Chapter 88: I also want to keep a low profile

Jiang Luofu said, "Director Lu believes this is gambling, but in my view, it's merely a contract. Calling it gambling is an overstatement. Our world places great importance on the power of contracts. Since he won, both parties should fulfill the agreed-upon consequences."

"But..." Lu De tried to speak further.

Jiang Luofu cast a calm glance at him. "What? Are you questioning my words?"

Lu De's heart tightened. He quickly bowed and said, "I wouldn't dare!"

Zu'an watched, his eyes gleaming. The beautiful principal's queenly aura was overwhelming; even the usually arrogant Lu De became like a quail in front of her. "Tsk tsk tsk," he thought, "I must cling tightly to such a powerful figure."

The other people around nodded discreetly. Most students felt that Yang Wei had indeed provoked first, and his loss was well-deserved. Lu De's intervention seemed a bit unreasonable.

However, the dean of students was usually too overbearing, and no one dared to risk offending him by speaking up for fairness, especially since they had no close ties to Zu'an. The principal's handling of the situation was just right, winning everyone's genuine approval.

Of course, Yuan Wendong, Hong Xingying, Ye Chenliang, and others who had grievances with Zu'an were quite annoyed. They thought the principal's arrival was ill-timed. Every time Zu'an caused trouble, someone always came to clean up his mess. "Damn, is his luck really that good?" they wondered.

Rage points from Yuan Wendong +444!

Rage points from Hong Xingying +444!

Rage points from Ye Chenliang +444!

...

Seeing the rage points accumulating in the background, Zu'an couldn't help but smile. But it was still too little; it seemed he needed to provoke more antagonists in the future.

Just then, Jiang Luofu suddenly spoke. "Now that Yang Wei has been dismissed, there's no arithmetic teacher in the academy. Since the agreement between Yang Wei and him included this clause, Zu'an will teach the school's arithmetic classes until a new teacher is appointed."

At her words, the entire scene fell into an extremely peculiar silence. Everyone involuntarily looked towards Zu'an.

Lu De: "???"

Bai Susu: "???"

Shang Liuyu: "???"

The students: "???"

Even Pei Mianman, who had been smiling while watching the show, had her smile freeze. What was going on? Did this mean she would have to call this guy "teacher" from now on?

Being the center of attention for everyone, even Zu'an, with his thick skin, found it a bit much. He subconsciously glanced at Jiang Luofu in the distance and saw her subtly wink at him. Only then did he recall how he had approached her that morning with 7.5 million silver taels, asking her to sponsor him as an honorary professor, which she had flat-out refused without a second thought. Why had she changed her mind now?

But none of that mattered now. The crucial thing was not to miss this opportunity to earn rage points; it would be a terrible waste.

He cleared his throat and addressed Lu De, Bai Susu, Shang Liuyu, and the others, "Well, it seems we're colleagues from now on. Please take care of me in the future."

Rage points from Lu De +999!

Rage points from Bai Susu +999!

What right did this guy have to be their equal?

Zu'an, however, felt a slight regret that Shang Liuyu hadn't contributed any rage points. It seemed this beautiful lady had a genuinely good impression of him.

He ignored Lu De and Bai Susu, instead sweeping his gaze across the rest of the onlookers. He let out a long sigh. "I wish I could keep a low profile, but my abilities simply won't allow it. I'm done pretending; the cards are on the table. From now on, when you see me, please address me as Teacher Zu."

The entire area erupted in an uproar. This guy's smugness made everyone want to punch him.

Rage points from Yuan Wendong +999!

Rage points from Hong Xingying +999!

Rage points from Ye Chenliang +999!

"This is unbelievable! Am I crazy, or is this world crazy? This good-for-nothing actually became an academy teacher?"

Rage points from Bystanding Student A +222!

Rage points from Bystanding Student B +222!

...

Watching the huge wave of rage points flood in from the background, Zu'an couldn't help but beam. These students were truly adorable, so "polite."

However, noticing their murderous glares, Zu'an couldn't resist hiding behind Shang Liuyu. "Sister Shang, if the students riot, you'll protect me, right?"

Shang Liuyu took a deep breath. "Don't just talk about them; even I feel like hitting you a little."

On the other side, Lu De finally reacted, hastily saying, "Principal, how can you let a student be a teacher?"

"Why not?" Jiang Luofu said calmly. "Over the years in my Great Zhou Dynasty, it's not uncommon for excellent students to remain at school and take up positions."

Lu De replied, "Those are all exceptionally outstanding students, prodigies with immense power, universally admired. What qualifications does Zu'an have?"

There was another phrase he hadn't dared to say in front of Principal Jiang: "Is he worthy? He's not worthy of anything."

Just then, Bai Susu recovered and chuckled, "Director Lu, your words are incorrect. This is an arithmetic teacher; they aren't responsible for teaching cultivation-related matters, so strength isn't relevant. His recent competition with Yang Wei has already proven his proficiency in arithmetic. I actually think his abilities are more than sufficient to be an arithmetic teacher."

He had initially thought Zu'an becoming a teacher was a joke, but seeing Lu De's strong opposition, he immediately changed his mind. Over the years, he and Lu De had always been at odds, disliking each other. Whatever Lu De supported, he would oppose, and whatever Lu De opposed, he would support.

