After Thinking I Was the Top, I Was Taken by a Cold Beauty - Chapter 4

Xihe High School is located in the main urban district of Beijing. Boasting a superior location and a rich academic atmosphere, it serves as an affiliated middle school to a prestigious university.

It was early morning, the scheduled time for student morning exercises. Lin Yanxu had risen at 6:00 AM and driven to the campus to begin his busy day of work. With a cold expression, he stood at the very back of the formation for the class he was currently supervising, his gaze fixed on a few lazy, uncooperative students in the rear row.

Class 2-3 was a liberal arts class, consisting of twenty-five girls and ten boys. The students in the back row, emboldened by their position where they assumed the front-row inspectors could not see them, were shamelessly slacking off. They had been slacking like this for several days without incident. However, today, a male student named Sun Yi inadvertently turned his head and saw the Chinese teacher standing right behind them.

Lin Yanxu watched as the boy’s expression turned to one of pure terror before he whipped his head back around to warn the other slackers. Once the morning exercises concluded and the classes returned to their rooms, Lin Yanxu walked unhurriedly back to the office to prepare for his first period.

Stepping toward the door, he saw the homeroom teacher of Class 3 using a white spray bottle to water the greenery arranged on the corridor railing. Fang Yu was wearing a pink floral dress today with a lace hairpin tucked into her hair. She greeted Lin Yanxu in a soft, gentle voice. Lin Yanxu gave a slight nod in acknowledgment before entering the office; a moment later, he emerged with his teaching materials and headed downstairs.

Fang Yu’s gaze followed him, her eyes unconsciously betraying a hint of longing. Just as she was about to turn back after he left, she was stopped by Ms. Tao, a teacher from the neighboring class. Their third-floor office was a renovated former classroom—vast and open—housing only four teachers as assigned by the Academic Affairs Office. Ms. Tao, ten years her senior, wore her hair in a shoulder-length bob and was known for being approachable and kind. Since Fang Yu started her job, she and Ms. Tao had shared the same grade level, and they were close enough to call each other sisters.

“Are you interested in Mr. Lin?” Tao Chunhua asked directly, not one to beat around the bush.

Fang Yu was young and easily embarrassed; seeing her secret laid bare, she blushed and made a move to cover Ms. Tao’s mouth. “Shh! I am not! Sister Tao, you cannot talk nonsense.”

“If not, why are you always greeting him? You even ask him to bring you lunch. Can’t I do that for you?” Tao Chunhua pushed up her glasses, her tone laced with skepticism.

Last month, Fang Yu had a minor collision while riding her electric scooter, resulting in a slight fracture in her right leg. As the homeroom teacher of Class 2-3, she had asked Lin Yanxu to help cover her duties. Through this professional contact, Fang Yu had involuntarily developed feelings for him. After all, a highly educated, handsome colleague who shared the same profession fit her parents’ criteria for a perfect match perfectly. After a few more teasing remarks from Tao Chunhua, Fang Yu carefully shifted her injured leg and moved back into the office.

When the tenth alarm finally went off, Yun Deng sat up in bed, dazed and bleary-eyed. The blankets and pillows had been perfectly fine when he went to sleep, but now half the duvet was piled at the foot of the bed.

He was used to sleeping naked at home; the sudden exposure of his skin to the air chilled him into a state of alertness, causing his lingering drowsiness to vanish instantly. Yun Deng rolled over and buried the back of his head under a pillow, attempting to squeeze in a few more minutes of sleep while lying on his stomach. Just as his consciousness began to fade again, a sudden draft of wind startled him.

Yun Deng practically leaped out of bed, hurriedly grabbing a blanket to wrap around his lower body. Seeing that the curtains were tightly drawn and it was only the dehumidifier running, he let out a sigh of relief. He had almost thought someone had caught a glimpse of him sleeping bare-bottomed. That truly would have destroyed his lifelong reputation in a single night.

This ordeal had completely killed his desire to sleep. He got up, found a pair of underwear, and went into the bathroom to wash up. By the time he finished his routine, another half hour had passed. He did not even have time for breakfast. He threw on a white cotton T-shirt and loose wide-leg pants and hurried out the door.

After getting into the driver’s seat, Yun Deng leaned against the chair for a good while until a wave of unexplained dizziness passed. Ultimately, he chose to give up on driving himself. Using a ride-sharing app, he headed straight for Song Shuya’s apartment. She lived the closest to him.

Song Shuya was a distant relative of Xia Shisheng, but as luck would have it, Yun Deng had met her through a university club before they ever realized the connection. While in the car, Yun Deng called her to let her know he was coming. After being scolded over the phone, he stepped out of the car to find Song Shuya already waiting for him.

“Tell me, what business do you have coming to see me in the middle of the day?” Song Shuya asked, arms crossed and looking annoyed.

“My dear sister, I definitely have something important to ask of you,” Yun Deng said, stepping forward to take her arm.

Normally, if any man dared to touch Song Shuya, she would have kicked him away; even Xia Shisheng was no exception. However, because Yun Deng was gay, she did not mind his touch. She pushed him away and said impatiently, “Cut the act.”

Song Shuya led him into her apartment. As soon as he entered, Yun Deng spotted the mung bean cakes on the coffee table and asked if he could have some.

“Eat, eat, eat! All you know is eating! Hurry up and finish so you can tell me why you are actually here.”

