After Escaping Marriage - Chapter 63
Chapter 63
"Is that true?" someone asked.
"Teacher Yu admitted it herself!" Tong Feifei declared firmly.
She rolled her eyes downward, thinking: Well, she admitted it, sort of. Anyway, she didn't deny it.
Tong Feifei lifted her head, confidently facing everyone.
A few seconds of silence followed, then the classroom erupted.
"Ahhh, they're getting married, they're getting married! My ship has sailed!"
"I knew they were so perfect together, they'd definitely end up together! Get married! Right now! On the spot!"
"Should we start preparing wedding gifts?"
"Should the whole class prepare one gift, or should each person prepare one, Monitor?"
Lian Yabing danced around in her seat, using her pencil case as a guitar, strumming wildly.
Li Lan glanced at her, then answered the student who had addressed her, "We'll discuss it later and decide. Let's focus on class first." With that, she raised her voice slightly, "Quiet down, the teacher is coming!"
The boy serving as the discipline monitor immediately added in his deep, magnetic baritone, "Everyone quiet!"
The Chinese teacher, pushing the door open, arrived just in time to catch the tail end of the chaotic scene. The classroom doors and windows were shut, curtains drawn, filled with the continuous buzz of hushed discussions.
The Chinese teacher: "?"
Did I accidentally walk into some secret meeting?
The Chinese teacher thought amusingly.
As soon as she stepped onto the podium, Tong Feifei, Class 7's sweetest talker, cupped her face and said, "Teacher Hu, your dress is so pretty today."
The students below chimed in agreement, "Yeah, yeah."
The Chinese teacher couldn't help but beam.
Two minutes later, Class 7 quickly returned to normal classroom discipline. Bright light streamed in through the windows, illuminating the energetic faces of the teacher and students.
Ever since Yu Qingtang held that class meeting, the misunderstanding between teacher and students was resolved. The learning atmosphere in Class 7 had improved further. Classroom discipline was basic; the teacher didn't need to worry. The class committee members, led by Li Lan, actively interacted with the teachers. The teachers received timely feedback, their enthusiasm grew, and the classroom atmosphere was excellent.
People are subtly influenced by their environment. If half of the 50 students in a class didn't like studying, the others would easily be affected, becoming slack and lazy. If 45 students loved studying, the remaining 5 "bad students" would gradually improve in this atmosphere.
Xiang Tianyou listlessly used a black pen to add details to the portrait of Du Fu in his Chinese textbook. He glanced sideways at Guo Fang, sitting upright and looking at the podium, then at Lai Xin, who was fighting yawns but still trying hard to keep his eyes open and listen.
Xiang Tianyou: "..."
He cursed inwardly.
These two thick-browed guys have betrayed the revolution, leaving me to fight alone! Do they even understand?!
Xiang Tianyou poked Du Fu's face with his pen tip, turning him into a pockmarked face.
So boring, so boring, so boring, so boring... So boring he almost wanted to listen to the lecture.
Realizing his "dangerous" thought, Xiang Tianyou immediately retracted it, propped up the textbook in front of him, preparing to hide behind it and sleep, resisting the urge to study.
Their Chinese teacher was soft-tempered, fresh out of university, barely over 1.5 meters tall, petite. She had a natural fear of tall "bad students" like him, who stood over 1.8 meters. As long as he wasn't noisy or disruptive, didn't disturb her class, she would turn a blind eye. At worst, she'd report him to the homeroom teacher afterward, letting Yu Qingtang talk to the boys who violated discipline.
Xiang Tianyou was certain she wouldn't dare confront him in class. As for after class, he'd just take a stroll to Yu Qingtang's office.
Thinking of Yu Qingtang, Xiang Tianyou felt an indescribable awkwardness again, his back feeling like it was on fire, even though several days had passed.
He shifted his shoulders, dispelling the discomfort, and slumped onto the desk.
Less than a minute after lying down, the sound of high heels approached from afar. The Chinese teacher was short; high heels were her essence.
The footsteps stopped beside him. Xiang Tianyou resisted the urge to look up, keeping the book covering his head as he continued sleeping.
