A Teacher’s Temper and a Student’s Challenge

Having failed in his attempt to cause trouble, Cheng Li resorted to tattling, which immediately drew a chorus of boos from the students.

The loud sound reverberated through the empty gymnasium, echoing as if stereo speakers were strapped to Cheng Li’s head.

His face contorted in an ugly grimace as he remained rooted to the spot.

Seeing the situation unfold, the two boys who had been supporting him quickly lowered their heads and rejoined the ranks.

Although their relationship with Cheng Li was decent, they weren’t particularly close friends.

Moreover, the current turn of events was quite embarrassing. It wasn’t that Cheng Li had initiated trouble—after all, who hadn’t been involved in a fight or provocation before?

But resorting to tattling on someone after failing to beat them…

Such an action was utterly classless.

They decided it would be best to stop associating with Cheng Li in the future. It would only lower their own standing, and if others misunderstood, their reputations might also suffer.

They had worked hard to be sent by their families to Fenghua High School for a prestigious education; they couldn’t possibly let such trivial matters jeopardize it.

They couldn’t fathom why Cheng Li was so obstinate, choosing to butt heads with Jiang Zhe. Jiang Zhe had Ning Ran and a host of girls protecting him, but what did Cheng Li have?

Was he utterly shameless?

It was always better not to overestimate oneself.

Upon hearing Cheng Li’s complaint, followed by the students’ incessant booing, Wang Yi, the physical education teacher for Class 19, furrowed his brow.

He then roared impatiently, “Everyone, shut up!”

Wang Yi hadn’t been a PE teacher at Fenghua High School for long, only about half a year. The stark contrast between the strict discipline of the army and teaching students in a school setting was significant, and he still hadn’t grown accustomed to it.

Had it not been for an old injury that rendered his body unsuitable for continued military service, Wang Yi would never have voluntarily left, even if it killed him. However, perhaps this very reluctance fueled the spread of his obsession.

Even though his living conditions had noticeably improved, he found himself bored and idle at school every day. Even allowing students to run laps during PE class for some amusement did little to satisfy Wang Yi.

He increasingly yearned for the military life.

This pervasive sense of emptiness from having nothing to do intensified, causing his temper to worsen day by day. He was like a gas canister, ready to explode at any moment with the slightest spark.

Now, hearing someone causing a ruckus in his class, the fuse was immediately lit. He glared at Cheng Li with a dark expression, his robust body, clad in a black tank top, tensing with explosive anger, his muscles rippling, a testament to his formidable strength.

Cheng Li’s face paled under the intense glare, retreating step by step under Wang Yi’s gaze, lowering his head, not daring to meet his eyes.

Seeing that PE teacher Wang Yi was genuinely angry, the chorus of boos instantly fell silent. The students stood as docile as baby chicks, incredibly well-behaved.

The other PE teachers remained silent as well. There was competition among the teachers at Fenghua High School, and Wang Yi, with his family background and capability, held the top position, naturally becoming the undisputed leader among the PE instructors.

After the gymnasium quieted down, Wang Yi suppressed his anger and spoke again, “Jiang Zhe, step forward!”

Upon hearing Jiang Zhe’s name, the previously quiet crowd once again made a considerable stir. This made Wang Yi’s frown deepen, realizing that for students to be unable to restrain themselves in this situation, this Jiang Zhe must be no ordinary person.

Although he had been teaching at Fenghua for half a year, Wang Yi couldn’t be bothered to remember the names of these students. Unlike other diligent teachers, he always had the class monitor handle roll call.

Nor was he afraid of students feigning compliance; members of the student council would occasionally appear to check. If Wang Yi ever caught someone, he guaranteed to train them like his grandson.

After making an example of a few, the others naturally became obedient and dared not take risks.

Jiang Zhe, whom Wang Yi considered an extraordinary individual, had already anticipated this, so he showed no panic. He calmly and self-assuredly walked out of the queue, drawing the gaze of everyone present, as if he were on a dark stage enveloped by a spotlight.

At this moment, Jiang Zhe wasn’t smiling, but his expression was relaxed, completely unfazed by Wang Yi’s dark countenance.

