Loving You in Silence - Chapter 9

Jiang Zi stood beside her, waiting patiently.

Meng Yihuai was still looking up at her, a bit dazed. After a moment, she snapped out of it and stood up to let her in. Jiang Zi sat down beside her.

Having not seen each other over the holiday, the surrounding teachers were all discussing their vacations in a harmonious atmosphere. Jiang Zi turned her head and initiated a topic: “Teacher Meng looks very tired. Did you stay up late last night?”

“I’m alright, just my normal routine,” Meng Yihuai said. “I’m not sleepy anymore.”

Jiang Zi nodded.

Meng Yihuai looked at her profile, wanting to say more, but several principals walked in. Everyone stopped talking, and the room fell silent.

The staff meeting covered the usual topics: post-holiday classroom management, student counseling, teacher ideological work, etc. There was nothing new. However, an extra item was added to the agenda.

Principal Su introduced the new teacher. He adjusted his glasses and smiled as he recited Jiang Zi’s brilliant resume. In his amiable and proud tone, the gaze of the crowd turned toward Jiang Zi like a series of intense searchlights.

Jiang Zi: “…”

After Principal Su finished, Jiang Zi stood up and gave a brief self-introduction. The room erupted in applause.

Truly uncomfortable with being the center of attention, Jiang Zi sat down quickly. But it wasn’t over. Just as she sat, a smiling voice whispered in her ear: “Teacher Jiang is really impressive.”

“…” Jiang Zi replied, “Don’t tease me.”

“I’m not. You graduated from a top domestic university, studied abroad for two years, and even completed a double degree. You might be the most highly educated teacher here,” Meng Yihuai said. “It really is impressive.”

Seeing she wasn’t mocking her but was being sincere, Jiang Zi reciprocated the politeness. “Teacher Meng is quite good herself.”

“Oh?” Meng Yihuai said leisurely, taking the opportunity. “Then tell me, which university did I graduate from?”

Jiang Zi: “…”

Principal Su, sitting on the stage, watched the two female teachers chatting from afar. He decided to speak up: “Teacher Jiang is new to the school and likely unfamiliar with the campus. We need someone to show her around, recognize the offices and the faculty apartments. Teacher Meng, could I trouble you with that?”

Meng Yihuai nodded and accepted. “No problem, Principal.”

Principal Su asked, “You don’t have a class next, do you? If you do, I’ll ask another teacher.”

Meng Yihuai said seriously, “Principal, you can rest easy leaving this to me.”

“…” Principal Su said no more. “Alright.”

When the meeting ended and the teachers filed out, Jiang Zi received many warm greetings. She responded calmly, without much visible emotion. Meng Yihuai stood by her side.

The two first went to the faculty apartments. Beixu was wealthy; the apartments were spacious and well-decorated, with ceiling lights that had a distinct French flair and a full set of furniture.

The apartments were all single units.

Jiang Zi looked around and found that it was many times better than the neighborhood she currently lived in.

Meng Yihuai stood at the apartment door waiting. Seeing her come out, she asked, “Is there anything missing? Just let me know, and we’ll get it replaced.”

“Not for now,” Jiang Zi glanced at the other closed doors and asked, “Does Ms. Meng live at the school?”

“Occasionally,” Meng Yihuai replied.

“Then which unit is yours, Ms. Meng?”

“As luck would have it, I live right across from you.”

“…”

Seeing her expression look as if she were choking on a word, Meng Yihuai leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, a half-smile on her face. “Ms. Jiang seems to mind very much that I live across from you?”

Before Jiang Zi could speak, she heard Meng Yihuai let out a faint sigh. “Human prejudice is an impassable mountain. Even after the misunderstandings were cleared, Ms. Jiang still seems to have this impression of me as a ‘bad woman.’ It’s fine; I’ve long since grown used to it.”

She looked genuinely heartbroken. “If Ms. Jiang doesn’t like me living across from her, I’ll just ask the Principal to transfer me. If my presence is such an eyesore, I’ll do my best not to hover in front of you in the future.”

With that, Meng Yihuai turned around as if she were about to leave right then and there.

Jiang Zi was stunned. She hadn’t thought that at all. Seeing Meng Yihuai walking away with long strides, she hesitated for a second and decided to salvage this precarious “old classmate” bond.

She took a few quick steps and caught Meng Yihuai’s slender wrist.

Meng Yihuai paused.

The cool, white fingertips circled her wrist, and warmth silently traveled through her skin. In her peripheral vision, Jiang Zi was saying something, but she wasn’t listening.

After a long moment, she snapped back to reality. “Sorry, Ms. Jiang, what did you just say?”

“I said, Ms. Meng, you’ve misunderstood. I don’t dislike it at all.”

Meng Yihuai blinked. “Does that mean you like it?”

“…” Feeling as though the other woman might burst into tears if she didn’t agree, Jiang Zi gritted her teeth and said, “I like it.”

“Like what?”

Jiang Zi said with difficulty, “…I like you living across from me.”

Meng Yihuai smiled contentedly. Her gaze shifted down slightly to her wrist encircled by the other’s fingers, and she gave it a gentle shake. “How long does Ms. Jiang plan on holding onto me?”

Hearing this, Jiang Zi let go as if she’d been struck by lightning.

Meng Yihuai’s lips curved. “Then shall we head to your office next?”

After the full tour, the two parted at the office door. Jiang Zi chose an empty seat inside and sat down.

