Chapter 52: Mistaken Identities Drive the Teacher Crazy

Early the next morning, Lin Tian sat in the classroom, half-asleep and listless, occasionally muttering in his sleep:

"Damn it, if I find out who it was, I'll beat the living daylights out of him!"

Before long, a figure walked briskly up to him and delivered a sharp slap across his face.

*Slap—*

An exceptionally crisp sound echoed through the quiet, crisp morning air, abruptly shattering the peaceful atmosphere.

The other students, who were diligently studying for self-study, were drawn to the commotion.

When they saw what was happening, their expressions inevitably shifted.

"Hasn't Lin Tian's attitude toward studying improved a lot lately? Why is he back to sleeping in class like before?"

"My goodness, seeing the Extinction Nun fly into such a rage early in the morning—looks like Lin Tian is in for a world of hurt."

"A leopard really can't change its spots. Oh, Lin Tian, Lin Tian,tsk tsk tsk."

In the front row, Long Yuqing couldn't help turning her head to look at the situation in the back, wondering to herself, "What's wrong with this guy again?"

Lin Tian was utterly bewildered. Awakened abruptly from his sleep, he was already suffering from morning irritability, and now his anger surged to a boiling point. In a rare display of open defiance, he challenged, "Try hitting me again, I dare you!"

Hearing this, Jiang Qingqing immediately followed up with two more slaps.

That was the final straw for Lin Tian. He completely snapped, springing to his feet and delivering a swift kick straight at her.

The suddenness of the event caught both Jiang Qingqing and everyone else completely off guard.

In a flash, the sharp pain in her rear made her grimace, causing her to double over before collapsing weakly to the floor.

At that moment, the other students snapped out of their shock and began whispering among themselves.

"Holy crap, did Lin Tian take the wrong medicine today?"

"Awesome! Lin Tian has finally grown a spine! He actually dared to kick the Extinction Nun in the ass!"

"Sigh, I've got a feeling he's about to suffer terribly for this!"

Amidst the diverse opinions, only Long Yuqing's eyes were filled with worry.

At this point, Liu Buping hurriedly motioned with his eyes for Lin Tian to help Jiang Qingqing up.

Coming to his senses, Lin Tian hastily reached out to lift her, only for her to slap his hand away.

This...

An awkward silence filled the air.

Adjusting herself, Jiang Qingqing cast a cold, death-staring gaze at Lin Tian and said, "Come to the office with me."

With a fluttering heart and stiff steps, Lin Tian followed her out.

As soon as they arrived at the office, finding it empty, Jiang Qingqing closed the door, her expression turning even frostier.

"I thought you had changed, but it turns out you are still as disrespectful of your elders as ever. Not only do you talk back to your teachers now, but you even resort to physical violence!"

"That was using my foot," Lin Tian corrected.

"Shut up!" Jiang Qingqing roared angrily. "Did you or did you not beat someone yesterday evening?"

Lin Tian was somewhat surprised by how she found out, but upon second thought, it made sense.

"The parents of the person you beat yesterday have already come to the school. As your homeroom teacher, I managed to hold them off for you temporarily."

Hearing this, Lin Tian cast a grateful look in her direction.

"However..." Jiang Qingqing said in a deep voice, "You must personally apologize for this matter!"

"No!" Lin Tian shook his head and refused loudly without a second thought.

Are you kidding me? Asking him to apologize to Xiao Chusheng?

Does that guy even deserve it?!

Seeing his strong reaction, Jiang Qingqing furrowed her brows and sighed, "Fine, then write a detailed and careful letter of apology to him. I will pass it on to him myself, but whatever you write must be full of sincerity! Make sure he is satisfied!"

To this, Lin Tian had no objections.

As long as he didn't have to go see the guy in person, it was fine.

And so, he retreated to prepare his writing.

What puzzled him, however, was why Jiang Qingqing hadn't gotten angry after hearing his response.

In fact, her tone had even seemed a bit lighter.

Without dwelling on it further, Lin Tian returned to the classroom.

Back at his seat, a crowd of people immediately swarmed around him, bombarding him with questions.

"Hey, how did the teacher treat you? Did she beat you up?"

