IWHBDR Chapter 6

As soon as the class bell rang, the once noisy classroom fell silent, and the sound of boots clicking against the floor echoed from the hallway.

Zhao Yan walked in, dressed in a white shirt and black shorts, with a pair of black high-top Martin boots on his feet. A black stud earring adorned his ear, and his hair shimmered a dark blue in the sunlight. If it weren’t for his bare, clean face without any makeup, one might mistake him for a member of some gothic subculture.

As he stepped onto the podium, he slammed the English book onto the desk with a sharp bang. Crossing his arms over his chest, a black leather choker around his neck barely concealed the black-and-white fur that didn’t match the rest of his skin. His dark eyes glinted with sarcasm, and his chin was slightly raised. Zhao Yan, as a male Omega, was not tall—short even by Omega standards. His haughty demeanor on the podium gave off an odd feeling, like a child trying hard to play the role of an adult, though Zhao Yan himself clearly didn’t see it that way. His words carried a pointed undertone: “It’s already the second semester of our second year. I hope you won’t let random people affect your mood. After all, exams still need to be taken and meals still need to be eaten. You can’t let one bad fish spoil the whole pot. We’re all adults now, so you should know who to associate with and who to avoid. I won’t say more on this. Let’s start class!”

“What’s Old Zhao getting at? Is he criticizing the school’s policies, or is this about Shen Huaixiu? I’m a bit confused.”

“It’s definitely the latter. Do you really think Old Zhao would criticize the school’s policies? He just can’t stand those people from the lower district!”

“Even though I don’t really understand why the school made such assignments, it feels wrong for Old Zhao to openly hint at things like this in class.”

“Stop talking! If he hears you, you won’t have an easy time in English class anymore!”

“What are you gossiping about? If you think anything I said was wrong, feel free to stand up and say so. No need to sneak around making comments.” Zhao Yan sneered, clearly disdainful of their quiet murmuring.

When no one spoke up to challenge him, his eyes gleamed with barely concealed satisfaction. “If you don’t dare, then stop wasting time. Now, the following students will come up to the board to write out vocabulary from memory. If you can’t do it, go stand outside. First, Tang Long…”

Tang Long, startled by the sudden call, was at a loss as to how he got so “lucky”. Nervously, he walked up to the podium, only to hear Zhao Yan call out the second name: “Shen Huaixiu…”

Everyone instinctively turned to look toward the back of the classroom. The person who had been called stood up, his expression still calm and indifferent. He didn’t even glance at Zhao Yan as he turned and walked toward the back door.

Zhao Yan, clearly irritated by being ignored, frowned and snapped, “Where do you think you’re going? Don’t you know where the blackboard is?”

Already at the door, Shen Huaixiu turned his head and looked at Zhao Yan with a quiet gaze. “I don’t know how.”

“Damn, the big boss is just…” Someone started to whisper, but before they could finish, Zhao Yan let out a cold snort. “At least you know your own limits. Fine, Xu Shu, you go instead.”

When Zhao Yan called Rong Shu’s name, his tone softened noticeably, clearly showing a different attitude toward the male Alpha who had been the most popular student at Federal No. 1 Middle School for two consecutive years.

“I don’t know either. I’ll just stand outside too.” To everyone’s surprise, Rong Shu stood up and, without much sincerity, said those words before walking straight out of the classroom.

Silence fell over the large room. It was so quiet that everyone seemed to consciously lighten their breathing, waiting for Zhao Yan to explode in anger.

No one could have predicted that the usually good-natured, top student Rong Shu would openly defy Zhao Yan like this!

“Fine! It seems none of you want to study anymore. Forget it, just do self-study!” Zhao Yan angrily grabbed the English book from the podium, shoved past the confused Tang Long, and stormed out of the room.

Tang Long watched Zhao Yan leave, then quickly asked, wide-eyed, “So, no more vocabulary test? Can I go back to my seat?”

“Brother Tang, you’re so lucky! The big boss took the fall for you!” As soon as Zhao Yan left, the atmosphere in the room became lively again.

Everyone knew that Zhao Yan’s real target was Shen Huaixiu. Calling Tang Long up was just a pretext, and he had intended to use Rong Shu to put Shen Huaixiu in his place. But neither Shen Huaixiu nor Rong Shu gave him the chance, leaving Tang Long with little to worry about.

Shen Huaixiu looked at Rong Shu, who had just exited the classroom. He hesitated and then asked, “Why did you follow me out?”

“Obviously, because I don’t know how!” Rong Shu replied with a wink, then, as if suddenly remembering something, smiled and leaned closer. “You didn’t really think I came out because of you, did you?”

Shen Huaixiu turned his face away, his thoughts clearly exposed.

His reaction was almost like admitting guilt without a word, causing Rong Shu to chuckle softly. “Hmm, well, you’re not entirely wrong. I just can’t stand his arrogant attitude. What a show-off. Who does he think he is? A teacher, yet he says such inappropriate things. I’ll write a complaint later, report him for damaging the dignity of the teaching profession…”

Shen Huaixiu felt a slight tremor in his heart, like a feather brushing gently against it. “Thank you, but there’s no need to waste time on him.”

Rong Shu, who was about to continue his rant, suddenly paused upon hearing this. A pang of sadness hit him, and he instinctively wondered if Shen Huaixiu had been misunderstood like this often, so much so that he felt resisting was a waste of time—because after one resistance, there would always be another?

