"Ms. Cen? Don't you have to work today?"
Indeed, the person who had just called out to Nian Suian was Cen Xi, Gu Zhijing's current homeroom teacher. Nian Suian certainly hadn't expected to see her at the mall, especially on a Thursday, which wasn't a day off.
Faced with Nian Suian's question, Cen Xi smiled and said, "Mrs. Nian, have you forgotten? Our school is just down the street. I came here for lunch." The mall was close to the school, so teachers occasionally came here for a change of pace. Cen Xi wasn't busy today, so she decided to eat out, and after lunch, she could buy a cake from her favorite bakery to take home for dinner.
Nian Suian slapped her forehead as she remembered, "Oh, right! How could I forget? Have you eaten yet? If not, let's eat together. It's my treat." Nian Suian liked Cen Xi, and since she was Zhijing's homeroom teacher, she thought it would be nice to treat her to a meal.
"I haven't eaten yet. I just arrived when I saw you. Eating together sounds great, but you don't need to treat me. I'm Zhijing's homeroom teacher, so it wouldn't be appropriate for a student's parent to buy me lunch."
"Alright then, how about we split the bill? Would that be okay? I haven't been to this mall before, though, so you'll have to recommend something good to eat." Nian Suian agreed readily, suggesting they go Dutch. If Cen Xi wasn't Zhijing's teacher, she would have insisted on treating her, but given their relationship, it wasn't quite suitable. Although a meal wouldn't cost much, if others found out, it could reflect poorly on Cen Xi and even affect Zhijing.
"No problem. There's a great place on the third floor that serves authentic chicken hotpot. I hope you like that kind of food." Cen Xi had originally planned to eat chicken hotpot today. She usually came with colleagues, but her usual lunch companion was busy today. She had thought eating alone would be less enjoyable, but unexpectedly ran into Nian Suian.
"Of course, I can eat anything." Nian Suian nodded. Since moving here, she hadn't eaten out much.
"Mrs. Nian, were you here to do some shopping today?" Cen Xi asked after they sat down and ordered.
Nian Suian poured two cups of tea and said, "Ms. Cen, please call me Suian. Calling me Mrs. Nian feels too formal." She winked at Cen Xi before answering the question, "I came to buy some clothes today."
"Alright, I'll call you Suian then, and you can call me Cen Xi." Cen Xi was around the same age as Nian Suian. In her teaching career, she had never met a parent close to her age, and from their previous two encounters, Nian Suian had left a good impression on her.
"Is teaching a busy job? It must be stressful managing so many children, right?" Nian Suian asked curiously.
"There's definitely pressure, especially in high school where studies are quite intense. But I love this profession, so it's very fulfilling. Plus, the children in my class are all well-behaved and lovely." Cen Xi's face lit up with a smile as she talked about her students.
Nian Suian could sense that she truly loved her job and her students. She sighed, "That's wonderful. It's great to have something you love doing."
"What about you, Suian? Do you have something you're passionate about?"
"Me? Not at the moment. Right now, I just want to enjoy life." Nian Suian was being honest. Back in college, she had studied a subject she loved but that didn't offer great job prospects. After graduation, she couldn't find work in her field but couldn't afford to quit her job. Every day had been a struggle. Now that she finally had a chance to relax, she was happy and didn't have any other plans yet. Maybe she would in the future, but for now, she didn't know.
"As long as you're happy. That's what life is all about," Cen Xi said.
"Absolutely!"
Just as Nian Suian was about to speak again, she was interrupted by a phone ringing.
Cen Xi took out her phone, glanced at it, and immediately hung up. However, within seconds, it rang again. Cen Xi still didn't answer, only switching it to vibrate mode.
Afraid of missing important calls from the school, Cen Xi couldn't turn off her phone or put it on silent, so this was her only option.
As the phone kept interrupting, Cen Xi apologized to Nian Suian, who shook her head to indicate it was fine and didn't show any curiosity about the caller.
When the fourth call came in, Cen Xi finally answered.
"Xu Licheng! Stop calling me, or I'll report you for harassment." She hung up immediately after speaking.
After ending the call, Cen Xi gave Nian Suian a wry smile. "I'm so sorry about that."
"It's okay, but why don't you just block him?" Hearing the name Xu Licheng, Nian Suian remembered – wasn't he the man who had shouted "I've finally found you" outside during the parent-teacher meeting?
"You probably remember him. He's the uncle of my student, Xu Yuan. Xu Yuan's parents are divorced, her father is in the peacekeeping forces, and her grandparents are elderly, so the school's contact person has always been her uncle, Xu Licheng. I've tried blocking him before, but he immediately complained to the school that I had blocked a student's guardian. I was even reprimanded by the school for it, so..." Cen Xi finished speaking, her smile more like a grimace.
"How can he be so unreasonable! Have you reported this problem to the school? If teachers can't block students' parents, surely parents can't harass teachers either!" Nian Suian recalled Xu Licheng's appearance, thinking that despite his decent looks, he was acting like a jerk.
Cen Xi shook her head. "Xu Yuan is a good child. I'm afraid of how this might affect her. She's introverted and sensitive, and her parents aren't around. I just can't bring myself to... Besides, Xu Licheng, despite being somewhat unhinged, is quite good to his niece. I've asked Xu Yuan, and she says her uncle is very kind. If he only called me about Xu Yuan's matters, I'd be willing to answer."
"Next time he does this, just tell him: 'If you're not worried about how this will affect Xu Yuan, then go ahead and keep calling!'" Since he seemed to care about his niece, using this to threaten him might work.
Cen Xi's eyes widened. "Is that okay?"
"You're not actually going to do anything to Xu Yuan. It's just a warning. If he truly cares for his niece, he won't be as reckless as before."
Cen Xi thought carefully about Nian Suian's words and felt that she had a point, so she nodded, "Thank you, Suian."
"It's nothing, don't mention it."
Since Cen Xi had to return to school, the two didn't chat much longer and prepared to leave after finishing their meal. Cen Xi paid the bill, as she was a regular customer and had a discount coupon. Afterward, Nian Suian transferred her share of the meal cost to Cen Xi via WeChat.
After eating, Cen Xi went to buy a cake and also recommended the bakery to Nian Suian. So Nian Suian bought a six-inch cream cake to take home for everyone to share.
She also bought a slightly smaller one to bring to Gu Zhijing.
"By the time Zhijing gets home, we'll probably have finished our cake, so I thought I'd buy a smaller one to bring to him. I'll go to the school with you." She left the larger cake at the store to pick up later when she headed home.
"I can take it to him for you, so you don't have to make a special trip," Cen Xi offered.
"It's no trouble. It's good to walk off the meal anyway," Nian Suian said with a smile. It was also a chance to see Gu Zhijing. Recently, both Nian Suian and Gu Junxing had been in the hospital. Today, Gu Zhijing had left for school before she woke up, and by the time he finished his evening self-study session, she would probably already be in bed. They hadn't seen each other for several days, so it was a good opportunity to check on him.
"You're really good to Zhijing," Cen Xi said to Nian Suian as they approached the school gate.
Nian Suian smiled softly, "We're friends, after all."
