Chapter Seventeen: The Teacher's Promise

Through the closed door, Zhao Fan looked at He Yongshan with an expression of pure innocence. “I’m not up to anything—I just came to catch up with you, old He. See, I’ve brought food and wine, hoping we could have a drink together. Come on, let me in, will you?”

He Yongshan spat disdainfully. “Don’t give me that nonsense. Be honest, what do you really want this time?”

Zhao Fan didn’t answer, just lifted the food and wine for He Yongshan to see.

Time dragged on, and finally, He Yongshan rolled his eyes. “Fine, get in here yourself.”

With that, he turned and walked away without even bothering to close the door.

Zhao Fan smiled, hefted the food, and followed after, closing the door behind him. He set the dishes and wine on the table, then went to the kitchen to fetch chopsticks for He Yongshan.

“So, what brings you here today?” He Yongshan asked.

“I just wanted to spend some time together,” Zhao Fan replied.

“Bah!” He Yongshan glared. “Do you think I’m a fool? 'Spend time together,' my foot. Out with it—what’s your real reason for coming?”

Seeing that He Yongshan wasn’t buying it at all, Zhao Fan coughed awkwardly. “Well, old He, I want to go back to school.”

“Go back to school?” He Yongshan snorted. “What, aren’t you set on getting married?”

“No, no. That was just foolishness before. I’ve come to my senses. Old He, do you think there’s a chance?”

“Hmph.”

He Yongshan raised his glass, and Zhao Fan immediately filled it for him, waiting patiently for his reply.

After a few drinks, He Yongshan finally said, “You can come back anytime.”

“What?”

“I said, you can return to school whenever you want. Your spot in the class has been kept for you. But once you’re back, you’ll need to work hard—you’ve missed a lot of lessons, and you’ll have to catch up.”

Zhao Fan gripped the bottle tightly, his voice a little hoarse. “But I thought anyone who left school was considered to have dropped out, their student status canceled?”

He Yongshan shot him a look, set down his glass, and smacked him on the back of the head.

“That’s the school’s regulation—what’s it got to do with me, He Yongshan?”

At that, Zhao Fan’s mind began to piece things together. “Old He…”

“Hmph. I just reported it under a different name. Right now, you’re just officially on a temporary leave. If you want to return, just submit an application.”

He Yongshan sipped his wine and picked at his food, signaling he didn’t want to talk further.

What he didn’t know was that Zhao Fan, head lowered, felt his eyes begin to sting.

In his previous life, having left school for Wang Ying, Zhao Fan had never looked back, never realizing that He Yongshan had done all this for him behind the scenes.

“Old He, come, let me toast you.”

“Hmph! Since when do students toast with wine? Enough, put that glass down.”

“What’s the harm? Just one drink. Come on…”

They ate and drank, chatting as they went, and before long, Zhao Fan was drunk, stumbling as he made his way out.

“Well, old He, I’ll be back at school tomorrow—I promise I’ll study hard from now on…”

“Right, right, study hard.”

At the door, He Yongshan suddenly turned. “Wait here, I’ll go get something.”

At the Zhao home, Zhao Fan was delivered back, reeking of alcohol, to the anxious faces of his parents.

“Mr. He, what happened…”

“He insisted he was fine, but after three cups he was already drunk.”

He Yongshan explained the situation briefly and helped Zhao Fan’s father get him to bed.

“Mr. He, about his schooling…”

“I know, there’s no problem. Tomorrow morning, just go with him to the school and submit an application to end his leave.”

Zhao Fan’s father was caught off guard. “The leave of absence…?”

“It was a temporary break from studies. I made the decision myself, to make it easier for Zhao Fan to come back. Speaking of which, I probably owe you both an apology…”

“Oh, no, no, you mustn’t say that. We should be thanking you.”

Inside, Zhao Fan suddenly opened his eyes; for a few seconds, they were clear before clouding over again.

When he sobered up, Zhao Fan sat for a long time with his head in his hands, unmoving.

His head throbbed.

Looking down, he saw his clothes were still wrinkled from yesterday, unchanged. He sighed—what a mess.

After tidying himself up, Zhao Fan sat in the living room. As he did, he realized there was something in his pocket. Reaching in, he pulled out two hundred yuan, and for a moment, he stared, bewildered.

Where had the money come from?

The question barely formed before Zhao Fan smacked his forehead. Where else? Of course, it must have been from old He.

“That old He, honestly…”

Shaking his head with a smile, Zhao Fan tossed the money onto the table, propping his head on his arm as he gazed up. Gradually, the corners of his mouth lifted in a smile.

Compared to his past life, in this one he had stood firm from the very beginning. As long as he stayed on the right path, good days were within sight.

But Zhao Fan was never one to settle for what he had. He wanted more than a comfortable life—he wanted to make something of himself, to fight for a future that was truly complete.

His name, Zhao Fan, would be known throughout the world!

The next day, Zhao Fan and his father went to the school and submitted the application to resume his studies, just as He Yongshan had instructed.

Upon hearing the news, He Yongshan came to check that the paperwork was in order and told Zhao Fan’s father he could go home.

“Zhao Fan, don’t think I’m just nagging you. Are you really determined to stick with your studies this time, or…?”

Sensing He Yongshan’s doubts, Zhao Fan assured him that he was truly committed this time.

“I’ve been traveling around a bit lately, seen a bit of the world, and realized that studying is the best way forward.”

Half true, half fabricated, coupled with the melancholy on Zhao Fan’s face, made He Yongshan study him for several minutes before giving his shoulder a firm pat.

“It’s not too late to come around. Study hard, and aim for a good university.”

“I will.”

On the sports field, a class was having PE. Zhao Fan watched from afar, feeling more than ever that this time, he would carve out a new life for himself.

“Come to class tomorrow. You’ve missed a lot—you’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

“Don’t worry, old He. My brain isn’t slow,” Zhao Fan said, patting his chest, striding out of the school.

That night, staring at the textbooks he’d dug out, Zhao Fan’s mind went blank. He’d been so focused on returning to school, he’d forgotten that before his rebirth he was already in his thirties. The gap of over ten years left him staring at the textbooks in utter confusion.

The more pages he turned, the worse his headache became. He’d started his studies late, and only now was he in his final year of high school. With the college entrance exam looming next year, for a moment Zhao Fan was tempted to take another leave of absence.

So little time—this was going to cost him half his life!

But no matter what he thought, he’d already made his promise. Now he had to act.

Forcing himself to calm down, Zhao Fan made a study schedule for himself. The next day, he sought out He Yongshan, saying he wanted to study at home for a while.

He Yongshan asked, “Why do you want to do that?”

Zhao Fan answered honestly, “I’ve been on leave for a while, and I can’t keep up with the class.”

“You think you can study at home and keep up?” He Yongshan was skeptical.

“I know I can.”

He Yongshan stared at him. Zhao Fan met his gaze calmly, without a hint of evasion.

After a few minutes, He Yongshan gave a cold snort. “I’ll give you a month. After that, you come back and take a test. Let’s be clear: if you don’t pass, you go back to repeat your second year.”

“Repeat the year… No problem.”