Zhou Wenhe walked into the classroom. His tall, sturdy frame did not resemble that of a typical southerner. Even in the heat of summer, he favored plaid shirts paired with dress slacks, a gleaming belt cinched around his waist. The eyes hidden behind his cold, rimless glasses always left his students unable to fathom his mood.
Today, however, an icy aura radiated from him; it was clearly the calm before a storm. A timid girl sitting in front of Heyue twisted her fingers together and muttered, "We're done for, we're done for. It’s all Heyue’s fault for causing trouble."
"Is this how you conduct yourselves in history class?" Zhou Wenhe’s voice was low, carrying a naturally intimidating weight.
As soon as he spoke, everyone instinctively lowered their heads. Zhou Wenhe seemed slightly satisfied—until his gaze landed on Heyue. She was looking right at him, her eyes devoid of any fear. It was simply the look of a student regarding a teacher, nothing more.
"Teacher Zhou, it is my fault. It has nothing to do with the others," Heyue said sincerely.
Hearing this, many in the class stole glances at her, wondering why the typically timid Heyue had suddenly grown such a backbone. Heyue hadn’t actually thought that much about it; she simply believed that one should take responsibility for one’s own actions. But to Zhou Wenhe, the statement carried a different meaning—it sounded more like a provocation.
"Very well." Zhou Wenhe smiled, but with his rigid features, the expression appeared rather peculiar. "Come outside with me."
Heyue was about to follow him out when Li Li, who had always enjoyed being snide, stepped forward to intervene. "Teacher Zhou, although Heyue is a bit slow, she has always been quite obedient. Perhaps it’s just the pressure of being in the final year of high school..."
Was he trying to smooth things over?
Zhou Wenhe nodded, holding up a hand to stop Li Li from getting any closer. "Teacher Li, I am the head teacher; I know what I am doing. You should go attend to your own work."
The words sounded polite, but they served as a pointed reminder to Li Li that he was a core faculty member at Yunlong, while Li Li had only been there for two years. He was telling the newcomer not to overstep his bounds. Li Li fell silent, his expression sour. He glanced at his watch and chose to concede, saying, "Then I’ll be going."
As he watched Li Li leave the classroom, that icy voice sounded right behind Heyue’s ear: "Heyue, let’s go."
Heyue had no idea there was such a secluded classroom in the building. Past two corners lay a long corridor that ended in a single, light-filtering window, effectively shutting out the summer day. With the intense pace of the final year of high school, it was unlikely anyone ever came here, leaving the space eerily quiet.
She followed behind Zhou Wenhe, her left eyelid twitching inexplicably. She hurriedly raised her hand to press against it.
"Teacher, where are we going?"
As Heyue spoke, the echo made the long hallway seem even more cavernous, but Zhou Wenhe merely glanced at her sideways and kept walking.
Acting on a primal instinct for danger, Heyue sensed that something was wrong. In her past life, although her grades were poor, she had always toed the line and never once clashed with a teacher, so she had never been pulled aside for a private talk by Zhou Wenhe.
Just as Heyue was recalling the unsettling aspects of Zhou Wenhe from her previous life, he came to a sudden halt. He turned and opened a door beside him. Light spilled in, washing over him. Silhouetted against the glare, Heyue found it blinding and couldn't make out his expression at all.
"Come in."
Heyue hesitated for a moment before deciding to walk into the empty room. Piles of desks and chairs were stacked around the walls; she took a casual glance and could easily see the thick layer of dust covering them. Strangely, however, the single set of desk and chair placed in the middle of the room was spotless, as if someone used it frequently.
The sound of the door closing softly behind her reached her ears, causing Heyue to shiver imperceptibly. The atmosphere in the room grew instantly tense.
"Heyue," Zhou Wenhe called her name softly.
Heyue turned around. Zhou Wenhe’s eyes were indifferent and his face extremely solemn, yet he pulled his lips into a deeply unsettling smile.
In a mechanical, cold tone, Zhou Wenhe began, "Your one-on-one moral education lesson begins now."
***
The moment the bell rang for the end of the school day, Lin Xialing practically sprang from her seat. Luo Yilan, startled by her sudden movement, grabbed her arm. "A-Ning, I’m heading to the broadcast room. Remember to help Little He buy some dinner later."
Unexpectedly, Lin Xialing refused. She glanced anxiously at her watch and spoke with rapid-fire intensity: "I have something to take care of today."Lin Xialing looked around and tossed an eraser with pinpoint accuracy onto a desk: "Liu Qi, please bring some food back for Heyue."