Knock knock—
The sound transmitted directly through the desk surface into his ears was like a thunderclap. Xiang Tianyou nearly died on the spot.
He lifted his face and saw the Chinese teacher standing before him, not much taller than his seated self. His expression darkened, looking as if he might explode in the next second.
The Chinese teacher suppressed her fear, maintaining a calm expression, "Pay attention to the lecture."
Wu Peng, Lai Xin, and Guo Fang stared intently at Xiang Tianyou, their bodies tense, ready to restrain him immediately if he truly did something outrageous.
Li Lan and the others also turned their heads towards the back row.
Time seemed both short and long.
Xiang Tianyou shrugged, leaned back in his chair, resting it against the edge of the desk, using his body to keep it from falling. He tilted the front two legs of the chair up, the backrest directly against the wall, looking extremely defiant.
The Chinese teacher tapped his desk with her rolled-up book and said again, "Sit properly."
"!!!" Xiang Tianyou widened his eyes, his gaze filled with disbelief.
Is she high? Absolutely high, right? Does she think just because Lai Xin and Guo Fang, those spineless guys, yielded, I'd become a pushover too?
Impossible!
Xiang Tianyou continued tilting his chair legs, rocking back and forth, looking at the Chinese teacher with a half-smile, as if saying, "What can you do about it?"
The Chinese teacher's eyes reddened slightly. She turned and walked back.
Xiang Tianyou watched her retreating figure, his rocking body pausing slightly, a hint of guilt arising.
The others, including Lai Xin and Guo Fang, cast disapproving or reproachful glances at him. Xiang Tianyou smiled nonchalantly at them, casually lowered his head, and flipped through his book.
The Chinese teacher stood quietly at the podium for a moment before continuing the lesson.
The dismissal bell rang.
The Chinese teacher was closing the presentation file. Tong Feifei feigned distress, "Teacher Hu, what should I do?"
Teacher Hu asked, "What do you mean, what should you do?"
Tong Feifei said, "Your class is only tomorrow. I already miss you right now, I don't want you to leave, sob sob sob." Her grades were decent, she was outgoing and cheerful, usually very chatty, so she was particularly liked by teachers. Except for a few overly serious ones, she dared to joke with anyone.
Teacher Hu couldn't help laughing, "Do you say this to every teacher?"
Tong Feifei blinked, saying, "No."
Li Lan looked up from her Chinese post-class review questions and said, "Teacher Hu, I can testify, this is the first time she's said this today."
The qualifier "today" was added very precisely. Teacher Hu put the USB drive into her pocket, smiling, "It's my honor. Tong Feifei, if you want to see me, you're welcome to come to my office anytime."
Tong Feifei said, "Okay."
Before leaving, Teacher Hu glanced at Xiang Tianyou slumped in the last row, her eyes sighing.
Tong Feifei: "Goodbye, Teacher Hu."
Teacher Hu turned back, smiled at her, and left the Class 7 classroom.
Tong Feifei and Li Lan exchanged glances. Li Lan took a deep breath and walked towards the last row of the classroom.
Grade 1 Office.
Yu Qingtang entered the office just after the class bell rang. Cheng Zhanxi put down the book in her hand, looked at Yu Qingtang approaching, and asked with a smile, "Was Teacher Yu surrounded by students asking questions again after class?"
Yu Qingtang hummed in agreement.
Cheng Zhanxi sighed, "Teacher Yu is really popular."
Ever since the misunderstanding was resolved, not only was Yu Qingtang kept in the classroom after class, but students constantly came to the office during breaks with various questions for the teachers. Most had genuine questions, but a small group had ulterior motives. Cheng Zhanxi, observing from her seat, had even seen students openly staring at Yu Qingtang, as if afraid she wouldn't notice. It wasn't necessarily romantic admiration, just a group of face-value enthusiasts, falling for the teacher's beauty at a young age.
These little brats greatly occupied Yu Qingtang's break time. Now, Cheng Zhanxi could only chat with her during class time. But with other teachers in the office diligently preparing lessons, Cheng Zhanxi couldn't chat too excessively, which was frustrating.
