A Refined Lady

Early the next morning.

Jiang Ran stood in front of the full-length mirror, paused for a moment, then opened the wardrobe.

When he had worked as a school counselor, he had usually chosen clothes in gentle colors to create an approachable atmosphere and make it easier to earn his students' trust.

But today was different.

The Grade 2 Class 15 he was about to take over was notorious for having too many troublemakers and being difficult to manage.

He needed a different kind of presence.

In the end, Jiang Ran chose a dark gray shirt, paired with slim black trousers and a simple pair of black leather shoes.

"This should do."

Muttering to himself, Jiang Ran picked up the lesson plan and textbook he had prepared the night before, shoved them into his black backpack, and headed out.

He swung onto his mountain bike, its tires rolling over the damp morning pavement.

The October breeze already carried a chill. It brushed across his cheeks and stirred him to wakefulness.

Fengcheng No. 3 High School, teachers' office.

Jiang Ran found the area belonging to the Grade 2 Chinese teachers, knocked, then pushed open the door.

The office was spacious. Several teachers were already seated by the windows, some eating breakfast and others looking over their lesson plans.

"Teacher Jiang? You're here early!"

A familiar voice rang out.

Jiang Ran turned. It was Lin Wei, the English teacher who had worked on the same floor as him before. She was in her early thirties, and her eyes curved into crescents when she smiled.

"Good morning, Teacher Lin." Jiang Ran nodded to her and walked over to an empty desk near the door. "It's my first day teaching, so I thought I'd come early and get ready."

"Oh, right. I heard you've been transferred to Class 15 to teach Chinese?" Lin Wei came over with her cup, lowering her voice a little. "That class... You'd better be prepared."

Jiang Ran smiled but didn't respond. He began arranging his desk.

The other teachers arrived one after another, and the office gradually grew livelier.

Naturally, the conversation turned to the hottest news online over the past couple of days.

"Have you seen those posts online? The Second World, the Abyssal Void, Transcendents... People are spreading the stories like they're true." Teacher Zhang, who taught history, pushed up his glasses. His tone carried his usual Textual Research Addict's enthusiasm. "I looked into it last night. Some of the descriptions sound quite a bit like things in the Classic of Mountains and Seas."

"More than just a bit," Teacher Liu, who taught physics, chimed in. He was somewhat older and always spoke in an unhurried manner. "My son came home yesterday and told me the story was spreading through his class group. Someone had supposedly gone in and even gained the ability to control fire. Kids can make anything sound incredible."

"Control fire? Is that for real? That's not science fiction anymore. It's fantasy!" Lin Wei asked, eyes wide with surprise.

"If that kind of power really does emerge, will social order..."

The office fell silent for a moment.

The teachers exchanged glances, but no one spoke.

As educators, they understood better than ordinary people how important order and rules were to a community.

If individuals suddenly developed uncontrollable differences in power,

the existing federal structure would inevitably be shaken.

"We'll take things as they come." Teacher Liu eventually sighed. "We just need to teach well and look after our students. As for everything else... there's only so much we can worry about."

Jiang Ran listened quietly the whole time without joining in.

After a while, the teachers' conversation gradually returned to teaching and class management.

Jiang Ran glanced at the time. There were ten minutes left before class.

He picked up his textbook and lesson plan and left the office.

The Grade 2 Class 15 classroom was at the end of the hallway.

He could hear the noise inside before he even reached the door.

Jiang Ran stopped at the entrance to check the room number, then pushed open the door just as the bell rang.

The classroom quieted down for a moment.

Then the noise started up again, though it was a little softer than before.

Most of the boys were still shoving and joking with one another, as if they hadn't noticed the person who had appeared at the front of the room.

Quite a few of the girls, however, quietly sat up straighter and studied Jiang Ran with curious glances.

Jiang Ran calmly surveyed the room, placed his textbook and lesson plan on the lectern, then turned and picked up a piece of chalk. He wrote two bold, forceful characters on the blackboard:

Jiang Ran

When he finished, he turned around to face the class.

