After Helping the Protagonist Escape From a Madman, I Became His Target [Transmigration Novel] - Chapter 5

Li Shenyu kept his eyes fixed on the blackboard and let out a cold snort, refusing to even give Shen Luyang a second glance.

Shen Luyang was understanding; back when he was a student, he also detested teachers who had no real knowledge but loved to put on airs.

“The students I name, please hand in your missing assignments later: Ba Xiaodong, Mao Sihan… Peng Jun… Li Shenyu.”

After reading the final name, Shen Luyang walked back to the podium. He looked at them, the playful look on his face vanishing as he took on a serious expression. “First of all, I want to apologize to our class.”

The room fell silent, but every pair of eyes was screaming “WTF.”

Shen Luyang set the list down and said in a heavy voice, “Previously, due to personal reasons, I affected the teaching progress and your enthusiasm for learning. That was my fault. Hereby, I solemnly apologize to everyone. I am sorry.”

As the last word fell, he walked to the side of the desk and bowed.

The classroom erupted in a hubbub.

Shen Luyang stood up and raised his voice. “There are less than two years left until the College Entrance Exam. For the remainder of our time together, I will fulfill my duties as a physics teacher. You don’t have to like me; you can find me annoying or even want to punch me… but if there is something you don’t know or don’t understand, you must come and ask me.”

At this point, he looked toward the little gang of troublemakers in the back. His lips curled into a grin. “Because those childish behaviors; kicking desks, stomping feet, and cold sneers. Don’t have any effect on a ‘seasoned veteran’ like me.”

He wagged his index finger. “The only thing that could make me die of shame would be for you to take your exam results, hurl them into my face, and sneer with cold elegance, ‘Shen Luyang! The three-year term is up! What do you have left to threaten me with now?!'”

A few girls in the front row couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Noticing his gaze, they quickly clamped their mouths shut, their faces turning bright red from the effort.

“Laugh, go ahead and laugh,” Shen Luyang said with a Zen-like wave of his hand. “There’s still over half a year left of that three-year term. It’s not easy for anyone.”

The brittle atmosphere finally shattered. Starting with the contagious “goose-like” cackling of the two girls in front, the laughter spread like wildfire until the entire class was honking with mirth.

The troublemakers in the back tried to maintain their “cool” image, but the laughter in the enclosed space was irresistible. Even the chubby boy by the window, who had been nodding off so hard he didn’t even know what Shen Luyang had said, started twitching with laughter after seeing his deskmate join in.

Shen Luyang let them laugh for at least three minutes before checking his watch. “I can risk my life and let you laugh for about twenty more seconds. The Dean will arrive on the battlefield in thirty.”

One of the girls, still giggling, asked, “Teacher, what if we can’t stop?”

“Hold it in,” Shen Luyang walked to the door and pulled it shut with a look of long-suffering endurance. “Have some sympathy. Your teacher is just a worker earning 2,125 yuan a month.”

The chubby boy in the third row shouted, “Workers don’t drive Porsches, Teacher!”

Shen Luyang walked back to the podium and shot him a look. “If I didn’t buy a Porsche, I’d have money in my pocket. How else could I play the ‘poor me’ card with you guys?”

The “goose-honking” became completely unstoppable.

******

The rest of the lecture went smoothly, aside from the easily triggered “laughter bug” and the quiet defiance of the back row. Shen Luyang decided to find time to chat with those boys later. They were just immature teenagers; the silliest mistake they could make was giving up on a subject just because they disliked a teacher.

Perhaps his speech had truly worked, or perhaps his “ask-and-answer” mastery during the lecture gave them hope. After class, several students approached the podium with their test papers, asking tentatively, “Teacher Shen, I didn’t quite get this problem.”

Shen Luyang stopped his exit, took the paper, and leaned over the podium. He looked at the student and asked in his gentlest tone, “Which part didn’t you understand?”

The student was an Omega. Hearing this, he fidgeted a bit and didn’t speak. Shen Luyang had a slight impression of him; a quiet, introverted student named Yun Han.

He smiled knowingly. “I went a bit fast earlier. Let me explain it from the beginning.”

