Chapter Eleven: The Innocent Schoolteacher

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Inside the office, Bai Yuze sat in a soft black office chair. Although the chair was very comfortable, while grading essays, he felt he should be standing. His expression shifted from sullen to smiling intermittently before he finally rubbed his face. With a sigh, he finished grading at last.

Under Xingye Seli’s lingering gaze, he grew restless during the break. When the bell rang for the second period, he decisively headed to another classroom. The second class ended at 3:30 p.m.

“Finally, time to go home!” he thought, but it was only a dream. Shortly after putting down his books, his phone vibrated. In the group chat, all members were tagged and notified. Reluctantly, Bai Yuze made his way to the conference hall on the second floor, walking side by side with Xingye Seli, whose eyes never left him, forcing him to reflect deeply on himself.

He replayed the day’s schedule over and over but couldn’t figure out how he might have offended this Japanese colleague. Bai Yuze was completely immersed in his own thoughts, oblivious to Xingye Seli’s increasingly strange gaze.

When he finally noticed, her head was already leaning in front of him, startling him into quickly tilting his head back. “Teacher Xingye, is there something you need?”

Instead of answering immediately, Xingye Seli stared at him for another half a minute, then said solemnly, “Senior Bai, have you resolved whatever was troubling you?”

“Yesterday, you seemed lifeless, without a trace of vitality. Such a depressed aura is usually found in those suffering from depression. But today, you seem like a completely different person, with a bit more liveliness in your body. Though there’s still a hint of melancholy between your brows, your demeanor has brightened considerably.”

Bai Yuze was startled and suddenly recalled that this colleague had studied psychology. He made a vague excuse. “I had a headache a few days ago, so I wasn’t feeling well. But I slept well last night, and I’m much better now.”

His gaze shifted to Xingye Seli’s attire, and he smiled, praising her. “By the way, Teacher Xingye, the pale white dress you’re wearing today looks beautiful. It perfectly suits your gentle and serene temperament. Even the other teachers around were drawn to you.”

Xingye Seli stopped mid-sentence and realized they had already reached the conference hall. Most subject teachers were already there, just waiting for the principal. The other teachers, with nothing to do, all stared at them with a hint of gossip in their eyes, causing her cheeks to flush slightly.

“Senior Bai, you’re quite the smooth talker.”

Fortunately, the principal arrived quickly, sparing Xingye Seli from further embarrassment.

The meeting began. Bai Yuze listened briefly, and once he was sure the principal’s words didn’t concern him much, he drifted into his usual daydream.

After the Abyssal Aura was cleansed by the Demoness Iris, he found himself with little to do. At this time before, he would have been locked in fierce mental battles with his wild ideas, a struggle of life and death, to keep his perception of reality intact rather than resembling the lair of disaster beasts.

The last time he fought so fiercely was with the magical sprite he found on the road, Yalus. One despised the other as useless—Yalus called him a failure, and Bai Yuze found the sprite intolerable; neither could stand the other.

Unfortunately, since becoming the Demoness, he hadn't seen Yalus again. Instead, another troublesome entity had appeared within his magic core.

“Teacher Bai.”

Bai Yuze snapped back to reality, hurriedly standing and replying respectfully, “I’m here, Director Ye. What do you need?”

“Teacher Zhang from Class 2D may be leaving next semester due to family matters. The school hopes you can take over. Since you just finished teaching the senior class with rich experience, do you have any concerns?”

“No, I have no problem,” Bai Yuze answered. At this point, he understood perfectly: if he wasn’t sensible, he would be the next to have family issues.

The meeting ended quickly. Bai Yuze and Xingye Seli naturally walked together, chatting casually.

“Senior Bai, how do you feel about the class change next semester?”

“Honestly, a bit sad.”

“Really? I don’t see any regret on your face at all,” Xingye Seli tilted her head, looking unusually adorable for her age.

“That’s because I bury it deep in my heart and put on a positive front.”

“From what I’ve learned about you over the past few months, Senior Bai, you’re someone who really hates trouble. So the leadership assigning you to a regular class should align with your wishes.”

“No way. I don’t have any such feelings. Don’t say that.”

“Senior’s mood is shifting; your eyes are avoiding mine.”

Two cute dimples appeared on Xingye Seli’s delicate face as she whispered, “I won’t tell anyone your little secret about slacking off, Teacher Bai.”

“Thank you so much, Teacher Xingye.”

With that, Bai Yuze quickly slipped away.

To him, Xingye Seli’s eyes shone like a brilliant sun in the sky, so dazzling that his own dark, sordid eyes dared not meet hers. If he kept looking into her gaze, she would surely uncover all his hidden secrets.

“Indeed, Teacher Bai has a serious psychological disorder!”

Watching Bai Yuze flee, and recalling last night’s conversation with Bai Youqing, Xingye Seli sighed softly.

When she first met Teacher Bai, he exuded a relaxed yet reassuring aura; he seemed easygoing and calm. But over the past few months, his condition fluctuated.

At normal times, he appeared lazy and listless, quite decadent, yet he flawlessly completed every task assigned by leadership, giving a very reliable impression.

But when not normal, he seemed to suppress his emotions desperately, like a volcano ready to erupt—like during yesterday’s meeting.

This intrigued her, having encountered many special cases before.

Yet she understood that there was a limit to how much one could probe.

Everyone’s soul holds a secret garden with countless little secrets. Accidentally entering another’s garden and touching one or two secrets can be intoxicating.

But touching too many might cause some gardens to transform into shy beasts that flee quickly, while others become bloodthirsty monsters that devour unwelcome intruders.

...

The moon shone brightly in the sparse stars, and insects chirped softly.

The lights of the teaching building were a unique school feature; a few fans in the classroom creaked as they spun.

