Chapter 3: Fighting and killing, not as good as admiring the school beauty!

"Right, no leaving." Zheng Jing rolled in front of Fang Yan again, blocking his way out. "You broke things and want to leave? How easy do you think that is?"

"I already apologized, didn't I?" Fang Yan turned to look at Lu Chaoge, his brows slightly furrowed. This woman was more difficult to deal with and—shallow—than he had imagined.

According to the usual plot in TV shows and movies, the heroine should have already noticed the hero's uniqueness by now, then grabbed his hand and begged him to stay, stomping her feet and pouting, even saying with a coy and affectionate gaze: "Hate you, I've already said sorry, can't you forgive me? Can you forgive me, please, please, please—"

Swear to God, if the woman in front of him were to do that—Fang Yan shook his head, it seemed he was overthinking.

"If an apology were enough, what would the school security be for?" Zheng Jing said proudly and smugly. This guy dared to call him a ball, he had to make him suffer.

"That line is outdated. Now it can neither scare people nor attract girls. Can't you change it?" Fang Yan looked at Zheng Jing and kindly offered his suggestion.

"Security, security—" Zheng Jing shouted loudly. If persuasion didn't work, then it had to be brute force.

Kid, let you know what it means to be both literate and martial.

"That line is better, though it lacks literary talent—" Fang Yan commented.

Two security guards in green uniforms ran in quickly and asked, "Director Zheng, what's the matter?"

"Bind him." Zheng Jing said angrily.

"Yes, Director Zheng." The two security guards responded, moving to grab Fang Yan from both sides.

Whoosh—

They reached out simultaneously, but ended up holding hands. The person they were trying to grab, Fang Yan, stood not far away, smiling at them.

What's going on? How could that kid move so fast?

Without blinking, he was already gone.

"Out." Lu Chaoge suddenly spoke.

"Right, take him out." Zheng Jing waved his hand and said.

"I mean, you all get out." Lu Chaoge glared at Zheng Jing, pointing at him, "You, you, and you."

"——"

Zheng Jing's fat face turned red, then purple, and finally white.

Then, he put on a smile and said, "Yes, yes, we'll go out. I'll stand by the door, if Principal Lu needs anything, just call. This person is unknown, Principal Lu must be careful—"

It's not that I don't understand, it's that women change quickly.

As he turned to leave, Zheng Jing felt his life was meaningless and humiliating.

"It shouldn't be like this." He said to himself.

Bang—

The door was closed, and the office returned to its quiet state.

"Did you cut these?" Lu Chaoge pointed to the vase of flowers.

"Denying it now probably won't make you believe me, right?" Fang Yan smiled, his lips curling up, bright and sunny.

Lu Chaoge didn't notice Fang Yan's smile; her gaze was still fixed on the vase of flowers. "Is this the Heavenly Ladder?"

"This is my version of the Heavenly Ladder." Fang Yan said. He knew this woman had already noticed the change in the flower arrangement.

Good, not beyond saving.

"Your version of the Heavenly Ladder?"

"Flower arranging is like painting; a good painter shouldn't be limited by rules. Besides, because the materials are mostly the same, it's impossible to have two identical works. Isn't that right?"

"Yes." Lu Chaoge nodded. Is this guy trying to give me a lecture?

"The first level of flower arranging is 'shape similarity,' as long as the shape matches the name we give it. The second level is 'spirit similarity,' where it exudes a certain aura from within, which is rare. The third level is 'divine craftsmanship,' I've seen it, but I can't achieve it. The fourth level is 'heavenly work,' that's just a legend."

"Divine craftsmanship?" Lu Chaoge was shocked. She was also a flower arranging enthusiast, how could she not know the level of divine craftsmanship? "You've seen it?"

"Yes." Fang Yan nodded. "Your Heavenly Ladder is at the spirit similarity level. I hope you don't mind my saying so."

Though reluctant, Lu Chaoge nodded frankly, "I'm just a beginner—"

"Have you been to Wudang Mountain?" Fang Yan asked.

"No." Lu Chaoge shook her head.

"Have you seen the Heavenly Ladder? On TV or in pictures, the mountain path on Wudang Mountain."

"Yes." Lu Chaoge nodded.

"Ancient and secluded, misty and winding, looking up, you can't see the end." Fang Yan walked to Lu Chaoge's side, standing next to her, pointing at the flower arrangement. "The name Heavenly Ladder comes from the Heavenly Ladder on Wudang Mountain, right?"

