Chapter 25

Chapter 25

The day after the birthday banquet was Monday, which included a flag-raising ceremony.

Although Tian Ruan had only been attending school for a few days, he already took pride in it. He got up early and went to the sewing room, pressing his school uniform until it was razor-sharp, fitting like a military uniform before he was satisfied.

He secretly used Yu Jingmo’s hair gel, combing his hair neatly to both sides, plastered flat against his scalp.

When he went downstairs, he drew looks from the servants and Yu Jingmo.

After a beat of silence, Yu Jingmo asked, "Are you cosplaying a traitor?"

Tian Ruan: "...It's vintage!"

Traitor was going too far.

Yu Jingmo: "Redo your hairstyle."

Tian Ruan’s half-hour of effort was wasted. A maid with a thick braid couldn’t help but laugh. "Let me fix it for you, ma'am."

This maid clearly knew her way around hairstyling, so Tian Ruan entrusted his dignity to her.

As it turned out, the maid was indeed skilled, styling Tian Ruan’s hair cleanly and sharply, making him look like a fresh-scrubbed schoolboy.

Tian Ruan was very satisfied. "Thank you, Sister Zhang."

The maid smiled demurely. "If you ever want to try another hairstyle, just come to me, ma'am. I picked up some hairdressing skills in a salon before."

Tian Ruan wondered—was the Yu household hiding this much talent? He immediately asked the butler when he arrived.

The butler, clutching his daily ledger and tucking his pen back into his breast pocket, replied with perfect decorum, "I used to serve in an English earl’s household. After returning to China, I received an invitation from Mr. Yu and came here."

Tian Ruan: "...No way."

Yu Jingmo glanced up. "No swearing."

"Oh, wow then." Tian Ruan then asked, "What about Liu Ma? Is she like...a royal chef or something?"

The butler chuckled. "You're joking, ma'am. Liu Ma was recruited by Mr. Yu from a small-town restaurant."

"What about the others?"

"If you're curious, I have their resumes here."

The butler’s response suggested there was nothing particularly special about them. Tian Ruan gave up—background characters truly didn’t have illustrious backgrounds.

In this world, those who rose from ordinary lives to the upper echelons, like the protagonist couple, were few and far between.

Take Tian Ruan’s current status—Yu Jingmo’s wife—it was already an exceedingly rare position.

Sitting in the luxury car with his powerful husband beside him, Tian Ruan stared at the ornate entrance of Deyin High School, the whole thing feeling increasingly unreal.

The car door had been open for a full minute, yet Tian Ruan remained motionless.

Yu Jingmo called to him, "If you don’t go now, you’ll be late for class."

Tian Ruan snapped out of his daze, slid out of the car, and took off running with his backpack, shouting, "Okay, off to class! Goodbye, Mr. Yu!"

Yu Jingmo watched as he hurried toward the school building, even throwing a quick bow as he passed the statue of Lord Wenchang, and couldn’t help but laugh. "Such a whirlwind."

The driver also laughed, "If I didn't know better, I'd think he was some rich kid."

Yu Jingmo remarked, "There aren’t many rich kids at Deyin High School like him."

"?"

"Children from ordinary families didn’t receive the kind of education privileged kids take for granted growing up. They have no clue about social graces, which makes them seem more innocent."

As Tian Ruan’s figure disappeared into the school building, Yu Jingmo looked away, and the Maybach started and drove off.

After morning reading came the flag-raising ceremony. Principal Li droned on about school rules from the stage.

Soon, the national anthem played, and the flag team marched with crisp, military-style steps toward the flagpole. At Deyin, flag-raising duties rotated among classes, with each class selecting two bearers for the day’s ceremony. Today, it happened to be Class 6's turn for the flag team, and Lu Qiuyan was chosen.

For once, Lu Qiuyan was dressed neatly, and he raised the flag without messing up. The five-starred red flag fluttered in the wind under the bright morning sun.

The seriousness of the occasion made all the students wear serious expressions.

As Lu Qiuyan stepped down from the platform, a girl suddenly shouted, "Lu Qiuyan, I like you!"

Lu Qiuyan stumbled, almost ate pavement. The crowd burst into laughter. Director Hu grabbed the microphone and rasped, "No laughing! That female student, no disruptions during the flag-raising!"

The girl, with the air of a spoiled rich girl, retorted, "The flag’s already up—can’t I confess?"

"No!"

"Well, I’ve already said it! Lu Qiuyan, give me a yes or no!"

The entire school’s gaze instantly turned to the punk-looking guy below the flag-raising platform, causing an uproar.

