Two months later.
Autumn had arrived in the blink of an eye. The greenery throughout the campus remained lush and green; the only indication of the changing season was the slow drop in temperature.
In Yan Chi's yard, two chicks had grown to half a person's height. They patrolled the yard with their heads held high, seemingly becoming half-owners.
In the restaurant, after Yan Chi and Shen Mingsu finished breakfast, Shen Mingsu gave him several photos. The photos prominently featured Xie Tao, seemingly in an old-fashioned village with several companions.
Shen Mingsu: "He's safe now. I've told him you're looking for him, and he'll probably come looking for you soon."
Shen Mingsu got up, opened Yan Chi's refrigerator, took out a bunch of grapes, washed them in the kitchen, and brought them to Yan Chi. He picked one up and fed it to Yan Chi, who ate it, his gaze never leaving the photo.
Yan Chi, wearing a light yellow hoodie, nestled on the sofa, intently looking at the photo, his fingers lightly tracing the scars on Xie Tao's face. "He's injured… Is it dangerous there?"
Shen Mingsu: "Not dangerous, just the security isn't great, and the people are rather fierce. After all, it's an old village, so there are bound to be some bad habits."
The villagers would tie up players to feed to insects, and the village's deity would parasitize players' bodies. Of course, these things couldn't be told to Yan Chi.
Shen Mingsu coaxed Yan Chi to eat grapes, "Come on, have another one, this one must be very sweet."
A month ago, Shen Mingsu packed his things from his home and "married into" Yan Chi's family, leaving Shen Chang Le alone in the teachers' apartment, and began a sweet and happy life for the two of them.
Yan Chi ate grapes, put the photo away, and kissed Shen Mingsu on the cheek. "Thank you for helping me."
Shen Mingsu pointed to his other cheek, pushing his luck, "Then I want this side too."
Yan Chi leaned in and gave him a light kiss, like a dragonfly skimming the water. A large hand pressed against his neck, and he was instantly pulled into Shen Mingsu's arms.
Shen Mingsu leaned down, stopping very close to Yan Chi's lips, and finally kissed the corner of his lips.
After living together for a month, Yan Chi and Shen Mingsu's relationship had remained at the level of platonic kisses, not even on the lips, just on the cheeks.
Yan Chi glanced at the clock on the wall; it was almost eight o'clock. He nudged Shen Mingsu's chest. "Get up quickly, I have to go to class."
Shen Mingsu reluctantly got up to help him pack his things. "Sigh, what do you think about changing the class time? Postponing it to ten o'clock, starting at eight-thirty, the students probably won't be fully awake yet."
Yan Chi could easily see through his little scheme. "If you do that, the director will probably kill you."
Shen Mingsu sighed and instructed, "Be careful when you go to the parent-teacher conference, especially with Feng Wang's father. He has a terrible temper… It's okay, I'm going to Chang Le's parent-teacher conference. With me there, he won't dare to do anything."
"You're going to attend Chang Le's parent-teacher conference?" Yan Chi asked a question that had been lingering in his mind for a long time, "Where are Chang Le's parents?"
Shen Mingsu hugged Yan Chi from behind, resting his chin on Yan Chi's shoulder. "They're both gone."
Yan Chi was startled and turned to look at Shen Mingsu, trying to see if he was joking, but there was none.
"They were murdered." Shen Mingsu spoke as if he were talking about the death of someone completely unrelated to him, but the heaviness in his voice resonated deeply with Yan Chi.
"I was too late. I only managed to save Chang Le, and then I kept him with me."
Yan Chi's heart ached. "So... Chang Le saw it with his own eyes..."
"Yes." Shen Mingsu nodded, burying his face in Yan Chi's neck and taking a deep breath. "His original personality was like Mingcai's, but then he... became more sensible."
Yan Chi remained silent. No wonder this child sometimes displayed a maturity beyond his years.
The atmosphere suddenly became heavy. Shen Mingsu pressed his thumb to Yan Chi's lips, forcing a smile, and chuckled, "Don't dwell on what's already happened. Smile now; our Teacher Chi still has a day's work to do, we can't let a bad mood get in the way."
Yan Chi pressed his hand down and, as he smiled and said, "Okay."
Shen Mingsu saw Yan Chi to the door, "See you later then."
Yan Chi waved goodbye, "Goodbye."
Today, overcast skies hung in the air, and a chilly autumn wind blew. After Yan Chi left, coincidentally, Shen Chang Le and Xingluo from next door also came out, and the three of them walked together.
Since Shen Mingsu moved out, Shen Chang Le had invited Xingluo to live with them.
Yan Chi glanced at Shen Chang Le, then looked away before he noticed. Openly reopening someone's wounds was extremely offensive, and Yan Chi felt that Shen Chang Le certainly wouldn't appreciate pity.
Xingluo was a chatterbox, and with him around, the journey was never dull.
"I told my dad a few days ago that he was coming to the parent-teacher conference. If he hadn't accidentally hit his head recently, he definitely would have come today," Xingluo exclaimed. "Speaking of which, it's been so long since I've seen my dad. I guess distance makes the heart grow fonder; I actually miss him a little."
