Chapter Ten: The Trouble I’ve Stirred Up...

Meals still had to be eaten, sleep still had to be had, and classes still had to be attended. What else could one do? Brother Nan was still a student, after all. A student ought to do things that suited his station. Yang Yilin had been right. She was a grown woman, not some little girl like Fu Xinxin, nor a young woman just starting out in society like Lan Qian. What she wanted, Zhuo Nan could not give her. Since he could not give it, he would not cling to her shamelessly, and that was not his nature anyway.

The first class of the morning was Chinese. The Chinese teacher, Mr. Gao, was a middle-aged man in his forties, tall and thin. In private, the students had nicknamed him Bamboo Pole Gao. He wore a crew cut and black-rimmed myopia glasses, and when he spoke, his voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. Even when he taught, he never managed to sound loud. Every gesture he made seemed to announce to the world, I am an intellectual.

Chinese was a core subject, but Mr. Gao’s appearance and bearing were simply not the sort of thing students could take seriously, so his classes were usually in complete chaos. Yet today, for some reason, the fellow had seemingly snapped.

Since Brother Nan sat in the very last corner, his usual behavior during class was to discuss life with the god of sleep. The high school curriculum had long since been mastered by Zhuo Nan; the only reason he was still sitting here was that his parents insisted he bring home a university diploma. Sigh. Since that was the case, he could only stay here obediently and endure it.

Bamboo Pole Gao was writing on the blackboard, presenting his back to the class, and a few troublemaking boys seized the chance to start chatting and passing notes. Hearing the noise grow louder and louder, Bamboo Pole Gao grew furious. He spun around sharply and caught several students whispering to each other. Those guys had been having the time of their lives, but after this sudden ambush, they hurriedly shut up and bent over their desks, pen in hand, pretending to be busy.

Bamboo Pole Gao’s face had turned the color of liver. He was breathing hard through his nose, glaring fixedly at the students he had just caught. Clearly, he was thoroughly enraged. In his mind, he thought, You boys are being far too disrespectful. Fine, I’ll use this chance to make an example of one and warn the rest.

He set down the chalk, put on a stern face, and strode over to the boy who had been the loudest. Then he bellowed, “Stand up!”

That guy had been swaggering a moment ago, but now he wilted. What could he do? The man was the teacher and he was the student. He was not paying attention in class and was only causing trouble. He ought to learn from Brother Nan. Nan never listened to the lesson either, but he did not bother anyone else; he just chatted away with the god of sleep. How nice that was.

The boy stood up trembling, his legs still visibly shaking. Bamboo Pole Gao thought to himself, So now you’re scared? Where was that swagger a moment ago? If a tiger does not show its might, you think it’s a sick cat.

Just as he was about to open his mouth and display a little teacherly authority, an untimely sound suddenly rang out: a telephone alarm, shrill and relentless.

Bamboo Pole Gao quickly felt around his waist in confusion. His phone wasn’t ringing, so where was that coming from?

The other students were puzzled too. Whose phone was that? They let it ring five or six times before they finally traced the sound to Zhuo Nan’s backpack. Then they looked at Zhuo Nan himself: his head was on the desk, his mouth gaping wide, saliva spreading all over the tabletop.

Brother Nan’s classmate in front of him was a loyal one. Under Bamboo Pole Gao’s murderous glare, he reached out, nudged Zhuo Nan, and whispered, “Zhuo Nan, Zhuo Nan, wake up. Wake up.”

Brother Nan blinked blearily, ungraceful as could be, wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, forced his eyes open, and stared at him blankly. “Class over already?”

The whole class stared in stunned silence, then erupted into laughter. Everyone doubled over. Bamboo Pole Gao’s face went green-black. He had already forgotten the student standing in front of him; right now, he wanted nothing more than to kick Zhuo Nan clean out of the classroom.

Lu Zihan was more than happy to see Zhuo Nan make a fool of himself. Glancing at Bamboo Pole Gao’s expression, he knew Zhuo Nan was in for it next. In his heart he cursed, You little punk, so you think you’re amazing? Let’s see how long you can keep acting like such a big shot.

Zhao Jiawen, on the other hand, found Zhuo Nan rather interesting. The semester had been underway for more than ten days, and the two of them had barely exchanged a few words, if even that. Zhuo Nan never greeted anyone. Though he looked quite handsome, there was always something a little cold and unapproachable about him. And now he had created such a huge joke. Zhao Jiawen actually wanted to see what other jokes he might make in the future.

The boy in front of Zhuo Nan only felt a powerful pressure descend all around him. Turning his head, he saw Bamboo Pole Gao glaring at this side with fierce eyes.

Bamboo Pole Gao walked with steady, measured steps, each footfall seeming deliberate. What was that called? Confidence. He slowly arrived before Zhuo Nan and asked, almost kindly, “Zhuo Nan, are you awake now?”

Brother Nan rubbed his eyes, clearly displeased at being dragged out of sleep, and said, “Not yet, Mr. Gao. I’ve turned my phone off. You go on with the lesson. I’ll sleep a little longer.”

Damn. Bold. Very bold indeed.

Under the gaze of the entire class, Brother Nan had still not lost an ounce of spirit. Bamboo Pole Gao stared at him fixedly, saying nothing. The students all figured this was the calm before the storm, and who knew what would happen next.

