Chapter 56: The Omega Abandoned After a One-Night Stand (14)
“Today we’ll be studying a poem, ‘Jian Jia’ (蒹葭).”
Class 1, Grade 1 classroom.
Outside the window was a bright blue sky. In the center of the classroom’s four movable whiteboards was a projection screen, displaying a beautiful ancient Chinese painting. Chu Ruan stood in front of the whiteboard, writing the title with clear, precise strokes.
But as she finished the last stroke of the character “Jia-葭,” the ink from her pen smudged against the band-aid on her right middle finger. The pressure of her writing didn’t let up, pressing directly onto her wound, causing the final stroke to pause abruptly.
Su Xinyan, sitting in the second row due to her height, could clearly see the band-aids on Chu Ruan’s hand. There were two or three on her right hand alone. She wondered how she had gotten injured.
Chu Ruan turned around, her gaze sweeping over the students. She tapped the screen with her pinky finger, turning to the next page, displaying the main text of the poem, and began introducing the background.
Time flew by as she lectured. Just as the students, following her lead, finished reciting the poem that started with “The reeds and rushes are deeply green”, the bell rang.
Chu Ruan closed the textbook and lesson plan on the podium. As she lowered her eyes, the sharp glint in them disappeared.
Her soft hair was tied up in a bun today. Even though she was only wearing a simple knitted cardigan and pants, her aura was exceptionally gentle. She didn’t look like the intimidating homeroom teacher from the class next door, but more like a friendly older sister.
“That’s all for today,” she said, gathering her things and preparing to leave. “If you have any questions, you can ask me after class.”
Actually, as soon as she finished speaking, Chu Ruan was already walking towards the door. The content of the high school Chinese textbook was too simple, and the students in this class were all smart. They could easily memorize the key points by reviewing the textbook in their spare time. What required more effort from her wasn’t how to teach the knowledge, but how to assign an appropriate amount of homework to these intelligent students.
But before she could take two steps, a voice came from behind: “Teacher Chu.”
Chu Ruan stopped at the door and looked at Su Xinyan approaching her in surprise. She instinctively felt a pang of nervousness, then quickly suppressed those inappropriate emotions and responded: “Hmm?”
Su Xinyan had been staring at the band-aids on Chu Ruan’s hand throughout the entire class, wondering if Su Mingxiu knew about this. Now, chasing after Chu Ruan, she only wanted to find out the truth.
But her memory was good. Using the textbook as an excuse, she remembered the content of the lesson and asked casually: “Teacher Chu, the poem ‘Jian Jia’ was once considered to be a satire of Duke Xiang of Qin’s failure to consolidate his state with the rites of Zhou, or a lament for the inability to recruit hermits.
But now, it’s mostly interpreted as a love song, expressing the longing and sorrow of unrequited love. Which interpretation should I write for the exam?”
“Write both.”
Chu Ruan answered calmly, her clear, doe-like eyes looking at the little girl seriously, waiting for her next question.
Su Xinyan nodded and said “Okay,” then changed the subject, looking at the hand holding the lesson plan. “Teacher Chu, are you injured?”
Following her gaze, Chu Ruan saw that the edges of two band-aids on her right index finger were stained with blood. It was probably because the blisters from the burn had been squeezed while she was writing. Now, it gave the illusion of a serious injury.
But thinking about the origin of the wound, Chu Ruan instinctively shifted her hand, hiding the lesson plan behind her back. She said to Su Xinyan: “No, it’s nothing serious. Do you have any other questions?”
Su Xinyan, unable to get her answer, could only shake her head regretfully and watch Chu Ruan leave. After Chu Ruan’s figure disappeared down the hallway, she quickly ran back to the classroom.
***
“Buzz.”
The vibration of the phone on the wooden table caught Su Mingxiu’s attention.
She was having tea with the original owner’s elder brother at a mansion owned by the Su family. The mansion’s landscaping was excellent, with lush greenery outside, complemented by rare tropical plants meticulously maintained by gardeners. Through the sunlight and the treetops, she could even see a rainbow formed by the mist from a fountain in the distance.
The scenery was refreshing and calming. Su Mingxiu picked up her phone and, seeing the sender of the message, raised an eyebrow.
The person sitting across from her, seeing that she had something to attend to, lowered his head and sipped his tea, giving her enough time to handle her affairs.
