That Girl Who Skipped Class — You're In Big Trouble! - Chapter 22

chapter 22

Xiao Xuan rolled her eyes at An Qingyang, then sat up in the sunlight. She pulled an unused notebook and a pen from her desk drawer, handing them to An Qingyang and telling her to write down her ideas: “I’ll give you twenty minutes. Organize your thoughts first. Draw or write, just keep the simplest parts.”

After a short while, An Qingyang tore a sheet of paper from the notebook and handed it to Xiao Xuan, who was still recording her lesson plans: “Here, take a look.” Xiao Xuan took the paper, and the deeper she looked, the more her brow furrowed: “No, the ideas are too messy. Do you want to create a program that automatically generates world travel photos from uploaded pictures, or a travel booking website?” She took out a pen and lightly crossed out the only presentation interface on the paper: “No matter how this interface is designed, it’s just an image. We need a complete mechanism.”

She turned, seeing An Qingyang’s inattentiveness, and felt a bit angry. Just as she was about to launch into her usual lecture for students, a hand tugged at the corner of her shirt. The person whined in a childlike voice, “Teacher Xiao, I don’t know how.”

Xiao Xuan was momentarily stunned, feeling a little soft-hearted: “I have class soon. How about this: you come to my place tonight, and we’ll write a version together.” Seeing An Qingyang’s eyes light up, she quickly added: “You can’t be handsy again, or I’ll kick you out.”

…

At 8 PM, the air conditioner was on in Xiao Xuan’s house. As soon as An Qingyang entered the room, she felt a wave of warmth. Xiao Xuan, dressed in deep purple pajamas, brought out two cups of hot milk from the kitchen, handing one to An Qingyang. She led her through the living room into the adjacent study. A dark-wood bookshelf occupied most of one wall. Besides professional books on programming and teaching, there were many Chinese and English novels, picture books, and lifestyle guides on flowers and cooking. Seeing An Qingyang staring at the bookshelf, Xiao Xuan smiled faintly: “Does it look more cultured this way? I’m usually busy and haven’t looked at them in a long time.”

Xiao Xuan pulled open the curtains to the side. The distant lights from the high-rise buildings twinkled. She pushed aside a large stack of documents on the desk, opened her laptop and the desk lamp, and sat down in her chair: “Alright, let’s start.”

“Before you came, I organized your rough draft and created a flow chart,” Xiao Xuan pointed to the screen. “No matter which application this feature is implemented on, it only takes three steps from user browsing to photo generation and automatic sharing. The key is the realism of the generated photo. For instance, if a user is browsing a post about seeing the Northern Lights in Iceland, they can select the image on the webpage, add one of their own photos, and generate a deceptively real travel photo.”

After Xiao Xuan finished speaking, she saw An Qingyang staring at a certain spot on her body and felt annoyed: “Yáng Yáng, you need to be serious.”

An Qingyang held the hot milk: “Teacher Xiao, I wish all the people who upload photos were as beautiful as you.”

With a “Pah,” the laptop was shut. Xiao Xuan narrowed her eyes: “I’m not kidding with you. If you don’t want to participate in the competition, go home now.”

An Qingyang smiled: “I have an idea. Wouldn’t it be more fun if girls could instantly increase their bust size and boys could enhance their muscles with one click?”

The anger in Xiao Xuan’s eyes seemed to spark. She couldn’t help but move a little closer to An Qingyang: “That’s a good idea. It will be difficult to implement later, but we can try.”

The two began discussing the refinement and details of the feature’s flow. Time quickly passed until nearly 10 o’clock. An Qingyang rubbed her eyes and, seeing Xiao Xuan still immersed in the design, asked softly: “Teacher Xiao, how about we stop here for today? It’s getting late. I’ll go back, finish the design, and show it to you then.”

Xiao Xuan walked her to the door. As An Qingyang was leaving, she grabbed Xiao Xuan’s arm: “I can feel it. You like me, and it’s not just a teacher’s fondness for a student.” Seeing Xiao Xuan avoid her gaze, she continued: “I won’t force you, nor will I beg you. I’m just waiting for you, waiting for you to accept me. Teacher Xiao, people who cry a lot aren’t always fragile. People who are used to being strong are more fragile.”

Xiao Xuan turned her head away, not looking at her: “Focus more on the competition. An Dong and Liu Jinghuan both have advantages, not to mention the other universities in City A. Think about how to maximize your strengths.”

An Qingyang pulled Xiao Xuan’s arm and, taking the opportunity, wrapped her arm around her waist: “I know my strengths. An Dong is steady, Liu Jinghuan is shy. I’m very innocent and natural. That’s who I am, that’s what my design is like, and that’s how I feel about you.

“Good night, Teacher Xiao.”

…

Xiao Xuan sat on the living room sofa, talking to her younger brother, Xiao Ting, on the phone. Xiao Ting had been temperamental since childhood, causing a lot of trouble for the family. Finally, under his sister’s supervision, he repeated two years of school and got into a university in a neighboring city. This year, finally free from Xiao Xuan’s supervision, he had become increasingly playful. As soon as the call connected, he immediately demanded money, thinly disguised as “social expenses.”

Xiao Ting knew Xiao Xuan had a soft spot and responded better to persuasion than confrontation. When he sensed his sister was getting angry, he quickly piled on the affection. Xiao Xuan had no choice but to agree.

Thinking of her immature younger brother and her father, who was addicted to alcohol, Xiao Xuan silently sighed.