After Escaping Marriage - Chapter 50
Chapter 50
Unlike a swing, sitting on the hanging chair and swaying gently was very relaxing, unless there were inherent safety issues, which were almost impossible. But Yu Qingtang's hands still gripped the edge, her body visibly tense, her thin lips pressed into a straight line.
Cheng Zhanxi, feeling helpless, amused, and fond, gently coaxed, "Relax... it's okay..."
The faint blue veins on the back of Yu Qingtang's hands slowly faded, and her knuckles, white from gripping, gradually returned to their usual slightly paler-than-healthy color.
She released her hands.
Cheng Zhanxi said, "You can lean back a bit more."
This hanging chair was a double model, spacious enough for one person to half-lie down. Yu Qingtang was only sitting on the very edge, her feet dangling in the air.
Hearing Cheng Zhanxi's words, she supported herself on the soft cushion with both hands and shifted inward, moving no more than five centimeters.
Cheng Zhanxi: "..."
Yu Qingtang's vision blurred, then her ankle tightened. Her heart clenched, and she swallowed the gasp rising in her throat.
Cheng Zhanxi knelt before her, holding her slender, delicate ankle with one hand, removing her slipper.
Yu Qingtang's toes curled inside her white socks, heat rushing to her cheeks.
Cheng Zhanxi's fingertips brushed almost imperceptibly against the boundary between the white sock and her cool skin. As if enduring something, she subtly took a breath and straightened up.
Cheng Zhanxi said, "Put your feet up too."
Yu Qingtang suspected that if she dawdled any longer, Cheng Zhanxi might just pick her up. Her knuckles moved; suppressing the momentary impulse to let herself go, she obediently lifted her legs onto the cushion, crossing them.
Now, her entire body was on the hanging chair. It swayed gently, naturally, like a boat on the sea, or lightly drifting on a lake.
Cheng Zhanxi didn't force her to lie down or relax further. Instead, she softened her tone, "I'll go check on the soup in the kitchen and stir-fry another dish. You can play here for a while."
Yu Qingtang nodded.
Cheng Zhanxi went into the kitchen, deliberately closing the door behind her, the sound clear.
Due to the angle, only the dining area was visible from the kitchen; the living room was a blind spot. The hanging chair by the window was even more hidden; unless someone walked out, not even a glimpse could be caught.
Yu Qingtang cautiously peeked out, her ears straining to listen to the sounds from the kitchen. She slowly uncrossed her legs, shifted her position, and lay down in the spacious, soft hanging chair. Throughout this process, she glanced towards the kitchen countless times, her senses on high alert, like a child playing hide-and-seek with their parents.
Her body completely relaxed into the hanging chair. Yu Qingtang felt like a cat that had eaten its fill and was basking in the sun, wanting only to laze around in the comfortable sway.
Teacher Cheng really knew how to enjoy life.
...
Cheng Zhanxi plated the stir-fried greens, opened the kitchen door, deliberately waited a moment before walking out, and saw Yu Qingtang sitting upright, exactly as she had left her. She nodded towards her.
Yu Qingtang lowered her feet, slipped them into her slippers, and politely said her farewells, "Teacher Cheng, I'll head back now."
Cheng Zhanxi tried to persuade her to stay, "I made chicken soup. Have some before you go?"
Yu Qingtang: "No need."
Cheng Zhanxi: "Then I'll pack some for you to take back, just like last time? I can't finish it all by myself anyway."
Yu Qingtang: "..."
Ultimately, she ended up drinking a bowl of chicken soup before successfully returning to 2101.
Yu Qingtang looked at her own living room. Unlike Cheng Zhanxi's, which was adorned with fresh flowers and various exquisite, novel trinkets, and even had a spacious hanging chair, hers was empty and cold, a stark contrast. Yu Qingtang stood quietly for a while, then walked to the center of the living room and closed her eyes.
After a long moment, she opened her eyes, the complex emotions within them fading away, returning to their usual placid state.
No one would truly mistake a beautiful dream for reality.
She went into the study, turned on the computer, focused her mind, worked without distractions, and drafted the teaching plan for the following week.
Tuesday morning.
Yu Qingtang, as usual, went to the door of Class 7 to supervise morning reading, watching the students enter the classroom one by one with a calm expression.
A girl came from the end of the corridor and stopped in front of her. "Good morning, teacher."
Yu Qingtang nodded calmly. "Go in."
But the girl stood still, looking at her, and asked with a smile in her voice, "Teacher Yu, can you call out my name?"
Yu Qingtang: "..."
