FI CH39: Each with Their Own Charm
They had now moved to the third-year building.
The teaching offices were on the floor above. When Lin Su went up, he found the source of the commotion. It was currently reporting time, so many students were also up here. In front of the corridor at the other end, a circle of people had gathered.
Lin Su followed the scent of the melon and squeezed in, only to see a middle-aged man in a shirt and trousers, a small leather bag tucked under his arm, with a slight paunch, standing there. In front of him were several teachers and Dean Li.
“Number One High School is my alma mater. I’m just trying to repay the school for its cultivation, okay? Let’s not talk about this anymore.”
Dean Li’s expression was slightly stiff. “But we don’t need it, and school has already started…”
“What do you mean you don’t need it?”
That middle-aged man raised his hand and pointed. “Just build a few more buildings for labs, a gymnasium, a library, or something. We’ll call them the Jianfei Building, the Jianfei Gymnasium… You can ask these students—”
As he spoke, he turned his head and scanned the crowd.
His gaze swept over the crowd, then suddenly paused on Lin Su, slowly moving back and forth twice.
Lin Su stood amidst the crowd, conspicuously outstanding. His face was like warm jade, his black hair soft, with an indescribable charm. His white shirt was tucked into his waist, making his waist look slim and his legs long.
Zhu Jianfei’s eyes flashed for two seconds. He turned back and put on a different expression, saying, “Just right, I’ll see where to build the buildings. Find a student to show me around the school.”
He turned sideways and pointed at Lin Su. “Here, you’ll do.”
“…”
Lin Su narrowed his eyes slightly and looked over: Oh.
Xuenima floated: […He’s really good at picking.]
The surrounding students all turned to look, and the faces of several teachers immediately became ugly. Dean Li even showed a hint of anger.
“Mr. Zhu, our students still have classes!”
Zhu Jianfei was unconcerned. “Isn’t it still early? Showing me around the school won’t take much time.”
Just as Dean Li was about to speak again, a voice was heard:
“You don’t understand. If I don’t read for a minute, I get a terrible headache.”
Turning his head, he saw Lin Su standing there with a straight face, his tone slow, “After all, many who failed to get into key universities thought that time was ‘still early’.”
Everyone: “………”
Dean Li’s expression relaxed, he almost couldn’t hold back.
Zhu Jianfei suddenly stiffened, as if he had been subtly insulted. Xuenima savored it:
[Did he not get into university?]
Lin Su glanced at his fate chart and said nothing.
After stiffening for a moment, Zhu Jianfei forced a smile, staring at him with a meaningful, magnanimous expression. “You accompany me around the school, and if I’m in a good mood, I’ll donate another building to you.”
Lin Su was surprised. “Nine buildings?”
He suggested, “Given the size of our school, you can only stack them to build a tower. We can call it the ‘Ta Ma’ (Fuck you). It should become a new city landmark.”
Zhu Jianfei, “………”
Dean Li finally couldn’t hold it in: Pfft!
A wave of laughter erupted from the spectating students, and some whispered to each other:
“…Is that the transfer student?”
“Aiya, my first time seeing him up close. He’s so good-looking, and his mouth is as sharp as if it’s been dipped in poison.”
The whispers and laughter spread.
Zhu Jianfei’s face instantly turned the color of pig liver.
Lin Su had eaten enough melon and had no intention of staying longer. He turned to leave, but then heard a voice from behind:
“Then you come—”
He paused his steps.
Turning his head, he saw Zhu Jianfei pointing at a neat and pretty girl in the crowd. The girl was startled and flinched.
Dean Li sternly intervened, “Mr. Zhu! Please conduct yourself with…”
“What, you don’t want the sports field renovated anymore?”
Zhu Jianfei raised his eyebrows and sighed, “Dean Li, what are you thinking? I’m just asking a junior student to show me around.”
Lin Su narrowed his eyes, his hands itching.
He gathered himself and walked back. “I…”
Just as he opened his mouth, a cold voice sounded almost simultaneously from the stairwell:
“I’ll accompany you. How about it?”
He paused his words and looked up along with everyone’s gaze.
He saw He Zhenling standing at the stairwell, wearing a suit over a high-necked sweater. His tall figure, from top to bottom, exuded a sense of pressure. In contrast to his well-covered body was his cold, sharp gaze.
He was almost half a head taller than Zhu Jianfei. As he looked down, the latter subconsciously shrank back.
