I have added this story to my P@treon.
Dean Yan Shaozhe looked lean and refined, but his eyes were exceptionally bright.
He sat on the sofa with a relaxed posture, yet the aura of someone who had long held a position of authority was unmistakable.
Seeing Lin Yaoyang enter, he smiled and gestured with his hand: “Hello, Student Lin.
I am the Dean of the Martial Soul Department, Yan Shaozhe.
Come, sit down first.”
Lin Yaoyang nodded and sat on the opposite sofa.
His back was straight, and his posture was upright.
Yan Shaozhe’s gaze lingered on him for a moment, a flash of appreciation passing through his eyes.
“No need to be nervous,” he said with a smile, “Don’t take today’s matter to heart.”
Lin Yaoyang did not respond, simply waiting quietly.
He knew that Yan Shaozhe calling him here was certainly not as simple as just saying “Don’t take it to heart.”
As expected, Yan Shaozhe picked up his teacup, took a sip, put it down, and said in a relaxed and casual tone: “We have finished investigating the matter from this morning.
It is indeed true that Zhou Yi was in the wrong, but this was purely her personal behavior and has nothing to do with our academy.
Please rest assured.”
Lin Yaoyang nodded.
Investigated clearly?
More like weighed the options clearly, he thought.
Zhou Yi’s teaching style had not been going on in Shrek for just a day or two; would the academy not know?
They were simply turning a blind eye.
Now that something had happened, they were just pushing her out as a scapegoat.
Of course, he would not say these words out loud.
“Very well,” Lin Yaoyang looked at Yan Shaozhe, his gaze calm, “May I ask Dean Yan, how do you intend to handle this matter?”
Yan Shaozhe smiled slightly, seemingly not surprised by his directness.
“We have already dealt with her.”
Dealt with her?
Lin Yaoyang blinked.
That phrasing…
why did it sound like they had silenced her permanently?
Seeing his expression, Yan Shaozhe coughed lightly and quickly added: “We have expelled her.
From now on, another Teacher will serve as your class Teacher.”
Lin Yaoyang remained impassive on the surface, but his mind was crystal clear.
Expelled?
It probably wasn’t that simple.
Zhou Yi’s husband was the Vice Dean of the Soul Guidance Department, an eighth-rank Soul Engineer, and quite a notable figure in Shrek.
Although Yan Shaozhe did not fear him, he would not offend him completely.
The so-called “expulsion” was most likely just for show.
Once the heat died down, she would change her identity, switch classes, or perhaps even run off to the Soul Guidance Department.
But none of that had anything to do with him.
As long as Zhou Yi was gone, that was fine.
Lin Yaoyang nodded to indicate he understood.
Seeing his indifferent reaction, Yan Shaozhe nodded inwardly.
This kid really knew how to keep his cool.
An average twelve-year-old boy, having beaten his homeroom Teacher on his first day of school and being called to the Dean’s office, would at least be a little anxious, if not trembling with fear.
Yet this Lin Yaoyang had been calm from beginning to end, as if he were listening to someone else’s affairs.
Neither humble nor pushy, neither hurried nor slow.
This mind was even rarer than his talent.
Yan Shaozhe pulled back his thoughts and waved his hand.
A black-gold patterned card engraved with the Shrek Academy emblem appeared out of thin air on the coffee table.
The edges of the card shimmered with a faint Soul Power luster, showing at a glance that it was no ordinary item.
“This is a gold card with a limit of fifty thousand gold coins,” Yan Shaozhe gently pushed the card toward Lin Yaoyang, his tone remaining gentle, “Consider it compensation from the academy.
You have just enrolled, and you will be able to use it for purchasing Cultivate resources and daily necessities later on.”
Yan Shaozhe had his own thorough calculations.
Lin Yaoyang’s talent was unparalleled among the current freshmen and was extremely rare even across the entire continent; he was a top-tier prospect that Shrek was determined to keep firmly in its grasp.
However, having clashed with his homeroom Teacher and injured her right after enrolling, he would inevitably harbor some resentment toward the academy.
If they were to directly gift him a heavy reward like a Spirit Bone, it would be too deliberate and might instead make Lin Yaoyang wary.
Fifty thousand gold coins was a significant sum, a huge amount for an ordinary Spirit Master.
It could effectively compensate for his unpleasantness today without appearing too utilitarian.
It was just right for soothing and winning him over in a gentle manner, step by step, binding this promising talent to Shrek.
This was the safest choice after weighing the pros and cons.
“Later on, if Student Lin achieves a Breakthrough to Spirit King, you can come find me to take you to hunt Spirit Beasts!”
