C10 Do You Not Know Who the Teacher Is?

Zhou Haoyang gazed at the student before him, his head aching—not his stomach. How did he end up with such a lackluster pupil in his class? And instead of taking a holiday break, the student skipped classes. Zhou couldn't fathom what was going through the kid's mind! It was as if the heavens had sent this student to torment him.

However, the situation had taken a turn; the student's antics had somehow caught the attention of the principal. Zhou Haoyang would have preferred to keep such embarrassments within the family, but now that the principal was aware, he might as well let the principal handle the discipline. After all, this was high school, not compulsory education. Offending the principal could mean serious consequences for the student, making it hard for him to avoid going home.

"Stomach pain can be endured. Chen Xiaomeng, escort Zhao Zhe to the principal's office," Zhou Haoyang commanded, his face stern.

Chen Xiaomeng was reluctant to meet with the principal, but having been singled out, he had no choice but to feign support for Zhao Zhe as they made their way back to the main building. Yet, upon reaching the principal's office, Chen Xiaomeng adamantly refused to enter.

"Zhe, you go in. I'll be out here rooting for you. You've got this—you're no ordinary guy!" Chen Xiaomeng encouraged, fists clenched in support.

Zhao Zhe contemplated fleeing down the opposite end of the corridor, but he knew that if the principal didn't see him, it would only make matters worse. Escalating the situation to the point where parents got involved would surely lead to his grandmother coming after him with a broom, leaving him unrecognizable even to his divorced parents!

Knocking on the door, Zhao Zhe pushed it open and stepped inside. The vice principal in charge of academic affairs, Xu Jian, looked up from behind his glasses. Zhao Zhe suspected that Xu's refined spectacles were just a facade to mask his fiery temperament. Known for his decisive and strict approach to discipline, Xu Jian was not one to be trifled with, and his temper was legendary.

"Prin-principal..." Zhao Zhe stuttered. Despite having slain a white-furred snow rat monster earlier in the day, he was still intimidated by Xu Jian's presence. It was the authoritative aura that Xu had built up over the years—an aura of command, not of cruelty.

Principal Xu Jian looked up and adjusted his glasses with a graceful motion, but his voice was less than pleasant. "Zhao Zhe! You seem to be quite at ease with your student duties. I've heard you've been skipping class for several days now. What's the story?"

"Principal Xu, I..." Zhao Zhe, standing before the imposing Xu Jian, whose face bore both moles and liver spots, suddenly found himself at a loss for words. Claim he had gone off to save the world? Even Chen Xiaomeng wouldn't buy that tale, let alone Xu Jian. Unless, of course, Xu Jian had lost his mind. Claim he was ill? That excuse would require a doctor's note, and even then, Xu Jian's intelligence might not be swayed by Zhao Zhe's pretext.

Xu Jian could see right through Zhao Zhe's lack of a good explanation and, with a sense of satisfaction, he stroked his forehead. "Zhao Zhe, your parents paid good money for you to come here and learn, not to stir up trouble..."

Zhao Zhe felt utterly humiliated. "Principal, I didn't stir up any..."

Xu Jian paused, taken aback. He had never expected a student to respond to him in such a manner. If Zhao Zhe hadn't stirred up trouble, did that imply he viewed his classmates as trouble?

"What kind of language is that!" Xu Jian barked, slamming his hand on the desk and rising to his feet. He grabbed Zhao Zhe by the collar, ready to impart a stern lesson. It was clear that this student needed to be set straight, and Xu Jian felt it was his duty to do so.

Zhao Zhe was startled. He hadn't anticipated that the hot-tempered Xu Jian would resort to physical confrontation. After all, corporal punishment was illegal.

Should he resist, or should he let Xu Jian land a few blows to blow off steam before figuring out who had spilled the beans to the principal? If it wasn't his homeroom teacher, then surely someone didn't want him to succeed.

Suddenly, two beads fell from Zhao Zhe's clothing, rolling down his pant leg and coming to a stop at Xu Jian's feet.

"What's this?" Xu Jian was momentarily confused. Truth be told, he hadn't actually intended to hit Zhao Zhe; he had just been provoked by his words. Now, seeing that he might have ripped the student's pocket and caused two glass beads to fall out, he decided to postpone the disciplinary action for the time being.

"How old are you to still be playing with marbles?" Xu mused as he bent down to collect the glass spheres scattered on the floor. He had initially assumed they were the kind of marbles meant for a first-grader's amusement. Yet, upon closer inspection, he realized these were no ordinary marbles. Standard marbles were either transparent or flecked with color, but these were crystal clear, shimmering with a layer of enigmatic patterns on their surface, reminiscent of the intricate lines within a cat's eye.

Without thinking, Xu Jian reached out and picked up one of the beads. His initial intention had been to tease Zhao Zhe about playing with marbles at his age, but as soon as the bead touched his hand, he completely forgot his own identity.

