After Transmigrating for the Third Time, the Real Young Master Decides to Slouch - Chapter 4

Jiang Zao finished his onboarding procedures the day before school started.

The person processing his paperwork looked at him with a gaze full of pity the entire time, which left Jiang Zao quite puzzled.

His question was finally answered by Jiang Tong.

Jiang Tong was fuming: “Of course they pity you! You’re taking over Class 19, Grade 11!”

“Oh?” Jiang Zao reclined comfortably on his sofa. This was his private apartment; the decor and layout were exactly to his liking, and it was fully furnished. He had only needed to move in with his bags.

Seeing his nonchalant attitude, Jiang Tong grew even more frustrated. To make him understand the gravity of the situation, Jiang Tong raised his voice: “Class 19 is known as the ‘Trash Concentration Camp’! It’s full of problem students. They are incredibly difficult to handle!”

Jiang Zao’s thumb paused its scrolling on his phone. He looked up at Jiang Tong. “Then wouldn’t transferring you into this class be harming you?”

Jiang Tong hadn’t expected him to say that. He froze for a moment before shaking his head quickly. “That’s not it. I didn’t like my old class much anyway, so transferring out doesn’t matter. As long as I’m with you, Mom will be at ease. Besides, with you there, you definitely won’t let anyone bully me, right?”

The boy’s smile was bright, but Jiang Zao looked thoughtful. “You were bullied in your old class, weren’t you?”

Jiang Tong’s smile stiffened, and his eyes flickered. “No, I wasn’t.”

Jiang Zao gave a disdainful smirk. “Give it a rest. I attended school here too; I know the atmosphere of this place better than you do.”

Jiayin Middle School was a private institution where most students were either wealthy or politically connected. Students who were neither naturally became targets for the group of “second-generation ancestors” to ostracize and bully. Jiang Tong had only gotten in through the Lin family’s connections. Lin Tang also attended school here, and he likely had a hand in it.

Jiang Tong fell silent.

Jiang Zao rubbed his forehead. “I won’t tell Mom. Just study hard in your new class. No one will bully you anymore.”

“Mhm!” Jiang Tong flashed a brilliant smile. “Brother, thank you.”

Jiang Zao gave a casual response and picked up the class roster to flip through it.

Jiang Tong hesitated for a moment but spoke up anyway: “Brother, actually, there was someone who was quite nice to me.”

“Mm-hmm?”

Jiang Tong smiled as he began to explain: “My desk-mate took great care of me. His grades are amazing—he takes first place in the grade every single exam. He’s also really handsome, just a bit cold. Everyone calls him the ‘Abstinent God’ behind his back, hehe.”

Jiang Zao’s gaze fell on the very last line of the roster. He had an impression of the name of the top-ranked student. While processing his onboarding, he had passed the bulletin board where the final exam rankings were posted. He’d glanced at them briefly and remembered the name at the top.

Jiang Tong continued, sounding a bit sad: “But since I’ve transferred classes, I probably won’t see him often anymore.”

“Is your desk-mate named Lu She?” Jiang Zao asked.

Jiang Tong was shocked. “How did you know?”

Turning the roster around, Jiang Zao pointed to the name on the last line. “Unless there’s another person with the exact same name, this should be him.”

The logic was simple: the name above Lu She was Jiang Tong. Since Jiang Tong was a transfer from another class, the person listed after him likely was as well.

Jiang Tong’s eyes widened in disbelief. “How could that be…”

Jiang Zao laughed. “Weren’t you sad to leave him? This is even better. I’ll arrange for you to sit together so you can continue being desk-mates.”

“No, no!” Jiang Tong couldn’t accept it. “Lu She is excellent in both character and learning. Someone as outstanding as him… how could he go to a class like that? It’ll ruin him!”

Jiang Zao was unimpressed. “You went to that class too. Will it ruin you?”

“That’s different!” Jiang Tong scratched his head vigorously and pulled out his phone. “No, I have to ask him what’s going on!”

Watching him open his messaging app to draft a text, Jiang Zao asked, “Wouldn’t calling be faster?”

Jiang Tong’s movements paused. His expression became conflicted and bashful. His voice dropped to a whisper: “If I call… hearing his voice, I won’t be able to say half of what I want to say…”

Jiang Zao raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He set the roster down and stood up. “Take your time with your dilemma. I’m going out. Remember to lock the door when you leave.”

The message had just been sent and not yet replied to, so Jiang Tong wasn’t as agitated as before. Hearing that Jiang Zao was leaving, he asked, “Are you going out with that senior who introduced you to the job again?”

“Mhm.” Jiang Zao poured a glass of water and drank it, giving a casual reply.

Jiang Tong didn’t understand. “You two are way too close. Didn’t you say you hadn’t seen each other in nine years? You don’t seem like strangers at all.”

Jiang Zao gave a light huff. “He’s always been like this—he acts like best friends with people he just met. Not seeing each other for nine years is a small matter to him.”

“You know him so well,” Jiang Tong remarked.

“I don’t.” Jiang Zao put down his glass and walked to the door to put on his shoes. “There’s no need to know him well. I just need to know he’s a very troublesome person—I’m off. Be good.”

“Okay, bye-bye.”

The moment Jiang Zao got out of the car, a message from that “troublesome person” arrived. He didn’t even need to look to know it was a tearful accusation of him being late.

Pocketing his phone, Jiang Zao walked into the art gallery located in a prime, high-priced district of central Beijing.

Due to the owner’s whims, the gallery was closed to the public today. Jiang Zao walked down the empty corridor, following the sound of elegant piano music to the music hall.

