It was clear from his parents’ faces that they couldn’t see the potions he was holding.
It was like a splash of cold water to his face, sending the sparks of excitement in his heart sizzling and sputtering into nothing. He had even poured some of the potion into a small bowl for his mother to try, but her expression only went from worried to horrified: if her son wanted her to drink air, he must have lost his mind from studying.
He was their only son; nothing could happen to him. After a hurried discussion, Chen’an’s parents decided to bring him to the mental hospital in the city.
Chen’an had to quickly assure them that his brain remained perfectly functional and rational. It took a while before he convinced them that he wasn’t a lunatic-really, yes, he was fine, and no, he hadn’t gone insane from studying
Only when he was back in his room did he let out a long, deep breath.
The results of his experiment were somewhat depressing. It was basically impossible to make a fortune with this mini health potion.
***
The weekend breezed past; enough for students to go home and spend time with their families, nothing more.
As for the revision papers distributed by the teachers, most students could only complete their homework during the evening self-study period after returning to school-with the exception of a few muggers. Chen’an fell into the former category. After returning to school, the first thing he did was to focus on his homework. Fortunately, he only had two revision papers left, so he managed to complete his homework with surprising efficiency.
Lu Gang was no different; he was done in less than 15 minutes, arguably even more efficiently than Chen’an.
And so resumed the rigorous cycle of studying for the third-years.
The college entrance examination was a major milestone in their lives, so they had to do their best to absorb the knowledge in their textbooks. However, Chen’an didn’t have to struggle. With his enhanced mental abilities, classes were a lot more relaxing than before. He had faith this would be reflected in his results.
He was half an hour away from the end of his evening self-study when a voice pulled him out of his concentration.
“Tell Chen’an to come out for a while.”
It was a young woman in a cap and tracksuit. She had been his gym teacher in his first year of high school: Han Ya.
Why was she looking for him?
Baffled, Chen’an walked out of the classroom. Seeing Chen’an being called away by Han Ya, Jiang Min and Gao Tianjie turned to look at Lu Gang. “Did something happen to Chen’an? Why are teachers from other classes looking for him?” Jiang Min asked. The only adults who would be in Shangke High at this time were teachers and security guards-and clearly, that woman was one of the former.
Lu Gang answered with a dumbfounded expression. He remembered Han Ya, if for nothing other than her distinct resemblance to Yui. It wasn’t easy to forget such a beautiful female teacher. But he had no idea why she was here.
Could it be about Pan Yuguan again?
Meanwhile, Chen’an followed Han Ya, equally puzzled.
He had to admit, gym teachers were a different breed. In this cold weather, Han Ya was only wearing a flimsy sports jacket and athletic leggings-which did little to hide the curves of her body.
Just today, his mother had wanted him to go to school in his long johns. In response, Chen’an had made a very serious vow about how he would rather die than sacrifice his dignity like that. How else could he preserve his masculinity, once everyone in the dormitory took off their pants at night? Especially since people of Lu Gang’s weight didn’t need them!
They passed through the corridor that connected the teaching buildings of the different cohorts, before arriving at the teaching building for first-years.
Han Ya seated Chen’an in her office and closed the door, after which she began to take off her jacket to reveal the sports vest underneath.
While he was panicking, Han Ya donned a long-sleeved shirt, then slipped her jacket back on. “Phew! That was a mistake. It’s so cold outside.” She hugged her arms and rubbed them for warmth. When she had somewhat recovered, she turned to Chen’an.
“Do you still remember me?”
Chen’an looked at the exquisite, statuesque Han Ya and thought, How could I not remember you? You’re the woman closest to Yui in my heart!
“Yeah. You used to teach me.” He scratched the back of his head shyly.
Han Ya smiled faintly. “Good. I have a few questions for you.”
“Please, go ahead,” he replied without missing a heartbeat.
Satisfied with Chen’an’s enthusiasm, Han Ya nodded. “You beat Pan Yuguan in a race last Friday, didn’t you?”
“Uh… Yes.”
Don’t tell me this guy can still cause trouble for me while he’s locked up in the station. He had still been in police custody, alongside Scorpion, when he and Lu Gang left.
“Take off your pants.”
“Huh?” This was even more direct than before!
As if sensing that her words were inappropriate, Han Ya coughed twice and instructed, “Come closer so I can feel your thigh.”
Chen’an was dumbfounded. Han Ya’s requests were… unusual, to say the least, but he glimpsed Han Ya’s face, with her features so like Yui’s, and his body obeyed before his mind did.
Without hesitation, Han Ya bent down and pinched his thigh.
Chen’an tensed. Again, Han Ya pinched his thigh, clicking her tongue in wonder.
“Strange. Your thigh muscles are loose. It doesn’t seem like you’ve trained at all. How could you outrun Pan Yuguan?” She looked like she was picking out a slice of pork at the market. She was pinching and poking everywhere, all while making confused remarks.
What she didn’t know was that their positions gave Chen’an an excellent view of her cleavage from above. It went on just a little too long, and his body-still vigorous with youth-couldn’t be repressed.
“Okay, that’s enough, please. It’s ticklish.” He shrank back and successfully avoided Han Ya’s gaze.
Brushing him off, she said, “Jump so I can get a gauge of your leaping ability.”
Chen’an was stunned-but now he understood why Han Ya was looking for him.
Han Ya was treating him as an unrefined athletic prodigy after that boost to his Agility. She was probably trying to decipher from his jump if he had undergone any prior training.
Thing is, she didn’t know what exactly a jump from him now entailed.
She was staring straight at him, so he had no choice but to turn around and jump. Han Ya crossed her arms, hand on her chin in scrutiny.