Chapter 109 - 108: The Teacher’s Task
Yang Shen returned to his classroom, endorsement contract in hand. The language arts teacher had already started the lesson.
But Yang Shen was a special case now, not to mention he’d been personally called out by Director Liang. So the teacher didn’t dare say a word of complaint. In fact, he even smiled and asked with concern,
"Ah, Yang, you’re back. Do you want me to go over this problem? If you do, I can explain it again."
Yang Shen gave an approachable smile and gestured that the teacher didn’t need to go to the trouble.
He quietly returned to his seat.
Xu Bamboo kept her eyes on the blackboard, her soft pink lips hidden in the sleeve of her uniform as she whispered, "Where’d you go?"
Yang Shen quickly told her about the endorsement deal.
Xu Bamboo thought for a moment. "Actually... I think you’re bound to improve a lot more by the college entrance exams. On the last monthly test, were you mid-stage or late-stage Bone Training? And now you’re already at Marrow Refining."
"If you’d held out a bit, you might have been able to ask for a higher price."
’I’m afraid Jinkang Pharmacy won’t last that long,’ Yang Shen thought.
"200,000 isn’t a small amount. Sometimes it’s better to take what’s on the table. You can’t fill your stomach with promises you make to yourself."
"Besides, the contract’s scope is pretty limited. If I really do become a big deal, what’s a small contract termination fee?"
Xu Bamboo nodded. "Oh, that’s right... You’re so smart!"
’No, no, no,’ Yang Shen thought. ’This is all thanks to the wisdom Director Liang passed down to me.’
He suddenly understood why, at Nanliang High School, Director Liang’s word carried more weight than the principal’s.
With that kind of skill, and a style where he’d sell you down the river while still explaining exactly how he’s doing it, it probably wasn’t just the students.
The teachers were probably "willing to lay down their lives for him" too.
Just look at the "Vice Principal’s Office" sign. What was the difference between that and putting on a yellow robe because the weather got chilly?
"By the way, Zhuzi, you’ve been number one in our grade for so long, and you’re probably top three in the whole Jinshui District. Hasn’t anyone approached you for an endorsement?"
In a bizarre environment like this, Yang Shen found it hard to believe Xu Bamboo would be overlooked. She had good grades and a great image. One smile from that little face of hers had enough destructive power to win over anyone, male or female!
Xu Bamboo replied, "They have."
"Which one?"
"Jinkang Pharmacy. They approached me a few months ago."
Xu Bamboo recalled, "Part of my supplement regimen is designed by Jinkang Pharmacy, but it’s not a major part. Besides, their owner is a friend of my mom’s and brought it up, but I just wasn’t interested."
Xu Bamboo pursed her lips. "It just feels weird, facing a camera."
Yang Shen: ???
’So my endorsement is a hand-me-down!’
’Fine... I don’t care how many times it’s been passed down. Even if it’s a family heirloom, the 200,000 yuan plus 120,000 in supplements are real enough.’
As for the supplements that would be delivered in one go, Yang Shen planned to consume them all in a blitz!
His current Qi and Blood Value was 356, and there was only a month left before the college entrance exams.
If his Cultivation efficiency didn’t increase, then based on his current gain of 12 points of Qi and Blood Value per day, he could add another 360 points before the exams. That would put him solidly in the mid-stage of Marrow Refining.
All told, his value would be around 720.
That number was tantalizingly close to the 800-point threshold for late-stage Marrow Refining.
Perhaps those 120,000 yuan worth of supplements would be the deciding factor.
Being a level higher in his realm meant a significant boost to his raw stats. Furthermore, reaching late-stage Marrow Refining would place Yang Shen in the absolute top tier of high school students in the country.
Aside from the once-in-a-generation monsters who reached the Innate Realm before even starting college, he would be at the very tip of the pyramid.
The morning’s academic classes ended uneventfully. The afternoon was all physical activity.
Yang Shen wondered if any new "point-hungry" students would show up to become his disciples today. He was optimistic.
He still had six spots for disciples. If he filled them all, charging 500 per person for an hour during PE class, that would be a daily income of 4,000...
If that continued until the college entrance exams, it wouldn’t be much less than what he was getting from the endorsement deal.
In fact, with his current mastery of the Sixth Set of Initial Realm Body Refining Fist, Yang Shen could just start coasting and still live comfortably for the rest of his life. He could just be a private tutor, and his income wouldn’t be low.
He might even earn the title of "Master Teacher" by the time he reached middle age.
Just as he was about to head to the cafeteria with Xu Bamboo, someone at the door shouted his name. "Yang Shen, someone’s here for you!"
