After Helping the Protagonist Escape From a Madman, I Became His Target [Transmigration Novel] - Chapter 16

Shen Luyang was still hesitating.

Shi Fan, now visibly furious, attempted to leave, but Duan Chen snatched his arm with a firm grip. “Explain yourself clearly, then I’ll let you go.”

“I don’t owe an explanation to a stranger,” Shi Fan said, trying to pry his arm loose. But the power gap between a top-tier Alpha and an ordinary one was insurmountable; he couldn’t budge. “Duan Chen!”

Seeing the situation veering toward physical violence, Shen Luyang had no choice but to stroll past, feigning total ignorance of the tension. He called out, “Teacher Shi! What a coincidence!”

The two men, locked in their struggle, turned to look at him simultaneously.

Being the supposed target of those “suggestive looks,” Shen Luyang felt an immense amount of pressure. He stood there, staring back at them for two seconds before falling back on his usual talent for talking nonsense. “Teacher Zong was just looking for you. She didn’t know where you’d gone.”

Shi Fan seized the chance to wrench his hand away from Duan Chen. He smoothed his expression, forced a thin smile, and walked toward Shen Luyang. “Right, I’ll head over immediately.”

Shen Luyang breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t want to meddle in a couple’s quarrel; after all, his mission was to “prevent Shi Fan and Xie Weihan from interacting to save the world,” not to “break up the lead couple.” As the saying goes: Better to destroy a temple than a marriage.

Having run into this mess, Shen Luyang lost his desire to wander. He started walking back alongside Shi Fan. “Perfect, I was just heading back to the office myself.”

From the moment Shen Luyang appeared, Duan Chen had been tracking him with a subtle, piercing gaze. It wasn’t until Shen Luyang spoke that he finally snapped.

“Teacher Shen, is it?”

Shen Luyang paused mid-stride and turned back. He offered a very enthusiastic self-introduction. “That’s me. Shen Luyang. ‘Lu’ as in kaleidoscopic, ‘Yang’ as in high spirits.”

As Duan Chen stepped closer, Shen Luyang took a good look at him. As the “protagonist gong,” the man’s looks were undeniably top-tier. His features were cold and sharply defined, handsome in an arrogant, loud way. However, the deep furrow in his brow made him look less heroic and more menacing. He was slightly taller than Shen Luyang, with broad shoulders and a commanding presence.

Not bad for a protagonist, Shen Luyang thought, giving a mental round of applause. He looks like he stepped out of a painting.

But compared to Xie Weihan, the fanfiction’s chosen lead Xie was even more beautiful than a painting.

“What is the relationship between you two?” Duan Chen stopped about a meter away.

Shen Luyang didn’t even have to think. “Colleagues.” And colleagues who had barely spoken, at that.

Shi Fan looked at Duan Chen. “Whatever you have to say, we can discuss it in private. Don’t cause a scene here.”

Duan Chen’s lips curled into a sarcastic sneer. “A scene? Am I interrupting your ‘private’ time with Teacher Shen here?”

Shen Luyang: “…”

He felt the need to clarify. “Sir, you might have misunderstood something. Teacher Shi and I have only known each other for less than two weeks. Furthermore, I am an Alpha.”

Duan Chen didn’t even spare him a glance. He remained fixated on Shi Fan, his voice actually sounding a bit aggrieved. “Shi Fan, do you really not even want to talk to me anymore?”

Shi Fan pressed his lips into a thin line and stayed silent. Shen Luyang, caught in the middle, stood in front of Shi Fan and didn’t move either.

After a few seconds of silence, Duan Chen finally shifted his gaze to the man blocking his way. Shen Luyang could tell from his expression that the Alpha was not pleased with the current seating arrangement, so he considerately stepped to the side.

Duan Chen, eyes half-lidded, stood in silence for a long moment before pushing past him to grab Shi Fan again. “I have something to say to you.”

With Shen Luyang present, Shi Fan couldn’t exactly put up a desperate struggle. He stood his ground and hissed, “I told you, I don’t want to talk!”

Shen Luyang sighed and stepped forward again, attempting to separate the two. “Let’s use our words, teachers. Don’t get physical. You’re arguing so loudly I’m starting to wonder if you two actually know each other.”

Shi Fan looked like he’d reached his limit. He turned his head away and bit his lip. “I don’t know him.”

A flash of hurt crossed Duan Chen’s face. “What did you say?”

