Tian Tian didn't answer him, instead turning to say,
"I've already settled in at the school, so I don't need your help with anything. Why aren't you leaving yet?"
Chen Dongyang feigned ignorance, "Leave for where?"
"Go back to Nancheng."
"My job doesn't require me to be at an office; I can communicate online. The internet line was set up this morning. It's the same here as it is in Nancheng. Why do you insist I go back?"
You ask why I insist you go back?
He was clearly playing dumb.
Tian Tian was speechless for a moment, then said, "Fine, stay if you want to. But I'm telling you now, don't morally blackmail me."
"You are choosing to stay here on your own accord, not for me. I won't be grateful because of this."
As long as she was willing to let him stay, there was room for things to change. Chen Dongyang was already very happy.
"I'm staying because I want to. I won't morally blackmail you. I like it here."
"Don't write anymore, eat your meal first."
Tian Tian said she wasn't eating, as she had eaten a lot at noon.
"Is the food in your cafeteria that good? What did you have for lunch?"
"I didn't eat at the cafeteria; I ate out."
"Ate out? Don't you find eating outside unhygienic?"
Seeing his look of curiosity and how the other teachers seemed reluctant to get close to her, Tian Tian found herself with many thoughts to share. She told him about her morning.
"Did I do too much by speaking up like that? Will others dislike me?"
Chen Dongyang didn't think so; he strongly supported Tian Tian.
"This place is fundamentally lacking in resources, and the thinking here is very rigid. If teachers can't broaden their horizons and enliven their thinking, what's the point of their existence?"
"I think what you did was excellent. Either way, the enrollment rate won't improve significantly anytime soon, so it's better to live more happily."
Hearing someone support her, Tian Tian felt a small sense of accomplishment and couldn't help but smile.
"Then, according to you, I should hurry up and arrange these courses. But they can only start next week; I haven't bought the necessary items yet."
After speaking, realizing her words could be misinterpreted, she quickly added,
"I'm not asking you to help me buy them. This is my own matter, and I want to do it myself. I just don't have time for now."
Chen Dongyang swallowed the words "I'll help you" that were on the tip of his tongue.
He thought for a moment, "What time do you get off in the afternoon?"
Tian Tian knew he would inevitably get involved. "What for?"
"It just so happens that I need to renovate my house recently and have to go to the county town to buy some things. If you finish school early, I'm driving anyway. I can give you a ride. You won't be able to sleep that early anyway, so you can consider it a stroll to aid digestion."
If Tian Tian hadn't been to his house before and seen how simple it was, she would have suspected he was using these two trips as an excuse to see her.
"Are you really going to renovate the house? Chen Dongyang, don't you feel lonely staying here alone?"
Chen Dongyang didn't think so. "You're also in design. Do you think our line of work requires a lively atmosphere? The more solitary it is, the more conducive it is to thinking. This is the real reason I like it here."
Fine, since he insisted on staying, Tian Tian said nothing more.
"School ends at five in the afternoon. I'll come find you after I eat."
Chen Dongyang couldn't bear for her to come back and forth.
"I'll pick you up instead. I don't know if your cafeteria meals cost money, and it's troublesome to cook for one person."
For someone like Tian Tian, who disliked housework, cooking for oneself was indeed troublesome.
Thinking that Chen Dongyang wasn't having an easy time either, she said,
"How about I speak to the principal? You can pay some meal fees monthly, and then you can eat here too."
Chen Dongyang had been waiting for her to say this and immediately beamed.
"I think that's a good idea. Then I'll trouble you, Teacher Jiang."
Tian Tian felt they had discussed everything that needed to be discussed.
"Alright, you can go now. I need to prepare for my afternoon class and don't have time to talk. Goodbye."
Chen Dongyang didn't want to disturb her too much, but he still pushed the lunchbox towards her.
"I've brought it all. Eat a few bites. The sesame oil here is made from sesame seeds they fried themselves; it's particularly fragrant. I specifically went to the sesame oil shop and bought fifty yuan worth. I put several drops in for you. Try it; it's really very fragrant."
Tian Tian had spent the whole noon talking and hadn't really eaten much.
Hearing him praise it so highly, she opened the box.
It was indeed very fragrant, with an intoxicating aroma hitting her.
After tasting a couple of bites, it was in Chen Dongyang's usual style – delicious. He had the potential to be a great chef.
Because she was in a hurry, even though Chen Dongyang was watching her, she finished the meal in five minutes without regard for her image and then pushed the lunchbox back to him.
"Don't bring me food anymore. Take your lunchbox back and wash it yourself. I won't see you out; I need to focus on preparing my lessons. Hurry up and go. Goodbye."
Seeing her finally busy, extremely busy, and not in the mood for frivolous thoughts, Chen Dongyang was genuinely happy for her.
Carrying the lunchbox, he walked out and secretly took out his phone, recording a video of the school before sending it to Jiang Nan Fang.
Time flew by until the afternoon. As Tian Tian walked out of the classroom with her books, she saw Chen Dongyang talking to the principal at the office door.
She went in, put her books away, and came back out. Chen Dongyang held up a stainless steel bowl from behind her, shaking it at her.
"I've discussed it with the principal. Each meal is three yuan, and the monthly food fee is one hundred yuan. I'll be eating here every day from now on."
Tian Tian's focus wasn't on him eating with her every day, but rather, "Three yuan a meal, one hundred a month? How did you two learn math?"
Chen Dongyang looked at her with a roguish smile. "It's because I eat a lot, so the principal gives me a wholesale price, right? Haven't you bought a bowl yet? I bought one for you too. Let's go, time to eat."
Chen Dongyang very thoughtfully bought her a pink insulated bowl.
The two, a handsome man and a beautiful woman, walked towards the cafeteria. Teacher Tang and others followed behind, whispering to Teacher Li and Teacher Wang.
"Didn't she say this person had nothing to do with her and was leaving soon? Why is he still coming to our school?"
Teacher Li said, "What are you worried about? This woman clearly has some background, not like an ordinary person. The man is also unusual. Who knows what their relationship is? It's not something we should be concerned about. Stay away from them."
Teacher Tang, however, took their words to heart and didn't see it that way.
She had also realized that Chen Dongyang was no ordinary person.
Not only was he handsome and well-built, but his demeanor was also exceptional.
Most importantly, he was her type.
This was a poor and remote area with little competition. If something could happen between them during his stay...
Chen Dongyang had done some research in the afternoon; there was a musical instrument shop in the county town, and he had obtained the address.
However, he didn't understand musical equipment, so he saved some pictures online for Tian Tian to look at.
As they were studying the pictures on his phone, Teacher Tang walked over with her bowl.
"Teacher Jiang, are you eating? Can I sit with you?"
Tian Tian didn't look at her face and instinctively moved inward.
"Of course, you can."