After Being Taken by the Eldest Young Lady - Chapter 2

Jiang Xule sat on the floor in front of the sofa, finishing off the street food she had ordered to-go. She reached behind her to grab a pack of cigarettes from the sofa and popped one in her mouth, only to find that the lighter was out of fluid; no matter how hard she struck it, it wouldn’t ignite.

The next second, she irritably pulled the cigarette from her lips and tossed it onto the tabletop.

In the summer, the drafty window acted like an electric fan. With no buildings blocking the exterior—just an open space scattered with a few trees—the breeze here was always significantly cooler than elsewhere.

Watching the swaying shadows of the trees outside the balcony and listening to the sounds of the neighbors arguing downstairs actually had a somewhat hypnotic effect. Sitting on the ground and leaning against the sofa behind her, she fell asleep while thinking about her work plan for the following day.

Yuegang First High School had very few classes scheduled for Fridays. School let out after only two periods in the afternoon. Fang Yize only had Chinese class with one section on Fridays, so she was usually free to rest after that.

However, her plan to leave work early went up in smoke when the Dean of Students called a meeting for the class advisors.

“There is one very important point to note: recently, the frequency of street stalls appearing at the school entrance has been increasing. Some, in their eagerness to sell their goods, have almost set up in the middle of the road, seriously affecting the traffic at the gate.”

“Traffic is one thing, but the students’ health issues must also be prioritized. We don’t know what the ingredients of these street stalls are like. Some might be several nights old, and to make them smell good, they add a bunch of incomprehensible seasonings. The school cafeteria has become empty; almost no students are willing to go there anymore.”

“While affecting traffic, it also impacts the students’ physical health and even the revenue of the student canteen. This must be stopped. Dean Shan, what do you think?”

Dean Shan was the head of the tenth grade. His daily tasks were more numerous than anyone else’s in the school. A job like chasing away street vendors… he really couldn’t find the time for it.

Among the class advisors present, Fang Yize was the youngest and had the shortest tenure. Dean Shan glanced toward Fang Yize at the end of the table, and she immediately understood. She volunteered, saying, “Dean, I can go.”

The Dean of Students immediately broke into a smile. “Alright, then this matter will be handled by Little Ze. I hope that before the students are dismissed, not a single street stall will appear at the school entrance. Meeting adjourned.”

That being said, it apparently wasn’t going to be an easy task.

Ten minutes before dismissal, Fang Yize put on her “Lead Duty Officer” badge and, imitating the manner of the grade head, clasped her hands behind her back. She walked out of the school gate and turned right, where she saw a long line of street stalls. There were even vendors who were nearly coming to blows over a good spot.

Seeing this, Fang Yize rushed forward to intervene, separating an auntie and an uncle who were pointing at each other and cursing. She raised her voice and said, “Stalls are not allowed at our school entrance. Everyone, please clear out!”

“Who are you? You say we can’t set up, so we can’t set up?”

Hearing this, Fang Yize showed them the “Lead Duty Officer” badge on her chest and said, “I am a teacher at First High. For the health and safety of the students, the school has strictly forbidden setting up stalls at the entrance. I am advising you nicely; if you don’t listen, we can notify the Urban Management Bureau to handle it!”

Fang Yize coordinated with the security guards to move the stalls that were positioned further forward. She remained relatively polite and didn’t resort to pushing even when encountering stubborn vendors who refused to budge. However, the burly security guards didn’t bother reasoning with them, though she still advised the guards to try and avoid getting physical.

Fang Yize watched with satisfaction as the vendors ahead moved back, but a truly stubborn one appeared in the crowd. That person was wearing a sun-protection jacket, a baseball cap, and a black face mask, just standing there in front of her stall as if she were deaf and blind to everything.

At first, she thought this person might have a special condition. She stepped forward to take a look and saw a pair of familiar eyes. The gaze was indifferent and sharp; when it met Fang Yize’s eyes, the person immediately frowned.

Fang Yize recognized her too and was somewhat surprised. “Why are you here setting up a stall too?”

Jiang Xule quickly looked away and pulled one earbud out. “Yeah, my job was ruined by you, so of course I can’t just lie at home and wait to die.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. I only stepped in to speak up for you because I saw that man getting aggressive with you.”

“Mhm. Anything else? If not, don’t block my business.”

Fang Yize watched as Jiang Xule put the earbud back in and lowered her eyes to continue making her “wolf-tooth” potatoes, acting so focused that she seemed completely unaware of her surroundings.

