12: Chapter 12 Mu Qing's Threat

The math teacher, Mr. Liu, was a man in his fifties who wore thick glasses. He spoke in a measured, slow-paced manner, and his logic was crystal clear.

When he walked into the classroom clutching a stack of test papers, the room instantly fell silent.

"We're having a pop quiz today. It will take up two periods."

"Perfect timing. The PE teacher is out sick, so we'll be using his class time."

"Ah...!"

"Again?!"

"Is the PE teacher made of glass?!"

"I'm so done!"

"..."

Below the podium, the students groaned in collective misery.

"Quiet!"

Mr. Liu pushed his glasses up calmly.

"The final exams are coming up soon; this is for your own good."

"You should be grateful!"

"Alright, class representative, come up and hand out the papers."

The math representative went up to the podium to collect the papers.

"Oh, right,"

Mr. Liu added,

"For this test, the last question is an extra credit problem. You won't be penalized for not doing it, but you'll get bonus points if you do."

The papers were handed out, and Su Bai quickly scanned through his.

The difficulty was moderate, but the final question was indeed challenging; it was a comprehensive problem combining trigonometry, derivatives, and calculus.

He began to answer, moving at a fast pace.

These problems weren't difficult for him.

When he reached the last question, Su Bai paused to think for a moment.

There were three ways to solve this problem. The most conventional method was using trigonometric substitution, but the calculations were tedious.

The second method involved parametric equations, which was slightly better.

The third...

The tip of his pen moved smoothly across the paper, and the formulas unfolded line by line.

Ten minutes later, he finished the problem.

Su Bai looked up and noticed Li Longyu was still working on the test.

She was slightly furrowing her brows, staring intently at the paper; her pen moved slowly but steadily.

Liu Hao, sitting in front, was scratching his head, clearly stumped by the final question.

Su Bai checked his paper one more time, and after confirming everything was correct, he put down his pen.

There were still twenty minutes left until the end of the exam.

He turned to look out the window. The February sunlight filtered through the camphor tree leaves, casting mottled light and shadows on the desk.

New Year was coming soon.

Spring was on its way too...

For the now-adult Su Bai, spring was arriving as well.

The classroom was filled with the rustling sound of pen tips scratching against paper, the occasional cough, and the soft footsteps of Mr. Liu pacing around.

When the bell rang, Mr. Liu began collecting the papers.

Many students sighed, clearly feeling their performance hadn't been ideal.

"It's over, it's over. I had no idea how to do the last question..."

"I couldn't even understand the question..."

"Li Longyu must have solved it; her math is so good."

"What about that transfer student? It looked like he finished really early..."

"..."

Su Bai didn't join the discussion; he took out a novel to read.

It was the physical copy of Dragon Soldier.

Hmm... in this world, he was the one who wrote it.

Li Longyu packed away her stationery and suddenly turned to him:

"Did you solve the last question?"

"Yeah, did you?"

Li Longyu nodded without answering, but Su Bai saw a hint of confirmation in her eyes.

Her gaze fell on the book in Su Bai's hands, and with a hint of surprise, she asked,

"You like this book too?"

Su Bai paused, then nodded,

"It's alright, just something to pass the time."

"Pass the time?"

Li Longyu frowned, looking slightly displeased,

"This isn't just some ordinary writing; it's a masterpiece! You should read it carefully!"

Su Bai: "..."

Li Longyu muttered to herself,

"It's just that the author is too lazy and is taking forever to release the next volume."

"Maybe... the author is busy with something else and hasn't had time to write it yet."

Su Bai: (Are you serious? Insulting me to my face? Where are your manners?)

He really didn't have time to write right now; he'd only released up to the second volume.

Just wait until the rest comes out—hmph!

I'll kill you off with a plot twist!

——

During the break, Liu Hao turned around with a bitter expression:

"It's over, Su Bai. I couldn't solve the last two big problems! How about you?"

"It wasn't too bad, I finished them all," Su Bai said.

"How did you do it? These aren't questions we're supposed to be able to solve!"

"Just some higher mathematics methods," Su Bai said nonchalantly.

"Higher mathematics?"

Liu Hao's eyes widened,

"You've already self-studied to such an advanced level?"

"Just scratching the surface."

Liu Hao looked at Su Bai, then at Li Longyu who was reading next to him, and finally sighed:

"I don't understand the world of straight-A students..."

——

The second period was Chinese, and the teacher was explaining classical literature.

Su Bai was a bit distracted; he had already memorized this material by heart.

"The new student."

The Chinese teacher suddenly called out, looking displeased,

"It seems my lecture isn't as engaging as your previous school's teacher's. You look like you're about to fall asleep."

Su Bai snapped back to attention and apologized politely,

"I'm sorry. Your lecture is very engaging. Um... actually, it's because I've already mastered this material."

As soon as those words were spoken, the entire classroom fell silent.

Everyone looked at Su Bai in shock.

Everyone knew this Chinese teacher was notoriously petty.

Su Bai was truly fearless in his ignorance!

He was in for it now!

Many people wore expressions of schadenfreude.

Hearing Su Bai's words, the Chinese teacher narrowed his eyes and sneered,

"Oh? You've mastered it?"

"Fine, then please explain the profound meaning behind the phrase, 'It passes on like this, not ceasing day or night.'"

Su Bai stood up, thought for a moment, and answered calmly:

"This phrase comes from the Analects. Literally, it means that everything that passes away flows on like a river, never stopping day or night."

"The deeper meaning is to admonish people to cherish time because time once gone never returns. It also implies a lament for the impermanence of life and the changing nature of the world."

The teacher raised an eyebrow.

This was material he hadn't covered yet.

This kid actually knew it?

Could it be he wasn't lying?

Thinking of this, the teacher didn't make things difficult for him anymore,

"Sit down."

"Yes."

When Su Bai sat down, he felt a gaze from beside him.

He turned and saw Li Longyu looking at him, her eyes filled with a hint of... curiosity?

How was he so good at Chinese too?

She quickly looked away and continued taking notes.

There was another, slightly burning gaze coming from Mu Qing.

When Su Bai looked over, Mu Qing smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.

As her arm moved, it set off a turbulent wave.

Su Bai quickly averted his eyes.

Temptress! Don't you dare corrupt my Daoist heart!

The day's classes passed by in a dull and boring manner.

When the final bell rang, Su Bai packed his bag and walked out of the classroom.

Class monitor Mu Qing had left a step before him. Before leaving, she glanced at him,

"Su Bai, I'll check tonight to see what that female celebrity you mentioned actually looks like. If she's not pretty, just wait for tomorrow... Hmph!"

Mu Qing clenched her little fist in a threatening manner.

Su Bai gave an awkward, bitter smile.

Uh... he was really in trouble now.

After finding out the truth, would Mu Qing beat him to death tomorrow?

But he didn't feel much shyness.

Instead, he felt a tiny bit of... excitement?

Su Bai walked out of the school gate and headed toward the subway station along a familiar path.

He turned into an alley; it was a shortcut to the subway station.

The alley wasn't deep, lined with the back walls of residential buildings and a few locust trees.

After walking in about twenty meters, Su Bai stopped.

Five or six people poured out from both ends of the alley simultaneously, blocking his path forward and back.