Yun Han pursed his lips shyly. “Thank you, Teacher.”

During the ten-minute break, Shen Luyang kept explaining. Others gathered around to watch the excitement, only to realize they didn’t know the answer either, so they stayed to listen. Soon, more and more people joined the circle.

When the homeroom teacher, Zong Weiqing, entered the room early for the next period, she saw the crowd at the podium and thought the students were making trouble. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was the “ambitious” Teacher Shen!

She had been away during the first week of school, so other teachers had been covering for her. She had heard rumors that “Teacher Shen wasn’t up to much.” If she had any doubts before, she now felt that Teacher Shen was a class act! He was practically the gold standard for the new generation!

She didn’t interrupt and quietly sat in a student’s seat to watch.

When the bell rang, Shen Luyang still had two questions left. He promised the students that he wouldn’t leave during tonight’s self-study session and that they could find him in the office anytime. Only then did he gather his materials and stand up.

“Teacher Shen, you’ve worked hard.” Zong Weiqing stood up, looking at him with admiration.

Shen Luyang finally noticed her and quickly replied, “It’s no trouble. Just serving the students.”

Leaving Class 21, he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulders. Unlike yesterday’s floaty sensation, he felt a profound sense of groundedness and reality. He thought about it for a long time before he understood.

This feeling was called Responsibility.

In his past life, he hadn’t expected much of himself. Even when choosing his major, he had just picked English at random. He thought he’d find an ordinary job, earn ordinary money, and then live an ordinary life with a wife and kids. It was a good life, but it always felt like something was missing.

Now he realized that a life with goals and responsibilities brought a sense of fulfillment and direction that could truly drive a person. Inspired by those vibrant students, he felt like he could devour three physics textbooks in a single night.

Shen Luyang: Tongtong, this world is great. Thank you.

[That’s so sentimental, Luyang! Wuwu, I knew I didn’t pick the wrong person.]

Shen Luyang (humbly): I still need to keep working hard.

[Wuwu, so touching… but Luyang, I still have to say.]

[Right now! Go downstairs and turn left! To the multimedia classroom on the 7th floor of the Arts Building! Run! Fast!]

Shen Luyang didn’t have time to figure out what was happening; he just started running instinctively, bolting exactly where the System directed.

Shen Luyang: What’s going on?!

[Emergency Mission: Shi Fan and Xie Weihan have been in a closed space alone for over an hour, triggering a forbidden event!]

[Consequence: Both Shi Fan and Xie Weihan have entered their heat/rut periods simultaneously! There is an 80% chance Xie Weihan will lose control!]

[Mission: Separate them and resolve their biological crises.]

[Failure Penalty: Level One Divine Lightning Strike!]

Shen Luyang: Crap! Why didn’t you say so earlier?!

[You were in class! My superiors won’t let me interfere with your professional life, boohoo]

Shen Luyang: …

This damn working life!

The Arts Building had been built far away from the main teaching blocks. Shen Luyang pushed his physical limits, sprinting for over five minutes before arriving. Then, there was the matter of the seventh floor. He ran toward the elevator…

[The elevator is broken, Luyang! Stairs to the right!]

Shen Luyang: F—k!

By the time he reached the sixth floor, his legs were like jelly. The moment he stepped onto the seventh, the low concentration of S-class pheromones in the air slammed into him. He literally kowtowed to the staircase. His knees slammed into the edge of a step with a sickening thud, and tears welled up instantly.

[Hang in there, Luyang! Wuwu, my little baby, Shi Fan needs your help!]

Shen Luyang gritted his teeth and forced himself up. To a man raised in a modern society, the feeling of being suppressed by pheromones was bizarrely alien. If he had to describe it, it was like the combined effect of a muscle relaxant and a stimulant.

It was a maddening contradiction. Every cowardly muscle in his body was shaking with terror, rendering him immobile, yet his nerves were hyper-sensitive, feeling every prick of pain at his fingertips with agonizing clarity.

Not to mention the back of his neck; it felt like someone had slashed it with a knife and then sprinkled it with cumin and chili flakes. The pain was so intense he felt like his head might fall off. And yet, there was no “numbness” from the pain; he remained perfectly conscious through the torment.

