Rule Me School Me: A Complex Creatures Story (BoyxBoy)

Chapter 1

Bao Zheng awoke to the sound of his alarm blaring in his ear. He could see the sun peering through the floral curtains in his bedroom and the smell of his neighbors' breakfast coming through the vent. He made out the smell of breakfast sausage, noodles, and coffee as he sat up on his bed. He grabbed his cell phone and peered at the time, it was already 6:30a.m. Time for him to get ready for work.

Today was the first day of the semester and his first day teaching Chinese History at Shenzhen University. His chest filled up with a sense of pride as he hopped out of bed and made his way to the living room. His apartment was a very small, one bedroom flat just west of the college campus. He spent two long months standing on the balcony, gazing at a full view of the college's Arts and Letters building where his classes would take place.

"Good morning Shenzhen," he said as he sauntered out onto his small balcony. The atmosphere of fall was apparent as mosaics of red and orange painted the trees near his building. He took a deep breath and stepped back into his apartment. He took a shower, got dressed, and went into his kitchen to find breakfast.

The lesson plans for his new class lay scattered on the kitchen table, right beside last night's dinner and a cup of cold coffee. It took him three months for those plans to be approved by the department. He couldn't help but smile. He really wanted his first semester to be successful. Unlike the other professors who were in their 60s and had at least 20 years of teaching experience, he was only 32 years old and had little to no experience in such an environment. This opportunity was a huge step for him.

As he placed his lesson plan back into his bag he glanced at his watch. It was a little after 8am and he would have to head to campus shortly. His apartment was only a 5-10-minute walk from the campus but his class wasn't until 9:30 that morning.

He decided to head to campus early. Outside, the weather was chilly. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his old leather jacket and walked to the campus in silence. With each step, he became more concentrated. Bao Zheng could hear students sitting in the grass discussing their semesters and their classes so far. He saw boys rough housing near the student center entrance. There were students already at the tables outside reading and writing notes.

The liveliness of the university campus made Bao Zheng even more excited. As he reached his lecture hall in the Letters and Arts building, he was greeted by many students in the hallway. Recognizing his demeanor and attire as that of a professor, they respectfully bowed to him and made their way to their respective classrooms.

There was his class number, N182. He pushed the door open, the classroom was still empty. Good. Bao Zheng sat at his desk and prepared his materials. He laid out his handouts and textbooks and paced, waiting for students to arrive. According to registration he had an exciting total of 38 students attending. However, the lack of students thirty minutes before class made him sweat. How early did students usually show up? When he was an undergrad, he always arrived thirty minutes to an hour before class to chat with friends and study.

After roughly ten minutes of pacing, the first student walked through the door. A girl of small stature, with light brown hair, and large eyes.

"Hello professor," she stated before she bowed and picked a seat near the back of classroom. After she arrived students started trickling in. They all greeted Bao Zheng before selecting their seats. He looked at the clock and realized that it was 9:30 and not all the students were there. He tapped his fingers on his desk as he contemplated whether he should begin or wait a few more minutes.

"Hello class, my name is Huang Bao Zheng and I will be teaching you Intermediate Chinese History." He said as he stood walked over to the podium.

"We will be learning-" The classroom door swung open. A group of boys came through the door. The one in front, a chubby boy with a baseball cap and a large jacket bowed before apologizing, "Sorry, we're late."

"It's okay, take a..." Bao Zheng's voice caught. His breathing became erratic and his heart pounded. Fear, disbelief, or happiness all surge inside him at once. He gripped the podium tightly, crinkling the papers of his lesson plan. The boy behind the chubby one... his face... those bright almond-shaped eyes and the innocent smile, staring back at him.

Bao Zheng's eyes misted over. There was no way it could be him, no way it could be...

"Tan Zhi?" Bao Zheng's face flushed. The boy looked at him puzzled and glanced at his friends. "Sorry we are late professor," he said. His voice was different, wrong. But that face...

"Is it really you?"

It couldn't have been him, his Tan Zhi, because he'd been dead for ten years.