Chapter 64: Winter Night
After the monthly exam, Tong Yao was swamped with grading papers. When she got the report cards for Class 4 and Class 7, she felt a little uncertain.
Exams like the monthly exam were usually more difficult, and it was easy for there to be large fluctuations in scores.
In Class 4, Xu Yin had secured the first place in the grade. In Class 7, Ji Chen was 17th in the grade, and Yin Jiali was 39th. These two were the only high-end combat power in Class 7.
Out of selfishness, she skipped straight to the bottom. Ruan Xi, 192nd in the grade.
The heart that had been in her throat finally dropped.
The improvement was not large, but as long as she didn’t regress, Tong Yao was relieved. If the young girl’s grades had dropped, she would have definitely wondered if the relationship between them had had a negative impact.
Fortunately, it hadn’t.
She copied the report card file to a USB drive and took it to Class 7, giving it to Ji Chen. This was what the class president had requested from her in advance—most of the students were eager to know their scores, but the teachers were too slow after getting them. With the file, the students could now directly view their scores on the all-in-one machine in the classroom.
“The scores are out!” Ji Chen shouted from the podium after getting the USB drive. The students below immediately swarmed up, dozens of people crowding in front of the screen to see their own and their rivals’ scores.
Tong Yao smiled and turned to go back, but found a little tail following her.
“Teacher Tong,” Ruan Xi trotted to keep up with her. “What’s my rank?”
The young girl stared at her, looking nervous, which made Tong Yao suddenly want to keep her in suspense.
“Can’t you see for yourself?”
The young girl pouted.
“There are too many people, it’s so crowded.”
“Then what if I don’t remember your score?” Tong Yao raised an eyebrow.
“You wouldn’t,” Ruan Xi’s arm brushed against hers unintentionally, her red face full of confidence. “Teacher Tong definitely looked at my score specifically.”
Tong Yao stopped, put on a poker face, and looked at the young girl. It wasn’t long before she was defeated—a liar is naturally guilty.
The young girl giggled and secretly tugged on Tong Yao’s sleeve.
“Teacher Tong, tell me.”
Tong Yao found that she was very susceptible to the young girl’s “softly begging her” routine.
“…192nd.”
Hearing the improved rank, the young girl’s face was full of joy. When they reached the office door, she let go of Teacher Tong’s sleeve, about to say goodbye, but was stopped by Tong Yao.
“Ruan Ruan, come in.”
A shy blush appeared on Tong Yao’s face. She cleared her throat, a little uncomfortable. “I have something for you.”
Ruan Xi was taken aback. After a moment of surprise, there was a hint of hesitation. She followed Teacher Tong into the office and soon spotted a bouquet of roses on Teacher Tong’s desk. She was dazed. Teacher Tong… is going to give me flowers?
But Tong Yao frowned, pushed the flowers aside, and asked the teacher opposite her, “Teacher Liu, who put these flowers here?”
Old Liu opposite her had a gossipy look and said with a cheerful smile, “Teacher Song sent them to you. Who doesn’t know that our little Teacher Tong is a beautiful flower without a master? Now someone has finally made a move.”
No. 1 High did not prohibit office romances. Many teachers’ other halves were also teachers. Tong Yao had lived a peaceful life here for a few months. Her age was there, and most male teachers didn’t dare or were too embarrassed to pursue this high-mountain flower. But there was never a shortage of thick-skinned pursuers.
The PE teacher of the first year, Song Ang, was one of the pioneers.
The two had only met a few times at a teacher’s dinner. Tong Yao was only focused on eating, but Song Ang was stunned when he saw her. After asking around, he had recently started his offensive. This guy was also quite handsome, with a muscular body, and was quite popular with the girls.
Tong Yao sat down with a dark face. The young girl’s voice sounded in her ear, “Teacher Tong…”
Ruan Xi lowered her head, her nails digging into the flesh of her palm. She bit her lip and thought, why can’t I pursue Teacher Tong openly?
Because I have nothing.
But if she had the status of these pursuers… perhaps Teacher Tong wouldn’t have even looked at her from the beginning.
She had an advantage.
Ruan Xi, don’t panic.
“Don’t mind these,” Tong Yao rummaged through her drawer, took out a gift box, and handed it to the young girl. “That… a reward for your improvement.”
The box was exquisitely packaged. The young girl was dazed. Teacher Tong prepared another gift for me? But what if I hadn’t improved?
Am I… really being kept?
“I bought you a graphics tablet,” Tong Yao said, staring at her own desk, pretending to start working. “You have your prize money now, so you can build your own computer and learn to draw on a computer.”
Ruan Xi took the box and remained silent. She knew that with Teacher Tong’s generosity, even a graphics tablet would be of a top-tier price. But she didn’t want to receive anything from Teacher Tong that could be measured by money. She was afraid that Auntie Jiang would misunderstand and that others would look down on her—but she suddenly remembered Auntie Jiang’s words. She and Teacher Tong had different expectations for a relationship. She had no money, so she had to think about money everywhere, worrying about this and that. But the love Teacher Tong wanted definitely did not include the factor of “money.”
In love, those who emphasize emotion and those who emphasize money are not superior to each other. It’s not a gap, but a real difference in values.
If her own way of thinking didn’t change, these differences would sooner or later be exposed and become the graveyard of their love.
I have to give Teacher Tong the love she wants.
She hugged the box to her chest, didn’t say anything to refuse, but instead showed a spoiled smile as usual.
“Thank you, Teacher Tong.
“But, if I build a computer, where will I put it?”
Tong Yao was taken aback.
“Can’t you put it in your dorm?”
I miscalculated, she thought to herself.
“No, the teachers will check,” the young girl said, her big eyes staring at Tong Yao.
Tong Yao thought for a moment and said shyly, “How about… you put it in my dorm?”
