Chapter 34: A Change of Plans and an Unexpected Encounter

When Liu Yun declared her intention to cancel the plan, Liu Xingyue naturally found herself unable to push it forward. From their recent conversation, she had already grasped Liu Yun’s steadfast resolve.

Her teacher, the Magical Girl Amethyst, possessed exceptionally high moral standards; she would never stoop to such a despicable act.

Ultimately, this was someone else’s romance, and she couldn’t possibly meddle too much.

When it came to matters of the heart, it ultimately depended on the individual feelings of the two people involved. If others interfered too much, and problems arose in the relationship, those involved would only end up blaming the people around them.

She and He Yao handled this aspect remarkably well. Regardless, it was their own affair; if their feelings could sustain it, they would continue to date. If those feelings couldn’t blossom, they would simply part ways at the appropriate time.

This way, no one else would be needlessly implicated.

Currently, Teacher Liu certainly liked Teacher Lin. But what if, after they married, they found themselves unhappy and unfulfilled, discovering their married life was completely different from what they had imagined?

Would Teacher Liu then turn around and resent her and He Yao?

He Yao, at his core, was merely a gloomy shut-in. Although he had now revealed his identity as a wealthy young master, this didn’t change his fundamental nature.

How could he possibly think clearly about such intricate matters of social etiquette and human relationships? He had only intended to bring Teacher Liu and Teacher Lin together because of his good relationship with Teacher Lin.

However, she didn’t plan to tell He Yao about this. After all, it was partly He Yao’s sincere wish. So, if Teacher Lin got drunk, then he got drunk, right?

While it felt a little unfair to Teacher Lin, she supposed it could be considered a form of hospitality. They would just make a slight change to the plan.

Originally, the idea was for Teacher Lin to get drunk and then be left alone with Teacher Liu, facilitating various ‘operations’ for Teacher Liu. But since Teacher Liu was unwilling, then Teacher Lin could simply get drunk as normal. They just wouldn’t let them be alone together.

That way, nothing ‘like that’ would happen.

If the plan failed, it would also be easier to explain to He Yao. After all, sometimes unexpected things happened; things in the world rarely went exactly as planned.

Moreover, Teacher Liu intended to ask Teacher Lin out alone tomorrow. Perhaps there would still be some progress.

****

By the time the two of them arrived at He Yao’s house, Liu Yun was still somewhat shocked.

According to Liu Xingyue, only He Yao lived in this house.

A villa!

‘When will I ever be able to afford something like this?’ she thought, patting her own face. ‘How could I even dream of buying such a thing? I’m still renting a place.’

Although Liu Xingyue had previously mentioned that Lin Han was a motorcycle fanatic, always spending his money on bikes and sometimes needing He Yao, his student, to help him with meals, how much better off was she?

‘If I could successfully start a relationship with Teacher Lin, would I also need to start saving money?’ she mused.

As this thought crossed her mind, a smile, both troubled and blissful, appeared on her face.

When the two women arrived, they saw a table already laden with numerous dishes. He Yao and Lin Han were both wearing aprons.

Lin Han had just placed a platter on the table. “Just a moment,” he said. “There are two more dishes. They’ll be ready in ten minutes. You two can have some water first.”

He acted with remarkable familiarity, as if he were the master of the house, entertaining the two women on He Yao’s behalf and brewing them a pot of black tea.

At that moment, He Yao also approached, carrying the last two dishes.

“Mission accomplished!”

Both Liu Yun and Liu Xingyue were left speechless. Gazing at the abundant spread on the table, Liu Xingyue couldn’t help but ask, “You two made all of this?”

He Yao untied his apron and hung it up. “Teacher Lin and I started preparing ingredients at eight this morning. It’s not surprising we made all this, is it?”

“No, that’s not what I mean,” Liu Xingyue clarified. “These dishes… I thought you could only find such quality in a restaurant.”

“All these dishes, I learned from the chefs my parents brought along with them. The quality is definitely higher than any outside restaurant!” He Yao boasted, a hint of pride in his voice. “I guarantee you won’t be disappointed!”

Liu Yun knew how to cook. But at this moment, she exchanged a glance with Liu Xingyue, who did not, and felt a profound sense of defeat.

Liu Yun couldn’t help but feel fortunate that He Yao was a man and in a relationship with Liu Xingyue. Otherwise, if He Yao were a beautiful high school girl, with such culinary skills, a man like Teacher Lin would surely be swept off his feet in an instant.

Liu Xingyue couldn’t help but ask, “Won’t all these dishes be too much?”

There were only four of them, yet over a dozen plates adorned the table. Typically, six or seven dishes would suffice.

However, both He Yao and Liu Yun found it perfectly normal.

“It’s fine,” He Yao reassured them. “Teacher Lin is a big eater! I prepared these dishes by estimating everyone’s appetite.”

Hearing this, Lin Han looked a little embarrassed. “I do eat quite a bit, but it’s alright. If we don’t finish it, I’ll just come back to his place tonight and tomorrow to freeload on meals.”

He Yao rolled his eyes at Lin Han. “Teacher Lin, you really are shameless!”

“Haha~”

What was going on? It felt as if some inexplicable aura existed between the two of them, making it hard for anyone to approach.

