...

Wednesday noon.

"Class dismissed."

After dismissing the class, the teacher left the classroom with a sandwich someone had bribed him with.

Lin Li rose slowly, walked to the classroom door, and before long, spotted Xue Jian at the end of the hallway.

The two walked one after the other toward the electrical control room.

The hallway leading to the control room had a conspicuous caution tape and a sign that read "Electrical Maintenance, No Entry."

Of course, the building's power hadn't been cut yet, so work hadn't officially started. Lin Li noticed a middle-aged man and a young man in electrician uniforms waiting outside. When they saw Lin Li and Xue Jian coming over, they turned to face them.

"Teacher Xue." As they got closer, the middle-aged electrician greeted them.

The name "Zheng Hong" was written on his name tag, while the younger one, who seemed like an apprentice, had "Liu Feng" on his tag.

Zheng Hong had a strong smell of smoke, probably from being a heavy smoker, but Liu Feng wasn't that bad.

"Master Zheng." Xue Jian nodded in response.

Zheng Hong's gaze then fell on Lin Li.

Following his gaze, Xue Jian also looked at Lin Li and introduced him with a nod:

"Master Zheng, this is Lin Li, whom I mentioned to you before. The school has agreed for him to come and observe, and maybe lend a hand.

Lin Li, this is Zheng Hong, who's in charge of this maintenance, and this is his assistant, Liu Feng."

"Hello, Master Zheng, Master Liu," Lin Li nodded politely in greeting.

"No, no, I'm just an apprentice, not much older than you. You can just call me by my name," Liu Feng quickly waved off.

"Hello, hello," Zheng Hong smiled. "The top student of the grade is indeed polite. Good kid."

Hearing this comment, a slight twitch appeared at the corner of Xue Jian's mouth.

Sighing, Xue Jian, bearing the responsibility of a homeroom teacher, looked at Lin Li and advised:

"Lin Li, here you must follow Master Zheng's instructions. Do whatever he tells you, and don't touch anything he says not to. Your task is just to learn, observe, and lend a hand. Above all, prioritize the safety of the two electricians, understood?"

"Understood," Lin Li nodded earnestly.

Zheng Hong, Liu Feng: "(;☉_☉)?"

Hey, wait a minute.

Did they mishear something?

What does he mean by prioritizing our safety?

Thinking Xue Jian might have misspoken, Zheng scratched his head, but then nodded in agreement and said:

"Lin Li, Teacher Xue is right. In an electrical work environment, safety absolutely comes first. Everything must be done according to protocol."

"The dangers of high voltage don't need to be elaborated on; even the most skilled electricians can lose their lives in an instant.

You'll need to listen to what Liu and I say, don't touch any electrical switches, lines, or equipment without permission, and absolutely ensure proper insulation protection.

If you can't adhere to this, for safety reasons, I won't hesitate to report to the school and have you removed."

Lin Li nodded resolutely, showing anticipation, "Don't worry, Master Zheng, I understand. I came well-prepared."

Saying that, Lin Li reached into his pocket.

Zheng Hong thought Lin Li would take out insulating gloves or other protective gear, but then raised an eyebrow in surprise—because Lin Li took out a small bottle.

"What's this?" Zheng Hong asked curiously, seeing that the bottle looked like a medicine bottle.

"Blood pressure medicine," Lin Li answered honestly.

"Oh, blood pre—hmm?"

Zheng Hong, Liu Feng: "(;゜○゜)?"

"Blood, blood what—?" When Zheng Hong spoke again, not only was his voice louder, but it almost cracked.

"Blood pressure medicine, Master Zheng," Lin Li said matter-of-factly, concerned that Zheng Hong might misunderstand, and quickly explained:

"Of course, bringing this doesn't mean I don't trust you.

I'm not saying that with you around, we might still get electrocuted. It's just a precaution, and if by chance there's an unforeseen accident, someone gets shocked by high voltage, we won't be at a loss and can respond."

Zheng Hong: "..."

Is he really worried about whether I trust myself?

For f*ck's sake.

Isn't Nansang Middle School the best public high school in Nansang? Is he really the top of his grade and not the last?

Is his top student ranking genuine?

There's a sense of disillusionment when you're introduced to someone who's described as "being honest and not talkative," but turns out to be "old, and doesn't speak much truth."

"Elder Xue—"

Zheng Hong, his mind in chaos, instinctively looked to Xue Jian for help, but halfway through speaking, he stopped abruptly.

Because Xue Jian, who had just been standing beside Lin Li, had already walked away without looking back.

"Thunk, thunk, thunk." The only sound in the hallway was of Xue Jian's footsteps receding into the distance.

"Teacher Xue? Teacher Xue?!" Zheng Hong, a bit surprised, raised his voice slightly, calling out to Xue Jian's retreating figure.

When Xue Jian heard Zheng Hong's call, his originally calm walking pace suddenly quickened.

"Thunk, thunk, thunk!!!" The only sound in the hallway was of Xue Jian's hurried footsteps.

Finally, Xue Jian disappeared from the three's sight.

Zheng Hong, Liu Feng: "..."

Hey, wait a minute…

Why did he run?

Zheng Hong reluctantly turned his gaze back to Lin Li.

Noticing the gaze, Lin Li, who was also looking in the direction Xue had left, turned to meet Zheng Hong's eyes and shook the small bottle in his hand by his face, showing a clear and innocent smile:

"Hmm? Master Zheng, do you want a pill?"

Zheng Hong nodded: "Sure."

Lin Li's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly opened the bottle to take out the medicine.

Liu Feng, on the other hand, looked at his master in shock as he nodded.

Zheng Hong, expressionless, aware of his apprentice's gaze, replied calmly: "My blood pressure's high."

Liu Feng realized.

Could Lin Li have foreseen this scene and thus brought the blood pressure medicine?

Seeing Lin Li actually take out two pills and hand them to him, Zheng Hong held the pills, not intending to actually take them, rubbed them in his hand for a while, then suddenly shook his head with a relieved smile.

He patted Lin Li on the shoulder: "Kid, you're something else."

"You're born to be an electrician; you're much more suited to it than Liu."

"A voltage of 220 can't kill one as fearless as 250, you're even tougher than electricity, kid, you're invincible."

Lin Li: "(๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧!"

F*ck, I'm awesome!