Tan Zhuishi

The bell rang.

A handsome teacher walked in, dressed in professional attire and wearing rimless glasses. A refined smile played at his lips, giving him the air of a charming scoundrel.

He stopped at the lectern and surveyed the room. His gaze paused briefly on Tan Xuguang and Tong Chuhe before he looked away as though nothing had happened and spoke gently.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Tan Zhuishi, and I'll be your homeroom teacher from now on."

"Great!"

Tan Xuguang led the applause from his seat, beaming at his older brother, his delight written all over his face.

The others stared at the excited Tan Xuguang in surprise, while Tan Zhuishi could only smile helplessly at his little brother's antics.

Watching how doting Tan Zhuishi was toward his brother, Jiang Nian was filled with emotion.

That settles it. Tan Zhuishi is absolutely obsessed with his little brother.

Too bad his beloved little brother later gets deceived and nearly dies at sea, and he loses his own life trying to save him, dying somewhere all alone.

Tan Xuguang heard this, and the hand propping up his head slipped in fright. His chin slammed hard into the desk with a thunk.

His deskmate jumped.

"Are you okay? Just hearing that hurt."

Tears welled in Tan Xuguang's eyes. It hurt. It hurt so much. His heart hurt so much.

At the front of the room, Tan Zhuishi suddenly heard those words and froze on the spot.

He was going to die saving Xuguang?

In the silent classroom, the students waited for their teacher to speak, while the teacher himself distractedly searched for the source of that voice.

Still, Tan Zhuishi really deserves his title as the champion of pure love in an NP novel. Out of all the women in the world, he only loves the second female lead. Gentle, doting, fiercely protective-he's got it all. After years of loving her in secret, he was just about to get his happy ending. He should have had a wonderful future with Tong Chuhe...

Instead, Tong Chuhe only discovers his love after he dies, and the female lead gets her thrown into prison when she tries to avenge him. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Calling his life tragic doesn't even begin to cover it.

The words kept coming, yet no one appeared to be speaking.

If what that voice said was true, not only would he die saving Xuguang, but Chuhe would also end up in prison trying to avenge him?

He stole a seemingly casual glance at Tong Chuhe below, only to find her looking down at her desk, her expression hidden.

Pressing his lips together in disappointment, Tan Zhuishi decided to set the matter aside for now.

"You're all members of Class Two now. To help everyone get to know each other, let's come up one at a time and introduce ourselves."

With that, he stepped down from the lectern and stood beside the blackboard, waiting for the students to come up one by one.

Watching the students ahead of him take their turns, Tan Xuguang was distracted. How could anyone remain unaffected after learning that their older brother would die saving them?

And besides...

He sneaked a glance at Tong Chuhe, growing even more upset.

His future sister-in-law was even going to end up in prison for avenging his brother!

What about him? What would he be doing? Even his sister-in-law knew to avenge his brother, so what would he be doing?

Lost in those thoughts, he soon found it was his turn. He trudged sadly to the front and introduced himself listlessly.

"My name is Tan Xuguang."

He was about to step down after giving only his name when someone called out teasingly.

"Wow, no wonder you were so excited earlier! Is Mr. Tan your older brother?"

"He really is! No wonder they look so alike!"

Everyone laughed and joked, and a few of the more outgoing girls joined in to tease him.

"Tan Xuguang, do you need a sister-in-law? How about me?"

"Hahahahaha!"

The words "sister-in-law" jolted the dejected Tan Xuguang into action. He immediately darted over to Tan Zhuishi, hugged his arm, and shouted at the class.

"Shoo, shoo, shoo! I already have a sister-in-law! Don't get any ideas about my brother!"

After saying that, he guiltily glanced at his brother, then at Tong Chuhe.

Tan Zhuishi tapped his head helplessly and sent him back to his seat.

After Song Jici finished his introduction, it was Jiang Nian's turn.