’Director Liang again?’
’Here to offer more money?’
Yang Shen looked up, confused, and saw that many people in the class were staring at him, especially the boys.
Their expressions were a mixture of three parts bewilderment, three parts confusion, and four parts admiration... with the remaining ninety parts being pure, unadulterated envy.
Only when Yang Shen saw who was standing at the classroom door did he understand why.
Cao Wei was standing outside the door to Class Six. Her school uniform accentuated her tall figure, and her long, straight black hair with its distinctive hime cut was particularly eye-catching—it was her signature look at Nanliang High School.
In fact, as one of only two girls—or rather, one of only two little heiresses—in the grade’s top ten, she was quite well-known.
She was also famous for her arrogance.
Unlike Xu Bamboo, whose pride was of the "cold and severe" type, Cao Wei’s was more of a "disdain" written plainly on her face.
But that didn’t stop her from being popular. After all, she was rich, beautiful, and had excellent grades.
Xu Bamboo glanced over but didn’t say a word, showing no intention of getting involved.
Yang Shen had no choice but to go out himself. "Can I... help you with something?"
Cao Wei’s voice was strained and wavering, as if her nervousness had wrung every drop of moisture from her body. "Ma-Master... I brought you supplements, some drinks, and a candle."
Yang Shen: ?
’Feels like something weird got mixed in there...’
"There’s no need for all this. My hourly rate, after the discount, is 500. The sessions are all concentrated at the end of PE class each day. We can just proceed as normal."
Cao Wei kept her head down. "No, no, no! A teacher for a day is... a teacher for... for..."
She was probably too embarrassed to say "a father for life," so she just stammered.
"If you have any tasks for me on a daily basis, Master, I will be sure to complete them..."
Yang Shen said, "You’re being a bit dramatic. But I have to ask, what’s with the candle?"
"It’s a type of High Source aromatherapy incense. Sinking Dragon Incense. It’s supposed to help with Cultivation..."
In that short time, a crowd had already gathered outside the door, their ears perked to catch all the juicy details.
From the crowd, Huang Gang clicked his tongue. "A candle... Why not bring a leather whip while you’re at it..."
In the past, if a poor student like Huang Gang had dared to say something like that, he would have been cornered in the bathroom and beaten up.
But surprisingly, Cao Wei didn’t get angry.
Her face just turned an even deeper shade of red!
’My great undertaking of recruiting disciples isn’t complete yet,’ Yang Shen thought. ’I’ll need this girl to help spread the word, so I can’t just shut her down completely and make her lose face.’
’Of course... according to Cao Wei’s Life Chart, maybe publicly humiliating her in front of so many students would just make her happier.’
’In that case, I definitely can’t let her be happy, can I?’
So Yang Shen decided to do the exact opposite and treat her with courtesy. He turned, pulled a stalk of stem lettuce from his school bag, and handed it to Cao Wei. "Consider this a gift in return. Here, eat more vegetables. It’s good for you."
Cao Wei stared at the slightly wilted stalk of lettuce in her hand: ?
’Wait, why is her face getting even redder?!’
Yang Shen said, "Hurry back to class. We’ll have our session as scheduled this afternoon."
Cao Wei didn’t move.
"That’s an order!"
Cao Wei left immediately.
Yang Shen ignored the burning desire for gossip radiating from his classmates and simply returned to his seat.
He opened the bag from Cao Wei and took a look. The supplements were a brand he’d never seen before, and there were also some snacks.
It was all high-end stuff that the old Yang Shen would never have bought, like macarons, truffle chocolates, and the like.
Huang Gang sidled over. "Since when are you and Cao Wei... so close?"
’When I confessed my feelings to her, she definitely didn’t act like this.’
’Sure, it was a moment of youthful recklessness and stupidity, but I wasn’t the only one in school with a secret crush on Cao Wei! She probably had even more admirers than Xu Bamboo!’
"Seriously, man... what’s your secret?"
Without looking up, Yang Shen replied, "I don’t know. Guess I was born with it..."
Xu Bamboo snorted. "Let’s go. Time to eat."
Yang Shen popped a chocolate into his mouth and was about to offer one to Xu Bamboo, but Zhuzi had already grabbed his sleeve and was pulling him out the door.
Xu Bamboo strode away, her lips pursed in a slight pout.
"A snack now and then is fine, but a proper meal is what’s most important!"
Yang Shen was completely baffled...
"You’re right... A proper meal is definitely the most important thing..."
’But that doesn’t mean I can’t eat both, does it...’
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