Wen Tingxue, unable to withstand his onslaught, blushed and was about to hang up, when she remembered Qiao Xixi's request.
"..."
Upon hearing this, Yu Wenli's smile vanished. "That's it?"
"Ah," the little girl bit her lip, her voice lacking confidence. "I think she's quite sincere. Helping her wouldn't be a bad idea. Besides, teaching one is still teaching, teaching two is also teaching, right?"
She blinked her big eyes, making it impossible for anyone to refuse.
"..."
Yu Wenli suddenly understood the principal's heartache. He felt the same way now. The refusal that was about to escape his lips disappeared in the face of the little girl's eager eyes. What else could he do? Spoil her.
-
Late at night, a bar.
If it weren't for Yu Yahe's sudden disappearance, Wen Di would never have come to a place like this. In his opinion, bars were not good places. After searching three consecutive places, Wen Di felt disappointed and even considered giving up. He disliked the bar's atmosphere; it was too noisy and hurt his ears. But he couldn't contact Yu Yahe. Even her parents didn't know her whereabouts. Being expelled had hit her hard. Wen Di feared she might do something drastic. So, after several setbacks, he rallied his spirits and continued his search.
"Handsome~"
A group of girls in black stockings suddenly blocked his path. "Looking for someone to have fun with? We can join you~" the speaker said flirtatiously, her eyes leering at him. Her hands were also not entirely proper, and the other girls burst into laughter, as if such things were commonplace.
Wen Di went from shock to disbelief, then to indignation. His entire face was now flushed red. "What do you want! I'm looking for someone, move aside!" The aura of a long-time teacher, once unleashed, was quite intimidating. The group of girls instinctively restrained their words and actions, and Wen Di seized the opportunity to move forward.
Although he desperately wanted to turn and flee, Yu Yahe's safety forced him to stay. However, as he navigated through the crowd amidst the deafening music, Wen Di's mind vividly replayed what Wen Tingxue had told him. It was during lunchtime, after school. Her face was pale, and she had said to him, almost drained of strength: "Teacher... they're trying to get me." The details of that moment were magnified now. He could even see through time the despair in the girl's pitch-black, lightless eyes. But what had he done then? He chose to downplay the situation, telling those boys to apologize and leave...
Liu Yue had told him more than once: "You need to learn to put yourself in others' shoes, to empathize as much as possible..." He had always thought he was doing a good job, until now. It was only now, when he truly empathized, that he could personally experience her boundless despair at the time. No. Perhaps his current feelings were only a fraction of hers. After all, she was an extremely frail girl, and surrounding her then were three boys. Taller, stronger, and more capable than her. She must have been terrified to seek his help, but he...
Wen Di wished he could travel back in time and slap himself twice! No wonder she was so disappointed in him. If he were in her shoes, he would be too.
...
When he found Yu Yahe, Wen Di's eyes were redder than hers. "Teacher..." She wasn't excessively drunk; she could still vaguely recognize him. "Teacher," she said, leaning in the booth and laughing, tears streaming down her face. "Why are you here, teacher? Are you worried about me?" All the reprimands were cast aside at this moment. Wen Di learned to understand her pain. He walked over and sat beside her, glancing at the empty bottle of alcohol. "Do you want to drink more?"
"..." Yu Yahe paused for about half a minute, then looked up, her eyes unfocused as she looked at him. Drunkenly, she said, "I thought you were going to scold me." "I did want to scold you," Wen Di quietly turned his face away and wiped his tears. "But I think I deserve scolding too." "Huh?" Yu Yahe tilted her head to look at him. After a long while, the alcohol took over. She instinctively hugged his arm and cried, "This isn't what I wanted, this really isn't what I wanted... I didn't want this... I really didn't..." She was completely drunk and babbled a lot of nonsense.
When Wen Di took her home, her parents were almost frantic. "What are your plans?" Yu Wen Di asked Yu Fu after Yu Mu helped Yu Yahe upstairs. Yu Fu took a drag from his cigarette with a troubled expression. "What other plans can we have? With all this trouble, we'll send her abroad to study."
-
The next morning.
On the way to school.
Wen Tingxue timidly snuggled into Yu Wenli's embrace, her dark eyes blinking blankly. She didn't understand why he had abruptly hung up the phone last night, and why he was still angry this morning. Had his period started? It was strange.
"Yu gege, you..." The little girl looked at him with bewilderment, asking cautiously. "Are you still angry about the Qiao Xixi matter?" That was all she could think of. Besides that, she hadn't done anything else, right? A cold smile flashed in Yu Wenli's eyes. He reached out and poked the little girl's soft, tofu-like face. He asked nonchalantly, "Whose car are you taking tonight?"
"..." Wen Tingxue closed her eyes in despair. It was over. He was digging up old grudges, or rather, settling accounts. She had abandoned him to practice dancing, planning to coax him back after the art festival. But the art festival had been too busy, and she had... forgotten. But he remembered! How terrible, why did he have to remember? Couldn't his good memory remember other things? Why did he have to remember these trivial matters!!! Woo woo woo ~ Wen Tingxue suddenly wished she had a boyfriend with a goldfish's memory. Then she wouldn't have to worry about him digging up old grudges.
