Ethan Miller stared at the blackboard ahead, listening intently. Some memories were gradually stirred and began to surface.

An aged voice echoed in his ear, reciting this poem over and over, very slowly, with a steady tone, little variation in pitch, but quite distinct in rhythm. The accent was very different from that of people today. William Carter seemed to be deliberately slowing his own cadence as well, and gradually the two voices’ rhythms drew closer, almost overlapping.

Ethan Miller's lips trembled slightly as he softly recited two lines along.

“Back then when I left, the willows swayed gently.”

“Now as I return, snow falls thick and fast.”

At some point, the aged voice faded away, replaced by his own recitation, and both his tone and emotion changed.

When Ethan Miller came back to himself, William Carter's voice had also stopped.

He asked, “What is this poem about?”

William Carter answered softly, “Mainly about the hardships of soldiers in the army and their longing for home.”

“Oh.”

“Did you remember anything?”

“A little something.”

“Mm.”

William Carter thought he might have jinxed it—class was about to start, and his deskmate still hadn’t arrived.

A rather good-looking male classmate walked over and placed a small cake next to William Carter. He was the class’s entertainment committee member, multi-talented, and among the many boys moved by Emily Thompson's intelligence, he was the boldest and most obvious, taking advantage of the fact that the homeroom teacher hadn’t been interfering in these little romances for nearly two months, and would occasionally give Emily Thompson small gifts.

William Carter glanced at the entertainment committee member.

Unfortunately, Emily didn’t like him.

The bell officially rang.

Emily Thompson still hadn’t arrived.

William Carter picked up his water cup and went to the front to get some water. When he returned, the homeroom teacher had also entered the classroom, and Ethan Miller had disappeared at some point.

Mrs. Johnson scanned the classroom and immediately noticed the empty seat next to William Carter.

But she didn’t pay it much mind.

This student, Emily Thompson, suffered from a severe case of “class-urgency syndrome,” a condition quite common among students, though it usually manifests as always needing to use the restroom during class—an early symptom. In Emily Thompson's case, she needed to go as soon as class started.

It wasn’t until ten minutes later that Mrs. Johnson realized something was wrong. She walked over to William Carter and asked if Emily Thompson had come.

William Carter shook his head.

So she went straight to a female classmate, inquiring about the situation. That classmate was Brian King, Emily Thompson’s neighbor, and it was said they had been in the same class from elementary school until now, with a particularly close relationship.

Brian King stood up and whispered a few words in Mrs. Johnson’s ear. Mrs. Johnson nodded to show she understood.

At the start of the first period, Mrs. Johnson announced from the podium that Emily Thompson had eaten too much last night and ended up in the hospital, so she wasn’t in class today, and hoped everyone would take this as a lesson.

The classroom erupted in laughter.

Brian King's face turned bright red.

The entertainment committee member, very concerned about Emily Thompson, looked up and said, “But she was perfectly fine during last night’s evening study!”

Mrs. Johnson nodded at him, clearly appreciating his cooperation: “Yes, after evening study last night, she went home and ate another meal!”

The classroom and hallway were filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

William Carter laughed as well.

Life in senior year was so stifling, it was hard to be lively. Only when Emily Thompson caused some new trouble could everyone have a good laugh.

Then he turned his head and looked out the window.

Ethan Miller was sitting at the edge of the sports field podium, leaving only a hunched silhouette in his view, seemingly deep in thought, so absorbed that even when David Lee approached, he didn’t notice.

William Carter didn’t look away.

Just as he expected, David Lee came up from behind and gave Ethan Miller a hard shove, then decisively turned and ran.

Ethan Miller stood on the ground, and after a brief moment of confusion, suddenly vanished into thin air, reappearing directly in front of David Lee.

William Carter's eyes widened.

Then Ethan Miller began to lecture David Lee.

William Carter's eyes grew even wider—David Lee's massive frame seemed like it was made of paper in front of Ethan Miller. With no effort at all, Ethan Miller knocked David Lee to the ground and gave him a thorough beating, leaving William Carter both shocked and alarmed.

After the beating, David Lee fell into deep thought.

He realized this was a whole new way to play, and since the other party was an expert, he’d have to give it his all!

He went up—only to get beaten again!

Impressive indeed!

After pondering his strategy for a while, he inched step by step toward Ethan Miller, but before he could get close, he was beaten once more.

He’d met a true master!

David Lee once again fell into deep thought.

By the last class of the morning, David Lee’s hair was a mess from all the beatings, and he looked filthy, but now it was Ethan Miller who was doubting life. To avoid David Lee, he had no choice but to come into the classroom, sit next to William Carter, and pretend to be learning.

This class was math, which Ethan Miller clearly couldn’t understand, and soon he started dozing off.

Luckily, it wasn’t long before the math teacher, egged on by the students, started bragging.

“Nonsense! Li Jiancheng wasn’t nearly as useless as in the TV dramas…”

“At that time, Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan, was thinking…”

“And inside Chang’an city, Li Jiancheng’s power actually…”

“…”

Some people appear to be math teachers on the surface.

But in secret, they’re actually history teachers.