Something was off—terribly off! A marble should feel cool to the touch, but the chill this particular bead imparted was exceptional. What was this sensation? It was akin to gulping down a bottle of iced tea on a sweltering summer day, feeling the coolness cascade from your throat down to your stomach, then radiating out to every single pore of your body!

While an icy beverage brings a refreshing chill that can sometimes be too intense for the body to handle, the coolness emanating from this bead was different. It was indeed cold, but not uncomfortably so. Rather, it was profoundly soothing, as if all 36,879 pores were luxuriating in the sensation, tempting one to sigh with pleasure. It was like stepping into a perfectly air-conditioned room on a blistering hot day.

In that imaginary air-conditioned sanctuary, there was a large wooden tub filled with warm water and rose petals, and a charming young woman draped in a bathrobe, her steps light and voice a gentle whisper, "Principal, it's time for your bath..."

"Alright... alright..." Xu Jian sank back into his executive chair. Previously, the real leather had made his skin feel uncomfortably sticky with sweat, but now it was as if he were seated on a throne, the comfort unparalleled. Ah, it was truly delightful.

Zhao Zhe had been frightened by Xu's earlier demeanor, half-expecting another outburst of anger. But to his surprise, the principal, upon picking up his snow rat eye bead, had become utterly transfixed, his face a mask of indescribable emotion. He seemed to forget all about Zhao Zhe, sitting there, repeatedly murmuring 'good' in a daze.

"Principal..." Zhao Zhe called out once more. Xu Jian glanced up at him, but the look in his eyes nearly frightened Zhao Zhe out of his wits. It was far too seductive; those were certainly not Xu's usual eyes. Could he be possessed by something? It seemed to be a phenomenon from the south, where such things were notoriously popular. They referred to it as the Godly Skill, used for a particular kind of self-inflicted cut.

What was this enigmatic object? It clearly wasn't glass. The silky feel of it in one's grasp was unlike anything glass could provide. The intricate patterns drew one in deeper and deeper, as if gazing into a wise pair of eyes. The cool sensation that spread from the hand throughout the body was unlike anything ever felt before. It wasn't the chill of air conditioning, nor the sharp jolt to the digestive system from an icy beverage. Simply put, it was soothing. Even the previous burning sensation in his stomach had vanished. Xu had suffered from chronic stomach issues for years, always wishing for some remedy to alleviate his discomfort. Now, he felt as if he'd returned to a time before his stomach ailments began.

Zhao Zhe discreetly backed away, intent on sneaking out of the principal's office. The look in Xu's eyes was unnerving, and he felt it was best to make a quick exit. After all, there were no classes for the next couple of days; he could deal with any fallout later.

"Freeze!" Xu Jian finally snapped out of his trance. Zhao Zhe, who had been about to open the office door, obediently stopped in his tracks at Xu's command.

"What is this?" Xu Jian asked, weighing the bead in his palm, while Zhao Zhe had already retrieved the other one himself.

"What is this?" Zhao Zhe echoed, equally perplexed. What could he possibly say? The eyeball of a snow rat? But how to explain such a creature? Even if he didn't mention the snow rat and simply claimed it was an eyeball, who would believe that? And even if someone did, how would he explain the origin of this eyeball?

"Is this a gemstone?" Xu Jian inquired. His experience suggested it might be a rare cat's eye cabochon. Yet, he had handled cat's eye stones before, and the sensation was nothing like this. The profound impact of this bead had Xu Jian completely captivated.

A gem? Zhao Zhe's eyes flickered. "Yes, Principal Xu. It's a family heirloom from my grandfather—two of them, actually. I can see you're quite fond of it. How about I give you one?"

Zhao Zhe was testing the waters; it was his first time attempting such an overt act of bribery. As for the item's worth, he inwardly sneered at the thought. It was nothing more than a snow rat's eyeball, an animal that had nearly cost him his life! He wouldn't have bothered with it if it hadn't felt like carrying a personal air conditioner.

Principal Xu Jian was taken aback, wondering if he had misunderstood. The impact of this object was far beyond that of any ordinary cat's eye cabochon. Yet here was a student offering him such a treasure—surely, this could be considered bribery.

"Um..." Xu Jian hesitated, his throat dry. "How could I accept your family's treasure? However, it's not appropriate for you to bring something so valuable to school, and you're quite young. It would be best if I kept it safe for you until you graduate, then I'll return it."

"Sure," Zhao Zhe replied nonchalantly. "But let's make it clear, Principal Xu, you'll let bygones be bygones. From this point forward, we're even."

Principal Xu Jian gestured magnanimously, "We're even, absolutely even. You may go now. Come back for it when you graduate. I'll keep it safe for you in the meantime. You know what kind of person I am—I'll take good care of it."