Xiao Chen chuckled mischievously, his appearance carefree.
He grabbed Yu Na's hand and earnestly said, "There is some truth to it, but not entirely. I genuinely feel that it's not a sustainable situation for you to continue like this with your parents."
Yu Na sighed, "Actually, I know that too, but my father... sigh, I'm really afraid of him."
"I understand," Xiao Chen comforted her, "But now ask yourself, do you feel a sense of relief, like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders?"
"Yeah, it kind of feels that way!"
Before this, she had been wavering between whether or not to message her parents, unable to make up her mind.
Not messaging them felt wrong, she couldn't reconcile it with her conscience since they were, after all, her parents.
But messaging them brought fear, fear of their indifference and their mocking remarks.
However, she had to admit that after sending the message, she felt a sense of relief in her heart.
She had done what she needed to do, whether they responded or not was up to them.
After all, her relationship with her parents had always been lukewarm.
They had hardly spent any holidays together.
...
While Yu Na was taking a shower, she silently pondered whether to take this opportunity to tell her father about her relationship if he replied. Xiao Chen's financial situation was undoubtedly something they would approve of.
But the plan was forced to be put on hold.
Because her father didn't reply to her message, instead, her mother replied with a simple "Happy New Year" greeting, with no discernible emotion in the words.
Two days later was her birthday, and the four of them celebrated it together on the island.
Coincidentally, it was also Valentine's Day, and the hotel had prepared gifts for them. Since Yu Na was the birthday girl, she received two gifts.
On that day, her mother sent her a birthday blessing, but by the time the message arrived, her birthday had already passed midnight and entered the fifteenth.
Yu Na didn't say anything and replied with a simple "Thank you, Mom."
As for her father's birthday blessing, she never received it in the end.
...
Back in Changwan, Yu Na and Xiao Chen also detached themselves from the leisurely vacation life and immersed themselves in work.
With the approaching end of the Chinese New Year holiday, the start of the school year was drawing closer.
Sometimes, Yu Na had to be on duty at the school, but it was more like sitting in the office without much important work to do.
As the start of the school year approached, Qiao Rui also returned to Changwan from his hometown.
When he came back, he saw that Yunwan Mansion was spotless and clean, but the house felt a bit empty.
Without thinking, he knew that his irresponsible cousin hadn't set foot inside during this time.
Sure enough, on the day Qiao Rui returned, Xiao Chen still hadn't come home.
In the evening, he messaged Xiao Chen: [Bro, I'm back.]
Xiao Chen replied instantly: [Hmm.]
Hmm?
Hmm hmm??
He sent two more messages, the first one in a notifying tone: [I'm not coming home tonight, you better sleep early. If you dare to play any games, I'll throw away all your electronic devices.]
The second one: [And think again about staying in the dormitory.]
After seeing these three messages, Qiao Rui's mouth twitched, wondering how he managed to send words colder than the weather outside.
Qiao Rui replied: [I'm not staying in the dormitory.]
C: [Heh.]
Qiao Rui: [I won't disturb your date.]
C: [1]
Qiao Rui: "..."
The first day of school was in the afternoon.
The classroom was bustling with excitement as the students returned from their vacation. It was evident that many of them had put on some weight during the break.
Conversations filled the air, ranging from discussions about holiday trips to the upcoming Spring Festival. And, of course, there was the familiar scene that happened every year – students frantically catching up on unfinished homework.
Yu Na walked up to the podium and tapped on it, disrupting their pleasant atmosphere. "Subject representatives, please collect the holiday assignments now," she announced.
She then selected a few male students to go and collect the new textbooks.
On the day of the new semester, apart from the senior high school students, the buildings for the first and second years were filled with laughter, idle gossip, and everyone still caught in the holiday spirit.
As Yu Na walked through the campus, she overheard students discussing the new arrivals.
It was rumored that there were a few transfer students joining this semester, with one being exceptionally handsome, almost like a male god.
There was also a female top student who was said to be beautiful.
During evening self-study, Yu Na was intercepted by several curious students. "Teacher Yu, do we have any transfer students in our class?"
"Why do you want to know?" Yu Na asked.
"Just curious."
"Yes, we do."
An excited girl standing nearby asked, "Is he handsome?"
