Chapter 19: The New Beautiful Homeroom Teacher

“Ring, ring, ring—”
The class bell rang. The first lesson upon returning to school was the homeroom teacher’s math class, one of the few classes in senior year that demanded serious attention. The question types, problem-solving methods, and formulas were complex and varied, and the questions often posed tricky challenges.

Their math teacher, known to the students as Old Duan, was a man nearing sixty, a beneficiary of delayed retirement policies. At his age, he should have long retired to a quiet life, but due to recent policy changes, he was fortunate to take on another class.

Old Duan was always gruff and stern in class, frequently repeating phrases like, “Haven’t we gone over this question countless times?” and “You guys are the worst class I’ve ever taught.”

He had a notorious fondness for drinking, often sneaking out to have a few drinks in violation of school rules.

But being close to retirement and holding a high rank—after all, the current principal was once his student—no one among the school’s administrators dared to reprimand him.

Su Yi could always tell from the strong smell of alcohol whether Old Duan had sneaked out the back door. Thanks to this keen sense, ever since his own time-travel back, no matter how lax he became during study hall—whether scrolling on his phone or reading extracurricular books—he was never caught.

This fact once sparked quite a stir in the class. Many thought Su Yi had an extraordinary stroke of luck, so much so that many who were distracted would use him as a benchmark: once they noticed him getting serious, they would put away their books and phones and follow suit.

Of course, this time was no exception. While waiting, Su Yi quickly sensed someone’s arrival by sound and scent.

But this time, it was somewhat different...

The footsteps outside were not heavy but instead echoed with the crisp tap of high heels, accompanied by a pleasant jasmine perfume rather than the sharp sting of alcohol.

Su Yi temporarily put away his essay materials and looked toward the door.

About thirty seconds later, a woman dressed in a deep black fitted blazer and matching skirt, paired with a white shirt, stepped into the room. She immediately captured everyone’s attention.

Wearing square-framed glasses, she appeared young yet bore the mature charm of a woman in her thirties. Her figure was full and alluring. She placed a math book on the teacher’s desk, pushed up her glasses, scanned the room, and smiled softly.

“Good day, everyone. My name is Meng Xi—Xi, like the tide. Your teacher, Mr. Duan, has been transferred to another school. For the next few months, I will be your substitute teacher and homeroom advisor.”

The classroom erupted instantly.

“What? Are you kidding?”

“Changing teachers just five months before the college entrance exam? Did Old Duan finally get fired for drinking?”

Laughter and chatter broke out.

“Poor Old Duan. Seems like even his ‘my student is the principal’ connection couldn’t save him. He’s almost retirement age and still got transferred.”

“Wonder where they sent him.”

“Old Duan, Old Duan! What will we do without you?”

“The classroom just doesn’t feel right without that familiar smell of your liquor...”

A few boys lamented sadly.

Having spent two years together, the students had formed an unbreakable bond with their original teacher—like a commander suddenly taken away from his troops before they could properly say goodbye.

It was truly heartbreaking.

“Hey, look at the new teacher’s black stockings...”

Someone muttered, drawing the class’s collective gaze downward to Meng Xi’s slender, shapely legs crossed elegantly atop the podium, accentuated by her high heels, radiating a distinct allure.

A cold, beautiful face.

Long, sleek legs clad in black stockings.

Combined with an exquisite figure...

Old Duan’s old, wrinkled, and stern face gradually faded from their minds.

It seemed their feelings weren’t as deep as they thought.

“Stand up and welcome Teacher Meng,” the class monitor led the applause, and cheers echoed enthusiastically throughout the room.

However, worldly-wise Su Yi did not share the excitement of these high school boys. His eyes remained fixed on those black-stockinged legs, a flicker of doubt stirring in his mind.

The legs were beautiful and slender but muscular and well-defined—a physique more typical of an athlete than a daily office-bound teacher.

Moreover, beneath the thick stockings, there were scars on the inner thighs and ankles that looked like bullet wounds.

Could this teacher be a veteran who had transferred to civilian life?

Yet the age didn’t match. The woman before him appeared no older than thirty, remarkably young.

Suspicious but unwilling to cause trouble, Su Yi stood and lightly clapped along with the others.

Seeing Su Yi rise, Loli Xi instinctively stood as well, mimicking his light applause silently—after all, it was best not to neglect one’s commanding officer.

“Alright, everyone, please be seated. Let’s begin class.”

All senior year courses had wrapped up; most of the time was spent solving problems. After a brief greeting, Meng Xi inquired about their progress and, like any substitute, picked up chalk from the desk.

“A certain company produces an electronic instrument with fixed costs of 2,000 yuan. Each unit requires an additional input of 100 yuan...”

Her clear voice echoed through the classroom. Whether to make a good impression or calm the typically noisy back row, the room was unusually quiet.

Su Yi rested his chin on his hand, twirling a pen, listening intently for five minutes. Overall, the new teacher was quite competent—articulate, clear in thought, and concise—far more efficient than Old Duan, with hardly any wasted words.

Only the problems were too simple, and he quickly lost interest.

“Sir, is the answer to this problem 25?”

Loli Xi lowered her head and carefully pointed at the blackboard.

“Oh?” Su Yi shrugged, tapping his pen on his workbook, glanced briefly, and nodded appreciatively. “I didn’t expect you to get it right.”

“Loli Xi can understand instrument-related knowledge involving numbers.”

“It’s just... I don’t quite get why we have to think about such boring things. There are plenty of conditions to explore, yet they’re deliberately omitted, forcing us to reason backward in a more complicated way.”

Loli Xi voiced her confusion. To her, this approach seemed inefficient and somewhat pointless.

“Well...” Su Yi hesitated, “it’s just a training method. The meaning isn’t important, as long as you grasp the theoretical application.”

It was normal for applied problems to be impractical.

With a new way to pass the time in class, the lesson flew by unnoticed.

When the bell rang, though a question remained unfinished, Meng Xi promptly ended the class, picked up her book, and dismissed everyone.

Freed from their constraints, the students rushed out, eager to spread the news of their beautiful new homeroom teacher.

“Hey, did you hear? Our homeroom teacher changed!”

“What a coincidence—ours changed too. Ours is a middle-aged man with a scar on his face.”

“Huh? Ours changed as well...”