It was exactly seven o’clock in the morning when Yang Wei’s alarm clock rang.
She groped around her pillow and subconsciously called out, “Curly…”
As she’d just woken up, her voice carried a much softer tone than when she normally spoke, but no one responded to her call. Yang Wei frowned. How come Curly-bae hadn’t woken her up to eat breakfast today?
She finally found her phone once she’d flipped over Qi Xiao Yan’s pillow. The instant she turned off the alarm, however, she remembered that she and Qi Xiao Yan were divorced.
She simply lay there on the bed, tired and at a loss, for two minutes before wildly springing up from her blanket cocoon and rushing to the bathroom.
Study hall started at 7:45AM. Originally, this had nothing to do with her; everything was fine so long as she managed to arrive at school before 8:20AM. This semester, however, the homeroom teacher responsible for the second class of fifth grade students had taken three months of maternity leave. Yang Wei had unfortunately been chosen as the substitute teacher for this class.
It was reasonable to say that this teacher’s work shouldn’t have fallen on her, an art teacher, but the rest of teachers had all firmly expressed that they were very busy and that they couldn’t supervise another class. In her heart, Yang Wei clearly understood that a homeroom teacher earned several hundred yuan more than an elective teacher, but they also had to manage many more tasks; no one wanted to strain their hearts to such an extent. Furthermore, it seemed that she really was the one with the most free time among the staff.
She washed her face with lightning speed before curling her hair into loose waves down her front. Afterward, she urgently rushed to her wardrobe, where clothes akin to aesthetic, glittering jewels were neatly arranged. Yang Wei stroked her chin as she considered them for three seconds and then began putting together an outfit. A white pleated blouse, a deep blue collarless jacket, a pair of casual, black work pants… OK!
Yang Wei grabbed a nude pink handbag from the sofa in the living room, slipped into a pair of low-heeled leather shoes at the doorway, and then dashed out of the building. It was 7:24AM when she reached her neighborhood’s gate. Her neighborhood was near the school she worked at. Previously, Qi Xiao Yan would drive her to every morning in ten minutes. As Qi Xiao Yan’s ex-wife, however, it was clear that she could no longer enjoy this service from now on.
Taking the public bus would definitely make her late, but she could hail a taxi at the intersection ahead. As there weren’t a lot of taxi drivers at this time, two or three people were standing there. Yang Wei ran up and joined the ranks of those waiting for a ride. Soon afterward, an open taxi appeared in the distance, and Yang Wei felt the atmosphere around her transform.
Something was burning in the air—
Fighting spirit.
The people that had originally been standing there contently all suddenly fixed their postures, anxiously awaiting the open taxi’s arrival. When the taxi stopped, everyone—striving to be first—rushed toward it. The first person to grab the door handle was a man clothed in a suit with a crew cut. The moment he took hold of the decisive opportunity, the others all embarrassedly returned to their original places to wait. The man with the crew cut proudly adjusted his tie and opened the door. He then turned to Yang Wei and said in a gentlemanly manner, “Miss, do you wish to take this ride?”
Yang Wei looked at him in surprise and then pointed at herself. “Me?”
“Yes.” He said, turning his body to the side as a gesture of invitation to Yang Wei.
The others stared at the two of them, their gazes overflowing with curiosity. Yang Wei’s eyes shifted as she glanced at the surrounding onlookers and met their gazes one by one. She entered the car, and after sitting down, the man with the crew cut took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to her, slightly bashful. “Hello, I am…”
“I know, you’re Lei Feng.” Yang Wei smiled as she pressed the business card back into his hand. Pa— The car door closed. “City First Primary, thank you.”
The taxi driver immediately accelerated, ruthlessly grinding up a cloud of dust behind the taxi, causing the man with the crew cut to choke on the car’s exhaust fumes.
Yang Wei removed her makeup bag from her handbag and then took out a compact mirror, flipping it open. The taxi driver glanced at her and asked, “You’re a teacher? You look so young.”
Yang Wei touched up her face with BB cream as she replied, “I turn twenty-four this year.” As her face looked relatively youthful, she needed a bit of makeup in order to appear slightly more mature.
The driver laughed and said, “If my teacher when I was a kid was as beautiful as you are, I’d definitely be a scientist right now.”
Yang Wei smiled and replied, “Sir, your mouth is very sweet. I take it that your business is going well then?”
The driver devilishly chuckled with a grin, like a demon that had just been awakened from his slumber.