“I don’t think it’s a waste of time. A teacher like that really isn’t fit to educate others.”

Seeing Rong Shu suddenly turn serious, Shen Huaixiu’s dark eyes warmed, and the corners of his lips lifted slightly.

Unfortunately, Rong Shu, who had already imagined Shen Huaixiu as a pitiful figure, didn’t notice.

Not long after the class bell rang, Zhang Zhicheng called Shen Huaixiu over.

Chen Jing, noticing the change in Rong Shu’s expression, felt a chill run down his spine. “Hey, where are you going?”

Watching Rong Shu walk to the front, pick up the pile of homework books on the class monitor’s desk, and leave, Chen Jing was left speechless.

Shen Huaixiu knocked on the door before stepping toward Zhang Zhicheng, who was seated inside. “Teacher, you called for me?”

“Ah, yes, come in. I wanted to talk to you about something. I saw the post on the forum and have already contacted the administrator to have it deleted. Don’t let it get to you—they just don’t know you well enough, which is why they’re making these assumptions. I’ll address this with the class later and make sure no one else follows along. Since you’re here in the South Campus, focus on your studies. Over time, everyone will see who you really are. Don’t feel pressured. If you have any issues, you can always come to me, alright?”

“The people from the North Campus won’t do anything. There’s no need for you to worry, teacher.” Shen Huaixiu didn’t agree with Zhang Zhicheng’s words but instead pointed out the true intent behind them with a single sentence.

Zhang Zhicheng’s face flashed with a trace of awkwardness. He hadn’t expected Shen Huaixiu to be so direct. The principal had specifically assigned Shen Huaixiu to the South Campus, instead of keeping him with the North Campus students in a separate class, to use him to keep those unruly kids in check.

After the recent upheaval, the entire North Campus had started looking up to Shen Huaixiu as their leader. To those kids, his word was law—far more influential than anything their parents could say.

At this age, loyalty among friends was paramount. The top brass at the Federal No. 1 Middle School were genuinely worried that merging the two campuses might lead to trouble. When Zhang Zhicheng saw that post this morning, he knew the administration would be onto him soon, and sure enough, they had called him in right away. Hence, those earlier words.

“That’s not what I meant. I really…”

“I understand, Teacher. I’ll focus on my studies, and so will the others from the North Campus.”

Hearing Shen Huaixiu’s response, Zhang Zhicheng found himself at a loss for words. This kid was even more guarded than he had expected.

“Teacher, I brought the class assignments.” Rong Shu walked in and dropped the stack of homework books onto the desk with a loud thud, then stood there looking at Zhang Zhicheng without leaving.

Zhang Zhicheng blinked in surprise. “Why are you bringing them? Where’s the class monitor?”

“Oh, the class monitor twisted his ankle,” Rong Shu replied matter-of-factly, as if it were true, and Zhang Zhicheng didn’t doubt him. “You guys need to be more careful. How do you manage to twist an ankle just like that? What happened in English class, Xu Shu? The English teacher said you’re not even studying vocabulary anymore?”

“I went to bed early last night and forgot.” Rong Shu glanced at Shen Huaixiu standing beside him. “Teacher, it’s almost time for class. If there’s nothing else, we’ll head back.”

Zhang Zhicheng gave Shen Huaixiu a weary look, then stood up to move the stack of homework books. “Go ahead, but you two need to study your vocabulary for the next English class. You can’t keep this up!”

He waited for a response, but when he looked up again, the two of them were already gone.

Exasperated, he muttered, “Those little brats—so quick to run off!”

After leaving the Chinese department office, Shen Huaixiu glanced at Rong Shu and asked gently, “Did Lin Xia really twist his ankle?”

Rong Shu abruptly turned his head to look at him, surprised. “You actually know the class monitor’s name?”

“Yeah, I glanced over the roster before.”

“You’re impressive to remember it with just one look. I have no idea about his ankle—I made it up.”

“Why make that up?” Shen Huaixiu’s tone carried a hint of seriousness, causing a tingling sensation to rise in Rong Shu’s heart. Rong Shu pretended to be casual as he pulled his lips into a half-smile, “Worried about you, maybe?”

He said it lightly, with a naturally playful curve to his lips, giving him a roguish air.

But Shen Huaixiu suddenly smiled, a faint curve of his lips: “Aren’t you afraid?”

As it turns out, someone who rarely smiles can be utterly captivating when they do—like the sun breaking through the clouds on a clear afternoon, so beautiful that it’s hard to look away.

Rong Shu, momentarily stunned, felt his heart race faster, losing his usual composure and becoming slightly flustered. “Afraid of what?”

“Aren’t you afraid that I really am in league with those people? That I really have killed someone? That all those online rumors might be true?”

Rong Shu narrowed his attractive eyes and, with a wide, reckless smile, met Shen Huaixiu’s serious gaze head-on: “Do you think I’m an idiot? I have eyes—I can see for myself. Why should I listen to what others babble about you? They don’t know a damn thing!”

“Heh!” Shen Huaixiu chuckled softly, suddenly reaching out to pat Rong Shu’s head. His fingers brushed against soft cat ears, the texture just as he imagined. As Rong Shu stood there, startled by his action, he heard Shen Huaixiu say, “No need to put yourself down like that.”

Rong Shu: “…”

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