DCTMOAS Chapter 73

Ying He let out a snort, which counted as a confirmation, then countered, “Is that not allowed?”

“Sure it is,” Chu Cheng responded quickly. “But have you considered the possibility that he and I are in the same class?”

Ying He was caught off guard.

He suddenly remembered how things were during their hospital stay—these two did seem pretty close back then.

Ying He felt like he had just been outmaneuvered in a couple of sentences, but the words were already out and couldn’t be taken back. Besides, like it or not, he had to finish this school year.

Even if he was reluctant, he could only grit his teeth and say, “Then I’ll go too.”

“So, the final decision is still Class 7?” Director Yang picked up the form on the desk again and looked to the homeroom teacher for final confirmation.

“Let Mr. Chu handle it,” Yu Siting replied as he turned slightly and patted Chu Cheng on the shoulder, as if he had just handed off a burdensome task to someone else and stepped away.

Chu Cheng raised an eyebrow.

Hold on, I came here to rescue someone, how did I end up becoming the one responsible?

Yu Siting caught the question on his face and silently nodded.

You did rescue me—by sacrificing yourself.

Chu Cheng was speechless. But since things had reached this point, he could only accept his fate and dutifully escort the transfer student back to class.

Once everyone else had left, Yu Siting turned to the director and asked, “Do you have the student’s academic records?”

Jokes aside, as the primary person in charge of the class, he took responsibility seriously. There was no way he’d truly wash his hands of it.

Director Yang handed him a file folder and replied, “There should be a few transcripts inside. But he hasn’t been in school for a long time—don’t expect them to say much.”

“I still need to look,” Yu Siting sighed, reaching out to take the folder. After exchanging farewells, he headed back to the classroom.

“Behave in class. No causing trouble. Don’t leave early. Wait for me after school—I’ll pick you up.”

“You’re so annoying.”

“Hey, I’m just following your dad’s orders, okay?!”

“My dad, my dad—can’t you say anything else besides those two words?”

“……”

Out in the hallway outside Class 7, the man who had accompanied Ying He to report in was still nagging him endlessly. But the boy’s mood was clearly worsening, and the gloom in his eyes was about to spill over.

Chu Cheng didn’t keep eavesdropping. He walked into the classroom first to arrange a seat for the new student. Taking height into consideration, he temporarily placed Ying He in the empty seat beside Lu Yan.

A few restless boys in the back row kept glancing toward the door at the sound of movement outside. They occasionally whispered and chuckled under their breath.

They had already heard about this new classmate from the repeat students next door. In short, he could be summed up in eight characters:

Rich, powerful, bad temper.

Mu Yiyang even used that to tease Lu Yan, who was about to become the transfer student’s deskmate. But the boy leaning quietly in the corner didn’t seem to care at all.

“Doesn’t matter, as long as he doesn’t mess with me.” Tired of being dragged into the conversation, Lu Yan finally responded calmly. His voice wasn’t loud, but carried a quiet force. He scribbled down two lines of problem-solving steps without even lifting his head. “Besides, he couldn’t mess with me even if he wanted to.”

“Behave yourself.” Chu Cheng placed his palm on the class monitor’s head and gave a gentle push, as a reminder.

Right then, Ying He—still looking visibly annoyed—walked into the classroom.

Chu Cheng curled his fingers and tapped the desk lightly. “Sit here.”

By the time Yu Siting stepped up to the podium, there were only ten minutes left in math class.

He planned to finish explaining a classic example problem before the bell rang. While sketching on the board, he asked, “You’ve all finished the test papers, right? Turn to the front and go over the answers for the first one. Start with Ji Yanan.”

“1—C.”

“2—D.”

“3—A.”

“4—A.”

“…”

The students were well used to how their “Big Bro” taught. They read off answers like a dragon wagging its tail, smooth and efficient—no one slowed the pace.

“Who answered C for number 7?” Yu Siting didn’t even look back, still busy writing on the blackboard.

The student he called out quickly corrected themselves, “It’s D, it’s D—I mixed up the rows.”

Yu Siting saw right through it: “Didn’t do it, huh? Don’t try to bluff your way through. Fell back asleep first thing in the morning? Stand up and wake yourself up. Moving on.”

The room fell silent for three to five seconds. No one answered. Yu Siting finally turned around.

