Chapter 160: The Confused Homeroom Teacher
The atmosphere was thick with awkwardness. Ye Zhiyun, frozen in place, her groceries still in hand, looked at the teacher, thinking, What a small world.
If this had been the last time, she could have managed, her makeup and disguise more convincing. But now… without makeup, she looked every bit her nineteen years; no one would believe she was thirty.
“Explain yourselves.”
Li Lexuan sat there, her gaze fixed on them, Yu Linna’s head bowed low, not daring to speak.
Ye Zhiyun mentally cursed.
Of all the times for a home visit… why now?
How was she supposed to get out of this…?
“Ahem, well, actually, I’m not her mother. I’m her… older sister…”
“Do you think I’ll believe that? You’re clearly impersonating her parent.”
“…”
“I thought Linna’s mother looked unusually young. So, you really did find someone off the street. Linna, I didn’t expect this from you, a top student. I’m disappointed.”
Yu Linna remained silent, clutching her pillow.
What could she possibly say?
Caught red-handed, in such an awkward situation… her homeroom teacher wasn’t stupid; this charade wouldn’t work. Unlike last time, there was no way out of this.
“So, young lady, what’s your relationship with Linna?”
Ye Zhiyun put down her groceries, mentally cursing. She, Ye Zhiyun, a respected businesswoman, being looked at like a delinquent…
“My name is Ye Zhiyun. I’m her… friend…”
“Oh really? You two conspired to deceive your teacher? And I actually believed you! I thought your mother’s name was Yu Xiaoxiao!”
Li Lexuan was furious. She, a teacher, had been deceived, not just by anyone, but by two girls barely twenty years old. And she had been so polite to Ye Zhiyun, treating her like a respected parent.
She had trusted Yu Linna, believing a top student wouldn’t resort to such deceitful tactics.
It seemed she had been wrong.
“There’s… a reason for that…” Yu Linna mumbled, unsure how to explain.
“Oh, is there? I’m listening!”
“I…”
“If you can’t explain yourself, give me your parents’ phone numbers. I’ll call them myself. You’ve gone too far!”
Her homeroom teacher was rarely this angry, her fury fueled by Yu Linna’s deception.
Yu Linna remained silent, the truth weighing heavily on her. Could she continue this charade?
“Nana, perhaps… it’s time to tell the truth.”
Ye Zhiyun sighed, sitting beside her, patting her shoulder.
Making excuses was pointless; her homeroom teacher wouldn’t believe them. It was better to be honest.
And Yu Linna had never told her teacher about her situation.
“Sigh…”
Yu Linna sighed.
She really didn’t want to do this.
“Yu Linna, I’m waiting for an explanation. Why did you have someone impersonate your parent? Couldn’t you find anyone?”
“…Teacher, I don’t have any parents… that’s why… I had to ask someone to pretend…”
Ignoring the disbelief on her teacher’s face, Yu Linna carefully chose her words, preparing to reveal her secret.
She was her homeroom teacher, after all; there was no point lying, especially after being caught.
“I’m an orphan. I don’t have parents. My guardian… she left when I was twelve. I’ve been living alone ever since. When you said you were coming for a home visit, I… I didn’t know what to do, so I asked someone to pretend to be my parent.”
Yu Linna slowly revealed her secret, her family situation, a truth she had always kept hidden, ashamed of being an orphan, not wanting pity.
Li Lexuan initially thought she was making it up.
Then Yu Linna showed her her household registration document and her guardianship papers. Li Lexuan, after examining them carefully, finally accepted the truth. She also noticed that Yu Linna’s family information, including contact details, had always been blank, despite being mandatory. She had simply ignored it.
And no one had ever attended parent-teacher meetings for her.
Yu Linna’s parents were never in the class’s parent-teacher group chat.
She had visited Yu Linna’s home twice, realizing during her first visit that her family wasn’t well-off, observing her frequent part-time jobs, a habit she had tried to discourage.
But seeing Yu Linna’s consistently high grades, she hadn’t pressed the issue.
Now, looking back… there had indeed never been a guardian present.
