Why Do All the Villains Look at Me Like This? - Chapter 16

Before the next day’s Theory class, Meng Xuexiao specifically logged into the exam system to check his Theory course grade. The Academic Affairs Teacher hadn’t lied, his score had been fully corrected. The bright red mark denoting a perfect score now sat at the very top, and their team’s overall ranking had shifted from last place to first. The heavy burden that had been weighing on Meng Xuexiao’s heart was finally lifted.

With this, his team’s practical course score was also secured. This was practically the best possible outcome of the whole incident.

However, the classroom was anything but calm. In fact, it was chaotic.

“I don’t accept this! Why?! Our group was second to last before, so how come we’ve suddenly become dead last?”

Since Meng Xuexiao’s group had moved up in rank, the group that had been second to last was now at the bottom. They’d gone from barely scraping by to having to face punishment, this shift was hard for them to accept. Xue Chen and the others who were in the same group as Meng Xuexiao were no longer downcast like they were yesterday. Now they stood tall and confident, arguing back at the other group of students.

“What’s there not to accept? We were in last place yesterday only because Meng Xuexiao’s score was wrong. Isn’t it perfectly normal for us to be first now that it’s been corrected?”

“Not convinced? No problem. Let’s settle it in the practical class, see what you’ve really got!” One of the more muscular guys in Xue Chen’s group rolled up his sleeves to his forearms, deliberately flexing his muscles for the other side to see.

The students from the other group who had been loudly protesting just a moment ago immediately lost some of their steam and resorted to invoking the Theory Teacher’s authority, “H-how could there be a mistake in the score? Didn’t you hear what the teacher said yesterday? The school’s system can’t just be tampered with!”

Xue Chen smiled faintly, “Everyone makes mistakes—yes, even the system.”

Meng Xuexiao had been quietly listening to Xue Chen and the others spar verbally with the other group, but at some point, he felt a sudden jolt of unease. He instinctively looked around and finally met a pair of haggard eyes outside the classroom door. Their owner was staring daggers at him, and who knows how long he’d been standing there… or listening. It was the Theory Class Teacher.

The teacher, who usually dressed sharply with neatly slicked-back hair held in place by styling gel, now looked disheveled. His hair was barely combed and clearly frayed at the ends. Meng Xuexiao immediately noticed the dark circles under his eyes.

Noticing that Meng Xuexiao had spotted him, the Theory Teacher could no longer linger awkwardly at the door. He walked in with his books and slammed them heavily onto the lectern, “Everyone, quiet! Now, let’s talk about yesterday’s exam. Our rule is that the last-place team will receive a punishment.”

A sharp intake of breath came from the group that had originally been second-to-last. Meng Xuexiao’s heart also jumped a little.

He had initially felt reassured, but after locking eyes with the Theory Teacher, he wasn’t so sure anymore.

“The last-place team was originally Xue Chen’s, but due to a small… accident, the team has changed. I’ve already compiled the appropriate punishment and sent it to our class discussion group via email. You must complete it within the required time. If not, this subject will be marked as a fail.”

Aside from the red veins in his eyes, the teacher’s tone sounded almost unchanged from before. Meng Xuexiao quietly exhaled, thinking he had probably misjudged the teacher, but in the next second, he saw the teacher’s gaze shift toward him.

The teacher spoke each word with weight, “Your group, stay after class.”

The final syllable dropped like a stone, and Meng Xuexiao immediately sensed something ominous. His mind drifted for the rest of the lesson.

Was the teacher planning to make things difficult for them? If so, he had plenty of justification. After all, when they noticed the score was wrong, Meng Xuexiao, Xue Chen, and the others had gone to question the teacher, even suggesting it might be a system error.

But the teacher had insisted the system couldn’t be wrong and accused them of being sore losers then demanded the school investigate him.

Now that the grades had been corrected, the teacher had been publicly slapped in the face in front of the entire class.

“Hey!” A hand suddenly landed on Meng Xuexiao’s shoulder. He jolted, nearly knocking over the water bottle on his desk—only for another hand to react faster and steady the wobbling bottle just in time.

“What are you thinking about? You’re totally out of it.”

It was Xue Chen speaking.

Meng Xuexiao snapped out of it, realizing only now that class had somehow already ended. He shook his head, trying to push the messy and ominous thoughts from his mind. He didn’t want to say them out loud—it felt like jinxing himself.

But Xue Chen seemed to catch on to his thoughts and gave his shoulder a reassuring pat.

“Relax, it’s probably nothing serious. Who knows, maybe the teacher just wants to apologize to us face-to-face? After all, he was the one who accused you of cheating and even requested a school investigation. Now that the truth’s come out, he should give some kind of explanation.”

The Theory classroom was already dimly lit due to its location, and after class, a few more lights had been turned off to save energy. The room now felt even darker.

Meng Xuexiao pursed his lips.

Honestly, he didn’t care much whether the teacher apologized or not. He just hoped this incident wouldn’t drag down the rest of the group.

