After Thinking I Was the Top, I Was Taken by a Cold Beauty - Chapter 7

The sun was scorching during the afternoon self-study period. At Xihe High School, the entire eleventh-grade department was undergoing their end-of-month academic assessment.

Each examination room was assigned one head invigilator and one deputy, while a floating teacher was stationed on every floor of the corridor. Lin Yanxu stood to the left of the podium in Examination Room 2-1, holding a triangular ruler against the edge, tapping it rhythmically to pass the time as he waited for the exam to end.

Students in the liberal arts track were generally not proficient in mathematics. An hour had already passed since the start of the exam, and many students had finished their papers thirty minutes in, transitioning into sleeping or staring blankly into space.

Fang Yu, seated by the back door of the classroom, stood up repeatedly to pat the sleeping students awake. Seeing that these sixteen and seventeen-year-olds were not listening to her, she immediately cast a pleading look toward the man on the podium for help.

Lin Yanxu walked into the aisle between the first and second rows, clutching his triangular ruler. He tapped three times on the desks of the dazed students as a reminder. This round of warnings proved to be quite effective.

When the exam ended at 12:30 PM and the students departed, Fang Yu, dragging her injured leg, walked to the podium to hand the collected papers to Lin Yanxu.

“Mr. Lin, I will have to trouble you with the parent-teacher meeting this afternoon. The timing is truly unfortunate; I happen to have a follow-up appointment at the hospital,” Fang Yu said softly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear and lowering her head with a shy, gentle expression.

“No problem,” Lin Yanxu replied while stapling the exam papers and placing them into a file bag. Afterward, he bid her goodbye and left first to deliver the papers to the Academic Affairs Office.

Meanwhile, inside the Liuxian Residence, Yun Deng was rummaging through his belongings for clothes to wear today. He was practically ready to climb into his wardrobe.

Ever since he promised Song Shuya a few days ago to attend a parent-teacher meeting on behalf of someone from her studio, he had been regretting it every second. There were only two hours left until that “what’s-his-name” meeting, and he still had no idea what to wear. The clothes he usually wore to bars and clubs were completely unsuitable for a school environment.

To ensure the young girl wouldn’t lose face, Yun Deng was determined to make himself look clean and professional, like someone who worked at a respectable company. Xia Shisheng even teased him, saying that while he complained about regretting it, he was actually taking it incredibly seriously.

After opening another wardrobe door, he finally found the place where his black, white, and gray clothes were stored. The weather had been exceptionally hot lately. He had originally wanted to wear a sweatshirt, but it was currently too hot to step outside in one. Ultimately, Yun Deng ironed a plain white T-shirt, changed into it, and managed to head out at the very last moment.

After driving through the busy city for a while, he reached his destination.

Yun Deng was stunned the moment he arrived at the school gate. The area was swarming with cars and people; the road was completely blocked. In the end, he had to look elsewhere for parking. His car was worth millions and his monthly fuel costs were in the thousands, but he was unwilling to pay fifteen yuan per hour for parking.

After making a U-turn, Yun Deng finally found a free parking spot under the shade of some trees behind the school. Once everything was settled, he grabbed his phone and sunglasses and prepared to head toward the school.

During this season, the cosmos flowers in the roadside green belts were blooming vibrantly. They grew in large, dense clusters with complex and diverse colors. After admiring them all the way to the school gate, Yun Deng felt a sudden wave of social anxiety. He pushed his sunglasses up with his finger and slipped through the main entrance, blending in with the crowd.

Song Shuya had already informed him of the class and seat number, but after entering the school gates, Yun Deng still found himself involuntarily losing his way. Ultimately, he avoided getting lost only by finding another parent from the same class to lead the way.

Upon reaching the classroom, he learned that the parents had to go to the auditorium first to hear a director’s meeting. Furthermore, he had arrived more than half an hour earlier than the scheduled time. 2:00 PM was the time for the tenth-grade meeting; the eleventh grade didn’t start until 2:45 PM.

Bored, Yun Deng hid in the stairwell playing on his phone and interrogated Song Shuya about why she had remembered the time wrong.

[Group Chat: The Five Flowers of Beijing]

— Mianmian Yu: “How could you even get the time wrong? Do you know how early I arrived! @Shu” — Mianmian Yu: “I am so tired from waiting… I can barely stand anymore.”

Song Shuya didn’t reply for a long while. By the time she did, Yun Deng had already entered the auditorium and set his phone to silent mode.

In his twenty-plus years of life, this was the first time Yun Deng had entered a school as a “parent” to attend a meeting. Initially, he found it very novel, but the moment the teacher on stage started droning on with a long-winded report, he instantly lost interest. After enduring about half an hour, the teacher finally announced that they could go to the classrooms to await the homeroom teacher’s arrangements.

Yun Deng exited the auditorium and stayed outside for a moment to breathe some fresh air before heading upstairs to find the classroom. The sister of Song Shuya’s studio employee was named He Yirui, a young girl with a high ponytail. As he approached the classroom, he saw that the students were already on break, gathered in the corridor looking for their family members.

When he first met the girl, Yun Deng felt a rare sense of restraint, but he maintained a calm and composed exterior as he stepped forward to greet her. While other students stood in clusters, He Yirui stood alone by the front door, leaning against the wall with her head down. She only looked up to stare at him after hearing his call.

The moment he interacted with the young girl, the tension and restraint in Yun Deng’s heart vanished instantly.

