Chapter 15: Classroom Chaos

“Finished?”

“Finished.”

“I’m still hungry.”

“Even if you’re hungry, it’s all gone.”

“……”

He Lijun looked at Wan Kun and felt that he seemed genuinely entertained by this trivial, meaningless exchange. He could probably go on talking like this until midnight. She quickly stopped herself, set down her chopsticks, and said,

“Then eat some more at home later.”

Wan Kun nodded, “Okay.” He put down his bowl and watched He Lijun eat.

She felt uncomfortable under his gaze.

“Go home,” she said.

For a brief instant, his expression faltered, then he nodded lightly. “Okay.”

He stood up, picked up his bag from the sofa, and He Lijun said, “Take the remaining medicine with you.”

Wan Kun said nothing. He didn’t take the ointment, slung his backpack over one shoulder, and turned to leave. He didn’t say goodbye. The door slammed behind him with a forceful swing.

“……”

Whether it was psychological or not, He Lijun felt the door slam with an almost shocking impact.

She kept turning her head, back and forth, several times, finally slamming her chopsticks down on the table.

What was that about?

Slamming the door? Throwing a tantrum at her?

She had gone out of her way to run errands for him, lend him money, save him from danger, even cook for him. And now, in return for all this responsible care, he was sulking at her?

She exhaled in disbelief, feeling completely frustrated.

---

The next day at work, He Lijun was surprised to find Wan Kun and Wu Yueming in her class. They had come in carrying their backpacks, walking alongside her, almost as if timing their arrival perfectly.

Wan Kun caught her eye at the door, then acted as if he hadn’t seen her at all, and went straight in.

He Lijun couldn’t help but smile slightly. She placed the books on the podium and started taking attendance. Afterward, she said,

“Yesterday, the teacher wasn’t feeling well, so we didn’t have class. Today, we’ll have two sessions to make up for it.”

“Teacher, where weren’t you feeling well?” From the back of the class, Wu Yueming called slowly, drawing out his words. Wan Kun, arms crossed, simply stared at He Lijun.

Instantly, she knew: Wu Yueming’s mischief in class was probably Wan Kun’s idea.

She looked at Wu Yueming. “Thank you for your concern, but we’re in class now. Please pay attention.”

“Yesss—” Wu Yueming dragged his voice out again.

Other students tried not to laugh, and the atmosphere in the class became slightly tense.

He Lijun ignored it and picked up a test paper.

“This is the test from the day before yesterday. These questions cover classical poems frequently seen in recent college entrance exams. I’ve graded the papers, and there are still some mistakes. Today, we’ll go through them. Turn to the first page. Who can read the first question?”

“Bang—!”

He Lijun’s words were cut off by a loud noise. The whole class looked over. A boy in the back row had tilted his chair too far and toppled backward.

She walked over and helped him up.

“Are you okay?”

The boy, Zhou Xiaodan, covered his backside and glanced at Wu Yueming as if to complain. Wu Yueming chewed gum, coldly staring at him. Zhou Xiaodan lowered his head.

“I’m fine.”

He Lijun wasn’t naive. She glanced at Wu Yueming, who immediately switched to a meek expression.

“Teacher? What’s wrong?”

Her gaze shifted to Wan Kun behind him. Leaning casually on the chair, legs stretched out, he returned her gaze with a provocative look, completely unconcerned.

She swallowed, then snapped at Wu Yueming:

“Spit out your gum! Do you know we’re in class?”

Wu Yueming reluctantly swallowed the gum, opened his mouth wide, and wiggled his tongue.

“Teacher, you must have seen wrong. I didn’t chew gum.”

He Lijun truly wanted to tear his tongue out. She held back her anger, glared at him, and returned to the podium to continue the lesson.

“Who will read the first stanza?”

Wu Wei, a front-row student, raised his hand.

He Lijun smiled faintly. “Wu Wei, you read it.”

“Teacher, I want to read too.”

Hearing this, she slowly raised her head.

All eyes turned to Wan Kun.

Seeing Wan Kun raise his hand in class was as unbelievable as winning a lottery. Coolly, he repeated:

“Teacher, I want to read too.”

Wu Wei stood there confused.

Knowing Wan Kun was deliberately causing trouble, He Lijun coldly said,

“Read the next question.”

Wan Kun lowered his hand, glanced at Wu Wei. Wu Wei shivered, lowering his head almost onto the paper.

“Wu Wei, you read.”

The first question involved filling in lines from Li Yu’s “Meeting Joy”.

Wu Wei, too nervous, blurted out:

“Wu…wu…silently ascending the green tower, the mo…mo…moon like a hook…”

He Lijun: “……”

The class was silent for two seconds before erupting in laughter. Wan Kun and Wu Yueming led the charge, laughing until tears came.