Seeing Duan Chen dazed, Shen Luyang took the opportunity to pull Shi Fan behind him, using his own body as a shield. He saw the “you’re dead” look on Duan Chen’s face and held up a hand to calm him down, trying to appeal to his reason. “We’re in a school. The bell just rang. If you two have issues, solve them privately. It’s too easy for students to misunderstand if they see this.”

Shi Fan took a deep breath, whispered a “sorry” to Shen Luyang’s back, and turned to leave.

Seeing this, something in Duan Chen snapped. He suddenly lunged forward in a panic.

Shen Luyang only intended to block him to prevent a scene in front of the students, but he hadn’t expected Duan Chen to suddenly raise a fist and swing at his face. “Stay out of my business!”

Holy crap! Shen Luyang thought. It was so sudden that he could only raise his arms to take the hit.

Talk about protagonist power—that single blow hurt so much he almost jumped. Damn.

Shen Luyang generally considered himself an easygoing person who could laugh off most things, but right now, he was actually getting angry. Dodging the next punch, he kept his voice low due to their location. “Look, I told you class is out. What kind of example are we setting if students see two teachers brawling?”

The other man clearly didn’t share Shen Luyang’s concerns about professional decorum. His punches became faster and more aggressive. Shen Luyang, still hesitant to go all out in a school setting, felt like his arms were being battered to pieces. This guy was trained; his speed and power were far beyond that of a regular student.

In a split second of distraction, Duan Chen’s knuckles grazed Shen Luyang’s cheek. It hurt like hell.

The sound of students laughing and chatting nearby began to drift over; people were heading their way. Shen Luyang started to back away, warning him again, “There are students! Can we settle this in private?!”

Duan Chen, seeing red, wasn’t listening. He used the opportunity to land two more heavy blows. Shi Fan tried several times to intervene but couldn’t get close enough. In desperation, he pulled out his phone to call security.

Just as he hit the dial button, a sudden wave of familiar yet terrifying fear washed over him, freezing him in his tracks.

Shen Luyang was busy cursing under his breath when he saw Duan Chen’s face turn pale. The Alpha stumbled back a few steps, clutching his chest and glaring toward the area behind Shen Luyang with a mix of shock and fury.

Crap.

Shen Luyang didn’t dare move. In a horror movie, this is the part where there’s a boss-level ghost behind you that could scare the protagonist this badly.

Prosperity, democracy, civility, and—

“Teacher Shen?”

The familiar bass voice rang out right behind his ear.

Shen Luyang exhaled a massive sigh of relief. He turned around, his eyes sparkling with joy as he looked at Xie Weihan. “Teacher Xie!”

Not a ghost!

Xie Weihan stood against the light, his exquisite features unreadable in the shadow. His gaze fell on Shen Luyang’s lip, and a cold, pale fingertip brushed against the corner of his mouth where the wound was.

“Why is there always blood?” Because the corner they were in was so damp and chilly, his deep, magnetic voice also held a touch of frost.

Shen Luyang wiped the wound with the back of his hand and hissed in pain. “I just had a… bit of a misunderstanding with this gentleman here.” He gestured toward the man behind him.

Duan Chen had retreated several meters. He was half-kneeling on the ground in a pathetic state, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He watched the suddenly-appeared Xie Weihan with extreme caution, his gaze darting repeatedly to Shi Fan behind them.

Shen Luyang looked around, confirming no students had witnessed the scene before relaxing. He instinctively touched his lip again, winced, and frowned.

Xie Weihan brushed his hand away, his fingertips sweeping over the wound. The darkness in his eyes dissipated as the sun hit them, as if he had never been displeased. His tone was calm. “Don’t touch it.”

Shen Luyang obediently dropped his hand.

The terrifying pheromones had flashed by so quickly that it took Shi Fan a long moment to recover. He asked tentatively, “Teacher Xie?”

Xie Weihan spared him a brief, detached glance. The contrast between the shadow at his side and the sun-drenched Shen Luyang behind him was both eerie and strangely harmonious. “Teacher Shi.”

Shi Fan took a step back, opening his mouth but finding no words. Shen Luyang didn’t notice Xie Weihan’s expression. Seeing Shi Fan’s embarrassment and guilt, he knew the man wasn’t good at explaining himself, and Shen Luyang had volunteered to help anyway.

“It was just a misunderstanding,” Shen Luyang said, smoothing things over. “Teacher Shi, go back to the office. Ms. Zong is waiting for you.”

Shi Fan looked worriedly at him. “Your injury…”

Shen Luyang patted Xie Weihan’s shoulder and gave a carefree wave. “I’m fine. Teacher Xie is here, anyway. It’s just a scratch. Go on.”