Meanwhile, Xi Xiao Yan had just finished a morning jog around the school’s new garden and was in the middle of heading back to the single dorm room that the university had provided him. He picked his phone up from the table to look at the time: 7:33AM. He didn’t know how Yang Wei would get to school from now on. He scrolled through his contacts list, his finger pausing over 『 Baby 』for a few seconds, but in the end, he set his phone back down without doing anything.
Yang Wei’s taxi arrived at the door to A City’s first-ranked elementary school at 7:45AM. Yang Wei paid the fare and then walked up to the building, her lips curving into a smile.
City First Primary was Emperor Mo’s alma mater. Yang Wei had cheerfully begun singing loudly when she was hired. However, the school had moved to a new location, while its old location had become the most expensive Chinese restaurant in A City.
“Hello, Teacher Yang!”
“Good morning, teacher!”
Many students continuously streamed past her, all of whom greeted Yang Wei when they recognized her. Yang Wei also smiled and returned their greeting with a ‘Good Morning.’ She stealthily rubbed her cheeks as she walked upstairs, as they somewhat ached from smiling so much.
“Good morning, Teacher Yang!” A male teacher clad in a white collared shirt greeted her with a completely invigorated voice when he saw Yang Wei enter the office. Yang Wei smiled at him and walked directly to her seat. The male teacher behind her rather anxiously asked, “Teacher Yang, are you not in a good mood today?”
Yang Wei turned to face him and flashed a smile as she said, “I just don’t want to see math teachers for a while.”
Male Math Teacher: “…”
To the side, a female teacher wearing black-framed glasses slipped into her office chair and rolled it over to Yang Wei. “Did you really request a leave of absence yesterday in order to get a divorce?”
This female teacher’s last name was ‘Yao,’ and she was the fifth grade English teacher.
Yang Wei hummed in affirmation as she set her bag down in her chair and took a seat. She then took a look at the school timetable. Today, there were a total of three subjects: two in the morning, and one in the afternoon.
Teacher Yao was stunned when she received Yang Wei’s confirmation. A gossipy expression appeared on her face as she asked, “Did he leave you for someone else?”
Yang Wei turned to look at her in astonishment. “You’ve seen that man already?”
This time, Teacher Yao was dumbstruck rather than stunned. “…M-man?”
“I’ve heard that he’s known him for twenty years.”
Teacher Yao gaped when she heard this. She then returned to her own office table, her expression that of having her three worldviews shattered. (1)
Yang Wei turned her gaze away from the female teacher, her gaze that of satisfaction, and got up to head to her classroom. The subject teacher was at the podium, guiding everyone in the morning reading when she got there. Yang Wei circled the classroom once before returning to the office. Teacher Yao was typing something on her phone when Yang Wei entered. When she saw her, she casually handed her a piece of bread. “For you; you haven’t eaten breakfast yet, right?”
“Thanks.” Yang Wei accepted the bread and poured herself a cup of lukewarm water from the pitcher.
Within Imperial City University, Qi Xiao Yan carried a pile of test papers as he quickly walked through the corridors, which drew the attention of quite a few students. He had two classes this morning, so he chose to use the time to give out a test instead. When he entered his classroom, the originally noisy students immediately became quiet. When a girl stealthily took a photo of him with her phone, however, he acted like he hadn’t seen it.
He walked up to the podium and said in a flat voice, “Test today.”
Anguished wails rang out from the entire class following this announcement.
Qi Xiao Yan continued, “This test will also be worth 20% of your semester grade.” He distributed the tests and kindly reminded them, “As I got divorced, this test will be very difficult.”
Students: “…”
As a mathematics professor, you can’t do such a fucking illogical thing!
The two classes taking the test learned that when Qi Xiao Yan said ‘very difficult,’ it meant beyond difficult… Professor, why are there so many questions where I don’t even understand what the question is asking?
Even though everyone was tortured by the test, and hovered between life and death as a result, many of them had gained a piece of information that raised their spirits: Professor Qi…had gotten divorced!
Once the test was over, the students left the classroom in twos and threes. A tall girl walked up to the podium and, with a shy expression, timidly asked, “Professor Qi, you really got divorced?”
Qi Xiao Yan was in the middle of straightening out the test papers when he heard her question. He raised his gaze to meet hers. “The school prohibits relationships between teachers and students.”
