“You’re cracking down on early relationships?” Wen Ke’an looked up at Gu Ting, asking somewhat incredulously.
“Mhm.”
“………”
The rain outside continued to pour, now heavier than it had been earlier.
Wen Ke’an looked around, ensuring no teachers would come by, and then quietly asked, “Didn’t any of the teachers realize you were in an early relationship?”
Gu Ting smiled and said, “Maybe they all think we don’t look like a couple.”
Wen Ke’an tilted her head in confusion and looked at Gu Ting, “If we don’t look like a couple, then what do we look like?”
“Like I’m just bullying you,” Gu Ting replied.
“………”
Wen Ke’an nodded in agreement, “That’s true.”
“After all, in their eyes, I’m just a bad student.” Gu Ting chuckled softly.
Seeing Gu Ting’s slightly lowered gaze and his somewhat downcast expression, Wen Ke’an paused for a moment, then held Gu Ting’s hand firmly and said, “You’re not a bad student. My Gu Ting is great.”
Gu Ting looked up at her, “Didn’t you just say I was bullying you?”
Wen Ke’an replied seriously, “Bullying me doesn’t mean you’re bad.”
“………”
Wen Ke’an thought she was probably the type who could criticize Gu Ting herself but wouldn’t tolerate anyone else saying anything bad about him.
“Really?”
“Really!”
“Can I keep bullying you then?” Gu Ting asked with a smile.
Seeing his smile, Wen Ke’an realized he had just been pretending.
She looked up at him sternly, “No.”
“……..”
Wen Ke’an noticed that since Gu Ting joined the disciplinary committee, the troublesome students at the school had noticeably calmed down.
Gu Ting performed excellently and helped the dean catch several early couples. As a result, he earned the dean’s trust and, within less than a month, became the head of the disciplinary committee.
With the joint efforts of Gu Ting and the dean, the number of early relationships at the school significantly decreased, showing remarkable results.
The dean gradually changed his view of Gu Ting, realizing he wasn’t just some bad student from a vocational high school but rather a sharp weapon in his hands.
Gu Ting respected his teachers and refrained from early relationships, and importantly, he had authority. At least at this school, no one dared to provoke Gu Ting.
Previously, the dean sighed at the thought of Gu Ting. Now, he praised him everywhere he went.
Besides attending classes and studying, Gu Ting occasionally fulfilled his duties as the head of the disciplinary committee.
When bored, he walked around the school and, if lucky, might catch a couple sneaking around in a small corner.
These days, there were indeed fewer early relationships. Outwardly, everyone behaved, but many secret activities still took place. Such acts were usually the work of experienced early lovers.
After all, managing to date without getting caught for a long time was an impressive skill.
On this day, Gu Ting was making his usual rounds in the school. He had just walked to an inconspicuous spot at the corner of the teacher’s building, he heard a boy talking.
“Don’t worry, I’ve scouted this place. No teachers will come here.”
Gu Ting drew closer to see a couple. Judging by their uniforms, they seemed to be second-year high school students. It seemed the boy was trying to kiss his girlfriend after holding back for a long time.
Gu Ting was silent for a moment, suddenly realizing he hadn’t kissed his own wife for a long time. Thinking about how he couldn’t have that, he couldn’t just stand by and watch others display their affection under his watch.
Just as the boy bent down to kiss his girlfriend, they heard a lazy voice from not far away, “Indeed, no teachers will come here.”
The couple was startled, and the kissing atmosphere instantly disappeared. The boy stiffly turned his head, seeing Gu Ting leaning against the wall, looking at them sideways.
“Gu, Gu Ting?” The boy naturally recognized the feared figure of the school and got so nervous that he stammered, “Well, we…”
Gu Ting scrutinized them for a moment. The boy instinctively pulled the girl behind him, showing a protective stance.
Gu Ting lightly asked, “How long have you been dating?”
“…….A year and a half.”
“Never been caught?”
“No.”
“This time I won’t catch you,” said Gu Ting casually.
The boy was puzzled, “Huh?”
Gu Ting smirked and seriously said, “There are a few early dating tips I need to learn from you.”
“?”.
Wen Ke’an had no idea that Gu Ting was using his position to learn dating tips. The last major competition was coming up, and she was seriously preparing for it.
After a week at school, on Saturday morning, Wen Ke’an got a call from Wen Qiangguo saying that Fu Huan had come. Wen Ke’an hadn’t seen Fu Huan in a while, but they often chatted online. Fu Huan had gained many followers in the past few months, making enough money to support herself.
Knowing Fu Huan was here, Wen Ke’an quickly tidied herself up and went to the shop.
