Kuang Qingshang’s movement was very gentle, more like an unintentional brush, but Sang Xiao would not believe it; Kuang Qingshang was definitely deliberate.
The soft touch of lips and warm breath lingered persistently on her ear, so much so that when Sang Xiao returned to the kindergarten and the child ChengCheng kissed her cheek, she immediately thought of Kuang Qingshang kissing her ear, which startled Sang Xiao, causing her to shiver on the spot.
ChengCheng: “Teacher Sang got an electric shock?”
Sang Xiao: “…”
She rubbed her ear vigorously, feeling that it had been burning since she returned from the airport.
When kindergarten children express affection, some will proactively kiss the teacher’s cheek, though this is not encouraged at Chenxi Kindergarten.
Sang Xiao gave ChengCheng a bit of a lesson, explaining that this behavior should only happen between close people. ChengCheng said, “But I really like Teacher Sang, and Mommy likes Teacher Sang too.”
Sang Xiao could only thank her for her affection. ChengCheng used to keep a cold expression, but perhaps it was meeting Sang Xiao during the mountain climb, or maybe having a meal with her; in any case, after they became more familiar in private, ChengCheng became much more enthusiastic and clingier around Sang Xiao.
The little one, despite her young age, had two faces, like a little adult. Sang Xiao somehow thought of Kuang Qingshang, who seemed difficult to approach on the surface, but in reality, Kuang Qingshang had never really troubled her, apart from today’s inexplicable hug and the kiss on her ear.
Ah, her ear seemed to be red again.
“Teacher Sang, someone must be thinking of you,” ChengCheng spoke up again, causing the other children in the class to chime in, chirping like little birds in the morning forest.
Sang Xiao asked, “Why is that?”
ChengCheng straightened her back, surprised that Teacher Sang didn’t even know something like this. She lectured like a little grown-up: “Mommy says when your ears are red, it’s because someone is thinking of you.”
A child raised an objection: “But my mommy says it’s because someone is cursing you.”
“No, no, Grandma says it’s because an old man lives in your ear, and when you’re disobedient, the old man burns a stove in there.”
“Wow, that’s scary.”
“Will the ear go deaf?”
“Isn’t the Golden-Hooped Staff living in the ear?”
Sang Xiao: “…”
Her ear was red clearly because she had just recalled the tingling sensation of Kuang Qingshang’s breath fanning her auricle; only a ghost would be thinking of her right now.
Sang Xiao soothed the group of children who loved to make wild associations and patiently waited for dismissal time for the parents to pick them up.
When Su Xiao came to pick up ChengCheng, she saw Sang Xiao was again the last one to leave, and invited Sang Xiao to watch a movie, but Sang Xiao politely declined, saying she had other things to do.
She truly did have other things to do, and although they had exchanged contact information long ago, and Su Xiao occasionally called to ask about ChengCheng or chat about daily life, it was best not to become too familiar. As a professional kindergarten teacher, Sang Xiao was afraid that her closeness with ChengCheng might lead to special treatment, which would be unfair to the other children.
After Sang Xiao returned home, Bian Yan had already searched for several rental properties online and planned to view a few each day. Sang Xiao naturally accompanied her to see the houses and then ate dinner at a restaurant.
Bian Yan: “So Kuang Qingshang just left like that?”
Sang Xiao: “Mhm, she’s very busy.”
“She helped me a great deal yesterday, and I wanted to thank her, but she left today, and I didn’t even get a chance to repay the favor.” Bian Yan was still very grateful to Kuang Qingshang; just her presence gave people a sense of security. By the time Kuang Qingshang returned, it would be the end of the year, and repaying the favor then wouldn’t be as meaningful.
“Eh? No need, no need, it wasn’t much help anyway, we didn’t even catch that pervert,” Sang Xiao declined on Kuang Qingshang’s behalf.
She looked up and saw Bian Yan watching her quietly, a smile with an ambiguous meaning playing on her lips.
Sang Xiao asked curiously, “Did I say something wrong?”
“Not exactly. I just feel like you two are becoming more and more like a married couple,” Bian Yan chuckled. “I said I wanted to thank Kuang Qingshang, and look how naturally you declined for her just now.”
Sang Xiao: “…”
She just subconsciously felt that Kuang Qingshang wouldn’t care too much about this kind of thing, and since her relationship with Bian Yan was so good, Kuang Qingshang would probably give her face, right? She hoped so?
She forcibly changed the subject: “But I helped too, aren’t you going to thank me?”
“Thank you, definitely, thank you for helping me move this weekend. I’ll treat you to a big meal then.”
Sang Xiao scoffed, “That’s more like it.”
They spent several days after work looking at houses and finally chose a place that wasn’t too expensive, was close to Bian Yan’s company, and had good security measures.
On Saturday, Sang Xiao went to help Bian Yan move.
While packing, Bian Yan complained, “Moving is such a hassle. I don’t want to throw anything away, but I want to throw everything away. If I throw it away, I’ll have to spend money to buy it again. I’m a woman who’s saving up to buy a house.”
“Then don’t move. Stay with me for a while,” Sang Xiao suggested. Bian Yan staying with her these past few days felt very convenient.
