After Transmigrating for the Third Time, the Real Young Master Decides to Slouch - Chapter 9

Rong Jingcheng left after doing a quick loop.

At first, Yu Tian wondered what he had come for—was it really just to exchange a few barbs? But then it dawned on him, and he chuckled. That peacock was just here to show off his plumage.

“Stylist,” my foot. That was Rong Jingcheng’s hair; what stylist would dare mess it up like that? This was eighty percent likely the handiwork of “that person.”

Yu Tian didn’t know the specific identity of that person, only that such a person existed—someone Rong Jingcheng held very close and kept very hidden.

Yu Tian had once caught a glimpse of that person’s back from a distance. They were wearing a well-fitted school uniform and talking to Rong Jingcheng. Seemingly sensing a gaze from behind, the person started to turn their head, but Rong Jingcheng cupped their face, preventing the turn. Then, Rong Jingcheng slung an arm around the person’s shoulder and walked away. Before leaving, Rong Jingcheng looked back with a half-smile—warm, yet carrying a clear warning. Yu Tian hadn’t pried further and tactfully left.

Recalling this, Yu Tian shook his head with a smile. He thought Rong Jingcheng was a truly contradictory man; he clearly wanted the whole world to know of that person’s existence, yet he couldn’t bear to let anyone else steal a single glance.

But… Yu Tian pondered. Is that person back? They seemed to have gone somewhere far away for several years, and Rong Jingcheng hadn’t mentioned them once in all that time. Are they back now? It must be recent; after all, Rong Jingcheng had been in a great mood lately, and his good moods were always related to that person.

The more Yu Tian thought about it, the funnier it seemed. Rong Jingcheng appeared approachable, but he was actually cold to the bone. Yet, the moment he encountered anything related to that person, he turned into a peacock displaying its feathers everywhere, unable to hide his flashy, boastful heart.

“Teacher Yu?” Lin Ran called out, seeing Yu Tian laughing to himself for no reason.

Yu Tian snapped back to reality, realized he had lost his composure, and coughed into his hand. “Ahem, it’s nothing. I’m going to check over there; you continue with your maintenance.”

“Alright.”

Lin Ran sat back down, but he couldn’t focus. His mind was filled with the image of Rong Jingcheng—how close they had been, how they had spoken, and those cute little expressions.

It wasn’t just him; everyone else was also talking about Rong Jingcheng.

“Who is that stylist? Their skills are so trash, yet Rong Jingcheng actually seemed satisfied.”

“Maybe it’s some big shot? But the braiding is really terrible. Can you even be a big shot with skills like that? I feel like I could do better.”

“You? Give it a rest. Would Rong Jingcheng even let you touch his precious hair?”

“Even if he let me touch it, I wouldn’t dare. Haven’t you heard? The second young master of the Rong family—his own older brother—only touched his hair once back then and nearly had a finger sliced off!”

“Ah! I’ve heard of that! Supposedly because of that incident, the second young master is still hiding abroad, afraid to come back.”

“No way, he’s afraid to come back because he lost the power struggle. Four years ago…”

“Shh—do you want to die?!”

“Right, right, right. Not talking about it, not talking about it.”

Lin Ran heard all of this. He had heard rumors of what they were discussing, but he didn’t find it terrifying at all. Instead, he felt it was part of Rong Jingcheng’s charm. It would be the most absurd thing in the world if the head of the all-powerful Rong family were truly just the romantic artist he appeared to be.

Lin Ran pursed his lips. He also felt the messy braiding had dulled Rong Jingcheng’s luster a bit. Perhaps he should learn how to braid hair after he got home. One day…

Lin Ran clenched his fists. One day, he would braid the most perfect hairstyle for Rong Jingcheng, one that no one could criticize.

A sudden ringtone startled Lin Ran out of his silent vow. He pulled out his phone with displeasure; Lin Tang’s name was on the screen.

Feeling a bit puzzled, he stood up and walked outside to answer the call.

The next day arrived as scheduled. Jiang Zao was furious when the alarm woke him up. It had only been one day, and he already found going to work annoying.

He didn’t want to go to work.

His phone rang; it was Rong Jingcheng.

“Hello?” Jiang Zao’s voice was sharp with morning grumpiness.

Rong Jingcheng spoke with a smile: “Xiao Zao, are you up? If you don’t get up, you’ll be late for work.”

Jiang Zao rolled over, counted to three in his head, and sat up. “I’m up. Are you up?”

“I haven’t slept yet.”

Jiang Zao put on his slippers and walked toward the bathroom. “Wasn’t the performance last night exhausting?”

“It was.” Rong Jingcheng’s voice did indeed sound a bit weary upon closer listening. “But I suddenly had a burst of inspiration and have been composing until now. I just finished. Shall I play it for you?”

“Mhm.” Jiang Zao turned on the speakerphone, set it aside, and picked up his toothbrush and toothpaste. Just as the toothpaste was squeezed out, a lively, light melody drifted through the phone.

By the time the short piano piece ended, Jiang Zao had finished washing his face and was reaching blindly for the towel on the rack.

“How was it? Did it sound good?” Rong Jingcheng asked expectantly.

Jiang Zao wiped his face and said, “Not bad.”

