Ultimate Teacher

Kong Guodong lay on the floor, panting heavily. His nose was bleeding, and his eyes were swollen, making him look extremely disheveled. After receiving several punches to the face and kicks to the body from his two "good brothers," Li Yang and Chen Tao, the effects of the alcohol had finally worn off.

Despite his influential family background, Kong Guodong couldn't help but feel a pang of fear. After all, a student attacking a teacher was not only against the law but also violated societal norms. Now, as the fear set in, shame and anger quickly replaced it.

"It must've been his trick," Kong Guodong thought to himself. He wasn't a fool—he knew something strange was going on here. He knew Li Yang and Chen Tao well enough to understand that they wouldn't beat him up without reason. And yet, here they were, lying next to him.

In fact, they were in even worse shape than he was. Kong could hit them without restraint, but when Li Yang and Chen Tao fought back, they were more cautious, pulling their punches. Still, the question remained: how had Fang Yan managed to make them attack each other?

He hadn't even seen Fang Yan make a move. So how did every punch and kick end up landing on his own people?

Fang Yan crouched down beside him and asked, "You okay?"

"You bastard, Fang. You've got guts," Kong Guodong snarled through gritted teeth. He'd taken a punch to the mouth, and speaking hurt, making him wince. The pain only deepened his hatred for Fang Yan.

"No need to doubt that. I'll definitely get married and have a few kids," Fang Yan said, smiling. "With genes this good, not passing them on would be a disservice to humanity."

"You dare mess with me? I'll make sure you wish you were dead. Just you wait. Soon you'll be kicked out of Suzaku—there's no way you'll be teaching here for long."

"Seems like you still have plenty of energy, so I guess you're fine," Fang Yan said calmly. He stood up, looking down at Kong Guodong, his tone becoming stern. "Drinking, fighting, causing chaos in the classroom, attacking your teacher and classmates—do you still consider yourselves students? You're not students, you're thugs. Criminals. I'll be recommending to the school that you face serious disciplinary action for this."

Kong Guodong almost fainted from rage. He struggled to his feet, glaring at Fang Yan with venomous eyes, and rasped, "Fang Yan... You'll pay for this. Pay dearly."

Li Yang and Chen Tao also managed to get up, their bodies battered and bruised. The three exchanged looks of shared anger and contempt toward Fang Yan, but also a hint of pity. Supporting each other, they limped out of the classroom, their earlier fight seemingly forgotten. Once again, they were a miserable but united trio, bound by bad luck and resentment.

Fang Yan watched them leave, then turned to his students and said, "These students are out of control."

"Teacher—"

"As your teacher, it's my duty to lead by example and show you the right path," Fang Yan said, striking a heroic pose. "We must stand firm in our fight against the forces of evil, even if they are our own classmates."

"His dad's a board member," Huang Haoran muttered, clutching his bruised forehead.

Fang Yan's expression stiffened. His mouth opened slightly, and he muttered bitterly, "It's too late to chase after them and apologize, right?"

The silence from the students was the only answer he needed.

Yeah, definitely too late.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the office, Lu Chaoge couldn't help but feel annoyed as she glanced at a once-beloved plant. Climbing vines, once so full of promise, now felt like a metaphor for her growing frustration.

That guy—was he really here to be a teacher?

Why was it that after just one class, a highly influential board member had already called her office, demanding Fang Yan's dismissal and threatening legal action?

A teacher hitting a student—that was an extremely serious accusation. If word got out, it would severely damage the school's reputation.

How could a teacher, in this day and age, resort to corporal punishment?

"Young people, too impulsive," Lu Chaoge thought with a sigh, shaking her head.

The sound of a knock on her office door interrupted her thoughts.

Lu Chaoge moved from the corner and sat down at her desk, then called out, "Come in."

Fang Yan walked in with a bright smile on his face. "Principal Lu, you wanted to see me?"

"Sit," Lu Chaoge gestured toward a chair, her tone all business. She planned to criticize him a little, then let him go. That would appease the old principal and smooth things over.

"Thank you, Principal Lu," Fang Yan said as he pulled out a chair and sat down in front of her desk. "I didn't expect to see you again so soon—must be fate."

"—" Lu Chaoge felt her chest tighten with frustration. It was as if the anger in her heart couldn't be released or contained, leaving her deeply uncomfortable.

Why did she always feel the urge to act brutally around this guy?

"This isn't fate. I've called you in because there's something we need to discuss," Lu Chaoge cut him off, determined to end his delusion.

"No, it's definitely fate," Fang Yan insisted. "Think about it, Principal Lu. There are more than two hundred teachers at this school, not to mention all the office staff. Why, of all people, would you specifically need to speak with me? That's not coincidence—that's fate."

Lu Chaoge suppressed the growing urge to throw him out and dove straight to the point. "Someone reported that you had a serious altercation with students. Is that true?"

Fang Yan sighed softly. "Principal Lu, to be honest, I anticipated this kind of situation even before I took the job. I mentally prepared myself for it."

"You see, students are young. Their emotions can get out of control, and they tend to act impulsively. It's inevitable. As a philosopher once said, even God can forgive the mistakes of the young. Now, I may not have the divine patience of God, but I understand that as a teacher, I need to be more tolerant."

"Mr. Fang—"

"Whatever the students do to me, I can take it. After all, I'm their teacher. I plan to talk to them soon and help them recognize their mistakes—"

"Mr. Fang—"

"You don't need to worry about comforting me, Principal Lu. I'm a man. I can handle this. Even though they tried to hit me, I never hit back. I just stood my ground—"

"Fang Yan—" Lu Chaoge was about to lose it. Was this man seriously patting himself on the back?

"Principal Lu, let's just let bygones be bygones. However, we should learn from this incident. When it comes to these troublemakers, we should focus on educating them instead of kicking them out. Right now, they're just small-time thugs. If we expel them, they'll turn into real criminals. In school, they can only cause me trouble, but once they're out in society, the damage they cause will be much worse."

"Fang Yan, shut up!" Lu Chaoge slapped the desk in frustration.

"—" Fang Yan looked at her in stunned silence. This woman... Couldn't she just talk calmly? Why was she so angry?

"Whew—" Lu Chaoge exhaled, finally finding an opening to speak.

"Fang Yan, someone has accused you of physically punishing students. Is this true?" Lu Chaoge's sharp gaze locked onto Fang Yan, her tone ice-cold.