It was the transfer student’s turn to answer. The kid was slouched over his desk in the last row, clearly disengaged—possibly even asleep.

Lu Yan gave him a nudge.

“What?” Ying He lifted his head.

“They’re calling you.” Lu Yan tilted his chin toward the front of the room.

Having his moment of drowsiness interrupted, the new student looked annoyed. He shoved back his chair and stood up, silent and stiff.

Yu Siting, racing against the clock to finish his example problem, didn’t want to waste time on him. He said coolly, “Give him a test paper. Deskmate, continue.”

“Pass it down.” A fresh math test was handed over from Meng Xin’s desk.

Mu Yiyang, acting as the middleman, chuckled and muttered a jab as he passed it along.

His voice was quiet, but Ying He—just one aisle away—still caught a few words. He didn’t hear the whole thing, but he was certain of three specific ones:

“Big-shot’s son.”

“Heh.”

Ying He’s lips twitched slightly. He dropped the math paper he’d just received, took a step to the side while still standing, and swung his leg out—BANG!—landing a loud kick on the crossbar of Mu Yiyang’s desk.

The thunderous noise made half the class jump.

Towering over him, Ying He looked down at Mu Yiyang. His tone was cold and quiet—just loud enough to be clearly heard:
“I am me. My dad is my dad. You’d better watch your mouth. That was your first warning. You won’t get a polite one next time.”

Mu Yiyang froze for a second, then suddenly stood up—but before he could do anything, a sharp bang came from the podium.

“You think this is a street market?” Yu Siting stopped what he was doing and stood up straight. His presence radiated a biting chill that instantly silenced the entire room.

His deep, pitch-black eyes locked onto the boys about to throw down, and from his lips came just two words:
“Sit down.”

Mu Yiyang clenched his jaw, swallowed his fury, and slowly sat back down.

“If you can’t even manage the most basic self-control,” Yu Siting said, turning slightly toward the other troublemaker, “I suggest you head out and catch a ride to Tingzhou Kindergarten.”

He then turned his icy gaze on Ying He, who was acting like none of this had anything to do with him, and added in the same tone:
“Straighten your desk. Stand back up.”

Ying He complied.

The classroom returned to calm. Chu Cheng, who had been watching the whole commotion from the back, was just about to praise Big Bro’s masterful control of the room—when something suddenly caught his attention.

Wait… what did he just use to knock the board?

Chu Cheng had been working on forms in the back row since the start of class and hadn’t looked up much. But now he noticed the straight-edge tool Yu Siting was using in his hand looked awfully familiar.

Wasn’t that… his own punishment ruler?

After Yu Siting finished the final step of the example question, the bell rang for the end of class.

Yu Siting announced the end of class, put down the papers, pointed toward the back row, and walked out of the room.

Still standing at his desk, Chu Cheng understood the signal. He called out,
“Mu Yiyang, come out with me for a moment.”

“…Okay.” The student, freshly reprimanded in front of everyone, clearly knew why. He hung his head and slipped out the back door.

As Chu Cheng passed the last row, he glanced at the expressionless Ying He. Without reacting, he casually patted Lu Yan on the shoulder.

With his little uncle clearly dropping a silent hint, Class Monitor Lu couldn’t just ignore it. He subtly stepped in to help smooth things over.

Lu Yan leaned forward, resting his chin on his wrist atop the desk. He spoke lazily,
“You don’t really need to take it so hard.”

Ying He gave him a sidelong glance. “You talking to me?”

“Who else? The guy you almost flipped a desk on,” Lu Yan sighed, then added,
“He’s just got a filthy mouth, but no real malice. He even outed his own relationship gossip before—don’t take it too seriously.”

Ying He let out a snort, unimpressed.
“He didn’t say anything about you. Why are you being magnanimous on my behalf?”

Lu Yan changed positions, flicking his bangs a couple of times out of boredom. He said casually,
“He probably talks crap about me too. Why else would I bother giving you advice?”

Ying He paused for a moment, saying nothing. He glanced at his listless new deskmate and recalled how this guy had seemed weirdly slow-witted earlier that morning. In a low voice, he mocked,
“What’s even worth talking about when it comes to you?”

“You’d better show some respect,” Lu Yan chuckled.
“Because I’m the biggest ‘connected’ kid in this class. Starting something with Mu Yiyang might not be a big deal, but if you so much as kick my desk—
I guarantee you’ll be kicked out.”

