DCTMOAS Chapter 14
by SuxxiAfter lunch, the study trip activity was to visit the former residences of famous historical figures, with a dedicated guide leading the group. Chu Cheng finally had a moment of peace.
By evening, teachers and students all sat on the bus back to school.
The study trip had wrapped up successfully, but the day’s tasks weren’t over yet. Before the National Day holiday, each year group at no 10 High had to conduct a stage assessment. For that, each class still needed to prepare the exam room and do some cleaning.
But after a whole day out, everyone was tired, and naturally moved sluggishly, with little efficiency.
“Make sure they tidy up their own file racks and desks before leaving. Nothing should be left on the desktop or the floor.”
Every time desks were moved for exams, the students would end up losing this or that.
Yu Siting assigned the task of supervising the cleanup to Chu Cheng. As for himself, he unbuttoned the cuffs of his black shirt, rolled up the sleeves twice, grabbed a cleaning tool, and directly joined in whenever he spotted something out of order.
He didn’t look like someone who was good at cleaning, but once he got started, he was fast and efficient. To the students assigned to stay behind and clean, their “big bro” laboring so earnestly made him look incredibly cool.
“Move faster. Two people go over and shift that desk. Arrange them in the 7-8-8-7 ‘dragon tail’ seating pattern and stick the numbers on.” As he spoke, Yu Siting squatted down to manually wring out the mop with the round head.
A nearby student caught sight of his strong wrist and noticed his expensive perpetual calendar silver watch was about to be splashed with dirty water. They quickly jumped in: “Ah—Big bro, let me do it!”
Chu Cheng glanced at Yu Siting’s sharp black tailored pants and couldn’t help but be surprised. “Was he this efficient when doing chores at home too?”
Lu Yan, who had already slung his shoulder bag over and was waiting by the back door ready to head out, laughed when he heard that. “Seriously? Do you think he looks like someone who’d do housework?”
Chu Cheng pouted. “But he seems to fit in just fine.”
“That’s all training from working in the class,” Lu Yan said. “It’s just part of the job—he didn’t have much of a choice. He’s not naturally patient, most of what he has is already spent at school. So even if he’s a little cranky sometimes, everyone understands.”
“Oh~” Listening to the explanation, Chu Cheng slowly fell into thought.
Lu Yan looked at his relaxed demeanor and joked, “Shouldn’t you be lending a hand right now?”
“What a coincidence, I don’t like cleaning either.” Chu Cheng’s eyes curved into a smile as he leaned against the door frame with peace of mind, watching the aftermath unfold. “Since the class rep has already been trained well, I probably won’t be needed, right?”
Lu Yan stood beside him, nodding in agreement. “True, as long as there’s one diligent person in a class, that’s enough.”
Because the assistant homeroom teacher was leading the way sipping iced coffee, the students followed suit and brought back all kinds of cold drinks. Once the drinks melted, the sticky mess made mopping the floor much more troublesome.
Yu Siting seemed a little displeased and reminded the class president with a stern face, “Starting tomorrow, spread the word around the class. Now that the weather’s not that hot anymore, things like unsealed ice cream sundaes or drinks with snow caps shouldn’t be brought into the classroom anymore. If they really want to buy them, they should finish them in the school cafeteria.”
“Got it. I’ll tell them later.” Lu Yan nodded and noted it down. “We’re almost done cleaning. Can we go now? I’m getting a bit sleepy.”
Yu Siting did a final check of the classroom setup. After confirming everything was in order, he stuck a new seating chart for the exam on the wall near the door and tore off the old yellowed one, tossing it into the trash can.
“Hey, big bro! Don’t throw that away!” The class labor commissioner quickly tried to stop him, but it was too late. “There can’t be any trash in the bin. If we get checked, we’ll lose points.”
Where else is trash supposed to go if not in the trash can?
Yu Siting frowned slightly, seeming annoyed at the senseless rule. His thin lips pressed into a tight line.
He had organized the cleaning to provide a good learning environment for the students—not just to pass inspections—so he couldn’t care less about arbitrary standards.
“Let them deduct the points. Let’s go.” Yu Siting didn’t mind and casually turned off the classroom lights.
When it came to academic performance, Class 7 was undoubtedly top-tier. But because the class had too many “troublemakers,” when it came to things like the rotating honor flag or daily evaluations, you had to look toward the bottom of the rankings.
Though Yu Siting was strict with the class, he didn’t sweat the small stuff. As long as it wasn’t a matter of principle, he let it slide.
“Today’s the final day for class evaluations. Don’t you want this month’s performance bonus?” Lu Yan asked bluntly, seeing how casually he was treating the situation.
Yu Siting didn’t shy away from the topic. Carrying two teaching reference books, he strode down the hallway, his slightly raised eyelids almost seeming to ask: how much money is that bonus worth anyway?
