After the other teachers finished the exam and packed their papers to go home, they planned to return in the morning to grade them. Only the two of them remained in the office.
“Xu Yu, is there something you want to discuss?” Shuai Chang asked gently.
His feelings towards Xu Yu were quite complex; Nan Yu was a scum to Mu Chengguang, and he was no better towards Xu Yu.
Both of them were trying to seduce someone, one poor and one rich, and it was always more pitiful to see the weaker side. Nan Yu did have a bit of genuine heart towards Xu Yu, but Xu Yu was only sixteen, not yet an adult, and fourteen years younger than Nan Yu. It was unimaginable for such a scumbag to claim he had honesty.
Currently, Shuai Chang was sitting in for the scumbag. Although he felt sympathy for Xu Yu, their relationship had not developed substantially. He had to clear the trashy information Nan Yu had passed on from his mind; he was not going to be responsible for corrupting the youth of the nation.
Over the past few months, he had slowly distanced himself from Xu Yu. They had hardly spoken outside the classroom, and he had no idea why Xu Yu had come to find him today.
“Mr. Nan, I—” Xu Yu’s eyes were bright as he stared firmly at him.
Shuai Chang felt a bad omen rising in his heart.
“I found a job in the city during summer vacation, but I don’t have a place to stay. Mr. Nan, could you take me in?” After Xu Yu finished speaking, his gaze flickered, biting his lip, and a faint blush appeared on his face.
This was bad; this child was led on by Nan Yu’s false affection. This was Shuai Chang’s immediate thought.
Shuai Chang maintained his smile and spoke earnestly, “Xu Yu, remember that you are still a minor. Since I promised to support your studies, I will not go back on my word. You should spend this precious summer vacation preparing for your sophomore courses instead of wasting time working for money.”
“But, Mr. Nan, I can’t just take your money without doing anything. I can keep up with the sophomore courses if I study well at school.” His blush deepened, this time from anxiety.
“The money is considered a loan with no interest; you can pay it back to me after you graduate from university and start earning money. The premise is that you can get into a good university; the difficulty of the sophomore and junior courses increases, and you cannot expect to learn them immediately just because you want to. Therefore, you can’t just study while at school; you should also focus during these holidays. Think about it carefully—losing the chance to enter a prestigious school for just a few hundred yuan is worth it.”
Shuai Chang’s words were heavy but not without reason. Xu Yu was not a headstrong child; he bowed his head in silence. After thinking for ten minutes, he lifted his head and said, “Mr. Nan, I understand. I will take the bus home tomorrow.”
Shuai Chang nodded in relief, “Good boy.”
“You can head back to your dorm and pack your things. I need to tidy up too,” Shuai Chang said, patting Xu Yu’s shoulder.
Xu Yu glanced at the other teachers’ desks. While the desks were tidy, with the usual water cups and bookshelves, Shuai Chang was packing everything up to take with him.
Xu Yu suppressed his concerns and swallowed hard, asking, “Mr. Nan, why do you need to take all this with you?”
“I’ve resigned, so I have to take these things home,” Shuai Chang replied.
Xu Yu was startled for a moment. “Why?” Why was he only telling him now?
Shuai Chang thought Xu Yu was asking why he resigned and replied honestly, “My partner loves to buy things. Being a teacher is certainly my passion, but to provide a better life for him, I have to resign and earn money.” Despite the complaining tone, Shuai Chang’s happy smile couldn’t be hidden.
Xu Yu looked at the ring on his hand. He had always thought Nan Yu wore it just for fun; even when classmates said Mr. Nan was already married, Xu Yu didn’t believe it.
Such popular people liked to pretend they were married to avoid others’ pursuit, and now Nan Yu was actually telling him that he really had a partner.
“…Mr. Nan, I’m sorry for disturbing you. I’ll go back to my dorm and pack my things now,” Xu Yu said, lowering his head and running out of the office.
Shuai Chang had hurt a young heart, and feeling down, his phone buzzed on the desk. He picked it up and answered.
“Hello, Nan Yu.”
“Mr. Nan, it’s me! Do you have a lot of things? Do you need me to come to school to help you?”
Shuai Chang relaxed his brow and his expression softened. “Not much, I’ve packed everything into one box.”
Mu Chengguang said, “Ah— but I’m already here! Is it convenient for me to come in and find you now?”
“Of course! I’ll come to get you. Didn’t you say you wanted to see if the school has changed? I’ll show you around.”
Mu Chengguang’s tone was lively, and Shuai Chang felt the clouds over his heart disperse, filling with “Mu Chengguang” light.
Chapter 29: The Scumbag Who Cheats, the Phoenix Man 8
Shuai Chang and Mu Chengguang strolled on the playground. They climbed to the highest level of the stands, and Shuai Chang took Mu Chengguang’s hand as they sat side by side on the stands.
From their vantage point, the plastic lawn appeared in patches of deep and light green, surrounded by an orange-red running track. The setting sun spread its golden rays everywhere, casting a dreamlike veil over the entire playground.
Mu Chengguang tilted his head against Shuai Chang’s shoulder and said, “Mr. Nan, my biggest dream in senior year was to watch the sunset here with you. I never expected this wish to come true five years later.”
Shuai Chang commented bluntly, “I remember that back then the playground barely had any grass; when you ran, it was a cloud of dust…”
Mu Chengguang pretended not to hear. “As the sun sets in the west, we stroll on the playground together.”
“Are you sure you want to walk with me all dirty?” Shuai Chang teased.
Mu Chengguang grew angry, raised his hand but then hesitated to hit, choosing instead to poke Shuai Chang’s shoulder lightly with his index finger. “Mr. Nan, you’re really not romantic at all.”
“I’m a materialistic, realistic math teacher…”
Mu Chengguang gave him an incredulous stare, and Shuai Chang chuckled, patting his head. “Alright, alright, I won’t tease you anymore.”
Shuai Chang then said, “Chengguang, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”
He realized he hadn’t told Mu Chengguang about his resignation, and he had never mentioned the plan to go into business either. Seizing the good atmosphere, he hurriedly said it.
Shuai Chang’s expression grew serious, causing Mu Chengguang to become anxious. “You, you say it.” His nervousness made him tongue-tied.
Subscribe
Login
0 Comments