After Escaping Marriage - Chapter 12
Chapter 12
"Qingtang," a gentle, soft female voice called out in the office.
Cheng Zhanxi stopped in her tracks.
Yu Qingtang: "How much was breakfast? I'll transfer the money to you."
Wen Zhihan's smile turned helpless. "How long have we known each other? Why are you still so formal with me?"
Yu Qingtang took out her phone, her tone unchanged. "How much?"
Wen Zhihan displayed her payment QR code and sighed. "Six fifty."
Yu Qingtang transferred the money. "Thank you," she said.
Watching Yu Qingtang insert the straw into her milk carton, her head bowed, Wen Zhihan lowered her voice, asking softly, so only Yu Qingtang could hear, "Do you... like me even a little now?"
Yu Qingtang looked up, her expression as calm and impassive as ever.
Without hesitation, she opened her mouth to answer.
Wen Zhihan abruptly interrupted her, a bitter taste rising in her throat. "You don't have to answer right now."
Yu Qingtang still replied calmly, "No."
"Don't waste your time on me."
Wen Zhihan's expression remained unchanged. She simply smiled, pushed the breakfast towards Yu Qingtang, sat down opposite her, and started eating.
Their subsequent conversation was too quiet for Cheng Zhanxi to hear clearly.
Out of politeness, she waited a moment before approaching the office and knocking on the door.
"Good morning, Ms. Yu."
The tall, slender woman leaned against the doorway, bathed in the soft, golden morning light, her features ethereal, her voice brimming with energy.
The slightly gloomy office seemed to brighten with her arrival, the air becoming lighter.
Wen Zhihan looked up, startled.
"You are...?"
A sense of unease instinctively washed over her.
Cheng Zhanxi smiled at Yu Qingtang, who, puzzled by her silence, nevertheless introduced her to Wen Zhihan. "This is Ms. Cheng, our new PE teacher. She'll be teaching Class 7."
She then turned to Cheng Zhanxi and introduced Wen Zhihan. "Wen Zhihan, our physics teacher."
Cheng Zhanxi inwardly rolled her eyes.
Why did Yu Qingtang call her "Ms. Cheng" but address the other woman by her full name?
Oh, she understood. The more you cared about someone, the more you pretended to be distant in front of others. To avoid suspicion.
Cheng Zhanxi's mood brightened, a smile playing on her lips. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Wen," she said politely.
"Nice to meet you too, Ms. Cheng," Wen Zhihan replied cordially.
As Cheng Zhanxi stepped into the office, the sunlight receded, and Wen Zhihan got a clear look at her face.
Delicate features, rosy lips, and a tall figure, clearly over 170cm, with long legs and a slender waist. She was the kind of person who commanded attention wherever she went.
She wore a stylish black and blue striped shirt, light blue cropped jeans, and white Converse sneakers, exuding a youthful yet mature charm, her every movement full of confidence.
Beautiful, innocent, alluring, energetic, mature... seemingly contradictory qualities blended seamlessly within her.
Wen Zhihan's eyes fell on Cheng Zhanxi's hands, her brow twitching.
"Did you buy two breakfasts, Ms. Cheng?"
Cheng Zhanxi smiled faintly. "Yes. I have a big appetite."
Wen Zhihan: "..."
Even without hearing the full confession and rejection, Cheng Zhanxi knew from the snippet of conversation she'd overheard that the breakfast tactic wouldn't work.
She was grateful to Wen Zhihan for demonstrating the wrong approach.
Cheng Zhanxi sat down with a cheerful smile and engaged Wen Zhihan in conversation. "I heard you and Ms. Yu are classmates?"
Wen Zhihan hummed in affirmation.
While Wen Zhihan was assessing Cheng Zhanxi, Cheng Zhanxi was also observing her.
Average looks – well, objectively speaking, she was above average for an ordinary person.
A gentle and refined demeanor, soft-spoken, a bit like a less intense version of Yu Qingtang.
Cheng Zhanxi asked curiously, "How long have you been classmates?"
Wen Zhihan: "Seven years."
Cheng Zhanxi smiled meaningfully. "That's quite a long time."
Seven years was long enough to get married, experience the seven-year itch, and then get divorced. Wen Zhihan still hadn't won Yu Qingtang over, and even buying breakfast resulted in being reimbursed. Clearly, it was a lost cause.
Cheng Zhanxi believed in the existence of a specific energy between people. Love, like an artist's inspiration, wasn't something you could force; it was a spark, a sudden burst of energy, like spring thunder awakening the earth.
If there was a connection, it would have happened by now. Why wait until now?
Wen Zhihan's threat level plummeted. Cheng Zhanxi didn't bother initiating further conversation, saving her energy for her double portion of breakfast.
At that moment, Wen Zhihan asked Yu Qingtang a question.
"Did Ms. Cheng start yesterday?"
Yu Qingtang: "Yes."
The conversation ceased, and Cheng Zhanxi looked up to see Wen Zhihan typing on her phone.
Yu Qingtang also picked up her phone.
Cheng Zhanxi: "..." This made her a little unhappy.
Their phone conversation went as follows:
Wen Zhihan: Did you memorize her name?
Yu Qingtang: No, I only remember her last name is Cheng.
Wen Zhihan: Do you want me to describe her appearance?
Yu Qingtang: No need. I don't usually need to address her by name.
Wen Zhihan: OK.
Cheng Zhanxi finished her first portion of breakfast. Yu Qingtang stood up and said, "I'm going to class."
