: What an easy teacher to fool!

"Someone's giving you trouble. In the dorm, or somewhere else. It's not just these marks on your arms today."

Lin Xun turned around abruptly, and for the first time, a clear emotional fluctuation appeared on his pale face.

It wasn't anger, but a vulnerability mixed with fear, embarrassment, and deep exhaustion.

"Teacher!" he interrupted abruptly, his voice still suppressed, "My affairs are none of your business. Please... just pretend you didn't see me."

A crack appeared in the unfathomable stillness in his eyes, revealing a surging pain and despair that threatened to engulf him.

Yu Fuli's heart skipped a beat.

It's not that the worldline itself is distorted, but rather that the protagonist is being distorted by pressure from a system that is constantly exerting pressure on him and whose specific source he cannot identify.

This pressure is gradually crushing the core of Lin Xun in the original storyline.

"Lin Xun," Yu Fuli's voice softened, yet carried a strange penetrating power as it reached Lin Xun's ears, "Sometimes, ignoring and turning a blind eye is the greatest indulgence of the abuser. You should understand this."

Lin Xun's lips trembled. He avoided Yu Fuli's gaze, lowered his head again, and tightened his grip on the book, his knuckles turning white.

"I don't understand." His voice was hoarse. "I don't understand anything. I just want to...read quietly."

The last few words were spoken so softly they sounded like a sigh, or perhaps a plea.

"There's nothing wrong with studying," Yu Fuli said, looking at him. "At Saint Laurent, there's even less wrong with getting in based on your own grades. What's wrong are those who use rules and status as weapons to hurt others."

Lin Xun's body swayed almost imperceptibly.

Yu Fuli's words were like a key, gently prying open a rusty lock that had sealed his heart.

"Teacher," he suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with a desperate, bewildered look, "what if... what if whatever you do is wrong, what if the rules themselves don't allow you to be quiet?"

He finally asked a more fundamental question that went beyond the specific harm he was experiencing.

This may be the deeper issue behind the collapse of the timeline.

The protagonist's fundamental questioning and despair regarding the laws governing this world.

In the story, Lin Xun is a resilient and innocent girl who resists oppression and seeks happiness on her own.

However, no one said that endless oppression is so terrible that it can crush a person's dignity, body, and everything else.

Yu Fuli met his gaze, but he did not immediately give vague answers such as "justice will prevail" or "try to change things".

"Then let's first see clearly what the rules are, who made them, and who they serve." He took a step forward, closing the distance between them, his voice steady. "Then, decide whether to abide by them, utilize them, or..."

He paused, his voice hardening with a touch of iron, "Break it."

Lin Xun stared at him blankly, seemingly stunned by these words, which she had never heard before and which were almost rebellious.

Just then, a flurry of footsteps and laughter came from outside the warehouse.

"That kid is definitely hiding in this godforsaken place again!"

"Tsk, today I'll teach him a lesson he won't forget..."

The voice approached from afar, carrying undisguised malice.

Lin Xun's face turned deathly pale instantly. The slight resistance that had just surfaced was swallowed up by even greater fear. He subconsciously retreated, almost shrinking into the shadows.

Yu Fuli's eyes turned cold.

He reached out and gently pressed Lin Xun's slightly trembling shoulder.

The force wasn't strong, but it carried a reassuring sense of security.

"It seems," Yu Fuli's lips curled into a faint, emotionless smile, "that a guest has come to explain the rules to you in person."

He stepped aside, blocking Lin Xun half a step behind him, facing the creaking, dilapidated iron door that was about to be pushed open completely.

"In today's lesson," Yu Fuli's voice rang out calmly, "the teacher will teach you the first thing for free: when the rules don't intend to give you a way out, you can at least choose how to kick the door back."

The iron gate was violently pushed open completely, slamming against the wall with a dull thud and kicking up a cloud of dust.

In the dim light, three boys dressed in Saint Laurent College uniforms, but with a frivolous air, blocked the doorway.

The leader was a tall, strong man with red hair, his face showing an impatient and fierce expression; next to him was a tall, thin man rubbing his hands together, glancing into the warehouse with a malicious look in his eyes; the last one was a short, fat man, chewing gum, looking like he was watching a good show.

"Oh, you're really here, Lin Xun? We've been looking for you..." The red-haired man's words stopped abruptly because he saw Yu Fuli standing in front of Lin Xun.

The tall, thin man was clearly taken aback for a moment, but then recognized Yu Fuli, his face showing a mixture of surprise and disdain: "Tsk, isn't this the new homeroom teacher of Class F? What, you're in charge of a place like this?"

"Wherever I'm needed, that's where I'll be." Yu Fuli said calmly, her gaze sweeping over the three of them. "It's free time now. What brings you all here?"

"What brings you here?" The red-haired man scoffed, taking a step forward and attempting to intimidate with his physique. "Teacher, this is none of your business. We're just here to chat with Lin Xun, to catch up on our friendship. Right, Lin Xun?"

