[009] The Scoundrel (Part Two)

Fang Chang'an glanced up at Cheng Mengfei, then obediently sat with his hands neatly folded on the empty desktop, looking every bit the model student. In this process, the previously buzzing classroom quickly fell silent.

Cheng Mengfei surveyed the rows of young, fresh faces before her, picked up a piece of chalk, and, smiling, turned to write her name—Cheng Mengfei—on the blackboard. Though not exactly calligraphy, it was quite aesthetically pleasing. Beside it, she wrote her cell phone number.

“Some of you have already seen me in the dormitory, and some of you may not have. Let me introduce myself again. My name is Cheng Mengfei; I am your homeroom teacher and your Chinese teacher. This is my cell phone number.”

“Please write it down in your notebooks, or better yet, memorize it. While you are at school, I am your guardian. If anything happens, remember to call me.”

“Understood?”

Cheng Mengfei was so beautiful that for many children, it was their first time seeing someone so exquisitely lovely in real life, as if she had walked straight out of a TV screen. They all sat quietly, but no one dared to answer right away.

“Understood!” Seeing their stunning homeroom teacher scanning the room, Fang Chang'an answered crisply in his not-yet-broken voice, “Understood!”

He hadn't raised his voice, but the classroom was so quiet everyone heard it clearly. Cheng Mengfei looked in his direction and, seeing it was him, broke into a gentle smile.

“Understood.”
“Yes, understood.”
...
The other students followed with scattered replies. Cheng Mengfei smiled again, picked up the attendance sheet, and said warmly, “There are fifty-five students in our class. Since I’ve just introduced myself, now you will each introduce yourselves, one by one. Tell us your name, age, where you’re from, and anything else you’d like to share.”

She paused, then added, “Let’s arrange the seating first. After that, we’ll start the introductions. Is that clear?”

This time, without needing Fang Chang'an to take the lead, several students immediately responded, “Yes!”

“Very well,” Cheng Mengfei said. “Now, everyone step into the corridor and line up—boys in one line, girls in another, tallest at the back.”

Suddenly, the whole classroom was filled with the sound of chair legs scraping against the marble floor. Fang Chang'an stood up and whispered to Wang Ke, who was also rising, “Let’s sit together again, okay?”

The girl glanced at him. Apparently, that earlier game of chess had helped; though a little shy and blushing, she softly mumbled her assent, almost inaudible, and, worried he hadn’t heard, nodded emphatically.

The two left the classroom one after the other. Fang Chang'an, glancing back, caught the girl sneaking looks at him, her eyes sparkling with a bashful yet joyful smile, a hint of excitement in her expression.

When she noticed him looking, she quickly lowered her head, but within moments peeked up again. Fang Chang'an flashed her a bright smile, prompting her to duck her head once more, blushing furiously.

Fang Chang'an was among the taller boys in class, and Wang Ke wasn’t far behind. At this age, many girls were taller than the boys, and she was among the tallest girls. So both headed toward the back, ending up in the hallway, right in front of Class Five’s door.

The students of Class Five, hearing the noise outside, sneaked glances out, some recognizing friends, exchanging exaggerated winks and greetings.

Cheng Mengfei maintained order at the front while observing the lines, correcting those out of place: tall students too far forward, shorter ones too far back.

Once the lines were nearly set, Cheng Mengfei tapped the first five boys and girls, “You go in first and sit at the middle of the front row. Remember, boy-girl pairs—you choose your own partners.”

The ten children in the front row were shy but also excited and expectant as they entered the classroom. Cheng Mengfei watched them settle in before calling for the next group.

Fang Chang'an estimated that he and Wang Ke would end up in the fourth row, which was acceptable. As the saying goes—where you sit doesn’t matter, but who you sit with does.

Just as he was about to look away, Fang Chang'an’s gaze caught on a petite figure in the girls’ line ahead—a girl in a pink-and-white lace princess dress, hair in a bun, her exposed calves, arms, and the nape of her neck gleaming pale and flawless in the slanting afternoon light, like polished jade, almost glowing.

