Chapter 37
Qi Xiao Yan made a dish of mapo tofu, a braised loofah, a wood ear fungus fried with meat, and a bowl of seaweed egg soup. They were all common household dishes, but thanks to the chef, they were full of colour, smell and taste, and Yang Wei cleaned out the dish of mapo tofu all by herself.
She felt like this was the real benefit of the divorce. Getting Professor Qi to cook prior to that had required a battle of wits.
Nibbling on a piece of loofah, she suddenly asked, "How many digits of pi can you remember?"
Qi Xiao Yan paused. "I haven't tried, but the world record is 67,890."
Yang Wei choked on her loofah. "Over 60,000... Can you do it?"
"Possibly, if I really wanted to."
Yang Wei: "..."
What was your brain structured like? Did it ever feel too crowded with so many numbers inside?
Picking up her phone from the coffee table, she tapped on the screen, "Well then, I've got a song for you."
An electronic female voice rang out inside the room. "3.141592654..."
Qi Xiao Yan raised his eyebrows. "What song is this?"
"An ode to pi?"
"The lyrics are great. The singing isn't."
Yang Wei: "..."
She turned off the music and bowed her head silently to eat.
Since Qi Xiao Yan had cooked this time, the washing fell to Yang Wei’s head. Qi Xiao Yan glanced at the time, then headed to the kitchen and told her, "I have an evening class, so I'll head out."
"Un." Yang Wei looked back at him. An evening class? What class?
She turned back and continued washing dishes. By the time she finished cleaning the kitchen, it was almost 7:30, and she promptly logged into the teaching software to start her class.
"Before we begin, I have a few announcements to make. Next class is on Labour Day, and our class time will remain unchanged. Anyone who can't come can ask for leave in advance, then do a make up with the video. There will also be a graduation design to be made after May 1st. I will be announcing the theme for that in advance on Saturday so that you can prepare beforehand.”
Future Mr. Perfect: How time flies, I'm graduated already qwq
Cocoa: Teacher, can I really graduate even when I draw so badly? t^t
Nine Nine Eight: I won't be able to hear Teacher Flower Buns' soft voice anymore after graduation. How lonely...
Qi Qi's Meow: You can sign up for another to listen~
Li Gou Dan: :)
"Graduation works should be well painted and finished. Don't just give me a single figure, but make sure to add light and shadow effects." Yang Wei said, frowning slightly. Her mind was elsewhere. Why hadn't her period come yet? It was almost ten days late.
She opened half of the paintings from the last class and put it to the back of her mind. "In this class, we will continue drawing a church."
That lesson was used up on demonstration, and she managed to complete the church before the class was over. As soon as she quit, she spotted an avatar in the lower right corner flashing.
Calabash Twins: Wei Wei'er, Xia Ying resigned! She's coming back to A City.
Yang Wei was stunned. Xia Ying was their college classmate who had headed alone to D City after graduation. Jian Shuang had been saying that Xia Ying’s salary there was excellent, so she might stay there; why had she suddenly come running back?
"What happened? (⊙o⊙)?"
Calabash Twins: I heard her say she was being sexually harassed by her boss.
Yang Wei made a face. "It wasn't a joke? I saw something similar a few days ago."
Calabash Twins: Probably not orz She's all packed up and bought a ticket, and coming back tomorrow.
Yang Wei: "..."
Calabash Twins: Do you have any plans for Labour Day? If not, let's go to Shanghe Garden to see the flowers! The flower sea ought to heal her wounded heart.
Flower Buns: It's a bit far up the river, though, isn't it? How will we get there?
Calabash Twins: I'll drive! I got my driver's license!
Flower Buns:............:)
Calabash Twins: What's that smiley about? Are you questioning my skills? :)
Flower Buns: No, but Xia Ying is only just back. Let's not risk her life.
Calabash Twins: You don't seem to want a salary anymore. [bye]
Flower Buns: You'd better not default on my salary. I know a lawyer :)
Jian Shuang: "..."
A divorce lawyer, that is.
They finally decided on taking Jian Shuang's car. Before going to bed that night, Yang Wei took the protective talisman out from under her pillow and bowed solemnly before it.
At the end of the sports festival the next day, the headmaster announced the total scores and rankings of each class. Class 2, Grade 5 ranked first in the fifth grade, taking the lead by only 1.8 points.