This was almost giving the young girl a legitimate reason to go to her house.
Sure enough, the young girl’s face lit up with a smile, her eyes sparkling with surprise. “Okay!”
Tong Yao immediately felt a wave of embarrassment. How am I like a lonely young wife who has met a strong man, not only retreating step by step, but even inviting him to her house often in the future?
It was almost class time. The young girl said her goodbyes and left, skipping and jumping with her braid swinging. Tong Yao watched her figure, tidied up her messy heart, and finally kicked the bouquet of roses under the chair.
**
The news that Teacher Tong was being pursued by a male teacher quickly spread.
Regarding this matter, the entire Class 7 was united against a common enemy, firmly believing that the PE teacher was not worthy of their goddess. A few mischievous boys threatened to put Song Ang in a sack and beat him up, but when it came to PE class, seeing his muscular body from a distance, none of them dared to go forward.
And so, some changed their strategy. Before Tong Yao’s class, a few people would come to tell Tong Yao bad things about Song Ang, such as him using corporal punishment on students, for fear that Teacher Tong would be won over by such a crude person.
Regarding these matters, Tong Yao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
On Saturday, Ruan Xi’s computer arrived, delivered directly to Tong Yao’s dorm. The young girl had bought a desktop computer. The two of them studied it for a long time before they managed to assemble it. The joy of turning it on was no less than that of a successful rocket launch.
On a winter night, the campus was quiet and peaceful. The cold wind made the windows rattle. The air-conditioned room was a warm home. The computer was placed in this unoccupied bedroom. In the future, if the young girl came to stay, this would be her exclusive room.
Tong Yao brought in a chair and said, “This is your computer chair.”
Ruan Xi took a few steps back, sat on the bed, bounced a little, and said in a small voice with her head tilted up, “Teacher Tong, I want to sleep here tonight.”
Tong Yao froze. Although she had long expected this situation, she couldn’t help but feel awkward.
“…Okay.”
“Teacher Tong, can I take a shower here?”
The young girl continued to ask in a soft, gentle voice.
Tong Yao’s breathing was a little unsteady. She pursed her lower lip, and after a long while, she said, “You can. Next time… you can bring some change of clothes.”
She turned her slightly red face away, her back to the young girl, and hurriedly walked out of the room, as if the young girl were about to take off her clothes.
Seeing this, Ruan Xi buried her face in her knees and giggled secretly. The young girl went to take a shower.
In the living room, Tong Yao felt that her hearing seemed to have improved.
She heard the sound of the electric water heater.
She heard the sound of the shower.
The sound of water splashing on the floor tiles.
She was very afraid that something would happen tonight, afraid that she would lose her principles and indulge herself. It turned out that she wasn’t that aloof. Her years of self-restraint couldn’t even withstand such a nascent temptation. She had never been in a relationship. Once love rang her doorbell, her heart was in a complete mess. If Ruan Ruan wasn’t her student, but an adult, high-quality woman, she would have probably accepted this heart-fluttering feeling long ago.
She turned up the volume of the TV and sat on the sofa in a daze, hugging a pillow.
“Teacher Tong!”
The voice from the bathroom had a natural reverb.
She hurried over.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s just… is there a towel?” Ruan Xi’s voice was shy. “I need to dry myself…”
“Oh, oh,” Tong Yao was embarrassed. “There is.”
She found an unused towel in the cabinet, went back, and said, “I put it at the door.”
It was quiet inside for a while, and then a muffled voice came out.
“…Mhm.”
In the bathroom, Ruan Xi was going crazy.
She had originally wanted to open the door to take the towel and create some ambiguous atmosphere.
Who knew the plot wouldn’t develop as she had imagined.
Why didn’t those anime male protagonists think of putting the bath towel at the door?
Why is Teacher Tong so… unromantic?
In the living room, Tong Yao stared at the TV until the young girl, fully dressed, walked in, her hair still dripping wet. She pointed to the hairdryer on the side and said, “Dry your hair before you go to bed.”
With her hair down, the young girl had an added touch of charm.
Ruan Xi obediently dried her hair, then sat down next to Tong Yao on the sofa. The movie on TV was Léon: The Professional, a love story between a little loli and an older man. Ruan Xi hadn’t seen the beginning and couldn’t get into it now. She glanced out the window and said, “It’s so cold outside.”
It was as if outside was a harsh, post-apocalyptic world, and they were the only two people left, depending on each other.
Tong Yao said, “Of course it’s cold outside at night.”
She was watching the TV when she suddenly felt a weight on her. She looked to the side and found that the young girl had leaned her body against her arm and was tentatively trying to lean over completely. She didn’t stop her, tacitly allowing this intimacy. Soon, the young girl went from leaning on her shoulder to lying on her lap.
She looked down and saw the young girl staring at her with a red face. Having just showered, Ruan Ruan wasn’t wearing a bra, and the rise and fall of her chest showed a cute trace.
She also felt uncomfortable, so she reached out and turned this child’s head towards the TV.
“Don’t look at me, look at the TV.”
Ruan Xi turned 90 degrees to face the TV. Tong Yao secretly glanced down and found that the young girl’s earlobes were very red, small and cute, perfect for holding in one’s mouth.
She calmly turned her attention back to the TV.
In the movie, the little loli asked, “Is life always this hard, or is it just when you’re a kid?”
The older man replied, “Always like this.”
Tong Yao was suddenly moved, not for herself, but for the young girl in front of her. She saw Ruan Ruan staring at the movie intently, and her hand couldn’t help but rest on her head, gently stroking it.
“Teacher Tong,” Ruan Xi suddenly said, “will things get better after the bitterness?”
“They will, of course they will,” Tong Yao said.
If life was really full of bitterness, then she was willing to be her sweetness.
**