Xue Chen tugged his hand gently, as if to comfort him, “Alright, let’s go together.”

The Theory Class Teacher remained at the podium, leisurely tidying up his textbooks. His entire face was almost hidden in shadow, and his tone was as casual as if he were making small talk, “The treatment room’s a bit short on people lately. They asked me if I could lend them a few students. They’ve helped me out a lot over there, so I couldn’t really say no. You lot can go help them out tomorrow—run some errands, lend a hand.”

“What the hell—The treatment room?!”

Before Meng Xuexiao could react, one of Xue Chen’s groupmates blurted out in shock. He was well-connected, often hanging out with upperclassmen, and knew a fair bit about the school.

“That’s the treatment room we’re talking about! The doctors in there are like demons, they’ll verbally abuse you into a breakdown. I’d rather clean the entire school for a month than go there!”

His loud outburst was anything but polite, drawing curious stares from students in the hallway.

Xue Chen made a calming gesture, then turned to the Theory Teacher—his voice tinged with restrained anger, “If I remember correctly, this ‘favor’ is way harsher than the punishment the actual last-place group got, isn’t it?!”

But the Theory Teacher made the final call, ignoring all their protests, “It’s settled.”

“But we haven’t agreed yet!” Xue Chen frowned.

If it’s really just a “favor,” then why did it feel so forced?

The Theory Teacher shot a cold look at Xue Chen, “I’ve already submitted your names. If you don’t show up on time to help, the treatment room has the authority to issue disciplinary action.”

“You…!” One of Xue Chen’s groupmates immediately lost his temper. “What gives you the right to do this?”

As a teacher, he naturally didn’t feel the need to explain himself to a student. He merely gave Meng Xuexiao a faint glance and said, “As long as you know why, that’s enough.”

With that, he turned and stormed out, slamming the classroom door behind him. The moment it banged shut, the teacher’s expression finally twisted into a grimace.

If not for maintaining his image as a teacher, he might’ve lost his temper right then and there in class.

The Theory Teacher had taught at the Federation Military Academy for over 20 years. He never expected to be so thoroughly humiliated by someone as insignificant as Meng Xuexiao.

Last night, the admin office teacher had torn into him, and he couldn’t even talk back because of the power dynamics. He was scolded like some green rookie. To top it off, his eligibility for this year’s teaching rank evaluation had been revoked. For teachers, that year-end evaluation directly determined their pay raise. Missing out meant losing tens of thousands in bonuses. Now that he was stewing in frustration, there was no way he was going to let Meng Xuexiao off easy.

The Theory Teacher slammed the door shut with such force that it let out a loud bang, nearly brushing the tip of Meng Xuexiao’s nose as it closed heavily.

Everyone in the classroom exchanged looks, and finally, all eyes settled on Meng Xuexiao. Although the Theory Teacher hadn’t said anything clearly, none of the students were fools, they could vaguely piece things together.

It seemed that what Meng Xuexiao had done had completely offended the teacher.

They didn’t quite understand why. Correcting a grade was supposed to be a good thing. When Meng Xuexiao was cleared of suspicion, they’d genuinely felt happy for him. But why did things take such a bad turn?

Not only did Meng Xuexiao fail to gain anything from it, but their entire group had also been dragged into undeserved trouble.

“…I’m really sorry.”

What Meng Xuexiao had feared most had now become reality.

“….”

A heavy silence fell over the room. Neither Xue Chen nor the other group members responded, nor did they meet Meng Xuexiao’s gaze.

In the end, it was Xue Chen who quietly broke the silence. “Actually… this whole thing isn’t your fault. For a teacher to be this petty—especially a Theory Teacher—it’s honestly a bit disgraceful.”

He looked like he wanted to say more but was interrupted by another teammate.

That teammate’s eyes darted toward the floor, glancing around nervously. His voice was a little guilty, “But… still, please don’t team up with us for the group combat class anymore.”

“This…” Xue Chen hadn’t expected him to say that. He frowned slightly but then noticed the other group members subtly nodding their heads—they clearly agreed with that teammate.

Xue Chen opened his mouth but, in the end, didn’t say anything more. He and his teammates were a unit, and in team-based combat, mutual support was essential. He couldn’t force his teammates to accept someone they didn’t want as a comrade. Even though this incident wasn’t really Meng Xuexiao’s fault, the others couldn’t completely let go of their unease. Their team valued collective honor above all else—and what they couldn’t tolerate most was someone who might drag the whole group down.

Not to mention… the fact that Meng Xuexiao’s score had been altered was itself suspicious. Though Xue Chen had said the system might make mistakes, compared to the highly precise and reliable smart grading system, it seemed more likely to them that someone had deliberately tampered with Meng Xuexiao’s score.

And the kind of person who could manipulate the system like that… was not someone they could afford to cross. That person was clearly targeting Meng Xuexiao. They couldn’t let their team inherit such a dangerous enemy.

“I understand,” Meng Xuexiao said softly, lowering his gaze.