The students of Class 7, having learned about their homeroom teacher's face blindness, discovered a new pastime: "teasing" the homeroom teacher. Whether during morning reading, encountering her on campus, or going to the office to ask questions, they would deliberately jump in front of her and ask, "Who am I?" Fortunately, Yu Qingtang maintained her composure. When stumped, she would simply remain silent and urge the student back to class.
Yu Qingtang's aloof image, established over half a semester, crumbled completely due to her face blindness.
The students even changed their teacher-less group chat name to "Did Teacher Yu recognize me today?" Every day, someone would actively check in. Being recognized naturally brought joy, but seeing Yu Qingtang suddenly stumped was also quite amusing.
However, this didn't last long. On Friday afternoon, before the first class bell, Yu Qingtang, walking to school with Cheng Zhanxi, was intercepted by a student again.
The girl came towards them, saw Yu Qingtang, and asked with a grin, "Good afternoon, Teacher Yu. Do you recognize me?"
Yu Qingtang replied evenly, "I recognize you. You're a student in our class."
The girl: "Then what's my name?" She looked towards Cheng Zhanxi beside her, intending to signal her not to provide assistance, only to see Cheng Zhanxi looking back with a faint smile.
The girl instantly felt uneasy.
Yu Qingtang stated calmly, "I know you're Wang Miaomiao."
The girl's face lit up with joy.
Then she heard Yu Qingtang's cool voice continue, "I also know something you don't. Do you want to know?"
Wang Miaomiao: "?"
Yu Qingtang looked at her and said, "You have an extra math worksheet for this weekend's homework."
Wang Miaomiao: "..."
Beside them, Cheng Zhanxi looked sympathetic, yet a hint of schadenfreude lurked beneath.
Don't provoke a tiger just because it's not roaring; do you think it's a sick cat? Was Yu Qingtang someone easily teased? Letting these students run wild.
Only she was allowed to run wild.
Wang Miaomiao dazedly entered the Class 7 classroom, sat down in her seat, and let out a wail, attracting the attention of all the surrounding students who were either chatting, reading, or doing homework.
Wang Miaomiao regretted it so much her insides turned green. She beat her chest and stamped her feet, "Why am I so unlucky! Everyone else is fine, only me—"
Her deskmate asked, "What happened?"
Wang Miaomiao recounted how she encountered Yu Qingtang, teased her like everyone else, and ended up with an extra math worksheet. The classmates fell silent for a second, then burst into laughter without holding back.
"Too tragic, hahaha." Tong Feifei wiped away tears of laughter.
"This is Teacher Yu's special favor for you, cherish it." Her deskmate patted her shoulder sympathetically.
"Good thing I didn't test her today." Someone patted their chest thankfully.
Li Lan looked up from her math workbook and said, "Miaomiao, when the math worksheet is handed out, let me copy it."
Wang Miaomiao's eyes lit up. "Monitor, are you going to help me do it?"
Li Lan said, "No, I'll do mine, you do yours. If you don't know how, I can teach you."
Wang Miaomiao slumped onto the desk. "Alright, remember to get on QQ this weekend."
She lay listlessly on the desk. The surrounding students gradually dispersed, preparing for the first afternoon class. Wang Miaomiao suddenly sat bolt upright as if revived, shouting, "Ahhh, Teacher Cheng is so disloyal!"
Others: "???"
Wang Miaomiao said, "Teacher Cheng clearly knew I was going to get a math worksheet but didn't remind me, letting me walk right into Teacher Yu's trap! I suspect she told Teacher Yu my name too! How would Teacher Yu remember me, I'm usually so invisible?! Those two, colluding together!"
Lian Yabing's deskmate looked at Lian Yabing, who was smiling so hard her eyes disappeared, and shook her head helplessly.
The "colluding" pair walked unhurriedly back to the office.
Yu Qingtang said coolly, "Thank you, Teacher Cheng."
Cheng Zhanxi stroked her chin, feeling quite pleased. "You're welcome." Wang Miaomiao guessed correctly; Cheng Zhanxi had indeed told Yu Qingtang her name. She had witnessed Yu Qingtang's recent troubles and heard her complaints, so when Wang Miaomiao appeared, she whispered the name to Yu Qingtang.
And on the way to school, Yu Qingtang had also told her about the solution she had devised.
Trading her embarrassment for the students doing problems—this deal wasn't a loss.
Cheng Zhanxi thought, Yu Qingtang might not realize it, but her attitude towards the students was becoming less like stagnant water, even coming up with such tricky methods.
And it was foreseeable that this situation might not be completely eradicated. Just one worksheet—the Grade 1 curriculum wasn't particularly tight yet. For students who enjoyed doing math problems, or those like Li Lan who particularly liked Yu Qingtang, this could be considered another form of special treatment.