Wasting no time, Shen Luyang dragged himself toward the multimedia classroom, trembling like he had Parkinson’s, leaning against the wall for support. How long did it take? A minute? Two? Ten?

He finally pushed open the classroom doors. The concentrated pheromones inside nearly sent him sprawling. He stumbled forward, gripping a desk, his bloodshot eyes searching the room.

Where are they?

[Luyang, the third row of seats!]

On the floor?

Without hesitation, he limped toward that spot, shouting as he went, “Teacher Xie? Xie Weihan! Xie!”

A pale hand suddenly reached out from the aisle. Following it, the face Shen Luyang had swooned over countless times slowly emerged. From his expression, Xie Weihan appeared perfectly normal, save for his ink-dark pupils, which were now tinged with red.

In the book, this was the sign of a high-level Alpha on the brink of losing control. The calmer he appeared, the more insane he would be once he snapped.

Despite the danger, Shen Luyang stumbled closer. As he narrowed the distance, a metallic scent of blood pierced through the thick pheromones.

Xie Weihan’s voice was completely raspy. The smile on his lips was stained crimson, yet his demeanor remained gentle, almost morbidly so. “What is Teacher Shen doing here?”

Shen Luyang rushed over and grabbed his shoulders, gritting his teeth as he tried to help him up. “Teacher Xie… are you… are you hurt?”

The pheromones were becoming unbearable; the pain was so sharp he couldn’t even pull the man up. As Shen Luyang struggled, Xie Weihan’s gaze darkened. In the next second, the Alpha gripped his arm and stood up, bringing Shen Luyang with him.

Immediately after, cold fingers pressed against Shen Luyang’s gland.

Shen Luyang’s heart hammered. His instinct was to dodge, but he couldn’t move.

“Don’t be afraid. It’s my blood,” a hoarse voice whispered by his ear. The hot breath made the tips of his ears turn red.

The blood on the fingertips flowed over the gland, acting like a miraculous medicine that instantly soothed the burning pain. Shen Luyang almost groaned in relief, but he didn’t forget his mission.

Leaning most of his weight against Xie Weihan, he gasped, “Where… where is Teacher Shi Fan?”

Xie Weihan’s movements faltered for a fraction of a second before he smoothly masked it. He moved his hand to Shen Luyang’s waist to keep him from sliding down, while his other hand gripped Shen Luyang’s. His smile grew even gentler as he asked patiently, “Is Teacher Shen here specifically for Teacher Shi?”

Shen Luyang’s breath was hot. Having the blood of an S-class Alpha in rut on his gland was like drinking poison to quench thirst; the pain had eased, but a feverish heat was intensifying.

He shook his heavy head and said instinctively, “Teacher Shi… nothing can happen to him…” If something happens to him, I’m going to get struck by lightning.

“Is that so?” Xie Weihan’s grip suddenly loosened. Shen Luyang immediately felt his strength vanish and began to slide down. His pupils shrank, and with the fastest reflex of his life, he lunged to grab Xie Weihan’s arm again.

Xie Weihan caught his hand once more. “My apologies.”

Shen Luyang exhaled a long breath, practically climbing onto Xie Weihan. “It’s fine, Teacher Xie. I know you’re uncomfortable too. There will be medicine soon… don’t be… afraid…”

As he spoke, Shen Luyang’s fingertips instinctively brushed against Xie Weihan’s palm. It was cool and very comfortable.

They found the unconscious Shi Fan behind the door. With Xie Weihan present, Shi Fan’s pheromones were almost undetectable. Having been exposed to S-class pheromones for too long, he was flushed and shivering and his situation was critical.

Shen Luyang had already notified the school infirmary and security; they should be arriving soon.

[Luyang, Xie Weihan can’t hold on much longer! An S-class Alpha losing control is too dangerous! You have to find a way to restrain him!]

Shen Luyang looked left and right, feeling utterly panicked. What am I supposed to do? Where am I going to find an Omega for him right now?

[Teacher Xie likes Alphas! If you’re looking for someone, it has to be an Alpha!]

Shen Luyang: There’s only Shi Fan here, where else am I going to find.

Wait.

What was his own gender again?

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