Wu Wei, still clueless, finally realized his mistake, his face turning bright red. He wished for a hole to hide in.

He Lijun couldn’t help herself and pounded the blackboard twice.

“Everyone, stop laughing!”

The students reluctantly stifled their laughter.

She pointed at the door, eyes unwavering, staring at Wan Kun.

“Out.”

Wan Kun shot her a cold look.

Other students, realizing she was serious, stayed quiet.

Her tone remained firm, low but decisive:

“Out!”

With a loud kick, Wan Kun slammed the front desk, nearly tipping over the student in front of him. He stood, grabbed his bag, and left through the back door without a word.

He Lijun looked at Wu Yueming.

“You too.”

Wu Yueming shrugged and followed Wan Kun.

The classroom fell silent.

Two more students, a boy and a girl, stood and left after them.

He Lijun’s face darkened as she scanned the remaining students.

“Anyone else? Go now if you’re following them!”

After a few seconds, two more students left. She looked at the seven or eight empty desks, picked up a test paper, and said to Wu Wei:

“Continue reading.”

---

After class, He Lijun strode back to the office and went straight to Hu Fei’s desk. He was grading papers and looked up, startled.

“What’s going on, Teacher He? Why so angry?”

“I have something to tell you,” He Lijun said, her expression so severe it startled Hu Fei.

“Oh, wow. What is it?”

Liu Ying and Peng Qian also looked up, concerned.

He Lijun took a deep breath and recounted everything that had happened in class.

Hu Fei slammed his pen down.

“They’re getting shameless!” He clutched his waist, looking around, trying to find someone to blame. Peng Qian suddenly said, “They’re on the playground!”

Hu Fei leapt to the window. He Lijun followed.

The students who had left earlier were outside. Wu Yueming and a few boys were playing basketball. Wan Kun was smoking at the court’s edge, while two girls cheered.

“They’ve gone too far!” Hu Fei growled. “I’m going to the Dean, Yan, right now!”

He stormed off. Peng Qian patted He Lijun’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Teacher. Don’t bother with these students.”

He Lijun lowered her head.

Suddenly, Wan Kun glanced in this direction. She thought he was looking at the office, but then remembered it was bright daylight. He couldn’t see inside.

Then what was he looking at?

He lowered his head slowly.

The students were brought back twenty minutes later. Peng Qian came to He Lijun.

“Dean Yan and Teacher Hu are at the entrance, scolding them. Do you want to go?”

“No.”

“Then I’m going to eat. Are you coming?”

“I don’t want to today. You go ahead.”

“Okay, I’ll go.”

He Lijun spent the afternoon in the office. Around two, she passed the mailroom and noticed Hu and Yan still outside. She stopped at the corner to watch.

The other students had left, only Wu Yueming and Wan Kun remained.

She had met Yan Rui Ping before—tall and imposing. Along with Hu Fei, they stood in front of Wu Yueming and Wan Kun, scolding them.

“Don’t obey rules, huh? Don’t want to follow school rules? Then don’t come!” Yan shouted, his voice harsh as a drill instructor’s.

“Bully classmates! Bully teachers! What else can you do? You’re a new teacher! A female teacher! And this is your conduct—why are you even studying?!”

He Lijun shrank slightly. Despite his dry throat, Yan’s voice carried all the way down the corridor.

He pointed at Wan Kun.

“How many years have you been here? Do you even have books?” He grabbed Wan Kun’s backpack and emptied it.

Out fell a black jacket, two pens, and a notebook.

The notebook landed twenty meters away. He Lijun’s eyes followed it—it was a weekly journal.

Yan went to pick it up. Wan Kun was faster, rolling it up in his hands.

“Just one notebook? You only bring one notebook to school?” Yan grabbed a mop handle from a nearby bin and spun it at Wan Kun’s arm.

Wan Kun barely moved. The mop felt like a tickle. Yan, furious, swung again. He Lijun, watching from behind, saw the mop hit Wan Kun’s back. She shouted instinctively:

“Teacher Yan—!”

Everyone turned. Yan saw He Lijun and said, “Teacher He, have them apologize to you.”

She silently thanked the heavens that he hadn’t asked why she appeared suddenly—he probably thought it was a coincidence.

She walked over. Wan Kun’s eyes stayed on her, but she ignored him.

“Teacher Yan, still scolding them after all this time?”

Hu Fei, exhausted, watched from the side.

“Don’t worry, Teacher He. Let them apologize.” Yan ordered Wan Kun and Wu Yueming to stand straight. Wan Kun wobbled slightly, then straightened. Standing next to him, Yan looked smaller in comparison.

Note

It shifts focus from personal moments to public tension. Wan Kun’s mischief escalates in class, creating a chaotic scene that tests Teacher He’s authority, while also highlighting the students’ disrespect, her composure, and the power dynamics in the school.