The Unyielding Mountains and a Reckless Ascent

Seeing Jiang Zhe push his advantage, Cheng Li found himself forced to yield. He wasn’t afraid of Jiang Zhe, who, despite his handsome face, lacked any true backing. However, Lin Moshu and Ning Ran loomed like two insurmountable mountains, figures he dared not provoke.

When he had first accepted Lin Moshu’s command, Cheng Li had intended to seize the chance to pledge his loyalty and align himself with a faction. His secret affection for Ning Ran was undeniable, yet this nascent love paled in comparison to the promise of a brilliant future. Especially given the vast chasm between their social standing, his hopes were effectively nonexistent.

Given the opportunity, Cheng Li would have undoubtedly chosen to align with the influential Ning family. But to cling to such a powerful entity, he needed leverage; a reckless ascent would only lead to a humiliating, precipitous fall.

Thus, among his limited choices, he had selected Lin Moshu.

He had initially believed the task would be simple: tarnish Jiang Zhe’s reputation, humiliate him publicly, and brand him with several severe labels. Instead, the opposite occurred; his initial move was immediately rebuffed.

Now, under the intense scrutiny of his classmates, Cheng Li felt cold sweat constantly break out on his forehead. Their gazes seemed to solidify, coiling around him and suffocating him.

In that moment, a pang of regret struck him. He felt he had been too kind.

Why had he chosen to pick a fight in class, hoping to punish Jiang Zhe with words and public opinion? He could have simply waited until no one was around, ambushed him, and beaten him black and blue. That would have taught Jiang Zhe a lesson and completed Lin Moshu’s assignment.

“Jiang Zhe, don’t you dare slander Lin Moshu! I simply can’t stand the sight of you. What kind of man hides behind women all day? Don’t you feel any shame?”

Unable to retreat and equally unable to advance, Cheng Li could only resort to baseless accusations.

Jiang Zhe, however, disregarded all decorum and simply rolled his eyes. Others would kill for a ‘pretty boy experience card’; why should he feel ashamed? Was he so full of himself?

Jiang Zhe’s chauvinism wasn’t strong. It was often said that women held up half the sky, and the formidable businesswomen he had encountered were as cunning as devils, capable of twisting men around their fingers and making them money.

While relying on looks and body was a lesser choice, most achieved success through high intelligence, sharp insight, and an undeniable aura of charisma, always maintaining the upper hand. Faced with such opponents, the distinction between genders often blurred. Thus, Jiang Zhe hadn’t inherited his father’s or brothers’ strong chauvinistic tendencies. Still, he occasionally received calls from wealthy older women, inviting him to discuss grand ventures in the evening, all of which Jiang Zhe sternly refused.

“You can’t stand the sight of me? Well, I can’t stand the sight of you! You’re ugly but dream big, and live by the sea, so you think you can meddle in everyone’s business?”

Jiang Zhe didn’t respond directly. If Cheng Li was going to be unreasonable, why should he bother with a serious reply? He would fight magic with magic.

Moreover, he was simply biding his time.

Upon hearing Jiang Zhe’s retort, the surrounding students, who had been whispering amongst themselves, glanced at Cheng Li with obvious mockery, fueling his frustration to the point of wanting to explode. Jiang Zhe had called him ugly again! He wasn’t ugly at all!

Cheng Li struggled to suppress his urge to roar. Meanwhile, Jiang Zhe covertly checked the time on his phone, knowing this chaotic scene was about to conclude. He couldn’t even be bothered to pretend anymore, silently counting down the seconds in his mind.

3

2

1

“What are you all doing? Class is about to start.”

Just as Jiang Zhe finished his mental countdown, the teacher appeared at the classroom door, tapping on the frame. His stern face caused the students to immediately cease their gossip, settling back into their seats in silence.

The students at Fenghua High were either rich or powerful. Ordinary teachers struggled to control them, so the school specifically hired a batch of instructors with strong backgrounds and genuine expertise, who could perfectly suppress the students with their authoritative presence.

Coupled with Fenghua High’s official warnings, no student dared to defy discipline; instead, they were remarkably well-behaved.

This was why Jiang Zhe knew the chaos would end precisely then. After all, he had never heard his niece mention any incidents of teachers and students clashing in this dating game.

She only complained about why the male leads were always students, when teachers were also quite appealing. Especially since Fenghua High’s teachers often had significant backgrounds and the charm of mature men; a change of pace wouldn’t be bad.

However, Jiang Zhe believed that, given the domestic gaming industry, the absence of game storylines featuring teacher-student conflicts or romances was likely due to concerns about passing game censorship. Currently, even blood effects in games couldn’t be red, but had to be changed to other colors, indicating the powerful scrutiny of the review process.

The smoke of battle dissipated. Cheng Li, his face grim, sat down and, suppressing the urge to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, secretly let out a sigh of relief. For the first time, he found Fenghua High’s teachers remarkably amiable, like saviors in a crisis.

Jiang Zhe, that guy, never played by the rules. Even when mocked, he didn’t get angry, like a clay figure with no temper. Yet, the occasional mocking smile he displayed suggested otherwise. He just wanted to punch him.

As Cheng Li pondered finding an opportunity to beat Jiang Zhe, Ruan Ling and the other girls saw that ‘that grandson’ Cheng Li had stopped his antics. They felt a sense of regret as they returned to their seats, wishing Cheng Li would be brainless enough to provoke Jiang Zhe again.

Their earlier self-introductions to Jiang Zhe were crucial for fostering friendship, and they needed Cheng Li to be a stepping stone, to shine brightly and help them get closer. Alas, the teacher had arrived too soon!

Facing the stern teacher at the front, the students in the class dared not rebel. They could only pull out their phones, log into the campus forum, and quickly post firsthand information, vying to be the fastest campus news providers.

Jiang Zhe, however, did not follow the crowd to browse the forum. As the classroom quieted, with only the teacher’s voice lecturing, he continued to flip through the math textbook on his desk, quickly scanning it from beginning to end.

His page-turning was swift, almost without pause, drawing puzzled looks from those who noticed him. They wondered what Jiang Zhe was doing. ‘Just read the book, why flip so fast? You don’t need to be so perfunctory even if you’re pretending!’

”It seems a poor student is always a poor student; their enthusiasm for studying can’t even last five minutes.”

Jiang Zhe, oblivious to their silent criticisms, continued to flip through the book. The teacher on the podium did indeed have some skill; the lesson content was excellent, suitable for students to quickly memorize and learn. Unfortunately, it wasn’t suitable for Jiang Zhe. Self-study would be faster and more adaptive for him.

Fortunately, the teacher had no intention of being nosy. They merely glanced at Jiang Zhe with a hint of doubt, then quickly averted their gaze and continued lecturing, having long given up any hope for this ‘poor student’ Jiang Zhe.

Most people, upon seeing Jiang Zhe’s face, assumed he would excel in other areas as well. Unfortunately, upon closer acquaintance, they would discover this to be a grave misconception; he was merely a handsome idler. Especially regarding academics, one should harbor no expectations whatsoever. Therefore, no matter how quickly Jiang Zhe flipped through his book, he failed to capture the teacher’s attention, allowing him to continue reading uninterrupted for two consecutive classes.

”Ring ring!”

Soon, the bell for class dismissal rang, signaling the start of the third period: physical education. The opportunity had arrived.