My Ex Told Me She’s Still In Love With Me - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Teacher-Student Romance

“Teacher? What are you looking at?” Nie Qiuyu, following behind her, noticed her stop and poked her head out from behind Cheng Yi with a curious look. Her eyes lit up instantly.

Isn’t that the beautiful sister who was singing on stage at the bar?

Cheng Yi snapped back to reality. After a brief hesitation, she decided to walk over. Nie Qiuyu followed, her eyes widening—Wait, do they actually know each other?!

“Miss Cheng, I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.” Before Cheng Yi could speak, Cui Lanyu took the initiative. She looked up at Cheng Yi with a smile, but Cheng Yi could sense a faint trace of hostility.

Why? Is it because of Meng Qingwu?

Jin Le was even more cold, refusing to spare Cheng Yi so much as a glance.

Cheng Yi pursed her lips and looked down at Meng Qingwu, explaining softly, “I’m out with my student for some errands. We only came here because it was lunchtime.”

She specifically wanted Meng Qingwu to know that she wasn’t following or stalking her.

Meng Qingwu’s expression remained cool. “No need to explain. I’m not the type to get sentimental or overthink things.”

Cheng Yi’s face darkened slightly.

“Sister, you are so pretty!” Nie Qiuyu looked at Meng Qingwu with sparkling eyes and said excitedly, “That night you were singing at the bar, we were right there in the audience!”

“Sister, you sing so well! It was so moving!”

Hearing this, Meng Qingwu shifted her gaze to Nie Qiuyu. The girl was full of youthful energy, and her constant smile made her look very young.

Meng Qingwu smiled, casting a meaningful glance at Cheng Yi. “Haven’t eaten yet, have you? If you don’t mind, why not join us?”

Nie Qiuyu’s eyes brightened further, but she didn’t dare agree immediately. She turned to look at Cheng Yi expectantly, her thoughts written clearly on her face.

Cheng Yi: “…Alright.”

What started as a table for three became a table for five, moving from a four-seater to a six-seater.

Once seated, the atmosphere was incredibly bizarre. Only Nie Qiuyu, seemingly oblivious to the tension, chattered away, calling the three women “Sister” one by one.

Cheng Yi: “…”

She kept her head down, grateful for Nie Qiuyu’s role as the mood-maker; otherwise, the silence would have been suffocating. The other two women also found Nie Qiuyu’s bright personality charming, her sweet words winning them over.

Meng Qingwu took a sip of her drink, watching Nie Qiuyu talk to Jin Le while simultaneously peeling shrimp and naturally placing them into Cheng Yi’s bowl.

Her eyes grew colder. Noticing Cheng Yi’s slightly awkward posture, she let out a faint scoff.

Sensing Meng Qingwu’s gaze, Cheng Yi hurriedly put the shrimp back into Nie Qiuyu’s bowl, whispering for her to stop.

Nie Qiuyu looked up, confused. “But didn’t I always use to peel them for you?”

She glanced at Cheng Yi’s slender, elegant hands. They were beautiful, but seemingly “useless” when it came to manual labor—watching Cheng Yi try to peel a shrimp herself was enough to make anyone lose their patience.

Cheng Yi: “…”

She instinctively looked at Meng Qingwu, only to find her staring down at her glass, looking utterly uninterested.

Her heart sank.

By the end of the meal, Nie Qiuyu was the only one who truly enjoyed herself. Not only did she eat well, but she also successfully got the contact information of all three “beautiful sisters,” looking immensely satisfied.

Since they had all been drinking, Meng Qingwu called for a designated driver and looked at Jin Le and the others.

Jin Le: “No need to drop me off. I have to head back to the office nearby.” Cui Lanyu: “I’m fine too. I have things to do.”

Meng Qingwu nodded and looked at Cheng Yi.

“Sister Meng, Teacher said I don’t have to go back to school this afternoon. My home is just a few steps away, so I don’t need a ride either!” Nie Qiuyu said quickly.

In the end, only Cheng Yi got into the car with her.

The two sat in the back, separated by a wide gap, neither saying a word. A strange, heavy awkwardness filled the air. Perhaps sensing the tension through the rearview mirror, the driver accelerated, hoping to escape the suffocating atmosphere as quickly as possible.

Meng Qingwu sighed and finally spoke: “I used to think you just liked younger girls, but I didn’t realize your standards had dropped this low. You’re actually into teacher-student romances now?”

Teacher-student romance?

Cheng Yi’s eyes flew open. She opened her mouth, but was so shocked she found herself momentarily speechless.

“No, it’s not like that! I have no other relationship with her,” Cheng Yi explained hurriedly once she found her voice. “We are just teacher and student! Nothing more!”

Even if things were impossible between her and Meng Qingwu, she didn’t want the other woman to think she lacked moral character.

Meng Qingwu’s reaction to her frantic explanation was indifferent. “Is that so? Maybe you don’t feel that way, but perhaps she does.”

The admiration in Nie Qiuyu’s eyes when she looked at Cheng Yi was impossible to hide.

Cheng Yi: “…No, she really only sees me as a teacher.” With Nie Qiuyu’s transparent personality, if she actually liked Cheng Yi, the entire lab would have known ages ago.

Meng Qingwu gave a noncommittal response and turned her gaze back out the window, falling silent again. Seeing her like this, Cheng Yi opened her mouth several times but ultimately said nothing.

Out of the corner of her eye, Meng Qingwu noticed the change in her. Her thoughts began to drift.

Years ago, Cheng Yi’s reason for the breakup was that she “liked younger girls.” That “scumbag” statement was what made Meng Qingwu agree to end things. Now, seeing such a young, vibrant girl by her side, it was hard not to connect it to that past remark.

Is there really nothing between them?

The car was moving quickly, the scenery outside blurring past. Meng Qingwu’s brow furrowed; it felt too fast.

“Sir? Can you slow down?” Meng Qingwu asked.

The driver glanced back with a chuckle. “It’s fine, we’re almost there.”

“Don’t look back! Look at the road! Brakes! BRAKE!”

Meng Qingwu’s eyes widened, her voice urgent and sharp.

But despite her screams, it was a second too late. The speeding car slammed into a large truck emerging from the side. There was a deafening roar of metal on metal…

The last thing Meng Qingwu remembered was a dark shadow lunging over her.

And the faint, soothing scent of Darjeeling tea.