Chapter 44 Crown

Their sudden entrance startled the entire class. Lin Feng slowly turned around, his expression calm and amused.

The scene before him was... strange and funny at the same time.

Both boys were wearing oversized, mismatched hats pulled so low over their heads that they nearly covered their eyes.

They stood stiffly, shoulders trembling, as if facing a terrifying judgment.

When they bowed deeply in apology, however, their hats slipped off and tumbled to the floor.

A collective gasp rippled through the classroom.

The left side of each boy’s head was completely normal, covered with thick, untouched hair.

But the right side... was as smooth as a baby’s bottom. Bald. Not a single strand remained.

For a moment, the room fell into stunned silence.

Then someone snorted.

Then another student burst into laughter and tried to stifle it but failed miserably.

The two boys stood frozen, faces burning red with humiliation, their eyes watering as they realized there was no longer any point in hiding it.

"Have you learned your lesson?" Lin Feng asked, his voice calm but heavy with authority.

"Yes, Teacher Lin Feng!" the two children shouted at the same time, their heads lowered in fear and shame.

"We really won’t do it again! We swear!" one of them cried, clutching at his sleeves.

"We’ll never bully anyone again. Please, Teacher Lin Feng, let us have our hair back!" The other boy sniffled loudly, tears streaming down his face as he bowed repeatedly.

Lin Feng studied them in silence for a moment before speaking again.

"Good. But aren’t you forgetting something?" he said, his gaze slowly shifting toward Liu Yang, who was already seated quietly among the other students.

The two children stiffened.

They immediately followed Lin Feng’s line of sight and saw Liu Yang sitting there, his expression tight and guarded.

Both of them were surprised to see their classmate Liu Yang here.

"I-I’m sorry, Liu Yang," one of them said, bowing deeply. "I was wrong to bully you. I promise I’ll never do it again."

"Same here," the other child quickly added. "We really learned our lesson. We don’t want to be bald anymore... we’re still so young to be bald. Please forgive us!"

Liu Yang said nothing at first. His fists clenched tightly at his sides, his nails digging into his palms.

The memories of their cruel words, mocking laughter, and constant humiliation surged through his mind.

His chest felt heavy, and his eyes burned, but he refused to let tears fall.

After a long moment, he finally nodded once, stiffly.

"..."

That single nod was all he gave them, but inside, his heart was far from calm.

He was still angry... angry at them, angry at everyone who had ever looked down on him.

But that anger hardened into something else... determination. He would show them all.

He would become strong.

Strong enough that no one would ever dare mock him again, no matter how ugly his face might be.

"Good," Lin Feng said, his tone softening slightly as he observed Liu Yang’s reaction. "Close your eyes, children."

The two boys quickly obeyed, squeezing their eyes shut as if afraid Lin Feng might change his mind.

One breath later, they felt a strange tingling sensation on their scalps.

It wasn’t painful, but it was intensely itchy especially on the parts where their hair had been completely balded away.

They squirmed but didn’t dare open their eyes.

Two breaths later, the itching intensified, spreading across their heads like countless tiny ants crawling over their skin.

Three breaths later...

"Ah!" one of them gasped softly, surprised at the feeling of change on their heads.

Warmth spread across their scalps, followed by a faint pulling sensation, as if invisible threads were weaving something into existence.

Fine strands began to sprout, thickening and lengthening at an astonishing speed.

When Lin Feng finally spoke again, his voice carried a note of finality. "Open your eyes."

The two boys opened their eyes at the same time and instinctively reached for their heads.

Their fingers brushed through soft, full hair.

"It’s back!" one of them cried out in disbelief.

"I’m not half bald anymore!" the other shouted, almost jumping in excitement.

They hurriedly pulled out small mirrors and looked at themselves, their faces lighting up with joy and relief.

No longer half bald, no longer humiliated... they looked just like normal children again.

Lin Feng watched them calmly.

"Remember this feeling," he said. "And remember the lesson behind it. Strength is not for bullying others... it is for protecting them. Especially those who can’t protect themselves."

The two children nodded vigorously, their eyes filled with gratitude and fear. "We understand, Teacher Lin Feng! We won’t forget!"

Liu Yang watched quietly from where he stood.

The two children left the classroom in high spirits.

They wiped their tears away with their sleeves, sniffled a few more times, and then suddenly broke into a run, racing down the hallway as fast as their short legs could carry them.

They didn’t even dare look back, afraid that Lin Feng might call them back or change his mind at the last second.

In their hearts, Lin Feng was no longer just a teacher.

To them, he was worse than a witch, worse than any elder they had ever met.

A person who could make someone bald with just a word and then casually grow their hair back was simply too terrifying.

They swore silently that they never wanted to see him again in their lives.

And because they were only ten-year-old children, it didn’t take long for rumors to spread.

By lunchtime, whispers were already circulating around the academy.

Students gathered in corners, leaning close as they exchanged exaggerated stories about a strange teacher who could curse people into baldness and reverse it just as easily.

"Did you hear? He made two boys lose all their hair instantly!"

"No way!"

"Yes way! And then he grew it back like magic!"

"That’s terrifying..."

Soon, Lin Feng’s name became associated with weirdness, mystery, and a touch of fear.