High school life always needed a few famous figures to provide after-meal gossip. Busybody students soon spread the news, and someone even started a separate thread, taking an enthusiastic, spectacle-loving tone.
[Come on, come on. A historic moment like this needs a name.]
OP: Gao Feng made a name for himself early. I'm in his year, and everyone in our grade knows his exploits. Last year, he went head-to-head with the grade director, pissed off his Chinese teacher so badly she left the classroom, and skipped classes and fought every day. He's hardcore. Back then, Chen Zhijie managed to crush him and become the school tyrant partly because of his older brother, a gang leader out in the real world. Now, though, Song Yu suddenly challenging him to a fight honestly surprised me.
If I were naming it, I'd call it-"Rise of a Nobody: My Years of Taking on School Tyrants." Hehe.
1: Awesome, sounds about right.
2: I've got one: "The Song-Gao Conflict." Doesn't that sound historical?
3: A grand event at No. 1 High School: two dragons battle for the throne.
4: Final Battle Atop Book Mountain!!!
5: The epic battle at Book Mountain Building.
Most of those discussing this were boys who had read too many fantasy and martial arts novels and were relishing the subject.
6: Welcome to Jingcheng No. 1 High School's start-of-term martial arts special: campus turmoil-who will be the school tyrant?
Just then, a familiar username appeared.
7 Your Husband Brother Yu: Might as well call it a start-of-term family drama special: the tearjerking tale of Gao Feng's search for his dad.
"..."
The entire forum.
8: ...I want to laugh, but I'm in Class Fifteen. I'm scared of getting beaten up, so I'd better hold it in.
9: Yu Mou's argumentative takes never disappoint.
11: Didn't you quit the internet? You're back again.
11: Fuck hahahahaha, I was having a late-night snack and nearly laughed my phone into my bowl.
12: All right, confirmed. Brother Yu, just admit it. You're Song Yu.
Song Yu turned off his phone and ignored what followed. This was his first time seeing someone rush so eagerly to get beaten up. Gao Feng really was something else. Before bed, Grandma Meng sent him a message asking whether he was coming home this Saturday. Song Yu paused with his fingers on the screen, wanting to call her.
But considering that Grandma was probably asleep already, he gave up on the idea.
[Yes, I'll come home this weekend. Good night, Grandma.]
Unexpectedly, Grandma Meng was still awake at this hour. Ten minutes later, she sent another message.
[Are you settling in at school, Yuyu? I was talking to a friend today. Her granddaughter goes to your school, in Class Three. Would you two like to get to know each other and be friends?]
Song Yu frowned slightly. In fact, since school started, he still hadn't gotten to know anyone beyond the people around him.
But with Grandma, he declined tactfully in a very gentle tone.
[I'd like to meet her, but she might not want to meet me 😂😂]
[It's best to let friendships happen naturally~]
After that, Wang Ci still didn't show up. Even if Song Yu wanted to make trouble for him, he couldn't find him. On Thursday, when he returned from going to the bathroom during morning self-study, he came across Ou Yilian scolding a girl outside the classroom.
The girl looked a little familiar to Song Yu. He recognized the star-shaped hair clip in her hair, yellow and glittering.
Belatedly, he remembered. Wasn't she the one in the front row who had straight-up called him her husband that day?
Ou Yilian's brows were knitted, her tone impatient. "Leave? School's barely started, and you're already asking for leave? How could a student have so many important things to do?"
The girl was anxious and aggrieved, her eyes red. "But my grandma really is sick, ma'am. My parents called and said it's very serious. I'm afraid I won't make it back in time and will miss my last chance to see her."
Ou Yilian said disdainfully, "Old people get sick so many times a year, with big illnesses and small ones. Are you going to take leave and go home every single time?"
The girl was already crying. "I'm really scared. Can I have my parents call you in a moment? Please approve it first. I'm begging you."
Utterly fed up, Ou Yilian said, "Can't you wait until they call to say she's dead before I approve it? What's the rush?"
Tears filled the girl's clear eyes as she stared blankly at her, as though she had never imagined such words could come from a teacher.
Ou Yilian belatedly realized she had said something wrong, but she couldn't bring herself to apologize to a student. Rolling her eyes, she turned to enter the classroom in her high heels, leaving behind a remark. "If you love crying so much, stand outside for a period first. Go in when your tears dry. Students these days just love making a fuss over nothing, asking for leave over every little thing."
"Stop," Song Yu said coldly from behind her.