“Then,” Rong Jingcheng asked with a smile, “did it inject some energy into your unpleasant morning?”

Jiang Zao paused for a second before saying, “A little.”

“Eh? Only a little?” Rong Jingcheng was disappointed, but he quickly cheered up. “Good thing I have a backup plan—I’ve sent someone to deliver breakfast to you. It should be arriving soon!”

“Mhm.” Hearing the yawn on the other end, Jiang Zao smiled. “Get some rest. I’m hanging up.”

Without giving the other person a chance to refuse, Jiang Zao hung up the phone. Just as he was about to change clothes, the doorbell rang. Jiang Zao thought it was quite a coincidence, but when he opened the door, he found Meng Qiuyu standing outside.

“Hmm?” Jiang Zao was puzzled. “Is something the matter, Teacher Meng?”

Meng Qiuyu was dressed neatly. He froze slightly seeing Jiang Zao without his glasses.

“Hmm?” Jiang Zao’s eyes tilted up slightly.

Meng Qiuyu snapped back to reality and gave a casual smile. “Teacher Jiang just woke up and hasn’t had breakfast yet, right? I happened to make an extra portion. If you don’t mind, we can eat together.”

Before Jiang Zao could speak, a refined man in a suit approached, carrying an exquisite food container.

“Teacher Jiang, this is the breakfast Director Rong asked me to deliver to you.” The man respectfully handed over the container.

Jiang Zao took an extra look at him. Being able to call Rong Jingcheng by his first name meant he was someone close and trusted.

“Thank you.” Jiang Zao accepted the food and turned to Meng Qiuyu apologetically. “I’m sorry, I have breakfast today. Let’s eat together another time.”

“Alright, it was my presumption to invite you without checking first.” Meng Qiuyu wasn’t embarrassed; he maintained his polite demeanor. “I’ll ask about your schedule in advance next time.”

“Mhm. I’m going in. See you in the office later,” Jiang Zao said before closing the door. He felt he had made himself clear—don’t come asking to walk to work together later, either.

The breakfast Rong Jingcheng prepared was exactly to Jiang Zao’s taste. After eating, his mood improved, and he felt less resistant to going to work. He packed his things and headed out.

When he arrived at the office, Meng Qiuyu was already there, tea steeped, preparing his lessons. He nodded to Jiang Zao as he arrived.

Jiang Zao returned the smile. This lukewarm interaction was perfect. They were just colleagues; no need for drama. Work was annoying enough without having to manage interpersonal relationships.

His good mood evaporated the moment he sat at his desk, as he realized he had forgotten to prepare for his lessons—and his Chinese class was the second period.

Although there was still time to prepare, Jiang Zao was too lazy to move. He wondered how he could coast through a period, and then he had an idea.

Jiang Zao stood up and walked over to Meng Qiuyu’s desk. “Teacher Meng.”

Meng Qiuyu looked up.

“Could I swap classes with you?” Jiang Zao asked.

“Hmm?” Meng Qiuyu was confused.

Jiang Zao explained: “Since school just started, I want to give them a small diagnostic test. Morning study plus the first period should be about enough.”

Meng Qiuyu understood. “No problem. I’ll swap to the second period.”

“Thank you, then.”

After thanking him, Jiang Zao returned to his seat. There were ten minutes left before morning study began; he had to hurry to find a test paper and print it.

With his strong search skills, Jiang Zao managed to find a comprehensive, moderately difficult mixed-subject test paper within seven minutes. He downloaded and printed it. The printer received the command and began spitting out pages one by one.

In less than two minutes, twenty-four warm test papers were in Jiang Zao’s hands. Jiang Zao was impressed; a high-end printer was indeed great, much better than the “ancient” machines his previous school used.

Without wasting time, Jiang Zao gave Meng Qiuyu a nod and headed out with the papers.

From a distance, he saw Lu She standing outside the classroom talking to a middle-aged man. He walked over.

“Teacher Jiang,” Lu She greeted him as he arrived.

“And this is?” Jiang Zao looked at the middle-aged man.

The man introduced himself: “Hello, Teacher Jiang. I’m the head teacher of Class 1, my surname is Chen.”

Jiang Zao recognized him; this man was also the head of the Chinese teaching and research group, Chen Xiangdong.

“Hello, Teacher Chen.” Jiang Zao shook his hand. “May I ask what business you have with a student from my class?”

Chen Xiangdong hesitated for a moment and said to Lu She, “Lu She, why don’t you head back first.”

Lu She didn’t move.

Jiang Zao said, “Go on in.”

Lu She turned and entered the classroom.

Chen Xiangdong looked at Lu She’s back, his expression a bit sour.

“Teacher Chen?” Jiang Zao prompted him.

Chen Xiangdong straightened himself and said, “Teacher Jiang, I’ll get straight to the point. I hope you can let Lu She return to Class 1…”

He couldn’t finish his sentence because Jiang Zao suddenly gave him an apologetic smile. While he was still confused, he saw Jiang Zao raise his hands to cover his ears.

Chen Xiangdong was displeased: “You—”

DIIIIIIIIING—

As 7:20 arrived, the morning study bell rang precisely on time, its sharp, urgent wail drowning out all other noise.