[12/08, 07:34, Haijing City Express Hotel]
The next day, after Yi Shi stunned everyone by wearing women’s clothing, he still couldn’t escape a miserable fate. Yu Xue brought leggings and a small dress, insisting that he change into them again today.
Yi Shi huddled in the corner of the room, looking pale, with a look of resignation: “……I tried it yesterday.”
“That was yesterday’s.”
“Wear it on the 10th.”
“No, you need to adapt, practice your way of speaking, actions, and behavior.” Yu Xue said with a smile, “I’ve already communicated with the principal. You’ll be interning for a day, getting in touch with the kids. You must recognize all their faces.”
Yi Shi’s expression grew even more grim. He shook his head, pursing his lips: “Photos are fine. I have an excellent memory.”
“But if they don’t recognize you, and they run around not listening to your instructions, will you give each of them a pair of large silver bracelets?” Yu Xue glanced at Ding Ju, who was sitting innocently nearby. “Wolfdog, what do you think?”
Ding Ju was about to nod but, upon receiving a warning glance from Yi Shi, awkwardly picked up a book to cover his face.
Don’t ask him, don’t drag him down! Although he did really want to see.
Yi Shi was certain he had gotten on the wrong boat. The culprit who had coaxed him aboard was smiling innocently, obviously there just to watch the fun. Yu Xue shoved the clothes into his arms: “Alright, stop wasting time. The children are all waiting to meet the new teacher.”
“…Do we really have to do this?”
“If you negotiate further, it’ll be two days instead.”
Yi Shi’s emotional control was about to break down. From active resistance to passive acceptance, his expression had cycled through all stages. He took a deep breath, strode to the bed with the clothes, and started undressing with a cold face.
A jacket was thrown on the bed, and Yi Shi began unbuttoning his shirt. Ding Ju was startled and quickly turned his back. Yu Xue leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, teasing, “Wolfdog, what’s the matter with you? He’s changing, why are you so nervous?”
“I-I-I…” Ding Ju’s hands were shaking, unable to hold the magazine steadily. “Men… men shouldn’t be too close.”
He sneaked a glance. Yi Shi was stepping on the bed edge, struggling to distinguish the right and wrong sides of the leggings. Yu Xue walked over: “I taught you this yesterday, how could you forget?”
“If you remember, come here.”
“Oh, throwing a tantrum? That’s good. That’s good.” Yu Xue not only wasn’t angry but was also pleased. “You should be more emotional, enrich your emotions, and become more like a real person.”
Yi Shi was momentarily speechless. After his frustration, his mood calmed down and returned to his usual taciturn state. Simply put, he just couldn’t accept this kind of cross-dressing. Although it was a sacrifice made for work, making a grown man change into these leggings and small dresses was not something that could be done easily.
He silently recited the Great Compassion Mantra in his mind, focusing solely on changing clothes. The wig and colored contacts were put on with Yu Xue’s help. Yi Shi stood up, and Miss Shi Yiyi arrived.
“Hey, I’m telling you, you look really pretty in women’s clothes.” Yu Xue turned around. “Wolfdog, don’t you think so?”
Ding Ju started to have problems again. His heartbeat quickened, and just looking made his ears turn red.
There was a knock at the door: “Captain Yu, can I come in? I’ve brought everything.”
Yu Xue went to open the door. Song Ping walked in with a smile. Seeing Yi Shi sitting at the table, she was once again amazed: Wow, big brother, you’re just perfect. You can defend a place in military uniform, and cause trouble in women’s clothing. The two conflicting qualities blend perfectly together, truly a treasure of a man!
She asserted that the female police officers at the Nanyi City Bureau probably wouldn’t have any stars to chase. Having such a treasure in their midst was enough for them!
Yi Shi thought Yu Xue called Song Ping over to teach him some details about girls’ manners and behaviors. Instead, Song Ping opened her makeup bag, revealing a bunch of bottles and jars. Yi Shi’s face turned deathly pale: “Can this be canceled?”
“No,” Yu Xue pointed at his face, “The facial contours still need to be adjusted. It’s all about striving for perfection.”
“I remember yesterday’s makeup!” Song Ping patted her chest, assuring, “I won’t let you down!”
…… I’m not looking forward to it at all. Only feeling utterly resigned.
–
“Yiyi, this is Teacher Guan. Come, say hello.” Yu Xue said kindly. “Beautiful” Shi Yiyi gave Teacher Guan a smile: “…… Hello, Teacher Guan.”
“Oh… hello.” Teacher Guan looked at Shi Yiyi. No way, Officer Yu said he would place someone at the kindergarten to protect them. Could it be this seemingly fragile girl?
The more she thought about it, the more worried she became. She pulled Yu Xue aside and asked in a low voice: “Officer, is she okay? I think it would be more reliable to send a male officer.”
“Teacher Guan, don’t be anxious. Just take Yiyi for a day. I’ll come to pick her up in the afternoon.”
