After Helping the Protagonist Escape From a Madman, I Became His Target [Transmigration Novel] - Chapter 32

Shen Luyang pressed his hand over Xie Weihan’s, leaning back against the sofa as he praised himself. “I really am an over-dedicated teacher of the people. If my dad knew I was sacrificing myself to this extent for my job, he’d have to buy me another car at the very least.”

Xie Weihan let out a low laugh but remained noncommittal.

When Shen Luyang finally crawled into bed, he found a glass of water and a set of fresh pajamas placed thoughtfully on the nightstand. As he changed, his mind began to wander uncontrollably. He wondered what kind of physique Teacher Xie had; even though Shen Luyang’s own clothes had been lifted during their earlier exchange, Xie Weihan had remained perfectly buttoned up. Based on the feel of it, though, the man seemed to be in even better shape than he was.

This must be the raw power of an S-class Alpha, Shen Luyang thought. He looked down, flexed his core, and counted carefully. I still have work to do!

Before falling asleep, he cleared the chaotic thoughts from his head and adopted a Zen-like mindset. Things would work themselves out; there was no point in overthinking what he couldn’t understand now. It was better to leave some problems for his future self to solve—consider it a form of character building.

The next morning, Shen Luyang was jolted awake by his alarm. Groggy and disoriented, he momentarily thought he was in his own home. He rubbed his messy hair and squinted as he walked out of the bedroom, only to freeze when he saw Xie Weihan. It took a few seconds for it to register that he had stayed over.

With a head of hair like a bird’s nest and eyes still heavy with sleep, Shen Luyang’s lips curled into a bright, sunny grin. “Morning, Teacher Xie.”

Xie Weihan’s gaze landed on the chaotic tufts of hair atop the man’s head, and his lips twitched. “Good morning.”

Perhaps due to the change in environment, Shen Luyang had slept quite wildly. His fluffy hair stuck out aggressively in every direction. He splashed some water on his face while washing up, but even after breakfast, one stubborn tuft remained standing. In the end, he had to borrow a baseball cap from Xie Weihan. Otherwise, he’d be walking around looking like Slowy Goat from that cartoon, which wasn’t a very intelligent look.

Noticing he hadn’t slept well, Xie Weihan took the initiative to offer him a ride. Shen Luyang, who was already feeling too lazy to drive, happily agreed.

Before getting out of the car at school, Shen Luyang adjusted his hat and straightened his clothes. Since he was wearing Xie Weihan’s athletic gear, the clothes were a bit large, but they looked fine for sportswear. He popped a peppermint into his mouth, tearing the wrapper with his teeth.

As he turned around, he bumped right into Shi Fan, who had just parked his car. Xie Weihan happened to walk up beside him at that exact moment.

Shen Luyang whistled internally. The current situation was a masterpiece: Xie Weihan thought he was in love with Shi Fan, Shi Fan thought he was in love with Xie Weihan, and he had to use his supreme wit to navigate between them, acting like he was pining for both. This was the most “double agent” work he had ever done in his life.

Fortunately, a third car pulled in right then. The window rolled down to reveal Fang Yi’s sleep-deprived face. He looked around the group with a sour expression and dropped a bombshell: “Arriving in one car? Did you two sleep together?”

Instantly, the expressions of the three men shifted subtly. Shi Fan looked at Shen Luyang with shock, seemingly stunned by his proactive speed, before giving him a discreet nod that signaled he wouldn’t say a word. Xie Weihan narrowed his eyes, watching Fang Yi with a half-smile. Shen Luyang, meanwhile, looked entirely bewildered about who exactly he was supposed to have slept with.

Feeling the weight of a certain someone’s threat, Fang Yi sheepishly parked the car and fell into step with Shi Fan, chatting familiarly as they walked away. Before leaving, Shi Fan politely nodded to both Shen Luyang and Xie Weihan.

Shen Luyang breathed a sigh of relief. He was about to speak when he felt a sudden heat near his ear. Xie Weihan had moved behind him. Perhaps because he had seen yesterday’s “teaching objective,” Shi Fan, the man, leaned down and whispered nonchalantly, “Do you still remember what you learned yesterday?”

Shen Luyang’s shoulders lurched, and the tips of his ears turned a vivid red. He rubbed them hard as if trying to push the heat away while talking nonsense. “I remember, but I don’t really have a use for it right now.”

With Teacher Shi, I’ll never have a use for it in this lifetime.

Xie Weihan’s lips curved slightly. The smile in the corner of his eyes made him look like a perfectly refined gentleman, as gentle as jade. “Reviewing the old allows one to know the new.”

Shen Luyang, knowing exactly what was being “reviewed” and what “new” things were being learned, immediately made some rather unspeakable associations with that phrase. His gaze darted around guiltily as he tried to look like a “good kid,” nodding with a righteous face without even realizing what he was saying.

“I’ll study hard!”

Xie Weihan’s expression remained unchanged, though a flash of delight in his eyes betrayed a hidden shift in his mood. It was like a cup of sweet, intoxicating red wine being poured down the throat, leaving nothing but a heady aroma in the air.

******

Shen Luyang walked toward the teaching building alongside Xie Weihan. The scent of red wine perfume on the man was faint, yet it drew one in to sniff closer. He belatedly realized what he was doing and leaned in to take a sniff; once he confirmed it was just perfume, he let out a sigh of relief.

Though, he felt a strange, unidentifiable tinge of disappointment.

Most of the students who passed were discussing the upcoming parent-teacher conference. Shen Luyang suddenly thought of Peng Jun. He had already arranged the hospital and the attending physician, and the boy’s mother was now admitted. Who would attend the meeting for Peng Jun?

