ALL NOVEL Chapter 11: I Dare to Teach, But Does He Dare to Learn?
Chapter 11: I Dare to Teach, But Does He Dare to Learn?
Su Mu stopped Gao Yang as he headed for the main entrance.
“What’s wrong? Something unfinished?”
“No, let’s take the back door,” Su Mu said calmly.
“Back door? Why?” They hadn’t done anything wrong or stolen anything, why act so secretive?
Su Mu didn’t want to mention hitting someone earlier and fearing retaliation. “The front’s crowded, harder to get a cab. Back door’s closer.”
“Fine, back door then.”
This wasn’t just an excuse – many drunk people were leaving through the front at this hour, making it unsafe.
Though the back door was usually closed, their new employee badges got them through.
Compared to the front street’s brilliant lights, the back alley felt eerily quiet.
The wind brought a chill.
Gao Yang hugged himself, muttering: “It’s so dark back here, not even street lights.”
Su Mu laughed: “Scared?”
“No way, who do you think I am? Afraid of the dark?”
His mouth was harder than stone, but his shivering told Su Mu differently – might as well have “I’M SCARED” written on his forehead.
“Okay, you’re not scared. Here’s your chance – you go first.”
“Fine, I will.”
Gao Yang feigned confidence, taking exaggerated steps. “I’m not afraid, I’m… ouch!”
“What was that!” He tripped, stumbling forward but managing to catch himself.
“A sack,” Su Mu looked closer, “A urea sack.”
Gao Yang complained, “Who leaves fertilizer sacks in the middle of the road?!”
As Su Mu passed, a red glint caught his eye. He turned back, crouched down, and moved the sack to find a red earring.
It looked familiar… where had he seen it?
“What are you looking at?” Gao Yang recovered from his scare and looked where Su Mu was staring. “Huh, it’s a men’s earring, and such a flashy red one.”
Men’s? Su Mu remembered – wasn’t it from the man he’d hit with the bottle earlier?
“You should know what you need to be doing right now?”
Su Mu suddenly understood, looking at the abused sack that seemed large enough to hold a person, and at the red earring. His lips curved up involuntarily, his heart flooding with happiness. His earlier gloom lifted completely.
Even if he didn’t like him yet, was he still concerned for his safety? Su Mu couldn’t stop smiling.
Later, they separated – Gao Yang took a cab back to school while Su Mu headed to the Su residence.
It was late, and he’d expected everyone to be asleep. But passing the living room, he found Su Yuanshan still there.
Su Mu pretended not to see him.
“Wait.” Su Yuanshan called out sternly.
Coming home this late – he was getting more and more out of control.
But Su Mu was in too good a mood to care about the barking behind him, heading straight upstairs.
Leaving Su Yuanshan stomping in frustration in the living room.
After a good night’s sleep, Su Mu still got up early for his morning run.
After two days of training, this body was much stronger than when he’d first returned.
In his past life, he’d always been weak, getting tired easily, listless no matter what tonics he took, with an unhealthily pale complexion.
Since his rebirth, his constitution had improved significantly, looking much healthier.
Su Mu was satisfied – after all, being reborn with some body repair buffs wasn’t strange.
He didn’t want to start over being sickly again.
Returning from his run, breakfast was just being served.
Su Mu’s mother couldn’t help but show her disgust at his defiant, unmanageable behavior.
When she’d thought Su Mu was her son, she’d truly doted on him. But since learning he wasn’t, while her real son suffered outside…
Her previous love had turned to equal hatred.
As if her past kindness to Su Mu had been a sin.
Perhaps because her maternal love had completely shifted to Su Ning, she couldn’t help but snap at Su Mu whenever she saw him, even when he’d done nothing wrong.
She slammed her chopsticks on the table and asked sharply: “Do you know what you should be doing right now?”
Su Mu sat straight-backed, displaying impeccable manners even while eating heartily.
In contrast, Su Ning struggled with his cutlery, butchering even simple toast.
Su Ning looked at his plate, clenched his fist, and forced out pitiful tears. “Mom, am I stupid? Unlike brother who grew up in luxury, I never learned these things. I can’t even use a knife and fork properly.”
“I’m sorry for embarrassing you…” his voice caught with a sob.
Acting so timid, as if terribly wronged.
Su Mu’s mother couldn’t bear it. Hearing Su Ning speak this way broke her heart.
It constantly reminded her that she’d raised someone else’s child as a refined young master while her own son grew up in such poor conditions.
Her anger rose: “Su Mu, look at yourself! What kind of brother are you!”
“Su Ning just came back, he doesn’t know our customs. Why aren’t you helping your brother?”
“Help him?” Su Mu raised an eyebrow, his cold eyes indifferent. “I dare to teach, but does he dare to learn?”
Su Ning played the victim again, every word designed to stir trouble: “Brother, what do you mean? Would you make things difficult for me if you taught me?”
“Su Mu, you wouldn’t dare!” His mother immediately glared daggers at him.
“Heh,” Su Mu finished eating and elegantly wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Madam, don’t worry about my teaching. I suggest you hire a proper tutor to teach your ‘brother’ manners.”
“What’s all this noise?” Su Yuanshan came downstairs to their bickering.
His gaze swept over his wife and Su Ning before settling on Su Mu, remembering last night’s slight:
“Mu’er, what’s going on with you? Must you disturb the household peace?”
Su Mu smiled mockingly at Su Yuanshan’s baseless accusation.
“Disturb? Someone starts trouble at breakfast, you didn’t hear from upstairs, yet you assume I started it?”
Though Su Yuanshan knew his wife and Su Ning likely started it, he naturally took their side. Su Mu was now an outsider.
He knew where his loyalties lay.
“Enough, don’t fuss. Su Ning’s new here, still adjusting. Help him when needed.”
“Mr. Su, you’ve got some nerve!” Su Mu sneered. “Can’t teach your own son, so you ask me? Is it that you can’t teach him, that he’s too stupid, or that we’re short on servants?”