Ultimate Teacher

"Mr. Fang," Baldy said as he rowed the boat, trying to console Fang Yan. "Young people shouldn't lose heart so easily. Back in the day, I wanted to become a musician too—"

"And you ended up becoming a school security guard?" Fang Yan turned to look at him and asked, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Baldy chuckled. "Do your students not like you?"

"That's impossible," Fang Yan immediately dismissed the idea. "I'm not bragging, but if Suzaku High School had a vote for the top ten most popular teachers, I'd be number one."

"Then why didn't they clap just now?" Baldy asked, still puzzled. "I may not be very educated, but even I thought your poetry recitation sounded pretty cultured—"

"That wasn't just a recitation. It was a passionate recitation," Fang Yan corrected him.

"Right, right. A passionate recitation. I thought it was full of emotion, but how come they didn't react at all? Look, not a single one of those little brats clapped for you—"

"That's because the timing wasn't right yet." Fang Yan held up three fingers and began counting down, one by one: "Three, two, one—clap."

Clap clap clap—

Right on cue, applause erupted from the students on the bridge, accompanied by excited shouts.

"Mr. Fang, you're amazing! You're so cool! You're just like Xu Zhimo!"

(Glossary: Xu Zhimo was a famous Chinese poet, known for his romantic style.)

"Oppa, oppa, you're my idol!"

(Note: "Oppa" is a Korean term used by girls to refer to older male figures, often with affection or admiration.)

"Mr. Fang, we want to ride the boat too!"

Ignoring the look of shock and admiration on Baldy's face, Fang Yan calmly said, "Baldy, row the boat back."

Baldy was a bit annoyed. "When you borrowed my boat just now, you called me Captain Cai. You can't just burn bridges after using me. You're a teacher—you shouldn't set a bad example by calling me 'Baldy' in front of the kids. It'll give them the wrong idea."

(Glossary: "Burn bridges" is the English equivalent of the Chinese idiom "过河拆桥," which means to abandon someone after getting what you want from them.)

"Alright, Baldy," Fang Yan replied without missing a beat.

"..."

Baldy sighed helplessly. Fang Yan walked over, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Captain Cai, maybe those kids just temporarily forgot, but thank you."

"Every student who graduates from Suzaku High will remember you—a balding man in a boat, chasing dreams on the Zhuque River. You may not stand out now, but in their memories, your shiny head will gleam like gold."

Baldy rubbed his eyes, his face a bit red. "This river is nice and all, but there sure are a lot of bugs... Mr. Fang, you can keep calling me Baldy—I actually like it."

"Alright, Baldy," Fang Yan said with a laugh, putting an arm around Baldy's shoulder.

When the boat reached the shore, Fang Yan waved at the students on the bridge and called out, "Come on over!"

The students rushed over with excitement.

"Mr. Fang, why did you go get a boat?"

"Baldy, have you had any drinks today?"

"Mr. Fang, you're not going to make us learn poetry on the boat, are you?"

"That's exactly what I'm going to do," Fang Yan said with a smile. He could clearly feel that his students were looking at him differently, especially some of the girls. What's going on? I'm your teacher, you know. We're not a good match, okay? Are you seriously thinking about hitting on me?

"Dreams? Holding a long pole, drifting to where the grass grows greener—how are we supposed to pole a boat without one? What is poetry? Poetry comes from the heart. Only when you sit on the boat can you truly feel the romance and passion of this poem."

The students burst into spontaneous applause.

And so, today on the Zhuque River, this scene unfolded.

The wooden boat slowly drifted along, as one by one, students in their Suzaku High School uniforms stood proudly at the bow, holding their books high and reciting: "Dreams? Holding a long pole, drifting to where the grass grows greener—"

As they recited, some of them added their own goofy actions. For example, when reading, "Quietly I leave, just as quietly as I came," they would blow dramatic farewell kisses to the students on the shore. And when reading, "The golden willows on the riverbank, brides in the sunset," they would give the girls in class exaggerated, lovestruck expressions.

It was a mix of poetry recitation, scene reenactment, and free creative expression.

After each student finished reciting, Baldy dutifully ferried them back to shore, and the next student eagerly hopped onto the boat. The students had already lined up in an orderly fashion by their student numbers, taking turns without any arguments or pushing—just shared excitement and understanding.

Ding ding ding—

The school bell rang.

"Ahhh—" The students groaned in disappointment.

"Why is class over already?"

"Yeah, it's not even my turn on the boat yet!"

"What should we do? I don't want class to end!"