When he pushed open the office door, the room was filled with the mouth-watering scent of floral cakes. Shen Luyang’s sharp nose locked onto Jiang Nuanyu immediately. “Teacher Jiang!”

Jiang Nuanyu was busy counting the cakes and didn’t even look up. She simply hurled one at him. Her movements were fast and fierce. Shen Luyang raised his hand and caught it with a crisp smack, then naturally handed it to Xie Weihan behind him. “Teacher Xie, for you.”

“Thank you,” Xie Weihan said. His deep voice carried a light trace of a smile, making it unclear if the thanks were for Shen Luyang or Jiang Nuanyu.

Shen Luyang automatically assumed it was for him. Like a happy puppy, he stood in the doorway, raising his hand and shouting, “Jiang-jiang! Give me another one! Quick! I’ll catch it!”

Jiang Nuanyu looked up and saw the two of them leaning together at the door. She tsked, looked away, and threw another one. Shen Luyang stood on his tiptoes and caught it easily.

“Retriever,” Jiang Nuanyu commented dryly.

Shen Luyang wasn’t offended. He and Xie Weihan sat at their respective desks. He leaned back, placed a Panpan bread roll on Xie Weihan’s desk, and then turned back to Jiang Nuanyu. “So, what breed of retriever do you think I am?”

Jiang Nuanyu’s expression grew serious as she sized him up. “What breed has red ears?”

Shen Luyang froze and touched his ear. “My ears are red?”

Jiang Nuanyu looked at him through drooping eyelids. “They were red when you walked in. You didn’t used to be like this.”

Thinking of the words Xie Weihan had whispered in his ear, Shen Luyang’s heart gave a jump. He pivoted the topic with forced confidence, giving a thumbs up. “I think I’m a German Shepherd—reliable, steady, and strong!”

“They’re even redder now,” Jiang Nuanyu said tonelessly.

Shen Luyang felt as if a ghost of a gaze was fixed on his ear. He rubbed it uncomfortably. “I need to buy a hat that covers my ears. It’s getting too cold out. Any recommendations?”

Jiang Nuanyu pulled out her phone and sent him a shopping link.

******

During the third-period Math class, Shen Luyang leaned against his desk, grading homework while listening to Zong Weiqing handle the parent-teacher conference logistics. She was planning to personally call the parents who couldn’t attend. Shen Luyang wasn’t sure if Peng Jun would mind other teachers knowing about his family situation. The office was quiet enough that he could hear every word from the other end of Zong Weiqing’s calls.

He didn’t hesitate any longer. “Sister Qing!”

Zong Weiqing had just hung up. “What’s up?”

“Have you called Peng Jun’s parents yet?” Shen Luyang asked directly.

“Not yet,” Zong Weiqing checked off a name and moved her pen to the next. “Actually, he’s next on the list.”

Shen Luyang smiled. What a coincidence. He made up an excuse. “I spoke with his mom the other day. She has some family business and can’t make it, so she asked me to stand in for her.”

Zong Weiqing knew Shen Luyang called parents often and was on good terms with Peng Jun. She didn’t overthink it and circled Peng Jun’s name. “Alright, you’ll have to put in some extra work and sit through a session then.”

Shen Luyang pulled out his phone and found the avatar with the giant word “SCRAM” on it.

[Jun-jun, you there?]

The reply came almost instantly.

[What?]

Shen Luyang arched an eyebrow. Aha! Playing with your phone during Math class, are we? Don’t you know your Physics teacher and Math teacher have an ‘extraordinary’ relationship…

He paused. How exactly is it extraordinary? Oh, right. ‘Sleeping together’ extraordinary.

Crap. He ruffled his hair in self-defeat. Teacher Xie had helped him so many times, yet he—a greedy, hormonal, unprincipled lecher was actually thinking about their “extraordinary” relationship while grading homework. Truly unforgivable.

Zong Weiqing suddenly mentioned she needed two minutes of Teacher Xie’s class time to announce that the meeting would be tomorrow afternoon, as she had an emergency and had to leave early.

Shen Luyang forgave himself instantly and leaned over. “Sister Qing, let me do the announcement for you. I need to see a student anyway.”

Zong Weiqing, being in a hurry, happily agreed. Shen Luyang looked at the new “?” in the chat box and gave a smirk of a successful schemer. He straightened his clothes to look like an upright, sunny teacher and headed toward Class 21.

Inside the classroom, the discipline during Math class was a stark contrast to the neighboring rooms. Shen Luyang knocked.

The cool voice lecturing inside stopped. Xie Weihan stood at the podium, his gaze inquiring. When he saw it was Shen Luyang, a faint, almost imperceptible tenderness appeared on his face. He remained silent, indulgently waiting for the man’s request.

“Teacher Xie, sorry to interrupt for a minute,” Shen Luyang glanced at the back row and then turned back. “Teacher Zong asked me to let everyone know the parent-teacher meeting is tomorrow during fifth and sixth period. Talk to your parents; if they can’t come, just give Teacher Zong a call or a message.”

The class remained quiet, though a few curious students began whispering in low tones. Under Xie Weihan’s gaze, they went silent again within seconds. It was the kind of discipline Shen Luyang could only dream of. When he taught, the students treated him like their big brother; while they were enthusiastic, there were always a few “honk-honk-honks” of laughter he couldn’t quite suppress.

“By the way,” Shen Luyang leaned halfway into the room, struggling to suppress a grin as he acted professional. “Teacher Xie, I need to borrow a student for a moment.”

A glint of interest flashed in Xie Weihan’s eyes. He tapped the exam paper nonchalantly, a curve touching his lips. “But I haven’t finished my lecture yet.”

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