Forced into a Secret Marriage with the Villain, We Now Have a Child - Chapter 51

Peng Zhiyang was by no means an outstanding student. Despite his height, he was painfully shy—the kind of student who easily faded into the background.

Jian Chun had made it a point to speak with every one of her students, so she understood their temperaments well. Compared to the other rowdy boys, he was indeed exceptionally quiet.

At this moment, the office had reached a stalemate. The Dean of Students, Teacher Zhuang, peered from behind his computer, his plump face set in an uncharacteristically stern expression.

Principal Yu had personally issued orders, and the Dean had to see this through. For a student of such a young age to fabricate a report and stir up a scandal online was a serious offense. Parents were already lashing out at Jian Chun, and since she was a representative of the faculty, this mess was an embarrassment to the entire school.

The Dean slammed his hand on the desk. Peng Zhiyang looked over, his eyes vacant and devoid of life.

Jian Chun reached out, intending to pat Peng Zhiyang’s shoulder, but the boy flinched away. She paused for a second before turning to the Dean. “Teacher Zhuang, now that we’ve found him, let me handle the talking. I’ll take him back first.”

“Talk to him properly,” the Dean replied. “But remember to come to me if there’s trouble. I don’t understand how a child can just make things up out of thin air. If there was a problem, the school could have handled it. Why did he have to take it to the internet?”

Jian Chun smiled politely, though the warmth didn’t reach her eyes. This is my student, she thought. If he lacks discipline, it is a reflection of my failure as his teacher.

She led the boy out, but instead of returning to the crowded office, they stopped at a quiet stairwell. A cool breeze drifted through the open windows, carrying the faint scent of flowers.

Jian Chun stood before the tall boy. “Is there anything you want to say to me?”

Peng Zhiyang refused to look her in the eye, his head bowed low.

She sighed. “Was there something I didn’t do well? Something that upset you?”

Watching his silence, Jian Chun’s heart grew heavy. She leaned against the window, letting the cold air calm her nerves. His personality was truly frustrating.

She eventually reached out and gave his shoulder a firm pat. “You’re a young man, Zhiyang. Don’t be so timid. I am your teacher; I won’t harm you. I’m going to act as though this never happened, but for the future, I hope you think twice before you act.”

Peng Zhiyang’s body trembled. Jian Chun was suppressing her own anger, but her professional role prevented her from being impulsive. After sending him back to the classroom, she waited outside for a while but saw no sign of Jin Ziye.

After the afternoon self-study session, Jian Chun checked the classroom again. The students were just waking up from their naps, looking dazed. She tapped on a desk and signaled the Arts Representative to lead a song. A collective chorus soon filled the room, and the atmosphere brightened instantly.

As she stepped out, she spotted Jin Ziye. He was walking with the swagger of a runway model—striding purposefully and exuding confidence. When he saw Jian Chun, he jogged over.

Jian Chun held up a hand, gesturing for him to keep his distance. He stopped a meter away, looking slightly aggrieved.

“From now on, we talk like this,” she said.

“Fine,” Jin Ziye muttered.

“And don’t go looking for trouble with Peng Zhiyang,” she warned. “If you get a demerit, I won’t bail you out.”

At the mention of this, Jin Ziye’s expression soured. He had already reported the situation to his “Shimu” (Mistress/Yu Siyi). He had watched the scandal ferment online and feared Yu Siyi would find out. Hearing Jian Chun defend the culprit made his blood boil.

“You’re still protecting him!” Jin Ziye snapped.

“He is also my student,” Jian Chun replied calmly.

“But my Shimu only acknowledges me!”

“…” Jian Chun stared at him for a moment. “Perhaps you should take that up with her?”

Fuming, Jin Ziye stormed back into the classroom. Students from neighboring classes began to trickle out, eyeing them with curiosity. After all, these two were currently the most talked-about figures in school.

“Jin Ziye looks pissed.” “Wow, they still dare to stand together?” “Honestly, that teacher is really beautiful.”