“…Who are you?”
Dean Li was overjoyed. “Mr. He!”
Then he put on a solemn expression and said to Zhu Jianfei, “This is a new school director who just joined recently. You probably didn’t know, Mr. Zhu.”
A school director. Then his financial resources must be considerable.
Zhu Jianfei was choked for a few seconds, then he took out his phone and looked at it, trying to save face. “Oh… um, that’s not necessary anymore. I have a meeting at my company. Next time.”
With that, he tucked his small leather bag under his arm and left.
Lin Su’s gaze fell: …Nima.
A few seconds later, a thump! a muffled sound came from the corridor below. It was accompanied by a suppressed cry of pain and a curse, “Hiss… damn it!”
The students by the corridor all craned their necks: ?
A ball of white light returned to his shoulder: [He wasn’t watching where he was going and fell.]
Lin Su was unfazed: How careless.
With Zhu Jianfei gone, the atmosphere around them relaxed.
The spectating students now glanced at He Zhenling and began to whisper in amazement:
“Wow, ahhh!”
“A school director? So young, so handsome!”
Lin Su leaned against the wall. Across the crowd, he met He Zhenling’s sideways gaze. His eyebrow twitched. He Zhenling pressed his lips together and turned his head away.
In front of him, Dean Li was practically saved. “Mr. He, you came at just the right time! By the way, where is Principal He?”
“Still in a meeting upstairs. I came down to take a look first.”
“Oh, oh, then are you going back to the meeting?”
He Zhenling didn’t reply. Dean Li took it as a tacit agreement and turned to dismiss the still-spectating students. “Alright, alright, get back to what you should be doing.”
The students dispersed, still wanting more.
Lin Su also turned to leave.
He walked to the stairwell but didn’t go down. Instead, he turned and went up.
He waited at the stairwell on the next floor for a few seconds, and sure enough, a figure came up from the stairwell at the other end. Across the bright, empty corridor, He Zhenling looked up.
Then he walked across the corridor towards him.
The tall figure stopped in front of him.
Before the person could speak, Lin Su stirred up a wave. “What’s wrong, does Teacher He want to tour the school too?”
He Zhenling, “…”
He let out a soft laugh. “The ‘distance’ between us, aren’t we still restraining ourselves?”
Lin Su immediately became serious. “Look at you, what are you thinking again?”
The reply was a knowing sneer.
People could come here at any time. Lin Su still had questions to ask, so he called He Zhenling up to the rooftop.
…
The rooftop door closed.
Lin Su said, “By the way, when did you get here just now?”
He Zhenling glanced at him and didn’t speak.
Hmm? Lin Su turned his head and saw the person’s thin lips pressed into a straight line, his gaze fixed forward. His eyes seemed a little cold, yet also as if a flame had licked through them.
Before he could take a closer look, He Zhenling’s eyelashes lowered, and he asked:
“How did you end up there?”
He blinked, then sighed. “Oh… I heard some rich turtle was insisting on building 8 buildings for the school. I went to see what his plan was.”
“…”
He Zhenling glanced at the sports field. “Does he think he’s filling the sea?”
Lin Su looked sideways. “…Telepathy?”
He Zhenling turned to him. “What?”
Looks like the electricity hasn’t reached that point yet.
Lin Su shook his head and said “nothing,” then asked, “Is he really going to cram 8 buildings into the school? The reason?”
“It seems there’s an award for some philanthropic entrepreneur recently.”
“…”
He was amazed. “Is the first step donating his brain?”
He Zhenling continued, “Usually, only sound things can be donated.”
Xuenima lay on Lin Su’s head: [Don’t you think Xiao He is particularly sharp today?]
Lin Su savored it: Is he…
Before he could savor it for two seconds, the person in front spoke again, “But, it’s not certain it will actually be built. It’s just a project proposal for now. The rest is for later.”
He nodded. “I see.”
He Zhenling’s gaze fell on him. “What?”
“Nothing, just something I’m concerned about.”
Lin Su finished, then added thoughtfully, “Of course, what I’m most concerned about is still you.”
“…Heh.”
He Zhenling’s lips twitched, not quite a smile. He stared at him fixedly. “You saying this while wearing your current disguise really scares me.”
Lin Su soothed, “My little disguise already turned 18 during the summer vacation. You can do whatever you want.”
“…”
The person in front was quiet for two seconds.
“Whatever I want?”
