No One Else Will Do But You - Chapter 38

Exams, exams—the pressure from Jiang City High School began for the 10th-grade students.

Familiarization with the exam format and continuous practice were mandatory every week.

The pace of lectures differed among classes, and classes with different foundational levels naturally had different progress and examination assignments.

Shu Luo had an absolute weak subject: Physics. Since the beginning of 10th grade, his scores had been hovering around the passing mark. When the class average was eighty-something points, he was always the one dragging the average down.

For this reason, the Physics teacher had talked to him many times.

“Shu Luo, you don’t really like Physics, do you?”

The Physics teacher was a gentle, recently graduated female teacher.

Shu Luo hesitated. “Mm… I don’t have any particular feeling about it. I wouldn’t say I dislike it.”

“Your previous desk-mate was Jiang Mu, and his Physics is the best in the entire grade. Haven’t you tried asking him how he studies?”

Ask him? He probably wouldn’t talk about feelings, but would directly tell him how to understand it and then expect him to solve it himself.

So, he basically rarely asked Jiang Mu questions.

Seeing Shu Luo remain silent, the teacher seemed to guess his thoughts.

“Do you feel a sense of crisis?”

“Huh?” Shu Luo was stunned.

“Some people get along very well, but often, because they understand each other too well, they become more conscious of the other person’s strengths. They try to catch up, but when they can’t, they choose to avoid the problem. Shu Luo, do you do that? Jiang Mu is excellent, right?”

The series of questions the teacher asked left him speechless.

Er… how to put it? There was a little bit, but truly only a little. However, the older he got, the more obvious it became.

His parents found Jiang Mu reliable, and he frequently received help from him at school. Also, because their relationship was genuinely good. But in the eyes of parents and teachers, he was indeed not as good as Jiang Mu. Yet, it was important to be self-aware. He knew his own strengths and weaknesses. However, he had a habit of escaping from things he was weak at.

“Shu Luo, your foundation is actually quite good. It would really be a shame if you didn’t study the science subjects. You need to ask more questions when you study. This aspect requires learning. A person’s studies don’t just rely on listening attentively in class and reviewing/practicing diligently after class; you also need to ask. This act of asking often highlights the areas you don’t understand after deep exploration. The questions you ask are what you are about to gain.”

He walked out of the office and closed the door.

He rubbed his chin and couldn’t help but sigh. Recently, he really had been subjected to rotationally “brainwashing” by various teachers. It seemed being a top student wasn’t easy. He was genuinely curious how the top students in his class survived.

A number of scenarios popped into his head: brilliant students like Jiang Mu studying while sleeping. His mouth twitched involuntarily.

Comparing yourself to others really kills you.

“Hehe, Class Monitor, did you hear? Our Chemistry teacher is going on maternity leave, and we have a substitute teacher.”

The moment he entered the door, Huang Wen Yu rushed up to him.

Seeing Huang Wen Yu, he paused, thinking that the matter between her and Jiang Mu hadn’t been fully explained! However, hearing about the subject teacher, he forgot about the other thing.

“Substitute teacher? Who? Is he from our grade?”

Huang Wen Yu smiled strangely. “No, no. I’ve already seen him, oh, he’s so handsome, so handsome! I’ve never seen such a handsome teacher. I heard he’s a graduate student returning from overseas, but he’s not from a teaching background; he’s just here purely to substitute.”

Seeing Huang Wen Yu’s completely infatuated expression, he suddenly became curious. What kind of person could make this obsessive girl even more obsessive?

The next class scheduled was Chemistry.

Everyone seemed restless; they had all heard about the substitute teacher.

Jiang Mu’s seat was directly behind Shu Luo.

“Hey, Brother, I heard from Huang Wen Yu that this substitute teacher is very handsome.” Shu Luo turned his head.

Jiang Mu looked up and said flatly, “Compared to me?”

“…” Too narcissistic.

Shu Luo silently turned his head back. He decided not to talk anymore; he couldn’t have a decent conversation.

A sound of footsteps came from outside the classroom.

