Running into her senior again was a stroke of fate.
Just getting along well would be enough.
This was only the beginning—she would surely encounter others with whom she had connections from past and present lives.
Stay calm!
Stay calm!
Not caring about her makeup, she scooped a handful of cold water and splashed it on her face.
Forcing herself to calm down.
After a while, she returned to the music classroom.
“Little junior, how about giving your senior a chance to treat you to lunch?” Xiao Yang hadn’t left; instead, he was waiting for her.
“Senior, you’re too kind! I’d be honored to accept.” Qin Qing replied with a bright smile.
…
At noon, the two went to a small state-run restaurant not far from the school.
After all, they were from the same school and now worked together.
There was no barrier between them in conversation.
“Even after leaving school for a few years, I still miss the dumplings from the East Canteen, the ones with lamb and scallion filling.” Xiao Yang, being naturally easygoing, chatted freely.
Qin Qing was also infected by his enthusiasm, smiling and responding all the while.
Occasionally, she added her own comments.
During their conversation, Qin Qing learned that Xiao Yang wasn’t exactly a regular elementary school teacher.
He was a genuine “compound kid.”
He worked in the cultural troupe of his unit, playing the guqin in the band.
Recently, the elementary school for employees’ children was short on music teachers, so he was temporarily filling in.
“Senior, I want to fly too!” Xiao Yang exaggeratedly made a rock-and-roll gesture. “Rock and roll never dies!”
Alright.
Rock singers’ mental states were concerning.
Qin Qing couldn’t appreciate it at all.
Qin Qing thought of another scumbag who was always dreaming of starting a band and had swindled all her money.
Instantly, she lost her appetite.
That dead scumbag couldn’t compare to Senior Xiao Yang.
The two chatted throughout the meal and didn’t return to school until almost time for afternoon classes.
That afternoon, she had three consecutive music classes.
Only then did Qin Qing understand the true meaning of the phrase “stay calm and protect your voice.”
The budding flowers of the motherland, each with passionate smiles on their faces.
Around a hundred students from two classes.
When singing in unison, they could lift the roof; during free discussions, it turned into low-frequency bombardment.
Fortunately, Qin Qing hid behind the piano, avoiding the need for shout-style teaching.
Xiao Yang teased her for lacking revolutionary camaraderie.
He said starting tomorrow, they would take turns leading one class each.
He couldn’t be the only one shouting his throat out.
Qin Qing readily agreed.
The kids were a handful, but their innocence and simplicity were precious.
Just looking at them made her happy.
Carrying her small bag, she left work.
Xing Yang rode his bicycle, ringing the bell.
“Where do you live? Want a ride?”
“No need. I’m going to the market to buy some groceries.” It was only five o’clock, and she wanted to cook dinner for him herself.
“Don’t dawdle. Get on! My place is on the way.” Xiao Yang said, already putting on his sunglasses.
Most markets only had morning hours.
The evening market was indeed a bit far from the school.
Qin Qing hesitated for a moment before sitting on the bicycle’s rear seat. “Then… sorry to trouble you, Senior!”
“Hmm, it’s troublesome.” With that, the bicycle shot forward.
Qin Qing: …
Shouldn’t it be “no trouble at all”?
Xiao Yang accompanied her all the way to buy groceries and then escorted her home.
He claimed he had nothing to do at home anyway.
Qin Qing, still viewing him through the lens of her past life, didn’t find anything inappropriate about it.
Carrying the groceries, she happily headed home, completely ignoring the strange looks from others in the courtyard.
Qin Qing didn’t know how to cook many dishes, and during her years in the Zhou family, she had never lifted a finger for household chores.
The little cooking skills she had were forced upon her in her past life, after leaving the Zhou family and struggling to get by on her own.
See, wasn’t she quite smooth at slicing potatoes into shreds?
Perhaps the noise in the kitchen was too loud, or perhaps Qin Qing was too focused on cooking.
She didn’t even notice when Zhou Yansheng entered.
He had originally planned to take Qin Qing out for a meal—after all, she had just landed a temporary job, and he wanted to celebrate with her.
