brief 45 minutes—only God knew how many times he had rehearsed it in his mind.

A colleague from the same department leaned over with concern and enthusiasm. “How was Mr. Chu’s debut?”

Chu Cheng seriously reflected for a moment. “The feeling of standing as a teacher… not bad at all.”

Before he had time to fully relax, the bell signaling the next period rang. Chu Cheng caught sight of Teacher Yang heading to class out of the corner of his eye. He quickly grabbed a stool and ran to catch up. “Master, wait for me!”

A teacher sitting by the door watched their figures disappear and teased, “New teachers really are bursting with energy. So excellent and hardworking—it’s making the rest of us feel threatened.”

Except for the occasional double period with Class 7, Chu Cheng only taught one class a day, giving him plenty of free time to sit in on others.

Sometimes, the class representative couldn’t catch him, so they arranged to meet during the last period of the day to ask about homework.

That afternoon, a teacher—he didn’t know which class they were from—had brought in a bunch of students for a dictation, packing the entire office to the brim.

“Wow, so many people—really feels like the start of a new semester.” Han Rui peeked in through the door, then called out softly, avoiding the crowd, “Mr. Chu, I’m going to the senior teacher’s office real quick. I’ll come back to see you later!”

“Alright,” Chu Cheng replied, lowering his head to continue writing his lesson plan.

Before he knew it, the sky outside had darkened again. Noticing that the noise around him had faded, Chu Cheng checked the time.

It was nearly the end of the school day. Why hadn’t the girl come back?

His class representative was always punctual. Finding it odd, Chu Cheng took the opportunity while washing his cup to loop around the nearby offices—and sure enough, he found Han Rui at the corner of the math department office.

The girl had her back to the window and was secretly wiping away tears. Even though she was trying hard to hold it in, her shoulders trembled uncontrollably as she sobbed.

Seeing how upset she was, Chu Cheng didn’t dare approach. He turned instead to glance at Yu Siting’s office.

It was clear that this was the result of a certain someone being equally stern with both boys and girls.

Never mind how many top scorers he had trained—wasn’t it a bit much to start off the semester by harshly scolding all the top students? Even if you believe in elite education, this kind of emotional crushing isn’t the way to do it.

Maybe it was inevitable for rookie teachers to have a “protective instinct.” Chu Cheng, being a subject teacher, originally didn’t want to get involved with Yu Siting. But seeing his usually gentle class rep crying like that, it was hard to just stand by.

In the end, he furrowed his brow, made up his mind, and headed straight toward the math office.

Author’s Note:

All curriculum references and exam outlines in the text are based on the northern 3+1+2 system. Schools may have different schedules and arrangements—minor details don’t need to be scrutinized.