His malicious gaze passed over Yu Fuli and landed on the trembling boy behind him.

Lin Xun bit her lower lip and remained silent, but Yu Fuli could feel the subtle trembling behind her.

"Do you need to carry this around when chatting?" Yu Fuli's gaze landed precisely on the short stick that was tucked into the red-haired man's lower back, with a small section sticking out.

The red-haired man's expression changed slightly, and he instinctively tried to cover it up, but then became angry and embarrassed: "Teacher, I advise you not to meddle! Saint Laurent has its rules, and a lowly rat from the lower city who doesn't know the rules needs to be taught a lesson! This is an internal matter, and as a newcomer, you'd better not get involved, lest..."

He paused threateningly, "...getting into trouble you shouldn't have gotten into."

"Rules?" Yu Fuli repeated the word softly, the faint smile on her lips seeming to deepen slightly, yet making the surrounding air inexplicably colder. "Perfect timing, I was just discussing rules with my students. Why don't you listen to my understanding?"

"In my rules," Yu Fuli's voice wasn't loud, but each word was clear, carrying an undeniable, cold quality, "bullying classmates is wrong. Abusing power is wrong. Bullying the weak is compounding the wrong."

The tall, thin man seemed intimidated by the imposing manner and hesitated, but the short, fat man spat out his chewing gum and nonchalantly shouted, "Teacher, anyone can preach! Here, might makes right! We are..."

"No matter who you are or what your background is," Yu Fuli interrupted him, her gaze behind her glasses sharp as a knife, "leave here immediately. I can let today's matter go for now."

"Ha! Not going to pursue it?" The red-haired man was completely enraged, as if he had heard the funniest joke. "Who do you think you are? Just a trashy homeroom teacher from Class F! I'm giving you face by calling you 'teacher,' but if I don't..."

He suddenly pulled out the short stick, weighed it in his hand, and said, "I'll teach you a lesson in manners too!"

Before he finished speaking, he actually swung the short stick and chopped it diagonally down at Yu Fuli's shoulder!

The movement was accompanied by the sound of wind, indicating that he hadn't held back at all.

"Teacher!" Lin Xun exclaimed in surprise.

Yu Fuli's eyes suddenly turned cold.

He didn't even dodge much; just as the short stick was about to reach him, his left hand shot out like lightning and precisely grabbed the red-haired man's wrist.

The red-haired man clenched his fingers, seemingly effortlessly, but he felt as if his wrist bones were being clamped by iron pincers. An irresistible pain and numbness instantly surged through him, and the short stick clattered to the ground.

"You—!" The red-haired man was both shocked and furious, and instinctively punched Yu Fuli in the abdomen with his other fist.

Yu Fuli slightly turned his body to avoid the fist, and then twisted the hand holding the other's wrist downwards.

"Ah!" The red-haired man cried out in pain as he was thrown off balance by a clever trick, staggering forward and falling awkwardly onto the dusty ground.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

The tall, thin guy and the short, fat guy behind them didn't even see what happened; they only saw their leader rush forward and then inexplicably fall to the ground.

"Damn it! Attack together!" the short, fat man roared, and he and the tall, thin man pounced on him. One of them threw a punch at Yu Fuli's face, while the other sinisterly tried to grab Lin Xun behind him.

Yu Fuli's eyes sharpened.

He no longer held back; dealing with these school hooligans was less about reasoning than about making them learn a painful lesson.

He turned his head to avoid a direct punch, then lashed out with his right leg like a whip, striking the tall, thin man's shin hard.

A slight cracking sound was heard, accompanied by a scream, and the tall, thin man rolled to the ground clutching his leg.

At the same time, he precisely grabbed the short, fat man's wrist as he reached for Lin Xun, twisted it hard, and the short, fat man immediately screamed and knelt down.

Yu Fuli then used his knee to give the short, fat man a light but firm nudge to the chest. The man felt like he couldn't catch his breath, his vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground, only able to groan.

In less than a minute, the three menacing intruders were all curled up on the ground in pain.

Yu Fuli then released his grip, took out a handkerchief, and slowly wiped his fingers, as if he had just touched something dirty.

He walked up to the red-haired man who was trying to get up and squatted down.

The red-haired man, his face covered in dust and his wrist throbbing with pain, finally felt fear as he looked at the terrifyingly calm new teacher before him.

"You... what exactly are you...?"

"Go back and tell the person who ordered you," Yu Fuli's voice was low, yet it pierced the red-haired man's ear like an icicle, "Lin Xun is now my student, Yu Fuli. Whatever the rules are, let him come and talk to me personally. If I find out again that you, or anyone else, are communicating in this way..."

He reached into the red-haired man's pocket, pulled out his student ID, glanced at the name and class on it, and then casually tossed it back at his face.

"I don't mind using my methods to let you and the people behind you experience firsthand what real trouble is."

The red-haired man shivered. In those eyes so close to his own, he saw not bluff, but a cold indifference that meant what was said.

