That Girl Who Skipped Class — You're In Big Trouble! - Chapter 32

Chapter 32

An Qingyang froze where she stood, having forgotten how to speak. After a month apart, Xiao Xuan seemed to have not changed at all. The look in her eyes was filled with tenderness and longing, the very same look Xiao Xuan had when she picked a fishbone out for her shortly after they met. An Qingyang turned her face away, her hand still resting on the cold lock, unable to put it down.

Xiao Xuan smiled, her lips slightly pursed, her eyes crinkling: “Not going to let me in?”

“Xiao Xuan’s here? Come on, come in and sit down~” Zhang Xiaoxiao stood in the room corridor, holding the Garfield cat, looking mischievous. An Qingyang stepped back a few paces to let Xiao Xuan in. She was wearing a dark grey coat and UGG boots, the coat wrapping her long legs. She was as beautiful as ever.

An Qingyang glared at Zhang Xiaoxiao, who scratched her head, looking guilty.

The TV drama in the living room had ended and was playing the news. Xiao Xuan put the food she was carrying into the refrigerator, then sat upright on the sofa, not looking completely relaxed. Seeing An Qingyang pick up her bag and prepare to leave, she asked without turning her head: “Where are you going?”

Her voice was utterly gentle, yet carried an undeniable tone of command.

“Home.”

“I forbid it.”

An Qingyang dropped her bag, turned, and said: “Forbid this, forbid that, what do you want? Last time you said you never wanted to see me again, and this time you forbid me to leave. Are you my mother? Why are you controlling so much?”

“I want to control you.” Xiao Xuan put her hands into the pockets of her trench coat and walked towards An Qingyang step by step. These few short words made An Qingyang’s eyes sting with acidity. She didn’t realize her voice was trembling: “Teacher Xiao, who do you think you are? What right do you have to control me? I’m not your lesson plan, to be manipulated by you 24 hours a day.”

Xiao Xuan turned her head away and didn’t look at her again, saying simply: “Did Zhang Xiaoxiao ask you to come? She’s the host. If anyone should leave, it should be me. Just eat before you go.” An Qingyang awkwardly shrunk into the corner, waiting for her answer. Hearing Xiao Xuan’s words, a feeling of emptiness followed her anger. She rushed into the kitchen without looking back.

…

On Christmas Eve, the weather outside the door was very cold; the wind pierced the neck with every gust. Zhang Xiaoxiao and An Qingyang were grilling meat on the barbecue in the yard, and Song Yingming was arranging seasonings and tableware at the dining table. Xiao Xuan leaned against the door inside the house, holding a stemmed wine glass, taking a sip of wine every little while.

“Whose awful idea was this, seriously? I’m freezing to death in this cold weather,” Zhang Xiaoxiao hunched over, put down the skewers, and rubbed her white-gloved hands together to warm them. Song Yingming took a bowl and hit her with her other hand: “Stop complaining, just grill.”

Before long, Song Yingming took a plate and handed the cooked food to Xiao Xuan: The chicken wings’ skin was glistening with oil, the bone-in meat was mixed with finely chopped green peppers, emitting a wonderful aroma. Xiao Xuan took the skewers, watched An Qingyang and Zhang Xiaoxiao fight over the last piece of meat, and showed a long-lost smile.

Last month, she, who had never taken a vacation, asked the dean for leave and, amidst the dean’s comforting words of “you’ve worked hard, get some rest,” went to Europe. She traveled alone from Paris to London, from Switzerland to Provence. The children in Europe love sports. She met a woman in her thirties with a little boy skiing on a beginner slope in Jungfraujoch. It was the four or five-year-old boy’s first time skiing. He looked up at his mother every step he took, and his mother repeated only one sentence: “Don’t be afraid.”

Don’t be afraid. What exactly was she afraid of? Working tirelessly and not daring to rest, closing her heart automatically when a friend asked too much. An Qingyang, who sought love from her and bravely gave her love, how could she not be moved? The old story of Eileen hung over her, becoming a burden over time. And An Qingyang, that simple and warm person, the closer she got, the more Xiao Xuan retreated. When she couldn’t retreat anymore, she used her teacher status to threaten her, showing her the calculating side she preferred to hide. Too afraid to lose, so she dared not possess.

After realizing this, Xiao Xuan’s heart began to boil. She hastily ended her trip and came home, but upon seeing An Qingyang, she started retreating again. At almost 29, she didn’t even have the courage of a five-year-old child.

Xiao Xuan drank the red wine and ate the barbecue, finally getting a little tipsy. Amidst the dizziness, someone patted her shoulder. It was Song Yingming: “Xiao Xuan, Xiaoxiao has been making a lot of progress lately. We booked a luxury suite tonight, and we’re going out for a little romance. You two don’t have to wait for us, okay~ Bye!” As soon as she finished speaking, Zhang Xiaoxiao walked out with a large bag and pulled Song Yingming along. The door closed with a “Slam.”

An Qingyang came out of the restroom after washing her hands and saw Xiao Xuan still leaning against the door to the yard, her wine glass completely empty. She pretended not to see Xiao Xuan, intending to walk past the door, but Xiao Xuan blocked her with her other arm, trapping her in the door’s corner. Xiao Xuan’s cheeks were flushed from the alcohol, looking utterly seductive in the night, starkly different from her usual asexual appearance: “Do you remember the first time we met? I want to do it again. This time, I am not the teacher, and you are not the student.”