“I can vouch for Nana. She’s telling the truth, Teacher. There’s a reason why she did this.”
Even Ye Zhiyun spoke up for her.
Li Lexuan, after reading the documents, looked at Yu Linna with a newfound understanding. If this was true, then Yu Linna had been living alone since she was twelve… alone…
What had Li Lexuan been doing at twelve? Living comfortably with her parents, of course. And Yu Linna…
“If you’re an orphan, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I didn’t want pity. I didn’t want to be ridiculed.”
“Why would anyone ridicule you?”
“You don’t understand, Teacher. You haven’t experienced it. You wouldn’t understand.”
Li Lexuan felt a pang of guilt. She had been this girl’s teacher for three years, focusing solely on her grades, never truly paying attention to her as a person. Yu Linna had always been aloof, keeping to herself, with no close friends, until she became Fang Jiangning’s deskmate in her senior year, finally emerging from her shell.
“Linna, is this why you never filled in your parents’ information?”
“I don’t know who my parents are. I’ve been alone since I was very young, never adopted. I’ve gotten used to it.”
Li Lexuan didn’t know what to say.
Alone since childhood, without parents, having to fend for herself since the age of twelve… it took incredible strength and resilience. She realized Yu Linna was far stronger than she had imagined.
Such a diligent, resilient girl, a top student, yet with such an unfortunate background. And she had never complained, never sought sympathy, simply enduring silently, striving to excel, to silence the whispers and judgments.
“Linna, as your teacher, I’ve failed you.”
Li Lexuan felt a pang of guilt. She had only cared about Yu Linna’s grades, not her well-being, her background, her struggles, her pain, a pain she had inadvertently exacerbated with her home visits.
And now, thinking about it, a high school student, already burdened by studies, why would she work so tirelessly unless she desperately needed the money? Who would sacrifice their study time, their chance at a good future, unless they had no other choice?
“I’m sorry, Linna. I apologize. I was wrong.”
“Teacher, it’s okay… I didn’t mind…”
“You’re such a strong girl. If I were you, I don’t know if I could have survived. I understand your situation now. I won’t stop you from working, as long as you maintain your grades. And if you can’t afford university, I’ll help you. How about you come to my house for dinner sometimes? My family isn’t large; we can afford to feed you.”
“No, thank you, Teacher. I’m not working anymore. I have a stable income now. You don’t have to worry about me.”
Li Lexuan, her voice softening, still wanted to help, her maternal instincts kicking in, unable to bear the thought of this girl continuing to suffer.
Yu Linna revealed her secret, her newfound success as a novelist, her million-yuan income, a revelation that shocked her homeroom teacher.
Their school already had a celebrity, Nangong Ying. And now, a millionaire novelist?
First Municipal High School… a hidden breeding ground for extraordinary individuals…
Li Lexuan finally understood why Yu Linna had moved to a nicer apartment, her high income explaining her improved living conditions. She could only advise her to balance her writing with her studies.
As she left, she muttered to herself, wondering what she would do if her student became famous, if she should ask for an autograph, and what was the title of her novel again…?
With her homeroom teacher gone, Yu Linna breathed a sigh of relief. Ye Zhiyun, having silently observed the entire scene, took the groceries to the kitchen. With the homeroom teacher situation resolved, she could finally focus on the task at hand: making lunch.
“Zhiyun, I don’t want vegetables.”
“No, you have to eat your vegetables. I’ll make you some soup. You need to nourish your body. Look how thin you’ve become from all that work. I’ll take you out for a nice meal sometime. There’s a French restaurant in Guangnan City; you’ll love it.”
“No, I heard French food is… unsatisfying!”
“You have no taste.”
They chatted, their easy banter filling the apartment. Ye Zhiyun quickly finished preparing lunch, calling Yu Linna to the table. Knowing Yu Linna would still be in pain, she planned to stay and look after her, perhaps even coming over every day.
“Nana, I’ve realized something.”
“What?”
“I’m not telling you.”
Ye Zhiyun smiled faintly, keeping her thoughts to herself. This… development… was a pleasant surprise. The next few days would be interesting.