"Hmm?" Her wandering thoughts were pulled back by the boy's warning-filled hum. The little girl let out a guilty "ah," her tone incredibly soft, and her voice even sweeter. "Of course it's Yu gege! Who else is as important as you!" Practice makes perfect. After being bullied so many times, her biggest improvement wasn't her breathing, but her sweet talk. She knew that coaxing him was simple: acting cute and praising him could handle eighty percent of the situation. As for the remaining twenty percent... she could only pray for her own good fortune.
"Is that so?" The boy smiled, completely unmoved. "Dancing, Qiao Xixi, which one is more important than gege?"
"..." Fine, twenty percent. So difficult to coax. The little girl rolled her eyes and finally forced out a fawning smile. "Yu..." Before she could finish, the boy suddenly let go and sat aside like a master, his posture noble and elegant. "I've heard enough sweet talk, it's sickening. Gege wants to see practical action."
"..." Wen Tingxue suddenly felt like biting him. Yu Wenli glanced at her and said playfully, "Gege seems to have taught you how to coax people." The little girl remained silent. Yu Wenli tapped his knee with one hand and slowly added, "If you want Qiao Xixi to come in and help..."
"Yu gege." The fragrant, soft jade fell directly into his arms. Yu Wenli's forehead twitched. Did she have to surrender so quickly? It made him seem less charming than Qiao Xixi! The more Yu Wenli thought about it, the more suffocated he felt, and he simply remained silent.
Wen Tingxue waited for a long time but saw no movement from him. She couldn't help but look up and met the boy's dark eyes. He seemed... even unhappier? What was going on? She had done as he asked, why was it backfiring? The little girl pondered and was about to get up, but as she leaned forward slightly, her lower back was immediately pressed down. *Smooch* She fell back into his arms. The next second, a deep voice came from above her head. "Gege never teaches outsiders. If sister Yi Yi wants me to make an exception, shouldn't you offer some benefit?" Benefit? Shouldn't Qiao Xixi be the one to give that? She was just a messenger!
He seemed to see through her thoughts. With a cold smile, he said, "I'm not looking at Qiao Xixi's face; of course, you should give the benefit."
Wen Tingxue: "..." Alright. It's all about 'me' now, he's truly angered. She really didn't expect that the great Yu God would be jealous even of girls. He really was a professional vinegar brewer, wasn't he? "Then," entrusted by others, loyal to the task. Wen Tingxue had no choice but to look up at him and ask seriously, "What have you been lacking recently?"
"What do you think I'm lacking?"
"..." It seemed he lacked nothing. Wen Tingxue pondered for a long time, thinking he was playing with her, and pouted unhappily. "If you have everything, what benefit can I give you?" Air? She said it with quite a bit of grievance.
Yu Wenli: "..." He had been ignored for more than half a month because of a silly dance. He hadn't even been wronged yet, and she had brought him another student. How could he possibly be agreeable? This little thing was becoming more pampered and arrogant the more she was raised.
"Think about it, what is something gege can't buy?" Yu Wenli's gaze was fixed on her, and a familiar darkness churned in his dark pupils. Suddenly enlightened, Wen Tingxue's cheeks flushed. "You... how can you be like this..." "Uh-huh," he curved his lips upward, his mood quite pleasant. Leaning down, nose to nose, he said, "The only benefit that can make gege's heart flutter is little Yi Yi's kiss."
Wen Tingxue averted her gaze and bit her lip. He had always been the initiator; how could she know how to do it... But seeing his demeanor, he probably wouldn't give up until he achieved his goal. She had already told Qiao Xixi that it was okay, so she couldn't go back on her word now... After much thought, the little girl, still blushing, placed one hand on his abdomen and leaned closer, closer, until their breaths could be felt...
-
Before Yu Yahe left Jiangcheng, she had to spend two days in the detention center. Because... The night before Yu Yahe bought her ticket to the US, she suddenly grabbed an empty beer bottle and went to the milk tea shop at the school entrance to smash Wen Tingxue. At that time, she couldn't dodge in time, and Xie Jin Yi, with quick reflexes, blocked it for her. Yu Yahe was immediately taken away and said nothing before leaving. When Xu Ke Xin heard about this, she specifically ran to Class 1 one minute before evening study and said to Wen Tingxue: "Invite me to eat together from now on."
-
The popularity of the sand painting video remained high, and Wen Tingxue instantly ascended to the position of Jiangcheng No. 1 High School's campus belle. Because she looked so beautiful in the video, her first love appearance in a school uniform was irresistible to anyone. For those few days, her desk was filled with love letters, and Yu Wenli began to secretly brew vinegar again. In the end, it was she who suffered; he was too difficult to coax. Who said he was abstinent? She was the first one not to believe it! It wasn't until the Jiangcheng Music Festival began that her popularity gradually declined. On the day of the music festival, Yu Wenli's team was performing, and Wen Tingxue went with Xu Ke Xin and Qiao Xixi. Xie Jin Yi couldn't make it due to dance practice. When they met, Chi Ze Rui showed little emotion, accompanied by Hao Luo Er. Xing Jia He had been playing on his phone, but as soon as Xu Ke Xin appeared, his eyes followed her the entire time. Subtly, not overtly. The only one unhappy at the scene was probably Mu Chen.