Even after returning to the classroom, the students were still bubbling in excitement. Yang Wei clapped her hands loudly to calm them down. "Alright everyone, Labour Day is tomorrow. For a holiday, you get one, two, three days off. The fourth day is Monday, remember to come to class on time then."
"Understood--!"
Since the sports festival had just ended and the three-day weekend was about to begin, the students were all bouncing off the walls. Yang Wei left them with them a few safety instructions, then had the class representatives come up to hand out homework.
She, too, was excited about the three days of vacation after school cleanup. As she tidied up her office, Yang Wei glanced at her phone. There was a new WeChat message sent by Jian Shuang.
"I've already booked the tickets online. Pick you up at 7am tomorrow morning."
Yang Wei frowned. "Why so early?"
Jian Shuang: "There will be a ton of people there tomorrow. By the time we arrive it'll probably be almost noon."
Yang Wei: "..."
That was precisely why she never liked going out during Chinese New Year holidays. Wasn't it much better to stay at home and watch other people crowd around outside?
When she left school, she found Qi Xiao Yan's car already outside. Yang Wei approached, no longer finding anything odd about it's presence.
Qi Xiao Yan very attentively helped her put on the seat belt before starting the car. He glanced at Yang Wei and asked, "What are you doing for Labour Day?"
Yang Wei blinked. "Are you trying to ask me out?"
"Didn't you say you wanted to hold hands, eat out, go shopping, and watch movies?"
Yang Wei looked at him with a smirk plastered over her face. "Too bad, but you're a little late. Someone else already asked me out."
Qi Xiao Yan's brows drew together. "Who? That Maserati from yesterday?"
"...His name isn't 'Maserati', you know," she said with a lopsided smile. "No, it's Jian Shuang. She says that Xia Ying is back, and tomorrow we'll all go to Shanghe Gardens to see the flowers."
Qi Xiao Yan said with a puzzled look, "What happened to her?"
"I hear she was sexually harassed by her superior."
His eyebrows shot up and he looked at Yang Wei with a deep gaze. Her mouth twitching, she asked, "Why are you looking at me like that for? You can rest assured that if it had been me, I would certainly have euthanized him in a humane manner."
"It's fine to be less humane."
......She had failed to perceive that Professor Qi was even more malicious than she.
After sending Yang Wei home, Qi Xiao Yan followed her through the door. Since Professor Qi was striving to put on a good performance and earn goodwill, he volunteered to cook. Yang Wei looked at his figure bustling about the kitchen and wondered if this was what people talked about when they said that the way to a person's heart was through their stomach?
Perhaps Professor Qi had also studied Sun Tzu's Art of War?
She headed to the bedroom to pack for tomorrow. When Qi Xiao Yan called her for dinner, she was still thinking about which set of clothes to wear.
He came over and leaned against the closet. "Don't wear anything too revealing, don't drink too much, stay safe, and call me when you get there."
Yang Wei pursed her lips, pulling out a jumpsuit. "What are you doing tomorrow?"
"Writing a thesis."
Yang Wei: "..."
She should have figured.
When Qi Xiao Yan turned, he caught sight of the wedding photo on the wall and paused.
"What's the matter?" Yang Wei went up to him. This wasn't the first time he had seen his face covered in graffiti. Qi Xiao Yan turned and asked, "Did you tear down Mo Zhen's poster?"
"Ah, that--" Yang Wei's pupils darted from side to side, apparently using the long trailing time of her sentence to think. "I'm changing it to a better one."
"Oh? Why didn't you put it up?"
"I haven't found one yet."
A smile spread across his face, and he suddenly caught her up in his arms. Yang Wei tensed up nervously. "What are you up to?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to hold you for a while."
"I'm warning you, don't you dare mess around."
Qi Xiao Yan smiled. His lips feathered over her ear, "Let's go eat."
......
"I know we're eating dinner, you don't have to say it in my ear!"
Professor Qi had made three dishes and one soup, not one dish the same as yesterday. When the meal was over and the dishes were done, he left the apartment. Yang Wei climbed into bed early after class was over.
At 7:00am the next morning, right on time, Jian Shuang's car arrived at the bottom of Yang Wei's apartment. Xia Ying was already in the car, and Yang Wei got into the back seat with her, fastening her seat belt.