Hearing the commotion behind him, Fang Yan raised a hand to signal for quiet and smiled. "You all don't want to go back?"

"No!" The students shouted in unison.

"You still want to have class on the Zhuque River?"

"Yes!" The students shouted eagerly.

Some of them even whined, "But we've been waiting so long! It's not fair if we have to leave now!"

Fang Yan nodded understandingly. "Alright, we'll continue. The next class is also Chinese, remember?"

"Yay!" The students cheered, with some of the more enthusiastic ones even jumping for joy.

However, the end of class had attracted a crowd. More and more students, curious about this novel teaching method, gathered at the riverbank to watch. Zhuque River, once quiet, was now packed with people pointing and discussing this unusual lesson.

In Suzaku High—or even in high schools across the country—no teacher had ever taught Farewell to Cambridge Again in this way.

Bang bang!

There was a knock on the office door.

Lu Chaoge quickly covered up the student financial aid plan she was reviewing and called out, "Come in."

Zheng Jing, plump and smiling, rushed in. First, he attentively refilled Lu Chaoge's teacup with hot water, and then, with a grin on his face, he said, "Principal Lu, something interesting is happening at school."

"What's so interesting?" Lu Chaoge asked, her face expressionless. Although she knew Zheng Jing was placed by someone to act as a lackey and informant, she did need someone to keep her updated on the latest school affairs. Zheng Jing handled this role well. There are no useless people in this world, only those who haven't found their proper place.

"That new teacher—Fang Yan," Zheng Jing said with a chuckle. "He took all the students from Class Nine to Suzaku Bridge and had Baldy rowing them around on the Zhuque River."

Lu Chaoge jumped to her feet.

That fool! What is he thinking? Doesn't he know that Zheng Tiancheng's people are watching him like hawks?

Lu Chaoge felt like she'd made a mistake by keeping this troublemaker around. Had she really allowed him to stay just because he made some improvements to the "Stairway to Heaven"?

Since Fang Yan arrived, her job had become far more complicated.

"Why is he doing that?" Lu Chaoge asked.

Seeing her growing anger, Zheng Jing decided to add fuel to the fire. "I asked around, and they said it was to teach the poem Farewell to Cambridge Again. Is this an appropriate teaching method? Taking students out on the river just to learn a poem? What if something happens to them? Whose responsibility will that be? Fang Yan's just too young and reckless. I fear the board will come down hard on him this time. You've worked so hard to protect him, but he doesn't seem to appreciate it at all—"

"Have you finished?" Lu Chaoge asked, staring at him coldly.

"Principal Lu—"

"Take me to see."

"This is outrageous!" Chen Dahai stormed into Li Mingqiang's office, fuming. "Director, this can't go on! What if a student gets hurt? The parents would tear us apart!"

Li Mingqiang, who had a close relationship with Chen Dahai and was also part of Zheng Tiancheng's faction, waved for him to sit down. "Old Chen, what's got you so riled up this time?"

"That fool of a Chinese teacher! Instead of teaching properly, he's taken the students out to the river for a boat ride. Whose responsibility is it if their grades fall behind? And if something happens to them, who's accountable? This is Suzaku High, not a daycare center!"

Li Mingqiang's eyes lit up, and he laughed. "This fool sure has guts. But isn't this the perfect chance to get rid of him?"

Chen Dahai grinned. "So, should we let Lao Jia take the lead this time?"

"Lao Jia is the head of the first-year Chinese department—it's only fitting for him to speak up," Li Mingqiang said thoughtfully. "Once we get rid of Fang Yan, our beautiful principal won't be too pleased, will she?"

"That's your chance to comfort her, Director. Maybe you'll even get a kiss," Chen Dahai said, flattering him.

Li Mingqiang shot him a sharp look. "Old Chen, watch what you say. That could get us both into trouble."

"Yes, yes, I understand, Director," Chen Dahai quickly apologized. With that "big shot" backing her, there's no way we could actually get close to her. Trying would be like stopping a tank with a mantis—completely futile.

"Just be more careful in the future. No need for apologies between brothers, right?" Li Mingqiang waved it off. "Now, go get Lao Jia. We need to have a chat. As the head of the Chinese department, he can't stay silent on something this serious."

"Yes, Director. I'll go get him right away," Chen Dahai replied with a smile. "Last time, Fang Yan got away, but this time, let's see how he escapes!"

"Old Chen, we're not getting rid of him for personal reasons. We're cleaning up the teaching staff at Suzaku High, making sure to remove any bad influences."

"Of course, Director. You always see the bigger picture."

The two exchanged a knowing look, then burst out laughing.