Recognizing the voice, Ou Yilian looked back and saw Song Yu. Her expression turned extremely ugly. "Song Yu? It's morning reading time. What were you doing? You have no regard for discipline, none of the behavior expected of a student. I think you can stand outside with her for a period! People like you will be the dregs of society. How will you make a living? Off your medical records? I'm telling-"
Her voice was interrupted by the sound coming from Song Yu's phone.
The recorded conversation played clearly.
"But my grandma really is sick, ma'am. My parents called and said it's very serious. I'm afraid I won't make it back in time and will miss my last chance to see her."
"Old people get sick so many times a year, with big illnesses and small ones. Are you going to take leave and go home every single time?"
"I'm really scared. Can I have my parents call you in a moment? Please approve it first. I'm begging you."
"Can't you wait until they call to say she's dead before I approve it? What's the rush?"
Ou Yilian's face went deathly pale.
Beside her, the girl with the hair clip also stood frozen, her eyes red.
Song Yu's eyes were very light, his face expressionless. "Are you fit to be this class's homeroom teacher?"
Ou Yilian felt dizzy. If this conversation got out, the consequences would be unimaginable. She was currently under consideration for an outstanding teacher award. Her fingertips whitened around her lesson plan, and after a long moment, she forced a smile. "I-I muddled my brain preparing lessons yesterday. What I just said was nonsense. Never mind. Both of you, come to my office first."
Song Yu paid her no heed. "Approve the leave slip first."
Jingcheng No. 1 High School strictly controlled entry and exit. During class hours, there was no getting out without a leave slip.
Gritting her teeth, Ou Yilian shot Song Yu a vicious glare and signed the girl's leave slip, pressing so hard that the pen nearly pierced the paper. "You'll have to come to my office for the stamp."
The girl was a little frightened.
Song Yu stepped forward and said evenly beside her, "Go. I'll come with you."
She froze, holding her pen as she turned to look at the tall, slender boy in the morning sunlight. Her eyes reddened, tears falling as she choked out, "Thank you...thank you, Brother Yu."
The office.
After stamping the slip, Ou Yilian put on a gentle smile and spoke softly to the girl. "Lin Shuangqiu, Qiuqiu, right? Don't take what I said earlier to heart. I was so busy preparing your lessons yesterday that I got muddleheaded and talked nonsense. I have grandparents too. Of course I understand how you feel."
"Oh, I looked through your personal information. Your hometown is in the countryside, isn't it, Qiuqiu? Your family isn't very well-off, and you applied for a tuition waiver based on your grades when you enrolled. Each class has one place for national financial aid for disadvantaged students this semester. When the time comes, I'll contact you."
Lin Shuangqiu clutched her leave slip tightly, but only lowered her head, her shoulders trembling, and murmured an assent.
"Thank you, ma'am."
Her head felt muddled. With Song Yu right beside her, at this sensitive, self-conscious age, she was so embarrassed she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
But she had her leave slip now, and nothing outweighed her worry for her grandma. She practically ran out of the office.
Once Lin Shuangqiu left, Ou Yilian threw her pen onto the desk. Clearly seething, she couldn't even manage a smile at Song Yu, though she still suppressed her anger.
"I've approved the leave slip. I just misspoke in the heat of the moment. Teachers are human too. Sometimes our mouths get ahead of us. You shouldn't keep harping on it. It was Lin Shuangqiu my words hurt, and I've already given her the compensation she deserves. What else do you want?"
Song Yu said evenly, "Originally, I stayed in this class to make things unpleasant for you. But I've realized you're actually the one who's been making things unpleasant for me all along."
This was probably the first time in Ou Yilian's life that a student had mocked her so coldly. Abandoning all restraint, she snapped, "Song Yu! If you don't like me, then get out! Class One can't accommodate someone as important as you! So what if you release that recording? However much people talk, just see whether No. 1 High School fires me!"
With her qualifications, it was impossible for her to have become a homeroom teacher at a key provincial high school without someone backing her.
But in Jing City, competing over connections was the last thing Song Yu feared.
He smiled at Ou Yilian. "All right. I'll watch."
Ou Yilian's gaze was so icy it nearly bored a hole through him. After a long while, she curled her lip and scoffed. "Song Yu, let me teach you a lesson. It's good for young people to have a sense of justice, but many things aren't as simple as textbooks make them out to be. Once you enter society, you'll understand, and you'll understand some of the things I do."
"Oh," Song Yu said, his smile not reaching his eyes.