"Yang Wei, you cut your hair?!" Xia Ying exclaimed in surprise upon seeing her. Yang Wei nodded and smiled. "How is it? Does it look good?"
"It looks great! Where did you have it done?"
"d&k."
"I have a membership card there too! Let's go together some time."
"Sounds great!"
From the front row, Jian Shuang laughed, "Can you two stop showing off in my car? The mood of the driver might be affected."
......
That was quite a serious threat. Both Xia Ying and Yang Wei clamped their mouths shut simultaneously.
Though Jian Shuang's car was moving along very smoothly, Yang Wei was still a little worried. "Shuang'er, is today your first time on the highway?"
"Yeah, but you can rest assured, there's going to be a traffic jam today."
...
What she said made sense.
Jian Shuang snuck a peek at Xia Ying from the rearview mirror. "I'm more curious about how your boss has been harassing you."
When she brought up the topic, Xia Ying looked angry. "First, he touched my face. Then he followed me to the department store. When I came out, it was raining, and he actually picked me up from behind and spun me around in the rain! When I turned, he said happily, 'It’s raining! It’s raining!'."
Jian Shuang: "...You weren't maybe practicing your part for an idol drama?"
Yang Wei grabbed Xia Ying's arm with a solemn look. "Why didn't you call him an ambulance?"
Jian Shuang huffed out a laugh, "Is your boss handsome?"
Yang Wei educated her quite seriously. "Shuang'er, what on earth is wrong with you to be asking about that right now? If he was handsome, she wouldn't have come back!"
This time, Jian Shuang burst out laughing. "Hahahahaha!"
Xia Ying: "... "
In despair, she said, "I don't know if I can go on living."
"Don't be so pessimistic," Jian Shuang consoled her generously. "Life is full of hope."
"Oh, is it? Then give me three reasons to keep you alive."
Jian Shuang thought for a moment. “Because six is off the board.”1
Yang Wei: “...”
Xia Ying finally lost it. “Is the class you run specifically about teaching people mahjong?!”
Jian Shuang's eyes lit. "Actually, not a bad idea!"
Xia Ying: "..."
She should have slept in today.
Chapter 37
Qi Xiao Yan made a dish of mapo tofu, a braised loofah, a wood ear fungus fried with meat, and a bowl of seaweed egg soup. They were all common household dishes, but thanks to the chef, they were full of colour, smell and taste, and Yang Wei cleaned out the dish of mapo tofu all by herself.
She felt like this was the real benefit of the divorce. Getting Professor Qi to cook prior to that had required a battle of wits.
Nibbling on a piece of loofah, she suddenly asked, "How many digits of pi can you remember?"
Qi Xiao Yan paused. "I haven't tried, but the world record is 67,890."
Yang Wei choked on her loofah. "Over 60,000... Can you do it?"
"Possibly, if I really wanted to."
Yang Wei: "..."
What was your brain structured like? Did it ever feel too crowded with so many numbers inside?
Picking up her phone from the coffee table, she tapped on the screen, "Well then, I've got a song for you."
An electronic female voice rang out inside the room. "3.141592654..."
Qi Xiao Yan raised his eyebrows. "What song is this?"
"An ode to pi?"
"The lyrics are great. The singing isn't."
Yang Wei: "..."
She turned off the music and bowed her head silently to eat.
Since Qi Xiao Yan had cooked this time, the washing fell to Yang Wei’s head. Qi Xiao Yan glanced at the time, then headed to the kitchen and told her, "I have an evening class, so I'll head out."
"Un." Yang Wei looked back at him. An evening class? What class?
She turned back and continued washing dishes. By the time she finished cleaning the kitchen, it was almost 7:30, and she promptly logged into the teaching software to start her class.
"Before we begin, I have a few announcements to make. Next class is on Labour Day, and our class time will remain unchanged. Anyone who can't come can ask for leave in advance, then do a make up with the video. There will also be a graduation design to be made after May 1st. I will be announcing the theme for that in advance on Saturday so that you can prepare beforehand.”
Future Mr. Perfect: How time flies, I'm graduated already qwq
Cocoa: Teacher, can I really graduate even when I draw so badly? t^t
Nine Nine Eight: I won't be able to hear Teacher Flower Buns' soft voice anymore after graduation. How lonely...