Under everyone's gaze, Jiang Nian walked up to the lectern and introduced herself.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Jiang Nian. Nian, as in 'never forgotten.'"

Hearing that introduction, Tan Zhuishi finally identified the owner of the voice. He looked at the girl, feeling a little curious about her.

Could she really predict the future?

"I have a terrible sense of direction. I'm always mixing up left and right, and I can't tell north from south. If you ever see me lost somewhere, please help me out. Sorry for the trouble, and thank you."

With that, she bowed to her classmates and stepped down.

The main cast all burst out laughing.

The other students also found Jiang Nian's honesty adorable and declared that the next time they saw her lost, they would be sure to take a photo as a keepsake.

Jiang Nian: 凸(눈_눈)凸

Get lost.

When it was the female lead Fu Zhenzhen's turn to introduce herself, Jiang Nian leaned on her desk with a smile, ready to enjoy the show.

Finally, the female lead's turn. Time to show off. Showtime!

Hearing that, Tan Zhuishi folded his arms and glanced at the girl approaching the front.

She looked delicate and frail, like a clinging vine.

This was the female lead who would send Chuhe to prison?

Fu Zhenzhen smiled gently at Tan Zhuishi, then turned to introduce herself to everyone.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Fu Zhenzhen. Zhen, as in 'truth.' I earned admission as a merit scholarship student. I'm very happy to be in the same class as all of you, and I hope we'll get along."

A faint smile graced her face. Her delicate, sympathy-inspiring beauty, coupled with her top-student buff, drew a chorus of admiration from the class.

"She's a merit scholarship student? I never would've guessed! She's pretty and gets great grades!"

"Yeah, it's really hard to qualify for a merit scholarship at our school. After all, they don't just waive all your tuition-they give you all kinds of subsidies, too."

"I saw the results at the director's office. I think she even ranked first among this year's merit scholarship students! She's a total academic superstar."

Faced with everyone's praise, Fu Zhenzhen looked bashful, responding with a slight blush.

"Oh, not really. If you have any questions about your studies, you're welcome to come discuss them with me."

With that, Fu Zhenzhen returned gracefully to her seat. She glanced at the boys who were clearly taken with her, then smiled at Tong Chuhe beside her.

Tong Chuhe did not miss the mockery in her eyes as she looked at her.

She did not respond to Fu Zhenzhen's taunt, simply rising calmly and walking to the front.

At the lectern, she met Tan Zhuishi's somewhat heated gaze and instinctively looked away.

Then she faced everyone and introduced herself with easy poise.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Tong Chuhe. Tong, as in 'fairy tale,' Chu, as in 'early spring,' and He, as in 'seedling.'"

Her clear, melodious voice reached their ears, seeming to lift their spirits.

Even though the second female lead's beauty had already stunned her earlier, seeing her again still made Jiang Nian want to tell her-

Big Sister Chu He, why don't you ditch Tan Zhuishi and be with me instead? If I can't see someone this beautiful every single day, what's even the point of living?

Before Tan Zhuishi could react to Jiang Nian's shameless declaration, he heard the students screaming below.

"Aaaaaah! What a beauty! An absolute beauty! She has to be the prettiest girl in our school, right?"

"That's Tong Chuhe, the Tong Family's eldest daughter! Her dad's a real estate tycoon, and her mom's an internationally renowned dancer. Unbelievable!"

"I went to the same middle school as her. The line of people chasing her could wrap around the whole school! She's pretty, has a great personality, and comes from a great family. Not only are her grades among the best, she also won gold at the International Youth Ballet Competition not long ago!"

Her classmates showered Tong Chuhe with praise, but she merely smiled and nodded at everyone before walking slowly back to her seat. Ignoring Fu Zhenzhen's slightly twisted expression beside her, she watched the next student walk up.

She had been deliberately avoiding Tan Zhuishi's gaze earlier. Only after he looked away did she glance back at him and sigh inwardly.

Idiot.

You can't even protect yourself, and you still need me to avenge you.