“But…”
“The principal has agreed. Thank you for your trouble.”
After Yu Xue left, Teacher Guan took Shi Yiyi upstairs, introducing the environment of the kindergarten: “The first floor has an activity room, dance room, indoor sports field, and art exhibition hall. The second floor has the small class classrooms. Classes one and two are on the left, and class three is on the right. The layout of classes for the big, middle, and small grades is the same. This floor also has a conference room, library, and science lab. The third floor has the middle class, electronic multimedia classroom, and multifunctional game hall. Our big class is on the fourth floor, along with the music room and international English communication room. This elevator goes straight to that floor. However, we don’t encourage children to use the elevator alone. They must be accompanied by a teacher… Miss Shi, I mean, Teacher Shi, are you listening?”
Shi Yiyi—Yi Shi immediately nodded, indicating that he had heard. Teacher Guan took his silence as distraction: “If you don’t understand anything, just ask. Do you need me to repeat the locations of the functional classrooms I just mentioned?”
Yi Shi shook his head and recited all the classroom and location details she had just mentioned, without any mistakes. Teacher Guan was surprised. The girl’s memory was quite good; their kindergarten was relatively large, comparable to a small school. Many new female teachers took a week to get familiar with the layout.
When they reached the fourth floor, they happened to meet the teacher from Class Two organizing the children to go downstairs for activities, who greeted Teacher Guan: “Teacher Guan, when is your class going down?”
“Oh, in a moment. I’ll take this—this new teacher to the classroom, and we’ll go down after roll call.”
“A new teacher? You’re not taking Class One anymore?”
“Continuing to teach them, she is an assistant teacher.”
“So, your class has three assistant teachers?” The teacher from Class Two’s smile clearly faded. “That’s great. The principal is really considerate of Teacher Guan.”
Teacher Guan awkwardly smiled. She couldn’t disclose that this was a police officer, only mentally lamenting: It’s really unfair to be misunderstood like this. By the afternoon, the head teachers of Classes Two and Three would probably go to the principal together, requesting equal treatment.
Standing in front of the Class One classroom door, Teacher Guan stopped and looked back at Yi Shi: “Teacher Shi, please make your expression softer and smile. Going in like this will scare the children in our class.”
Yi Shi’s lips curved slightly. Teacher Guan shook her head: “No, no, make it brighter.”
“……” Yi Shi’s smile deepened, but for some reason, it looked very stiff, with an indescribable sense of awkwardness. Teacher Guan was puzzled: “Teacher Shi, just a normal smile. Is it so difficult?”
It’s really difficult. This job should have been assigned to Yu Xue; he’s much better at using a smile to hide emotions and pretending to be nice.
“Make your eyes gentler, the curve of your lips as natural as possible, a sincere smile from the heart.”
Yi Shi’s cheeks were starting to ache. From the heart? In this situation, how could he smile? No, don’t waste time here; think of something happy…
[I want to see.]
[It will definitely look good.]
Yi Shi was stunned for a moment, his gaze softened, and although the curve of his lips decreased, it was as gentle as a spring breeze melting snow.
“Ah, that’s right, this is good. Let’s go in.”
Teacher Guan opened the door. Yi Shi breathed a sigh of relief and gently patted his cheek. Lin Heyi was indeed quite useful, always able to help at critical moments.
The original assistant teacher had already guided the children to sit in rows. Teacher Guan smiled and clapped her hands: “Everyone is seated. Today we have a new Teacher Shi. Let’s give her a warm welcome!”
The children all shouted: “Hello, Teacher Shi~”
Yi Shi was least adept at handling such situations. His previously curved smile became stiff again. To avoid scaring the children, he could only use an overly cheerful smile to cover up and made his voice even higher-pitched: “Hello, children, I am—Teacher Shi.”
Teacher Guan noticed his nervousness and took out the roll call list: “Alright, let’s start taking attendance. After that, we can go downstairs for activities. Number 1, Chen Xiaoxiao.”
“Here!”
“Number 2, Jiang Yuanmin.”
“Here!”
……
Yi Shi stood aside, carefully noting the names and appearances of the children. After Teacher Guan finished roll call, she handed the list to Yi Shi: “Teacher Shi, do you remember the children?”
Yi Shi’s eyes passed over the innocent little faces, and he nodded: “Yes, I remember.”
“Good. Teacher Mao, you and Teacher Shi take the children downstairs for activities.”
“…… Hmm?” Yi Shi was slightly surprised. “I—take them for activities?”
“Yes. The activity equipment is downstairs. Each class rotates. Just make sure they don’t fight with each other, cause trouble with children from other classes, and pay attention to safety. It’s very simple.”
“Time?”
“Forty minutes for each activity class.”
Very simple. Based on these four words, Yi Shi agreed. After just ten minutes, he felt overwhelmed, his inner anxiety worse than trying to pry open a criminal’s mouth.