Qi Qi's Meow: You can sign up for another to listen~
Li Gou Dan: :)
"Graduation works should be well painted and finished. Don't just give me a single figure, but make sure to add light and shadow effects." Yang Wei said, frowning slightly. Her mind was elsewhere. Why hadn't her period come yet? It was almost ten days late.
She opened half of the paintings from the last class and put it to the back of her mind. "In this class, we will continue drawing a church."
That lesson was used up on demonstration, and she managed to complete the church before the class was over. As soon as she quit, she spotted an avatar in the lower right corner flashing.
Calabash Twins: Wei Wei'er, Xia Ying resigned! She's coming back to A City.
Yang Wei was stunned. Xia Ying was their college classmate who had headed alone to D City after graduation. Jian Shuang had been saying that Xia Ying’s salary there was excellent, so she might stay there; why had she suddenly come running back?
"What happened? (⊙o⊙)?"
Calabash Twins: I heard her say she was being sexually harassed by her boss.
Yang Wei made a face. "It wasn't a joke? I saw something similar a few days ago."
Calabash Twins: Probably not orz She's all packed up and bought a ticket, and coming back tomorrow.
Yang Wei: "..."
Calabash Twins: Do you have any plans for Labour Day? If not, let's go to Shanghe Garden to see the flowers! The flower sea ought to heal her wounded heart.
Flower Buns: It's a bit far up the river, though, isn't it? How will we get there?
Calabash Twins: I'll drive! I got my driver's license!
Flower Buns:............:)
Calabash Twins: What's that smiley about? Are you questioning my skills? :)
Flower Buns: No, but Xia Ying is only just back. Let's not risk her life.
Calabash Twins: You don't seem to want a salary anymore. [bye]
Flower Buns: You'd better not default on my salary. I know a lawyer :)
Jian Shuang: "..."
A divorce lawyer, that is.
They finally decided on taking Jian Shuang's car. Before going to bed that night, Yang Wei took the protective talisman out from under her pillow and bowed solemnly before it.
At the end of the sports festival the next day, the headmaster announced the total scores and rankings of each class. Class 2, Grade 5 ranked first in the fifth grade, taking the lead by only 1.8 points.
Even after returning to the classroom, the students were still bubbling in excitement. Yang Wei clapped her hands loudly to calm them down. "Alright everyone, Labour Day is tomorrow. For a holiday, you get one, two, three days off. The fourth day is Monday, remember to come to class on time then."
"Understood--!"
Since the sports festival had just ended and the three-day weekend was about to begin, the students were all bouncing off the walls. Yang Wei left them with them a few safety instructions, then had the class representatives come up to hand out homework.
She, too, was excited about the three days of vacation after school cleanup. As she tidied up her office, Yang Wei glanced at her phone. There was a new WeChat message sent by Jian Shuang.
"I've already booked the tickets online. Pick you up at 7am tomorrow morning."
Yang Wei frowned. "Why so early?"
Jian Shuang: "There will be a ton of people there tomorrow. By the time we arrive it'll probably be almost noon."
Yang Wei: "..."
That was precisely why she never liked going out during Chinese New Year holidays. Wasn't it much better to stay at home and watch other people crowd around outside?
When she left school, she found Qi Xiao Yan's car already outside. Yang Wei approached, no longer finding anything odd about it's presence.
Qi Xiao Yan very attentively helped her put on the seat belt before starting the car. He glanced at Yang Wei and asked, "What are you doing for Labour Day?"
Yang Wei blinked. "Are you trying to ask me out?"
"Didn't you say you wanted to hold hands, eat out, go shopping, and watch movies?"
Yang Wei looked at him with a smirk plastered over her face. "Too bad, but you're a little late. Someone else already asked me out."
Qi Xiao Yan's brows drew together. "Who? That Maserati from yesterday?"
"...His name isn't 'Maserati', you know," she said with a lopsided smile. "No, it's Jian Shuang. She says that Xia Ying is back, and tomorrow we'll all go to Shanghe Gardens to see the flowers."
Qi Xiao Yan said with a puzzled look, "What happened to her?"
"I hear she was sexually harassed by her superior."
His eyebrows shot up and he looked at Yang Wei with a deep gaze. Her mouth twitching, she asked, "Why are you looking at me like that for? You can rest assured that if it had been me, I would certainly have euthanized him in a humane manner."