Until Yu Qingtang remembered all of them, able to call out each person's name.
Friday class meeting.
Yu Qingtang formally informed the whole class: asking for her name again was fine, but each time would earn an extra math worksheet. Wang Miaomiao was the living example; previous instances wouldn't count.
Yu Qingtang made an example of Wang Miaomiao.
The chicken being killed—Wang Miaomiao—received a math worksheet smelling of fresh ink on the spot.
The entire class spontaneously applauded, the applause enthusiastic and enduring.
Wang Miaomiao, initially quite depressed, now felt a bit embarrassed.
Because strictly speaking, this wasn't a punishment. Yu Qingtang wasn't angry; it represented her acceptance and closeness towards their jokes, and she was the first to receive this "honor."
Wang Miaomiao suddenly felt enlightened and rather proud.
After the class meeting, Yu Qingtang returned to the office. Cheng Zhanxi, having just found an opportunity to chat with her, heard a crisp female voice at the office door, "Reporting!"
Cheng Zhanxi answered for Yu Qingtang, "Come in."
Li Lan's gaze flickered between the two before settling on Yu Qingtang. Standing straight before the desk, she asked, "Teacher Yu, I wanted to ask, are there more copies of the worksheet given to Wang Miaomiao?"
Yu Qingtang: "Yes."
Li Lan asked, "Could you give me one?"
Yu Qingtang: "?"
Cheng Zhanxi beside her looked like she knew this would happen.
Yu Qingtang found the worksheet document on her computer and printed a copy using the desktop printer. Li Lan took the math worksheet with both hands, beaming, "Thank you, teacher."
Yu Qingtang, maintaining objectivity, reminded her, "This worksheet is a bit too easy for you. You can just do the last few questions of each section, like the multiple-choice; skip the first few to save time."
"Got it, thank you, teacher. I'll head back to class now."
"Go ahead."
After Li Lan left, two more students came together, followed finally by Lian Yabing.
Cheng Zhanxi handed her the worksheet Yu Qingtang had prepared in advance.
Lian Yabing's pupils trembled. She excitedly wiped her hands on her school uniform, lowered her head, and respectfully accepted it with both hands, her expression looking extremely solemn.
Cheng Zhanxi was amused and asked with a laugh, "What are you doing? Watched too many TV dramas lately?"
Yu Qingtang couldn't help but chuckle.
Lian Yabing blushed and whispered, "No."
Teacher Yu's worksheet, handed over by Teacher Cheng—rounding up, this was practically their love token!!!
Lian Yabing was lost in her own world, standing there motionless for a long time, not speaking.
Yu Qingtang's eyes shifted. Cheng Zhanxi reached out and waved her hand in front of Lian Yabing, asking gently, "Is there anything else? If not, head back to class."
Lian Yabing snapped back to reality with a start, quickly saying, "Yes, yes, many classmates want this worksheet. They asked me to ask Teacher Yu if you could print copies for everyone."
Yu Qingtang: "..."
She suspected she had misheard and enunciated clearly, "This is a math worksheet, extra homework." She paused, adding, "You don't have to do it."
Lian Yabing said, "We know, but the monitor, Wang Miaomiao, and several others have it. Everyone else wants one too."
Yu Qingtang fell silent for a moment, then said, "Alright, I'll print them during the fourth period and bring them over."
After sending Lian Yabing away, Yu Qingtang set the print quantity to 45, confirmed, and the printer on the desk started humming, continuously spitting out papers smelling of fresh ink.
Yang Li tucked her hair behind her ear, saying with a mix of envy and complexity, "Why aren't they this enthusiastic about English? Rushing to ask for worksheets."
Yu Qingtang pursed her lips, unsure how to respond.
Cheng Zhanxi replied, "It's the 'don't want less, fear unevenness' mentality. If one person has it, others want it too, even if they don't do it, otherwise they feel like they're missing out. Besides, the worksheets don't cost them money."
Yang Li smiled, "Teacher Cheng makes sense."
Yu Qingtang thought: Is that so?
Cheng Zhanxi walked to the printer, helped her organize the worksheets, came over, and lowered her voice, "Teacher Yu is really popular."
Yu Qingtang: "?"
Cheng Zhanxi didn't elaborate further, saying, "I'll deliver the worksheets to Class 7."
Yu Qingtang quickly tried to stand up. "I should go myself."
Cheng Zhanxi placed a hand on her shoulder, pressing her back into the chair, looked down at her gently, and said, "It's too far, I'm afraid you'll get tired."
Yu Qingtang: "..."
