Chapter 5: Aunt Ruan Is Just Too Soft!

“He Chen, enough! You should go back to your classroom first!” Pan Shuai noticed that the goddess beside him was trembling all over. Realizing this wasn’t going well, he took charge.

“Yes, Teacher Pan. Let’s go then,” Fang Yifan’s eyes lit up as he chimed in with a sly grin, turning to leave.

“I wasn’t talking to you!”

“No way!” He Chen refused decisively.

“What’s wrong with you two?” Pan Shuai, seeing this, could only force himself to ignore He Chen and focus on addressing Ji Yangyang and Fang Yifan.

“You’re already in senior year and still fighting! Ji Yangyang, driving a car like this as a high school student—is this some kind of flaunting wealth? And bringing the car onto campus is a serious violation of school rules. Are you aware of that?”

“No,” Ji Yangyang replied. Though he wanted to show some respect to Coach Pan, who was quite skilled behind the wheel, he certainly wouldn’t back down in front of so many people, especially with He Chen mocking him about breaking school rules nearby.

“You don’t know?” Before Pan Shuai could respond, Li Tiegun, fuming and speechless, loudly took over the conversation.

“Fine! You don’t know the rules, huh? Later, you’re going to study the school regulations carefully and memorize the student code of conduct.”

Seeing Fang Yifan snickering, Li Tiegun immediately turned to him: “What are you laughing at? You’ll study with him later on how to be a proper high school student!”

Fang Yifan’s smile vanished instantly. Noticing Li Tiegun hadn’t looked at He Chen yet, he protested, “Teacher Li, what about He Chen?”

“Him? Same punishment!” Li Tiegun answered without hesitation.

Pan Shuai’s heart sank, but it was too late to stop it. As expected, He Chen flatly refused: “Ignoring the facts and giving both sides fifty lashes, huh? You’re supposed to be a renowned teacher at a prestigious school, and this is how you handle things? Playing referee is easy—do you even deserve your reputation and your bonus?”

“How am I playing referee?!” Li Tiegun exploded at the touchy spot. “They’re at fault, but do you have no fault at all? Why are you laughing?!”

Seeing the mischievous smile spread across He Chen’s strikingly handsome face only made Li Tiegun angrier. “Ji Yangyang wanted to hit you because you were sarcastically mocking him, right?”

“I’m laughing at your ‘they have fault, but do you have none?’ argument. That’s a classic way of ignoring the facts,” He Chen replied with a sly grin. “This so-called ‘a bit of fault’ is quite interesting.

What’s the ratio of your fault to theirs? Fifty-fifty? So you want to give both sides equal punishment?

If I’m only one percent at fault and they’re ninety-nine percent, then why are you obsessing over my one percent?

By that logic, I’d say: ‘They’re at fault, but as a teacher, you have no fault at all?’

There’s an old saying: ‘A teacher’s laxity is the student’s fault.’

Their mistakes are your responsibility as a teacher! What do you mean ‘fighting in senior year’? They’ve been like this since freshman and sophomore years! Why weren’t they properly disciplined then?

After two years, do you think you can suddenly scold them now? And all this anger isn’t even directed at them, but at me, the so-called ‘slightly at fault’ student. How can you have the nerve?

Their current attitude of breaking rules, showing off, and acting recklessly is all thanks to your two years of ‘careful’ guidance!

Don’t tell me you only teach seniors and never taught them before. If it’s not your responsibility, then are you even a teacher?

As a fellow educator, don’t you have any fault?

And you’re the grade leader, a junior administrator!

If you’re just afraid to discipline them, then that’s a whole other story!”

A history teacher in the office, who had been watching the drama unfold, nearly burst out laughing but quickly coughed to hide it. Under the accusing glances of colleagues, he could only shrug helplessly.

He had watched the new Three Kingdoms drama, and He Chen’s words immediately reminded him of a particular scene. This was long before such lines became internet memes; he really hadn’t expected them to be used so skillfully. How could he not be amused?

Pan Shuai was panicking inside.

Stuck here like this, with parents arriving soon, he seriously doubted whether his goddess would survive without fainting from anger.

Fortunately, someone finally came to their rescue.

He Chen’s sophomore homeroom teacher, having heard the commotion, arrived and called He Chen out.

With hopeful eyes, Pan Shuai saw He Chen grant some respect to the once decent homeroom teacher and follow him out. But He Chen stopped right at the doorway, clearly indicating the matter was far from over.

“Ji Yangyang, why did you bring the car to school? Do you have a driver’s license?” Li Tiegun, calmed somewhat by the sycophantic Pan Shuai, adjusted his tone and looked at Ji Yangyang. When Ji Yangyang produced his license, Li was surprised.

“When did you get this?”

“Just turned eighteen and just got it,” Ji Yangyang replied coolly.

Seeing Li Tiegun flipping through the license, Fang Yifan immediately leaned in, almost nose-to-nose, and was scolded by Li Tiegun. With a cheeky grin, Fang said, “Teacher, let me check it for you—make sure it’s not fake!”

“Who do you think you’re insulting? Does Master Ji need a fake license?” Just as Li Tiegun closed the license and was about to drop the subject, He Chen’s calm voice came from outside the door.

“What really matters is when the license was obtained! Count backward, subtracting the minimum one-month driving course. See if he started learning before he was even an adult.

If so, which driving school gave him special treatment?

That’s the ninety-nine percent of the truth you should really focus on!”

At this, both Pan Shuai and Ji Yangyang’s faces changed. He Chen continued, explaining the reason for their reaction.

“He has such a wealthy uncle, and in senior year he’s driving a three-million-yuan Ferrari. Spoiled rotten, with a racetrack at home. He even has to wear racing gear to school. Instead of studying, he’s always fantasizing about being another Han Han. With means, impulse, and a reckless personality, who would believe he hadn’t driven before he came of age?”

“He Chen, that’s enough. Go back to your classroom!” the sophomore homeroom teacher hurriedly urged.

“No way!” He Chen refused. “My Aunt Ruan is coming soon. I’m afraid someone will pick on her, thinking she’s soft and easy to push around!”

“...” Everyone was speechless.

Just because your Aunt Ruan’s surname is Ruan, you think she’s the soft target?

But considering Professor Ruan’s face and aura, if she were to play a delicate, fragile, pitiable role, she’d be perfect—full of charm.

Like a bullied little cabbage.

Like Lin Daiyu, oppressed by harsh winds and frost.

In that light, He Chen’s meaning of ‘soft’ in ‘afraid to bully the soft’ referring to Professor Ruan’s ‘Ruan’ does have some ironic charm.

Professor Ruan is ‘soft.’

So who’s the ‘hard’ one? That’s obvious.

Li Tiegun’s face turned ashen.

He truly hadn’t expected that He Chen, once known as the school’s handsome heartthrob and usually low-key and calm, could completely change over the summer break—becoming so unruly, sharp-tongued, and aggressive!