"You were so cool just now, actually daring to kick the teacher's ass in front of everyone! You're practically a god!"

Faced with this, Lin Tian brushed them off impatiently with vague replies.

So damn annoying!

Seeing that he wouldn't talk, the students lost interest and dispersed.

It was then that Liu Buping leaned in and gossiped, "Hey, honestly speaking, did the Extinction Nun beat you?"

"No," Lin Tian shook his head.

Seeing his resolute gaze and calm tone, Liu Buping dropped his jaw in astonishment before retreating, muttering to himself, "My goodness, I must be seeing ghosts!"

Long Yuqing turned around at that moment and asked, "Did nothing really happen?"

"Really nothing." Lin Tian shrugged helplessly, spreading his hands.

Why didn't anyone believe him?

Whatever!

Without further ado, Lin Tian picked up his pen and began perfunctorily drafting the apology letter.

Why perfunctorily?

Because it was truly perfunctorily done...

In the office, Jiang Qingqing looked at the apology letter handed to her by Lin Tian. Her brow furrowed deeply, her eyes burning with fury as she began reading it aloud, word by word:

"《Letter of Apology》

Dear Xiao Chusheng,

Hello!

At this moment, I am writing this letter of apology with a heart full of guilt, remorse, and heavy sorrow.

I know that no matter how flowery the language I use, it can never fully make up for the harm I caused you yesterday evening. Still, I wish to do my utmost to express my deepest apologies to you without reservation, hoping that you can feel my sincerity and forgive me for my rashness and impulse yesterday.

The course of events was as follows.

Yesterday evening, everything in the school seemed as peaceful as usual. The students were making their final sprint toward the upcoming exams, and the air was filled with a tense yet slightly exhausted atmosphere. Yet it was amidst this very atmosphere that I made an egregiously wrong decision.

At the time, we were having self-study in the classroom. Everyone was buried in their writing, and the only sound to be heard was the rustling of pen nibs gliding across paper.

You sat in front of me, and I sat behind you.

I happened to be stuck on a math problem, unable to figure it out no matter how hard I tried, and my mood was somewhat irritable.

Right at that moment, your pen accidentally brushed against my arm, and the ink instantly smeared across my workbook, turning the problem that was already driving me crazy into an absolute mess.

The frustration I had been suppressing instantly ignited like a suddenly erupting volcano, pouring out of me uncontrollably.

I slammed my hand down on the desk, yelled at you loudly, and demanded to know why you were so careless.

You were clearly startled at the time, turning around with a face full of shock and apology, just as you were about to open your mouth to explain.

But I gave you no chance. Anger had robbed me of my reason. I stood up, completely oblivious to what I was doing, and swung my fist toward you...

It wasn't until you were knocked to the ground and the gasps of surrounding classmates snapped me back to reality that I saw you clutching your face, looking at me in pain and disbelief. Only then did my brain wake up as if doused in cold water, and I began to realize how grave a mistake I had committed.

From your eyes, I saw grievance, incomprehension, and profound disappointment.

At that moment, my heart was gripped by something fierce, aching so badly I could hardly breathe. I wanted to step forward, help you up, and apologize, but my legs felt as though they were filled with lead, unable to take a single step.

I could only watch helplessly as the students gathered around, helping you wipe the blood from your face and escorting you to the school infirmary.

Before my homeroom teacher found me, I sat blankly at my desk, my mind filled entirely with the image of you being struck and my own out-of-control fist.

My homeroom teacher's eyes were full of anger and disappointment. She sternly criticized me, demanding that I write an apology letter to you immediately and bear all your subsequent medical expenses and any other potential consequences.

I nodded repeatedly. At that moment, I just wanted to finish writing this apology letter as quickly as possible and deliver it to you so you would know how deeply regretful I was.

Before writing this letter, I repeatedly reflected on our past interactions.

In truth, we have always been good classmates. Although we occasionally had minor frictions, for the most part, we helped and understood each other.

I remember once when I had a cold and couldn't eat much for several days running, you took the initiative to share your breakfast with me and even accompanied me to the infirmary to get medicine;

And during that PE class when I accidentally sprained my ankle, you carried me to the clinic, fetched water and food for me, and took care of me for several days.

