“Professor An, unexpectedly diligent,” Faro said. “Still reading ‘Teaching Guidelines’ so early. But your complexion isn’t good. Didn’t you sleep well last night?”
In the morning, An Xiaoyi sat on the sofa, Browse “Teaching Guidelines” on his phone. It was a last-minute effort; he truly couldn’t think of a better way to improve his teaching standards. Compared to university students, he was only an upperclassman separated by three cohorts.
He had expected professional professor training when he arrived, but the school didn’t seem to have that in mind.
As for his sleep problem, he was unwilling to reveal that he had encountered another blood kin and been forcibly kissed. This led to him hiding under the covers all night, afraid to fall asleep, unable to convince himself it was just a dream.
“Any job must be taken seriously,” An Xiaoyi said, showing his responsible attitude.
“You can’t improve your teaching level through online guidance,” Faro said, tilting her head as she looked at An Xiaoyi. “Relax, you’re a professor in charge of fundamental knowledge and history for freshmen. You don’t need to be too professional.”
“That makes me feel much better,” An Xiaoyi said, pretending to just realize it, then looked up at her. “Principal, is there something you need?”
“How cold you are. Last night, you looked at my body with the gaze of someone examining prey, and then showed disappointment when you saw my flat chest,” Faro said, hugging her chest in distress and sighing.
“Don’t you think this is fun…”
“Ahem, no more jokes. Today, I’ll take you on a tour of the school, introduce you to other professors, and the high-ranking officials of the Executive Bureau.” Faro clapped her hands and stood up. A car was waiting downstairs. “But before that, let’s have breakfast.”
Saint Tanan Jona University was an extremely vast and complex architectural complex. There were twenty dormitory hotels alone. Being surrounded by a forest of buildings felt like standing in a city.
After breakfast, An Xiaoyi got into a Bentley. According to Faro, today’s tour was to see this massive institution. The main purpose was to introduce An Xiaoyi to everyone, as everyone had busy schedules, and it was difficult to gather all high-ranking officials unless there was a major event.
“This is the teaching building? It looks out of place.” An Xiaoyi got out of the car and looked up at the white buildings.
Most of Saint Tanan Jona’s buildings were skyscrapers; low-rise buildings were few. Also, the classrooms were different from regular schools, leaning towards combat rooms… with dense instruments, virtual screens, and communication equipment. Standing on the platform felt like a commander deploying, with technical personnel following up below.
“So, essentially being a violent military organization, classrooms don’t really matter. At most, they’re for basic knowledge. Advanced combat knowledge is all simulated drills,” Ms. Faro said.
“It’s a good thing I’m just a civilian teacher,” An Xiaoyi nodded.
“This is Professor Gu En, from the Intelligence Knowledge Department.”
The middle-aged man named Gu En pushed up his glasses and extended his hand in greeting. He seemed quite strict and rigid, with “you must follow my methods exactly” written all over his face.
“This is Professor Chen Minghang, also the Head of the Combat Knowledge Department. He was once the Number One in the Executive Bureau, but unfortunately, he got injured later. Hello, Professor Chen. The Executive Department asked me to tell you to go to the Combat Office at noon.”
Professor Chen Minghang, who was playing basketball indoors, nodded and made a handsome dunk, drawing cheers from the surrounding students. He appeared cold and unapproachable but actually mingled well with his students.
“Lu Xiaoxi, the older of the Lu sisters, Professor of the Music Department, and Dormitory A building supervisor. Don’t let her ice-queen appearance fool you; she’s actually quite gentle and very popular with female students, and she doesn’t know how to refuse.”
As they passed the European church-style building of the Music Department, at the entrance, in broad daylight, the professor was being “wall-slammed” by a female student. Lu Xiaoxi turned her flushed face away, trembling all over.
“Professor Lu, how was last night, hmm?” the tall, domineering female student asked, her finger tracing the professor’s exquisite face.