Yan Chi: "Don't you usually contact your dad? Maybe have a video call or something?"
"Uh… I never even remember I have a dad."
Yan Chi: "…"
As they chatted, the three of them quickly arrived at Building 1. Today was the school-wide parent-teacher conference, and some parents had already gathered in front of the building.
Yan Chi glanced around and his gaze lingered on a tall, red-haired man. That appearance, that aura… could it be Feng Wang's father?
Just then, Feng Wang and Li Huai walked up to the man. Feng Wang was already quite tall, but he didn't look much different next to the man. Roughly speaking, his father was at least 1.9 meters tall, about the same height as Shen Mingsu. Yan Chi's first impression of Feng Wang's father was that he was fierce. His brows were habitually furrowed, his eyes were full of impatience, and his unruly red hair made him seem even more volatile and unapproachable.
No wonder Shen Mingsu had warned him to be careful of Feng Wang's father.
Beside Feng Wang's father stood a young man with black hair and black eyes.
The man had a kind face and a casual smile. He glanced at Yan Chi several times, his fingers stroking his chin, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing.
Yan Chi, as the homeroom teacher, was going to meet with the parents. He walked up to Feng Wang's father, smiling, and extended his hand, "Hello, Mr. Feng Wang, I'm Yan Chi, the homeroom teacher of Class One."
Feng Wang's father looked Yan Chi over, then shook his hand. "Feng Wang has been disobedient, thank you for your concern."
Feng Wang retorted, "How have I been disobedient?! I haven't been in a fight these past few days!"
Feng Wang's father gave him a cursory glance, saying nothing, yet enough to silence the entire room. Yan Chi held his breath, nervously watching the father and son, ready to intervene at any moment.
Meanwhile, Shen Chang Le stepped forward, blocking Yan Chi's path, his gaze wary.
Feng Wang fell silent, his temper subdued in front of his father, though he still looked resentful. Li Huai tugged at Feng Wang's clenched hand, looking at the man, "Dad..."
Feng Yun's expression softened slightly, "A'Huai, come here, let Dad take a look at you."
Li Huai walked to his side, and Feng Yun carefully examined him from head to toe, nodding, "You're alright, but still too thin. I'll cook you more when we get back; you need to eat well."
Feng Wang agreed, "Yes, I also think he needs more nutrition."
The family went from tense to harmonious in an instant, and Yan Chi found it inexplicably amusing.
"Dad!" Xingluo suddenly called out, running excitedly to the black-haired youth, looking at his face repeatedly, then throwing himself into the youth's arms, "Teacher, this is my dad!"
Yan Chi: "..."
His polite smile almost faltered. This child, did he only just realize this was his father?!
Xingluo's father was also overjoyed, hugging Xingluo, "Feng Yun, this really is my son!"
Yan Chi: "..."
So neither of you recognized each other? No wonder Xingluo's father kept looking at them; he was trying to confirm if this was his child?
He glanced at Feng Wang and Feng Yun—this father and son didn't get along—then looked at Xingluo and his father; this father and son weren't familiar with each other.
These father-son relationships are always troublesome… Yan Chi felt deeply worried.
Before the official parent-teacher conference, the teacher would give a lesson, and parents could listen in from outside the window.
While Yan Chi was lecturing, he glanced out the window. The parents were all chatting outside, having a great time. They seemed to know each other and had a pretty good relationship.
After class, the students went to the next classroom to make room for the parents.
Nine parents came in total, including Shen Mingsu. After the parents were seated, Yan Chi handed out the children's midterm exam report cards.
As Yan Chi reached Shen Mingsu, he took the report card and winked at him, "Thank you, Teacher Chi!"
Yan Chi: "...Shut up."
Shen Mingsu was overjoyed, resting his chin on his hand and watching Yan Chi's back. Next to him was Xingluo's father, who was also watching Yan Chi with great interest, nudging Shen Mingsu's shoulder, "You found your little partner?"
"Yes." Shen Mingsu said smugly, "From now on, you don't need to invite me to your bachelor parties."
Xingluo's father felt a pang of jealousy, "I never thought Shen Mingsu was really like this..."
He gave him a thumbs up, "Aren't you afraid his dad will beat you up again?"
"His dad..." Shen Mingsu was stunned. "Who's his father? Come to think of it, the first time I saw the teacher, Mr. Chi, I felt he looked familiar. I even thought it was our destiny to get married. Do I really know his father?"
Xingluo's father: "Of course I know him. He even beat you up when you were little."
Shen Mingsu scoffed. "I killed all the people who beat me up when I was little, how could I..."
Thinking of Yan Chi's orphan status, his face instantly turned deathly pale. Various melodramatic scenarios flashed through his mind. "His father... I didn't kill him, did I..."
No way! He just got a husband, and now they're going to be enemies?
Xingluo's father looked at him as if he were mentally challenged. "What are you thinking? You've never beaten his father. His father is on par with your father. Don't you have any idea whether you can beat him or not?"
Shen Mingsu: "..."
He really didn't know.
lol 😂 shen mingsu is a silly airhead
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