I saw all these bits and pieces of kindness and kept them in my heart. Yet, because of a moment of impulse, I destroyed this precious friendship between us with my own hands. I was truly too foolish, too stupid.

I am deeply aware that a punch causes you not only physical pain, but even more so, psychological trauma.

It might cause you to harbor fear and wariness toward me for a long time, and could even cast a shadow over your entire school life.

I was afraid that this incident would make you reticent, afraid that you would lose trust in your classmates because of it, and even more afraid that you would feel disrespected and misunderstood.

I am truly regretful. Why didn't I control my emotions at the time? Why didn't I choose a more rational and peaceful way to resolve the problem?

If time could flow backward, I would rather choose to be stumped by that math problem all day long than hurt you;

I would rather endure the displeasure of having my workbook ruined by ink than make you bear this pain;

I would rather have taken a deep breath back then, communicated with you calmly, and avoided letting you remember me in such a manner.

However, there are no ifs in this world. I can only face reality and bear the consequences of my mistakes.

In the process of writing this letter, I have been pondering what made me such an impulsive and irritable person.

I think it might be because I have always been too self-centered, too focused on myself.

I always pay attention only to my own emotions and feelings while ignoring the feelings of others.

I thought my anger was justified and that I could do as I pleased, never expecting it to inflict such heavy harm on someone else.

This incident is like a resounding slap that has violently awakened me, making me understand that mutual respect and mutual understanding are the most important things between people.

I cannot hurt others just because of my momentary displeasure; that is extremely immoral and irresponsible behavior.

I promise you that from now on, I will work hard to break this bad temper. I will learn to control my emotions, and when problems arise, I will take a deep breath, calm down, and then think of a solution.

I will consider issues more from other people's perspectives and no longer be so selfish and willful.

I will use concrete actions to prove that I am a person worthy of trust and reliance. I will not let you down again, nor will I let you suffer harm again.

I know that a single apology is far from enough to make up for the wounds you have suffered.

Yet I still want to say that I am truly, truly, deeply sorry.

I am willing to trade everything I have to exchange for your forgiveness. If you are willing, I hope we can still be good friends just like before.

We can study together, play together, and spend these wonderful school days together.

If you are unwilling, I will respect your decision, but I will still be right here, silently watching over you and hoping you live well.

Finally, I want to say that I have truly recognized my mistake and am sincerely repentant.

Please give me a chance to make amends for my fault and win back your trust. I apologize to you once more. I am sorry!

Sincerely,

Lin Tian"

After reading it to the end, Jiang Qingqing could no longer suppress her rage. She raised her gaze to look at Lin Tian, who wore an indifferent expression and felt entirely unrepentant,

and immediately lashed out with a vicious slap.

Fortunately, Lin Tian was well-prepared. He easily dodged the blow and remarked with a forced, mocking smile,

"Teacher, what do you mean by this?"

"Playing dumb!"

Jiang Qingqing slammed the so-called bullshit apology letter onto the desk, her eyes widening sharply. "You write an apology letter, and what kind of bullshit did you write? What kind of attitude is this supposed to be?!"

"Teacher..." Lin Tian said with a troubled expression, "Since it's my first time writing an apology letter and I have no experience, I just copied it straight from a composition book. If you say what I copied is bullshit, doesn't that mean the author wrote bullshit too?"

"You..." Jiang Qingqing's face flushed red with anger, and she roared almost hoarsely, "Get out of my sight right now!"

Taking advantage of the moment, Lin Tian quickly slipped out.

Along the way, as he walked down the corridor and was quietly congratulating himself on his escape, he happened to run into Zhou Xiaoli.

As the saying goes, enemies meeting face-to-face ignite an extra dose of hostility. The expressions of both instantly turned frosty.

"Step aside!" Lin Tian said coldly.

"You step aside!" Zhou Xiaoli refused to yield in the slightest, puffing her chest out even further.

Lin Tian glanced down at her chest and a look of mockery appeared in his eyes.

"If you don't have the goods, pull it back in. Don't make a fool of yourself!"

"You..."

Struck right where it hurt, Zhou Xiaoli trembled all over with anger, gritting her teeth as she declared, "If you don't get out of the way right now, I'll make you regret it for the rest of your life!"