Liu Qi let out a whistle: "Got it."
Seeing Lin Xialing in such a rushing hurry, Luo Yilan grabbed her hand and still wouldn't let go: "Where are you off to?"
Clearly pressed for time, Lin Xialing broke free from Luo Yilan's grip: "Don't worry, I'll be right back."
With that, she darted off like a frightened rabbit.
Luo Yilan had just stood up to go after her when she was blocked by a female classmate with a flushed face. The girl kept glancing toward the back door, acting rather coy as she spoke: "Luo Yilan, Yue Zhou is here to see you."
-
How do you tell the good from the bad in people?
By a respectable career, a harmonious family, or a good social life?
No, these are merely the best ways for demons to hide among the crowd.
Beneath that hypocritical exterior, who is truly good and who is truly evil?
Heyue walked over to a clean chair and sat down, placing her hands on her knees, her slender fingers unconsciously twisting together. Strangely, she couldn't pull up any memories of this so-called moral education class.
Yet back then, she had just been an obedient, mediocre student with poor grades. She hadn't interacted much with Zhou Wenhe, and with so many students under his care, how could he possibly have the time to micromanage every single one of them?
Come to think of it, though, several students he frequently called out for academic talks were indeed from the middle and lower tiers of the class, though not all of them were troublemakers by nature.
Something was wrong.
"Heyue has a younger brother. Her parents are working in Jingcheng with him, while she lives with her maternal grandfather in the old South City district near the school." Zhou Wenhe paused to think back. "If I recall correctly, you didn't participate when the class ordered milk recently, did you? And you didn't sign up for the study tour last year either, even though both of your good friends went."
As he spoke, Zhou Wenhe circled around behind Heyue. A large hand with light calluses suddenly pressed down heavily on her shoulder, with a force that made Heyue shudder. She immediately apologized: "Teacher Zhou, I truly know I was wrong."
"Every student who has ever sat in that seat has said the same thing to me." Zhou Wenhe sighed, sounding as though he were lamenting the ignorance of such students.
Heyue disliked this oppressive atmosphere; her temples throbbed with a sharp, piercing pain, and her only desire was to get away from this place at once: "I'll go apologize to Teacher Li."
She made an eager move to stand up, but Zhou Wenhe shoved her back down into her seat with relentless force. Forcing herself to stay calm, Heyue turned her head with a look of feigned confusion: "Teacher Zhou?"
A bizarre gleam flashed in Zhou Wenhe's eyes. Whether it was her imagination or not, Heyue felt that as he sensed her panic, a surge of excitement crept into his gaze.
Keeping one hand pressed on Heyue, he used the other to undo his belt.
"Teacher Zhou!" Heyue tried to snap at him to stop.
Yet Zhou Wenhe paid her no mind whatsoever, even barking an order at her: "Hold out your hand!"
The belt was folded into a thick strap, and the glare reflected off the silver buckle made Heyue instinctively look away.
She thought of Jiang Shaoming, and of the countless dark nights when the burning pain of a belt lashing against her skin had torn through her.
When Heyue spoke, she realized her voice was shaking violently.
"Teacher Zhou, aren't you afraid I'll report you to the principal?"
Looking at Heyue's youthful face, Zhou Wenhe let out a sneer: "Heyue, a failing student with no parents to rely on, no money, and no power—what did you just say you were going to do? Report me?"
He had entirely written Heyue off as someone lacking the capability to do any such thing!
The scenes of being bullied and oppressed by Jiang Shaoming in her past life replayed in her mind like a revolving lantern. Gritting her teeth, Heyue knew she could not let herself fall once again into such a state of casual humiliation and abuse.
Seeing Zhou Wenhe step closer, Heyue gave him a fierce shove and bolted for the door. Only when she grabbed the doorknob did she realize, to her horror, that in her panic she hadn't noticed the door was locked!
Just as Heyue shifted her gaze toward the window, a sharp, agonizing pain flared at the back of her head—Zhou Wenhe had caught up!
Without a shred of mercy, he grabbed her ponytail and yanked, throwing Heyue violently to the floor. Her hair pulled at the back of her head as if it were about to be ripped straight from her scalp.
Yet this only seemed to excite Zhou Wenhe further, and he dragged her roughly back to the open space in the middle of the classroom, as though hauling around a lifeless object.
"Heyue, class is starting now."