"roll."

A single word, like a pardon.

The red-haired man, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, struggled to his feet and, ignoring his two companions who were still groaning, scrambled out of the warehouse.

The tall, thin man and the short, fat man, despite their pain, supported each other and fled in panic.

The warehouse returned to silence.

Lin Xun was still standing there, her arms holding the book trembling slightly, but the fear on her face had faded considerably, replaced by an almost blank sense of shock.

He watched as this seemingly refined new teacher effortlessly and decisively resolved his long-standing nightmare.

The rules and violence that once drove him to despair and made him want to disappear completely seemed like paper tigers in front of this man.

Yu Fuli walked up to him, said nothing, and simply raised her hand to gently brush away a speck of dust from his hair. Her movements were natural and gentle, a stark contrast to her earlier sharpness.

"Do you see that?" Yu Fuli looked at his still pale face. "Sometimes, rules can oppress people simply because most people choose silence and submission."

Lin Xun's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but his throat felt blocked.

"Pack up this place, and take the important books with you." Yu Fuli's tone returned to normal as she instructed, "After school, either go to the library's open area or go directly to my office. It's safer there than here."

"Teacher! Thank you!"

Lin Xun seemed deeply moved and suddenly hugged Yu Fuli tightly.

Yu Fuli was caught off guard by the hug. Looking at Lin Xun buried in his chest, his heart softened.

Just then, the airflow behind us suddenly became turbulent!

Yu Fuli didn't even have time to turn around; his long-standing combat instincts allowed him to raise his left arm to block at the critical moment.

"Bang!"

A heavy thud was accompanied by a cracking sound as the bones withstood immense force! A sharp pain shot through his entire arm like lightning; he could clearly feel the dislocation and cracking pain coming from his ulna.

It's that short stick! That red-haired man actually returned and launched a sneak attack from the shadows!

Yu Fuli's eyes turned cold. Despite the excruciating pain, she used the momentum of turning around to deliver a sharp and vicious kick to the red-haired man's chest and abdomen!

"Ugh—!" The red-haired man flew backward like a broken sack, crashing heavily to the ground again, the short stick slipping from his hand and rolling away.

He glanced at Yu Fuli in terror, then scrambled and fled back into the deepening night, this time truly daring not to look back.

"Teacher! Your arm!" Lin Xun rushed forward, her voice trembling, her face drained of color.

He clearly saw the unnatural angle of Yu Fuli's arm as he raised it to block, and he also heard the tooth-grinding sound of bones cracking.

Overwhelmed by immense guilt.

"It's all my fault... I suddenly hugged you. If you hadn't been protecting me, you wouldn't have gotten hurt!"

Yu Fuli's forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat, and his left arm hung limply at his sides, each slight movement bringing excruciating pain.

It's a fracture, and a serious one at that.

But he simply took a deep breath, suppressing the pain, and gently patted Lin Xun's tense shoulder with his uninjured right hand, his voice as calm as possible: "Don't talk nonsense. Protecting students is a teacher's responsibility. I'm fine, just a minor injury."

He tried to force a reassuring smile, but his pale face and slightly twitching lips betrayed him.

Lin Xun lowered his head, his shoulders still trembling slightly, his fingers tightly gripping the hem of his clothes, as if bearing immense self-reproach.

However, in a blind spot where Yu Fuli was blinded by pain, hidden beneath her cascading black hair—

The boy's usually tightly pursed, bloodless lips slowly curved upwards into a subtle arc.

That wasn't the expression a student should have, whether they were panicked or overwhelmed with guilt.

The smile was extremely faint and subtle, yet it carried an indescribable...strange quality.

It was as if a crack had appeared on the surface of ice after a long period of suppression, and what flowed out was not tears, but something darker and more viscous.

A fleeting glimmer of almost morbid satisfaction, starkly contrasting with her kind and resilient persona, flashed quickly across the depths of her calm eyes.

What a great teacher!

This thought, like the flick of a venomous snake, quietly slipped through Lin Xun's mind.

I've never seen such a good teacher before.

Despite the pain, Yu Fuli fumbled for her phone with her right hand, preparing to contact the medical room.

He didn't see that the boy behind him, whom he was willing to risk breaking his bones to protect, was quietly watching his blood-stained sleeve and pale profile with a completely new and unsettling gaze.

The moment Yu Fuli turned her head, the strange smile on Lin Xun's face vanished as quickly as an illusion, and he returned to his usual pale face filled with panic and worry.

He stepped forward, carefully trying to help Yu Fuli: "Teacher, we need to get to the hospital quickly!"

Yu Fuli nodded and leaned some of her weight against it.

He missed that smile, and he also missed the moment when the broken gears quietly accelerated in the darkness.

As dusk settled, the streetlights on campus lit up one by one.

Two figures, one in front and one behind, blended into the gradually descending night.

In the shadows far from the warehouse, a figure wearing a silver mask vanished silently, as if it had never existed.