“Sister Huan!” Wen Ke’an greeted as she entered, seeing Fu Huan enjoying some marinated snacks.
“An’an!” Fu Huan set down the duck wing she was eating and smiled, “It’s been so long since I’ve had your uncle’s marinated snacks. They’re really delicious!”
“Eat more if you like! There’s plenty!” Wen Qiangguo laughed in response to Fu Huan’s praise.
After eating and chatting for a while, Fu Huan got to the point, “Uncle, I’m leaving soon to develop my career in Beijing. Before I go, I’d like to film another video with you.”
“Sure, anytime!”
The last video Fu Huan filmed had brought them many customers.
“Alright, let’s do it this afternoon then Uncle,” Fu Huan said with a smile.
“Okay, okay!” Wen Qiangguo thought for a moment, then looked at Fu Huan again. “Why do you want to go to Beijing again? It’s said that the pressure in Beijing is quite high.”
“Where there’s pressure, there are also opportunities. I want to give it a try,” Fu Huan replied.
“Yes, yes! Go and explore while you’re young, hahaha!”
Fu Huan’s filming efficiency was very high. By the end of the afternoon, she had already finished shooting all the material she needed. The rest of the work was just about editing the material into a video.
Fu Huan’s flight was early the next morning, and since Wen Ke’an’s home was not far from the airport, Wen Ke’an invited Fu Huan to stay at her place for the night.
That night, Wen Ke’an and Fu Huan shared a room.
Wen Ke’an liked Fu Huan’s personality a lot. Fu Huan did things calmly and had her own ideas.
After turning off the lights, Wen Ke’an couldn’t sleep, so she quietly chatted with Fu Huan.
“Sis, do you have enough budget for going to Beijing? I heard the rent there is really high,” Wen Ke’an asked softly.
Although the house prices in Beijing weren’t as outrageous as they would be in a few years, the income for ordinary people was still not very high. So the rent there was somewhat expensive for people from smaller cities.
In the dark, Wen Ke’an clearly heard Fu Huan sigh softly and say, “The budget is fine. I can stay at a youth hostel for a few days first and look for a suitable place once my income stabilizes.”
“In the past few months, I haven’t saved much money. My family is still very opposed to me doing this job, so I’ve rarely asked them for money. I have only a few thousand yuan left.”
Talking about this topic made Fu Huan somewhat sad.
She had always been determined to follow her own path, but it seemed like everyone around her thought she was making the wrong choice.
Wen Ke’an didn’t speak. She thought for a while, then turned on the bedside lamp, got out of bed, and walked to her desk. She took a small wallet out of a drawer.
Fu Huan saw Wen Ke’an return to her side shortly after.
“What’s up?” Fu Huan asked softly.
Wen Ke’an rummaged and finally took out a small stack of money from her little wallet. “This is the New Year’s money I’ve saved up. I can lend it to you first, sister.”
The New Year’s money was about two thousand yuan. Actually, their family didn’t have many relatives, so most of this money was pocket money given by her parents, which she couldn’t spend and had saved.
“No, no, it’s fine,” Fu Huan said, waving her hand with a smile. “I appreciate your kind gesture, An’an.”
“I don’t need it either. You take it, consider it as my investment.” Wen Ke’an didn’t wait for Fu Huan to speak and directly shoved the money into her hand.
Seeing Wen Ke’an’s resolute attitude, Fu Huan hesitated for a moment but still accepted the money. “In that case, I’ll write you an IOU, and I’ll return this money to you later, An’an.”
“Alright.” Perhaps writing an IOU would ease Fu Huan’s mind, so Wen Ke’an agreed.
In the quiet night, Wen Ke’an was already asleep, but Fu Huan couldn’t fall asleep for a long time.
She still held the two thousand yuan that Wen Ke’an had lent her.
Actually, just the day before, she had quarreled with her family over money. Her family strongly opposed what she was doing and even ridiculed her from various angles.
Sometimes, hearing such words repeatedly made Fu Huan feel conflicted. She didn’t know whether what she was doing was right or wrong, whether choosing this profession was a mistake.
But the warmth she couldn’t feel at home, she unexpectedly found in a little sister she had known for a short time.
The little sister trusted her a lot, even cheering her on before going to bed.
She said she had a dream where she saw Fu Huan become very good and successful at making videos, a particularly excellent content creator.
Although she knew these things weren’t real, Fu Huan was still very happy. It felt really good to be trusted. Her heart felt warm, and the gradually fading fighting spirit rekindled.
Fu Huan turned her head to look at Wen Ke’an and softly said, “Thank you.”
The next morning, Fu Huan had to catch a plane. Wen Qiangguo got up early to take a taxi and drove her to the airport.