He met Wang Yi’s gaze openly and fearlessly, which actually improved Wang Yi’s impression of him considerably.

Through brief observation, Jiang Zhe quickly discerned Wang Yi’s distinct demeanor, instantly reminding him of his own father, Jiang Dad, who favored a ‘tough love’ approach. He could confidently say that Wang Yi was ex-military, with a volatile and impatient temper.

Having navigated the ups and downs of the business world for years, Jiang Zhe possessed keen insight. He recognized Wang Yi’s unusual behavior, and putting himself in Wang Yi’s shoes, he realized that if he, too, had left the military to teach in a school and spent his days in idleness, he would likely become short-tempered.

He wondered if Cheng Li was fortunate or unfortunate to encounter such a teacher during PE class, even going so far as to become a target for his attention.

However, for Jiang Zhe, becoming a target was no problem at all.

Danger often brought opportunity.

After all, a situation with a PE teacher was easily resolved; he just needed to find something for him to do.

“Speak, what happened?”

“Cheng Li was instigated to cause trouble, and after failing once, he tried again. He was planning to ambush me the moment he arrived at the gymnasium. When that didn’t work, and he couldn’t beat me, he could only go running to the teacher.”

When Wang Yi questioned him, Jiang Zhe answered honestly, but not without setting a trap for Cheng Li with his words.

He deliberately emphasized ‘didn’t work’ and ‘couldn’t beat me,’ both to highlight Cheng Li’s incompetence and to grab the PE teacher’s attention, all while subtly mocking him in front of everyone.

This response indeed piqued Wang Yi’s curiosity. His explosive temper slightly subsided as his sharp, eagle-like eyes scanned Jiang Zhe several times, yet he couldn’t discern what made this slender boy so formidable.

Especially when standing next to Cheng Li, Jiang Zhe appeared even more delicate, clearly not a match in terms of physical size, yet he had won.

It wasn’t that the weak never triumphed over the strong, but the disparity was so great that it was hard to believe.

However, he couldn’t very well make the two of them fight again in public. Wang Yi felt a pang of regret; after all, as a teacher, he couldn’t set a bad example.

Yet, as if he had heard Wang Yi’s unspoken thoughts, Jiang Zhe spoke up proactively.

“Even a mud figure has a bit of fire in it. Classmate Cheng Li has targeted me repeatedly, and I find it quite annoying. Perhaps we could spar now, to save him the trouble of continuing to seek me out. Of course, fighting is wrong, and I hope we can resolve this in a civilized and harmonious manner.”

Jiang Zhe’s words immediately caused a small gasp among the crowd, and everyone’s gaze shifted back to Wang Yi, worried that the grim-faced PE teacher would get angry.

Teachers preferred obedient students, but Jiang Zhe’s current behavior was quite the opposite, clearly challenging him.

Liu Jinglin, Ruan Ling, and the other girls clenched their hearts, fearing Jiang Zhe would be bullied, already prepared to leave the ranks at any moment to protect him.

It was clearly Cheng Li who caused the trouble, not Jiang Zhe’s fault!

Lin Moshu, that sneaky scoundrel, was so petty after merely being asked to apologize. He was truly no man.

After Jiang Zhe’s public naming in the classroom, even though Cheng Li denied it and evaded the question, everyone wasn’t foolish; they naturally suspected there was something fishy going on.

Nine times out of ten, Lin Moshu was indeed instigating things from behind the scenes.

Ning Ran, meanwhile, quietly watched Jiang Zhe, tilting her head slightly in confusion, her black eyes blinking. Before she met Jiang Zhe, hearing other girls talk about him, she had assumed he was merely a handsome, gloomy, and silent boy.

But in just two days, she felt he was nothing like that at all! He gave off a feeling of being both righteous and wicked—a rather strange man.

“Oh, what do you propose?”

Although he knew he was now a teacher and could no longer display the rough demeanor of the military, Wang Yi ultimately couldn’t resist. His eyebrows arched, and he asked with interest.

Fighting could be a minor or serious matter, but the two clearly harbored animosity. Wang Yi felt that as an excellent PE teacher, he should help the two students resolve their conflict.

It certainly wasn’t because he was bored and wanted to watch a show.