"You're such a great teacher?"

"Of course! At Goda High School, I'm the kindest to the students!"

"Miss Akiko, let me break some news to you, you're known among students as the most severe female teacher."

"The homework is less." Akiko uttered these cruel words, "Alright, sit down."

Dubian Che sat in a still-warm chair, and Akiko immediately handed him a red pen along with a sheet of paper, "This is the answer key."

"Are you treating us tonight? I want to eat barbecue at Xuxuyuan." Dubian Che began grading the papers of class one.

"Xuxuyuan is too expensive. I can only afford to eat there once a month!"

"What about the money you saved?"

"A regular female teacher, frugally saving up to buy a house, would you really have the heart to spend that?"

"Whether or not you buy a house, what does that have to do with me?"

Xiaoquan Aonai was organizing files on the side, occasionally smiling as she watched the two argue.

"I'm heading off first." The physics teacher from class four passed by.

"You worked hard today." Since the person was older, Xiaoquan Aonai and Akiko said respectfully.

"You too." After saying that, the physics teacher saw Dubian Che, "Mr. Dubian, congratulations."

"It's all thanks to the teacher's guidance." Dubian Che said modestly.

"Even though you got the recommendation, you must still listen carefully in my class." While saying this, the physics teacher became spirited and went on talking incessantly for a while, even recommending a suitor for Akiko.

After she left, Akiko exaggeratedly sighed in relief.

"I'm off to my parents' house, they urge, at school, other teachers urge, where can I find happiness?" she said.

"Xuxuyuan." Dubian Che wrote '91' on Yuzao Haomei's paper.

After Xiaoquan Aonai finished organizing the files, the three met up with Miyazaki Mieko at the infirmary and then they drove back to Shinano Town together.

That evening, they didn't go to Xuxuyuan, instead, they bought ingredients and barbecued in room 501.

"To celebrate Dubian getting the Tokyo University recommendation, cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Everyone took a hearty sip, the meat sizzled on the grill, the vegetables stayed silent.

While waiting for the meat to cook, Dubian Che took out his phone, wanting to share the news with his parents.

Getting the recommendation to Tokyo University was immaterial to him, but for his parents, knowing he could get early admission to Tokyo University would definitely make them very happy and proud.

While sending the message, he noticed the family chat group.

He thought for a moment, then added Xiaoquan Aonai and Mayi Asuka to it.

"Professor, senior, I've added you to a group."

"A group?" Xiaoquan Aonai picked up her phone, puzzled.

"A harem group?" Akiko asked, "Shameless!"

"How could it be?!" Even if he were to create such a group, it would be years later, not now.

"What was that sh—" Akiko didn't finish speaking, as Xiaoquan Aonai suddenly exclaimed.

"Dubian—" Her voice was almost a wail, filled with panic and shyness.

"What happened?" Miyazaki Mieko asked.

Xiaoquan Aonai didn't answer her, instead holding her phone with both hands, hesitating about what to type.

In the chat group.

"Ah, it's lively here" (Kiyono)

"Hehe" (Jiutiao)

"??" (Mrs. Dubian)

"Hello Mrs. Dubian, I'm Xiaoquan Aonai" (Aonai)

"Ms. Xiaoquan?!" (Mrs. Dubian)

"...Yes" (Aonai)

"Hello auntie, I'm Mayi Asuka" (Mayi)

"Hello" (Mrs. Dubian)

Meanwhile, Dubian Che received a private message from his mother.

"What's going on?!"

"Um... your son is a jerk"

"Did you do something wrong to Lin and Meiji?"

"That's our own business, mom. Just know that they are all my girlfriends."

"Ms. Xiaoquan Aonai is your teacher, right?!"

"In the future, the kids have someone to teach them for free."

"You child!"

"Dubian, your mom isn't responding to me, is she angry?" Xiaoquan Aonai was very worried.

"Ms. Xiaoquan is anxious now, afraid you dislike her, mom, please go to the group chat and respond."

Soon after, Dubian Che saw Xiaoquan Aonai let out a sigh of relief, then gradually relaxed and responded to messages with a smile.

Mayi Asuka remained indifferent, unbothered by the situation.

Akiko and Miyazaki Mieko crowded around Xiaoquan Aonai, advising her on how to win over a middle-aged woman's favor.

Dubian Che was in charge of looking after the neglected barbecue.

After finishing the barbecue, since Akiko had paid for the ingredients, Miyazaki Mieko and Mayi Asuka washed the dishes—a sign of close friendship. So, Dubian Che and Xiaoquan Aonai washed up.

