Chapter 19
Dong Lan clung to Xue Changyi’s waist like a kitten, nuzzling affectionately. “My little brother is even cuter now, so cute—so cute—”
Xue Changyi: “…”
Wu Mu: “…”
Wu Mu stared intently at Dong Lan’s ita-bag, his gaze darkening, giving Xue Changyi the strange impression that Wu Mu had a vendetta against the bag, his icy stare enough to destroy it.
No, that wasn’t quite right… it was more like a look of “unrequited love” turned to “love-hate”…
Xue Changyi rubbed his temples. I must be sick, he thought, why else would I be reading such strange emotions in Minister Wu’s cold eyes?
Dong Lan, unfazed by, or perhaps even enjoying, Wu Mu’s stare, clung to Xue Changyi. “Little Ten, Little Ten, tell big brother, did you miss me?”
Xue Changyi sighed. “We just spoke on the phone yesterday.”
Wu Mu’s eyes flickered. So, the “good brother” Xue Changyi had spoken to yesterday was literally his brother.
“That doesn’t count!” Dong Lan said. “Of course it has to be in person! Tell me, did you miss me? Did you?”
Xue Changyi’s eyelids twitched. “Old Seven, stop it. Class Nine’s morning self-study has started. I have to go supervise them.”
“Mm…” Dong Lan looked disappointed, his rabbit-ear buns almost drooping. “Alright then.”
Xue Changyi said, “You can walk around the school for a bit. I’ll come find you after self-study.”
He added, emphasizing his words, “Don’t wander off, and don’t cause trouble.”
Dong Lan looked up at Xue Changyi, his small face so innocent and adorable that it evoked a protective instinct.
“Little Ten, if you say it like that, people will think I’m a handful!”
Xue Changyi smiled faintly. “You are.”
Dong Lan: “…”
Xue Changyi glanced at his Thousand Demon Eyes, now in wristwatch form. Morning self-study had started. He immediately headed towards Class Nine in the Pangong building.
“Teacher Xue!”
Xiang Yu, the devoted fan, had been eagerly waiting by the window. Seeing Xue Changyi approaching, he rushed over enthusiastically. “Teacher Xue, you’re back to teach today? Shouldn’t you rest for a few more days?”
“What?” Xue Changyi said. “Don’t you like me supervising your self-study?”
“No, no!” Xiang Yu shook his head vigorously. “Li-li—”
His stern face flushed slightly. “Of course I do!”
Liu Bang chuckled. “Ah Yu mentioned Teacher Xue seventy-eight times yesterday. Now that he sees you’re fine, he can finally relax.”
“Who said that?!” Xiang Yu glared. “I didn’t mention him that many times!”
“Oh,” Liu Bang nodded, as if enlightened. “My mistake. Thinking about it carefully, it was probably eighty-eight times. I miscalculated.”
“Liu Bang, you hypocrite!” Xiang Yu jumped up, his glare intensifying. “Are you looking for a fight?! Come on, let’s settle this on the training grounds!”
Xue Changyi turned to Cheng Jiao. “Cheng Jiao, are you alright?”
Cheng Jiao looked at Xue Changyi earnestly, nodding vigorously. “Teacher Xue, I’m fine. I’m sorry for troubling you yesterday, it was all my fault…”
Xue Changyi patted his head softly. “It’s all in the past.”
Cheng Jiao looked up, his large eyes brimming with tears, ready to spill over.
“Alright,” Xue Changyi walked to the podium. “Self-study has started, please begin.”
The principal entered the classroom, smiling. “Teacher Xue, we have a new chemistry teacher for our class today. The previous one was transferred, and we’ve finally found a very reliable and capable chemistry teacher!”
The previous chemistry teacher’s “transfer” was actually due to his inability to handle Class Nine’s mischievous and unconventional antics. He had written one hundred and eighty-three emails to the Underworld Central Office requesting a transfer, finally escaping during the winter break.
The principal had been anxiously searching for a suitable replacement, even considering asking the chemistry teacher from Class Eight to cover the remedial classes during the break. But upon hearing about Class Nine, that teacher had been terrified and refused.
After much difficulty, a chemistry teacher had finally agreed to teach Class Nine. It was a cause for celebration, and the principal had decided to adopt a vegetarian diet for ten days to express his gratitude.
“A chemistry teacher?”
“How many days do you think the new teacher will last in this class?”
Lü Bu spun his Fangtian Huaji, laughing. “I bet, one week?”
“That’s too long,” Yang Guang chuckled. “Three days, tops.”
Xiang Yu joined in excitedly. “I bet five days!”