The air conditioner on the wall was like a picture hanging there—purely decorative.

The school’s rule forbade turning on air conditioning unless the temperature exceeded 30 degrees, even 29.9 didn’t count.

After receiving a large influx of educational resources, Yeqiu City No. 1 High School had undergone tremendous changes, but some regulations stubbornly persisted.

One had to admit, the school leadership valued thrift.

Bai Yuze watched from the podium as students wrote below.

Only during the last ten minutes of evening self-study did he lazily lift his head.

He took a sip of water and cleared his throat.

Seeing this, the students gritted their teeth, knowing their dreaded Chinese teacher was about to extend class again.

Why did it always have to be in the last ten minutes before dismissal? It was infuriating!

Bai Yuze calmly organized the graded essays into piles.

Rubbing his brows, he always felt utterly drained after reading their compositions.

Reading classic novels repeatedly always brought new insights;

Reading student essays, one after another, also yielded different reflections each time…

“Tang Taojie, how do you think you did on this essay?” Bai Yuze looked toward the second student in the first row, a slender boy with black-rimmed glasses.

“Teacher Bai, I think it’s okay. I expressed the central idea and theme, and I used many famous words and phrases. What do you think, teacher?”

The boy was clearly not new to being called on and didn’t look nervous.

“Hmm, it reads like the ‘Memorial to the Emperor’,” Bai Yuze said.

“Really? That’s high praise! Thanks for the compliment, teacher!”

Bai Yuze gave him a look and said slowly, “Nonsense.”

“Ha ha ha, that cracked me up.”

Turning toward the loudest laugher, he said, “Zeng Niwen, don’t laugh. Yours reads like ‘Dream of the Red Chamber.’”

The boy’s laughter abruptly stopped. He froze for a moment, then grinned, stood up, and shook his head.

“I know that one — ‘Filled with absurd words.’ So, Teacher Bai, whose essay reads like ‘Journey to the West’?”

“Hmph, sneaky little rascal.”

Most young teachers got along well with students. They joked around without harm but sometimes struggled to maintain authority as they became too familiar.

Bai Yuze leaned on the podium with both hands, looking at everyone, and cleared his throat seriously.

“After much negotiation with the director, he finally agreed to your request for a new teacher. Next semester, your Chinese teacher will change from the dashing and handsome me to a beautiful, melodious, and engaging female teacher. Aren’t you all touched?”

The students exchanged glances, unsure what their Chinese teacher was up to.

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“Really? We’re getting a new Chinese teacher next semester?”

“Teacher Xingye is very pretty. Could it be her?”

“Teacher Xingye teaches math. It can’t be her.”

“It wouldn’t be bad if Teacher Xingye taught Chinese. It wouldn’t affect me much anyway.”

“True, your Chinese score was only 83, barely passing. How much worse could it get?”

...

“Next semester we’ll already be graduating. Changing teachers has nothing to do with us.”

A small voice from somewhere cooled the lively atmosphere instantly.

The noisy classroom fell silent. The students who realized they’d been tricked looked at Bai Yuze on the podium with resentful expressions.

Seeing their depressed faces, Bai Yuze smiled slightly. “Looks like you all still can’t bear to part with me!”

“Eh…”

Amid the flurry of compliments, the oppressive atmosphere of the senior evening self-study finally dissipated. The dismissal bell rang, and Bai Yuze announced the end of class.

Walking through the school corridor, reflecting on the day's events, he understood the decision to assign him to a regular class next semester.

Originally, Yeqiu City No. 1 High School was an ordinary high school. For a teacher like him with a decent resume, some connections, and a degree from a key university, he was naturally valued.

But over the years, most developed areas suffered attacks by disaster beasts.

Educational resources shifted, and a large amount of funding poured into Yeqiu City No. 1 High School, which no longer valued teachers of his R-rank caliber.

Now, SR and SSR-level teachers were everywhere at Yeqiu City No. 1 High School.

If not for his long-term contract, this transfer might have meant packing up and going home, like Teacher Zhang.

Walking along the corridor, he greeted fellow teachers finishing their day.

Outside the office building, cars sped away quickly.

Whether for picking up dates or driving home, it all looked very convenient.

Envy filled his eyes. He wanted one too.

It was time to buy a car.

Something like a Yadi would be great—an international brand, affordable, fuel-efficient, and perfect for commuting.

“Knock knock knock.”

The light tapping on the door caught Bai Yuze’s attention as he daydreamed about which electric bike to buy.

He looked up and saw Xingye Seli standing at the doorway, graceful and beautiful, her face filled with curiosity.

“Teacher Bai, you’re the last to leave today, quite rare.”

“What a coincidence, Teacher Xingye. Isn’t caring for students the duty of a teacher?”

Though his words were correct, paired with his listless and lazy demeanor, they created an inexplicable contrast.

“Uh… hearing that from you, Teacher Bai, is really hard to believe,” Xingye Seli blinked her big eyes with innocent bewilderment. For a moment, Bai Yuze couldn’t tell if she was genuinely puzzled or subtly mocking.

“Well, I have evening self-study tonight, so no early leave for me.”

Faced with the seemingly naïve yet possibly shrewd Teacher Xingye, Bai Yuze was always at a loss.

“I thought so,” Xingye Seli nodded and asked, “The bus station seems to have no more rides. Do you want me to give you a ride home?”

“Ah, really? Can you?”

“Of course.”

“But we live in opposite directions. If you drop me off, your electric bike might run out of power on the way back, and then you’d have to stay at my place.”

“Teacher Bai, do you dislike me?”

Looking into Xingye Seli’s pure eyes, Bai Yuze felt deep remorse for his own filthy thoughts.

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