“Teacher Shi! Gu Zichen stole my hula hoop!” A little girl tugged at Yi Shi’s skirt, pulling him angrily. Another boy came over, pulling his hand: “Teacher Shi, I want to play with the rolling ball from Class Two. It’s time to change toys!”
“…Change toys time?” Yi Shi was confused and looked for the assistant teacher, Mao. The little girl, obviously impatient, pulled at Yi Shi’s skirt: “Teacher Shi, my hula hoop, hula hoop, hula hoop!”
Yi Shi’s temples throbbed. He tried to speak softly: “Wait, let go of me first…”
“Teacher Shi! Zhao Yaoyao is climbing the bars!”
Yi Shi looked up and saw that the boy named Zhao Yaoyao was daringly climbing the monkey bars like a monkey. He quickly rushed over, preparing to pull the little devil down. Suddenly, heart-wrenching cries erupted from behind him.
“Teacher Shi, Jiang Yuanmin is crying!”
“Jiang Yuanmin fell down, I saw it!”
“No, no, it’s Liao Tingting who pushed Jiang Yuanmin!”
Yi Shi’s mind was in a daze. He had never been so lost even when executing a mission for the first time.
Who am I, where am I, and why am I wearing a small dress here leading children?
Yi Shi had encountered countless big scenes in nearly thirty years of life, whether it was seeing people in front of him turn into blood and flesh, or a cold, white blade coming toward his heart. He could remain calm, make decisions instantly, and escape from difficulties in the most effective way.
Since putting on this police uniform, he had never shown mercy to ruthless criminals. Every shot he fired had no psychological burden. The suspects he captured varied widely—some kneeling on the ground crying, some begging for their lives with bribes of wealth and sex. Yi Shi always maintained his cold, stern expression. When the big silver bracelets came out, they were all sent to eat the emperor’s rations.
Yu Xue once publicly commented on Yi Shi, saying he was like a “pillar of stability,” never showing fear and able to hold his ground anywhere.
Now, the “pillar of stability” was in a noisy duck pond, like a piece of useless scrap metal, having no effect whatsoever.
A few pairs of hands were pulling Yi Shi’s woolen skirt, sleeves, and fingers in different directions. Some children were crying, some were making a fuss, some were climbing up high, and some were lying on the ground. Even the previously well-behaved children were drawn over, tilting their little heads to watch the commotion.
Crazy.
Yi Shi’s temples were throbbing. Teacher Mao was nowhere to be found, and Teacher Guan was also absent. He was the only teacher in this activity area. Could he just find a hole to hide in?
Yi Shi took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose to force himself to calm down. First, he needed to quiet the environment, then get that little monkey climbing the bars down, and finally deal with the children fighting over toys. Alright, let’s do that.
Jiang Yuanmin was sitting on the ground, crying loudly. Suddenly, she felt weightless and looked down in surprise to see Yi Shi lifting her by her armpits.
“Are you calm now?” Yi Shi asked.
Jiang Yuanmin’s tears were still on her eyelashes. She nodded lightly and was then set down. In fact, her fall wasn’t serious; she just felt wronged and needed to vent her emotions.
Yi Shi pointed to two girls to help Jiang Yuanmin rest, then took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves to catch the monkey.
Zhao Yaoyao was climbing not a railing, but an abstract art piece made of several iron bars, about 4 meters high, with the cement floor below. Even with a seal, it couldn’t stop the adventurous spirit of the little devil. Zhao Yaoyao had already climbed halfway. Yi Shi looked up slightly: “Zhao Yaoyao, is this something little kids should play with?”
Zhao Yaoyao, with a fierce look, clinging tightly to the bars, answered confidently: “Yes!”
“I think it’s not okay.” Yi Shi said calmly, “I’ll give you one minute to come down by yourself.”
Zhao Yaoyao refused to comply and turned his head away: “Hmph, I don’t want to. Usually, Teacher Mao and Teacher Guan don’t let me climb. Now that they’re not here, I’m finally free!”
So, he thought he could bully the new teacher. Yi Shi felt even more out of place in his soft, girly outfit, being looked down on by a child. He had already played the “kind” teacher role to the fullest today, but these little princes and princesses clearly weren’t impressed. If he didn’t do something, they wouldn’t listen.
Alright. Please accept the care from Teacher Shi.
So, the children watched with wide eyes as the new pretty teacher quickly climbed up to Zhao Yaoyao, wrapped her arms around his waist, carried him to the top of the art structure, and then stylishly returned to the ground, leaving Zhao Yaoyao alone up there.
Zhao Yaoyao, who was cheering a moment ago, felt dumbfounded the next second. He tightly hugged the bars like they were a lifeline: “Hey, hey! You…”
“Call me teacher.”
“Teacher Shi, aren’t you going to bring me down?”
Yi Shi crossed his arms, his lips curling coldly: “I said you had one minute to come down by yourself. Didn’t you follow the rules. Do you regret it now?”