Yun Deng checked the time and realized he was not in a rush. He popped a pastry into his mouth and, after finishing it, explained his intent. He expected Song Shuya to mock him, but instead, she actually praised him.

“Not bad, kid. I thought you would be in breakup agony for a month. I did not expect you to be looking for your next love so soon.”

“Speaking of that, an ex I dated last year reached out to me a few days ago. He said a bunch of nonsense; I have no idea what he wanted.”

Song Shuya sat at her vanity, applying makeup while chatting with Yun Deng. She patiently analyzed the situation for him. “Next time you date a guy, do not give him gifts. No jewelry, no gold, nothing. No one dates like that.”

Yun Deng leaned back on the sofa and sighed at the ceiling. It sounded simple, but he just could not do it. He could not control his urge to be good to others. He knew deep down that several of his exes had only stayed with him because of his wealth; if it were not for the numbers in his bank account, they never would have looked his way. But if I do not give gifts while dating, what else is there to do? Yun Deng pondered this but could not find an answer.

Song Shuya was an incredibly fast makeup artist. After changing into a black bodycon skirt, she grabbed her bag and prepared to head out. Yun Deng followed behind her, helping carry her bag. After all, he had come here to recruit her as a free driver and romantic advisor. If he ran into that handsome guy this afternoon, he would take the initiative. If not, he would just hang out with Song Shuya.

The afternoon sun was perfect, warm but not blinding. The roads were clear, so a trip that usually took thirty minutes only took ten. Yun Deng feared the man might look down on his appearance when he asked for his contact information, so before leaving, he had specially borrowed Song Shuya’s hair straightener to fix his hair and sprayed on some light cologne.

After entering the cafe, Song Shuya started a live stream. Her primary job was as a beauty blogger; last year, she had signed with an agency and appeared in a few web dramas as a glamorous supporting character, and she currently had millions of followers online. Seeing the two of them, the cafe manager assumed they were there for a promotional visit and immediately sat them at a table with the best lighting.

Song Shuya became absorbed in interacting with her fans, completely forgetting why they were there. Yun Deng looked around the shop but did not see the person who fit Xia Shisheng’s description. After ordering a coffee, he hid in the shadows behind a curtain and played a tile-matching game on his phone. There are only seven days in a week. He had come here six days and still had not seen the man. It was the height of misfortune.

At 1:00 PM, a brief rain shower began. The ground was instantly soaked by large raindrops, but the rain moved on quickly. It came as fast as it left. Lin Yanxu collapsed his umbrella, placed it in the stand outside, and entered the cafe. Every Friday afternoon when he had no classes, he would come here to prepare his lessons. As soon as he sat down, a staff member brought over a freshly made coffee.

Yun Deng was pulled back to reality by the pleasant sound of the wind chimes at the door. He had dozed off and was just now waking up. After sitting for an hour, he felt restless; his legs were stiff, and he wanted to walk around. Song Shuya had gone outside fifteen minutes ago to continue her live stream, leaving him there alone.

He took a sip of his now-cold coffee. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone had taken the empty seat on the left side below him. Yun Deng sat in the spot Xia Shisheng had specifically pointed out every time he came. Just like his friend had described, he could only see the man’s profile. With just one glance, he understood why Xia Shisheng was so sure this was his type. Just the side profile made his heart thud.

Yun Deng, coffee in hand, quietly shifted over two seats to get a better look at the man’s face. Once he saw it, he mentally declared this man to be his “perfect wife”—the one he had been searching for. How could someone’s face and temperament fit his aesthetic so perfectly? Even the way the man’s fingers moved across the keyboard was beautiful; his joints were well-defined and looked like they would be very nice to hold.

Perhaps his gaze was too intense, because a second later, the beauty sitting below looked up in his direction. The moment their eyes met, Yun Deng was so startled that he looked away and began sipping his coffee guiltily.

Lin Yanxu had noticed the young man leaning on the table by the second-floor railing the moment he walked in. He noticed him because the coffee cup on the table was perched dangerously close to the edge. A single move could have sent it crashing to the floor. Fortunately, the youth’s sleeping posture was still. After observing for a moment and seeing no movement, Lin Yanxu focused on his lesson plans.

When he happened to look up again, he did not expect the youth to be staring at him, and he had even changed seats. Seeing the boy look away guiltily, Lin Yanxu did not pay it much mind and returned to his work.

Yun Deng pretended to be busy for a while. Seeing the man continue typing, he hurriedly grabbed his phone and sent several messages to Xia Shisheng.

Mianmian Yu: “Ahhh, so handsome! So handsome!” Mianmian Yu: “He is exactly my type, I am crying.”

Xia Shisheng happened to be online and replied instantly.

min: “Then hurry up and use your ‘money power’ to conquer him.”

Yun Deng stole another glance at the man before typing back.

Mianmian Yu: “I do not dare…”

When Yun Deng said he did not dare, he meant it. He sat there for two more hours and never worked up the courage to ask for contact information. Every so often, he would steal a peek. It was only when the man began packing his books to leave that Yun Deng started to panic.

Lin Yanxu finished his lesson prep and prepared to leave. Just as he stepped out the door, a notification popped up on his phone.

Mianmian Yu wants to share a photo with you. Accept / Reject

Lin Yanxu looked at the username and hit accept. An image appeared on his screen. It was a cartoon rabbit with blushed cheeks holding up a heart. The caption read: “You are so beautiful.”

Lin Yanxu was stunned for a moment. But he quickly composed himself, turned around, and walked away.

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