After Helping the Protagonist Escape From a Madman, I Became His Target [Transmigration Novel] - Chapter 9

Peng Jun jerked his head up, his handsome, cold face now flooded with fury, looking like a cherry bomb that had just been planted and was seconds away from detonating.

Shen Luyang looked at him, narrowing his eyes like an old father watching a rebellious child. “Well?”

The curse word Peng Jun had been about to spit out got stuck in his throat. The internal conflict between his primal fear and his intense dislike for Shen Luyang made his entire posture look incredibly strained.

He stood up with a look of long-suffering endurance and muttered through gritted teeth, “I don’t know.”

“She’s right,” Shen Luyang said, oblivious to the boy’s rich internal monologue. He waved a hand and added nonchalantly, “Sit down.”

Peng Jun: “…”

Checking the hands on his watch, there was only one minute left of class. After finishing the final problem and assigning the homework, Shen Luyang called out a few names: “Xiang Lei, Ding Yifan, Li Shenyu, Peng Jun. You four, come to my office at noon.”

As he spoke, he glanced at the back row and noticed that the other three simultaneously looked toward Li Shenyu, the boy wearing glasses in the very last row.

Shen Luyang understood immediately. The Boss of the troublemakers.

******

After class, Shen Luyang first asked Zong Weiqing, the homeroom teacher, for the class contact list. As she sent it over, she asked casually, “Teacher Shen, are there any kids in our class acting out and affecting the lessons?”

“None,” Shen Luyang denied while receiving the file. “The atmosphere in class is quite good. A few of them even took the initiative to ask for extra tutoring sessions—starting today at noon, actually.”

Every subject teacher had access to parent contacts, but since Shen Luyang was new, he hadn’t asked her for them yet, so Zong Weiqing didn’t think much of it.

She let out a laugh. “Who in our class is being so diligent?”

“Xiang Lei, Ding Yifan, Li Shenyu, and Peng Jun,” Shen Luyang listed them off like a set of treasures.

“…A young teacher truly has charm,” Zong Weiqing remarked with a sigh of admiration.

******

As the fourth period neared its end, Shen Luyang put himself in the shoes of those little troublemakers. He figured if he were them, his solution would definitely be a defiant “whatever, I’m just not going.”

So, being quite considerate, he went to the door of Class 21 early to wait for them.

The hallway wasn’t exactly quiet. Class 21 was at the far left of the fourth floor, while the office was at the far right. Along the way, one could hear various styles of teaching: the “Angry Roarer,” the “Talking to Myself” type, the “Earnest Heart-to-Heart” type, and… the “Can Keep Students Focused Just with That Face” type.

[Luyang, I have to say, when you set your mind to praising someone, even I can’t take it.]

Shen Luyang (humbly): You flatter me. I probably belong to the ‘Peace and Love’ category.

Now, Shen Luyang stood outside the door of the “Teacher Who Attracts Students with His Face,” Teacher Xie, lurking—no, waiting suspiciously. He was ten parts, or rather, exceptionally curious about what Teacher Xie looked like when he was actually teaching.

Taking advantage of his height and long legs, Shen Luyang walked to the middle window of the classroom and tilted his head to peek inside.

Xie Weihan had likely just finished explaining a problem. He was leaning against the podium, holding a workbook in one hand, his gaze lifted toward the student currently answering a question.

Perhaps he had rushed back from his open lecture too quickly to change out of his suit, but his collar was slightly unbuttoned, and his dark striped tie had been discarded casually on the podium. He stood with a relaxed posture, his lips curved in a gentle, approachable arc. The suit trousers accentuated his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs. All topped off with those silver wire-rimmed glasses.

It was an absolute foul.

Shen Luyang glanced at the girls in the first row; their ears were red, and they kept stealing glances at him.

[Teacher Xie is truly both a flirt and a rake.]

Shen Luyang was displeased: Watch your language, Tongtong. That’s called being handsome and…

[And what?]

Shen Luyang: Handsome and rakish!

[Oh… so definitely not a flirt, then.]

A student asked a question. Xie Weihan explained it once, but the student didn’t follow. He picked up a piece of chalk and composedly wrote the steps on the blackboard, once again in his beautiful calligraphy.

As he turned back, almost as if by accident, his gaze swept across the left side and briefly met Shen Luyang’s. Then, with a slight upward curl of his lips, he continued asking questions as if he hadn’t seen a thing.