Yang Li couldn't help but shiver, rubbing the goosebumps on her arms.
Teacher Cheng was getting increasingly bold with her public displays of affection lately.
Fortunately, she had a husband, otherwise, she wouldn't be able to stay in this office.
Cheng Zhanxi arrived at the door of Class 7. The students near the door saw her, their faces lighting up with smiles. Cheng Zhanxi smiled back, stood at the door, knocked gently, greeted the geography teacher inside, and said warmly, "I'm here to deliver some worksheets."
The geography teacher nodded.
Cheng Zhanxi asked a student near the door to pass the math worksheets to Lian Yabing, then left.
The classroom instantly buzzed with quiet discussion, returning to silence only after a few seconds.
In the evening, after school, everyone sat in their seats, waiting for the math worksheets while passionately gossiping about their teachers' romance.
"Why did Teacher Cheng deliver the math worksheets? Is Teacher Cheng's scope of business that wide?"
"Solid proof that Teacher Cheng and Teacher Yu are dating!"
"Not necessarily, maybe Teacher Cheng took on a delivery gig? Maybe she'll deliver chemistry worksheets tomorrow. She's usually quite free."
"Hahahaha, delivery gig, that's hilarious."
"Can I place an order? I don't need her to deliver anything, just let me look at her a few more times. Teacher Cheng is so beautiful, sob sob sob."
"Go to sleep, you can have anything in your dreams."
"Hmm? Isn't Teacher Yu going home this week?" Cheng Zhanxi asked, seeing Yu Qingtang still sitting motionless at her desk after school.
Yu Qingtang said, "I scheduled a home visit for tomorrow."
Cheng Zhanxi stopped packing and asked, "Whose home?"
Yu Qingtang replied, "Xiang Tianyou."
"Where does he live?"
"Not far, three bus stops away, near Maple Forest Green Capital."
Cheng Zhanxi vaguely remembered the name Maple Forest Green Capital from when she was looking for apartments. She asked, "A villa area?"
Yu Qingtang: "Mm."
Cheng Zhanxi made a noncommittal sound, not surprised that Xiang Tianyou lived in a villa area; quite a few students in Class 7 came from well-off families.
"Are you going alone?"
Yu Qingtang glanced at her coolly, implying: Obviously?
Cheng Zhanxi's original plan for tomorrow was to go sketching again. She thought for a moment, canceled her plan, and said, "I want to go with you, is that okay?" She was a bit worried.
Teacher Yu was a female teacher, new to the job, young and beautiful, visiting a male student's home for the first time. What if something unexpected happened?
Yu Qingtang wanted to say no, but she shared Cheng Zhanxi's concerns. Having someone accompany her would provide some peace of mind. She couldn't bring herself to refuse outright.
Yu Qingtang hesitated inwardly, biting her lower lip slightly, and asked, "Don't you have plans tomorrow?"
Cheng Zhanxi decisively denied, "No."
Yu Qingtang subtly relaxed, her brow smoothing out. "Then after the home visit, I'll treat you to lunch. You can pick the place."
Cheng Zhanxi smiled, "Thank you, Teacher Yu."
She locked the last drawer and asked, "Teacher Yu, ready for dinner?"
Yu Qingtang said, "I ordered takeout."
Cheng Zhanxi didn't insist. "Then I'll head home first." She had an important call to make tonight and a pile of work matters. Her assistant said if she didn't finish dealing with it, she would fly to Sicheng and hang herself on her doorstep, taking everyone down with her.
Cheng Zhanxi: "..." Scared, scared.
Yu Qingtang: "Okay." She paused, then reminded, "Teacher Cheng, remember to close the door when you get home."
Cheng Zhanxi smiled, "Okay."
So that day, she indeed didn't leave the door open in the corridor. Yu Qingtang, exiting the elevator, saw the tightly shut door of 2102, paused for a moment, then turned towards her own apartment.
Around midnight, Cheng Zhanxi sent her a message: [Finished work, going to shower, goodnight.]
Yu Qingtang's phone screen lit up, then dimmed, then was tapped awake again.
Yu Qingtang hesitated for a long time, put away the question "What were you busy with?" back into her heart, and typed: [Goodnight.]
Cheng Zhanxi came out wrapped in a large towel after showering, her wet hair still dripping. Ignoring it, she first unlocked her phone, sighed, put it aside, plugged in the hairdryer, blew her hair half-dry, changed into pajamas, logged into her email to reply to messages, and finally crawled into bed and fell asleep.
The home visit was scheduled for nine in the morning. At 8:15, the two met at the elevator entrance.
Cheng Zhanxi held two helmets.