A young man in a dark blue casual suit appeared at the doorway. He was tall, handsome, and refined, with gentle features that gave people the feeling of a warm spring breeze.

He smiled and walked in.

Shu Luo’s eyes widened.

“Hello everyone, my name is Su Jing Feng. I will be covering your class for two months. Since your Chemistry teacher is my sister-in-law, I’m here essentially as volunteer labor. I’m very happy to progress together with you all for the rest of the semester.” Su Jing Feng smiled, while simultaneously looking at someone in the audience whose eyes were wide open.

Clap, clap, clap—

The applause was enthusiastic. The female students were eager to ask questions.

“Teacher, how old are you?”

Su Jing Feng answered patiently: “Twenty-five.”

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

“No.”

“Teacher, Teacher, you’re so handsome, why don’t you have a girlfriend?”

“Ah, well, perhaps I’m too handsome, and no one dares to be with me.”

“Hahahahaha…”

Amidst the cheerful laughter, Jiang Mu’s eyes were deep; no one knew what he was thinking.

“Brother, Brother Feng…”

Shu Luo had just turned his head when Jiang Mu’s gaze made him swallow hard. It was fiercely intimidating.

“I am your brother.”

“…” Domineering, tyrannical!

Jiang Mu just disliked this Su Jing Feng; he always felt that he had ulterior motives.

“So, who is the Class Monitor?”

Shu Luo heard Su Jing Feng calling him and quickly raised his hand. “I am.”

Su Jing Feng pushed up his glasses, his eyes full of smiles. “Shu Luo, right? It seems your Class Monitor is quite remarkable.”

“The Class Monitor is the flower of our class!”

Shu Luo: “…” What the heck? How did it evolve into this?

He met Jiang Mu’s eyes. The young man’s gaze was still sharp and full of possessiveness. Interesting.

Su Jing Feng picked up the textbook. “Alright, this is my first time teaching students. I’m an amateur. Where did you all leave off?”

The classroom atmosphere was unusually lively. Su Jing Feng cleverly used some games to help them remember chemical reactions and their corresponding formulas.

Shu Luo enjoyed the class, but Jiang Mu, sitting behind him, felt stifled. A feeling of anger accumulated in his chest and wouldn’t dissipate. This Su Jing Feng, whom he hadn’t seen for a few years, had reappeared. Did he have pedophilia? Twenty-five? Too old. By the time they grew up, he would be an uncle.

Wang Kai was sitting beside him. It was a coincidence that their dorm-mates were sitting together.

Wang Kai looked at Jiang Mu in horror. Had the usually composed Jiang Mu been possessed? Something was wrong. His expression looked like he wanted to eat people! He was staring at Shu Luo’s back as if he wanted to drill right through him. What was going on? The only person who could make Jiang Mu so agitated was probably Shu Luo. Wait, but why did his eyes seem fixed on Teacher Su?

“Student Jiang Mu, please state the definition of molar concentration.” Su Jing Feng looked at Jiang Mu, who was staring back at him.

“The physical quantity used to express the composition of a solution by the amount of substance of solute B contained in a unit volume of the solution is called the molar concentration of solute B.” He stood up and said it calmly.

Su Jing Feng nodded in satisfaction. “Have a seat. Pay attention in class, okay? I hope next time you can also answer the teacher’s question.”

This old man!

Jiang Mu slightly lowered his eyelids, concealing the coldness beneath his gaze.

The dismissal bell finally rang.

“Shu Luo, come to my office for a moment.”

Shu Luo stood up, ready to follow Su Jing Feng out, but the person behind him grabbed his wrist.

“Luo Luo, don’t get too close to him. Not before, and not now. I won’t repeat myself.”

Shu Luo knew he had told him this before. These two were strange enough; they weren’t close, were they? Why did they seem like enemies?

“Mm-hmm, I know. But he’s the teacher now, so I have to listen to him, right? Alright, Brother, I promise I won’t chat too much. Okay?” Shu Luo patted Jiang Mu’s face and turned to leave the classroom.

Wang Kai looked at Shu Luo’s retreating back in shock. “Jiang Mu, Shu Luo is starting to lay hands on you! It looks like his wings are growing!”

