Forced into a Secret Marriage with the Villain, We Now Have a Child - Chapter 18

Grading homework is a task that truly tests one’s patience. At first, Jian Chun found it novel. She felt her red checkmarks weren’t quite right and that her handwriting for the dates wasn’t “cursive” enough, looking far too neat. So, she began practicing her “teacher’s scrawl.”

However, there was simply too much of it. A single problem, including the transcription and the solution, usually took up a quarter of a page. Jian Chun sat in her office chair for an entire period without moving; it wasn’t until the bell rang outside that she finally stood up to stretch.

Teachers began trickling back into the office. Cheng Xuan, who had just finished a Chinese lesson for Class 10, looked at Jian Chun with a smile on his middle-aged face.

“I heard Jin Ziye actually handed in his homework? What did you say to him? That’s truly impressive,” Cheng Xuan remarked.

Jian Chun rubbed her nose, feeling a bit depressed as she looked at Cheng Xuan’s beaming face. It seemed Jin Ziye’s reputation among the faculty was exactly as she had imagined.

“I didn’t really say much…” she replied with a sheepish smile.

Cheng Xuan sat down and sighed with emotion. “Why don’t you talk to him again and see if he’ll hand in my Chinese assignments? None of these kids are stupid; if they put in the effort, their grades wouldn’t be so bad.”

“You don’t even have to ask. I’m going to keep working on him,” Jian Chun said. Cheng Xuan thanked her again; having the class average pulled down by a single student didn’t make him look good either.

He Yin returned as well. She also taught English for other classes. She shot a glance at Jian Chun but said nothing. Truth be told, she was fuming. During her morning self-study session with Class 10, Jin Ziye had given her no face at all, openly copying homework—Physics homework, no less—right under her nose.

He Yin glared at Jian Chun again. One way or another, she added this grievance to the tab she had already opened for Jian Chun.

The Reluctant “Student”

Jian Chun carried a stack of workbooks back to the office around 10:00 AM after her lesson with Class 9. Time was flying. Someone was waiting for her, standing right by her desk and restlessly flipping through the homework she had graded.

“Jin Ziye, what is it?” Jian Chun asked as she approached.

Jin Ziye impatiently dropped the workbook and looked at her, letting out an awkward cough. “Hey… I don’t know how to do the homework,” he said, pulling out a textbook he had prepared.

Jian Chun glanced at the page he had opened to. It was the very first page. “Stupid.”

Jin Ziye’s face immediately turned cold. Seeing him like this, Jian Chun felt she didn’t need to worry about whether he had been “broken” by her previous intervention. She held a grudge; her being teased and “disciplined” by Yu Siyi last night was entirely this brat’s fault.

“Do I need to beg you to let me teach you?” Jian Chun asked, eyes narrowed.

“I’m sorry,” Jin Ziye muttered, his voice no louder than a mosquito.

“What was that? I can’t hear you.” Jian Chun held the upper hand now and wasn’t about to let him off easily.

Just then, the bell for the next class rang. Jin Ziye rolled his eyes. “I’ll come find you at noon.”

Jian Chun was about to agree when she remembered her plans. “No.”

“Huh?”

“I have plans at noon,” Jian Chun said.

Jin Ziye looked blank. “What could you possibly have to do?”

Jian Chun remained speechless, her expression darkening.

Jin Ziye took the hint. “Fine, Big Sister, you go ahead and be busy.” Jian Chun didn’t let him leave empty-handed; she dumped the pile of workbooks into his arms and made him carry them back to the classroom.

The Secret Date

At noon, Jian Chun’s phone vibrated incessantly. It was all from Yu Siyi. Jian Chun was already on her way out of the school, having stood up Yi Xueyang for their usual lunch date. She carried a paper bag, and since it was still a bit cold, she tucked her hands into her sleeves to block the wind.

After showing her ID at the school gate, she found a quiet corner to stand in before finally answering Yu Siyi’s call. But the moment the call connected, a “fully armed” figure appeared before her.

From head to toe: a hat, a scarf, and massive sunglasses. Jian Chun’s heart skipped a beat—she was startled by the sudden appearance. But she recognized Yu Siyi instantly.

Yu Siyi was nothing like the “ice queen” or “workaholic” portrayed in the media. In front of Jian Chun, she was lively, pulling her sunglasses down halfway to reveal her eyes as she blinked playfully at her.

Jian Chun let out a sigh of relief. Yu Siyi pushed her sunglasses back up and naturally took the paper bag from Jian Chun’s hand. “What’s in here? Something for me?” she asked, peeking inside.

“Mhm,” Jian Chun hummed, glancing away as she pulled Yu Siyi, who wasn’t looking where she was going, away from the path of a passerby.

Yu Siyi smiled. Though her eyes were hidden, her upturned lips beneath her straight nose were clear. “Watch where you’re going,” Jian Chun chided.

“Don’t I have you for that?” Yu Siyi replied. She finally saw the contents of the bag and her tone turned disappointed. “Eh? It’s just books.”

“What else did you want?”

“Books it is, then,” Yu Siyi sighed dramatically.

The Cost of Tuition

Yu Siyi had booked a room at a five-star hotel near the school. As soon as they entered, staff came over to serve them. Once the food was served, Yu Siyi requested that they not be disturbed.

As the door closed, Jian Chun finally breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t want anyone to find out she was here specifically to “study.”

