Ultimate Teacher

As a principled public school teacher, Fang Yan would never even consider bribing his superiors. Besides, even if he wanted to, where would he find the money?

When he ran away from home, he had only managed to grab some cash from his drawer. He didn't dare bring his bank cards or credit cards—because even if he had them, he wouldn't dare use them. With the power and influence of the Fang family and the Ye family, if he even so much as withdrew cash from an ATM in this city, by the next day, a full battalion would come storming after him.

And once they found him, they'd probably kill him.

Running away during the annual martial arts tournament? He could already imagine the fury of that woman, Ye Wengrou, and the sheer rage of his father—no point thinking about it, though. Today's bad enough as it is, best not to dwell on those depressing thoughts.

Going to the department head to plead his case? What a waste of time. If the head had dared to act this way, he obviously had the higher-ups' approval. Going to beg him would just be asking for humiliation.

Is Fang Yan stupid? Now that's a stupid question.

Appealing to someone higher up than the department head? Now that might just work.

But the old principal had retired and wasn't involved in anything anymore. Fang Yan had only just started here today, and the only person he knew above the department head was Vice Principal Lu Chaoge. Should he ask her for help?

Fang Yan shook his head.

Men are born to solve their own problems. How could he, as a man, always rely on a woman to bail him out?

No. Fang Yan decided he would solve this problem on his own.

And the solution was simple: Damn it, I'll just move out of the dorm.

If this place won't let me sleep, I'll find somewhere else to sleep.

"What a true, iron-willed man," Fang Yan thought, almost moved to tears by his own stubborn refusal to bow to the so-called "evil forces." He'd rather suffer than stoop to such lows.

Fang Yan wasn't exactly homeless. After running away, he had rented a small apartment in Huacheng.

It cost 500 yuan a month, with a deposit and two months upfront—1,500 yuan gone in the blink of an eye. His pockets were now running low, and for the first time in his life, Fang Yan was facing what he could only describe as a "survival crisis."

That was why he had been hoping to get a room in the school dorm. If the school approved his request, he could talk to his landlady about canceling the lease and maybe even getting some of his rent back—

Originally, Fang Yan had thought about negotiating with the landlady, maybe even asking her to switch to a "pay one month at a time" plan, but her response had killed that thought instantly: "My daughter needs money for school fees."

Chepi Village—that's where Fang Yan's apartment was located. It was an urban village within the bustling city of Huacheng.

In this international metropolis, you'd find some people driving flashy luxury cars and living in seaside mansions with mountain views. High-end designer stores lined the streets, and restaurants served meals that cost tens of thousands. But far more common were the gray-faced workers, eyes dark from exhaustion and too many overtime shifts, riding the subway or bus back to the cramped little rooms they rented, where they'd finally reunite with their wives and children. These "ant tribe" workers only allowed themselves to smile once they returned home, where, in their cozy little apartments, they were the kings.

Fang Yan hadn't been one of them before, but now, he had joined their ranks.

When Fang Yan returned to the courtyard, his landlady, Sister Li, was washing vegetables in the central yard, preparing dinner.

"Xiao Fang, you're back?" Sister Li greeted him warmly.

"I'm back," Fang Yan replied with a smile.

"Did you find a job?"

"Yeah, I found one."

"So quickly?" Sister Li straightened her sturdy waist and looked at him in surprise. "Xiao Fang, you're doing great! Finding a job so fast! It's tough out there these days—so many fresh graduates struggle to find work. Think about it, with no work experience, which company would dare hire them? No company can afford to keep idle workers on the payroll."

"I just got lucky," Fang Yan said modestly.

"Yeah, you're really lucky. You've only just arrived, and today you've already found a job. I've had other college graduates rent from me before—one of them couldn't find work for six months. Six months later, he bought a train ticket back to his hometown, and even then, he had to ask his family for the ticket money." Sister Li bent down to continue washing her vegetables. "By the way, what job did you find?"

"I'm teaching Chinese at Suzaku High School," Fang Yan said, already opening the door to his room.

"Suzaku High School? That's a prestigious school—everyone knows its name!" Sister Li exclaimed. Then, suddenly, her voice shot up, full of shock: "What? You're a teacher at Suzaku High School?"

"Yeah," Fang Yan turned back, puzzled. "Is there something wrong?"

Sister Li's eyes widened, scanning him up and down, as if seeing him in a new light. "You're really a teacher at Suzaku High School?"

"Yes," Fang Yan replied, understanding her disbelief. He looked too young for people to think he could be a high school teacher.

"You're not lying?"

Fang Yan smiled wryly. "Sister Li, what would I gain from lying to you?"

"Impressive," Sister Li said, nodding repeatedly, though her eyes now held a curious glimmer. "Really impressive. Well then, Teacher Fang, you go rest for a bit. Tonight, no eating out—I'll cook a couple extra dishes. When your Uncle Jiang gets home, you two can have a few drinks."

"Sister Li, that's really not necessary," Fang Yan replied, surprised by how quickly her attitude had shifted. It wasn't just the change in how she addressed him; now she was inviting him to dinner too?

"Don't be so polite. It's fate that brought you to rent from me, after all. I've always invited my tenants for a meal. That settles it—I'll get things ready now. If you're hungry, I've got some bread in the house—"

"I'm not hungry right now," Fang Yan quickly interrupted.

"Alright, just wait a bit then. I'll call you when it's time to eat," Sister Li said.

Fang Yan entered his room and turned on the light. The small, less-than-thirty-square-meter room immediately lit up.

There was a bed and a desk inside, and even a small shower. The conditions were modest—nothing compared to his family home—but Fang Yan felt relaxed and content. He had been sleeping soundly here these past few nights, not even dreaming.

Here, he had no pressures, and he could finally breathe the air of freedom.

Fang Yan had originally planned to take a quick shower and grab a bite to eat outside, but since Sister Li had invited him, dinner was now settled.

After a shower, Fang Yan lay down on his bed with a book and, before he knew it, he had dozed off.

In his groggy state, he felt someone entering the room.

He remembered that Sister Li had said she would call him for dinner, so he figured he'd pretend to wake up when she called a second time. If he jumped up the moment she called, it would look like he had been waiting to eat, which would be embarrassing.

But to his surprise, Sister Li didn't call out to him. Instead, she quietly approached him step by step.

"Huh? What's Sister Li doing?" Fang Yan suddenly felt nervous, more so than when he faced Ye Wengrou. No, this was just as nerve-wracking as dealing with Ye Wengrou. "Could it be that Sister Li, upon seeing my handsome face, has had some evil thoughts and now wants to take advantage of me while I'm asleep?"

"No way. I absolutely cannot let her get away with it." Fang Yan steeled his resolve—he couldn't let his reputation be ruined by a woman with a barrel-shaped waist.

She reached out.

Fang Yan could feel it—she was actually reaching toward him!

Enough was enough—he couldn't tolerate this any longer.

Fang Yan shot up from the bed as if waking from a nightmare.

His head collided with someone else's.

"Ouch!" cried a young girl's voice, high-pitched in pain.

"What's going on? That's not Sister Li?" Fang Yan was confused. When he finally saw the girl glaring at him, clutching her head, he felt overwhelmed with guilt: "She just wanted to touch you a little, can't you be generous and let her? What's the big deal?"

"Are you okay?" Fang Yan asked, concerned.

The girl had a fiery temper, and she pointed at him, shouting, "You dare to touch the butcher's daughter? Do you believe me when I say my dad will hack you to death?"