Bian Yan gave her a look and said, “That’s your marital home with Kuang Qingshang. Staying for a week is your kindness, but if I stayed for a month, Kuang Qingshang would probably tear me apart, wouldn’t she?”
Sang Xiao stated firmly, “She won’t.”
Bian Yan became serious, saying, “Don’t say ‘she won’t.’ Kuang Qingshang clearly looks like someone with strong possessiveness and territorial instincts. Although her character is still up for discussion, you are already married, and you must respect each other in these family matters for the marriage to last; otherwise, it will definitely become a mess.”
Sang Xiao understood Bian Yan’s point; Kuang Qingshang always explained things to her when she brought friends over.
She said, “Okay, I understand.”
After packing the luggage and having the moving company staff load it onto the truck, Sang Xiao, who hadn’t exercised in a long time, was panting heavily. She went to the stairwell to get some fresh air but found a man furtively staring over.
A person’s demeanor is quite telling, and Sang Xiao’s intuition was also sharp. The man was unshaven and scruffy, his hair looking unwashed, long, and flat. He was wearing an old-style padded jacket, his right-hand scratching at his crotch, and his eyes were glued to Sang Xiao. When he saw Sang Xiao looking back at him, the man seemed to get even more excited.
Sang Xiao: “…” A live pervert!
She didn’t give him a reaction but quietly returned to the house to discuss it with Bian Yan.
Bian Yan: “I’ll go out and check.”
Sang Xiao: “Let’s not. Let’s call the police.”
The two secretly called the police and also took photos when the man wasn’t looking. Bian Yan, being a photographer, had once infiltrated a restaurant kitchen to photograph the chaos there, and the man completely failed to notice the camera, which made him even more smug.
The police came and arrested him easily. He was indeed a pervert; the walls in his room were covered with stolen photos, explicit pictures, and pairs of stockings and underwear that had been used who knows how many times.
The police said this person had been given a verbal warning before, and it sounded like this time would also likely be just a verbal warning. Bian Yan was angry: “If it’s always just a verbal warning, then people will always be at risk of harm. It’s precisely because there is no actual punishment that they feel emboldened.”
The pervert was taken away.
Bian Yan also completed the handover with the landlord.
Bian Yan: “That was terrible luck.”
Sang Xiao: “Consider it good luck. Our great photographer Bian eliminated a menace today.”
Bian Yan hugged her: “Let’s go.”
Bian Yan’s new rental place was fully furnished, ready for immediate occupancy. Bian Yan was someone who enjoyed life, so she immediately decided to invite a few friends over to eat, drink, and incidentally complain about the disgusting pervert they encountered.
Bian Yan invited Xu Jia and her wife, as well as a friend she knew from work. Xu Jia’s wife looked very serious and proper, dressed in a professional suit, appearing somewhat austere. Sang Xiao was not very familiar with Bian Yan’s other friend, only knowing her name was Gao Lin, and she was from the same company as Bian Yan.
Sang Xiao had met them all before, so everyone knew each other and wouldn’t feel awkward.
“Sang Sang, are you really going to drink this?” Xu Jia held up the bottle, hesitating a little.
Sang Xiao nodded: “Mhm, I want to try it.”
She had only drunk red wine a few times, just a small amount each time. Sang Xiao was actually quite curious about what it felt like to be drunk.
Xu Jia smiled: “Alcohol is a good thing…”
Bian Yan interjected critically: “Alright, don’t corrupt her. Sang Sang has a low tolerance; just a little is fine. This liquor is so strong.”
Being talked about like this only made Sang Xiao want to try the liquor even more. She didn’t feel this way around Kuang Qingshang, but around these people, Sang Xiao always felt like a child.
And then…
“Sister Xu Jia, you and your wife look so affectionate,” Sang Xiao said, feeling dizzy, even forgetting to call her ‘sister-in-law.’
Xu Jia smiled without saying a word. Her wife was just watching her enjoy herself with someone else by the bedside yesterday. If what they had was called affection, then all relationships in the world must be beautiful love stories.
Xu Jia asked, “What about you and Kuang Qingshang?”
Sang Xiao thought for a moment: “We’re not that good.”
Xu Jia raised an eyebrow: “Oh? Tell me what’s going on. Let big sister give you some advice.”
Sang Xiao, muddle-headed, wasn’t sure what she was saying: “She kissed my ear.”
They had clearly agreed to cultivate feelings slowly, but Kuang Qingshang suddenly hugged her and suddenly kissed her ear. It was getting too much.
Xu Jia propped her chin on her hand and said earnestly, “Kissing the ear is a good start, not too bad. Some people have very sensitive ears, and just a little kiss might make them…”
Seeing that the topic was being misunderstood.
Bian Yan quickly guided Sang Xiao back to the bedroom.
Xu Jia: “…I wasn’t finished.”
When Kuang Qingshang called, Sang Xiao immediately answered, then, as if seeking credit, she told her about catching the pervert, feeling a little smug.
“We caught that pervert.”
Kuang Qingshang sounded puzzled on her end: “Sang Xiao?”
Bian Yan said helplessly: “She’s drunk.”
Before Kuang Qingshang could react, Sang Xiao urged: “Kuang Qingshang, hurry up and praise me.”
Kuang Qingshang praised her: “My wife is amazing!”