Ultimate Teacher

"Listening to you makes me feel really upset. Couldn't you just tell me you're busy and lie to make me feel better?"

Zheng Guodong felt a sharp bitterness in his throat, as if he might cough up blood from sheer frustration.

He wanted to curse him as a scoundrel, but he worried that all the scoundrels in the world would lodge a formal complaint.

"You didn't leave?" Zheng Guodong asked through gritted teeth. His father had clearly promised to handle this situation—so why was this bastard still swaggering into their hospital room?

"You mean leave Suzaku? I was going to, but the school leaders decided I'm incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and tolerant with students. They said it's nearly impossible to find a teacher as good as me these days—I think they made a great point. So, with their overwhelming enthusiasm, I decided to stay and dedicate my youth and body to the school."

Youth? Body?

At that moment, the three of them realized that they'd have to deal with Fang Yan on a regular basis from now on.

"Don't worry, don't be afraid," Fang Yan waved his hand generously, signaling everyone to sit down. "I'm not the kind of petty man who holds grudges. Besides, I've never been at a disadvantage—"

"In terms of age, I'm your elder. In terms of position, I'm your teacher. So what's wrong with letting me take a little advantage? You know the saying, 'suffering is a blessing.' Take the hits when you're young, and you'll live in comfort later—just like me. As long as we maintain this healthy relationship, I'm sure we'll get along very well. What do you think?"

"Impossible!" Zheng Guodong's eyes turned red, like an enraged beast. "Fang Yan, let me make this crystal clear—either you leave, or we leave. Only one of us will stay at Suzaku."

"Exactly! Don't get too comfortable. We'll definitely get you kicked out—"

"If not this time, then next time. And if not next time, the time after that—we'll get you out eventually."

"Are you all done?" Fang Yan asked, unbothered.

"Get out," Zheng Guodong pointed at the door, seething with anger.

"Do you think anyone in this world would willingly be a teacher to a group of brats?"

"No, right?" Fang Yan answered his own question with a sly grin.

"So, do you have any idea how delighted I am to hear what you just said?" Fang Yan smiled like a sly fox. "To borrow a senior's words—my knowledge isn't that cheap."

After Fang Yan left the hospital room, Zheng Guodong, Li Yang, and Chen Tao stood there dumbfounded, still in shock.

"Young Master Zheng, how about we… change shifts?" Li Yang suggested cautiously.

"Yeah, revenge doesn't have to be immediate," Chen Tao added. "There's a saying, 'A gentleman takes revenge, even if it takes ten years.' Someday, when we become teachers, we'll beat that dog's son into the ground—"

Bang!

Zheng Guodong slammed his fist against the wall, shouting, "We're not leaving! Even if we die, we won't leave. If anyone leaves, it'll be him!"

________________________________________

Fang Yan soon found himself facing retaliation.

He stared at the rusty windows, the moldy, blackened walls, and the water seeping through the ceiling of the small, dingy room and asked, "Is this supposed to be the teacher's dormitory?"

Suzaku High School had an official policy: any in-service teacher could apply for accommodation, and the school would arrange a room for each single teacher.

But the policy didn't specify which room they would get.

When Fang Yan walked around the campus, he had noticed that Suzaku High School's facilities were quite impressive—lush greenery, vibrant flowers, basketball and soccer fields, a swimming pool, and even a gym. In fact, it was better equipped than some second- or third-tier universities.

Clearly, the school wasn't short on money!

But after arriving at his assigned dorm room, Fang Yan realized that things weren't as great as they seemed. If all the teachers had to live in rooms like this, wouldn't they all quit?

"Or is it just me?" A big question mark popped into Fang Yan's mind.

"Yes, it's just you," Xiao Li answered. Xiao Li, a staff member from the school's logistics department, was responsible for arranging Fang Yan's meals and housing. As for the director of logistics—well, sorry, Fang Yan was too low in rank to have even met the esteemed director.

"Do other teachers live here?" Fang Yan leaned out the door, looking down the hallway. "Why haven't I seen any of them around?"

Not only did he not see any teachers, but the entire corridor was completely deserted. Could it be that all the teachers were busy with their classes?

"The other teachers don't live in this area. They've been assigned elsewhere," Xiao Li said impatiently.

"Little brother—"

"Who's your brother?" Xiao Li snapped angrily. "Take a good look at yourself. Are you really older than me?"

In the workplace, no one likes being called 'little.' It implies youth, inexperience, and a lack of seniority. It means no promotions, no privileges, and that you'll always be seen as a junior.

"Big brother, I just wanted to ask, why do the other teachers live somewhere else while I'm stuck here? Look at this place—it's moldy and leaking. Can't I get a different room?" Fang Yan pleaded in a softer tone.

Xiao Li was quite pleased with Fang Yan calling him 'big brother.' Seeing that no one else was around, he lowered his voice and said, "Did you offend someone?"

"No," Fang Yan replied. "I just arrived today. How could I have offended anyone? I didn't even have the time!"

"Strange," Xiao Li said, shaking his head. Even he couldn't figure out how a teacher, reporting for his first day of work, could have offended the school leadership. "There are clearly rooms available in the teachers' dorm, so how did you end up getting assigned to the janitors' area?"

"Janitors' area?" Fang Yan was stunned.

"Do you know who lives in this part of the campus?" Xiao Li asked.

"No idea," Fang Yan shook his head. It seemed the situation was even worse than he had imagined.

"Security guards, the cafeteria cooks, and the boiler room workers—their rooms are all better than yours. This room wasn't even used before—it was a storage room. I don't know how, but you ended up getting assigned here. To make room for you, the logistics department even had two guys come over and clear out the broken furniture."

"This is outrageous! Can't I switch rooms?" Fang Yan asked angrily.

Xiao Li shrugged. "The director assigned you here personally. I don't have the authority to change your room. Unless you can get the director to change his mind or find someone higher up to help you… But if the director made this decision, there's probably a reason for it. You must have offended someone."

"This is too much," Fang Yan fumed. He asked, "Where does your director live?"

Xiao Li jumped in shock. "What are you planning to do? Don't do anything rash—"

After all, Xiao Li had been the one to inform Fang Yan about the room. If Fang Yan went to make trouble for the director, Xiao Li would be dragged into it as well.

"I'm going to bring him a gift," Fang Yan said grandly, with a heroic flair.

Xiao Li almost choked on that response. He stood there stunned for a moment, then broke into laughter.

"You've got the right idea," Xiao Li said, giving Fang Yan a thumbs-up.