Shi Fan hesitated for a few seconds, looking at Duan Chen. Being an Alpha himself, he knew exactly what state Duan Chen was in—he was being suppressed. Avoiding Duan Chen’s pleading gaze, Shi Fan clenched his fists and walked away.

When Shen Luyang turned back around, Duan Chen gave them both a deep look. He said nothing, struggled to his feet, and stumbled away.

It was only then that Shen Luyang realized Xie Weihan had used his pheromones.

Now that everyone was gone, Shen Luyang’s “tough guy” act finally crumbled. He rubbed his arm, his face twitching with pain. “F—k.”

It was definitely going to swell, and there would be plenty of bruising. He rolled up his sleeve and blew on the skin, asking offhandedly, “Teacher Xie, do you know that teacher? Duan Chen?”

Xie Weihan took one of his hands while the other pressed gently against the swollen skin. He didn’t answer the question. Instead, he asked, “What happened just now?”

Shen Luyang’s attention was drawn to those hands. “That teacher tried to drag Teacher Shi away. Teacher Shi didn’t want to go, so I stepped in to do a bit of community service.”

Xie Weihan inspected his arm thoroughly, his eyes narrowing. His deep voice carried an undeniable authority. “To the infirmary.”

*******

The Infirmary:

The doctor looked at his arm and let out an “Ooh!” “How did this happen? It looks quite festive with all those colors.”

Shen Luyang took off his jacket, lying with practiced ease. “I fell down the stairs.”

“You fell with incredible precision then. Perfectly even distribution, even some overlapping.”

Shen Luyang watched him apply the medicine and couldn’t help but laugh. “You caught me. I might not be good at much, but I’m an expert at tripping.”

The doctor spared him a glance, then peeked at Xie Weihan behind him, a thoughtful look in his eyes. “Tripping like this even with Teacher Xie around—you didn’t trip on Teacher Xie, did you?”

“Fang Yi.” Xie Weihan pulled out a chair and sat next to Shen Luyang, looking at the doctor with a half-smile.

Fang Yi held up his hands in surrender. “Fine, fine. I’m shut up.”

Shen Luyang saw the name “Fang Yi” on his badge. The man’s Alpha pheromones—the scent of lemons weren’t fully suppressed.

Since Fang Yi had suddenly gone quiet, Shen Luyang felt a bit bored and started a conversation. “Doctor Fang, how many days should I keep applying this?”

Fang Yi was busy wondering what kind of person would make Teacher Xie personally escort them here. He answered dismissively, “Just a few days and you’ll be fine.”

“Well, naturally,” Shen Luyang said, leaning back and grinning. He wasn’t content to just laugh alone; he nudged Teacher Xie with his arm, inviting him to join in. “Listening to your words is truly like… listening to words.”

Xie Weihan’s lips curved, though he didn’t laugh out loud. Shen Luyang, perfectly satisfied, laughed even harder.

When it came time to treat his lip, the medicine felt like a handful of chili flakes being pressed into the wound. The pain shot straight to the top of his head. Shen Luyang instinctively pulled back, hissing. “Doctor, let’s skip the scratch. If we wait a bit longer, it’ll probably heal itself.”

“If you say so,” Fang Yi said agreeably. As a final thought, he asked, “You got into a fight, didn’t you?”

Shen Luyang could tell he and Xie Weihan were on good terms, so he didn’t keep up the act. “It wasn’t a one-sided beating; it was a mutual exchange.”

Fang Yi gave a meaningful “Oh.” “It’s not serious. Keep it dry, don’t bump it, and you’ll be fine in a few days.”

Shen Luyang thanked him.

“Truly, the iron tree has bloomed,” Fang Yi said cryptically while writing out a prescription. “First time I’ve seen you bring someone here. Did the sun just skip the sky and jump from east to west today?”

Shen Luyang didn’t pay attention to Fang Yi’s mumbling. He saw a small stack of business cards on the desk and took one.

[Fang Yi: 1XXXXXXXXXX]

He saved the number into his phone, just in case a student needed medical help.

When he looked up, Fang Yi was standing behind Xie Weihan, sniffing the air. “Your pheromones are remarkably stable. That’s unlike you. What kind of miracle cure did you take?”

Shen Luyang didn’t understand. Xie Weihan’s pheromones always seemed perfectly stable, except for that one time in the Arts Building when being alone with Shi Fan for too long triggered a rut.

Xie Weihan didn’t answer Fang Yi directly. He picked up the medicine and looked at Shen Luyang. “Let’s go.”

Support