“Me? Early romance? With whom?” Xiao Chen was stunned. “Who made up such a rumor?”
“Well.” Su Xiao cleared her throat. “Someone reported it anonymously.”
“And I’ve also asked some classmates privately. You and Classmate Song Ziyan are indeed quite close.”
“Teacher, that’s not true,” Xiao Chen said helplessly with a wry smile. “Classmate Song and I sit at the same desk. I’m helping her with physics tutoring.”
“There’s really nothing between us. I don’t know who started this rumor, but their intentions are malicious.”
“No?” Su Xiao let out a small sigh of relief and smiled. “Then that’s good. It seems I misunderstood.”
“But you and Classmate Song really are close.”
“Uh… well…” Xiao Chen did not know how to answer.
Yes, he and Song Ziyan were indeed quite close.
They were desk mates, studied together, ate together, and went home together.
The only thing they did not do together was use the restroom.
So in other people’s eyes, it probably did look like something was going on.
“It’s fine. I understand the situation now,” Su Xiao said after taking a sip of water. She smiled lightly. “Go back and study hard. The first mock exam is coming soon. Strive for a good result.”
“Thank you, Teacher Su. I will,” Xiao Chen nodded.
He turned to leave, but after thinking for a moment, he ran back. “Teacher Su.”
“Yes?” Su Xiao asked.
“You actually don’t have to dress so strictly,” Xiao Chen said, scratching his head. “The students say privately that if you wore a skirt and curled your hair, you’d definitely look even better.”
“Ah…” Caught off guard by his words, Su Xiao’s face instantly turned red.
Being told that by a student made her feel extremely embarrassed.
“Teacher, I’ll go back to class,” Xiao Chen bowed slightly and hurried out.
Left behind, Su Xiao’s face remained hot, and her heart took a long time to calm down.
“What did Teacher Su call you for?”
Back in the classroom, Song Ziyan had already packed up the lunchboxes.
“N-nothing,” Xiao Chen stammered.
“There must be something.” Seeing how awkward he looked, Song Ziyan felt certain he was hiding something.
“Well… really, it’s nothing,” Xiao Chen said, not knowing how to explain.
There were only two classes on Friday afternoon, and then school was over.
Xiao Chen said goodbye to Song Ziyan and left quickly.
He first went to a supermarket and bought a large pile of items. Then he glanced around to see if anyone was watching him.
After confirming no one was paying attention, he turned and left.
He did not go back to Grandma Wu’s house. Instead, he headed to a bus stop and boarded a bus.
What he did not know was that his sneaky behavior had all been noticed by Song Ziyan.
“So mysterious. What is he doing?” Song Ziyan frowned.
“Miss, shall we go home?” The Song family driver respectfully opened the car door.
“Not yet. Follow that bus,” Song Ziyan pointed at the bus that had just left. “Hurry.”
“Yes.” The driver quickly got into the driver’s seat and followed the bus.
“Uncle Li, don’t get too close. I’m afraid my classmates might see.”
“But don’t fall too far behind either… What if we lose him?”
Fortunately, the driver’s skills were good. He carefully followed in the Bentley until they saw Xiao Chen get off the bus.
“Uncle Li, stop the car,” Song Ziyan said as she quickly unfastened her seatbelt.
“Miss, where are you going? If you go home late, CEO Song will worry,” the driver called out.
“It’s fine. I’ll tell my dad. Don’t follow me,” Song Ziyan waved her hand and hurried off, afraid of losing sight of Xiao Chen.
The place where Xiao Chen got off was in the northern part of the city, and it was relatively remote.
Song Ziyan followed him to a Taoist temple.
The temple was old and poorly maintained. Even the statues looked faded and worn.
The courtyard was quite large, but the incense burner was damaged. It was obvious that few worshippers had come for a long time.
Xiao Chen knocked on the temple door. A boy of about eight or nine years old peeked out.
When he saw Xiao Chen, he happily shouted, “Brother Xiao Chen is here. Brother Xiao Chen is here.”
He ran inside cheerfully, and soon a group of children rushed out.
They surrounded Xiao Chen, hugging his legs and tugging at his clothes.
“Don’t crowd. Brother might fall,” Xiao Chen said with a smile, steadying a little boy who had climbed onto him. “Xiaohu, don’t be naughty. Be careful not to fall.”
“Grandpa, Brother Xiao Chen is here.”
Only when an elderly Taoist priest appeared did the children climb down from Xiao Chen.
The old Taoist priest looked to be in his seventies or eighties. Although his Taoist robe had been washed until it faded white, it was spotless. This chapter was copied from novelping.com without permission.
His hair was tied up in a topknot, and his expression was kind.
“Hehe, Xiao Chen, you’re here?”
“Yes, Master. I came to see you,” Xiao Chen said as he handed out the things he had brought.
There were pencils, erasers, and other school supplies.
The children left happily with the items, while Xiao Chen picked up a broom and began sweeping seriously.
The old Taoist priest sat down trembling to one side, smiling as he watched Xiao Chen sweep.
The evening drum and morning bell echoed faintly in the air. Under the setting sun, fallen leaves beneath the parasol tree, a young boy sweeping the ground, and a white-haired Taoist priest formed a beautiful scene.
After sweeping, Xiao Chen began wiping the altar carefully, working diligently to clean the temple.
“A destined person has arrived,” the old Taoist priest said, narrowing his eyes as he looked toward the gate.
Following his gaze, Xiao Chen saw Song Ziyan standing there in a daze under the setting sun.
The sunlight shone from behind her, making her breathtakingly beautiful.
“Song Ziyan? Why are you here?” Xiao Chen asked in surprise.
“I… I saw you acting mysterious after leaving the school gate and not going home, so… so I followed you,” Song Ziyan said awkwardly.
Looking around at everything, she asked, “Xiao Chen, what is going on here?”
“Come in. I’ll explain slowly,” Xiao Chen said with a smile.
Under the sunset, as he tidied things up, he began telling her the story.
“When I was twelve, I had a high fever. Injections and medicine didn’t work.”
“Even after being taken to a top-tier hospital in Jiangcheng, the doctors were helpless.”
“At that time, my life was hanging by a thread. My grandmother, who was over sixty years old, carried me all the way here.”
“This Taoist priest’s Dao name is Xuruo. His secular name is Zhang Huaigu. A single dose of herbal medicine saved my life.”
“Master is my lifesaver. So after I came to Jiangcheng, I would make time to come here and help.”
“And these children…” Song Ziyan looked at the dozen or so children in the courtyard.
There were boys and girls. The oldest were eight or nine years old. The youngest were still learning to walk.
“These children are all orphans taken in by Master,” Xiao Chen said. “Some were born with disabilities and were abandoned by their parents.”
“Others were born to young parents who were irresponsible and left them behind.”
“Ah?” Song Ziyan looked at the courtyard full of children, and a wave of sympathy stirred in her heart.