After Transmigrating for the Third Time, the Real Young Master Decides to Slouch - Chapter 6

The opening ceremony was held in the school’s grand auditorium. The massive hall was packed, organized by class—except for the section assigned to Class 19, Grade 11. It was sparse, with only a few people scattered about. However, everyone was used to it. That was the “Trash Concentration Camp,” after all; it was better if they didn’t show up, as their presence usually meant trouble.

Sitting at the very front was likely their new head teacher. Those who were well-informed had already gathered intel on him: the biological son of the Lin family who had been switched at birth, an alumnus of this school who held the top rank in his grade for three consecutive years. Aside from his grades, he supposedly wasn’t particularly remarkable. He had just graduated with a Master’s degree this year and was rumored to be preparing for the Civil Service Exam, so it was a surprise to see him return to his alma mater as a teacher.

Of course, no one thought the decision was wrong. Jiayin Middle School brought together the descendants of wealthy and powerful families from the capital and across the country. Teaching here, if one played their cards right, allowed one to accumulate deep connections beneficial for future endeavors. But that only applied to normal circumstances. He had taken over the most difficult class in the school. Though the students there were wealthy and influential, they were not easily controlled. Gaining favors from them would be hard.

I wonder how many days it will take for this fragile-looking Teacher Jiang to quit in tears, many nosy onlookers thought.

As the principal delivered an impassioned speech on stage, Jiang Zao let out a yawn and continued scrolling through his phone. Suddenly, his phone vibrated; a message from Rong Jingcheng had arrived.

Rong: “Xiao Zao is being naughty. I caught you playing with your phone.”

Jiang Zao looked up. On the podium among the board of directors, Director Rong was resting his chin on his hand, blatantly playing with his phone. Despite his lack of professional posture, his pleasingly beautiful features alone were enough to capture the attention of every teacher and student in the hall.

Rong Jingcheng was exceptionally beautiful, even a bit feminine. He usually looked lazy and casual, more like an artist than a businessman. However, for an occasion like today, he had donned a formal three-piece suit with his long hair tied in a ponytail. His cold, elite aura carried a breathtaking, razor-sharp edge.

Jiang Zao smiled. Although the auditorium was air-conditioned, the high density of people made it sweltering even in summer clothes, let alone in a thick suit under the stage spotlights.

Jiang Zao: “Are you hot?”

Rong: “Dying of heat.”

The next message followed immediately: “I want to drink an ice-cold Coke when this is over. Buy one for me, Xiao Zao.”

Jiang Zao: “Didn’t your secretary prepare one?”

Rong: “I want the one Xiao Zao buys.”

Jiang Zao: “No time. I have to go back to class for attendance.”

Rong: “Met them yet?”

Jiang Zao: “Mhm. The students are quite cute.”

Rong: “I’ll get jealous if you call other people cute.”

Just as Jiang Zao was about to reply, two very deliberate “Ahem, ahem” coughs sounded nearby. He looked over to see the Grade Director glaring at him with a stern face. Jiang Zao pocketed his phone.

Two hours later, the ceremony ended. Jiang Zao checked the time; it was enough for him to head back to the office for a drink of water.

After parting ways with Jiang Tong and Lu She, Jiang Zao returned to the office. The office was large with few workstations, separated by wide partitions, ensuring almost no mutual interference.

Two meters away from Jiang Zao’s desk was the desk of the math teacher for the same class. Jiang Zao had only briefly met him that morning—a refined-looking young man named Meng Qiuyu.

Meng Qiuyu nodded at Jiang Zao with a smile and pointed to his desk: “Someone came by just now and left that on your table.”

Jiang Zao looked over. A bottle of Coke sat on his desk, still misting with cold air. Jiang Zao thanked him: “Thanks for the heads-up.”

“You’re welcome,” Meng Qiuyu said gently. “There are no more arrangements for today after the ceremony. Want to walk out together?”

Jiang Zao gripped the bottle; the icy condensation dampened his hand. He said, “No thanks, I have to go to the classroom.”

Meng Qiuyu looked puzzled.

Jiang Zao spoke with a helpless tone: “Being a head teacher, there’s always something to clean up.”

Meng Qiuyu nodded understandingly. “Then I’ll head out first. Goodbye, Teacher Jiang.”

“Goodbye.”

After Meng Qiuyu left, Jiang Zao was the only one in the office. He unscrewed the cap and took a gulp. The highly carbonated drink was crisp and cold, instantly washing away the summer heat. Jiang Zao felt energized.

As he drank, he pulled out his phone: “Coke received.”

He quickly got a reply: “I’m drinking Coke too.”

Imagining Rong Jingcheng in a formal suit holding a Coke, Jiang Zao smiled: “Heading to class now.”

Rong: “Mhm. Let’s have lunch together.”

Jiang Zao: “Okay.”

Setting down his phone, Jiang Zao took another sip, screwed the cap back on, wrote the character “Jiang” on a sticky note, tore it off, and stuck it on the bottle. After placing the Coke in the office fridge, he took the roster and headed to the classroom.

There were no more classes, so the rooms along the way were mostly empty. Up ahead was Class 19. Before he even got close, the clamor from within was deafening.

Jiang Zao peeked through the window. There were more people than before, but because the room was so big and the students so few, it still looked empty.

He thought to himself: Twenty-odd people making enough noise for two thousand. They really know how to cause a stir.

He walked into the room, went to the podium, and grabbed the mouse to pause the thunderous music. The noise in the classroom dropped by half instantly; the other half subsided significantly as the students noticed someone had arrived.

It was now at an acceptable volume.

With a faint smile, Jiang Zao looked at a boy standing on a desk in the middle of the room, dancing vigorously to the music. He praised: “Nice moves. But stop for a moment; you can continue after I finish attendance.”