There was another teacher in the office. Seeing her enter, she proactively greeted her: “Hello, Ms. Jiang! I’m Xia Zhou. Xia as in summer, Zhou as in weekend. I’m an English teacher. We both teach Classes 1 and 2.”

Xia Zhou was close to her in age, with big wavy permed hair and an off-the-shoulder dress. She looked bright and beautiful and had a naturally friendly personality. Since she had no classes in the morning, she spent most of her time lingering by Jiang Zi to chat.

Before they knew it, lunchtime was approaching.

A stranger appeared outside the office and tapped on the door. “Ms. Xia, heading to the cafeteria together?”

“No, I’m going home for lunch today,” Xia Zhou said, pausing for a second. “Ms. Jiang, are you going to the cafeteria? If so, we’ll accompany you.”

Jiang Zi didn’t want to disrupt anyone’s plans. “No, it’s alright.”

“Okay then.” Xia Zhou packed her things and left.

Beixu was a thirty-minute drive from the Peninsula neighborhood. Jiang Zi checked the time; if she went home to cook and rushed back, she’d have almost no rest time left at noon. But the thought of eating alone in the cafeteria made her rather skip the meal entirely.

The office was empty. Jiang Zi sat alone, thinking about finding a small shop outside the school to eat at.

The sound of high heels clicking on the floor rang out. Thinking Xia Zhou had returned, Jiang Zi lifted her lashes.

She saw Meng Yihuai stroll in and walk up to her, her fingertips casually propped on the desk. “Let’s go.”

Jiang Zi was puzzled. “Where to?”

“Someone just asked me out to lunch, but I turned them down.”

“?”

“Congratulations, Ms. Jiang. You’ve won the opportunity to have lunch with me.”

“…”

Meng Yihuai leaned lazily against the edge of the desk and blew her a wink. “Ms. Jiang, I’m very hard to book. You should treasure this.”

Jiang Zi blinked, feeling a sudden urge to laugh. Relaxing slightly, she said, “Then I won’t ask you out either. I’m afraid of getting beaten up by your fans.”

Meng Yihuai went quiet, and they stared at each other in silence for a while.

“Fine, Ms. Jiang, I’ll tell you the truth. Actually, my popularity is dead on arrival. No one asked me out at all,” Meng Yihuai said at a rapid-fire pace. “If you don’t keep me company, I’ll really be all by myself.”

After saying this, Meng Yihuai lowered her long lashes.

Jiang Zi stared at her silently for a long time. She quite pathetically let herself be fooled by this lonely, pitiful act. Her heart softened, and she even began to reflect: Why did I have to tease her? Now she’s forced to tell the truth and strip away her pride.

It was just a meal; it was no big deal.

Jiang Zi scolded herself inwardly and said in a gentle tone, “Then let’s go.”

Meng Yihuai stole a glance at her and quickly looked away. “I want to eat at the cafeteria.”

“Okay,” Jiang Zi nodded.

Jiang Zi had already familiarized herself with the route to the cafeteria. She walked ahead, maintaining a lead of about two paces.

Staring at her slender, delicate back, the corners of Meng Yihuai’s mouth couldn’t help but tilt high. For a split second, Jiang Zi turned around, but right before she did, Meng Yihuai resumed her quiet, melancholic expression.

“…”

Beixu had a dedicated faculty cafeteria. Not only was it free, but the food was also delicious and well-rounded, specifically catering to the teachers’ tastes. It was said that a few years ago, when there was a Japanese teacher, the school specifically hired a Japanese chef to make sushi.

Jiang Zi had no dietary restrictions and wasn’t a picky eater. She quickly grabbed a tray and found a seat. She tilted her head to look; Meng Yihuai was still slowly and methodically making her selection. It might have been a trick of the eye, but despite her calm expression, there was an almost imperceptible hint of disdain.

Through these days of interaction, Jiang Zi had formed a general impression of Meng Yihuai: good family background, beautiful, well-bred—a pampered young lady.

A moment later, Meng Yihuai sat down slowly across from her. Looking at what she was eating—very few carbs, a few slices of boiled greens, some cantaloupe, and a tiny bit of fish.

Jiang Zi: “Are you a celebrity?”

Meng Yihuai, who was using a napkin to wipe the tips of her chopsticks, paused.

“Even celebrities eat more than you.”

Meng Yihuai laughed. “I feel like there’s too much oil. Eating too much makes it easy to gain weight.”

Jiang Zi hummed in response but offered no further comment, thinking that she simply wasn’t used to cafeteria food.

She ate at a moderate pace, her cheeks occasionally puffing out, creating a cool yet cute contrast that didn’t match her age.

Meng Yihuai watched her swallow a mouthful of rice and asked, “Ms. Jiang, can I find you to eat together again tomorrow?”

Beautiful women have the best luck. At this moment, that saying rang true.

In her field of vision, that face which could truly be called “a ruin to nations” was very close. Her deep, curved eyes tilted slightly, exuding a myriad of charms, and she was staring straight at her with a gentle tone.

Like a tender enchantress.

Jiang Zi didn’t consider herself someone obsessed with looks, and she had seen countless beauties, but right here, right now, being stared at by Meng Yihuai with such “affectionate” eyes, she couldn’t find a way to say no.

Jiang Zi looked away. “Sure.”

“What about the day after tomorrow?” Meng Yihuai asked.

“…That’s fine too.”

“And the day after that?”

“Whenever is fine.”

“And the day after—”

Fearing she would continue indefinitely, Jiang Zi interrupted her in a small voice: “Every day is fine.”