He hadn’t seen her face, but that flawless, creamy skin was unforgettable—he recognized her instantly.

His secret crush from first year in his previous life—Shen Mo.

Cheng Mengfei had just sent the second group of ten to their seats and was watching as they settled, the next in line moving up to the classroom door. Shen Mo was third in the girls’ row and would certainly be in the next batch.

As the second group took their seats, Cheng Mengfei turned to let the third group in, when suddenly a boy’s bright voice called out from behind, “Ms. Cheng!”

She looked over to see Fang Chang'an with his hand raised, and smiled kindly, “What is it?”

Hand still raised, Fang Chang'an looked every bit the polite, slightly shy, eager-to-please student. “Teacher... I can’t see clearly...”

“Are you nearsighted?” Cheng Mengfei asked with concern.

He blinked innocently, “I don’t know...”

After a moment’s thought, Cheng Mengfei beckoned him forward, “Come to the front, then.”

“Okay.”

Fang Chang'an left his place in line, cutting between the boys’ and girls’ rows. Cheng Mengfei counted heads and let five girls proceed, adjusting the boys’ numbers so Fang Chang'an could join them.

In the afternoon sunlight, Wang Ke stood in the shifting light, watching as her deskmate defected to the group ahead, her bright eyes wide with disbelief. Even as Fang Chang'an walked into the classroom next to the girl in the princess dress, Wang Ke continued to stare, as if she could hold him in place with her gaze.

At twelve, girls understood little of such things; otherwise, she might have spat, “Hmph! Jerk!”

With ten students entering at a time, there were naturally those who went first and those who followed. Fang Chang'an had timed his move perfectly, merging from the middle just as Shen Mo was about to enter, courteously making room for her and, in the process, blocking another boy who had been next to her.

The two boys and two girls in front had already gone in. Fang Chang'an waited for Shen Mo to go in first, then followed right behind her.

The two girls ahead seemed to sense someone behind and, out of instinctive courtesy, walked past the podium, heading for the far seats. One boy followed, while the other—whether too shy or interested in Shen Mo—hesitated, glancing at her.

Seeing the boy’s inner conflict, Fang Chang'an tilted his chin, signaling him to go ahead.

In these days, parents often told their children not to cause trouble. If you fought back when bullied, you might get scolded by both teachers and parents. Self-reliance wasn’t emphasized.

The boy, already hesitant, tipped toward compliance at Fang Chang'an’s gesture and went to the podium, missing his chance to play the villain.

With boy-girl pairs at each desk, and two girls already seated, Shen Mo had no choice. After a moment’s hesitation, she took the aisle seat in the third row but didn’t sit down, asking Fang Chang'an and the girl behind, “I’ll sit here—do you want to go inside?”

Fang Chang'an smiled as he approached. The girl thought he would go past her, but instead, he stopped beside her and turned to the two girls behind, “Which of you wants the inside seat?”

The fourth girl hesitated, then took the innermost seat, with the fifth girl naturally taking the farthest spot by the wall.

Fang Chang'an checked the two boys behind. One, after a moment’s hesitation, took the seat by the wall. Fang Chang'an pointed to the middle desk, smiling at the last boy, “Then this is your spot.”

This boy was a bit shorter and looked displeased, clearly wanting to sit with Shen Mo. Unlike the compliant boy earlier, he protested, “You go inside and sit.”

Fang Chang'an pointed to Shen Mo, “She and I will sit together.”

His tone and attitude made it seem as if he and Shen Mo had already agreed.

The boy was left speechless, surprised that Fang Chang'an had voiced his thoughts so naturally, and, unable to argue in front of everyone, took the inner seat.

Fang Chang'an followed, sitting at the aisle-side of the desk.

Shen Mo was still standing, a bit stunned. Seeing she was the only one left without a seat, she quickly sat down too.

As Cheng Mengfei called in the next group from outside, Fang Chang'an seized the moment while the teacher wasn’t looking, fished a leftover piece of peanut candy from his pocket, and slipped it into the compartment on Shen Mo’s desk, whispering, “We’re desk mates now—here’s a candy for you.”