Yu Qingtang heard the strangeness in her tone but couldn't pinpoint what was strange.
Her steps paused slightly. She tilted her head slightly, unable to figure it out, and sat back down at her desk.
Yang Li, preparing evening study assignments for the students, overheard the conversation, raised her eyebrows amusingly, thinking: Teacher Cheng's jealousy is quite strong.
Cheng Zhanxi saw Yu Qingtang turn on her computer. When she came over to get water, she glanced over and saw her creating math problems in a blank document, so she didn't disturb her.
The vase of lilies on the desk had bloomed, elegant and pure, their white petals complemented by the green leaves.
Sunlight streamed through the window, moving inch by inch, illuminating the blooming flowers.
Yu Qingtang stopped her mouse-holding hand, flexed her wrist, and habitually looked towards the diagonal front.
Cheng Zhanxi sat in her chair reading, her long hair tucked behind her ear, revealing a fair, crystal-clear earlobe, delicate and small. Sunlight streamed in through the window behind her, her earlobe resembling warm red jade.
Yu Qingtang lifted the hand resting on the keyboard, propped her chin on it, changing to a more comfortable position to admire her.
Openly, without avoidance.
Under her gaze, Cheng Zhanxi's heart beat rapidly. She felt a bit afraid to look up.
She adjusted her posture, casually yet meticulously tidied her hair, like a peacock displaying its feathers.
Yu Qingtang retracted her gaze. Cheng Zhanxi also put away her peacock feathers, relaxed her overly straight back, picked up the water cup beside her, took a sip, and subtly exhaled.
...
After the flag-raising ceremony, Yu Qingtang returned to the office and saw someone waiting by her desk.
It was Hu Juan, the Chinese teacher for Class 7.
Hu Juan said, "Teacher Yu." She nodded towards Cheng Zhanxi beside her.
Hu Juan wasn't in the same office as Yu Qingtang. Nine times out of ten, her coming over meant reporting student issues. Cheng Zhanxi moved a stool, placed it opposite Yu Qingtang's chair. Hu Juan thanked her and sat down.
Yu Qingtang: "Teacher Hu, what is it?"
Hu Juan recounted Xiang Tianyou's behavior truthfully. Mentioning how Xiang Tianyou ignored her words, smiled defiantly, completely disregarding the teacher, she couldn't help but feel wronged, her eyes reddening again.
Yu Qingtang wasn't good at this. Cheng Zhanxi comforted Hu Juan on her behalf and saw her out.
Afterwards, she sat down in Hu Juan's stool, chatting idly with Yu Qingtang nearby, smiling, "Good thing Teacher Hu isn't a homeroom teacher, otherwise she'd be angered to tears countless times, just like Teacher Ge used to be. Teacher Yu is amazing, so outstanding on your first time as homeroom teacher."
The first half was fine, but the second half was blatant flattery, as if the person complained about by students last month wasn't Yu Qingtang.
Yu Qingtang glanced sideways at her.
Cheng Zhanxi caught a hint of intimacy absent when looking at others in that glance, and couldn't help curving her lips.
Returning to the topic, Yu Qingtang asked, "You mentioned going to the amusement park. How should I invite him? What if he refuses?" This was her concern. At Xiang Tianyou's age, he loved opposing adults, and his behavior patterns were already established. Even if he wanted to go, he probably wouldn't be able to bring himself to agree.
Cheng Zhanxi said, "Invite him first. If he refuses, I'll handle it. I have a way."
Yu Qingtang looked at her confident smile, curiously asking, "What way?"
Cheng Zhanxi thought inwardly: Kiss me and I'll tell you.
Outwardly, she could only keep her in suspense, smiling, "You'll know later."
Yu Qingtang: "..."
Yu Qingtang looked at her mysterious expression, resisted the urge to grind her back teeth, suddenly reached out, and pinched Cheng Zhanxi's ear.
Cheng Zhanxi froze, looking straight at her, her gaze extremely bright.
Yu Qingtang's heart skipped half a beat. She was about to retract her hand when Cheng Zhanxi caught it, placing it back on her ear.