"It's fine to be less humane."
......She had failed to perceive that Professor Qi was even more malicious than she.
After sending Yang Wei home, Qi Xiao Yan followed her through the door. Since Professor Qi was striving to put on a good performance and earn goodwill, he volunteered to cook. Yang Wei looked at his figure bustling about the kitchen and wondered if this was what people talked about when they said that the way to a person's heart was through their stomach?
Perhaps Professor Qi had also studied Sun Tzu's Art of War?
She headed to the bedroom to pack for tomorrow. When Qi Xiao Yan called her for dinner, she was still thinking about which set of clothes to wear.
He came over and leaned against the closet. "Don't wear anything too revealing, don't drink too much, stay safe, and call me when you get there."
Yang Wei pursed her lips, pulling out a jumpsuit. "What are you doing tomorrow?"
"Writing a thesis."
Yang Wei: "..."
She should have figured.
When Qi Xiao Yan turned, he caught sight of the wedding photo on the wall and paused.
"What's the matter?" Yang Wei went up to him. This wasn't the first time he had seen his face covered in graffiti. Qi Xiao Yan turned and asked, "Did you tear down Mo Zhen's poster?"
"Ah, that--" Yang Wei's pupils darted from side to side, apparently using the long trailing time of her sentence to think. "I'm changing it to a better one."
"Oh? Why didn't you put it up?"
"I haven't found one yet."
A smile spread across his face, and he suddenly caught her up in his arms. Yang Wei tensed up nervously. "What are you up to?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to hold you for a while."
"I'm warning you, don't you dare mess around."
Qi Xiao Yan smiled. His lips feathered over her ear, "Let's go eat."
......
"I know we're eating dinner, you don't have to say it in my ear!"
Professor Qi had made three dishes and one soup, not one dish the same as yesterday. When the meal was over and the dishes were done, he left the apartment. Yang Wei climbed into bed early after class was over.
At 7:00am the next morning, right on time, Jian Shuang's car arrived at the bottom of Yang Wei's apartment. Xia Ying was already in the car, and Yang Wei got into the back seat with her, fastening her seat belt.
"Yang Wei, you cut your hair?!" Xia Ying exclaimed in surprise upon seeing her. Yang Wei nodded and smiled. "How is it? Does it look good?"
"It looks great! Where did you have it done?"
"d&k."
"I have a membership card there too! Let's go together some time."
"Sounds great!"
From the front row, Jian Shuang laughed, "Can you two stop showing off in my car? The mood of the driver might be affected."
......
That was quite a serious threat. Both Xia Ying and Yang Wei clamped their mouths shut simultaneously.
Though Jian Shuang's car was moving along very smoothly, Yang Wei was still a little worried. "Shuang'er, is today your first time on the highway?"
"Yeah, but you can rest assured, there's going to be a traffic jam today."
...
What she said made sense.
Jian Shuang snuck a peek at Xia Ying from the rearview mirror. "I'm more curious about how your boss has been harassing you."
When she brought up the topic, Xia Ying looked angry. "First, he touched my face. Then he followed me to the department store. When I came out, it was raining, and he actually picked me up from behind and spun me around in the rain! When I turned, he said happily, 'It’s raining! It’s raining!'."
Jian Shuang: "...You weren't maybe practicing your part for an idol drama?"
Yang Wei grabbed Xia Ying's arm with a solemn look. "Why didn't you call him an ambulance?"
Jian Shuang huffed out a laugh, "Is your boss handsome?"
Yang Wei educated her quite seriously. "Shuang'er, what on earth is wrong with you to be asking about that right now? If he was handsome, she wouldn't have come back!"
This time, Jian Shuang burst out laughing. "Hahahahaha!"
Xia Ying: "... "
In despair, she said, "I don't know if I can go on living."
"Don't be so pessimistic," Jian Shuang consoled her generously. "Life is full of hope."
"Oh, is it? Then give me three reasons to keep you alive."
Jian Shuang thought for a moment. “Because six is off the board.”1
Yang Wei: “...”
Xia Ying finally lost it. “Is the class you run specifically about teaching people mahjong?!”
Jian Shuang's eyes lit. "Actually, not a bad idea!"
Xia Ying: "..."
She should have slept in today.