“Ahem—” Lu Yan glanced back slightly and gave a small cough as a reminder, “But did you ask Mr. Chu’s opinion?”
…He’d completely forgotten.
Only then did Yu Siting remember that the assistant homeroom teacher was still around. He looked in his direction.
Chu Cheng was leaning quietly in the back doorway, wearing a sweet and friendly smile.
“……” The class rep went silent for a few seconds, then dialed down his earlier defiance a bit. He grabbed a student nearby and said in a low voice, “Go empty the trash again.”
“Huh?” The labor commissioner was stunned. “Didn’t we agree that losing two points isn’t a big deal?”
Yu Siting: “Just go.”
The class labor rep could only obediently turn back. “Alright, alright…”
The more casually you tossed it away just now, the more awkward I look circling back to pick it up.
The whole day of leading the research trip had worn out Chu Cheng, giving him a rare excuse to fall asleep early.
The next morning, on exam day, Mr. Chu got up on time.
On his way to work, he stopped—like he always did—at a shop not far from school to buy coffee, casually scrolling through his phone.
Perhaps because it was right before exams and vacation, the students were unusually active in posting superstitious content to their social feeds.
[See a koi fish, and you’ll receive the best news of recent days.]
[Single-subject +50 spray boost]
[Repost this set of Yu Siting pictures, and you’ll definitely score 150 in math.]
A nine-image post flashed past Chu Cheng’s screen, and he instinctively swiped back to take a better look.
All nine photos were of Yu Siting—some candid, some professional. With that level of fanfare, there was no doubt they came straight from Lu Yan’s personal “archive station.”
Intrigued, Chu Cheng clicked in to take a closer look. Even though every image had been humorously edited, Yu Siting’s good looks held up. Whether facing the camera head-on or caught in a side profile, his sharp and commanding gaze was undeniably striking.
No wonder students treated him like a deity to worship before exams.
Smiling, Chu Cheng scrolled through the posts while ordering at the coffee shop window. “Hi, one matcha frappuccino, please—can you pour it into this thermos?”
It had become a habit—drinking something cold in the morning to feel more awake. But with Yu Siting’s new rule about no cold drinks in the classroom, Chu Cheng didn’t want to blatantly break it. So today, he brought his own cup.
That should count as supporting the big boss’s policy, right?
Just as he was thinking this, he looked up—and spotted Yu Siting standing in the neighboring line, buying breakfast. Tall and striking, Yu stood out in the crowd, and Chu Cheng could feel a subtle, piercing gaze cutting through the crowd straight at him.
“…”
He must’ve gotten up on the wrong side of the bed—first thing in the morning, and the “god” that students pray to before exams is already spying on his slacker lifestyle.
Trying to avoid attention, Chu Cheng silently chanted, “You can’t see me,” and reached for his thermos, ready to bolt.
But Lu Yan, standing just outside the line, smiled at him with bright, knowing eyes. “Mr. Chu, your solutions always outnumber the problems.”
Chu Cheng had no choice but to face reality. “Good morning, Mr. Yu.”
“Morning.” Yu Siting nodded curtly and handed the rattan pepper chicken bun he’d just bought to Lu Yan. “Eat this in the classroom. Don’t be late for the exam.”
Just then, the coffee shop staff returned Chu Cheng’s thermos. “Here’s your venti frappuccino. Would you like a—”
“No need, thank you.” Chu Cheng grabbed the cup before she could finish, wished Lu Yan a quick “Good luck on your exam,” and made a hasty retreat—unwilling to endure another second under that class teacher’s scrutinizing gaze.
As the co-homeroom teachers of Class 7, it was only natural that Chu Cheng and Yu Siting would be proctoring the exam together.
By the time Chu Cheng had come to terms with his recent socially mortifying encounter and sluggishly walked into the classroom, Yu Siting was already distributing the exam papers. Even so, Chu Cheng could still feel Yu’s gaze lingering back and forth between him and his thermos cup a few times.
“Ahem—” Chu Cheng cleared his throat casually and stood at the podium to begin the exam protocol. “Once you receive your exam paper, first check for any misprints or missing pages. If there are no issues, write down your name and class. You may begin only after the bell rings.”
Amid the soft rustling of turning pages, the exam proceeded in an orderly fashion.
The first subject was Chinese. Students were generally well-behaved during this exam, heads down and focused on their own papers. The invigilators didn’t need to patrol constantly, so Yu Siting and Chu Cheng sat, one at the front and the other at the side of the room.
There was little to do during the full 150 minutes of the test. Yu Siting leaned back in his chair, resting an arm on the windowsill as he casually surveyed the classroom.