"Pinch it again." The woman's voice was low and hoarse, almost coaxing her softly.
Yu Qingtang pinched again. The woman's small, crystal-white earlobe quickly turned red in her hand, then grew hot.
"Good girl." Cheng Zhanxi looked into her eyes and smiled.
With that, Cheng Zhanxi held her hand away from her ear, letting it brush past her lips. Her warm lips grazed the back of her fair hand almost imperceptibly before she released it in front of her.
Yu Qingtang's hand hung by her side, the sensation on the back of her hand clear. She unconsciously curled her slender white knuckles.
Ge Jing at the door: "!!!"
This is flirting, right? Right? Right?
"I..." Yu Qingtang spoke one word before realizing she hadn't made a sound. She cleared her throat and said, "I need to work now, Teacher Cheng."
Cheng Zhanxi smiled, "You go ahead."
She moved the chair back to the corner, returning to her seat without dragging her feet.
Yu Qingtang faced the computer, looked at her right hand holding the mouse. A faint lipstick mark remained where it had brushed against her lips. She stared at the lipstick mark, unable to look away.
Yu Qingtang quietly spaced out for a while before refocusing her attention on the computer document.
Third period break.
Xiang Tianyou came to Yu Qingtang's office.
Other teachers were used to it, each doing their own thing, noisy yet quiet.
In this quiet corner, Xiang Tianyou stood there, his school uniform zipper pulled halfway up, revealing the pure black t-shirt inside, outlining the boy's thin chest.
After a long silence, Yu Qingtang walked up to him, zipped up his zipper, and said coolly, without any emotion, "Be careful not to catch a cold."
Xiang Tianyou's joints rusted; he froze on the spot like a stone.
Cheng Zhanxi, beside him, felt sour bubbles rising, Yu Qingtang hadn't zipped up her clothes yet.
Yu Qingtang returned to her original position, looked up at the boy before her, arms crossed, asking sternly, "Do you know why I called you here?"
Xiang Tianyou, still feeling awkward, unable to muster the energy to perform, rarely showed sincerity, "I violated discipline in class, disrespected the teacher."
Yu Qingtang looked deeply at him, saying meaningfully, "You're quite clear about it."
Xiang Tianyou lowered his head slightly, not speaking.
Yu Qingtang demanded sharply, "Since you know you're wrong, why do you keep doing it?"
Xiang Tianyou lowered his head further.
Ge Jing glanced over, sighing inwardly: Teacher Yu is getting the hang of it quickly, already able to reprimand such mischievous boys until they can't lift their heads.
After the ideological education, Yu Qingtang said, "Go back and write a self-criticism essay, hand it to me."
Xiang Tianyou's momentum weakened significantly. He lifted his head slightly and asked, "How many words?"
Yu Qingtang said, "No less than a thousand. Write it yourself, no referencing online."
"When is it due?"
"Next week."
"Ah?" This deadline was unusually lenient for Xiang Tianyou.
Yu Qingtang said, "You have something to do this weekend."
Xiang Tianyou looked confused.
How come I don't know I have something to do? And what does having something this weekend have to do with handing in the self-criticism?
Cheng Zhanxi was also stunned, then reacted, immediately turning her head away to hide her laughter.
Sure enough, she heard Yu Qingtang say in an emotionless tone, "You're going to Happy Valley with me this weekend."
Xiang Tianyou looked dazed.
Am I not awake yet? Or is Teacher Yu getting married soon and her brain isn't clear lately?
Xiang Tianyou recovered, cautiously verifying, "Teacher Yu, are you saying you want me to go to Happy Valley with you? This weekend?"
Yu Qingtang replied expressionlessly, "Yes."
Xiang Tianyou, who had recently been reading detective novels, instantly pictured several bold, black headlines: "Nameless Male Corpse Found in Happy Valley Lake, Identified as High School Student," "Missing High School Boy Case Solved, Body Dumped in Happy Valley," "Vicious Murder and Dismemberment Case in Happy Valley, Killer Still at Large," "Why Was Promising Young Man Brutally Murdered? Turns Out..."
