"Not the duty student?" The homeroom teacher's expression at this moment was awkward, and all sorts of words that wanted to teach a lesson stayed on the edge of his mouth and were hardened back.
"Well ... that's ... well ... right ... although not the duty student ... but it's everyone's responsibility to take care of the environment ..." and even started talking nonsense because of this inexplicable embarrassment.
Staring at the standing girl in the distance, the teacher suddenly took out his phone. "Oh right, what? A meeting?"
With that, he strode out of the classroom, only returning several minutes later. He cleared his throat as if nothing had happened.
Noticing Bai Yuyou was still standing, he said, "Bai Yuyou, have a seat."
"Okay."
She sat down as the teacher scanned the class and asked, "Who was actually on duty yesterday?"
"Wu Ya," a classmate called out.
Instantly, the teacher's gaze fixed on Wu Ya, his tone laced with anger. "If you were on duty, why did you blame Bai Yuyou?!"
"I-I... it's all Bai Yuyou's fault! I told her to clean..." Wu Ya stammered, intimidated by the sudden rebuke.
"Stand up!" The teacher slammed the desk, making Wu Ya jolt to her feet. "Who gave you the right to make classmates do your duty? Who do you think you are?!"
Wu Ya was speechless. Head bowed under the teacher's scrutiny, she felt the classmates' stares like needles pricking her skin.
It's all that smelly girl's fault. Why does she get away with it? If it weren't for her...
Wu Ya turned to glare hatefully at Bai Yuyou, but the girl was focused on the small notebook in her hand, not even glancing her way. The feeling of her anger hitting empty air only made Wu Ya more frustrated.
"Starting today, you'll be doing all the duty days for the next month, don't think you can be lazy, and if you fail a day, you'll add a week!"
"Wh-what?!" Wu Ya gasped.
Meanwhile, Ye Shuang passed by Class A holding teaching plans. He'd witnessed the entire scene in the classroom and couldn't help a faint smile at the girl in the corner. In just one day, she'd transformed completely. Once the seed of confidence was planted, past hardships no longer seemed insurmountable.
Pushing up his plain glasses, Ye Shuang didn't linger—standing there too long would arouse suspicion. Besides, his pretend-teacher act would end in a few days anyway.
"Mr. Bai!" A voice called from the stairwell. Ye Shuang turned to see a familiar face.
"Oh, it's Teacher Chen," he greeted. The woman was Chen Yue, the teacher he'd queued with to recharge meal cards, with whom he'd exchanged a few words.
"Mr. Bai, do you have a class second period?" Chen Yue asked urgently.
"No..." Ye Shuang thought for a moment.
Her eyes lit up. "My family has an emergency, and I need to go home. I can't find a substitute teacher—could you cover my class? Just have them study quietly."
Ye Shuang instantly regretted admitting he was free. But it was just a study hall... How hard could it be?
"Which class is it, Teacher Chen?" he asked.
"Class B. Thank you so much!" Chen Yue bowed gratefully before hurrying off, likely rushing to catch a high-speed train.
What have I gotten into? Pretending to be a teacher, now I actually have to teach. Ye Shuang mused. Maybe I have a talent for espionage.
Half an hour later, as the second period bell rang, Ye Shuang entered Class B with his plans. The noisy classroom fell silent instantly, all eyes turning to him.
"Teacher Chen has an emergency at home, so this period is self-study," he announced. To the dozens of stares, he might as well have been looking at pigeons. Taking a seat at the desk, he began "writing lesson plans"—or rather, scrolling through his phone.
The students, once they realized the homeroom teacher was gone, turned the classroom into a chaotic marketplace, ignoring the substitute entirely.
Ye Shuang sighed. The noise would surely attract the dean, and then his disguise would be blown. Next time he wanted to check on Bai Yuyou, he might not get in so easily.
His gaze fell on a boy sitting on his desk chatting. "Xu Hao, sit back down."
The room froze—no one expected a strange teacher to know a student's name. But Xu Hao just smirked, assuming he was infamous enough for any teacher to recognize him.
His smirk faded when Ye Shuang added calmly, "If you don't move, I'll have a nice chat with your grandmother about your 'excellent performance' here."
[Character: Xu Hao
Raised by his grandmother, mischievous but deeply obedient to her. He even lies about being a scholarship student to make her proud.]
Xu Hao was confused—his grandmother didn't even own a phone, and his parent contact info listed his divorced parents. How did this teacher know? Still, he quickly scrambled back to his seat, silent.
The class quieted somewhat, but a girl named Zhang Shuyi continued applying foundation in a compact mirror, chatting and laughing with classmates. Ye Shuang snapped photos of her with his phone.
"Zhang Shuyi, I've recorded your 'excellent behavior' to send to your father in the hospital. Hope you get more pocket money next month."
Her face paled instantly. Now the classroom was dead silent. The students realized this substitute might be scarier than their homeroom teacher. He didn't shout, but his words were as effective as a warning shot.
Everyone bent over their books—everyone except a girl with shoulder-length hair. An Shiyu twirled her pen, murmuring, "Is he... really a teacher?"