It was obvious this was her first time; she didn’t even realize there was a problem as the others were pulling their stalls away.

Fang Yize tilted her head again and waved her hand in front of the other woman’s eyes. Once the earbud was removed again, she said awkwardly, “Um, you aren’t allowed to set up stalls here.”

Although I really don’t want to block your way to making money again, I have a mission to complete. I’m new to the school, so I have to leave a good impression… Fang Yize bit her lip, not daring to look into Jiang Xule’s eyes again.

“What kind of meddling are you doing again? Are you looking for trouble on purpose?”

“Teacher Fang, why are you wasting your breath on her? If she won’t leave, we’ll call the Urban Management over,” the security guard shouted.

Fang Yize cautiously stole a glance at Jiang Xule. She saw that after Jiang Xule heard the guard call her “Teacher,” she first looked her up and down, then angrily shoved the earbud back into her ear, packed up her things, and pushed her cart away.

Great, she seems angry. How can a person trip twice in the same spot? Fang Yize, why are you meddling? Did you really have to leave this ‘good impression’? Are you here to be a teacher or a ‘good person’?

In reality, even if she went through the trouble of chasing them away, as soon as she turned to leave and the dismissal bell rang, those vendors would scramble to set up their stalls again. Even if the Urban Management confiscated their stalls, it would be useless; no one has it easy when they’re trying to earn a few bucks.

If it weren’t for fulfilling her childhood dream of becoming a teacher, Fang Yize really wouldn’t want to do anything except lie at home every day, eating, drinking, and having fun.

Before becoming a teacher, she couldn’t truly grasp the bitterness and difficulty of earning money. Even after she started working, she still couldn’t feel it; her monthly allowance was several times higher than her salary as a teacher.

The security guard, surnamed Chen, was the first person Fang Yize had gotten to know since coming to this school. Seeing Fang Yize dazed while staring at Jiang Xule’s retreating back, he asked curiously, “Teacher Fang, do you know that person?”

Fang Yize snapped out of it and said, “No, I don’t. We just had a small friction before.”

The friction was actually quite big!

“Then did you offend her? The way she looked at you… it seemed like if you said one more word, she was going to pick up a kitchen knife and—slash, slash, slash!”

Fang Yize gave a soft, amused laugh, waved her hand, and walked back into the school.

Since becoming a teacher, Fang Yize lived alone in a rented apartment. Usually, she would only go home on weekends, but in reality, she ended up eating alone there too because her family was very busy.

So, she decided not to go back this week. She ordered takeout at home and, after eating, began grading some quiz papers. In short, being a teacher was exhausting and the pay was low—at least for her, who had been on the job for less than a year.

The phone sitting nearby chimed several times. She couldn’t help but pick it up to check; it was a message from Sun Lin.

Sun Lin: [Babe, there’s a high school reunion tomorrow, want to go? It’s being hosted by the student council president from our year. I heard that girl who competed with you for ‘School Beauty’ back then is going too.]

The girl who competed for School Beauty? Fang Yize recalled carefully; there indeed seemed to be such a thing.

It was actually just for fun among the students. They held a “School Beauty” poll on the Q-Q Space confession wall. Fang Yize and a girl named Nalan Jing made it to the finals. Back then, Nalan Jing treated the whole class to a meal just to solicit votes for herself.

Nearly six years had passed since high school graduation. Aside from a few close friends, Fang Yize had forgotten almost everyone else. She remembered some faces, but the names were completely gone.

It might be good to go see some old classmates.

Fang Yize: [Sure, then come pick me up tomorrow.]

Sun Lin: [Great! Remember to dress up pretty, don’t let Nalan Jing steal your spotlight!]

Sun Lin: [I’ll pull you into the old friends’ group chat now. It’s a pity Xu Xin went traveling with her mom recently and can’t make it.]

Fang Yize: [Mhm.]

How many years has it been? Who is still obsessed with ‘spotlight’ or whatever? Fang Yize couldn’t understand it.

However, Fang Yize was indeed beautiful. Her eyes were large and round, with an amber pupil color that was different from most people. She had a high bridge and a small, rounded tip to her nose. Her cupid’s bow was quite prominent, and when she smiled, her mouth looked like a heart—a very delicate “sweet girl” face.

With a face like hers, even if she intentionally dressed maturely, she would still be asked for her ID at places like bars.