“Sit down!” The principal pointed at Lü Bu. “Why did you bring a controlled weapon into the classroom again! Put it away, put it away! Stop messing around, sit down, your new teacher is here.”
Tap, tap, tap…
Footsteps.
Light and cheerful.
A flash of pink entered their vision, followed by two rabbit-ear buns…
The new teacher had fair, delicate skin, a lovely face, and a petite figure. She looked more like a student than a teacher.
“Old Seven?” Xue Changyi looked at the incoming chemistry teacher in surprise.
—Dong Lan, the Seventh Yama King!
“Gasp—”
Thud!!
Lü Bu’s Fangtian Huaji slipped from his grasp and landed on his head.
“The new chemistry teacher… is so pretty…”
Xiang Yu said disapprovingly, “Control yourself, your eyeballs almost rolled onto my desk. Teacher Xue is much better looking.”
Xue Changyi frowned, walking over and whispering, “What are you doing? Don’t be ridiculous.”
Dong Lan pouted. “Brother isn’t being ridiculous! Your school needs a chemistry teacher, and I want to see Little Ten every day. Isn’t this a win-win?”
The first-class bell rang. Coincidentally, it was Chinese class, and Xue Changyi had to teach. Dong Lan waved his hand. “Go teach your class, and help brother organize the dormitory after class, okay?”
Xue Changyi: “…”
Xue Changyi looked at Dong Lan helplessly as he skipped out of the classroom, his rabbit-ear buns bouncing.
“Hey, Lü Bu, stop staring, you’re going to break your neck! He’s already gone…”
“The new teacher is so cute.”
“He looks so young, how can he teach?”
“But it seems… Teacher Dong knows Teacher Xue?”
Dong Lan skipped out of the Pangong building, but instead of going to the dormitory, he turned and entered the equipment room next to the playground.
Inside the dimly lit room, Wu Mu was organizing basketballs, his movements slow and perfunctory, clearly just killing time.
Dong Lan stood behind him. Wu Mu didn’t stop, but glanced sideways, acknowledging his presence.
“Wu Mu,” Dong Lan said with a smile. “Director General of the First Supervisory Department…”
His smile widened, a sweet, blossoming smile.
“The Little Crow Hiding in the Dark.”
Dong Lan’s words were cryptic.
Thump—thud, thud, thud…
Wu Mu’s hand paused as he tossed a basketball into the storage bin. The ball hit the rim and bounced out, making a series of noises.
Dong Lan paced slowly. “Minister Wu, you probably didn’t know, I’m the president of the Xue Changyi fan club! I recently heard about a new member, forum ID—The Little Crow Hiding in the Dark.”
Wu Mu remained silent.
Dong Lan continued, “Many people complained to me, saying this Little Crow is an idiot, probably preschool age, a delusional girl pretending to be a man, causing trouble everywhere, a disgrace to the fan club. So—I investigated a little, and Minister Wu, guess what shocking secret I uncovered!”
Wu Mu’s eyes darkened.
“This Little Crow,” Dong Lan deliberately slowed his speech, “often uses the Central Office’s internal network! A registered civil servant! I posted a few limited-edition badges of my cute little brother on a dummy website, and sure enough, Little Crow took the bait and filled in the delivery address. And guess what? The address is—Underworld High School, Jixia Academy, Lugong Dormitory, Room 444, to Teacher Wu!”
Wu Mu remained silent, as if Dong Lan were performing a one-man show, but that didn’t dampen his enthusiasm.
“So…” Dong Lan clapped his hands. “Little Crow isn’t a delusional girl, but a delusional boy! Should I tell my cute little brother the secret that the cold and aloof Minister Wu is a perverted fanboy?”
Just then, Xue Changyi entered the equipment room. “Old Seven!”
Wu Mu’s eyes flickered, and he frowned. “Teacher Xue, shouldn’t you be in class?”
Xue Changyi’s expression was natural, as if he hadn’t heard their conversation. “A pop quiz, I slipped out for a bit.”
Xue Changyi pulled Dong Lan aside. “I told you not to wander off. Go back to the dormitory, I’ll help you organize it after class.”
Dong Lan raised an eyebrow at Wu Mu, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Little Ten, Little Ten! Big brother has a shocking secret to tell you! Actually… Mmmpphh!”
Before he could finish, Wu Mu stepped forward and covered Dong Lan’s mouth, his face cold, his actions strangely enthusiastic. “Teacher Xue, I don’t have any classes now, I’ll take the Seventh Yama King back to the dormitory.”
Xue Changyi: “… ” Something was definitely wrong.