"My name is Jiang Ran. I'll be your Chinese teacher for the next little while."

The noise in the classroom dropped another notch, but a few students in the back were still whispering.

Just then...

Bang!

A hand slammed down on a desk.

The entire class fell silent.

Li Hao—the boy who had once come to Jiang Ran for counseling—stood up. Frowning, he shouted at the students beside him:

"The teacher's here to teach. Are you deaf? What are you making all that noise for?!"

The few obvious troublemakers in the back froze. They hadn't expected anyone to speak up.

They looked at Li Hao, then at Jiang Ran, who stood calmly at the lectern. After exchanging glances, they eventually shut their mouths, though none of them looked happy about it.

Only then did Li Hao sit down. He gave Jiang Ran an awkward smile, then yawned and forced himself to open his notebook and pick up his pen, putting on the appearance of someone ready to pay attention.

But the dark circles under his eyes and the way his head kept dipping gave away just how badly he needed sleep.

Seeing this, Jiang Ran turned and walked back to the lectern, ready to begin the lesson.

However, just as he picked up a piece of chalk and was about to write the day's topic...

Someone in the back put on a nasal voice and said sarcastically, "Teacher, everyone online is talking about the Second World, the Abyssal Void, and Transcendents... What's the point of having class now? What good will Chinese, math, and English do? Can they stop monsters or make you fly?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the troublemakers in the back burst into laughter and joined in.

The classroom descended into an uproar again.

Quite a few students, especially the boys, wore excited expressions.

The news of a changing era had clearly reached the school.

Jiang Ran's hand paused around the chalk.

Then he put it back in the chalk box and closed his lesson plan.

Jiang Ran turned to face the class. He didn't look offended or angry. Instead, he wore an amused smile.

His gaze swept over the troublemakers who had been making a fuss, then passed over the other students with their varied expressions. Finally, he spoke softly:

"Looks like you've all been spending plenty of time online lately. You're certainly well-informed."

He paused, stepped forward, and rested his hands on the edge of the lectern, leaning slightly toward the class.

It was a posture that felt a little imposing, yet still showed he was listening.

"Then why don't we start with a little hypothetical?"

"Let's say the Abyssal Void really exists, just as people online claim. And let's say that one day, some of you gain the right to enter it and acquire some kind of extraordinary ability. For example..."

"Control over fire."

Everyone in the room was watching him, including the troublemakers.

"Here's the question.

"When flames dance at your fingertips, will you be satisfied with lighting a cigarette or burning a piece of paper, or will you try to figure out the upper limit of your fire's temperature? Whether you can manipulate it with greater precision?"

"The Classic of Mountains and Seas describes an Exotic Beast: 'It resembles an ox, dark and gray, with one horn. Its cry is like a baby's, and it eats people.'

"If you encountered one, could you only scream and run, or could you quickly assess its possible weaknesses from its appearance and recorded habits, then devise a plan to deal with it?"

"Ancient formations, runes, the rituals in myths and legends... If those kinds of things might contain real power, but you don't have a solid grounding in history and literature, you won't even be able to understand them. How can you talk about becoming extraordinary then?"

Jiang Ran's gaze swept over the class before finally settling on the troublemakers in the back, who had gone quiet.

"Extraordinary abilities might give you a sharp sword.

"But knowledge—the seemingly useless things you're learning in class, the things you think you're wasting your time on—can determine how you use that sword."

"Now," he said, picking up the chalk again and turning toward the blackboard. His voice returned to its usual calm, "does anyone still think class is pointless?"

The classroom fell silent.

Only the sound of chalk against the blackboard remained.

Jiang Ran wrote down the day's topic.

Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng and the Splendor of the High Tang.

Forty-five minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

When the bell rang, Jiang Ran had just finished explaining the last point.

He put down the chalk, dusted off his hands, and closed his lesson plan.

"Class dismissed."

With that, he picked up his textbook and stepped down from the lectern.

