Tried to Be My Dad — He Knelt to Beg

During the first week of the new semester, simply because I was wearing a smart bracelet worth over a hundred thousand yuan, my homeroom teacher went ballistic in his office.

“A hundred grand and you buy this piece of junk? You’re just throwing money at foreigners, you idiot!”

He slammed the desk, looking like he wanted to rip the bracelet right off my wrist.

“School is a place for studying, not for some spoiled rich kid like you to flaunt your wealth.”

“I heard you come from a single-parent family, just living with your mom? No wonder—when a woman’s in charge, things fall apart!”

“Right now, go stand on the field! You’re not allowed to come back until I say so!”

The September sun was still blazing, the temperature outside well over 40°C. If I really listened to him, I’d probably shed a layer of skin.

I ignored him and simply turned back to the dormitory.

Mr. Miller was so furious that he stormed into the dorm, pointing at my face and cursing.

He threw my belongings all over the floor, smashed the drone model I had painstakingly prepared for a competition, and demanded I hand over my bank card.

“As the saying goes, once a teacher, a lifelong father. Since you don’t have a father, I’ll take his place and teach you how to behave.”

“A household still needs a man in charge, so I’ll be generous and pair up with your mom.”

“Since I’ll be marrying your mom, I’ll be the head of your family from now on. I’ll control the money, and anything you want to buy, you’ll ask me first. If I don’t approve, you won’t spend a single cent!”

I looked at the broken model with distress and called my father, Robert Carter, the director of the city’s education bureau.

“Hey, Dad, someone’s trying to steal your wife.”

…

The bell rang for the end of class. I closed my notebook, about to rest my head on the desk.

Mr. Miller suddenly strode toward me and slammed a hand down on my back, the sharp sting instantly spreading across my skin.

“You! Come with me to the office!”

He seemed to be barely holding back his anger, his eyes glaring so wide he looked ready to devour me.

Once we got to the office, he pointed at the watch on my wrist and barked, “What’s this? You’re a guy—what are you doing wearing something like this? It’s sissy! Take it off now!”

I was stunned by his words and instinctively explained,

“Sir, my mom bought it for me to monitor my health data.”

“There’s nothing in the school rules that says boys can’t wear smart bracelets.”

“You dare talk back?!” He slammed the desk, drawing the attention of several other teachers.

“I’m your homeroom teacher. If I tell you to take it off, you take it off. You hear me?”

He grabbed my arm so hard it felt like he might break it.

He scrutinized the bracelet—plain in appearance, nothing outwardly special.

After staring at it for a moment, he sneered, “Tch, what a worthless trinket to be wearing. Do you think this will help you pick up girls? Women are far more realistic than that.”

One of the teachers in the office, recognizing it, whispered, “Mr. Miller, I think that bracelet’s an imported brand from overseas—worth over a hundred thousand.”

“A hundred thousand?”

Mr. Miller instantly lost his composure, springing to his feet and yelling at me,

“A hundred grand and you buy this piece of junk? You’re just throwing money at foreigners, you idiot!”

“You’re just a student—what gives you the right to wear something that expensive? School is for learning, not for some rich kid to show off. Don’t think that wearing luxury goods will make all the girls adore you!”

The other teachers in the office had never seen such a scene before, and for a moment, no one dared to speak.