Jian Chun overheard the whispers. She glanced toward the onlookers, her gaze cool as she offered a faint, chilly smile. The gossipers immediately fell silent. Whether she was unfazed or simply righteous, her calm demeanor suggested she wasn’t afraid of the rumors.

Back in the office, the boisterous Teacher Cheng immediately tried to comfort her. “Don’t pay attention to those idiots online. Don’t let it ruin your teaching schedule!”

“Teacher Cheng, your idea of comfort is a bit lacking,” Jian Chun joked.

“Hey, you’re the headteacher! Anyone can fall, but not you.”

Jian Chun finally let out a genuine laugh. However, a sharp voice cut through from a corner: “That’s right, Jian Chun. Just make sure you aren’t caught with your student next time. If someone takes a photo, it won’t look as ‘pretty’ as this.”

It was He Yin. Jian Chun realized He Yin didn’t even have classes this afternoon.

“I know you have a very… unique work ethic, Teacher He,” Jian Chun smiled. “You disappear the moment class ends, and students can never find you. Perhaps you’re overdoing the ‘avoiding suspicion’ bit. Though, at your age, I suppose you don’t really need to worry about being mistaken for a student’s lover.”

“Jian Chun! What is that supposed to mean?” He Yin bristled.

“Oh, Teacher He, don’t be so sensitive. It was just a joke.” Jian Chun sat down and turned her attention to her grading, ignoring the woman’s glare.

By late afternoon, the school issued an official statement and even registered a Weibo account to clarify the situation. Between the school’s intervention and the internal notices for teachers to manage their students’ talk, the tide online began to turn.

Then, a high-profile interview with “President Jin” was released.

Jin Ziye’s family was well-known locally—successful in the food and beverage industry. Though Jin Ziye’s name hadn’t been leaked, he knew this scandal could hurt his family. His first move, besides finding the footage, had been to call his father.

Initially, President Jin was ready to disown his son for “seducing a teacher.” But his anger vanished with one sentence from Jin Ziye: “Dad, did you know that teacher is Jian Chun? She’s Yu Siyi’s legal wife. You know Yu Siyi, right?”

President Jin certainly knew Yu Siyi. He had heard of Jian Chun, but he never realized his son had a connection to the superstar’s family.

“Are you serious?” he asked.

“Ask her yourself if you don’t believe me,” Jin Ziye boasted.

President Jin took Yu Siyi’s contact info and called. Even though he only reached her manager, the connection was enough. His perspective shifted instantly. His son wasn’t a troublemaker—he was a genius for befriending Yu Siyi’s wife!

To get on Yu Siyi’s good side, President Jin personally stepped in to debunk the rumors.

“Wait, isn’t President Jin the guy who sells drinks?” “It’s a food conglomerate, show some respect!” “So people were just making things up? The teacher is a relative of the Jin family. There’s no affair.” “Smells like a smear campaign. Someone was jealous of her popularity.”

With several parties buying “Hot Searches” to clear her name, the marketing accounts that had previously bashed her began deleting their posts and apologizing to avoid lawsuits.

Jian Chun was grateful to President Jin, but she refrained from texting Jin Ziye to thank him—she didn’t want to encourage him to use his phone at school.

Principal Yu, relieved that the mess was settled, called Jian Chun. “Teacher Jian, you’ve been wronged.”

“It’s alright, Principal. It wasn’t your fault.”

The Principal felt guilty. He knew Jian Chun had a powerful background, yet she always acted like an ordinary teacher. “Take the rest of the day off. I’ll handle the faculty meeting tomorrow.”

Jian Chun accepted. She went to pick up her daughter, Jian Niannian, from kindergarten. Seeing her mother there instead of the usual nanny, Niannian was overjoyed.

As they walked home, Jian Chun asked, “Did Niannian make any new friends today?”

The little girl’s eyes dimmed slightly. “I don’t need friends to go to Auntie Feifei’s house. She has cats.”

Jian Chun laughed. “Do you want a cat? I can buy you one.”