Zhuo Nan truly had not meant anything by it. In his mind, if he wasn’t disturbing anyone, then fine. You teach your class, I sleep my sleep. I’ve turned my phone off now, so going back to sleep isn’t a big deal. But Bamboo Pole Gao did not see it that way. Without any warning at all, he raised his hand and slapped Zhuo Nan on the head.

The entire class instantly froze. He really hit him? So Bamboo Pole Gao had a savage side too.

But what happened next made them gasp, all the more convinced that being in the same class as Zhuo Nan was one of the best decisions of their lives. Zhuo Nan had never expected Bamboo Pole Gao to lay hands on him. He reacted purely on instinct. The moment he was struck, he struck back. The punch and the movement to rise came as one. With a dull thud, Brother Nan’s right fist landed solidly in Bamboo Pole Gao’s stomach. The teacher went down on the spot, foaming at the mouth, his legs twitching uncontrollably.

Zhuo Nan himself was startled. He took two steps back, half laughing and half helplessly horrified. Damn it, this has gone way too far...

The class turned to stone. Each of them could have fit two eggs in his or her mouth.

In order to keep Bamboo Pole Gao from becoming a martyr, Zhuo Nan immediately began emergency aid. One hand supported his head while the other gently rubbed his abdomen. Of course, Zhuo Nan was not using some mystical inner power to heal him; he did not even know how to do that. Instead, he used a special technique to numb the nerves and temporarily ease the pain.

Everyone present was only a high school student. When had they ever seen anything like this? Even the so-called class officers were still just children; when faced with a matter of life and death, they panicked instantly. Zhuo Nan looked up and saw Zhao Jiawen, so he immediately told her, “Quick, use my phone to call an ambulance.” Then he shouted to Lu Zihan, “Lu Zihan, go find Teacher Xia and have her bring someone from the infirmary.”

At this moment, Lu Zihan had already forgotten that Zhuo Nan was ordering him around. Hearing Zhuo Nan’s words, he immediately ran out of the classroom.

Looking at Bamboo Pole Gao on the floor, Zhuo Nan thought, Mr. Gao, you’re far too easy to break. One punch and you nearly lost your life...

The students gathered around, wanting a closer look at Bamboo Pole Gao’s condition. Under Zhuo Nan’s first aid, Bamboo Pole Gao gradually regained consciousness. His expression also relaxed somewhat; he clearly was not suffering as much as before. About five minutes later, hurried footsteps sounded outside the classroom, and Xia Qianrou arrived with Lu Zihan leading the way.

Seeing the anxious look on her face, Zhuo Nan felt awful. He had really caused a disaster this time. After Xia Qianrou arrived, the situation at last came under control.

“Enough looking,” she said. “Give Mr. Gao some space. Go back to your seats.”

The homeroom teacher’s authority was still effective. The students immediately sat back down obediently. Xia Qianrou crouched beside Bamboo Pole Gao, glanced at Zhuo Nan, and then asked, “Mr. Gao, how are you feeling?”

Bamboo Pole Gao answered with difficulty, “Much better... much better...”

Seeing that his life was not in danger, Xia Qianrou finally relaxed. She stood up, her face full of anger, and stared at Zhuo Nan. “What is wrong with you? How can you hit a teacher?”

Brother Nan had no defense. He could only lower his head and remain silent. He knew very well that this time he was in the wrong. He had gone a bit too far. But now was not the time to argue fault. If anything happened to Bamboo Pole Gao, Zhuo Nan would never be at peace for the rest of his life.

What he could not understand was why his body had seemed to move on its own and strike the teacher. It certainly had not been the super brain behind it. After all, it knew which matters were serious and which were not. Hitting a teacher was not exactly something it stood to gain from either.

At that moment, the school infirmary doctor, Teacher Zhao, arrived. Xia Qianrou hurriedly asked him to examine Bamboo Pole Gao. After the usual examination was complete, Teacher Zhao slowly said, “Don’t worry. It’s not serious. Mr. Gao has heart disease and cannot withstand too much stimulation. On top of that, he took a heavy blow, which is why his limbs were twitching and he foamed at the mouth. Once the ambulance arrives, take him to the hospital for another checkup.”

Zhuo Nan was filled with lingering fear. He had heart disease. If that punch had killed him, I’d have been paying with my life.

Only after hearing the doctor’s professional judgment did Xia Qianrou truly relax. She rose and said, “Which student can carry Mr. Gao to the school gate? The ambulance will take him from there.”

This was the time to make oneself useful, and the honor naturally fell to Lu Zihan. The boy was only thinking about showing off and had not considered whether his frail frame could actually bear Bamboo Pole Gao’s weight.

Xia Qianrou went on, “Teacher Zhao, please accompany him to the hospital too.”

Teacher Zhao nodded. “All right. No problem. I know a little about Mr. Gao’s condition.”

Xia Qianrou nodded and said to the students present with a serious expression, “Until the school handles this matter, no one is to discuss it privately. Do you understand?”

The students answered in unison, “Yes!”

Satisfied, Xia Qianrou continued, “Then study quietly now. Don’t talk, and don’t disturb anyone else.”

After arranging everything, Xia Qianrou was ready to go to the hospital as well. Before leaving, she glanced at Zhuo Nan and said in a cold voice, “Don’t leave after school. Wait for me to come back.”

Brother Nan knew it. This definitely would not end well.