Yu Na countered, "How can you be so sure it's a boy?"
"I heard that one of the transfer students is extremely good-looking."
Impatiently interrupting them, Yu Na said, "It's inappropriate to discuss this in front of me, isn't it?"
The group fell silent.
Yu Na continued calmly, "Instead of focusing on new students, I think you should consider your own studies."
Her well-rehearsed response left them speechless, and they left immediately.
After the start of the new school year, Xiao Chen took on another role – Yu Na's personal driver.
When the evening self-study ended, Yu Na walked to the north gate and spotted Xiao Chen's car parked nearby. She hopped in and began rubbing her ears.
Xiao Chen handed her a hot beverage. "Oh, is your ear hurting?"
Yu Na looked pained and replied, "The classroom was really noisy, it gave me an earache."
He raised an eyebrow. "Shall I give you a massage?"
Remembering the last time Xiao Chen massaged her stomach, Yu Na retorted, "Who asked for your massage?"
Xiao Chen cleared his throat, pretending to be flirtatious. "This time, I promise to only massage your ears, alright?"
...
Due to Qiao Rui's return to Changwan, Xiao Chen couldn't accompany Yu Na to Huating No.1 every day.
He would drop her off at the entrance of the residential complex, and they would linger together, reluctant to part ways. Only when he saw her safely enter the building would he leave with peace of mind.
The next morning, he was punctual as always, waiting for her downstairs.
After dropping Yu Na off at school, Xiao Chen would return home to change clothes before going to work.
During the morning reading session, Yu Na encountered the two new students in her office. There were a boy and a girl, just as the discussions from the previous day had described – the boy was handsome, and the girl was beautiful. Moreover, the girl had exceptional academic performance.
The most popular students had all been assigned to her class.
The girl's name was Xu Yi, and the boy's name was Jiang Yu.
Yu Na initially thought they knew each other, but upon talking to them, she realized that wasn't the case.
They were from different places.
Xu Yi had been sent by her parents. She was a beautiful and gentle girl, with her hair tied up in a high ponytail. She seemed to come from a well-disciplined family.
As for Jiang Yu, he was only accompanied by a woman, but it didn't seem like she was his mother.
Jiang Yu was not much of a talker. Since he arrived, he stood with his hands in his pockets, looking indifferent, and carrying a loosely slung bag on his shoulder.
Yuna thought to herself that he seemed like a difficult student to handle.
As they entered the classroom, everyone's gaze immediately shifted towards them.
Yuna introduced them, saying, "Let me introduce our new classmates. Please take a moment to introduce yourselves."
Xu Yi smiled sweetly and said, "Hello, everyone. My name is Xu Yi, and I enjoy singing. I hope we can help each other and get along well."
After Xu Yi finished speaking, Jiang Yu spoke in a calm tone, "My name is Jiang Yu."
There was a two-second silence, and Yuna blinked her eyes and asked, "...Is that all?"
Jiang Yu replied with a question, "Do you need anything else?"
Qiao Rui, who was sitting in the back row, snorted coldly and muttered, "What an arrogant guy."
Yuna felt a bit awkward and said, "Well, that will do."
She looked around at the available seats in the classroom and noticed that there were vacant seats next to Song Yan and Qiao Rui.
Yuna pointed at the seat next to Qiao Rui and said to Xu Yi, "Xu Yi, you can sit there."
"Okay," Xu Yi agreed.
Then she turned to Jiang Yu and pointed to the seat next to Song Yan, saying, "You can sit there."
Jiang Yu nodded.
As Xu Yi walked towards the seat next to Qiao Rui, he sighed, "Damn, now that a girl has come, my freedom is gone."
The two new students took their respective seats.
Xu Yi sat next to Qiao Rui and took the initiative to greet him, "Hello, I'm Xu Yi. It's nice to meet you."
Qiao Rui, who didn't really want a girl as his desk mate, but for the sake of her face, politely replied, "I'm Qiao Rui. If you need anything, feel free to ask me."
Little did he know that Xu Yi was serious. She smiled and said, "Really? I actually have something to ask for your help."
Qiao Rui was instantly dumbfounded: ?
In his mind, he thought, "Wait, who asks for help right off the bat like that? Isn't that a common way to greet someone you meet for the first time?"