Xiang Tianyou's pupils dilated. He shook his head like a rattle drum, saying, "I'm not going!"
Yu Qingtang asked calmly, "May I know why?"
Xiang Tianyou, terrified by his own imagination, resolutely said, "You have no right to ask me to do things unrelated to studying!"
Reasonable and well-founded.
Yu Qingtang couldn't refute it, casting a pleading look towards Cheng Zhanxi.
Cheng Zhanxi could tell this kid must have imagined something strange. She beckoned to Xiang Tianyou, saying gently, "Xiaotian, come here."
"Xiaotian" was what Xiang Tianyou's family called him. Xiang Tianyou automatically walked over, stood obediently, lowered his head politely like a lop-eared rabbit.
Cheng Zhanxi sat behind the desk, two crumpled paper balls placed in front of her.
"Here's the thing," Cheng Zhanxi said. "It's my birthday this week, and Teacher Yu wants to celebrate for me."
Xiang Tianyou nodded.
But what does celebrating a birthday have to do with Happy Valley?
Cheng Zhanxi said, "I plan to invite a lucky little friend to celebrate my birthday with me. You happened to be the first one in, so we're quite fated. Teacher Yu is just a bit cool, she means no harm, you know that."
Xiang Tianyou nodded again, feeling deeply ashamed of the UC headlines that had popped into his head earlier.
Cheng Zhanxi pointed to the paper balls on the desk, "These two papers, one says 'go,' one says 'don't go.' Draw one and try your luck."
Xiang Tianyou roughly understood, "If I draw 'go,' I have to celebrate your birthday with you and go to Happy Valley?"
Cheng Zhanxi smiled, "You have the right to refuse."
Xiang Tianyou glanced sideways at the silent Yu Qingtang behind him and asked, "Is Teacher Yu going too?"
Cheng Zhanxi smiled and nodded.
Xiang Tianyou lowered his head to look at the ground, muttering to himself, "Then wouldn't I be a third wheel?"
"What did you say?"
"Nothing." Xiang Tianyou lifted his head, reached towards one paper ball, paused mid-air, then looked at the other.
They both looked the same; which one would be "go"?
People know their inner decision the moment a coin is tossed. Xiang Tianyou also knew what he wanted to draw when he reached out.
Xiang Tianyou had been to an amusement park once, but had no memory of it, only an old photo at home: a tiny Xiang Tianyou sitting on a carousel with his mother, grinning happily. His father took the picture. He had an ordinary but happy family, once.
Third wheel it is then. At worst, he'd carry bags and run errands for Teacher Cheng and Teacher Yu. He heard girls put many things in their bags. His mother's bag was large and heavy, even containing his little sister's toys.
Xiang Tianyou hesitated for a long time. As the class bell rang, he picked up a paper ball.
Opening it, inside was a single, vigorously written character: Go.
He handed it to Cheng Zhanxi, his expression seemingly calm, but the momentary flash of light in his eyes betrayed him.
"Go back to class. If you don't want to go, tell me two days in advance. Pay attention in class," Cheng Zhanxi said. "You're a big guy now, standing here all day like you're planting a tree, you've almost worn a hole in the floor."
Xiang Tianyou smiled, "Goodbye, teachers."
Xiang Tianyou's figure disappeared from the office doorway. Yu Qingtang walked over, opened the other paper ball—it also said "Go."
Yu Qingtang looked unsurprised, asking coolly, "This is your method?"
Cheng Zhanxi curved her lips lightly, gathering the two paper balls, "Yes."
Yu Qingtang said, "Too clumsy, he'll figure it out when he gets back."
Cheng Zhanxi agreed, asking leisurely, "Yes, he'll figure it out, and then what?"
Cheng Zhanxi smiled brightly, full of confidence.
Yu Qingtang resisted the urge to pinch her ear, changed the subject, asking flatly, "Teacher Cheng's birthday is this Sunday?"
The smile on Cheng Zhanxi's lips deepened.
Yu Qingtang: "?"
Cheng Zhanxi asked strangely, "I didn't tell you which day, how did you know it's Sunday?"
"..." Yu Qingtang said as calmly as possible, "I accidentally saw your ID card before."