Wen Zhihan: "Okay, go ahead."
Cheng Zhanxi: "Ms. Yu, I don't have your WeChat. Let's add each other."
Yu Qingtang displayed her QR code, and Cheng Zhanxi scanned it, sending a friend request. It was quickly accepted.
Yu Qingtang's profile picture was a blank white square, her nickname the initials of her name in pinyin: yqt.
Without even glancing at Cheng Zhanxi's profile picture or nickname, Yu Qingtang locked her phone and left the office.
Cheng Zhanxi checked Yu Qingtang's WeChat Moments. There were no privacy settings limiting visibility, but her Moments were empty.
Cheng Zhanxi turned to Wen Zhihan, who was preparing her lessons, a slow smile spreading across her face.
"Ms. Wen~"
Wen Zhihan looked up, a sense of foreboding washing over her.
Cheng Zhanxi propped her chin in her hand, a playful smile on her face. "You're classmates with Ms. Yu. How well do you know her?"
Wen Zhihan: "..."
Was this woman completely shameless?
Cheng Zhanxi continued, "Why did she come back to Sicheng to teach? Were there no suitable positions for her in the capital?"
Wen Zhihan said coldly, "I need to prepare my lessons."
Cheng Zhanxi smiled. "Of course. I should be preparing my lessons too."
She opened her copy of Teaching Methodology in Physical Education and started reading and taking notes.
As she wrote, she absentmindedly doodled a stick figure of Yu Qingtang in her black outfit, one hand in her pocket as she'd looked when exchanging WeChat details with Cheng Zhanxi. The stick figure had a cool expression. Cheng Zhanxi chuckled and turned the page.
Yu Qingtang had two math classes in the morning, one with Class 7 and one with Class 9. Cheng Zhanxi stayed in the office, reading. Besides her professional books, she had also brought some leisure reading, such as National Geographic and classic literature, and a sketchbook. She spent her time freely and productively.
Ten minutes before lunch break, Cheng Zhanxi tidied her desk and started staring at the doorway, her eyes fixed.
The Chinese teacher looked up from her grading and chuckled. "Are you waiting for your husband to return from sea?"
Cheng Zhanxi, not wanting to reveal her true intentions too soon, slumped dramatically over her desk and groaned. "I'm waiting for Ms. Yu to take me to lunch. I'm starving."
Two minutes after the lunch bell rang, Yu Qingtang entered the office, carrying her math textbook and lesson plan. The young Chinese teacher called out teasingly, "Ms. Yu, Ms. Cheng is about to starve to death! What took you so long?"
Yu Qingtang paused, looking instinctively at Cheng Zhanxi. "Sorry," she said.
Cheng Zhanxi gave the Chinese teacher a playful glare. "She's just kidding. Shall we go now?"
"One moment." Yu Qingtang put her things away in her desk drawer, took a sip of water from her thermos, and said, "Let's go."
She stood tall and elegant by her desk, her long black hair flowing over her shoulders, the sleeves of her black shirt neatly folded above her elbows, revealing her slender, pale wrists and long, delicate fingers. The top two buttons of her shirt were undone, revealing the graceful lines of her neck and chin. Her gaze, as she looked at Cheng Zhanxi, was cool and indifferent.
Cheng Zhanxi blinked.
How could this woman be so captivating? Every casual gesture, every fleeting expression, sent shivers down her spine, making her heart race.
Yu Qingtang frowned slightly. "Ms. Cheng?"
Cheng Zhanxi's inner monologue: Even her frown is beautiful! I'm dying!
Cheng Zhanxi took a deep breath, composing herself. "I'm ready. Let's go," she said.
As the two strikingly beautiful new teachers – one having started two weeks prior, the other less than two days ago – walked side-by-side towards the cafeteria, they attracted the attention of passing students.
Yu Qingtang's expression remained impassive, but Cheng Zhanxi noticed her pace quicken slightly.
Was she uncomfortable with the attention?
Cheng Zhanxi, on the other hand, was used to it. It would be abnormal if she didn't attract attention.
Cheng Zhanxi walked on the outside, her slightly taller frame shielding Yu Qingtang somewhat from the curious gazes.
During lunch break, many students ran and played in the hallways, often without looking where they were going. Cheng Zhanxi saw a figure in school uniform rushing towards them from a few steps away, heading straight for Yu Qingtang.
"Ms. Yu!" she warned, but it was too late.
Yu Qingtang looked at her, puzzled, as the student closed in, less than a meter away.
Yu Qingtang saw the approaching student reflected in Cheng Zhanxi's eyes.
She instinctively turned her head.
In a flash, Cheng Zhanxi grabbed Yu Qingtang's slender wrist and pulled her into a protective embrace.
The student narrowly missed colliding with them, the wind ruffling Yu Qingtang's hair, the edge of the student's uniform brushing against the back of Yu Qingtang's other hand, her fingers instinctively curling inwards. She was enveloped in a soft embrace, the refreshing scent of chamomile and lime filling her nostrils.
The two students ran off, their laughter echoing in the air.
Cheng Zhanxi looked down. Yu Qingtang's face was buried in her neck, and for some reason, she didn't lift her head.
Cheng Zhanxi's throat tightened, and she swallowed nervously.
Could she... be about to kiss her?
Cheng Zhanxi: Oh my god, in public? I'm so shy! (*/w＼*)
.. really not good to be too delulu 🌚
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