Chapter 12: We are not in that kind of relationship!

An Xue Ruo stepped out of the room.

She leaned weakly against the wall.

She panted heavily, trying to calm herself.

During the conversation, she’d seemed composed.

But inside, she’d been overwhelmed by the other’s pressure.

Mo Yuan’s words were unexpected but not enough to rattle her this much.

It was the inexplicable, crushing sense of oppression that made her too scared to resist.

This confirmed one thing for her.

Lu You wasn’t as simple as he seemed.

After a few minutes of calming down, An Xue Ruo put on her signature faint smile.

She walked back to the classroom.

Meanwhile, in the office…

Mo Yuan propped her head with her hand.

She gazed out at the clear, endless sky.

‘For you to keep living so happily, I’ve made the biggest concessions, Xiao You.’

‘Don’t force me to show my true self.’

I didn’t get a chance to ask.

An Xue Ruo had already hurried out the back door.

The ceiling fan whirred loudly overhead.

It stirred up bursts of cool air, easing the summer heat.

I turned my head from the desk to look out the window.

The laughing crowd had faded into the distance.

The campus was growing quiet.

An Xue Ruo’s grades were nothing like mine.

I’ve always been solidly mid-to-upper tier.

But I can’t compare to those single-digit-ranking brainiacs.

She’s consistently in the top three schoolwide, never slipping.

Aside from Sister Yuan, every teacher dotes on her.

A girl who excels in academics, sports, looks, and effort?

It’s no surprise teachers pay attention to her.

Sister Yuan’s the exception.

She’s uninterested in any student but me.

She’s cold as ice to everyone else, guys and girls alike.

That’s probably why hardly anyone asks her questions.

Which is exactly why I’m so curious about her talk with An Xue Ruo.

Ten minutes later, An Xue Ruo returned.

Her expression was unchanged, still that gentle smile.

It seemed like the talk with Sister Yuan hadn’t affected her much.

“What happened?”

“What’d Teacher Mo say?”

I couldn’t wait to ask, bursting with curiosity.

“Nothing much.”

“Too many mistakes on my homework.”

“I’m heading out. Bye.”

“Oh, okay, bye.”

I waved as An Xue Ruo walked toward the door.

Then I stood, ready to find Sister Yuan.

“You two seem pretty close.”

“Like this classmate?”

Sister Yuan appeared beside me out of nowhere.

She stood with her hands on her hips, watching An Xue Ruo leave.

“Of course not.”

“We’re just classmates.”

“Sister Yuan, how do you sneak up like that?”

“I never sense you coming.”

“That’s the point.”

“So I can catch you cheating behind my back.”

“If you knew I was coming, you’d be on guard.”

“Cheating? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“We’re not like that!”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“You’re mine.”

“If you fall for another girl, that’s cheating.”

You’re mine.

She said it with a playful tone.

But after years with her, I could feel the unshakable seriousness in her words.

Every syllable dripped with dominance, intensity, and gravity.

Yet her face held a gentle smile, her tone neutral.

“I… I’m not going to fall for An Xue Ruo.”

“Don’t say stuff like that.”

“By the way, what’d you talk to her about?”

I didn’t quite buy An Xue Ruo’s excuse.

Her homework never has more than three mistakes.

Sister Yuan doesn’t call students in for stuff like that.

Except me.

“Another girl’s homework was identical to hers, word for word.”

“As a responsible English teacher, I had to address it.”

“Oh, makes sense.”

Her explanation checked out.

An Xue Ruo does let others copy her homework often.

“Alright, time to go home.”

“Let’s walk today.”

“We’ll grab some groceries on the way.”

“We’re almost out of ingredients.”

“Sounds good!”

“I want beef and potato stew tonight.”

Our house is a bit far from school.

It’s about an hour’s walk.

Auntie Yun arranges a driver to pick us up every day.

I always get out before we reach the school gate in the morning.

After school, I wait until everyone’s gone to leave with Sister Yuan.

The fancy black car isn’t unusual at Qiuhua High.

But if people saw me commuting with Teacher Mo?

My dream of a low-key school life would be toast.

Sister Yuan said a few words to the young woman driver in a black suit.

