Morning — Second Branch Villa
Soft morning light pooled beneath the door as Xue knocked twice, then pushed it open with her elbow. She stepped into Feng's room carrying a chilled bottle—his post-workout drink, condensation beading down the sides.
Her eyes landed on him immediately.
Still in yesterday's home clothes.
Seated at his desk.
Monitors dimmed, but unmistakably used.
And his expression just a hair too clear for someone who'd slept.
Xue's brows lifted.
"Ge ge…" she said, drawing out the words, "…you didn't sleep again."
Feng looked over, calm as always.
"I lost track of time."
A blatant white lie—one Xue could spot even in her sleep.
She marched forward, set the bottle on his desk with a soft thud, and placed both hands on her hips.
"I knew it. The courtyard was empty, so at first I thought you trained early… but seeing you now, you didn't even go down."
She pointed at him accusingly.
"You stayed up the whole night again."
Her tone carried the weight of judgment far beyond her years.
Feng gave a quiet exhale—half amusement, half resignation.
"I'll be fine."
"No," she said firmly, slipping into her "strict mother mode," complete with tiny frown and puffed cheeks. "You'll stop whatever you're doing, go shower, and get ready for breakfast. Now."
Feng's lips curved into a softened smile he only ever wore for her.
"Alright," he said lightly. "Alright."
Xue nodded with exaggerated authority, then reached for the bottle and placed it into his hand.
"And drink this on the way," she ordered. "You're impossible."
He rose, ruffling her hair gently as he passed.
She swatted at his hand, pouting—but her eyes softened with relief.
The morning warmth lingered between them, faint and familiar—
a quiet moment of normalcy…
---
Longhai No. 1 Highschool
Morning sunlight spilled across the courtyard as students crowded around bulletin boards and hallway walls, murmuring in restless confusion. The air felt different today.
Midterm results were finally out.
And after a one-week delay, everyone had something to say.
Feng and Xue reached their usual intersection.
"I'll go check mine," Xue said softly.
Feng nodded.
She gave a small, steady breath and turned right. Feng went left.
As he approached the main notice board, he could already hear the noise:
"Why were the results delayed again?" "They said something about admin reshuffling…"
"Seriously? …Whatever. At least they're out now."
Clusters of students pushed forward, comparing scores, complaining, celebrating.
Feng stepped into the crowd with quiet ease.
His name appeared near the top.
Li Feng —
• Language: 100
• Mathematics: 100
• English: 100
• Physics: 100
• Biology: 100
• History: 100
• Chemistry: 0
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
Not in confusion. Not in anger.
In acknowledgment.
Someone behind him spotted it.
"Bro—Li Feng got a perfect score in everything except… chemistry?"
"Wait, what? Zero? How does that happen?"
"Come on, his paper must've gone missing. You don't score perfect on everything and suddenly get a zero in one subject."
A snicker cut through the voices.
Zhao Kai.
"No, no," he said loudly, as if enlightening the crowd. "Maybe he was just too arrogant and forgot to write his name. Happens when someone rushes just to show off."
A couple of jealous classmates laughed with him.
"Yeah, makes sense." "Even geniuses slip up, right?"
Feng's expression didn't shift.
He simply stepped back from the board, completely untouched by the noise around him.
That only made Zhao Kai scowl.
"What, you're not even embarrassed?" Zhao Kai called out. "Getting a zero in front of the whole school—"
But Feng was already walking away, the insults dissolving behind him like dust.
He reached a quieter hallway, slipped his hand into his pocket, and drew out his phone.
One fingerprint.
One encrypted swipe.
Arachne opened.
His fingers moved briefly, one short instruction—A silent command sent directly into Arachne's system.
The screen closed.
He slid the phone back into his pocket and walked away.
Calm and unhurried.
The chatter behind him grew distant, but the atmosphere around the school was already beginning to shift—
quietly,
obviously.
---
Li Feng's Classroom
The classroom hummed with the restless energy of students still buzzing from the released results. Conversations overlapped, chairs scraped, the normal chaos of a morning class settling in.
Then the door slid open.
Mr. Han stepped in—back straight, expression sharp, carrying an unfamiliar sense of self-importance. The chatter dimmed.
He set a stack of papers on the podium too neatly.
"Settle down," he said curtly.
A few whispers died instantly.
Mr. Han scanned the room with clinical detachment before speaking.
"Before we begin, an announcement."
He adjusted his glasses, tone dripping with forced solemnity.
"Your previous homeroom teacher has been demoted due to… insubordination."
A couple of students exchanged startled looks.
Mr. Han paused—ever so slightly—before his eyes flicked toward Feng.
Not for long.
But enough.
"Effective immediately," he continued, "I will be serving as your new homeroom teacher."
No one spoke.
But unease rippled quietly through the room.
He clasped his hands behind his back.
"Now then—about the midterm results."
Zhao Kai smirked from the corner, leaning forward with malicious anticipation.
Mr. Han cleared his throat, letting a thin smile tug at his lips.
"I'm sure many of you have seen the scores. Some did well. Some… very well."
His gaze drifted pointedly toward Feng's desk.
"And some results require scrutiny."
Whispers sparked instantly.
"He means Li Feng."
"He got a zero in chemistry, right?"
"But full score everywhere else…"
Mr. Han raised a hand, pretending to calm the room while fanning the flames.