Su Mingxiu entered the chat window and saw a message next to the crudely drawn stick figure avatar: “Teacher Chu is injured today! Did you know?!”
Compared to the sender’s excitement, conveyed by the numerous exclamation marks, Su Mingxiu only replied with a “?”.
I’m Busy Conquering the World: “You didn’t know? Teacher Chu’s injury is serious! It’s just that it’s not convenient for me to take a picture. Otherwise, you could see the blood, it’s soaked through the band-aid!”
Su Mingxiu frowned slightly.
Her elder brother, who had been trying not to disturb her work, noticed her expression and instinctively thought it was something important. But then, he caught a glimpse of the avatar in her chat window and was startled: “Did something happen to Xinyan at school?”
Su Mingxiu came back to her senses and quickly reassured him: “No.”
Her brother breathed a sigh of relief. He wanted to ask further, but Su Mingxiu suddenly remembered something. “Xinyan said the food in Jingui’s cafeteria isn’t good. I’ll go deliver some food to her later?”
“Huh?”
Her brother was surprised. “You’re so busy, I can have my assistant take care of it—I canceled two dinners with board members today and specifically booked a restaurant for you, a place highly praised by food critics.
You rarely come back, let’s chat about the plan to open a branch here, and I’ll see if there’s anything I can help you with.”
Su Mingxiu shook her head, a smile spreading across her face.
“Another time.”
After a pause, she said: “I might stay here longer this time, Brother. You’ll have to postpone those dinners. I have a very important matter to attend to.”
Although she said this, her brother couldn’t detect any urgency in her expression.
Instead…
Her smile seemed even more meaningful.
***
Jingui High School.
Even after the last class in the morning, PE, Su Xinyan still hadn’t received any further replies from Su Mingxiu. Staring at the blank avatar, she muttered to herself, putting away her phone:
Could it be that she guessed wrong, and Auntie actually doesn’t like Teacher Chu?
Then wouldn’t she be doing more harm than good?
“Xinyan?”
“Coming, coming.”
She held her phone, about to put it in her drawer. But before getting up, she couldn’t help but feel a flicker of hope. She put the phone in her pocket and walked out of the classroom.
PE class was the most relaxing time for the students. After listening to the teacher’s instructions, warming up, and running, they had twenty minutes of free time.
The Alphas in Class 1 divided themselves into two teams for a casual basketball game. Some, feeling hot, went to the swimming pool together. A few Betas either returned to the classroom to study or went to the cafeteria early to wait for lunch.
Soon, only a few Omegas, wearing sunscreen and chatting under the shade of the trees, remained on the playground.
Their fair skin and long legs, accentuated by their athletic shorts, attracted the attention of many passing students.
Su Xinyan sat on the horizontal bar, swinging her legs leisurely. She glanced at the basketball court and the tennis court in the distance, then looked away listlessly.
Her friend beside her nudged her with her elbow. “There are so many Alphas in our school, but I’ve never seen you interested in any of them. Are you not interested in dating, or do you just not find any of them attractive?”
“Not attractive.”
Su Xinyan replied honestly. “They’re not good-looking enough.”
The genes of Alphas and Omegas were already one in a million, and Jingui High School was a prestigious school in the city. The students who could study here were either from wealthy families, exceptionally intelligent, or incredibly hardworking. Although it couldn’t be said that the Alphas here were the most handsome, they were still very outstanding.
As for the cafeteria that Su Xinyan deemed “unattractive”—
It was simply because this young lady from the Su family was too picky, complaining that the cafeteria, apart from offering a variety of flavors, lacked expensive seasonal ingredients. For example, she couldn’t find fresh black and white truffles or rare wild mushrooms.
Her friend, hearing this, could only “…”
Thinking about Su Xinyan’s high standards, her friend couldn’t help but ask: “Then what kind of Alpha would you consider attractive?”
Su Xinyan thought for a moment. “What do you think of the first speaker from the alumni speech on our first day of school?”
Her friend replied honestly: “I didn’t get a good look.”
Su Xinyan took out her phone, preparing to search for photos in her album.
Just then, a message popped up on her screen: “School gate, lunch, hurry.”
Seeing the white avatar, Su Xinyan’s eyes lit up. She jumped off the horizontal bar effortlessly, beckoned her friend, and said: “Come on, let’s go appreciate the most beautiful person in our family.”