Lu De's face was ashen. "Bai, this isn't the time for bickering. Are you really willing to let a student like him become an academy teacher? Wouldn't our academy become the laughingstock of the world?"

"Why would it be a joke?" Bai Susu pinched her fingers in a delicate gesture. "If anyone dares to laugh, let them come and compete with Zu'an in arithmetic."

Lu De gasped, forced to admit that the fellow named Zu was indeed a bit of a mathematical prodigy. Yang Wei was widely recognized as having the highest arithmetic proficiency for hundreds of miles around, yet he had still lost so terribly. Where could they possibly find someone else to compete?

At this point, Jiang Luofu spoke. "You don't need to worry. He is merely a substitute teacher, not someone officially registered with the Imperial Secretariat or holding a formal position. Once the new teacher sent by the Imperial Secretariat takes office, he will automatically be relieved of his duties. Furthermore, aside from arithmetic class, he will attend lessons like a normal student during regular hours. Zu'an, you have no objections, right?"

What a troublemaker he was! She had just assigned him a position, and he immediately got carried away, offending all the teachers and students in an instant. She finally understood why he usually kept a low profile. With his talent for causing trouble, if he didn't pretend to be weak, he would have been killed by experts and thrown into a ditch long ago.

Hearing her question, Zu'an chuckled awkwardly, "Of course not."

"Nonsense, how could I not have an opinion? Who wants to be a temporary worker?"

But did he dare to voice his opinion? Though he often tested the limits of self-destruction, he was keenly aware of those who were absolutely not to be provoked. A powerful figure like Jiang Luofu was definitely someone to cling to tightly, never to offend.

Hearing that it was merely a temporary substitute position, Lu De finally breathed a sigh of relief. Such an outcome was acceptable, as contradicting the principal directly carried significant pressure.

Seeing that there were no more objections, Jiang Luofu nodded. "This matter is settled then. Everyone return to your classrooms. It's class time; what kind of behavior is this, gathering here?"

With the principal's words, the surrounding students naturally dared not delay and dispersed.

Compared to Yuan Wendong and the others, who left with expressions as if they had eaten dirt, Chu Huanzhao's expression was far more joyful. She seemed so excited, as if she had a thousand things to say to him, but under the teachers' supervision, she could only return to her own class. As she left, she kept winking at Zu'an, clearly more thrilled than if she had become a teacher herself.

Pei Mianman, meanwhile, slipped away quietly among the crowd, a slight smirk on her lips. "This boy actually became an academy teacher. Things are getting more and more interesting."

As the crowd gradually dispersed, Shang Liuyu called the students of the Yellow Class back to their classroom to begin their language lesson. The students were all incredibly excited. Teacher Shang's lessons were the most beautiful... no, wait, the most engaging.

Zu'an also wanted to follow, not because he coveted Shang Liuyu's beauty, but because he was curious about the languages and customs of other races in this world. After all, compared to the previously learned lessons on criminal law, etiquette, and morality, this one promised to be far more interesting.

To his surprise, Jiang Luofu stopped him. "So, was 7.5 million taels well spent?"

"Not wasted, not wasted at all! It was absolutely worth it!" Zu'an replied with a fawning smile. Not to mention the surge of rage points he had just received, the thought of all the students in the school respectfully calling him "Teacher" from now on felt incredibly satisfying. The next time he saw his 'cheap wife,' he would definitely make her call him that a few times. "Yes, that's a delightful decision," he thought.

"Previously, the beautiful principal refused me, and I thought it was hopeless. I had no idea you already had a plan," Zu'an said. He yearned to hug her leg and lick it twice to express his excitement, but realizing he might be labeled a pervert and eliminated, he reluctantly abandoned the thought.

Jiang Luofu replied, "Naturally, there was no chance at first. No matter how much money you offered, how could I let you be a teacher? But then Yang Wei challenged you and stated that if he lost, the teaching position would be yours. Since you proved your abilities in front of the entire faculty and student body, I simply went along with it. By the way, although you don't have an official teaching position, you'll still receive considerable benefits. Someone will take you to an exclusive teachers' dormitory later, where you can rest during the day. Additionally, you'll receive a monthly teacher's salary. Of course, as a substitute teacher, you'll only receive eighty percent of a formal teacher's pay. Is that acceptable?"

"No, no objections at all!" Zu'an was somewhat flattered. There was even an exclusive teachers' dormitory. It seemed he didn't need to ask Cheng Shoubing about buying a courtyard anymore. Wouldn't living at school be much better? With vibrant young female students and mature, gentle female teachers, what more could he ask for?

"Oh, right," Zu'an suddenly remembered something. "That, now that you've given me this teaching position, what about the previously agreed-upon spot to enter the secret realm?"

Jiang Luofu blinked, a playful smile appearing on her fiery red lips. "With your abilities, you can even defeat a teacher. I'm sure a small qualification exam will be no problem for you."

Without waiting for his response, she waved her hand and walked away, leaving Zu'an completely bewildered. What did "no problem" mean exactly? Did she intend to arrange things for him, or did she expect him to rely on his own abilities?

"Are you very familiar with Principal Jiang?" A soft, pleasant voice spoke. Turning around, Zu'an saw Shang Liuyu standing behind him, having appeared unnoticed.