The boy shrugged and jumped down. The people who had been cheering around him returned to their seats.

“Is everyone here?” Jiang Zao asked.

“Don’t know,” “Everyone’s here,” “No”—all sorts of conflicting answers rang out. Jiang Zao nodded and said, “Time is precious. If they aren’t here, I’m not waiting.”

“Though I introduced myself this morning, given that many of you were absent, I’ll do it again.” Jiang Zao pointed to the name still on the whiteboard. “Jiang Zao. That is my name. I am your new head teacher and Chinese teacher.”

“Alright, you know me now. Next, let me get to know you.” Jiang Zao opened the roster. “Raise your hand when I call your name—Dai Chu.”

Dai Chu, still looking down at her book, raised her hand.

“Fang Han.”

“Yeah,” came a cool voice—the boy who had been dancing on the desk.

“Guan Junjie.”

“Present.”

Jiang Zao went through the list one by one. Each name was met with a response—some weak and listless, others sarcastic with long, drawn-out tones.

“Qiu Shao.”

No response.

“Qiu Shao,” Jiang Zao repeated, scanning the room. Still no hand.

“Qiu Shao?”

“Teacher Jiang, Qiu Shao isn’t here,” Song Jintong announced loudly.

Zhou Yuan asked with a smirk, “Qiu Shao isn’t here. Does that mean we can expel him now?”

The others grew excited, joining in the heckling.

“Whoa, are we really expelling him?”

“Expel him! Expel him! Teacher, you said it yourself—you can’t go back on your word.”

“Teacher, you’re a teacher! if your word doesn’t count, how are you supposed to teach us?”

Jiang Tong watched with his heart in his throat. The moment is finally here. AHHH, what do I do? Why didn’t he show up? Is he really not afraid of being expelled?

Jiang Zao saw Jiang Tong’s worried face. Aside from a few individuals, everyone was jeering for him to fulfill his promise. Their smiles were vivid and malicious.

Jiang Zao nodded, lowering his pen toward the roster. “Qiu Shao isn’t here, right…”

“I’m here.” A lazy voice with a lingering yawn came from the doorway.

A delicate-looking boy with messy hair and rumpled clothes stood at the door. He was even wearing slippers. He walked in: “I’m Qiu Shao. I’ve arrived.”

He walked to the nearest seat, sat down, and flopped over to sleep.

Jiang Zao’s pen tip left a dot on the roster. He pulled it back and said, “I won’t count you as late this time. There will be no next time.”

“Tch.” The room was filled with boos of disappointment.

Jiang Zao continued the roll call until the very end: “Lu She.”

“Present.”

Jiang Zao closed the roster and clapped his hands. “Very good, the whole class is here. Next, I will tell you my rules.”

The whispering below hadn’t stopped, and now the commotion grew louder.

“It’s very simple. Just two points.” Jiang Zao held up two fingers. “First, no absences. Second, no noise.”

As soon as the rules were announced, the classroom erupted like a boiling pot.

Jiang Zao couldn’t hear them and didn’t want to. His finger clicked the mouse; the music from before started playing again at double the volume, easily drowning out the students’ voices.

The massive sound seemed to strike their very souls. Everyone shuddered and fell silent.

Jiang Zao clicked the mouse again, and the music stopped.

He looked at the dazed expressions of the class and spoke: “No absences is my requirement as your head teacher. As long as you are in the classroom during class hours, I’m satisfied. If you have business, ask for leave; otherwise, I don’t care. No noise is my personal requirement. I don’t like noise. As long as you can manage that, I don’t care if you’re sleeping, playing on your phone, dancing, or practicing Tai Chi.”

Someone was indignant. What kind of requirement is that? I’ve never heard of such a thing! What kind of teacher is this? Is he a joke?

“Hey, you—”

Jiang Zao put his index finger to his lips. “Shh.”

The student who was being looked at felt a shiver down his spine despite the thirty-degree September weather. He felt as if those eyes were peering through the lenses into the depths of his soul, cold winds scraping against it.

He didn’t dare speak.

The classroom became pin-drop silent. Jiang Zao was satisfied. “Good. Keep it that way.”

“Since there were no class officers before, we will select some now.” Jiang Zao scanned the room. “Any volunteers?”

Silence.

Jiang Zao wasn’t surprised. “Since no one is volunteering, I will appoint them. Class Monitor: Jiang Tong. Study Representative: Lu She. Any objections?”

Still no one spoke, but Jiang Tong’s head shook like a rattle.

Jiang Zao didn’t care if he was unwilling or just had no objections. He continued: “As for other positions like subject representatives or committee members, I don’t have candidates yet. We’ll choose them later.”

The silence held.

Though quiet, there were many small movements—sleeping, playing on phones, gesturing. Someone was even shadow-boxing the air.

As he said, Jiang Zao didn’t interfere. He only frowned at the scattered seating; his perfectionism couldn’t stand the mess. He finally couldn’t help but say, “One last thing: seating arrangements.”

The small movements stopped. One by one, they looked at him with furrowed brows.

Jiang Zao pointed toward the door. “According to your student IDs, you’ll be in pairs. Arrange yourselves from the front desk near the door toward the back—four rows, three columns. Move the extra desks to the back. Now, let’s move.”

Only Jiang Tong and Lu She stood up cooperatively. Everyone else stayed seated, unmoving.

“Everyone is free to go once the seats are changed,” Jiang Zao said.

Even with the “no noise” rule, numerous boos stubbornly rose. The implication was clear: If we don’t change seats, we aren’t allowed to leave.

Fine. Let’s wait it out then. Let’s see who lasts longer.