Earlier, when Zhang Qi mentioned that Qin Qing hadn’t let him deliver meals for the past few days and had been cooking at home instead, Zhou Yansheng found it hard to believe.
Now, watching the young girl coughing while stirring with a spatula in the kitchen, it felt almost surreal.
It really seemed… as if she had come to genuinely live a life with him.
In the kitchen, Qin Qing had just finished stir-frying a plate of shredded potatoes and was about to transfer them to a dish.
The wok was too heavy, and she couldn’t lift it with one hand.
“Let me.” The man reached from behind, his hand covering hers on the wok handle, helping her lift it.
Qin Qing turned her head, chiding him, “You scared me! You didn’t say a word when you came back.”
“Didn’t want to disturb Chef Qin’s performance.”
Zhou Yansheng smiled, taking the spatula from Qin Qing’s hand and helping her dish out the food.
“Go wait outside. I’ll handle the rest.”
“Mm-hmm. I’ve prepared two dishes and a soup—any more would be too much to finish.” Qin Qing felt a bit unaccustomed to this gentle side of Zhou Yansheng.
In the cramped kitchen, with the two of them standing so close, she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.
“Here’s the beaten eggs, to be paired with the pickled vegetables Sister Li gave us, for a pickled vegetable egg drop soup.”
“The beef hasn’t been sliced yet—”
Her words came out quickly, but her heartbeat was even faster.
“Alright.” The man gently interrupted her. “I’ll figure it out.”
Zhou Yansheng chuckled softly, using a knuckle to wipe away a tiny piece of vegetable leaf from the tip of her nose.
“Go on, the fumes are strong in here.” As he spoke, he nudged Qin Qing out of the kitchen. “Wait until we move to a new place before you step into the kitchen again.”
Qin Qing immediately felt her nose burning.
She left the kitchen and hurried back to her room.
This was too unfair!
And she was far too easily flustered.
Zhou Yansheng, without his usual stern expression, looked so… kissable.
Qin Qing touched her flushed cheeks.
Stay calm!
She decided to turn on the desk lamp, take out paper and pen, and get to work.
Well, the “homework” Xiao Yang had assigned her—
Come up with a plan for the cultural performance, with no restrictions on format, as long as it could “wow” the audience.
Counting down to the New Year, there was only about a month and a half left, and they still needed to select performers and rehearse.
Time was tight, and the task was daunting.
The safest option was a children’s choir, but to truly “wow” the audience… that would be difficult.
Qin Qing racked her brain, trying to recall the popular trends from her past life.
Hong Kong and Taiwanese music was sweeping across the mainland.
The Spring Festival Gala was growing more popular year by year.
The Spring Festival Gala?!
Skits? Cross-talk? Music? Dance?
Frustrated, Qin Qing scribbled on the paper.
Finally, at her wit’s end, she simply drew a big circle on the paper.
Enough thinking!
A knock sounded on the bedroom door.
Qin Qing turned to see the man leaning against the doorframe.
“Wash your hands and come eat,” he called to her.
Qin Qing hummed in response, setting down her pen with a sigh.
“What’s troubling the young lady?” Zhou Yansheng asked, a faint smile on his lips as he approached, noticing her pouting expression.
Since childhood, this was the exact expression the little girl wore whenever she faced a tricky situation.
“Work started on the very first day,” Qin Qing complained, giving him a rough idea of the situation.
Zhou Yansheng glanced at the scribbled paper on the desk and joked,
“Looks like you already have an idea, don’t you?”
Qin Qing looked up at him skeptically.
Zhou Yansheng, who had been standing behind the chair, leaned forward, resting his hands on the backrest.
“Look, isn’t this drawn quite clearly?” he said, pointing at the paper. “The big circle is the stage, with skits, cross-talk, music, and dance on it. Hmm, it’s a bit like a comedic musical!”
A comedic musical?!
Why hadn’t she thought of that?!
Qin Qing’s eyes instantly lit up.
“Brother, you’re the best!” Without a second thought, she planted a loud kiss on the man’s cheek.
Perhaps too excited, the kiss made an unusually loud smacking sound.
Both of them froze at the same time.
The air seemed to stand still.