ATLAS TRANSLATES

Chapter 9: It Has Nothing to Do with You

“Brother Si, Brother Si, don’t walk so fast! Wait for me!” Xu Si stopped and turned to Yang Shikun, asking, “Why are you following me?”

“I’m a bit scared.”

Xu Si looked at him, confused. “What are you scared of?”

“I’m worried something might happen to you.”

“How did you get out of class?”

“I said I had a nosebleed.”

“Go back. Don’t follow me.” A dangerous aura surrounded Xu Si, his eyes full of hidden emotions.

“I… I’ll head back then.” Yang Shikun glanced back at Xu Si one more time before leaving.

Sunlight fell on the young man, softening his features. Xu Si irritably ran his fingers through his hair, then walked to the bathroom sink. He turned on the tap and splashed water on his face, taking several deep breaths until he felt the irritation in his heart subside a bit.

The break time bell rang, and students poured out of their classrooms. Xu Si leaned against the corridor wall near an empty classroom, head down playing a matching game on his phone, his fingers lazily sliding across the screen.

Suddenly, someone tugged gently at his sleeve. Xu Si looked down to see his deskmate standing there in her neat school uniform.

“Do you need something?”

Jiang Qiang met Xu Si’s gaze, nervously clutching her hands. His expression was so fierce.

“I’m sorry. You got scolded in class because you were trying to help me see what was written on the blackboard.” Jiang Qiang looked up at him, her fair face full of sincerity.

Xu Si looked at her well-behaved manner and lowered his eyes. “It has nothing to do with you.”

Chen Song just couldn’t stand him and found reasons to “teach him a lesson” in almost every class. What did that have to do with her?

The young man had narrow eyes and pale skin, with black bangs falling across his forehead. The wound on his face had scabbed over, giving him an unexpectedly roguish air as water droplets rolled down his cheeks.

Jiang Qiang stared at him for a moment, then pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to him.

Xu Si gave a light laugh. “Thanks. Class is about to start.”

He saw Jiang Qiang check her watch before running off. He looked at the paper in his hand and tucked it into his pocket. She really was a good student, running off so quickly at the mention of class starting.

Jiang Qiang made it to the door just as the bell rang. She heard someone say “Excuse me” behind her. She and Xu Si made eye contact briefly before looking away, and she slowly walked in.

As soon as Xu Si entered the classroom, he started sleeping. Halfway through the class, someone knocked on the window. Jiang Qiang met Fang Zixin’s gaze with a confused expression.

Fang Zixin glanced at the sleeping Xu Si. “Tell him to come to the office after class.”

“Okay.”

Xu Si hadn’t actually been sleeping. He raised his head to look at Fang Zixin. “Got it. I’ll come by later.”

The next period was self-study. Xu Si sat across from Fang Zixin in the office, his face expressionless.

“Xu Si, do you know why I called you here?”

Xu Si looked up at him with mockery in his eyes. “Skipping class? Or something else? If you’re talking about disrespecting the teacher, I don’t admit to that.” The young man lounged casually in his chair, his expression indifferent.

Fang Zixin had heard about the classroom situation from Chen Song. He looked at the young man before him with helplessness. “You know, Teacher Chen means well. He just wants you to improve.”

Someone knocked on the office door, and Xu Si watched Jiang Qiang walk in.

“What is it, Student Jiang?” Fang Zixin was surprised to see her, but with Xu Si present, he didn’t ask if she was feeling unwell and needed to take leave.

Jiang Qiang looked at Fang Zixin and spoke slowly and clearly: “Today in class, Xu Si was only helping me because I couldn’t see the writing on the blackboard clearly. He was just passing me his notes, but the teacher misunderstood it as passing notes. This has nothing to do with Xu Si.”

Fang Zixin looked at Xu Si. “Is this true, Xu Si?”

Xu Si didn’t care about any of this – explaining or not explaining made no difference to him. He gave a noncommittal “mm” in response.

Jiang Qiang continued, “That’s all I came to say.”

Fang Zixin nodded. “I understand. You can go back now.”

After Jiang Qiang left the office, Xu Si leaned back in his chair and addressed Fang Zixin: “If you’re going to lecture me about respecting teachers, don’t bother. I only respect those who deserve my respect.”

Fang Zixin sighed. “As your homeroom teacher, I naturally want you to improve.” Seeing the young man’s indifferent expression, he spoke earnestly, “Monthly exams are coming up. Study hard during this time. Student Jiang’s grades are excellent – you can ask her if you have any questions.”

Xu Si made another noncommittal sound. He’d heard about his little deskmate’s good grades from the beginning. He stood up. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll leave first.”

Suddenly, there was another knock at the door, and Yang Shikun walked in with a grin.

Xu Si glanced at him without saying anything, then walked past him and left.

“Teacher, I have a math question,” Yang Shikun said.

Fang Zixin looked at him questioningly. “Which problem?”

Yang Shikun pointed to one: “If I don’t understand this one, I won’t understand any of the rest.”

“Alright,” Fang Zixin said. He patiently explained the problem to Yang Shikun, who then revealed his true reason for coming to the office.

“Teacher, I have something to tell you.”

“Go ahead.”

Yang Shikun gave an exaggerated account of what happened in class today, adding angrily, “Teacher Chen’s words were really harsh today.”

Fang Zixin nodded. “Alright, you can go back now.”

He massaged his temples, feeling tired. Although everyone said Xu Si was a problem student, he hadn’t caused any real trouble. Fang Zixin knew about Xu Si’s family situation – he only had a father who was often away, and there was no information about his mother.

Chen Song used to teach the school’s top class and had high standards. When he was suddenly transferred to Class 17, a lower-performing class, he couldn’t accept it. He had protested to the school many times without success. He looked down on these students somewhat and had mentioned this issue to Fang Zixin multiple times. Fang Zixin hadn’t expected him to openly say such things in class.

He felt he needed to have a chat with Chen Song about adjusting his teaching attitude, and if necessary, report this incident to the school.