Suddenly, he noticed a neatly stacked pile of books inside the desk to his right. Though each book had been carefully wrapped in covers, it was obvious they were extracurricular reading materials.
This desk probably belonged to Han Rui, the Chinese class representative. She loved to read and often brought good books to school for leisure.
With nothing better to do, Yu Siting randomly pulled one out. Removing the cover that concealed the title, he saw the original name:
“Collected Writings of Chu Lining”
Yu Siting’s hand paused slightly.
Anyone with even a passing interest in literature would recognize that name. Mr. Chu—an esteemed contemporary literary figure and a master of hard-pen calligraphy—had an extraordinary body of work to his name.
Yu had never read this particular book before, so on a whim, he flipped through it.
This collection mainly compiled essays from Mr. Chu’s earlier years, most of them warm reflections on daily life with his family. While not as renowned as his later, more polished works, the pages brimmed with affection.
The first half of the book extensively chronicled his touching romance with a noble, well-educated lady. In the final volumes, Mr. Chu wrote about the birth of his son late in life, moved to tears by the joy.
Several passages had been highlighted by Han Rui.
“This little one, not yet born, must have sensed that he would be adored like a star among stars in this family, commanding wind and rain at will—so he developed quite the rebellious streak.”
“As the due date neared, Shu Qi suffered terribly, unable to rest or eat in peace. The family all prayed for the child to be born soon.”
“A friend, however, advised patience. With a laugh, he said he had studied the stars and cast lots, finding that the coming days were full of the radiant light of the Ziwei constellation.”
“If the child were born on one of those days, his future would surely be extraordinary.”
“My wife and I didn’t really believe in such things, but as parents, it’s only natural to wish great things for your child—so we couldn’t help but place our hopes in it.”
“Yet this child had quite the temper. He insisted on overshooting the due date, stubbornly staying in his mother’s womb through that entire period of celestial wonder, only to finally arrive with his first cries at a perfectly ordinary dawn.”
“[Grandfather] was overjoyed, thinking this grandson truly had a personality of his own, and personally chose a name for him—meant to convey ease and freedom, calmness and purity.”
“From that moment on, my wife and I had a new light in our lives.”
“……”
“Collected Works of Chu Lining, Volume IX — ‘Who Says the Sun Can’t Deviate from Its Path’”
At this point, it wasn’t hard for Yu Siting to guess who this naturally distinctive child might be.
Calm and pure, free and unrestrained.
Chu Cheng.
It truly was a good name.
He closed the book and instinctively glanced sideways.
Father: Chu Lining, renowned writer and calligrapher.
Mother: Jin Shuqi, a national institute artist and distinguished professor of art history at a prestigious university.
Grandfather: Chu Huanqing, a leading archaeologist.
Grandmother: Rong Yan, a scholar of national history and author of beloved prose poetry collections.
Maternal grandfather: Jin Zhaoqü, a master of traditional bird-and-flower painting whose late works now fetch millions at auctions…
Almost all of a certain Mr. Chu’s family tree could be found on Baidu Baike. It was a picture-perfect example of what it meant to come from a prominent, prestigious family.
And yet, Yu Siting couldn’t help but be both curious and baffled.
How did someone raised in that kind of environment end up so rebellious?
Rebellious enough that the ever-refined Chu Lining had no choice but to name a whole volume of his collected works: “Who Says the Sun Can’t Deviate from Its Path?”
More than half the Chinese exam had passed. Chu Cheng had been sitting properly by the lectern the whole time. When he saw no one paying attention, he unscrewed his thermos lid. But since the smoothie inside was too thick, he couldn’t get any more of it. He had no choice but to tilt the cup higher. In the middle of his struggle, he suddenly noticed Yu Siting was looking at him.
Chu Cheng’s originally casual tapping of the cup turned awkward. He subtly turned away to avoid the gaze but still felt it burning into him.
Chu Cheng: “……”
Haven’t seen someone drink a smoothie before? Why’s he always staring at me?”
Chu Cheng had long known about that guy’s sharp tongue. Since there was no escaping it, he might as well meet his gaze head-on and see what words he’d come up with this time.
But Yu Siting didn’t rush. He closed the book resting on his knee, folded his arms, and strolled slowly around the room.
Eventually, he made his way back to the lectern, standing behind Chu Cheng, and with his deep, magnetic voice, lowered his tone and casually said:
“Can you get anything out of that? Want me to get you a ladle or something?”
Author’s Note:
Chu Cheng: What have I done to deserve being compared to Mr. Chu? Don’t bring that up, we’re not close. [Total disowning.jpg]
Big Bro: Oh? But when you were born, Grandpa was so happy he wrote a whole book.
Chu Cheng (logs it): Snide sarcasm +1 +1 +1