“But Mommy sneezes around them,” Niannian said sweetly.

Jian Chun’s heart melted. With Niannian’s love, the day’s stress seemed like nothing.

That night, while Jian Chun slept soundly, Jin Ziye and a group of boys cornered a tall student in a dark alley near the school.

“Hit him, but don’t kill him,” Jin Ziye ordered. He then sent a message to Yu Siyi.

Jin Ziye: Shimu, don’t worry. Teacher is doing fine at school. I’m looking after her. Jin Ziye: Coming back? I thought you were busy on set? Jin Ziye: No trouble at all. I’m happy to help you out.

As he chatted, dull thuds and groans echoed in the alley.

“Damn, he’s weak. Jin Ziye, he fainted!” one of the boys shouted. Jin Ziye looked up, frowning at the boy slumped on the ground. I didn’t even touch him, he thought. They did.

The next morning, Jian Chun arrived at school to find a disaster: two of her students had been in a fight. One was in a police cell; the other was in the hospital.

She rushed to the hospital to see Peng Zhiyang. He was on an IV drip, looking frail.

“He’s malnourished,” the doctor told her privately. “But Teacher… some of the marks on his body… they aren’t from a fight. They look like the kind of marks adults leave.”

Jian Chun froze. She understood the implication. Her heart sank as she looked at the hospital door. She hadn’t realized how much her student was suffering.

“Did you eat? I brought some buns and milk,” she said, entering the room.

Peng Zhiyang remained silent. Jian Chun offered to handle his insurance and hospital fees, telling him not to worry his grandparents. As she turned to leave, the boy spoke in a raspy voice.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, Teacher.” His face was covered in tears.

Next, she went to the police station. Inside, she found Jin Ziye and four other boys sleeping on the benches. Jin Ziye was even drooling.

She woke him up with a rolled-up brochure. “You really know how to cause trouble, don’t you?”

“I didn’t even hit him! They did!” Jin Ziye protested. He had been so angry on her behalf that he had gone overboard. His father had told him to “reflect” at the station as punishment.

Jian Chun bailed them out, but made Jin Ziye promise to apologize and pay the medical bills.

While at the hospital later, Jin Ziye whispered to her, “Hey, I saw it last night. That kid… he’s got secrets. He’s been with someone. It’s gross.”

“Don’t spread rumors,” Jian Chun warned sharply.

Around noon, Jian Chun’s phone rang. It was Yu Siyi.

She stepped out to a quiet window. “Are you free today?”

“Mm,” the woman’s voice hummed softly. “Why call? Can’t we chat online?”

“I was afraid you’d blocked me,” Yu Siyi teased.

“I don’t have that habit,” Jian Chun lied. Then, in a playful tone, she added, “Do you miss me?”

There was a pause. “Do you want to hear sweet talk right now?” Yu Siyi asked lazily.

“I’m giving you the chance to perform,” Jian Chun countered.

Yu Siyi laughed softly. “I’m coming back in two days. Wait for me.”

“Is that all you called for?”

“I was going to scold you,” Yu Siyi said with mock gravity. “Stay away from Jin Ziye.”

“I thought you two were close?” Jian Chun mocked.

“I still don’t like him being too close to you,” Yu Siyi replied.

“Unreasonable,” Jian Chun said before hanging up.

A moment later, a WeChat notification popped up. Yu Siyi: If you and he end up in the news again, I’m going to go public with our marriage. #Smile.

Jian Chun ignored the “madwoman.” She missed the old, cold, and simple Yu Siyi.

Finally, her colleague Yi Xueyang called. “Jian Chun! Where are you?”

“The hospital. Why?”

“Someone just sent a video to the Principal! It was so intense he almost dropped his phone! He’s taken He Yin out and even called the police!”

Jian Chun’s heart skipped a beat. Had the truth about what happened to Peng Zhiyang finally come to light?

“Who went with him?” she asked.

“Just the Principal. He went alone—didn’t even take his secretary.”

Jian Chun took a deep breath. “I see.”