DANG—

A light thud.

Ying He hadn’t used much force, but just to be contrary, he nudged the desk with his foot anyway, casting Lu Yan a sideways glance full of disdain:
“Kicked it. So what now?”

As those words left his mouth, Chu Cheng—who had just taken Mu Yiyang outside—happened to walk back into the room.

Lu Yan quickly turned around and tattled:
“Mr. Chu!”

Ying He gave him a sidelong glance.
“He’s your connection?”

Lu Yan shot back,
“Why? Problem?”

“Spare me.” Ying He finally looked at Chu Cheng and, in a tone that softened slightly—tinged with a touch of possessiveness—said,
“We’ve been sharing a room for days. You think he’d take your side?”

That was… a lot to take in all at once.

Lu Yan raised an eyebrow and gave his little uncle a look full of unspoken judgment, his expression clearly saying:
How many “good sons” do you have, exactly?

Chu Cheng had no comeback. He wisely skipped over that part of the conversation and simply said to Lu Yan,
“Go get my coffee from the delivery.”

Wait, he asks a question and still ends up running errands?

Lu Yan squinted.
“Did you order one for me too?”

“Yes, now go.” Chu Cheng shooed him out the back door and turned his gaze back to Ying He.

He’d seen the entire incident during class just now. Sure, Mu Yiyang had a mouth on him and instigated the whole thing—and Big Bro had already lectured him—but kicking a desk in front of the whole class? That was way over the line.

“Wanna talk?” Chu Cheng tilted his head, asking gently.

“No.” Ying He stuffed both hands into his pockets and strolled toward the door, casually announcing,
“I’m hungry. Not going to the next class.”

Chu Cheng, still in a good mood, called after him:
“How about this afternoon then?”

“Not happening this afternoon either.”

Watching the kid walk off all prickly and unbothered, Chu Cheng didn’t push it. He wasn’t mad—if anything, he found it kind of amusing how stubbornly awkward Ying He was being.

Later, when Lu Yan returned with the coffee, Chu Cheng grabbed the one meant for Teacher Yu and headed to the office, planning to check in on how things had gone with Mu Yiyang too.

But by the time he got to the math department, the teacher-student conversation had already wrapped up. Only Yu Siting and the class rep, Meng Xin, were still at the desk.

At some point, a new wooden display stand had appeared on Yu Siting’s desk—specifically designed to hold his ruler.

Meng Xin seemed fascinated by the engraved characters on the back of the ruler. He reached for it out of curiosity, but before he could even touch it, he was barked at.

“Put it down,” Yu Siting ordered sharply.

Meng Xin looked wounded.
“Come on, Bro—I didn’t even touch it yet.”

“Get back to class.” Yu Siting’s eyes flicked toward the doorway, where Chu Cheng had just appeared. He used that as a reason to dismiss the student.

“Alright…” Meng Xin mumbled, trudging off with a gloomy look. As he passed by the assistant homeroom teacher, he gave a polite greeting.

Chu Cheng nodded slightly, holding back a smile, and quickly made his way to Yu Siting’s desk, looking bewildered.
“Why’d you put it on display like that?”

Yu Siting replied confidently,
“Mr. Chu, you already gave it to me. Where I put it is my freedom.”

As expected, this guy was up to no good.

Chu Cheng instantly regretted it—he should have known that giving it away would only lead to shenanigans.

“What are you doing here?” Yu Siting glanced at the plastic-sealed coffee cup in Chu Cheng’s hand.
“Came all this way just to bring me coffee?”

Unlike the Grade 11 offices, the language department offices were now quite far apart. There was no such thing as “passing by.” So the word “just” couldn’t be denied—he had come specifically.

“Keep dreaming.” Chu Cheng denied it. “I wanted to talk to you about the new student.”

Yu Siting looked completely unbothered.
“Didn’t we already agree? You’re in charge of everything related to him. I support all your decisions unconditionally. He challenged me in class just now and I didn’t even lose my temper. Pretty good behavior, right?”

“…” Chu Cheng frowned.
“You make dodging responsibility sound so elegant.”

Yu Siting laughed heartily and, for once, stopped teasing. He grew serious.
“If you really can’t handle it, want me to take over?”

Chu Cheng shook his head.
“We do have some sort of fated connection, I guess. I’ll give it another shot.”

