After Escaping Marriage - Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Cheng Zhanxi cleared her throat, struggling to suppress her widening smile. She finished taking attendance and then introduced herself. "My name is Cheng Zhanxi. 'Cheng' as in 'future,' 'Zhan' as in 'clear and serene,' 'Xi' as in 'the road is long and winding.' It's a pleasure to meet you all."
She clasped her hands together and bowed politely.
The students followed suit, their faces beaming.
Not only was Ms. Cheng beautiful, she also seemed very friendly.
Introductions complete.
Cheng Zhanxi looked at Yu Qingtang, who, after mentally reviewing the students' names, stepped forward and addressed the class again.
Yu Qingtang's voice was stern. "Ms. Cheng is a new teacher. You must treat her with respect. I don't want to hear from her that you are difficult to manage or unteachable. That would be a disgrace to our class. Do you understand?"
The students stood at attention, responding in unison, "Yes, we understand!"
The force of their response almost made Cheng Zhanxi answer along with them.
Yu Qingtang nodded to Cheng Zhanxi. "Ms. Cheng, I'll be going now. If you have any questions, please come find me."
Cheng Zhanxi: "Alright. Goodbye, Ms. Yu."
Yu Qingtang gave the now silent Class 7 students one last stern look and left.
Once she was gone, the students, like a tightly wound spring suddenly released, relaxed, slumping and leaning on each other.
Cheng Zhanxi overheard a quiet whisper from the crowd, "Zhou Zhiruo is finally gone."
The nearby students quickly elbowed the speaker, who nervously glanced at Cheng Zhanxi and changed the subject, pretending nothing had been said.
Teachers were all on the same side. It would be disastrous if Cheng Zhanxi told their homeroom teacher.
Hmm?
Cheng Zhanxi raised an eyebrow. Zhou Zhiruo? Was that Yu Qingtang's nickname among the students?
She made a mental note to ask about it later.
The Class 7 students stood in a loose formation, the class representative, Wu Peng, looking at Cheng Zhanxi, waiting for her instructions.
Cheng Zhanxi clapped her hands.
The students immediately straightened up, their expressions alert and attentive. They were clearly trying to make a good impression on their new teacher's first day.
Once they had quieted down, Cheng Zhanxi asked tentatively, "How many laps?"
The students groaned and shook their heads. Tong Feifei, who had already established a rapport with Cheng Zhanxi, boldly suggested, "It's too hot, Ms. Cheng. Can we skip running today?"
Cheng Zhanxi looked up at the glaring sun through the trees. It was the hottest part of the day. There was no need to subject these delicate flowers to the scorching sun.
"Sure," Cheng Zhanxi said with a good-natured smile. "How about we walk a few laps in the shade instead?"
The students' eyes lit up, expressing their approval.
Their new teacher was really easygoing.
Wu Peng led the class, two students abreast, as they strolled leisurely in the shade. Students from another class, running laps under the blazing sun, their faces dripping with sweat, looked on with envy.
Cheng Zhanxi walked alongside the students, her pace varying, observing the energetic teenagers.
The students, curious about their new teacher, bombarded her with questions, the most enthusiastic being the petite but outgoing Tong Feifei.
"Ms. Cheng, are you the super cool new PE teacher everyone's talking about?"
Cheng Zhanxi raised an eyebrow, not surprised by the description, and nodded with mock seriousness. "Indeed. You can also call me 'Cool Teacher.'"
The students burst out laughing.
"Cool Teacher, where's your motorcycle?"
"It's parked in the staff parking lot. I can't ride it here, but I can show you pictures."
"Wow! So cool!"
"Don't say it's cool if you haven't seen it. Blind praise is not acceptable," Cheng Zhanxi teased.
"Ms. Cheng, you're so trendy! You even know the term 'blind praise.'"
"I like to keep up with the times. If there are any slang terms I don't understand, you can teach me."
"Okay!" The students laughed.