On stage, Rong Jingcheng sat at the piano. Gone was his usual casualness; at this moment, his expression was one of rare focus and seriousness.

Jiang Zao didn’t disturb him and found a seat.

A piece soon reached its end. Rong Jingcheng rose to give his thanks, and Jiang Zao raised his hands to applaud.

In the vast music hall, this solitary applause sounded quite pitiful, yet Rong Jingcheng bowed gracefully to the empty seats, acting as though he were facing an audience of thousands.

Rong Jingcheng walked off the stage to Jiang Zao and asked with a smile, “My new composition—did it sound good?”

“Not bad,” Jiang Zao evaluated. “Will you perform it at your next concert?”

“No.” Rong Jingcheng sat down beside him. “This is a piece dedicated only to you.”

“I suppose I should be honored.” Jiang Zao’s tone betrayed no emotion.

Rong Jingcheng didn’t mind. He asked, “Are you coming to tomorrow night’s concert? I’ve reserved the frontmost seat for you.”

Jiang Zao declined. “Listening in private is enough. I don’t want to be an object of observation.”

Rong Jingcheng laughed twice, his voice sounding very pleased. He said, “As long as you wish it, no one would dare observe you.”

It was a casual statement, but Jiang Zao didn’t care to think about how he would make that happen. He said without hesitation, “I don’t wish for it.”

“Alright.” Rong Jingcheng didn’t dwell on it, letting the topic pass easily.

He started a new topic: “Are you satisfied with the apartment? I decorated it according to your tastes.”

“It’s decent.”

Rong Jingcheng looked at his face, which lacked a smile. “But you don’t look very happy.”

Jiang Zao pulled the corner of his mouth into a fake smile. “Originally you said I was just a Chinese teacher, but then I had to take on the role of head teacher too. My workload suddenly increased; how can I be happy?”

Rong Jingcheng tilted his head. “Eh? Did I forget to tell you? Oh dear, sorry, sorry. It slipped my mind for a moment. Forgive me.”

Jiang Zao rolled his eyes at him. “You’re a grown man; acting cute is disgusting.”

“Xiao Zao’s words are truly unpleasant.” Despite saying so, Rong Jingcheng didn’t look displeased at all.

Jiang Zao looked thoughtful. “I heard that class is nicknamed the ‘Trash Concentration Camp’.”

“Yes. Xiao Zao is very well-informed.” Rong Jingcheng explained with a smile, “That class is filled with hopeless outcasts. No one has expectations for them, so no one expects you to save them.”

Jiang Zao lowered his eyes. The coldness and indifference in Rong Jingcheng’s words were a complete mismatch for his gentle tone.

“Concentration camp…” Jiang Zao repeated the phrase slowly and smiled. “Do you need me to judge them?”

Rong Jingcheng smiled. “Xiao Zao only needs to do what he wants to do. If you really hate it, you can refuse the head teacher position even now.”

Jiang Zao was indifferent. “The head teacher position comes with a separate bonus. There’s no need to turn down money.”

Rong Jingcheng feigned heartbreak. “How sad. I thought Xiao Zao agreed for my sake, but it turns out it was for the money.”

“If you must say it’s because of you, that’s not wrong either,” Jiang Zao said. “After all, you’re the one paying the salary.”

Rong Jingcheng caught his hand and toyed with it. “Would Xiao Zao do anything for money?”

“Depends on the situation,” Jiang Zao said.

“Then would you like to date me for money?” Rong Jingcheng proposed enthusiastically.

Jiang Zao refused instantly without a second thought: “No.”

“I’m truly heartbroken now,” Rong Jingcheng said, drooping his eyes. His exquisite face actually looked quite pitiful.

Jiang Zao let out a sharp breath. After nine years, this man’s acting had become even more consummate, and his grasp on human emotions even more refined. Jiang Zao really was susceptible to this routine.

Jiang Zao used his free hand to brush his bangs down, covering his eyes—out of sight, out of mind.

The next second, his bangs were lifted. His vision cleared, and Jiang Zao was forced to meet those deep eyes inches away.

When Rong Jingcheng looked at him, there was always a smile in his eyes; now was no exception. He twirled Jiang Zao’s bangs with his fingertips and spoke: “You’re stepping onto the podium tomorrow. As a teacher, isn’t it inappropriate to keep your eyes covered?”

Rong Jingcheng’s body temperature was on the lower side, which was just right for this summer day. Jiang Zao stared at the slender fingers holding his hair and said, “It is time for a haircut.”

“I’ll cut it for you,” Rong Jingcheng volunteered.

Jiang Zao was noncommittal. His gaze fell on Rong Jingcheng’s waist-length hair. “How long has it been since you cut your hair?”

“Nine years.”

Jiang Zao raised an eyebrow. “Why haven’t you cut it?”

Rong Jingcheng stroked his own hair, his smile gaining a touch of melancholy. “You were the one who said you wanted to see me with long hair.”

“Did I?” Jiang Zao didn’t recall.

Rong Jingcheng just looked at him without speaking.

Jiang Zao admitted frankly, “I don’t remember.”

Rong Jingcheng smiled. “If you don’t remember, then you don’t remember—now that you’ve seen it, do you want me to cut it?”

Jiang Zao reached out and caught a lock of his hair. It was cool and silky, feeling great to the touch. Jiang Zao’s dormant memory seemed to stir slightly—it seemed that indeed, on a sunny afternoon while Rong Jingcheng was resting his head on Jiang Zao’s lap, Jiang Zao had toyed with his hair and mentioned he wanted to see his senior grow it out.

Jiang Zao shook his head. “No need. It looks fine as it is.”