The female student was startled when she heard this and then said with an even more bashful demeanor, “I only have a year left until I graduate…”
“I will have remarried by then.” Qi Xiao Yan picked up the test papers and took two steps toward the exit. “And, of course, my partner won’t be you.”
Female Student: “…”
At 11:40AM, the morning classes at City First Primary ended. After Yang Wei gathered her class’ students into a line and led them out the door, she finally let out a sigh of relief. She then went to a small stir-fry restaurant nearby and bought two servings of fried rice before heading back to the school’s cafeteria. After glancing around to make sure that the students there were obediently eating lunch, she returned to the office.
Teacher Yao was sitting by herself, playing with her phone when she entered. Yang Wei handed her a container of fried rice and then pulled out her own chair to take a seat. To her surprise, her phone suddenly vibrated on the table. Glancing at the illuminated screen, it was unexpectedly a message from Curly-bae.
Ke—ke— Yang Wei suddenly began coughing due to choking on her rice. Teacher Yao glanced at her from the side and coolly stated, “Reportedly, 120,000 people die from choking on food every day worldwide.”
Yang Wei’s lips twisted to the side when she heard this. She then opened up the unread message on her phone.
「Yang Wei! You told your coworkers that I’m gay?!」
Yang Wei: “…”
After shooting a glance at Teacher Yao, she opened her Weibo app and scrolled through to find the message that Teacher Yao had posted earlier that morning.
Headmaster Didn’t Comb Hair Today: 「Adonis got divorced, but he’s unexpectedly gay; should I go and get surgery?『smile-cry』」
Yang Wei laid on the table as she stifled a laugh. When she’d created Qi Xiao Yan’s Weibo account, she’d made him follow everyone that she followed. She restrained herself from grinning and sent Qi Xiao Yan a reply. 「I didn’t say that. That message was all from her own imagination. Furthermore, she only mentioned ‘Adonis,’ yet you automatically thought that it referred to yourself; is your face really -__________________- that big?」
After sending her reply, and seeing how she had essentially sunk a stone in the ocean (2), Yang Wei thought, Qi Xiao Yan wouldn’t immediately delete his Weibo out of anger, right? But then again, does he even know how to delete his Weibo? Hahahaha.
She then continued eating her bacon fried rice, but not before giving Teacher Yao’s post on Weibo a like.
It was exactly seven o’clock in the morning when Yang Wei’s alarm clock rang.
She groped around her pillow and subconsciously called out, “Curly…”
As she’d just woken up, her voice carried a much softer tone than when she normally spoke, but no one responded to her call. Yang Wei frowned. How come Curly-bae hadn’t woken her up to eat breakfast today?
She finally found her phone once she’d flipped over Qi Xiao Yan’s pillow. The instant she turned off the alarm, however, she remembered that she and Qi Xiao Yan were divorced.
She simply lay there on the bed, tired and at a loss, for two minutes before wildly springing up from her blanket cocoon and rushing to the bathroom.
Study hall started at 7:45AM. Originally, this had nothing to do with her; everything was fine so long as she managed to arrive at school before 8:20AM. This semester, however, the homeroom teacher responsible for the second class of fifth grade students had taken three months of maternity leave. Yang Wei had unfortunately been chosen as the substitute teacher for this class.
It was reasonable to say that this teacher’s work shouldn’t have fallen on her, an art teacher, but the rest of teachers had all firmly expressed that they were very busy and that they couldn’t supervise another class. In her heart, Yang Wei clearly understood that a homeroom teacher earned several hundred yuan more than an elective teacher, but they also had to manage many more tasks; no one wanted to strain their hearts to such an extent. Furthermore, it seemed that she really was the one with the most free time among the staff.
She washed her face with lightning speed before curling her hair into loose waves down her front. Afterward, she urgently rushed to her wardrobe, where clothes akin to aesthetic, glittering jewels were neatly arranged. Yang Wei stroked her chin as she considered them for three seconds and then began putting together an outfit. A white pleated blouse, a deep blue collarless jacket, a pair of casual, black work pants… OK!
Yang Wei grabbed a nude pink handbag from the sofa in the living room, slipped into a pair of low-heeled leather shoes at the doorway, and then dashed out of the building. It was 7:24AM when she reached her neighborhood’s gate. Her neighborhood was near the school she worked at. Previously, Qi Xiao Yan would drive her to every morning in ten minutes. As Qi Xiao Yan’s ex-wife, however, it was clear that she could no longer enjoy this service from now on.