"Ms. Cheng, you're so beautiful."
"Thank you, thank you. With enough exercise, you can be beautiful like me too."
"Haha, Ms. Cheng, don't tease us."
"Why would I tease you? I'll be your PE teacher. I'll make sure you all stay forever young."
"We're already young!"
"That's why you're all beautiful just the way you are," Cheng Zhanxi said, her expression turning serious as she looked at her students.
The unexpected sincerity caught them off guard.
The students fell silent, Wu Peng, at the front of the line, stopping, bringing the whole class to a halt.
Cheng Zhanxi: "???"
Tong Feifei, after a few seconds, clutched her chest and said, "Ms. Cheng, the way you said that was so charming! My heart skipped a beat."
Several other girls murmured their agreement.
Cheng Zhanxi: "..." What was with these students?
Cheng Zhanxi narrowed her eyes. "Are you flirting with me?"
Tong Feifei giggled, her voice playful. "No~"
Cheng Zhanxi, half-joking, half-serious, emphasized, "You can't flirt with your teacher." Teacher-student relationships were a line that couldn't be crossed.
The students seemed to understand, or maybe not, but they laughed it off and continued their "walk," completing a large lap before returning to their starting point.
Cheng Zhanxi asked them what sports they liked. The students, not yet burdened by the pressures of high school academics, were full of energy, or perhaps it was the presence of their beautiful new teacher that made them so enthusiastic. They mentioned the usual sports like ping-pong, basketball, and badminton. One girl, her graceful movements betraying years of practice, said she liked dancing.
Cheng Zhanxi gave Wu Peng the key to the equipment room and asked him to take a few boys to fetch badminton rackets, ping-pong paddles, basketballs, and other sports equipment while she continued chatting with the students.
The equipment room was nearby, and the boys quickly returned, carrying a mat along with the other equipment. After whispering among themselves, one of the boys was pushed forward, awkwardly carrying the mat towards Cheng Zhanxi.
Cheng Zhanxi: "Is this for me?"
The boy nodded, placed the mat on the ground, and quickly walked away without a word.
Cheng Zhanxi called out after him, "Thank you."
The boy's face flushed crimson as he ran back to his friends, playfully punching the ones who had pushed him. The boys then headed to the basketball court, their youthful energy exploding in a flurry of activity.
Cheng Zhanxi smiled.
The shyness of teenage boys around mature women was a common occurrence, nothing to take too seriously.
Most of the students went off to play, while a few girls remained, surrounding Cheng Zhanxi with more questions. Cheng Zhanxi sat on the mat and invited them to join her.
After several topics, Cheng Zhanxi smoothly steered the conversation towards Yu Qingtang.
"I heard you call Ms. Yu 'Zhou Zhiruo'," Cheng Zhanxi said, propping her chin in her hand and adopting a casual, friendly posture. "Why is that?"
The girls exchanged glances. Tong Feifei gave a nervous laugh. "No, we don't. You must have misheard, Ms. Cheng."
Cheng Zhanxi thought, amused, Your acting is as bad as Yu Qingtang's in bed.
Was this a case of "like teacher, like student"?
Yu Qingtang, unjustly accused, sneezed in the office.
Cheng Zhanxi raised a finger. "I promise I won't tell Ms. Yu. And do you really think she doesn't know you call her that behind her back? Teachers don't hold such things against their students."
Tong Feifei relented. "Okay."
Lowering her voice, she said, "Actually, when she first arrived, we called her Xiaolongnü and Auntie."
Cheng Zhanxi raised an eyebrow. "Then why..."
Xiaolongnü and Zhou Zhiruo... that was quite a difference.
Tong Feifei explained, "Because after getting to know her, we realized she's nothing like Xiaolongnü! Xiaolongnü wears white and is innocent and naive. Ms. Yu always wears black and is super serious, never smiles. We're always worried she's going to turn evil and destroy us all. Plus, she's beautiful and looks so delicate, just like Zhou Zhiruo before she turned evil. We're just hoping she doesn't become the Extinguishing Abbess!"