“Ugh…”
An Xiaoyi turned to see Principal Faro’s darkened expression and carefully chose his words: “Not bad, the harmony between teachers and students makes me really look forward to my future professorship.”
“Where are the disciplinary committee members? The world is going downhill in broad daylight. Where have the disciplinary committee members gone?” Faro quickened her pace.
Inside the school’s Discipline Department, it was quiet. On a seat, a small loli had her legs propped on the desk, a newspaper covering her face as if she were asleep. Her body twitched, as if sensing something, and she looked up, meeting Faro’s fierce gaze.
“P-Principal.”
“Let me introduce you. This is our new professor, An Xiaoyi.” Faro began the introduction process first, turning to An Xiaoyi. “This is Lu Xiaohua, the younger Lu sister, a professor in the Language Department, also a disciplinary committee member and supervisor for Dormitory B. She’s fluent in 16 languages.”
An Xiaoyi extended his hand: “Hello.”
“Oh, hello, hello! You’re quite famous on the campus forum,” the loli hopped down to shake his hand.
“Mutual greetings end here.” Ms. Faro gently pushed An Xiaoyi aside. “You should step away for a moment.” Then she grabbed Lu Xiaohua and shook her fiercely, making her dizzy and disoriented.
“As a disciplinary committee member, you’re turning a blind eye to disciplinary violations! My friend, you need to seriously reflect on yourself!”
“Principal, I can’t help it! The youngest students at Saint Tanan Jona are university students. You can’t forbid them from dating, can you? Everyone has their own preferences, and both men and women have the right to choose…”
“That’s true, but the new school rules explicitly prohibit students from flirting with teachers in public!”
“So it’s allowed in private?” An Xiaoyi couldn’t help but ask, surprised.
“Oh, teachers and professors are adults. They have hands and feet, and it’s clearly mutual affection,” Lu Xiaohua said righteously. “I can’t interfere with other people’s private lives and choices.”
“Alright then, I’ll just consider this a reminder that your sister is being wall-slammed by a female student in front of the church.”
“What?!” Lu Xiaohua jumped up furiously and charged out. A few seconds later, she returned, picked up the armband with “Discipline” written on it, and put it on. She was still muttering, “That philanderer! The night before last, he sweet-talked me, saying I was the only one in his heart, and today he’s already with my sister!”
“It looks… quite harmonious,” An Xiaoyi said, his eye twitching. “Who is that female student?”
Principal Faro’s eye also twitched. “I don’t know.”
“Are all professors like this?”
“The ones you just met are undergraduate professors and assistant professors. Most are ordinary people without powers, and they’re young. Tenured professors have positions in the Executive Bureau; they are the true pillars. Don’t misunderstand.” She wiped sweat from her brow, looking at An Xiaoyi with a forced smile: “Never mind. Let’s go to the Department of Affairs, also known as the Information Center.”
The building, second only to the height of the Executive Bureau’s twin towers, had people coming and going in the lobby, all dressed in staff uniforms. The air was filled with the smell of cigarettes and perfume, and there were sounds of phones and elevators. It looked no different from a business center.
“I thought the Information Center would at least be a highly militarized scene, like an intelligence department. But it feels more like a business company. What are they busy with?” An Xiaoyi was referring to the men and women sitting in front of computers in the office area.
This was not just an executive violent agency disguised as a school; it was also a very socialized small city. It felt to him that this massive school had at least over twenty thousand people.
“Saint Tanan Jona University has asset investments all over the world and also develops informants to expand the search for blood kin,” Faro said. “Students who graduate from here will enter the Executive Bureau, but the Executive Bureau has limited energy, so the Hua Nation government entrusted intelligence work to the school. Every year, we send students out on intelligence missions, which is also one of the major graduation assessments.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
“Students won’t be given overly dangerous intelligence missions; the Executive Bureau still has intelligence agents.” Leaving the building, Principal Faro opened the Bentley’s door. “Next, we’re going to the Executive Bureau. Please.”