Director Hu’s scolding didn't faze these rich kids. It wasn’t until Principal Li took the microphone and said, "Quiet," that the noise gradually died down.

Principal Li said, "Keep personal matters private. Be serious."

Tian Ruan shot a quick look back at Yu Shang, who was looking pissed.

Lu Qiuyan’s gaze swept past Class 1 before landing on the confessing girl. He said, "Whether you like me or not is not my problem. I don’t like you."

The girl turned red with rage. "Lu Qiuyan, just you wait!"

"I don’t hit girls, so I won’t." With that, Lu Qiuyan returned to his class’s line, standing at the back with a couldn't-care-less attitude.

That's just how cold the original novel’s Zhu Jueshou was.

Tian Ruan gave a thumbs-up from afar, giving silent props to Lu Qiuyan.

Lu Qiuyan happened to see it, "..."

Meanwhile, Yu Shang’s mood visibly lightened.

In the afternoon, there was an art class. The art room was jam-packed, with each student plopped into a random seat before a solid wooden easel with built-in drawers filled with gouache, watercolors, and markers.

Tian Ruan randomly took a seat and suddenly noticed Lu Qiuyan was also there. Just then, the class bell rang.

The art assistant brought in a stack of drawing paper and distributed it, saying, "Teacher Yu is on maternity leave and won’t be back until next semester. Today, we have a guest teacher, so remember to welcome them."

The students grumbled half-hearted agreements, wondering which artist it might be.

Tian Ruan fiddled with the colorful paints, having zero expectations for this art teacher.

A tall figure strode into the art room—dressed in a white suit and white pants, his champagne-colored, shoulder-length hair tied back. His slender, fox-like eyes glinted mischievously as they squinted against the daylight from the window.

The students' jaws dropped. At first glance, they thought it was a beautiful woman, but upon closer inspection, it was a man...

The man stood still, facing the energetic students. "Hello everyone, my name is He Lansi. I’ll be your sub at Deyin High this semester."

After speaking, he scanned the room, caught sight of Tian Ruan, and blew him a kiss.

Tian Ruan: "The hell's his problem?"

The name He Lansi was infamous in Su City. According to the original novel’s description, though He Lansi had pretty-boy looks, he had been a schoolyard terror since elementary school, throwing down harder than anyone in a fight.

Rumor had it that during college, when his girlfriend cheated on him, He Lansi personally broke the legs of the other man while forcing her to watch. Naturally, she became his ex and fled far away.

There was also a rumor that when his family’s company was swindled out of millions, He Lansi set up multiple 'accidents,' leaving the perpetrators permanently disabled.

But none of that was the most fucked-up story. The most spine-chilling one was from a year when He Lansi attended a gala. Mistaken for a woman due to his beauty, he was harassed. He said nothing at the time but later returned and turned the banquet hall into a warzone, leaving casualties everywhere.

Of course, some claimed the explosion was just an accident and He Lansi had merely been lucky to escape unscathed.

Regardless of the truth, one thing was certain—messing with He Lansi was a death wish.

In the original novel, both the protagonist and his love interest got wrecked by He Lansi.

The worst of it was when He Lansi became the sub at Deyin High. He openly violated discipline and professional ethics, pursuing his own student, Lu Qiuyan, almost sexually assaulting him.

Now, none of that had happened yet, and Tian Ruan felt there was still a chance to prevent it.

At this moment, Lu Qiuyan was posted up alone by the window in the back row of the art room, utterly disinterested in painting.

Just as in the original novel, He Lansi noticed the lone wolf by the window. After assigning the day’s art project, he walked over.

Just as he was about to pass by, Tian Ruan kicked over a bucket of brush-cleaning water. The splashing droplets drenched He Lansi’s expensive leather shoes.

He Lansi went statue-still—then his feet slipped.

"Holy shit—" Tian Ruan had only meant to wet He Lansi’s shoes and stop him in his tracks. He never expected such a small action would trigger a chain reaction.

The art room floor was perpetually stained with leftover paint, which turned slippery when wet—like an ice rink.

He Lansi, unable to adjust his footing in time on the "ice," ate shit in a perfect 'damsel in distress' pose.

The room went dead quiet.

Lu Qiuyan glanced over, puzzled.

Tian Ruan was stunned for a moment before looking up and meeting Lu Qiuyan’s gaze. Instinctively, he gave a dad-like smile.

Lu Qiuyan: "..."

Accident or not, the damage was done—Tian Ruan had offended He Lansi. Quietly, he whipped out his phone and sent an "SOS" to Yu Jingmo.

Far away in his corporate office, Yu Jingmo picked up his phone. "The hell...?"