Can We Get Married First?  20

Chapter 20

The service elevator was slow. Lou Mi and Chi Lin stood close, their chests almost touching.

Chi Lin wanted to raise her hand to create some distance, but that would mean touching Lou Mi’s chest… which would be even more awkward.

She stood frozen, her gaze fixed on a point beyond Lou Mi’s shoulder.

Lou Mi, however, was relaxed, swaying slightly with the elevator’s gentle movements.

“Is this elevator safe?” she joked, her breath warm against Chi Lin’s ear. “It feels like it’s about to fall.”

Chi Lin, her ears surprisingly sensitive, flinched, her shoulders hunching further.

As Lou Mi continued her attempts at humor, Chi Lin turned abruptly, her gaze meeting Lou Mi’s.

“Quiet,” she said, a hint of sharpness in her voice, her own slight agitation coloring her tone.

Chi Lin hadn’t meant to sound harsh, but Lou Mi, taken aback, felt a flicker of annoyance.

Did that little brat just tell me to be quiet?

She was about to retort when she noticed Chi Lin’s flushed ears, realizing she was the cause.

Even without any personal experience, she knew what that meant.

“Ahem… right,” she muttered, deciding against a confrontation.

Thankfully, the elevator reached their floor.

They entered the tenth-grade office. It was during the exercise break, so many desks were empty.

Chi Lin led Lou Mi to a middle-aged woman. “This is Ms. Hu, my English teacher. Ms. Hu, this is my sister.”

Lou Mi politely removed her mask and sunglasses.

An English teacher? Lou Mi had expected to meet the homeroom teacher for a general post-midterm discussion.

Ms. Hu, who had been preparing for her next class, paused, saved her work, and turned to them, frowning.

“Sister?” she asked. “Your biological sister?”

They didn’t look alike.

“Not exactly,” Chi Lin said. “She’s my mother’s boyfriend’s daughter.”

“So you’re not her guardian,” Ms. Hu said pointedly. “I asked for a parent. This is a serious matter. I need to speak to a close relative.”

Lou Mi bristled at the implication that she wasn’t worth speaking to.

“Ms. Hu,” she said, pulling Chi Lin closer, “we may not be blood relatives, but we’ve lived together for two years and are about to become a blended family. I’m practically her elder. If you don’t believe me… here’s her mother’s ID and password. Her mother entrusted me with her care before leaving on a business trip. I’m her designated guardian. You can discuss anything with me.”

Lou Mi’s voice was calm and assertive, somehow making Ms. Hu seem smaller.

Ms. Hu, not wanting to be outdone, stood up.

She was indeed shorter than Lou Mi, significantly shorter.

“Since her mother is unavailable, I’ll be brief. Do you know Chi Lin’s English score on the midterm exam?”

“Sixty-four,” Lou Mi replied. “She showed me her scores. It’s not a passing grade, but it’s a significant improvement. Give her some time. She’s just starting. I’m sure she can…”

Ms. Hu interrupted. “If she improves any further, it’ll be even more problematic.”

“I don’t understand,” Lou Mi said. “Isn’t improvement a good thing?”

“Improvement should be achieved through hard work, not… shortcuts. We don’t encourage cheating at this school.”

Who encourages cheating?

Lou Mi understood. “Are you accusing her of cheating?”

Ms. Hu smiled, a silent confirmation.

“So improvement equals cheating? That’s a novel theory,” Lou Mi said, her smile even wider.

The tension in the room escalated. Other teachers gathered, some watching openly, others listening discreetly.

“Miss… Sister,” Ms. Hu said, “there’s no need for hostility. Let’s be reasonable.” She patted her chest. “Her previous English scores are on record. A fifty-point improvement in less than twenty days… In my fifteen years of teaching, I’ve never seen such a dramatic improvement, except in cases of cheating.”

“Do you have any proof?” Lou Mi asked.

Ms. Hu, exasperated by her persistent denial, scoffed. “Do I need proof? It’s obvious. Chi Lin, tell your… sister your usual scores.”

Chi Lin remained silent, her gaze fixed on Ms. Hu.

Ms. Hu turned back to Lou Mi. “She barely managed a ten on the last exam, which was much easier. I’ve never seen a high school student who couldn’t even write the alphabet correctly. Even elementary school students can distinguish between ‘R’ and ‘B.’ And this midterm exam was difficult. Even the top students struggled. And she scored over sixty? A threefold improvement? Do you really believe that?”