Taking the public bus would definitely make her late, but she could hail a taxi at the intersection ahead. As there weren’t a lot of taxi drivers at this time, two or three people were standing there. Yang Wei ran up and joined the ranks of those waiting for a ride. Soon afterward, an open taxi appeared in the distance, and Yang Wei felt the atmosphere around her transform.
Something was burning in the air—
Fighting spirit.
The people that had originally been standing there contently all suddenly fixed their postures, anxiously awaiting the open taxi’s arrival. When the taxi stopped, everyone—striving to be first—rushed toward it. The first person to grab the door handle was a man clothed in a suit with a crew cut. The moment he took hold of the decisive opportunity, the others all embarrassedly returned to their original places to wait. The man with the crew cut proudly adjusted his tie and opened the door. He then turned to Yang Wei and said in a gentlemanly manner, “Miss, do you wish to take this ride?”
Yang Wei looked at him in surprise and then pointed at herself. “Me?”
“Yes.” He said, turning his body to the side as a gesture of invitation to Yang Wei.
The others stared at the two of them, their gazes overflowing with curiosity. Yang Wei’s eyes shifted as she glanced at the surrounding onlookers and met their gazes one by one. She entered the car, and after sitting down, the man with the crew cut took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to her, slightly bashful. “Hello, I am…”
“I know, you’re Lei Feng.” Yang Wei smiled as she pressed the business card back into his hand. Pa— The car door closed. “City First Primary, thank you.”
The taxi driver immediately accelerated, ruthlessly grinding up a cloud of dust behind the taxi, causing the man with the crew cut to choke on the car’s exhaust fumes.
Yang Wei removed her makeup bag from her handbag and then took out a compact mirror, flipping it open. The taxi driver glanced at her and asked, “You’re a teacher? You look so young.”
Yang Wei touched up her face with BB cream as she replied, “I turn twenty-four this year.” As her face looked relatively youthful, she needed a bit of makeup in order to appear slightly more mature.
The driver laughed and said, “If my teacher when I was a kid was as beautiful as you are, I’d definitely be a scientist right now.”
Yang Wei smiled and replied, “Sir, your mouth is very sweet. I take it that your business is going well then?”
The driver devilishly chuckled with a grin, like a demon that had just been awakened from his slumber.
Meanwhile, Xi Xiao Yan had just finished a morning jog around the school’s new garden and was in the middle of heading back to the single dorm room that the university had provided him. He picked his phone up from the table to look at the time: 7:33AM. He didn’t know how Yang Wei would get to school from now on. He scrolled through his contacts list, his finger pausing over 『 Baby 』for a few seconds, but in the end, he set his phone back down without doing anything.
Yang Wei’s taxi arrived at the door to A City’s first-ranked elementary school at 7:45AM. Yang Wei paid the fare and then walked up to the building, her lips curving into a smile.
City First Primary was Emperor Mo’s alma mater. Yang Wei had cheerfully begun singing loudly when she was hired. However, the school had moved to a new location, while its old location had become the most expensive Chinese restaurant in A City.
“Hello, Teacher Yang!”
“Good morning, teacher!”
Many students continuously streamed past her, all of whom greeted Yang Wei when they recognized her. Yang Wei also smiled and returned their greeting with a ‘Good Morning.’ She stealthily rubbed her cheeks as she walked upstairs, as they somewhat ached from smiling so much.
“Good morning, Teacher Yang!” A male teacher clad in a white collared shirt greeted her with a completely invigorated voice when he saw Yang Wei enter the office. Yang Wei smiled at him and walked directly to her seat. The male teacher behind her rather anxiously asked, “Teacher Yang, are you not in a good mood today?”
Yang Wei turned to face him and flashed a smile as she said, “I just don’t want to see math teachers for a while.”
Male Math Teacher: “…”
To the side, a female teacher wearing black-framed glasses slipped into her office chair and rolled it over to Yang Wei. “Did you really request a leave of absence yesterday in order to get a divorce?”
This female teacher’s last name was ‘Yao,’ and she was the fifth grade English teacher.
Yang Wei hummed in affirmation as she set her bag down in her chair and took a seat. She then took a look at the school timetable. Today, there were a total of three subjects: two in the morning, and one in the afternoon.
Teacher Yao was stunned when she received Yang Wei’s confirmation. A gossipy expression appeared on her face as she asked, “Did he leave you for someone else?”
Yang Wei turned to look at her in astonishment. “You’ve seen that man already?”