Shen Luyang: “…”

He thought about it for two seconds. He was a whole grown man; he should be fairly easy to spot. So… Teacher Xie was truly a dedicated professional!

[Luyang, promise me you’ll never become a ‘simp’ in the future, okay?]

******

The bell rang exactly on time. Shen Luyang leaned against the doorframe. Zhan Jingmiao and her deskmate were the first to rush out. Seeing him, her eyes lit up. “Teacher Shen! Hey!”

Shen Luyang grinned. “Zhan Jingmiao! Ha!”

Zhan Jingmiao shot him another look and then ran off with her distinctive “goose-like” laughter.

Xie Weihan was the last to emerge. Shen Luyang greeted him first. “Good morning, Teacher Xie.”

Xie Weihan let out a soft chuckle, his deep voice making Shen Luyang’s heart tickle. “Waiting for someone?”

“Yeah,” Shen Luyang looked inside and lowered his voice. “Peng Jun and that group of troub—young students insisted on finding me for tutoring at noon.”

Hearing this, Xie Weihan walked over to stand beside him, clearing the doorway. “Don’t you plan on eating?”

“I bought something but haven’t eaten yet. Where is Teacher Xie heading for lunch?” Shen Luyang chatted casually while keeping an eye on the door. His gaze drifted intentionally or unintentionally toward the man’s collarbone.

He hadn’t been fully conscious when he bit him yesterday, and there had been blood. He didn’t know if it still hurt or how big the mark was. Shen Luyang fell into a pit of deep guilt.

“The cafeteria,” Xie Weihan replied, noticing the gaze.

At that moment, several students jostled their way out. To avoid them, Xie Weihan took a few steps forward, and the distance between the two men instantly closed to mere centimeters.

Shen Luyang was 1.82 meters, but Xie Weihan was nearly half a head taller—probably around 1.9 meters. Shen Luyang’s nose was level with the other man’s lips. Xie Weihan deliberately tilted his head away to avoid a collision, his magnetic voice ringing in Shen Luyang’s ear: “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

The end of the sentence held a slight tremor, like a soothing gesture, or perhaps as if it did hurt, but he was downplaying it to spare Shen Luyang’s feelings.

How could Shen Luyang’s “straight” heart withstand that? With his ears still burning, he blurted out, “Let me take a look later to see if you need any medicine.”

Shen Luyang told himself: A man must act in accordance with his conscience.

[Whether it’s conscience or ‘carnal-science,’ we don’t know, and we don’t dare ask.]

Habitually ignoring the System, Shen Luyang looked earnestly into Xie Weihan’s eyes. Those beautiful, dangerous, seductive eyes.

Appearing somewhat surprised, Xie Weihan deliberated for two seconds before suddenly laughing and nodding. “Alright. When is Teacher Shen free?”

Shen Luyang thought for a moment; he had no more classes today. “Anytime.”

Xie Weihan: “How about the first period after lunch? The infirmary should be open.”

Shen Luyang naturally agreed. “No problem.”

Before the words had even settled, Xie Weihan turned around as if he had eyes in the back of his head and called out a name: “Peng Jun.”

Peng Jun’s “I-don’t-care-about-anyone” stride halted abruptly as if he’d been struck. He turned back and offered a submissive greeting: “Teacher Xie.”

Xie Weihan’s eyes were slightly hooded behind his lenses. Unlike the warmth he showed Shen Luyang, he scanned the boy with a nonchalant air, then smiled and stepped aside. “Teacher Shen is looking for you.”

Peng Jun looked at the person who had suddenly popped out from behind Xie Weihan as if he were seeing a ghost. Shen Luyang stood squarely in the doorway, causing the three brothers sprinting behind Peng Jun to pile into him like a stack of Burger King patties.

“Crap, Peng Jun, what are you doing?!”

“Move it! If we’re late to the cafeteria, the food won’t even be warm!”

“Don’t yell at me! If Brother Peng doesn’t move, you won’t eat anything!”

Xie Weihan bid Shen Luyang goodbye and left. Shen Luyang watched his silhouette until it disappeared before snapping back to reality and turning toward the “Troublemaker Burger King.”

“Sorry, I forgot about you guys,” he said with an apologetic face, then added with a burst of indignation, “But who told your Teacher Xie to be so good-looking? Don’t you agree?”

Peng Jun: “…”

No wonder my eyes were twitching during Math class!

******

At the end of the day, they were still just high schoolers. Once Shen Luyang blocked the door, they didn’t dare skip.

