Chapter 126: I Was Referring to the Previous Sentence!

Facing the gazes of everyone around her, Dai Xinhua blushed deeply, slightly turning her head to look at the wall. Yet after a moment, as if struck by a thought, she glanced anxiously at Luo Chen, who was receiving the crowd’s admiration.

Luo Chen frowned. Yuan Kuozhong was clearly speaking rashly in the heat of anger, which he could tolerate to some extent, but his words had gone too far. Fortunately, he was the one sitting here listening. If it had been another sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boy—parents deceased, scorned and left to fend for himself, sinking into despair—he would have either rushed to confront the teacher or been too crushed to carry on.

“Teacher Yuan Kuozhong, you’ve already said enough...”

Amid the silence, a clear and melodious voice rang out. Le Zhengling stood from her seat, casting a worried glance back at Luo Chen before turning her gaze toward the sullen Yuan Kuozhong.

Hearing someone challenge him, Yuan Kuozhong clenched his anger, intending to find out which careless fool dared to speak up. But upon seeing the only girl in the class standing, he swallowed his retort. He knew her background well. Although, as a people's teacher, it was improper to show favoritism, no one could escape social realities.

After all, could an ordinary student go complain to the school leadership or the education bureau about him?

They could, but it would be futile.

“Le Zhengling, are you suggesting that high school students can date casually and neglect their studies? Or do you mean...”

Yuan Kuozhong lowered his tone as much as he could, but he had no intention of indulging this young lady. As long as he himself did not err, even if complaints reached the school leadership, there was no chance of his dismissal.

However, he cast a suspicious glance between Luo Chen and Le Zhengling, then at Dai Xinhua, before settling his eyes on Luo Chen once more. He had never heard before that Le Zhengling, the heiress of the Le Zheng Group, was close to any boy. This young man, burdened by the grief of losing both parents, was out there chasing girls—and more than one at that. He was nothing short of a scoundrel.

Everyone has a penchant for gossip. Hearing Yuan Kuozhong’s pointed remarks, the gossipers spread their eyes among Dai Xinhua, Luo Chen, and Le Zhengling. This relationship was worth investigating. Many knew that Dai Xinhua and Le Zhengling were close friends. Could it be that Le Zhengling was helping Luo Chen because of this friendship? Or was there something else?

Le Zhengling naturally understood the unspoken implication behind Yuan Kuozhong’s words. Coupled with the loaded gazes of the gossipers, even the straightforward and fearless Le Zhengling blushed, shooting an annoyed glare at Yuan Kuozhong. “I was referring to the first sentence!”

The first sentence?

Yuan Kuozhong’s expression shifted when he recalled the earlier words about “no one caring and giving up on oneself,” and he realized he had misspoken. Saying that to any other student might not have mattered, but Luo Chen’s circumstances were sensitive and could cause harm.

Normally, being caught in a slip of the tongue wouldn’t be a big deal, but it seemed Le Zhengling intended to press the matter. Yuan Kuozhong softened his tone, preparing to apologize. As a teacher, he took responsibility; an apology was not beyond him. Yet seeing that Luo Chen remained calm, simply watching him quietly, the words in his throat changed.

“Ahem... I spoke too harshly just now, not considering Luo Chen’s feelings. Even teachers can make mistakes. If there’s anything I say that’s wrong in the future, please feel free to point it out.”

Even though Yuan Kuozhong said students could correct him, few dared to do so—it was mostly empty words.

Le Zhengling narrowed her eyes. What did he mean by “not considering Luo Chen’s feelings”? He had clearly struck a sore spot and was now trying to shirk responsibility. She wasn’t about to let this go so easily. Just as she was about to speak, Luo Chen’s voice came from behind.

“Just watch your words next time.” Although Yuan Kuozhong’s apology sounded forced and mindful of his own dignity, Luo Chen could accept it as better than being verbally abused further. But he wasn’t about to offer any kind words in return.

Yuan Kuozhong’s slightly chubby cheeks twitched as he struggled to contain his anger. A student telling a teacher to watch his words next time? It was unheard of. Yet he couldn’t explode, so he pretended not to hear.

Le Zhengling smiled slightly at Luo Chen’s serious tone, the warmth fading from her face. Seeing Yuan Kuozhong’s complexion shifting from pale to flushed, she chose not to speak further.

The other students were not so well-mannered. Some couldn’t help laughing quietly at Yuan Kuozhong’s changing expression after hearing Luo Chen’s words. Fortunately, they remembered they were in class and restrained themselves somewhat. Still, it was easy to imagine that within days, this would spread across the entire school.

Luo Chen had deliberately said that. He had anticipated the outcome. Seeing Yuan Kuozhong’s volatile expression, he wondered if he had been too harsh, but recalling the potential harm caused by the teacher’s careless words, he shook his head and let it go.

It was just a matter of saving face. It was good to teach this teacher a lesson; sometimes, a few rash words from a teacher could cause significant damage.

Laughter occasionally reached Yuan Kuozhong’s ears, darkening his face further. But after years of establishing authority, when his gaze swept the room again, aside from a few privileged students still snickering, the class had mostly calmed down.

“Next, the exam!”

Yuan Kuozhong forced his emotions deep inside and wore a gloomy expression. He no longer bothered with motivational speeches and simply handed out the test papers.

The test paper soon reached Luo Chen. He glanced over it. Although he attended some classes casually, most of his energy was elsewhere. Besides, he had mostly forgotten the knowledge from high school. He could manage a mid-level performance but had no chance of achieving excellent grades.

Luckily, Luo Chen was not fighting alone. This was just an ordinary comprehensive test—he would simply rely on his “cheat codes” and write away! He would take whatever strategies the best online tutors used.

Anyway, these concepts would eventually be etched into his mind; there was no need to waste time thinking when he had such help.

Yuan Kuozhong saw Luo Chen’s pen moving non-stop, as if he didn’t even need time to think, quickly writing on the paper. Yuan Kuozhong had suspected Luo Chen was scribbling nonsense and considered walking over to check, but recalling the earlier words, he decided to ignore him. No matter how poor Luo Chen’s results were, it was none of his concern.

He wasn’t going to interfere any longer.

(P.S.: Thanks to the readers Haohongchen and Brutus for their generous rewards of 1000 and 500 Qidian coins respectively. Flowers!)