Then she grabbed my hand, leading me into the bustling street.

“Sister Yuan, look!”

“That stall’s selling hamsters.”

“Let’s check it out.”

A small stand had several clear plastic boxes.

Each held a chubby hamster munching on cornflakes.

A few people were staring at the boxes.

“No way.”

“I only need to take care of you, Xiao You.”

“You can only focus on me.”

“No splitting your attention with little animals.”

“Are you a jealousy machine?”

“You’re even jealous of hamsters?”

“Yep, that’s me.”

“Knowing that, just focus on me.”

“When I get jealous, I get mad easily.”

Her anger is terrifying.

I didn’t say more.

I let her pull me into the crowded market.

“Miss, buying veggies?”

“Fresh greens, picked this morning.”

“Come take a look.”

A middle-aged woman, maybe in her fifties, called out to Sister Yuan.

She waved a bunch of vibrant greens.

They did look fresh.

She saw Sister Yuan approach and kept praising her vegetables.

“All natural, no pesticides.”

“And these daikon radishes—sweet and crisp.”

“Take a look.”

I picked up a dirt-covered daikon.

It was big, white, and fresh-looking.

Sister Yuan glanced at it but preferred the greens.

“The greens look good.”

“Two bunches.”

“No radish?”

“Your boyfriend seems to like them.”

Boyfriend?!

Lady, I’m in a school uniform!

How’d you get that idea?

Teacher-student romance is that normal to you?

“We’re not—”

“Pack up the rest of those.”

She pointed at the pile of radishes, her face lit with a bright smile.

“That’s too much, Sister Yuan!”

“Planning a radish feast?”

“How are we carrying all this?”

“You’re spending like a maniac.”

“No choice.”

“She called you my boyfriend.”

“I had to support her business.”

“Worst case, we’ll call the driver back.”

She spoke while scanning her phone to pay.

Does that misunderstanding make you that happy?

Give the driver a break!

“Let me give you a discount.”

“Young man, you’re lucky.”

“Such a pretty, generous girlfriend.”

“Don’t let her down.”

“Lady, we’re really not—”

“Thanks, we’ll come back next time.”

Sister Yuan shot me a look and cut me off as I tried to explain.

“Potatoes! Fresh potatoes!”

“Young couple, come check it out!”

A potato vendor called out enthusiastically.

Before I could speak, Sister Yuan pulled me over.

“Miss, buying potatoes?”

“Homegrown, super fresh.”

“Delicious any way you cook them.”

Seeing Sister Yuan pick up a potato, she kept up her pitch.

“They say to capture a man’s heart, you start with his stomach.”

“My potatoes will lock down your boyfriend’s heart and stomach.”

“Bag up the rest of these.”

Here we go again.

There’s so many potatoes in that bag!

You don’t care about money, but how am I supposed to carry this?

Leaving the stall, both my hands were full of bags.

Sister Yuan switched from holding my hand to gripping my wrist.

“Sister Yuan, you really bought her spiel?”

“Buying so much?”

“How are we gonna eat it all?”

“Spiel or not, you’re already mine.”

“I don’t need tricks like that.”

“I bought it because she called us a couple.”

“That made me happy.”

Later, we got mistaken for a couple a few more times.

Whenever vendors shouted “your boyfriend” or “you cute couple” or “as his girlfriend,” Sister Yuan happily bought their goods.

Hearing those words, she was over the moon.

Nothing like her usual icy demeanor with others.

“Sister Yuan, that’s enough.”

“I can’t carry any more.”

I panted, setting down five or six heavy bags.

I propped my hands on my knees, looking at her ahead.

“Hmm, that’s about enough.”

“Let’s go.”

“I’ll make beef and potato stew tonight.”

“By the way, Xiao You, you’re so weak.”

“You need to work out more.”

She said this while easily picking up the bags.

“Not even that heavy.”

“Your stamina’s really bad.”

“That won’t do.”

“What if I accidentally break you?”

“Break me?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ll find out later.”

“Let’s go, the driver’s here.”

She grabbed my wrist and led me out of the market.

The familiar driver stood by the black car outside.

Later?

When?

Doing what?

I have a feeling her “break you” isn’t anything good.