Cheng Zhanxi struggled to contain her amusement, eventually managing to school her features into a more appropriate expression.
"Do you like Ms. Yu?" Cheng Zhanxi asked, subtly testing the waters as Yu Qingtang's future spouse.
Tong Feifei's eyes lit up, a hint of admiration in her gaze. "Ms. Yu is a top student from Jinghua University, and she's as beautiful as a fairy." The implication was clear: how could they not like her?
Cheng Zhanxi: "..."
The halo of academic excellence and beauty worked wonders everywhere.
Remembering something, Tong Feifei quickly added, "Ms. Cheng, we like you too!"
Ms. Cheng gave a haughty sniff.
A thought occurred to her, and she asked, "If Ms. Yu is Zhou Zhiruo, then who am I?"
The girls looked at her and started chattering, suggesting Ren Yingying, Huang Rong, and even Dongfang Bubai...
Cheng Zhanxi: "..."
A bunch of fake Jin Yong fans. Couldn't they at least pick someone from The Heaven Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre so she and Yu Qingtang could be in the same story?
Tong Feifei, the most talkative, couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted the discussion. "None of those characters are from the same novel as Zhou Zhiruo!"
Exactly what I was thinking, Cheng Zhanxi thought, looking at her expectantly.
Tong Feifei looked at Cheng Zhanxi, her eyes shining. "Ms. Cheng," she said sincerely, "I think you're like Xiao Zhao. Beautiful and kind."
Cheng Zhanxi: "..."
Zhou Zhiruo and Xiao Zhao? What kind of heresy was this?!
Cheng Zhanxi, deciding Class 7's taste was beyond saving, abandoned the topic and returned to the subject of Yu Qingtang, gathering some useful information.
Sicheng No. 1 High School was a day school, with only a small number of boarding students. Morning reading started at 7 a.m., and Yu Qingtang would arrive at the Class 7 door at 6:50 a.m., watching each student enter with her usual impassive expression. She would leave around 7:05 a.m., dealing with any latecomers separately.
Interesting...
Five minutes before the end of class, Cheng Zhanxi had Wu Peng collect the sports equipment and return it to the storage room. She then dismissed the class.
"Goodbye, Cool Teacher."
"See you next class, cool students."
Laughter filled the air.
Cheng Zhanxi, having spent a PE lesson with the high schoolers, felt rejuvenated, her mood buoyant as she returned to the office. Before entering, she silently wished Yu Qingtang would be there. And indeed, upon entering, she found Yu Qingtang at her desk, engrossed in her lesson planning.
"Ms. Yu, I'm back," Cheng Zhanxi said, tapping her desk lightly.
Yu Qingtang looked up from her lesson plan, her gaze calm and unwavering, and said nothing.
Cheng Zhanxi's heart sank. "Do you remember my last name?" she asked.
Yu Qingtang's voice was cool. "Cheng."
Cheng Zhanxi was almost overcome with relief. "Thank you."
Yu Qingtang looked at her for a moment, then tilted her head slightly and asked, "Are you free later?"
Short skit:
Cheng Zhanxi: I am! Honey, do you think our future children should have the surname Cheng or Yu?
Yu Qingtang: Bai.
Cheng Zhanxi: Why?
Yu Qingtang: Bai Rimeng (Daydream).
Cheng Zhanxi: ...
Zhou Zhiruo (周芷若) and Xiaolongnü (小龙女, literally "Small Dragon Maiden") are famous female characters from wuxia novels by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). Zhou Zhiruo is from The Heaven Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre, initially kind but later becomes an antagonist. Xiaolongnü is the protagonist of The Return of the Condor Heroes, known for her ethereal beauty and aloof demeanor. Both are often considered archetypes in wuxia fiction.
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