Seeing Fu Huan about to leave, Wen Qiangguo smiled and advised, “If you ever need anything, feel free to call me anytime!”
“Okay, I know. Thank you, uncle.” After saying this, Fu Huan looked down at Wen Ke’an. “I’m leaving now.”
Wen Ke’an nodded and looked up at Fu Huan, sincerely wishing her well. “Sister, I wish you a bright future.”
“Mm, An’an, study hard too. I hope next time we meet, you’ll have gotten into the university you want!” Fu Huan said with a smile.
Wen Ke’an had just stepped out of the door in the morning when she saw Gu Ting waiting for her downstairs.
Gu Ting walked over and naturally took her backpack, asking, “Did you have breakfast this morning?”
“Yes, I did. I had eggs, soy milk, and fried dough sticks,” Wen Ke’an reported proactively.
“That’s nice,” Gu Ting said with a smile, “You were very obedient this morning.”
Wen Ke’an looked up at him and corrected him seriously, “I’m always obedient.”
They walked for about ten minutes. Since it was school time, there were many students on the way to school.
Wen Ke’an even saw a couple on the roadside boldly hugging each other.
Gu Ting obviously noticed too, but he didn’t say anything.
After a while, Wen Ke’an heard Gu Ting sigh and say softly, “Sigh, I’m so pitiful.”
“Hmm?” Wen Ke’an looked up at him.
Gu Ting said gloomily, “Others can hug, but I can’t do anything.”
Wen Ke’an was silent for a moment and then slowly asked, “What do you want to do?”
Gu Ting smiled and asked back, “Don’t you understand what I want to do?”
Wen Ke’an looked serious, “I don’t understand.”
After a while, Gu Ting sighed and said, “Have we really stopped understanding each other?”
Wen Ke’an remained silent. Suddenly, Gu Ting reached out his hand in front of her, bent over, and asked softly, “Can I just hold your hand?”
His tone was so pitiful that Wen Ke’an subconsciously put her hand in his.
Their fingers interlocked.
Gu Ting looked ahead, unable to control the corners of his mouth from curling up.
He didn’t expect to be happy like a little child, just by holding hands.
Seeing him happy, Wen Ke’an’s eyes bent with a smile and she softly asked, “Aren’t you afraid of getting caught, now that things are so strict?”
There were inspectors at the school gate, and sometimes, if lucky, they could even run into the dean.
After saying this, Wen Ke’an suddenly realized that Gu Ting didn’t actually fear getting caught.
Thinking it over, she changed her remark, “Aren’t you afraid of me getting caught?”
“They wouldn’t dare.” Gu Ting walked forward openly. “All the teachers who are supposed to be at work are in their offices now, and those who aren’t working are still in bed.”
Wen Ke’an glanced at the student council members checking at the door and asked, “Why wouldn’t they dare?”
Gu Ting replied, “Because I’m the minister.”
Wen Ke’an suddenly understood. “So you joined the student council just to openly date?”
Gu Ting smiled and retorted, “What else?”
Walking together into the school, they found that no one dared to check them when they saw Gu Ting. Some even politely greeted him, “Brother Ting.”
“I’ll take you somewhere.” As soon as they entered the school, Gu Ting held her hand and led her in another direction.
“Where to?” Wen Ke’an asked instinctively.
But Gu Ting didn’t answer.
After several rains, many tender green grasses had sprouted in the school.
Gu Ting led her down a path to a very secluded corner.
The corner was at the turn of the teaching building, with a small open space where two large trees had grown thick and leafy.
This was the kind of place in the school where little couples liked to do mischievous things.
Wen Ke’an felt something was amiss.
Then she saw Gu Ting take off his school uniform jacket.
“This is the school,” Wen Ke’an took a step back and calmly spoke to Gu Ting, “There are security cameras in the school.”
Gu Ting smiled but advanced step by step, “This place is safe, no cameras.”
“How do you know that?” Wen Ke’an’s back was pressed against one of the trees.
In the next second, Gu Ting followed closely.
He looked down at her and smiled, “From past experiences.”
Seeing Wen Ke’an’s surprise mixed with a bit of helplessness while still trying to stay calm, Gu Ting couldn’t help but break into a grin.
He looked down at her and said, “I discovered a nest of baby birds here yesterday, and I wanted to show you.”
Wen Ke’an didn’t expect this; her expression suddenly froze.
When she finally reacted, she saw Gu Ting laughing.
Embarrassed and angry, Wen Ke’an slapped his arm and, with reddened ears, demanded, “What are you laughing at?”
Gu Ting stared at her and asked with a smile, “What are you thinking about all day long in that little head of yours?”
Author’s Note: Master of Evasion, Gu Ting. 🙂
