Chapter 12Â
Rong Nian’s behavior really didn’t look like “actually not bad.”
But Luo Shizhen believed it easily.
He nodded obediently. “Okay, Teacher, I will get along well with him.”
He actually thought Rong Nian was quite enthusiastic.
Since appearing, he had been smiling at him the whole time.
Even knowing Luo Shizhen was an obedient child, Chen He’an was stunned, not expecting him to be obedient to this extent.
Chu Xiao, however, knew Luo Shizhen’s old habit of “listening to Grandma” was flaring up again.
It was said Luo Shizhen was a posthumous child and had a difficult birth, suffocating in his mother’s womb for too long, so his brain had some issues.
He couldn’t cry or laugh until he was four, nor could he speak or walk. Everyone thought he was a fool. Since his parents were dead and only Grandma Luo was left, many advised her to send the child to an orphanage.
Grandma Luo never gave up. She taught him patiently every day and actually slowly taught Luo Shizhen to function.
But in Chu Xiao’s view, Luo Shizhen was sometimes stubbornly rigid, only knowing how to follow Grandma Luo’s instructions strictly, completely ignoring whether her past teachings fit the current situation.
He had tried to change Luo Shizhen’s thinking, but to Luo Shizhen, Grandma’s words were divine law.
Even if Chu Xiao talked until the sky fell, he wouldn’t change.
For example, Luo Shizhen was taught from childhood to listen to teachers because teachers were smart and knowledgeable; listening to them was absolutely correct.
Grandma Luo’s frequent saying was: “Shizhen, although your head is slow, you are likable enough. As long as you listen to the teachers well, they will definitely be good to you too.”
Facts proved Grandma Luo was right.
Although Luo Shizhen never discovered where he was likableâand was often bullied by male classmates, especially in elementary schoolâ
Whether in elementary, junior high, or high school, every teacher indeed liked Luo Shizhen very much.
A student who, though clumsy, listened to class seriously, was obedient, went east if the teacher said east, and never chased chickens if the teacher said chase dogs.
When Luo Shizhen was in junior high, the Chinese teacher tutored him without charge, so he worked in the teacher’s fields for over a month during the holidays.
In high school, the math teacher tutored him too. He directly took over all the housework in the math teacher’s home. He couldn’t be stopped; if asked, he’d say, “Grandma said if teachers are good to me, I must be good to them.”
Such a child, aside from poor grades, really had nothing to criticize.
His grades refusing to improve only garnered more pity from the teachers.
Even teachers who initially thought Luo Shizhen was faking his effortâdisbelieving a student could work so hard and still have such rotten gradesâcleared their misunderstandings after interacting with him.
This child is truly slow.
But, faced with a student who tried his absolute best, looked at them with admiring, dark eyes every day, respected them from the bottom of his heart, was incredibly diligent, and seized every chance to help out, few teachers could resist succumbing.
Growing up, Luo Shizhen might have encountered bullying peers, but the teachers were all trying their best to help him and plan for him.
And now, Luo Shizhen was looking at Chen He’an with those eyes, nodding faster than anything.
Completely tossing aside Chu Xiao’s warnings about staying away from Awakeners.
Chu Xiao felt stifled but had no solution. If he could easily change what Luo Shizhen decided, he would have had Luo Shizhen come to Luoxia City with him long ago.
Fortunately, the school had various protective measures. They might not stop students from fighting each other, but if a student didn’t want to fight and reported it to the teachers, the teachers would intervene immediately.
He scared Luo Shizhen partly because he worried about conflicts with other Awakeners, and partly due to secret thoughts he couldn’t even explain clearly to himself.
I don’t want Shizhen to interact with others.
If Shizhen only had me as a friend, that would be great.
Luo Shizhen was so clumsy, silly, and easy to trick; if he met others, he would definitely be bullied.
But he wouldn’t bully him.
They grew up together, and both had no family. They were each other’s closest person. It should just be the two of them, with no one else intruding.
Such thoughts had sparked faintly even before Chu Xiao awakened. After awakening, they grew wildly like weeds.
Chu Xiao thought a lot; Luo Shizhen thought nothing.
Upon meeting Rong Nian and finding that apart from a fish tail, he was quite normalâable to talk and smileâLuo Shizhen felt relieved with his big heart.
Besides, Mr. Chen said Rong Nian wasn’t bad.
Rong Nian didn’t apologize probably because he was shy. Anyway, Mr. Chen said he would make Rong Nian apologize.
Luo Shizhen threw this matter to the back of his mind and continued touring the campus scenery with excitement.
Chu Xiao followed behind with a cold face.
Qin Yinian leaned close to Chen He’an. “Teacher, pull some strings for me? Let me live with this dummy.”
Chen He’an didn’t push him away, only reminding, “Don’t give nicknames to classmates.”
“Alright, alright, sorry. Teacher, just let me and Luo Shizhen be in the same dorm. Look how well we got along on the way here.”
Chen He’an smiled. “That won’t do. Dorm assignments are random. I don’t have that authority.”
Qin Yinian didn’t give up. “Really? What if Luo Shizhen gets bullied by his roommates? He’s soft as cotton; maybe he’ll cry then. How about this: can I go to their dorm to stay with him?”
“If a student doesn’t want to stay in the dorm, they can come to the faculty dorms to live with a teacher.”
Chen He’an said smilingly, “Student Shizhen can live with me.”
Qin Yinian: “…”
Having led so many students, Chen He’an knew what bad idea this kid was cooking up with one glance. He warned:
“Shizhen has a very serious personality. Yinian, don’t provoke him.”
Qin Yinian smiled playfully. “What could I do? I just think he’s fun and want to play with him.”
“Okay, okay, and also because he’s a Purifier. After all, having lived this long, I’m still afraid of death. Luo Shizhen is a Purifier; of course I want to have a good relationship with him.”
Chen He’an’s gentle eyes seemed to see through Qin Yinian’s heart. He patted the other’s shoulder.
“Do you know the characteristic of Elemental Users?”
Qin Yinian dodged Chen He’an’s hand on his shoulder. “Characteristic? They all like to go crazy?”
Chen He’an: “All Awakeners like to go crazy.”
“Thirty years on, we’ve found that Elemental Users appearing in the same batch always tend to fall for the same thing, or the same person.”
Although Qin Yinian tried to dodge, Chen He’an’s hand patted his shoulder again.
The seemingly scholarly, gentle man smiled slightly.
“Yinian, you always like to hide your true self behind unruliness, being stingy with sincerity and loving to play. One day, you will play yourself into a trap.”
After speaking, he tapped Qin Yinian’s shoulder, walked ahead, and continued leading Luo Shizhen on the tour.
Qin Yinian stood stunned for a few seconds behind him, then revealed a disdainful expression.
Does Mr. Chen mean I’ll become like Chu Xiao, nervous to death over Luo Shizhen’s matters and completely controlled by that idiot?
If Mr. Chen really thinks that, he’s underestimating me, Qin Yinian.
He admitted Luo Shizhen was interestingâinterestingly stupidâand had actually rejected his friendship.
But the more it was like this, the more he wanted to win Luo Shizhen over, making this kid consider him a good friend and replacing Chu Xiao’s position.
When that happened, he wouldn’t turn hostile; he’d just let Luo Shizhen be an ordinary friend.
This kid’s silly appearance was indeed a bit likable.
Qin Yinian slowly followed the group, calculating in the back how to proceed next.
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Teacher He there’s no need to wait he’s already fallen into the trapđޤđ