Before leaving, Jiang Ran glanced at Li Hao, who had slept through the entire lesson. He said nothing.

He walked straight out of the classroom.

Back in the office, Jiang Ran put down his lesson plan and greeted Lin Wei, who was still working, then left the school.

He had only one Chinese lesson today, so he could spend the rest of his time as he pleased.

Once he was out of the school gates, he took out his phone and ordered a courier, asking them to deliver Wang Zhenguo's spare phone card to the Shooting Club.

After taking care of that, he raised a hand and hailed a taxi.

"Driver, take me to the Slow Time Cafe on Zhongshan Road."

Twenty minutes later, Jiang Ran pushed open the cafe door.

"Jiang Ran, over here!"

A man in a floral shirt waved at him with a smile from a table by the window.

It was Jian Xiang, the friend he had arranged to meet. He ran a matchmaking agency.

Jiang Ran walked over.

Across from Jian Xiang sat a stylishly dressed woman who looked to be around thirty.

"Jiang Ran, come on, have a seat." Jian Xiang greeted him warmly, then smiled at the woman. "Ms. Wang, this is my friend and colleague, Jiang Ran. He'll sit in and observe for a bit. Do you mind?"

Ms. Wang had been looking at Jiang Ran ever since he came in. At the question, she nodded at once, hardly pausing to think. "Not at all, not at all!"

Jian Xiang winked at Jiang Ran, then opened his notebook and took out a pen. His expression turned gentle. "Ms. Wang, shall we get started? You know how I work.

"All you have to do is tell me the most honest version of yourself. The more honest you are, the better I can help you find the right person.

"Lying is the most pointless thing you can do with me."

The smile on Ms. Wang's face stiffened. She hesitated and glanced at Jiang Ran before asking quietly, "Do I really have to tell you the most honest version of myself? Some things... aren't exactly flattering."

Jian Xiang's smile didn't change. "Of course. Isn't that why you came to me?"

Ms. Wang looked as if she had to summon all her courage. She glanced at Jiang Ran, sitting quietly beside her, then finally nodded as though she was throwing caution to the wind. "All right."

"Good. Let's begin." Jian Xiang picked up his pen. "First question: What do you do for work?"

"I don't really have a steady job... I was young and foolish a few years ago and got involved with the wrong people. I got into a bit of trouble and spent three years inside. I only got out recently."

Jian Xiang recorded her words smoothly without changing expression, answering gently as he wrote, "Mm, mm. The past is in the past. What matters is the future. What's your living and financial situation like at the moment?"

"I live with my parents. They help me out a little, and I do some odd jobs."

"I'm in decent health, except for some chronic eczema. It gets troublesome when the seasons change.

"Oh, and I might have a bit of a temper. Sometimes when I get worked up... I can't stop myself from hitting people."

One in the afternoon.

Jiang Ran got out of a taxi in front of the Shooting Club.

Just as he stopped, a white Porsche pulled up beside him.

The door opened, and Meng Xi got out, carrying a sports bag.

"Jiang Ran?" Meng Xi looked surprised to see him. "Didn't you say you wouldn't be coming to teach until five this afternoon? Why are you here so early?"

A complicated expression crossed Jiang Ran's face, and he sighed. "Don't ask. This morning... I learned a thing or two."

"Learned a thing or two?"

Meng Xi's eyes lit up. She shut the car door, moved closer, and asked curiously, "What did you learn? Come on, tell me!"

Jiang Ran opened his mouth, then remembered Jian Xiang's devilish spin on things at the cafe that morning. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

How could he even explain it?

That a matchmaking agency owner could describe a woman who'd been in prison as having a "pure prison-belle vibe," or make eczema sound like "beauty bubbling over"?

That he could interpret a bad temper and a tendency to hit people as "a cultured lady who'll beat you up"—a refined lady of brawling!?

After a few seconds, Jiang Ran looked into Meng Xi's eager eyes and could only let out three helpless words:

"...It's hard to explain."

He paused, then added:

"I'll just say this: it was incredible."