Bai Shinan had no sense of crisis about his so-called “tower” about to collapse. Right now, he had a more pressing issue—homeroom teacher Old Zhang had asked to speak with him.
Zhang Tangqi, known as Old Zhang, was a seasoned teacher with over twenty years of experience. He was a genuinely kind person who truly cared for his students, though he was a bit rigid in personality.
“Old Zhang, I’m here.” Bai Shinan knocked on the office door.
“Come in, it’s not locked.” A middle-aged man’s voice responded from inside.
Bai Shinan pushed the door open. Old Zhang was wearing glasses and correcting students’ assignments without even looking up as he asked, “Have you eaten?”
“I have.” Bai Shinan replied. Old Zhang had specifically told him to come only after having lunch.
“Find a seat and relax… Actually, no, maybe you should stay a little tense. And stop calling me Old Zhang—call me teacher.” Zhang Tangqi suddenly remembered this was the same student who always called him Old Zhang, feeling more at home in the office than at his own house.
“Hehe, it’s just the two of us, calling you Old Zhang feels friendly. If there were others around, of course I’d show some respect and call you ‘teacher.’” Bai Shinan casually pulled over a chair and sat down. In his past life, he had often been summoned to this office because of his pursuit of Mu Yuwei.
“You know why I called you in, right?” Old Zhang’s tone turned slightly more serious.
“How would I know? I’m a model student, a well-rounded youth of the new era who excels in moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor education. I wouldn’t dream of breaking any rules.” Bai Shinan immediately put on the air of a law-abiding citizen.
Even if Old Zhang was trying to probe him for something, he wasn’t going to admit to anything. Especially when he hadn’t done anything wrong in the first place.
Seeing that Bai Shinan was being evasive, Old Zhang gave up trying to lead him in circles and got straight to the point, “Someone reported that you verbally insulted a classmate last night—said it was because your confession failed and you acted out of resentment. Is that true?”
“Oh? So someone tattled to you? Can I know which enthusiastic classmate it was?” Bai Shinan narrowed his eyes. Whether in school or at work, tattletales were always looked down upon.
“Think I can tell you that? Just be honest—did it happen or not?” Old Zhang shot him a glance.
“How could it? I was just concerned about Mu Yuwei’s health. As a classmate, I simply asked if she was sick. I didn’t expect it to be so badly misinterpreted. I mean, when someone wants to accuse you of something, they’ll always find an excuse.” Bai Shinan replied in a tone of righteous indignation, as if he were more wronged than Dou E.
“Yeah, if you had the nerve to actually insult Mu Yuwei, I probably wouldn’t be so worried about you.” Old Zhang knew Bai Shinan too well—he wouldn’t even talk back to his teacher, let alone yell at Mu Yuwei. Get faster updates on g.com.
“Uh… Maybe it’s better if you just keep misunderstanding me. I’ll admit I cursed at her.” Bai Shinan felt slightly attacked.
“No need to explain. Who hasn’t been a little reckless when they were young? I understand. Let’s put that matter aside for now. What really concerns me is your recent exam. You dropped out of the top 200. How am I supposed to explain that to your parents?” Old Zhang sighed.
In his view, Bai Shinan had the potential to get into a top university. But he was young and distracted, wasting the best years of his youth.
“Well… how about I get first place in the next exam to make it up to you?” Bai Shinan calculated. The next monthly test was still two weeks away—plenty of time to catch up on memorization.
“First place? I’d be thrilled if you could just get back into the top 100,” Old Zhang said, clearly worn down.
In the end, he gave Bai Shinan the usual speech—study hard, don’t waste time, don’t let your future be full of regret—and reminded him to stop bothering Mu Yuwei. Next time, things wouldn’t be handled so lightly.
As Bai Shinan walked out of the office, he got the sense that the person who tattled likely wanted to use Old Zhang’s hand to force him away from Mu Yuwei.
Who in the class could it be?
…
The afternoon passed uneventfully. Mu Yuwei didn’t stir up any more drama. It felt as though she had actually taken his words to heart, and now the two of them treated each other like strangers.
During evening self-study, Bai Shinan recited all the required passages from the first-year Chinese textbook from memory, then had Zhu Yuyou help him check for typos.
Mu Yuwei noticed the interaction between them. She merely wrinkled her delicate nose and let out a cold humph, saying nothing, but secretly made a mental note. Bai Shinan would have to repay all of this eventually. Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping.com.
She could pretend not to care, but Bai Shinan had no right to act like that.
When self-study ended, Bai Shinan, Li Pengfei, and Zhu Yuyou left together. This time, Bai Shinan only walked with them up to the boys’ dormitory entrance before stopping.
Mu Yuwei watched from a distance, shaking her head. If he was going to put on a show, at least do it properly. Back when he liked her, he would walk her to the girls’ dorm every single night.
The next morning, Mu Yuwei set her alarm for 5:30. She was determined to prove that even without Bai Shinan, she could still handle everything just fine.
It was Bai Shinan who couldn’t live without her—not the other way around.
As for yesterday’s mess, it was just a fluke. She simply hadn’t prepared.
When the alarm rang at 5:30, her body instinctively resisted getting up. But when she pictured Bai Shinan’s regretful expression, she clenched her teeth and forced herself out of bed.
Yawning several times, she hugged her slender frame. It was just getting up half an hour earlier—so why did it feel so cold?
Mu Yuwei did everything like usual—fetched water, brushed her teeth, washed her face. But soon, a roommate grumbled, “Yuwei, can you keep it down? We’re still sleeping.”
Boys might tolerate her because of her looks, but girls wouldn’t cut her any slack.
So Mu Yuwei had to move around quietly, tiptoeing like a thief. She couldn’t even turn on the lights, fumbling through the darkness and almost tripping over the door frame.
By the time she finished getting ready, it was already 6:00. She rushed to the cafeteria. Fortunately, everything else went smoothly. She got herself a steaming bowl of coix seed porridge. Now, all she had to do was wait.
Sitting quietly alone in a corner, the occasional clanging from the kitchen echoed in the background. She lifted her head now and then to glance at passersby, checking if the person she was waiting for had arrived.
Was this the feeling Bai Shinan had all along?
Maybe it was the fickle weather of early spring, or perhaps the dewy morning air. Mu Yuwei breathed warm air into her palms. It felt a little cold… and a little lonely.