This time, Teacher Yao was dumbstruck rather than stunned. “…M-man?”
“I’ve heard that he’s known him for twenty years.”
Teacher Yao gaped when she heard this. She then returned to her own office table, her expression that of having her three worldviews shattered. (1)
Yang Wei turned her gaze away from the female teacher, her gaze that of satisfaction, and got up to head to her classroom. The subject teacher was at the podium, guiding everyone in the morning reading when she got there. Yang Wei circled the classroom once before returning to the office. Teacher Yao was typing something on her phone when Yang Wei entered. When she saw her, she casually handed her a piece of bread. “For you; you haven’t eaten breakfast yet, right?”
“Thanks.” Yang Wei accepted the bread and poured herself a cup of lukewarm water from the pitcher.
Within Imperial City University, Qi Xiao Yan carried a pile of test papers as he quickly walked through the corridors, which drew the attention of quite a few students. He had two classes this morning, so he chose to use the time to give out a test instead. When he entered his classroom, the originally noisy students immediately became quiet. When a girl stealthily took a photo of him with her phone, however, he acted like he hadn’t seen it.
He walked up to the podium and said in a flat voice, “Test today.”
Anguished wails rang out from the entire class following this announcement.
Qi Xiao Yan continued, “This test will also be worth 20% of your semester grade.” He distributed the tests and kindly reminded them, “As I got divorced, this test will be very difficult.”
Students: “…”
As a mathematics professor, you can’t do such a fucking illogical thing!
The two classes taking the test learned that when Qi Xiao Yan said ‘very difficult,’ it meant beyond difficult… Professor, why are there so many questions where I don’t even understand what the question is asking?
Even though everyone was tortured by the test, and hovered between life and death as a result, many of them had gained a piece of information that raised their spirits: Professor Qi…had gotten divorced!
Once the test was over, the students left the classroom in twos and threes. A tall girl walked up to the podium and, with a shy expression, timidly asked, “Professor Qi, you really got divorced?”
Qi Xiao Yan was in the middle of straightening out the test papers when he heard her question. He raised his gaze to meet hers. “The school prohibits relationships between teachers and students.”
The female student was startled when she heard this and then said with an even more bashful demeanor, “I only have a year left until I graduate…”
“I will have remarried by then.” Qi Xiao Yan picked up the test papers and took two steps toward the exit. “And, of course, my partner won’t be you.”
Female Student: “…”
At 11:40AM, the morning classes at City First Primary ended. After Yang Wei gathered her class’ students into a line and led them out the door, she finally let out a sigh of relief. She then went to a small stir-fry restaurant nearby and bought two servings of fried rice before heading back to the school’s cafeteria. After glancing around to make sure that the students there were obediently eating lunch, she returned to the office.
Teacher Yao was sitting by herself, playing with her phone when she entered. Yang Wei handed her a container of fried rice and then pulled out her own chair to take a seat. To her surprise, her phone suddenly vibrated on the table. Glancing at the illuminated screen, it was unexpectedly a message from Curly-bae.
Ke—ke— Yang Wei suddenly began coughing due to choking on her rice. Teacher Yao glanced at her from the side and coolly stated, “Reportedly, 120,000 people die from choking on food every day worldwide.”
Yang Wei’s lips twisted to the side when she heard this. She then opened up the unread message on her phone.
「Yang Wei! You told your coworkers that I’m gay?!」
Yang Wei: “…”
After shooting a glance at Teacher Yao, she opened her Weibo app and scrolled through to find the message that Teacher Yao had posted earlier that morning.
Headmaster Didn’t Comb Hair Today: 「Adonis got divorced, but he’s unexpectedly gay; should I go and get surgery?『smile-cry』」
Yang Wei laid on the table as she stifled a laugh. When she’d created Qi Xiao Yan’s Weibo account, she’d made him follow everyone that she followed. She restrained herself from grinning and sent Qi Xiao Yan a reply. 「I didn’t say that. That message was all from her own imagination. Furthermore, she only mentioned ‘Adonis,’ yet you automatically thought that it referred to yourself; is your face really -__________________- that big?」
After sending her reply, and seeing how she had essentially sunk a stone in the ocean (2), Yang Wei thought, Qi Xiao Yan wouldn’t immediately delete his Weibo out of anger, right? But then again, does he even know how to delete his Weibo? Hahahaha.
She then continued eating her bacon fried rice, but not before giving Teacher Yao’s post on Weibo a like.