Lou Mi’s expression remained unchanged. “Do you have any proof? Or are you just assuming she cheated because you don’t believe she’s capable of improvement?”

Ms. Hu: “…”

Frustrated, she took a sip of tea.

“Does everything require proof? Some things are self-evident.”

“So you have no proof,” Lou Mi concluded.

Ms. Hu glared at her, speechless.

Several teachers recognized Lou Mi.

Esports athletes were as popular as traditional sports stars had been in previous decades. Lou Mi, a world champion, was a hero to many young people and even respected by older generations.

Many teachers at South Lake Third High were “Return to Jianghu” players and fans of Lou Mi, familiar with her fiery personality and sharp tongue.

They were not disappointed by her performance today.

Lou Mi turned to Chi Lin. “Did you cheat?”

“No,” Chi Lin replied.

“And you’re just going to let her accuse you without defending yourself? Where’s that fighting spirit you usually have with me?”

Ms. Hu, feeling attacked, raised her voice. “I’m not accusing her falsely! Do you really think someone can improve that much in two weeks? A prodigy, maybe, but Chi Lin? Please.”

“You clearly haven’t met many talented individuals. A fifty-point improvement in twenty days is nothing. I’ve seen eighty-point improvements in a week,” Lou Mi said, referring to her own experience in high school when she had caught up on months of neglected studies with intensive tutoring.

“And Chi Lin’s improvement isn’t a miracle. I’ve been tutoring her every night until midnight, and she continues studying after I go to bed. She’s working hard. She doesn’t need praise from others. She’s studying for herself. We all understand that. But you’re a teacher. You’re supposed to guide and encourage your students, not accuse them without evidence. Do you have any idea how much a teacher’s words can affect a student? This is irresponsible.”

Ms. Hu’s face flushed, her hand trembling as she gripped her teacup.

Ms. Qi, entering the office, witnessed the scene and quickly intervened, hoping to defuse the situation.

“Let’s all calm down,” she said with a smile. “We all want what’s best for Chi Lin.”

“And you are…?” Lou Mi asked.

“My homeroom teacher, Ms. Qi,” Chi Lin replied.

“Good. Ms. Qi, can you vouch for Chi Lin’s character? Ms. Hu, do you have another English exam?”

Ms. Hu didn’t answer. Another English teacher, holding a tablet, offered a new exam.

“This one is more difficult than the midterm exam,” she said.

“Perfect,” Lou Mi said, placing the tablet on the desk and patting Chi Lin’s shoulder. “Sometimes, we have to do unpleasant things to clear our names. But it’s not wrong. Can you take this exam now?”

Unlike her usual volatile demeanor, Lou Mi exuded an aura of calm authority, surprising Chi Lin.

Chi Lin nodded and sat down at the desk.

Ms. Qi brought her a chair and offered words of encouragement. “Relax. Take your time.”

Chi Lin smiled at Ms. Qi, a smile that seemed older than her years, filled with confidence.

This was the second time this month she had been asked to demonstrate her abilities in front of an audience of teachers.

Unfazed by the stares, she began to write, her grip on the stylus resembling that of a calligrapher.

The English teachers watched, their initial skepticism fading as she progressed through the multiple-choice questions.

Her accuracy rate was over fifty percent, potentially higher than her midterm score.

When she finished, Ms. Qi had Ms. Hu grade the exam.

The final score was 76. Chi Lin breathed a sigh of relief.

Lou Mi, her anger slightly abated, turned to Ms. Hu.

“Apologize to my sister,” she said.

Ms. Hu, suppressing her resentment, said grudgingly, “If she had consistently performed at this level, there wouldn’t have been any misunderstanding. She should have shown her true abilities earlier.”

Lou Mi, her anger reignited by Ms. Hu’s unapologetic tone, grabbed her collar, her eyes blazing.

“Is that how your mother taught you to apologize?”

Ms. Qi and the other teachers quickly intervened.

“Let’s all calm down,” Ms. Qi pleaded. “Ms. Hu, Chi Lin clearly deserves this score. Just apologize.”

Ms. Hu, intimidated by Lou Mi’s intensity, mumbled an apology to Chi Lin.

As Chi Lin returned to class, Lou Mi sat in her car, regretting her outburst.

She had defended Chi Lin, but what if Ms. Hu retaliated?