"Now, I must remind everyone," he said smoothly, "that in this class—my class—we adhere strictly to academic integrity."
The words hung in the air like bait.
"I do not tolerate shortcuts."
A measured pause.
"Nor do I fall for clever tricks or… suspiciously perfect performances."
Zhao Kai's smirk widened.
A few jealous students sat straighter, sensing the chance to jab where they couldn't before.
Snickers spread.
"He must've bribed someone."
"Or tried some cheating trick and got busted."
"Yeah… zero means they're onto him."
Feng remained perfectly still.
Too still.
The calmness was unnerving—especially to those who watched carefully.
Mr. Han's smile tightened when his provocation didn't bite.
"So," he said, voice cool, "Li Feng… why don't you stand and share your thoughts on this with the class?"
The room stilled.
Even Zhao Kai leaned forward eagerly.
Feng rose slowly from his seat.
Just then—
a subtle vibration pulsed through Feng's smartwatch. Arachne's signal.
'Perfect timing'
He looked straight at Mr. Han and spoke quietly.
"Personally…"
Students held their breath.
Feng's eyes sharpened.
"…I think you need to take a break from teaching."
The class froze.
Mr. Han's face twitched.
Feng continued, voice calm, unhurried:
"And a break from corporate wear."
A beat.
"You should wear more blue."
Confusion rippled at first.
Then comprehension struck.
Blue.
Prison blue!
The silence hit like a hammer.
A few students inhaled sharply.
Zhao Kai's smirk collapsed.
Even Mr. Han faltered—his hand tightening on the podium as if resisting a sudden chill creeping up his spine.
The room stayed frozen for several long seconds—
Until a faint, distant wail drifted into the classroom.
WooOOO—wooOOO—WOooo…
A siren.
Growing louder. Closer.
Students turned to the windows.
A police car rolled into the school courtyard—lights flashing, blue and red scattering across the glass panels.
"What the—"
"A police car? Here?"
"Did something happen at school?"
The room erupted into whispers, students abandoning their seats to crowd the windows.
Mr. Han snapped, "Everyone settle down! Settle—down!"
It took nearly a full minute to regain control.
Just as he drew a breath—turning toward Feng with fury building—
He stopped.
Because Feng was staring at him.
Calmly.
Patiently.
As if waiting.
Something icy crawled up Mr. Han's spine.
Two uniformed officers stepped into the doorway.
"Mr. Han?" one said, raising a badge.
"We have verified evidence of your involvement in multiple offenses, including:
— academic fraud and exam tampering,
— accepting bribes from students and parents,
— coercive misconduct toward minors,
— and several unresolved cases of harassment and abuse traced back to your university years.
You are under arrest."
Gasps, shouts, disbelief—
the room detonated in noise.
Mr. Han's face drained of color.
"No—you must be mistaken—"
"You'll have an opportunity to respond later," the officer cut in coldly. "For now, you'll come with us."
They escorted him out as he sputtered weak denials, each one swallowed by the chaos of stunned students.
When the door finally closed behind them…
…the entire class turned toward Feng—
who by now had opened his notebook, and was calmly turning a page.
No reaction. No surprise.
Just quiet inevitability.
A chill threaded through the room.
---
A girl near the window finally whispered, barely trusting her own voice,
"Did that… actually happen?"
Her friend nodded shakily. "He… he was really arrested…?"
Another student swallowed hard.
"And Li Feng… he said that thing about blue clothes right before the sirens showed up."
A quiet shudder rippled through the room.
Zhao Kai, who had been smirking earlier, stared at Feng in stunned silence—like a man watching the ground disappear beneath him. Every hint of color drained from his face.
Around the room, a few students subtly shifted their desks or leaned back—small instinctive movements meant to create distance. Not dramatic. Just human nature responding to something it didn't understand.
Feng sat perfectly still.
Calm. Composed. Unbothered.
As though the last five minutes had nothing to do with him.
Somehow, that made everything feel even more unsettling.
"Don't tell me he… did that?" a boy whispered, his voice trembling with uncertainty and fear.
"No—no way," his seatmate whispered back. "That's impossible."
But his eyes didn't match his words.
Quick glances kept darting toward Feng — nervous, cautious, almost respectful. His stillness felt deliberate. Controlled. Like something sharp wrapped in velvet.
A presence you didn't provoke.
Someone in the back muttered under his breath,
"…Never crossing him. Ever."
Several students nodded without meaning to.
Zhao Kai swallowed hard. Every insult he had prepared shriveled on his tongue. Something deep and animal inside him warned:
Do not poke this person.
The silence grew thick. Heavy.
Feng finally closed his notebook with a soft click.
Nothing dramatic. Nothing threatening.
Just… normal.
Yet the entire class tensed at the sound.
No one wanted his attention.
No one wanted to be the next person he spoke to so casually… just before the world shifted.
And an unspoken truth settled over the room like a shadow:
Li Feng was not someone you provoked.
Not someone you mocked.
He was quiet.
He was polite.
But beneath that calm—
Something far more dangerous lay waiting.
And every student felt it.
Even if they couldn't explain why.
---
Hello, Author here,
Thanks for reading — Leave a comment to tell me what you think about this chapter, and drop a Power Stone if you're enjoying Li Feng's story so far! Let's grow this story together.