Yu Siyi stood up and dragged a heavy solid-wood chair right next to Jian Chun. Jian Chun flipped open her book and pulled out her tablet to show the lesson slides.

“I’m not very familiar with the next few lessons. I’ll go through it once for you, and you tell me if I’ve got it right,” Jian Chun said. She pushed the tablet toward Yu Siyi, but her hand was suddenly pinned down by another.

Yu Siyi’s hands were beautiful—long, fair, with clean, rounded nails.

“Shouldn’t we eat first?” Jian Chun sensed the shift in the atmosphere. She tried to pull her hand back, but Yu Siyi gripped it tighter.

Yu Siyi’s smile was unbridled, her eyes reflecting only Jian Chun. Her warm breath brushed against Jian Chun’s face, her intentions crystal clear.

Jian Chun opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, biting her lower lip as she glared at her.

“Teaching isn’t free,” Yu Siyi said, her voice soft and enchanting. “You have to give me something in exchange.”

Jian Chun swallowed hard. “Don’t go too far.”

Yu Siyi’s eyes hooked into Jian Chun’s. “When a little white rabbit delivers herself to my door, how can I let her go without taking a layer of skin?”

Jian Chun pursed her lips, suddenly feeling the temperature in the room turn bone-chilling. Take a layer of skin?

“I’m just teasing you,” Yu Siyi laughed, letting go of her hand. Jian Chun exhaled sharply.

Then, Yu Siyi added casually, “Give me a kiss, and I’ll teach you for free for two days.”

Jian Chun’s heart, which had just settled, leaped back into her throat. She looked at Yu Siyi’s face and gritted her teeth. “Teach or don’t teach, I don’t care!”

Seeing that she had ruffled Jian Chun’s feathers again, Yu Siyi took a step back. “I’ve never seen someone beg for help with such an attitude.”

Jian Chun suppressed her fire. “And I’ve never seen someone ‘pursue’ another person like this.”

Yu Siyi nodded thoughtfully. “Well, now you have.”

Rumors and Denial

By the time they finished their two-hour session, it was 2:30 PM. Jian Chun felt as though she had gained a lot. It reminded her of middle school, where a teacher had once smacked her with a ruler for not paying attention in Physics; after that, her grades had skyrocketed out of pure spite. This felt strangely similar.

As she returned to school, she overheard two female students gossiping.

“Do you think she really came to the school?” “A girl in the fan group said Goddess Yu hasn’t been feeling well and went home to rest. It’s possible she’s here.” “But there’s no media coverage?”

Jian Chun listened silently. A bunch of honey-seekers, she thought. When she reached the classroom, the students were even more enthusiastic. Some even blocked her path to ask.

“Teacher Jian! We think we saw Yu Siyi just now! You must know her, right? We think we saw her with you!” “It had to be her! I remember that tan coat and her hair color!”

Jian Chun’s scalp felt numb. She coughed twice. “I didn’t see her. You probably mistook someone else for her.”

“How could we be wrong? The person next to her looked exactly like you, Teacher…”

Jian Chun looked at the group of eager faces. “If only you were this ‘thirsty’ for knowledge in your studies.” The students laughed and dispersed.

The Best Defense is a Bold Lie

On her way back to the office, she ran into Yi Xueyang.

“Where did you go for lunch? You didn’t even bring me! Was it a date?” Yi Xueyang asked suspiciously.

Jian Chun’s eyes darted around as she gave a forced cough. Seeing this, Yi Xueyang gasped. “Oh! I hit the nail on the head. Tell me, what’s he like?”

“What do you mean ‘what’s he like’? I just had some business to take care of,” Jian Chun said.

Yi Xueyang sighed and leaned against her textbooks. “By the way, did you see the news? They say Yu Siyi is back in town.”

“So she’s back. What’s the big deal?” Jian Chun replied. Having never been a fan of celebrities, she couldn’t understand the joy of treating someone else’s life as her own business.

Yi Xueyang locked her gaze on Jian Chun. “Be honest… are you on good terms with her?”

Jian Chun froze, her gaze turning wary.

“Everyone is saying she went out with you. I even saw a photo a teacher took—granted, it’s just of your backs.” Yi Xueyang looked Jian Chun up and down. “The clothes in the photo match what you’re wearing today.”

Jian Chun’s breathing tightened. She feigned calm. “If I were on good terms with her, would I not tell you?”

“Well… what if?” Yi Xueyang narrowed her eyes and winked suggestively.

Jian Chun was at her breaking point. Yu Siyi in front of her, Yu Siyi’s fans behind her—it was a constant rollercoaster of stress. Before she suffocated from the pressure, she took a deep breath.

Jian Chun nodded calmly. “Actually, I had lunch with Yu Siyi today.”

Yi Xueyang paused. “Yeah, right. Pull the other one.”

Jian Chun’s expression became even more serious. She glared at Yi Xueyang. “I’m serious. She’s pursuing me.”

Yi Xueyang snorted. “Tsk. And she’s my girlfriend.”

Jian Chun watched Yi Xueyang, her face turning cold. “Really. We even sleep in the same bed.”

Yi Xueyang looked enlightened. “Fine, you win. You’re definitely the more shameless one.”

Jian Chun looked back at her with a complicated expression—a mix of a smile and misery fighting for control of her face. Her expression was stiff, but strangely, her heart finally settled back into her chest.