Back at his seat, Song Yu sent the recording to the principal. But a recording alone was far from enough. Ou Yilian would definitely work on Lin Shuangqiu afterward. This was something that could be treated as serious or trivial, and girls her age were usually a little timid and unwilling to cause trouble. After all, if Ou Yilian really wasn't fired, the next three years would become their nightmare.
He could certainly understand that.
Morning reading in high school was lively and noisy, with no mandatory format. Some students memorized poetry and prose, some memorized English, and some slackers took advantage of the noisy background to chat.
Ma Xiaoding was blathering to Xi Bowen. "Yesterday, I played that new game the internet café owner recommended, Supreme Mad Owl. I thought it'd be fucking awesome, but it was just boring clicking the whole time, doing quests and grinding combat power. Not even as fun as Werewolf."
Xi Bowen had played with him once. It had been a nightmare. "With lines like yours? 'I'm a seer wolf. Anyone who counterclaims me gets killed'?"
Ma Xiaoding said, "...When truth becomes falsehood, falsehood becomes truth. I was confusing the good guys, don't you get it?!"
Xi Bowen said, "You succeeded. The good guys figured you were either a wolf or an idiot villager, so voting you out was no loss."
Everyone sitting beside them laughed.
Noticing that Song Yu had been distracted ever since he came back, Xie Sui asked him.
"What's wrong?"
Song Yu didn't want him knowing about any of this, so he shook his head. "Nothing."
Suddenly, Ma Xiaoding patted Song Yu's shoulder, his eyes shining. "Brother Yu, Brother Yu! You really accepted tomorrow's showdown at Book Mountain Building!"
Song Yu: "..."
Oh, he had only just remembered that was happening too.
Ma Xiaoding had complete confidence in Song Yu. "Tsk, looks like No. 1 High School's getting a new school tyrant. I bet Gao Feng will be on the ground calling you Dad in under ten minutes."
Xi Bowen covered his ears. "Keep it down. I think you're praising Brother Yu to death."
Song Yu didn't want to answer.
Ma Xiaoding enthusiastically continued, "After the fight, are you going to the internet café after school on Friday, Brother Yu? Check out Supreme Mad Owl! I know I just said it's boring, but the character models are pretty good-looking. Long legs, big boobs, barely any clothes. Hehehehe."
Song Yu rolled his eyes. "I don't like big boobs."
But speaking of the weekend, Song Yu suddenly remembered that, in the book, Xie Sui seemed to work part-time every weekend.
"What are your plans this weekend?"
Xie Sui had no particular plans. Matters involving the Xie Family in City A were still far off, and there weren't any aggravating people around him either. As he thought this, his phone suddenly vibrated.
He set down the pen he was spinning, lowered his eyes, and glanced indifferently at the message.
A stranger. A secretly taken photo of his grandma's back as she went upstairs. A single sentence.
"Stay in the classroom after school on Friday."
Heh.
The corner of his mouth curved almost imperceptibly.
Song Yu was still asking, "I'm going home on Saturday. Then how about we go study at the library together? You can tutor me."
Xie Sui deleted the message and turned, his dark eyes fixed on Song Yu as he smiled. "Then do I get a reward?"
Author's note: Don't argue in the comments while reading, okay? Love you all.
I saw someone rename my story "Transmigrated as the Heartthrob's Firecracker Childhood Friend."
Me: ...
Thanks to the little angels who sent Overlord Tickets or watered me with nutrient solution~
Thanks to the little angel who sent [Rocket Launchers]: LunaticandNormal Person, 1;
Thanks to the little angels who sent [Land Mines]: Yuchen, 2; Distant Waters and Faraway Mountains, Gu Nian, Conic Sections with Nine Twists and Turns, someonelikeyou, The Mortal World, 1 each;
Thanks to the little angels who watered me with [Nutrient Solution]:
Qingqing Yiqing, 75 bottles; Yu Yin, 30 bottles; Xiaoxiao, 22 bottles; Chu Xin'er, 15 bottles; Hua Jiu Is a White-Cut Chicken, Zhiyuan, 10 bottles each; Yuchen, 9 bottles; Muxue, 8 bottles; Misaka20002, 5 bottles; Juli, I Have No Feelings, Langfeng, Qingguang＿Fei, 2 bottles each; Yanjiang, oliviamu, Xiehang, You Huo's Ear Stud, Keep It Up Today Too, My Family Has a Big Sweetheart, Lan Qian, 1 bottle each;
Thank you all so much for your support. I'll keep working hard!