Xiaoquan Aonai handled the washing, and Dubian Che's responsibility was to dry the cleaned dishes and neatly place them on the rack.

"Why did you suddenly introduce me to your parents?" Xiaoquan Aonai was still unsettled.

"I want to be honest, and after all, they are my parents; they'll surely accept my impulsiveness."

"I was scared, won't Jiutiao get angry?"

"She won't. She has a nasty temper and doesn't really care about my parents' feelings."

Xiaoquan Aonai glanced at Dubian Che, saw his relaxed expression, and felt the love he had with Jiutiao Meijie.

She could not find the right words to describe that feeling and reluctantly thought of a term that wasn't pleasant but was quite fitting—colluding in mischief.

It sounds bad, but there's a kind of intimacy that doesn't care about the other's temperament.

It's like when a mother dies, and the father tells the child, "Why wasn't it you who died!"—cruel and excessive, yet there's something thrilling about it.

"Miss, when you go home, do your parents urge you to go on blind dates?"

"They definitely mentioned it, but not as intensely as Akiko's parents." Remembering Akiko's troubled expression, Xiaoquan Aonai couldn't help but laugh.

"Can I go back with you, Miss?" Dubian Che stopped wiping the dishes.

"Go back?" Xiaoquan Aonai was startled, stopped washing dishes for a moment, then realized, "Back to Kobe with me?"

"Is that not okay?"

"It's okay, but I was thinking after you graduate from university."

"That's still five years away. You'll be…"

"Don't say it!"

"Oh." Dubian Che had learned from both ladies how women disliked talking about age, "I don't want your parents to keep worrying. Miss, you can't be as open with your parents as I can, but we can hide it from them. Making them feel at ease and not letting them worry is more important than anything."

"I've thought about that, but...you're too young." Xiaoquan Aonai continued washing dishes.

She really liked the youthful look of Dubian Che, could never get enough of it, but in this matter, youth was a drawback.

"I can dress more maturely. By then, I'll show you my acting skills, I guarantee I'll make your parents believe."

"Really?" Despite how impractical it sounded, Xiaoquan Aonai felt extremely cheerful, her voice filled with the vitality of a fish leaping out of the water.

"Tomorrow, we'll buy some more mature clothes, and then you'll see how I perform."

The two strategized about when to return to Kobe, what gifts to buy, how to address Xiaoquan Aonai's parents, and what to do if they were found out.

Washing dishes had become a joyful chore.

Xiaoquan Aonai didn't need new joys or new surprises.

Today was another day of complete satisfaction with life.

At night, Dubian Che and Mayi Asuka watched an old movie together called "Interstellar," a splendid sci-fi film.

Then they had a blast.

Before going to bed, Dubian Che took out his cellphone; the messages in his group chat needed to be scrolled down to read.

"How's school, Che?" (Mrs. Dubian)

"Quite good!" (Aonai)

"He often copies my homework." (Kiyono)

"Eh?" (Aonai)

"This child! Where is he? I need to discipline him properly!" (Mrs. Dubian)

"Miss Aonai, I'm not in Tokyo, so please, you may spank him if he misbehaves." (Mrs. Dubian)

"Aunt Zhi, she can't bring herself to do that; she's the nicest one to talk to. Better leave the authority to me." (Kiyono)

"Who are you to meddle with my kid?" (Meiji)

"Whose kid is still questionable." (Kiyono)

"Are you free tomorrow?" (Meiji)

"No matter if I'm free or not, I definitely won't go shopping with you." (Kiyono)

"I'll come over in the afternoon." (Meiji)

"Don't come; I won't open the door for you." (Kiyono)

The conversation below was Jiutiao Meijie being persistent with Kiyono Lin.

"Can I join the girls' gathering?" (Dubian Che)

"What does it have to do with you?" (Meiji)

"If you sneak here, I'll open the door just for you." (Kiyono)

"It seems Kiyono loves me, woo woo woo." (Dubian Che)

"Get over here!" (Meiji)

"Now?" (Dubian Che)

"You have twenty minutes." (Meiji)

"Meiji, my apologies /geisha prostrating.jpg" (Dubian Che)

"Che, I heard you copied Lin's homework?" (Mrs. Dubian)

"My phone's running out, going to sleep. Everyone should rest early too, make sure to get enough sleep" (Dubian Che)

"By the way, I've already planned for tomorrow's girls' gathering." (Dubian Che)

Dubian Che turned off his phone and tossed it aside.

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