“Don’t make it too hard on yourself. For students who think they can out-stubborn their teachers, I’ve got my methods.” Yu Siting gently tugged Chu Cheng’s hand under the desk.
“Is there anything you do need me to do?”

“There is.” Chu Cheng leaned down and pointed to the ebony ruler on the shelf.
“Put that away. Don’t go parading it around.”

“I’m not parading anything.” The bell signaling the next class had already rung. Yu Siting grabbed his stack of tests and the ruler, and started counting on his fingers.
“There are only… one, two, three, four classes.”

Chu Cheng gritted his teeth.
“Do you have to carry it around? What’s even the point?”

Yu Siting chuckled.
“You’re the one who said it—this ruler is a symbol of tradition. Not just for students, but for teachers too. Whenever I see it, I remember what you once told me: that while practicing education, we should also take care to gently consider our students’ emotional states…”

After a whole year, he could still recite that anonymous letter word for word.

Chu Cheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Yu Siting added with a straight face,
“I’m not using it to punish anyone. But it makes a great pointing tool, doesn’t it? Perfect for displaying the calm authority of a seasoned teacher. Isn’t today your first class with your new students?”

Chu Cheng blinked, a little dazed, then nodded obediently.

His mentor, Teacher Yang, was about to retire and had assigned one of her classes to him. So this semester, Chu Cheng would be taking over Grade 12, Class 1 for Chinese.

Yu Siting continued,
“Since your image in Class 7 is already set in stone, if you want to reinvent yourself in Class 1, want to borrow the ruler for that ‘stern new teacher’ vibe?”

Chu Cheng gave him a polite fake smile, voice icy:
“No need. I have my own style.”

Forty minutes later, math class ended.

After finishing his lecture, Yu Siting didn’t rush to leave. Instead, he stayed behind in Class 1’s classroom to answer students’ questions and clear up any confusion.

He remained there until the start of the next class, when Chu Cheng walked into the room.

Faced with a new teacher, the students were enthusiastic and greeted him warmly. From the back row, Yu Siting also looked up at him.

Although this wasn’t his first time teaching, stepping into a new class still made Chu Cheng a little nervous. He took a deep breath and, just like he had on his very first day at No. 10 High School, wrote his name on the blackboard.

Once the students had settled down and the classroom was quiet again, he smiled and began:
“Maybe this isn’t our first time meeting, but I’d still like to formally introduce myself. My name is Chu Cheng, and I’ll be your new Chinese teacher for the upcoming year.”

“Hello, Teacher Chu!”

“Hello, everyone. I hope we can get along well and spend this final year of high school together meaningfully. Now, let’s begin today’s lesson.”

As Chu Cheng began to hit his stride, Yu Siting prepared to slip out through the back door.

Suddenly, a wave of murmurs erupted among the students near him.

“Did the teachers from Class 7 bulk order teaching tools or something? Why do they all have something in their hands?”

“Teacher Chu’s pointer is way cooler. We should pool money to buy one for our homeroom teacher too.”

“Are you sure that’s a pointer? Why does it look kind of familiar?”

“Not sure. Let me take another look.”

“…”

Amid the buzz of speculation, Yu Siting stopped in his tracks and glanced back toward the podium.

Chu Cheng, engrossed in teaching, always had that kind of quiet charisma—knowledgeable, meticulous, his voice gentle, his presence graceful. He made one envy the students lucky enough to be sitting in that room.

Yu Siting’s gaze fell on Chu Cheng’s hand. In his palm, he held a slender, jet-black rod. It wasn’t eye-catching at first glance, but if you looked closely, you could make out the intricate carvings along its surface.

Yu Siting recognized it immediately. A smile crept across his face—helpless and indulgent all at once.

So, after losing a few thousand yuan from his paycheck, this guy had finally seen the light and fully embraced his own whimsical teaching style.

Honestly, Yu Siting thought not every teacher in a class needed to suppress their personality or put on a stern front. Just maintaining balance and complementing each other’s strengths was enough. Worst-case scenario, he could always play the bad cop.

After staring for a while, he quietly exited through the back door.

Just as he left, someone in Class 1 finally recognized what Chu Cheng was holding.

“Wait a sec… what Teacher Chu’s holding looks like…”

“Is that… Snape’s wand?!”