“For you.” Yun Deng took a fist-sized red velvet gift box out of his gift bag and handed it to He Yirui.

He Yirui had already been somewhat shy upon seeing him. Now, seeing this stranger she was meeting for the first time giving her something, her first instinct was that she couldn’t accept it. Unexpectedly, the other party waved it off, said it was fine, and insisted on giving it to her.

“I won’t give you the bag. Just put the box in your backpack and keep it safe.” After saying this, Yun Deng tossed his car keys and phone into the gift bag. He placed his hand lightly on the girl’s shoulder and let her lead him to his seat.

The entire classroom was quite spacious, equipped with a floor-standing air conditioner at both the front and back. The bookshelves and the sanitation corner were organized and spotless. After the two sat down, they chatted for a few moments and quickly became acquainted. He Yirui’s grades were excellent, and her handwriting on her assignments was neat and orderly. After receiving permission, Yun Deng flipped through two of her notebooks and sighed that girls indeed had prettier handwriting.

After sitting for about five or six minutes, the bell rang.

“Is your homeroom teacher young? Are they mean?” Yun Deng asked in a low voice.

“Our official homeroom teacher was in a traffic accident and broke her leg. She didn’t come today,” He Yirui replied quietly, mimicking his tone.

“How can there be an ‘official’ homeroom teacher? Does that mean the one coming later is a ‘counterfeit’?” Yun Deng was suddenly baffled.

Before the girl could explain, the “non-official” homeroom teacher walked into the classroom with a laptop. At the very first glance, Yun Deng’s gaze was completely captured.

Lin Yanxu connected his laptop to the blackboard display. He wasn’t in a hurry to play the PPT required by the school; instead, he started with a simple self-introduction. His voice, as gentle as a babbling brook, echoed in the quiet classroom, causing the audience to listen to his words involuntarily.

Yun Deng used the girl’s assignment book to partially cover his face, attempting to hide his emotions. He couldn’t believe he had met his dream man here—the dream man he had secretly fantasized about. A living, breathing dream man.

Yun Deng’s heart was racing wildly. Since their last encounter, it had been at least two weeks since he had seen him. This sudden meeting caught him off guard. He poked He Yirui’s shoulder and, suppressing the excitement in his heart, asked softly, “Is that person on the podium your teacher?”

“Isn’t he handsome? There are so many girls in our class and the neighboring class who like Mr. Lin. But Mr. Lin is always stern, and he gives a lot of homework,” He Yirui replied, also whispering.

Hearing this, Yun Deng was suddenly moved to tears of joy. He wasn’t just handsome; he was almost handsome enough to make Yun Deng faint. To think such a beautiful man was a teacher—his professional appeal instantly hit the maximum. Even though he could look at him openly while sitting in the classroom, Yun Deng continued to half-hide his face with the book, pretending to study someone’s homework.

After Lin Yanxu finished the class grade report and explained the university admission scores and other tasks, he played a PPT on drowning prevention. The entire meeting was very brief. Before long, students and parents were allowed to leave, though those with questions could stay behind for a consultation.

Yun Deng was completely unwilling to leave. Today, the man was wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, which added a touch of “ascetic” charm. When he spoke to other parents, there was always a faint smile at the corners of his mouth, making Yun Deng’s heart itch as if it had been scratched by a cat’s paw.

Adhering to the principle that one must create opportunities when none exist, Yun Deng directly asked He Yirui if she had any questions for the teacher. Seeing the girl shake her head, Yun Deng already had a second plan.

He had questions to ask.

Action follows the heart. Yun Deng immediately walked toward the podium, but there were many parents currently consulting about their children’s status at school, and he was roughly the last one in line. Yun Deng waited outside the classroom door, silently praying that he could successfully get the man’s contact information. He Yirui, being very observant, said she was going to the canteen to buy a bottle of water and temporarily left the scene.

Inside the classroom, after Lin Yanxu replied to every parent’s questions, he prepared to pack his things and return to the office. Just as he approached the door, his path was blocked by a young man with curly hair. He recognized the person at once as the one he had met at the cafe that day.

Yun Deng was incredibly nervous, but fortunately, he didn’t run away. Previously, Xia Shisheng told him that this person looked very tall, but he hadn’t believed it. Now, standing right in front of this beautiful man, he realized the other party was a full half-head taller than him. His aura weakened instantly, and he had to look up slightly just to meet the man’s eyes.

But it didn’t matter. A short top is still a top; he was just a bit shorter, that’s all. Yun Deng frantically comforted himself in his mind.

“Is there something I can help you with?” It wasn’t until Lin Yanxu spoke that his thoughts were pulled back. As soon as Yun Deng regained his senses, he saw the beautiful man smiling at him, and his tone was very gentle.

“No! It’s nothing…”

After his stammering reply, Yun Deng suddenly felt a stickiness near his lips. Instinctively, he reached out to touch it and saw bright red blood. Before he could react to what was happening, a tissue was placed in his hand.

Lin Yanxu hadn’t expected the other party to suddenly have a nosebleed, but he understood the reason in his heart. Since the first time they made eye contact that day, he knew the emotions contained in that gaze. He took out another tissue and, while the other person was in a daze, gently wiped it for him.

“Pinch your nostrils yourself. Don’t tilt your head back.”

Yun Deng was completely stunned now, obediently following the instructions. He suddenly felt like he was already dead. It was a complete social death.

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