Lin Yaoyang did not respond, simply reaching out to pick up the card and putting it into his own storage soul tool.
“Then, thank you, Dean Yan.”
Yan Shaozhe waved his hand with a smile: “It’s only right.
Study with peace of mind at the academy.
If you have any reasonable needs later on, you can also report them to the academy through your class Teacher.”
Lin Yaoyang stood up, looking at Yan Shaozhe with a calm gaze: “Is there anything else, Dean Yan?
If not, I will be leaving first.”
Yan Shaozhe was slightly stunned.
He had actually prepared a speech, hoping to chat a bit more with this teenager to build a closer relationship.
He didn’t expect the other party to take the item and leave immediately, so crisp and efficient, not giving him a single chance.
“Very well,” he nodded with a smile, “You go back and get some good rest.”
Lin Yaoyang turned and walked out of the office, closing the door behind him.
The office fell silent.
Yan Shaozhe leaned back on the sofa, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest, silent for a moment.
“What do you think of this Lin Yaoyang?” he asked.
Director Du Weilun thought for a moment, weighing his words: “He possesses calmness amidst arrogance, and cunning hidden within his intelligence.”
He paused, then added: “To make such a person fully integrate into Shrek, I’m afraid it will take some effort.”
Yan Shaozhe nodded slightly, a flash of contemplation in his eyes.
“Indeed.”
He picked up his teacup, watching the tea leaves floating and sinking, and said slowly: “However, he is also human.
As long as he is human, he has weaknesses and desires.
As long as we can grasp these, we can control him.”
Director Du Weilun did not speak.
He knew that Yan Shaozhe was better at this kind of thing than he was.
After all, this Dean was always adept at calculating.
Dormitory.
When Lin Yaoyang pushed the door open, Wang Dong was sitting cross-legged on the bed, holding a book and pretending to flip through it.
Hearing the door open, she immediately looked up, her eyes brightening for a moment, then quickly pretending to be nonchalant.
“Back?” she asked, her tone indifferent, as if she were just asking casually.
Lin Yaoyang glanced at her, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
“Yeah.”
He walked to his bed and sat down, starting to unbutton his school uniform.
Wang Dong waited a few seconds, seeing he wasn’t speaking anymore, and finally couldn’t hold back.
“How was it?
Anything happen?” she asked, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible eagerness.
Lin Yaoyang turned his head, looking at her with a half-smile: “Are you worried about me, Little Wang?”
Wang Dong: “…”
Little Wang?
What kind of ridiculous nickname is that!
Her face flushed slightly, and she turned her head away, huffing: “Who’s worried about you!
I was just…
just curious!
Don’t flatter yourself!”
“And, don’t call me Little Wang!
It sounds terrible!”
Lin Yaoyang looked at her stubborn appearance and couldn’t help but smile.
“Didn’t we agree when we competed before?
Whoever wins gets to make the calls.
You lost, so you have to listen to me.”
Wang Dong’s fists clenched, her teeth gritting audibly.
She took a deep breath, then another deep breath, trying hard to make her expression look less like she was gnashing her teeth.
“…Brother Lin,” she squeezed out a smile, “How did things go, exactly?”
Lin Yaoyang nodded with satisfaction: “That old hag was expelled, we are getting a new class Teacher.”
Wang Dong was slightly shocked.
Expelled?
She had thought at most it would be a reprimand or a deduction in salary; she hadn’t expected the academy to actually expel an old Teacher for a freshman?
“Besides that, there’s this.” Lin Yaoyang took the black-gold patterned card out of his storage soul tool and tossed it in his hand.
“Is this a gold coin card?”
“Yeah, a limit of fifty thousand gold coins, compensation from the academy.”
“Fifty thousand gold coins?!” Wang Dong’s eyes widened instantly, her voice raising an octave, and she sat up in shock.
“Fifty thousand?!
That much?!”
She was completely shocked.
For a student, this was simply an astronomical figure, enough to buy many Cultivate resources.
Wang Dong looked at the card, then at Lin Yaoyang’s nonchalant expression, feeling both admiration and envy, and the way she looked at him gained a few more shades of conviction.
“The academy actually gave you so much money directly…”
Lin Yaoyang casually put the card back into his storage soul tool, his tone flat: “Don’t you know who I am?”
“Tch, look at you getting all cocky!” Wang Dong curled her lip, turned her head away, and then secretly sized up Lin Yaoyang from the corner of her eye, a flash of admiration passing through the depths of her eyes.
However…
he really was quite impressive!