***
Compared to the scorching sun on the first day of school, the city had finally accepted the arrival of autumn. The air was cooler, even the temperature near noon was pleasant.
Su Xinyan’s friend stayed near the teaching building, while she, shielding her eyes from the sun with one hand, hurried towards the school gate. As soon as she reached Su Mingxiu, she didn’t even bother looking at the lunch Su Mingxiu had brought. Instead, she said triumphantly: “See? Someone really cares about Teacher Chu!”
The little girl was clever and didn’t think that Su Mingxiu had come to the school specifically to deliver lunch out of longing for her.
The person standing outside the gate was wearing a sharp suit. The pure white design could only be pulled off by her aura. The collar was folded back to reveal a black lining, the simple contrast of colors and the flattering waistline highlighting her figure perfectly.
The person with deep-set features smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. The mole at the corner of her eye was fainter under the sunlight, yet even more distinct against her almost translucent skin. “When did I say I didn’t care?”
Wow!
Su Xinyan’s eyes lit up with gossip.
She said excitedly: “Then I’ll go ask Teacher Chu out for you!”
“No need.”
Su Mingxiu’s gaze shifted behind Su Xinyan, her smile lingering on her lips.
The little girl standing before her didn’t understand. She turned around and saw Chu Ruan walking towards the school gate from the teaching building.
Chu Ruan, who had planned to practice her cooking skills during her lunch break to avoid embarrassing herself when she actually invited Su Mingxiu over, didn’t expect to run into her again.
But there was only one school gate. It would seem deliberate to avoid her.
She could only brace herself and greet Su Mingxiu, silently praying that Su Mingxiu wouldn’t want to eat her cooking today.
“What a coincidence.”
Chu Ruan stopped at the retractable gate, her lips parting, but she didn’t know how to address Su Mingxiu.
Su Xinyan’s guardian?
Dr. Su?
Su Mingxiu?
She struggled for a while, feeling like none of them were appropriate. She finally squeezed out a greeting: “Dr… Su.”
“Eh?” Su Xinyan, who was beside her, looked at her in surprise, wondering why she would address her aunt like that. After all, Su Mingxiu hadn’t been a doctor for a long time.
Su Mingxiu chuckled softly, not minding the address. Her gaze fell on Chu Ruan’s fingertips and, based on her experience, she quickly recognized the type of wound hidden beneath the band-aid.
Although she had guessed that Su Xinyan’s earlier message was just to scare her, she still wanted to see for herself.
“Teacher Chu,” she responded. “I haven’t had lunch yet, do you have time?”
“Ah!” Chu Ruan felt that her earlier prayer had been in vain. Had she not prayed sincerely enough for any god or Buddha to hear?
Su Xinyan looked around, took the lunchbox from Su Mingxiu’s hand, and quietly slipped away. When she met up with her friend while carrying the lunchbox, she saw her friend hugging a pillar with a lovestruck expression. She couldn’t help but wave her hand in front of her friend’s face.
“Earth to…”
Her friend snapped out of it and grabbed her hand. “Is that beautiful Alpha your relative?”
“Is she pretty?” Su Xinyan asked, leading her on.
Seeing her friend nod vigorously, she chuckled and pulled her away mercilessly. “Too bad she’s not yours, and I can’t introduce her to you. Let’s go.”
***
Not far away.
Chu Ruan had already swiped her card and exited the school gate, unsure whether to accept or decline Su Mingxiu’s invitation. Thinking about the three crucian carps that had died tragically in the trash can last night, she hesitated, pretending to have forgotten about her promise to cook. She suggested with a blush: “I know a good restaurant nearby—”
“Hmm?”
Su Mingxiu turned her head, sunlight falling on her, making the black collar of her suit shimmer like silk.
She reminded Chu Ruan slowly: “I remember Teacher Chu promised to cook for me personally last time? Is there something inconvenient?”
Faced with such a direct question, Chu Ruan couldn’t avoid it. She said softly:
“No…”
“It’s just… I’m not ready yet.”
Su Mingxiu glanced at her fingertips, thinking, It’s only been a few days, who would wait for her to be ready?
“But I can’t wait anymore.”
She looked at Chu Ruan’s clear and bright eyes and said with a smile.
Thump!
A loud drumbeat suddenly sounded in her ears!
Thump, thump!
Chu Ruan stared at her blankly, not even daring to blink.
Leave a Reply