Chi Lin returned to class near the end of physics, and Liu Huixin immediately bombarded her with questions.

“Did Ms. Hu lose it again? What were you doing in the office? What did you talk about?”

The physics teacher threw his stylus, hitting Liu Huixin on the forehead.

Liu Huixin yelped and sat up straight.

“Bring me my stylus,” the teacher said.

Liu Huixin, red-faced, retrieved the stylus amidst laughter from her classmates.

After physics, they had Chinese. Mr. Xia, notorious for running over time, finally dismissed the class, and the students rushed out, starving.

Liu Huixin asked Chi Lin about lunch plans, but Chi Lin, checking her WeChat, said, “I have plans. See you later.”

Before Liu Huixin could respond, Chi Lin was gone.

Chi Lin clocked out and walked to the convenience store two blocks away, where Lou Mi was waiting.

Big Mimi: “Don’t wander off. Lunch with me.”

Lou Mi watched in the rearview mirror as Chi Lin approached, her ponytail bouncing in time with her backpack.

“You’re still here?” Chi Lin asked, slightly out of breath. She had clearly rushed over.

Lou Mi smiled. “I’m free this morning. And I thought you deserved a good meal after that… incident. Get in. My treat.”

Chi Lin got in, holding her backpack.

“Put your backpack in the back and fasten your seatbelt,” Lou Mi said.

The backpack looked cute, but safety first.

Chi Lin stretched her arm, trying to reach the back seat, but it was just out of reach.

She was shorter than Lou Mi, her arms slightly shorter as well.

Lou Mi could have suggested adjusting the seat, but she didn’t, watching as Chi Lin struggled.

The backpack slipped and fell onto the floor.

Chi Lin, giving up, leaned towards Lou Mi, finally managing to place the backpack on the back seat.

“What do you want to eat?” Lou Mi asked.

Chi Lin, unfamiliar with the local restaurants, said, “Whatever you’re having.”

Lou Mi was surprised by her easy compliance.

“Barbecue?”

“Sure.”

“Let’s go!”

Lou Mi’s favorite barbecue restaurant offered an all-you-can-eat buffet for 388 yuan per person.

The meat was excellent, the service impeccable, and the portions generous. She often came here with her teammates after a grueling match.

She hadn’t brought Chi Lin here randomly. She had a mission.

Being falsely accused of cheating after all that hard work was demoralizing.

She had seen Chi Lin’s efforts to improve, her determination to break free from her past failures. This incident could easily crush her spirit and send her spiraling back into her old habits.

Chi Lin had been quiet during the drive and now sat silently, staring at her phone. She must be feeling down.

Lou Mi, taking charge of the grilling, mentally rehearsed a pep talk.

Insults and taunts came easily to her, but comfort and encouragement were unfamiliar territory.

At the club, Zhuo Jinglan played the role of the supportive figure, or occasionally Pagoda, with her gentle nature. No one expected emotional support from Lou Mi. Her words were more likely to cause further distress.

This was her first attempt at being the “good guy,” and her awkwardness translated into her grilling technique.

The beef was almost charred before she finally placed it on Chi Lin’s plate.

Chi Lin, however, wasn’t dwelling on the Ms. Hu incident.

If Lou Mi knew the seemingly naive seventeen-year-old was actually a thirty-two-year-old seasoned official, she would have realized how misplaced her concern was.

Chi Lin had witnessed far worse injustices. She was merely amused by Ms. Hu’s clumsy accusations and Lou Mi’s effortless dismantling of her arguments.

She mentally noted Lou Mi’s support, while simultaneously lamenting her mistreatment of the delicious meat.

She hadn’t been particularly hungry, but the aroma of grilling meat, seasoned with a variety of spices, was tantalizing.

But Lou Mi was treating her. It would be rude to eat before her host.

Chi Lin’s apparent dejection was actually intense focus on the perfectly marbled beef sizzling on the grill.

The aroma intensified as the meat cooked.

Chi Lin’s stomach rumbled, but Lou Mi still hadn’t taken a bite.

How do I comfort her? Lou Mi wondered.

The meat is burning, Chi Lin thought.

Chi Lin’s dismay at Lou Mi’s culinary negligence was evident on her face.

Lou Mi, misinterpreting her expression, felt a pang of sympathy. The poor kid is devastated.

She had no idea the true cause of Chi Lin’s distress was her own actions, not Ms. Hu’s accusations.