A shadow suddenly loomed from above.
Lin Su was leaning back against the railing. He looked up and met He Zhenling’s suddenly lowered eyes. An arm was propped beside him, and their breaths intertwined as their gazes met.
He subconsciously held his breath for a few moments: …?
Their eyes met. He Zhenling’s eyelashes lowered. “Then why are you nervous?”
Lin Su, “………”
He Zhenling let out a soft laugh, released his hand, stood up, turned, and went down from the rooftop.
The rooftop door closed with a clang.
Lin Su and Xuenima were both silent for a moment.
Then he let out a breath and touched his heart. “…Nima, that was so exciting.”
Xuenima slowly unfroze: […]
It thought so too.
Lin Su returned to the classroom.
As soon as he entered the door, all eyes turned to him! Chen You ran over with his phone, excited:
“Holy crap! Lin Su, I heard you stood up to a big boss. The school forum is full of your glorious deeds now!”
He said, opening the forum and showing it to him.
Lin Su’s gaze fell. Sure enough, he saw several posts about the “battle” just now pinned to the homepage. From the expressions, actions, and words, to the atmosphere descriptions, it was broadcasted without missing a single word.
He swiped a couple of times. “…It’s noon now. There shouldn’t be a rising sun in my eyes.”
Chen You, “…”
Xuenima: [Do you still remember Qi Wang reading by lamplight during a thunderstorm?]
Lin Su decisively swiped the post and exited.
Chen You swiped a few more times himself and said, “There are also mentions of the new school director. I heard he’s incredibly handsome. Oh, of course, you’re also graceful and charming. The forum says you each have your own charm.”
“…”
Lin Su glanced at the description of He Zhenling: “The man’s eyes were instantly frozen for ten thousand miles.”
He politely declined. “No, He… Mr. He is more ‘charming’.”
Chen You looked up in shock. “What kind of outrageous thing are you saying?”
As the two were talking, a voice suddenly said:
“Student Lin, come out for a moment.”
Lin Su turned his head and saw Dean Li strolling to the classroom door, beckoning to him very amiably. Chen You had already swiped his phone away, so Lin Su walked out.
Dean Li said warmly, “Let’s talk in my office.”
…
Dean Li’s office was just upstairs.
The door closed, and a cup of warm water was placed on the desk.
As soon as he sat down, he heard Dean Li’s concerned voice, “About what happened at noon today, you were frightened. Do you have any psychological… needs for counseling? You can talk to the teacher.”
Lin Su was sincere. “No, I’m quite exhilarated.”
Dean Li relaxed a little and nodded with a sigh of relief. “I thought so too.”
Lin Su, “…”
Dean Li said again, “What I wanted to say is, that Boss Zhu, he had previously promised to renovate the sports field for the school, but now he insists on building 8 buildings before he agrees to the renovation.”
Lin Su was amazed. “A bundle deal?”
Dean Li was thrown off. “…What?”
Lin Su shook his head. “Nothing, Dean, you continue.”
“Oh, it’s just that the matter hasn’t been settled yet, so he will definitely come to the school again. But don’t worry, to prevent him from affecting the students again, we have strengthened security.”
Dean Li instructed, “If you happen to run into him and are troubled or targeted, just call security…”
“To protect you.”
“And throw him out.”
The words fell at the same time. Dean Li paused.
Lin Su also paused, took a sip of the hot water, and looked at him.
Dean Li coughed. “Although I’d like to. But to beat up a big boss, we don’t have such… death-defying security guards.”
Lin Su was regretful. “Can we hire one?”
Dean Li sighed. “You make it sound so easy…”
The two were silent for a few seconds.
Lin Su lowered his head and finished the water in the cup. Dean Li saw this and said, “At least we definitely won’t let the students be affected. Alright, go back to the classroom.”
Lin Su put down the cup and stood up.
Out the door, click. The door closed behind him.
The light from outside the corridor cast onto the cool, shady corridor.
Lin Su stood there thinking for two seconds, then opened WeiXin and sent a message to He Zhenling:
“There’s a job opening at the school. Is the butler still with you?”
__
Author’s Note:
Lin Su: Catching a death-defying killer.
The butler: ?
ps: The butler is the one who was serving labor after the Qi family incident, not Old Zhang. ●皿●
pps: “WeiXin” (喂信) is used between Yin and Divine Emissaries, while “WeChat” (微信) is used between ordinary people.
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