The exams ended, and Ye Shuang collected all the test papers. He wasn’t sure where to deliver them, but he carried them out of the classroom anyway—when he accidentally spotted a familiar figure. It was Chen Yue, the homeroom teacher of Class B.
“Ah, Teacher Bai, why are you proctoring for the third-year exams?” Chen Yue asked curiously.
“While making rounds earlier, Teacher Xu suddenly had a stomachache, so I stepped in to supervise one subject,” Ye Shuang replied smoothly.
After a moment’s thought, he asked, “Teacher Chen, are you heading to submit the papers?”
“Yes, Teacher Bai, you can hand them to me. I’ll take them together,” Chen Yue offered warmly.
Ye Shuang smiled. “Then I’ll trouble you.”
“Not at all. I still owe you thanks for covering my class last time.” With that, Chen Yue took Ye Shuang’s stack of papers and left.
“Brother.” A voice called from behind.
Ye Shuang turned to see Tang Keke and Bai Yuyou standing there, both looking at him with curiosity.
“Why are you proctoring at our school? Are you actually a teacher?” Tang Keke asked.
“No.”
“Huh? Then why…?”
“It’s a long story.” Ye Shuang sighed, then shifted his gaze to Bai Yuyou. “Yuyou, why were you drawing dolphins during the exam?”
Bai Yuyou’s eyes darted away, and she silently hid half her face behind Tang Keke.
Peeking.jpg
Ye Shuang’s expression turned stern. “If you keep this up, I’ll get angry.”
Hearing this, Bai Yuyou slowly inched out from behind Tang Keke. She stepped closer to Ye Shuang, tugging lightly at his sleeve. Her usually cool voice carried a hint of pleading.
“Ye Shuang… don’t be mad…”
Seeing the girl’s wide, earnest eyes, Ye Shuang wasn’t actually upset—but he kept his face stern. “You have to give your all in the next exam.”
“Mm.” Bai Yuyou nodded obediently.
“Brother, did I get the answers right earlier?” Tang Keke suddenly interjected. She had noticed Ye Shuang glancing at her test paper during the exam, occasionally nodding in approval (or so she imagined), which had boosted her confidence immensely, making her write with divine inspiration.
“Uh… You’ll find out when the results come out.”
“Hehe, with you saying that, I’m reassured!”
As Ye Shuang chatted with the two girls, a commotion erupted nearby. Someone suddenly shouted—
“Teacher Chen fell!”
Teacher Chen?
“Is that Class B’s Teacher Chen?” Tang Keke asked, but Ye Shuang was already striding toward the stairwell. Sure enough, it was Chen Yue, now lying on the ground, curled up in pain. The test papers she had been carrying were scattered around her, stark white against the floor.
Ye Shuang quickly descended the stairs and crouched beside her. “Teacher Chen, are you alright?”
Chen Yue’s face was pale, contorted in agony. “My leg… hurts.”
Ye Shuang’s gaze fixed on her leg—
[Character: Chen Yue
Homeroom teacher of Class B, Year 3 at Yinshan Academy. Leg fractured from the fall.]
“Teacher Chen, let me help you to the infirmary,” a male student offered.
“Alright.” Chen Yue had just nodded when Ye Shuang stopped him. “Wait. Your leg is likely fractured. We need to stabilize it first.”
Chen Yue blinked. Fractured?
It hurt, but surely it wasn’t that bad?
“Teacher Bai, how can you tell?”
“Just trust me.” Ye Shuang turned to the male student. “Find something rigid—actually, bring me an unused workbook.”
The boy dashed back to the classroom and soon returned with a workbook.
Chen Yue’s eyes widened. “Isn’t that my Chinese workbook?!”
The student scratched his head. “Teacher, it’s an emergency.”
Ignoring the exchange, Ye Shuang tightly rolled the workbook and, after borrowing Chen Yue’s scarf, secured it around her calf as a makeshift splint.
“Call an ambulance,” he said once finished.
“Huh?” Chen Yue hesitated. “Teacher Bai, shouldn’t we let the school nurse check first?”
“The nurse can’t treat a fracture.”
“…Fine.” Though doubtful, Chen Yue ultimately agreed, trusting Ye Shuang’s judgment.
Soon, the ambulance arrived, and Chen Yue was carried away on a stretcher, accompanied by the school nurse who had rushed over.
The paramedics preliminarily confirmed a fracture, though a hospital scan would be needed for details. Regardless, Ye Shuang’s first aid had been flawless—had she been moved carelessly, the injury could have worsened.
“How did you know it was a fracture?” A voice asked.
“Hm?” Ye Shuang turned to see not just Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke, but also a new arrival.
An Shiyu stood with her hands in her pockets, looking lazily at him. Her shoulder-length hair, recently trimmed, was razor-straight, neat and sharp.
“I have a good eye,” Ye Shuang replied.
“Do you?”
Just then, the bell rang—another exam was about to start.
“Go on,” Ye Shuang urged Tang Keke and Bai Yuyou, who hurried back to their classroom.
To his surprise, An Shiyu remained, still chewing gum and studying him.
“What is it?”
“Is pretending to be a teacher fun?” she asked.
“It’s alright.” Ye Shuang shrugged, unsure if she was mocking him.
An Shiyu seemed to ponder this before saying, “I don’t think you need to pretend. You’ll get exposed sooner or later.”
“Thanks for the warning. Shouldn’t you be heading to your exam?”
“It’s fine. Even if I skip one subject, I’ll stay in the top ten.” An Shiyu leaned against the railing beside him, blowing a gum bubble.
What a brat.
Ye Shuang decided to end the conversation and find somewhere to rest.
“Where to?”
“Somewhere to sit.”
“Like a homeless wanderer?”
“…” Ye Shuang was speechless. He stopped and stared at the girl. With such a cute face, why does she have to be so infuriating?
“Follow me.” An Shiyu brushed past him and descended the stairs.
Suspicious but curious, Ye Shuang trailed after her.
She led him to an unmarked classroom, though its interior resembled an infirmary—complete with beds and medicine cabinets.
“Is this the nurse’s office?”
“Yes. Our academy is big, so there are three infirmaries,” An Shiyu said. “This is the third one.”
“Why bring me here?” Ye Shuang glanced around. The place seemed empty.
"Just be the third school doctor then," An Shiyu said in her usual lazy tone. "That way, no one will question you coming in and out of the school."
Ye Shuang: "..."
"That joke isn’t funny at all."
"Even just a nominal position would work. You’d only need to drop by occasionally to check in."
"Is this really about it being nominal? Do you think this school is your family’s property?"
An Shiyu’s face flickered with a strange smile at that. "Well… isn’t it?"
Ye Shuang: "?"