"Yes."

"The line of eucalyptus you chose echoes the beginning and end, but the problem lies in the beginning. What is heaven? What you can't see or touch is heaven. I cut off the beginning of the eucalyptus to give people infinite imagination. Heaven shouldn't have boundaries."

"The yellow sunflowers, though laid out loosely and casually, don't fit the theme of the Heavenly Ladder. What doesn't fit? Complexity. The Heavenly Ladder is a straight path leading to the clouds, simple and direct. These yellow sunflowers, though beautiful, are also a burden—this is a common problem for female flower arrangers, they think every flower is beautiful, every leaf is precious. The result is a grand, harmonious look."

"The Heavenly Ladder doesn't need too many decorations or too bright colors. It's direct and full of spirit. I only need three flowers. The flowers aren't the focus, the eucalyptus is."

"I understand." Lu Chaoge sighed softly. "I made the same mistake as other women."

"Very normal." Fang Yan smiled. "Because you're a woman too."

Lu Chaoge glared at him fiercely, then remembered his answer to her question about what he was doing, which was just a 'no.'

Walking back to her large desk and sitting down, she looked up at Fang Yan standing in front of her and said, "You want to be a teacher?"

"Yes." Fang Yan nodded with a smile.

"Why?" Lu Chaoge asked. "Why do you want to be a teacher?"

"My grandfather was a teacher." Fang Yan answered without hesitation. Before the interview, he had guessed the examiner might ask such a cliché question, so he had prepared a perfect answer in his mind. "My great-grandfather was also a teacher. My father is a teacher, and even my mother was a kindergarten teacher before my father won her over—'The silkworm spins silk until it dies, the candle weeps until it's ash.' Yes, being a teacher is hard work, with endless chalk dust and homework to grade."

"But being a teacher is also great. 'The peach and the plum need not speak, yet a path is formed beneath them.' During holidays, countless students call to offer greetings, and many visit their teachers at home, even flying back from the United States and Canada—frankly, I envy them. I envy them. So, when I was very young, I decided to become a glorious teacher. I want to dedicate my youth, my talent, my body—to give light and warmth wherever I can."

Fang Yan looked at Lu Chaoge with burning eyes and said, "Principal Lu, please give me the chance to serve the students and you."

"——" Lu Chaoge sat there in a daze, speechless.

Honestly, she didn't know how to deal with this weirdo.

She had never experienced such an overt job application, nor had she ever met someone who glorified their profession so highly and nobly.

Listening to him, it felt like he wasn't going to be a teacher, but a savior like Guanyin or the Buddha.

If you said he was lying, his expression was so serious.

If you said he was serious, you couldn't help but doubt your own intelligence.

"Principal?" Fang Yan waited for a while, not getting the expected response, and couldn't help but remind her.

Did I overact?

It shouldn't be. This morning, even he was moved by his own practice in front of the mirror.

"Um——" Lu Chaoge's mind finally returned to normal, her gaze fixed on Fang Yan's face. "I understand. You—will definitely become a good teacher."

"Thank you, Principal Lu, for your recognition and encouragement. I will work hard and dedicate myself to teaching."

"The old principal has informed me. You are someone the old principal invited, so your abilities shouldn't be a problem. However, anyone who wants to teach at Zhuque High School will have a three-month probationary period. If you don't meet the school's standards after three months—then, I'm sorry. I will advise you to resign."

"Zheng Jing." Lu Chaoge called out to the door.

Zheng Jing ran in, smiling and asked, "Principal, you called me?"

"Take Teacher Fang to complete the procedures, then introduce him to the students in Class 9, Grade 1. He will teach Chinese in this class."

"Yes, Principal." Zheng Jing responded quickly.

The door closed, and Lu Chaoge left her seat, walking to the corner and looking at the increasingly vivid Heavenly Ladder, sighing softly, "Beautiful to tears."

Walking out of Lu Chaoge's office, Fang Yan looked up at the clear blue sky of the campus and couldn't help but exclaim, "Fighting and killing, not as good as admiring the school beauty."

"What did you say?" Zheng Jing turned and asked.

"I said, from behind, you look just like Chow Yun-fat."

"How dare you insult me?" Zheng Jing, like a rabbit whose tail was stepped on, jumped up immediately.