He Yao then retrieved two bottles of wine from the cellar. “These were left in the cellar by my dad,” he explained. “Since he didn’t take them, they probably aren’t expensive. I can’t drink, so Teacher Lin, you might as well finish them off.”

Afterward, he placed a bottle of red wine in front of Liu Yun. “Teacher Liu, this might be better for you to drink.”

Although she didn’t recognize the brand, Liu Yun knew that such wine was certainly valuable. However, He Yao gave them no room to decline, simply opening the bottles directly.

“They say there’s a whole set of etiquette for drinking red wine, but I don’t really understand it myself,” He Yao admitted sheepishly. “Teacher Liu, please don’t mind.”

“What’s there for me to mind? I don’t understand it either,” Liu Yun replied.

At this point, He Yao finally looked at Liu Xingyue. “Liu Xingyue, what would you like to drink?”

Liu Xingyue raised the teacup she had just poured. “Black tea is fine for me.”

“Alright,” He Yao said. “Then I’ll go grab a cola for myself.”

At the dinner table, He Yao indeed brought up his relationship with Liu Xingyue. Lin Han also pleaded with Liu Yun, guaranteeing on his personal integrity that nothing untoward would happen. He assured her that the relationship between the young man and woman would certainly be wholesome.

Liu Yun herself wasn’t actually opposed to their relationship; otherwise, she would have stopped it last time. Such matters were always better guided than suppressed; the more you forbade young men and women of that age from dating, the more they would want to.

So, after saying a couple of symbolic words, she dropped the subject.

Of course, it turned out that the alcohol from He Yao’s house was quite potent. Although Lin Han appeared to be a heavy drinker, he hadn’t controlled his intake, having nothing planned for the afternoon or evening.

Speaking of He Yao’s earlier suggestion, Lin Han was also seriously considering it. However, no matter what, moving into He Yao’s place felt a bit too much.

After they had eaten their fill, Liu Yun departed, saying she had some matters to attend to. Liu Xingyue knew that Liu Yun still had a plan for tomorrow, and she was likely scouting out the date route today.

“Teacher Liu just left like that! What about our plan?” He Yao exclaimed.

Liu Xingyue spread her hands helplessly. “There’s nothing we can do. If Teacher Liu has something to do, you can’t force her to stay.”

“If you have things to do, go ahead and be busy. I’ll take care of Teacher Lin.”

Liu Xingyue blinked. “You have something to do too, don’t you?”

“Why do you say that?” He Yao asked.

“Aren’t there usually game events on Saturdays and Sundays? I saw you secretly pull out your phone and do something just now, didn’t I?”

He Yao hadn’t expected to be caught. “There are indeed a few weekend events in the game, but ultimately, it’s just a game. Teacher Lin being drunk is more important, after all.”

“I’ll take care of Teacher Lin,” Liu Xingyue said. “My dad often comes home drunk too, so I have experience dealing with this. You go play your game! Besides, if the situation gets really bad, I can use the power of Emerald to handle it a bit.”

‘Oh~’ He Yao murmured. ‘That’s true.’

‘By the way,’ he then asked, ‘can the power of Emerald be used for drunkenness?’

“Isn’t this a bit too much trouble for you?”

“No matter what,” Liu Xingyue replied, “I’m your girlfriend. Although it’s a contractual relationship, Teacher Lin getting this drunk is our shared responsibility. You’ve already taken care of dinner, so it’s only natural for me to handle the aftermath, isn’t it?”

Liu Xingyue truly was that kind of person. She wasn’t the type to comfortably take advantage, even if He Yao didn’t consider it a big deal.

“That’s a huge help then!” He Yao exclaimed. “I really do have a dungeon to clear today. I’ll head back to my room now! Just shout if you need anything.”

They had already helped Lin Han to another room to rest earlier.

Liu Xingyue nodded. She intended to use the power of Magical Girl Emerald to help Lin Han a little, then transform back before he fully sobered up.

With that thought, she walked into the room where Lin Han had been lying.

She saw Lin Han, his consciousness somewhat muddled. He seemed to be mumbling something.

‘What is he saying?’ she wondered, leaning closer to listen.

“¥&!#¥&*…”

Well, it was impossible to clearly understand what a drunk person was saying. In that case, the so-called ‘drunk words are sober thoughts’ was simply a deception! It would be remarkable if anyone could articulate words clearly while intoxicated!

She had thought only her father was like this, but it turned out all drunk people were the same. So, the ‘truth’ spoken while drunk was probably never truly drunk at all, but merely an excuse to utter those words. It was time to transform into a Magical Girl and help Teacher Lin sober up.

While using Magical Girl powers for such a mundane task sounded like overkill, he was her teacher, after all, and no one else would know…

“Teacher!?”

Just as her powers began to activate, before she had even completed her transformation, Lin Han suddenly grabbed her arm.

“Eh?!”

She felt a tremendous force, which immediately interrupted her transformation. When she regained her senses, Lin Han had somehow rolled over and pinned her to the bed.

Eh?!

What, what was happening?

She gazed blankly into Lin Han’s eyes.

But Lin Han’s eyes were closed. He clearly hadn’t sobered up!

Could Teacher Lin be the type to sleepwalk when drunk?!

What was he dreaming about?!

This, this situation felt rather ominous, didn’t it?

“Tea-Teacher Lin…”