Teachers who didn’t have a fourth-period class usually ate early to avoid the student rush. So, when Shen Luyang led his little “tail” of students back to the office, a group of teachers was already chatting.

Seeing Shen Luyang, Zong Weiqing couldn’t help but praise him. “Our class hitting the jackpot with Teacher Shen!”

The Biology teacher, Jiang Nuanyu, looked up and added with zero emotion, “He is indeed good-looking.”

Shen Luyang modestly accepted these hard truths and found a few spare chairs for the four boys. He pulled four Panpan mini-breads from his snack bag and handed one to each. “I brought you here mainly to ask a few things. You don’t have to answer; let’s just have an open-hearted chat.”

Peng Jun squeezed his bread and looked at Li Shenyu.

Shen Luyang’s brow quirked. “Student Peng Jun, do you happen to… dislike teachers a bit?”

Peng Jun shot him an indescribable look, as if the word “dislike” actually disgusted him.

Respecting his right to speak, Shen Luyang looked at Li Shenyu next to him. “How about you, Student Li? Do you dislike teachers?”

The light in Li Shenyu’s eyes shifted behind his lenses. His voice was clear and matched his youthful appearance perfectly. “No.”

“Then you must love me!” Shen Luyang said, appearing very touched.

Li Shenyu: “…”

It seems I’ve discovered where Peng Jun’s resentment from this morning came from.

“What about Xiang Lei?” Shen Luyang looked expectantly at the chubby boy next to Li Shenyu. “Regarding your teacher… do you love me, or do you hate me?”

Xiang Lei’s “guardian deity” scowl crumbled under those two choices. His mouth twitched, but he couldn’t find the words. For a big guy, saying “I hate you” sounded awkward, but saying “I love you” was a bridge too far for his conscience. He was stuck in a dead end.

Shen Luyang turned his head again. “Ding Yifan, you…”

“Teacher,” Ding Yifan was clearly the one with the weakest willpower. He had been so dazzled by the conversation that his gaze was wandering. Leaning against a desk, he managed to choke out, “I… I don’t hate you.”

“You love me too.” Shen Luyang shook his head with great emotion. “So, half the class loves me, and the other half—” he looked at Peng Jun and Xiang Lei with a considerate face, “is just too shy to say it.”

Peng Jun: “…”

Xiang Lei: “…”

Double crap.

“By the way, I looked at last semester’s final results,” Shen Luyang got back to business. “Li Shenyu, Ding Yifan, and Xiang Lei. Your physics scores are okay. Peng Jun… I’m not scolding you, but can you try to be a bit more brave and proactive in our relationship?”

Peng Jun finally snapped. He gripped his mini-bread and hissed through gritted teeth, “Teacher, can you just speak like a normal person?!”

Shen Luyang looked at him like a wayward son, kindly yet pained. “Is my meaning not clear? You three can leave. Peng Jun, stay behind and finish your homework.”

The four of them had entered the room with a “live or die together” bond, but it took Shen Luyang only a few sentences to turn it into “every man for himself.” Peng Jun watched with an expression of betrayal as his three “best brothers” left with urgent, eager strides.

As they reached the door, Shen Luyang called out, “Wait, take your food. I almost forgot.” He pointed to the four lunch boxes at the corner of the desk.

Li Shenyu frowned. “No need, Teach…”

Shen Luyang handed a test paper to Peng Jun and said with a slight smile, “I know you’re worried about my salary, but your teacher can still afford a few lunch boxes.”

The boys quickly grabbed the food and fled.

Peng Jun stared at the paper in front of him with a sense of humiliation. Gritting his teeth, he finally asked, “What on earth do you want?”

Shen Luyang didn’t hide his intentions and made a very tactful request: “I need to ask you a favor.”

Peng Jun looked at him warily.

“I’ve noticed that the students in our class really love me,” Shen Luyang paused. “They’re always discussing me during class, and I feel a bit of pressure.”

Peng Jun: “…”

“So, seeing as you have quite a bit of prestige in the class, I’d like you to be responsible for the discipline in the last two rows from now on.”

Shen Luyang recalled the System’s words and applied them creatively. “I’m not bullying you. If you manage them well, you keep the job. If you don’t… you come here every day at noon to study. I’ll tutor you and even give you a free meal. How’s that sound?”

Peng Jun: “…”

So I’m supposed to be the one getting a good deal here?!

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