Yu Qingtang's mind conjured a possibility.
"...Teacher Cheng." Her voice sounded slightly unsteady.
"Hmm?" Cheng Zhanxi smiled, handing her a helmet. "Try it on, see if it fits?"
Yu Qingtang's knuckles curled involuntarily. She hesitated before reaching out to take it.
The helmet's exterior was black with white patterns, sleek lines, made of carbon fiber, very light in hand. Yu Qingtang didn't feel much weight holding it with one hand.
She didn't try it on immediately, first asking the obvious question, "Are you riding your motorcycle?"
Cheng Zhanxi nodded. "It's convenient, and it's crowded on weekends, so we won't get stuck in traffic."
Yu Qingtang's fingertips touched the soft, breathable lining inside the helmet. Under Cheng Zhanxi's expectant gaze, she slowly lifted her hand, put the helmet on her head, pushed up the visor, revealing only a pair of clear black and white eyes.
Cheng Zhanxi, for the first time, noticed her eyes resembled those of a deer—dark pupils, clear and bright, long and thick lashes. The corners of her eyes, without eyeliner, drooped gently downwards. The tear mole at her left eye added a touch of innocent allure.
Cheng Zhanxi's throat moved involuntarily.
Yu Qingtang, perhaps unaccustomed to it, sought feedback, blinking her long lashes at her, her gaze as clear and pure as a child's.
Cheng Zhanxi silently took the helmet off her head with both hands.
Yu Qingtang: "What's wrong?"
Cheng Zhanxi: "Nothing." She said, "Wear it when you get on the bike later."
With that, she averted her gaze, quietly waiting for the elevator.
Every time Yu Qingtang looked at her with those innocent eyes, she felt her desire to kiss her was utterly beastly. Worse, she wanted to do even more beastly things. Like making her cry, her eyes red, tears uncontrollably streaming down, burying her face in her neck, letting her hear sounds only she could hear.
Ding—
The elevator arrived at the 21st floor, opening to both sides.
Cheng Zhanxi cleared her throat, her expression serious as she stepped into the elevator.
Yu Qingtang followed, holding the helmet, her head lowered.
Yu Qingtang rarely visited the underground garage. Even during the day, the garage lights were on. Cheng Zhanxi's Ducati Diavel was parked in its designated spot. The glacier white paint reflected the garage lights; the bike still looked bright and new.
Cheng Zhanxi first unfolded the hidden footpegs, then put on her helmet, swung her long leg over, and sat smoothly on the bike. Her long legs easily touched the ground. She maneuvered the bike out of the parking space and stopped in front of Yu Qingtang.
The streamlined body exuded a sense of motion. Cheng Zhanxi leaned forward slightly, resembling a hunting leopard. Her visor was down, obscuring her eyes.
Yu Qingtang suddenly felt nervous, her voice trembling, "Get on now?"
Cheng Zhanxi sensed her fear. Looking towards the bright garage exit, the voice coming from under the helmet was muffled, carrying a low, magnetic gentleness, "You can wait for me by the roadside at the garage exit."
She thought for a moment, then said, "There's an uphill slope at the exit. Wait for me outside."
Yu Qingtang's throat tightened. "Okay," she said.
She walked along the edge of the ramp towards the exit, glancing back to see Cheng Zhanxi's figure still waiting in place. She quickened her pace.
Just as Yu Qingtang neared the exit, she suddenly heard the roar of an engine behind her, approaching rapidly. In almost an instant, a figure leaning low over the bike, accompanied by the sunlight reflecting off the silver-white body, swept past her like a hurricane.
Yu Qingtang's long black hair flew up, then settled back down. Standing at the exit, she stared blankly at the dazzling person not far away.
...And her bike.
Yu Qingtang resumed her halted steps and walked over.
Cheng Zhanxi pushed up her visor, used her feet to push the motorcycle backward until it was right in front of Yu Qingtang.
The bike was quite tall, the rear seat even higher. Yu Qingtang carefully placed her hands on Cheng Zhanxi's shoulders and got on, unsure where to put her hands, eventually gripping the back of the seat.
Cheng Zhanxi turned back, saw this, chuckled, and said, "You'll fly off like that."
Yu Qingtang: "?"
Before she could react, Cheng Zhanxi grabbed her hands, placed them around her waist, and clasped them tightly, preventing escape.
Author's note:
Short skit:
Yu Qingtang carefully placed her hands on Cheng Zhanxi's shoulders and got on, unsure where to put her hands, eventually gripping the bedsheet...
Author Pomegranate: If I write any more, you'll all be thrown off this ride ﹁_﹁
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