“What? Am I such a tyrannical person?”

“…” Yes.

“Do both you and Shu Luo know this teacher? He doesn’t really feel like a teacher,” Li Zixin asked curiously.

“We aren’t very familiar.”

It was true they weren’t very familiar, but why did Shu Luo act like he was enchanted and still go play with him?!

Wang Kai rubbed his chin. “How did he know your name without a class roster?”

“To know your enemy and know yourself, you will never be defeated, won’t you?”

Wang Kai and Li Zixin couldn’t help but shiver. Jiang Mu was randomly blasting cold air again. His ability to turn it on and off was annoying.

“Teacher Su, did you call me here for something?”

Shu Luo noticed that Su Jing Feng used a private office. This substitute “teacher” was pretty impressive.

“So formal? What, are you afraid your little boyfriend will get jealous?”

“…” Little… little boyfriend?!

Seeing Shu Luo’s widened eyes, Su Jing Feng felt inexplicable joy. Those eyes were truly beautiful—pretty and clear—unlike anyone he had ever encountered.

Su Jing Feng chuckled softly, his eyes gentle. “Alright, I’m kidding. Sit down, don’t be nervous. Let’s just chat. It’s been two years since we last met.”

Seeing that Su Jing Feng was genuinely joking, Shu Luo relaxed and sat down.

They chatted for about five minutes—not long—mostly about the basic situation of the class.

“Alright, I roughly understand now. It seems you are all smart kids. So, I should be able to teach the course easily.”

But Shu Luo frowned, feeling a little dejected because his Chemistry was not good.

“What’s wrong?” Su Jing Feng noticed his frown.

“Well… my Chemistry is actually dragging down the class average.”

Shu Luo scratched his head sheepishly.

Su Jing Feng smiled. “Is that so? Would you like me to tutor you?”

“Really?!” Shu Luo’s eyes widened abruptly, somewhat surprised.

“Of course. But will your little boyfriend agree?”

Shu Luo was puzzled. “What little boyfriend? Are you talking about Jiang Mu? Please don’t misunderstand; we’re pure! We’re good brothers!”

“Fine. I doubt he’ll agree.”

“My tutoring doesn’t concern him, though. It’s fine, it’s fine.”

Is he really that naive?

Su Jing Feng smiled but didn’t speak.

Later, Shu Luo told Jiang Mu about the plan. Unsurprisingly, he was met with a verbal assault from Jiang Mu.

“Luo Luo, isn’t it the same if you ask me? Why do you insist on going to him?” Jiang Mu’s face was dark.

“Uh… Brother, actually… that…” He really couldn’t explain because he was a little afraid of Jiang Mu’s teaching style.

Jiang Mu placed his hand on the back of Shu Luo’s neck. It seemed gentle, yet it inexplicably made Shu Luo get goosebumps.

“Luo Luo, I don’t necessarily have to lose my temper when I explain problems.” If only this guy’s brain would work faster.

“So you knew!” It slipped out in his haste. Then he realized what he said and shrank his head.

Jiang Mu rubbed the back of his head; his hair had grown quite a bit. “I know. How could I not know? I can tell from your expression. You don’t need to fear me in some aspects. Am I that scary?”

“…” It seems Jiang Mu has some self-awareness after all.

Seeing Shu Luo not speaking, Jiang Mu thought this path was challenging no matter how he walked it. He was just getting over their sulking, and now Su Jing Feng had popped up. When would this day end?

“Luo Luo, be obedient. I’m telling you, I promise I won’t lose my temper at you.”

Shu Luo looked at him skeptically. “Really? What’s your guarantee?”

This guy really had to take something away from him. “I’ll give you my roller skates.”

“Deal, deal! Haha, then I’ll tell Teacher Su tomorrow.”

Looking at the boy’s happy face, whatever he wanted, as long as he smiled, nothing else mattered. After all, he just wanted this person. Hearing that Shu Luo was still able to correct himself and call Su Jing Feng ‘Teacher’ made his mood improve considerably.