Cheng Zhanxi smiled so hard she could barely maintain her expression. "Remembered just by looking once?" She forced down the corners of her upturned lips, trying to look composed, sincerely praising, "Teacher Yu has such a good memory."
Yu Qingtang couldn't continue, simply stopped talking.
Cheng Zhanxi cleared her throat forcefully, lifted her head, and said seriously, "Yes, my birthday is on Sunday. Is Teacher Yu going to give me a gift?"
Since she had put it this way, it would be unreasonable for Yu Qingtang not to give her a gift, right?
Including mentioning her birthday to Xiang Tianyou, it was all deliberate. She just wanted Yu Qingtang to celebrate her birthday, buy her a gift, and spend a sweet, intimate time together.
Yu Qingtang lived up to her expectations, humming in agreement, then asking, "What do you like?"
Cheng Zhanxi couldn't help laughing, "How can you ask directly like that?"
Yu Qingtang thought for a moment, "Shall I write you a letter asking?"
Cheng Zhanxi froze, then burst out laughing, "Hahahaha."
Yu Qingtang's lips curved into an almost imperceptible arc, her gaze towards her gentle as water.
After Cheng Zhanxi finished laughing, she explained, "I was joking."
Cheng Zhanxi looked at her serious expression, slowly reacted, pointed at herself disbelievingly, "Joking with me?" Afraid of ambiguity, she quickly added, "I like this joke. I mean, were you... were you deliberately trying to make me laugh?"
Yu Qingtang nodded.
Cheng Zhanxi was overwhelmed by sudden happiness, pulling Yu Qingtang into her arms.
She was simply too happy!
Yu Qingtang raised her hand to wrap around her waist, resting her face on her shoulder.
Yang Li, witnessing this for the first time: "!!!"
This? Isn't this the office? Hugging so openly?
Ge Jing, already accustomed to it, admired the scene while picking up her cup and taking a sip of red date and goji berry tea, soothing her throat, which had been choked by dog food today.
The morning wasn't like early morning. The office could be considered a public place. Cheng Zhanxi restrained herself, hugged briefly, then let go. Yu Qingtang seemed somewhat reluctant.
After lunch at the cafeteria, the two walked hand-in-hand back to their residence, not letting go the entire way, including passing the first-floor front desk.
The receptionist flashed her standard eight-toothed smile, "Miss Yu, Miss Cheng, good..." Her gaze inadvertently swept downwards, fixing on their tightly clasped hands, her voice wavering for two seconds, "...afternoon."
She watched dazedly as the two walked into the elevator lobby.
Tenants waiting at the elevator also saw the two approaching hand-in-hand. Their expressions changed, but besides greeting Yu Qingtang, they said nothing more.
Ding—
Cheng Zhanxi led Yu Qingtang inside, consciously standing towards the back.
Yu Qingtang, however, continued walking forward to the corner, pulling Cheng Zhanxi to stand in front of her, resting her head against her shoulder.
Cheng Zhanxi couldn't count how many times she had been overwhelmed by favor today. Her heart's little deer had already crashed dead several times. Her hand rested on Yu Qingtang's back, stroking her long hair, still feeling a sense of unreality.
The tenants tactfully remained silent, even breathing lighter.
Others gradually got off. Soon, only the two remained in the elevator.
Ding—
Cheng Zhanxi lowered her head towards the woman in her arms, saying gently, "We've arrived, Teacher Yu."
Yu Qingtang lifted her face, looked towards the door, the corners of her lips turning down almost imperceptibly.
The two parted ways in the corridor. Yu Qingtang was unusually silent. Cheng Zhanxi's thoughts stirred, boldly asking, "Teacher Yu, want to nap at my place?"
Yu Qingtang's eyes lit up.
"Okay!"
Author's note:
Short skit:
Cheng Chengzi: Teacher Yu, want to sleep with me tonight?
Yu Tangtang: Okay!
That night.
Cheng Chengzi: Good girl, let's do something else.
Yu Qingtang: Mmm... hmm... (voice fading)
The next day, both teachers couldn't get out of bed and were late.
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