C23 The Strange Attitude of the Homeroom Teacher

"Feng, the situation is quite complicated. I'm not sure how to put it, but let's just say a lot of people aren't rooting for us," Zhou Pangzi said, a hint of sadness on his plump face.

"If they're not rooting for us, so be it. We're going to clinch the championship this time, no doubt about it. By the way, Pangzi, how are the five of them doing? If they're not up to it, we'll just have to step in ourselves," Wang Feng said, rubbing his eyes and stretching languidly.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Pangzi immediately responded, "Lee Xu and Wang Dawei aren't cutting it."

"Alright, let's replace them. We'll take the court ourselves."

"Sure, but Feng, I seem to recall your basketball skills aren't exactly stellar," Zhou Pangzi said, not sparing Wang Feng's feelings as he pointed out his lack of prowess on the basketball court.

In the past, Wang Feng was admittedly terrible at basketball, but that was then. Now, Wang Feng felt like he could do anything!

He was brimming with joy inside, for he was a man endowed with psychokinesis!

"Don't worry, it's a sure thing. They'll definitely see us in a new light!" Wang Feng declared with unwavering confidence.

With that, he stopped paying attention to Zhou Pangzi, got out of bed, and started his morning routine of brushing his teeth and washing his face.

After changing and grabbing breakfast at the school cafeteria, Wang Feng and his friends headed to the basketball court to meet up.

At nine o'clock, the basketball game kicked off. Following a round of knockouts, it was down to just Wang Feng's team and Shen Qingchen's.

The finals were scheduled for the day after tomorrow! They'd have a day to rest before the showdown.

"Wow, Feng, I didn't see that coming. You're pretty good at basketball," Zhao Xiaoying, the class president, said with a grin, giving Wang Feng a thumbs-up.

"You flatter me," Wang Feng replied modestly, with a casual wave of his hand. "It's all routine, just routine."

As soon as he finished, the crowd couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Feng, stop joking around," Zhou Pangzi chuckled, his face glistening with beads of sweat.

There was just no helping it—Pangzi always sweated profusely.

In stark contrast to Zhou Pangzi, Wang Feng was barely sweating at all. That's the difference between someone who's overweight and someone who's not—no comparison, no hurt feelings.

"Zip it, Pangzi!" Wang Feng nudged Zhou Pangzi's arm with his shoulder and tossed him the bottle of mineral water Zhao Xiaoying had given him.

Parched, Zhou Pangzi eagerly opened the bottle and took several large gulps, draining over half of it before grinning and saying, "Thanks, Feng."

"Thanks for what? Just keep it up. If we win the match, I'll buy you breakfast for a month!"

Wang Feng's promise sent Zhou Pangzi into a giddy delight, resembling a joyful child. "You heard him, Feng said it himself! Class monitor, you're our witness!"

"Yep, it's just breakfast for a month. Relax, when have I ever let you down?" Wang Feng playfully tapped Zhou Pangzi's head and exchanged a knowing smile with Zhao Xiaoying.

"Wang Feng, I have a feeling our class is going to take the win this time. I'm rooting for you guys. Oh, the head teacher is looking for me, I have to run," Xiaoying said.

"Sure thing, see you later, class monitor," Wang Feng and Zhou Pangzi chorused, nearly in perfect unison.

After bidding farewell to Xiaoying, Wang Feng and Zhou Pangzi, arm in arm, made their way back to the dormitory. Unfortunately, they ran into Shen Qingchen and his crew en route.

"You guys think you're pretty good, huh? But just you wait, we're going to win the day after tomorrow, and Xiaoying will definitely become our boss's girlfriend!" Shen Qingchen's crony taunted Wang Feng right away.

Zhou Pangzi, also known as Zhou Congcong, bristled at the provocation and retorted with a cold laugh, "Pretty confident, aren't you? Just make sure you don't end up red-faced and embarrassed when the time comes."

"You fatso, what gives you the right to speak? Worthless!" Shen Qingchen's lackey snapped.

"Who are you calling worthless? That's rich, coming from someone with your IQ!" Zhou Pangzi fired back, getting into a verbal tussle with Liu Er, Shen Qingchen's sidekick.

Wang Feng gently tugged at Zhou Pangzi's clothes, giving Shen Qingchen, who was also enjoying the drama, a half-smile and said, "Pangzi, let's not stoop to their level. Come on, I'll treat you to some chicken legs in the cafeteria."

Upon hearing Wang Feng's words, Zhou Pangzi's face, previously filled with anger, was immediately overtaken by joy. He flipped Shen Qingchen and the others the bird and took off!

Shen Qingchen and his group were left scowling, their faces turning a shade darker.

...

The cafeteria was sparsely populated.

Wang Feng treated Zhou Pangzi to two extra chicken legs, and Zhou Pangzi's grin was so wide it nearly twisted his face.

"Hahahaha, Feng, did you see? I just flipped off Shen Qingchen and his crew!"

"Pangzi, you've mentioned that three or four times now. Can you act a bit more normal, please?" Wang Feng was beyond exasperated with Zhou Pangzi. It was just a middle finger, after all. Was it really necessary to laugh like an idiot?

"Oh, okay, Feng. I'll listen to you. I'll stop laughing. Hahahahaha." Zhou Pangzi continued to laugh uncontrollably as if someone had tickled his funny bone.

Wang Feng's forehead creased with frustration. Damn fool!

Half an hour later, Zhou Pangzi's laughter finally ceased, and Wang Feng breathed a sigh of relief. If Zhou Pangzi had kept it up, he might have considered taking him to the hospital for a mental health check.

After finishing their meal in the dining hall, they returned to their dormitory by 3 PM. Wang Feng had intended to catch some sleep, but Zhou Pangzi roused him.

"Feng, we've got class today. I heard there's a new, beautiful teacher in our class. Let's check her out," Zhou Pangzi suggested with a look of excitement.

Seeing Zhou Pangzi so thrilled, Wang Feng didn't have the heart to refuse. Fighting off drowsiness, he accompanied him to class.

Upon entering the classroom and spotting their bald homeroom teacher, Wang Feng's heart sank with regret. What happened to the beautiful teacher he'd been promised?

Thankfully, it was only two periods, and the time passed tolerably. Wang Feng felt slightly relieved.

Since the teacher knew Wang Feng and Zhou Pangzi had been playing basketball and arrived halfway through the class, he didn't scold them and allowed them to enter.

Wang Feng slumped into his seat and immediately started to doze off at his desk.

His eyelids were growing heavy.

Just as he was on the verge of sleep, he felt a sharp poke. Wang Feng jolted awake.

Rubbing his bleary eyes, Wang Feng was about to lash out in annoyance, but upon locking eyes with the homeroom teacher, he swallowed his words.

"Mr. Teacher, you're looking particularly sharp today," Wang Feng said with a forced smile, his sarcasm barely veiled.

The moment his words fell, the entire class erupted into laughter.

Zhou Pangzi, in particular, laughed uproariously. Wang Feng shot him a fierce glare, silencing him instantly.

Everyone braced themselves, expecting Wang Feng to face consequences. But to everyone's surprise, the teacher simply returned to the lectern without a word. The students' mouths hung open in shock, their faces a picture of disbelief.

Wang Feng was just as astonished. Was this teacher an imposter? Why was he so lenient today?