You Like The Smart Ones? You Should Have Said So Sooner! - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Come Home Early

Mentioning this caused Ding Zi to suddenly fall silent, not answering him immediately. Qin Mian’s interest was piqued in an instant.

“What? Did Teacher Zhang actually stay with someone else before?”

Ding Zi gave him a disgruntled look and threw up his hands: “Of course not. Your Teacher Zhang loves me; how could she be with someone else?”

“That’s weird. Then why the silence?”

“Even though she was never with anyone else, she certainly had plenty of pursuers.” Ding Zi sighed, then added with a touch of pride, “But fortunately, your Teacher Zhang remained steadfast in choosing me.”

“It proves that as long as love is sincere enough, it can withstand the test of time.”

“At your age, just focus on your primary responsibilities first. You don’t need to think about other things. Understand?”

Qin Mian lowered his eyelashes, not responding right away. Images of Song Ying flashed through his mind—the way he looked when he was injured, the way he focused on problems, the way he cooked for him, and the way he taught him…

They were all… so cool.

No, can’t think about it. The more he thought, the more he felt Ding Zi’s words were a fallacy.

“So, what do you think?” Ding Zi, feeling deeply that his speech was educational, looked expectantly at his first audience member for his love story.

Qin Mian frowned, nodding hesitantly: “Yeah, it’s pretty good.”

So, I should continue to maintain a solid ‘revolutionary friendship’ with Song Ying for now.

“I get it, Old Ding! Thanks!” Qin Mian stood up and patted him on the shoulder, saying firmly.

Ding Zi’s eyes lit up, and he patted Qin Mian back: “Good! Now get back, you still have homework sheets to hand out!”

Qin Mian gave a determined, soldier-like nod and turned to leave. Then, suddenly realizing something, he paused. “Wait, why are we handing out homework sheets?”

Ding Zi: “……National Day holiday is coming up. Why do you think?”

Only then did it dawn on Qin Mian that National Day was almost here. He had been so busy lately he’d completely forgotten.

“How many days off do we get?” he asked.

Ding Zi asked unhurriedly: “How many days do you think we’d get?”

Qin Mian didn’t hesitate to assume the worst of No. 2 High: “One day. Oh, wait, 18 hours.”

Leave school one evening, come back the next day at noon. The classic old trick.

“……”

Ding Zi fell silent in accusation. “Is that really how you see No. 2 High?”

“Three days! Three whole days!”

“18 hours wouldn’t be enough time to finish the massive stack of homework in your hands!”

“Where else do Grade 12 students get three days? Aren’t you going to kowtow in thanks?”

Qin Mian offered some expressionless applause: “Wow—so amazing, three whole days. Unbelievable.”

He had mastered the essence of sarcas

Get out of here!” Ding Zi shooed him away in mock disgust.

By the time Qin Mian dawdled back to the classroom, the bell had just rung. He quickly stood on the podium to pour a bucket of cold water over the rowdy “monkeys,” repeating Ding Zi’s instructions:

“Wait, wait! Everyone take your National Day homework sheets before you leave. Also, Teacher Ding said every sheet needs a parent’s signature daily.”

Instantly, the excitement in the room dropped by half.

Yu Canxing squeezed her homework sheet, her face full of disgust: “What a jinx.”

“How is this any different from my death warrant? Seriously,” Cao Wei added, clutching his own “sentence” with the same expression.

Qin Mian scanned the room but didn’t see Song Ying. Song Ying’s desk was packed up neatly, and his backpack was gone. For some reason, while Qin Mian felt a sense of relief, a trace of disappointment also flickered in his heart.

Seeing Qin Mian’s gaze, Lin Zhixia suddenly remembered Song Ying’s message. With a wide, “shippy” grin, she nudged the soul-searching boy and said happily:

“Qin Mian, Song Ying asked me to tell you: go home early today, don’t stay at school.”

As she spoke, her smile was nearly reaching outer space.

Go home early? Does that mean they live together? Does living together mean cohabitation? Does cohabitation roughly equal sleeping together? Does sleeping together equal… OH MY GOD, IT’S CANON?!

Qin Mian, however, didn’t notice the class monitor’s mutating smile. He was still replaying her words in his head.

Song Ying told him to go home early?

Mysteriously, the disappointment in his heart vanished, replaced by a bit of a skip in his step.

“Okay, I got it.”

After replying, Qin Mian stuffed the remaining half of the homework sheets into Lin Zhixia’s hands.

“Can you finish handing these out? Thanks.”

Before she could respond, he turned to grab his bag and sprinted out of the school. He clearly didn’t look like a student who had just promised anything to Ding Zi.

Lin Zhixia looked at the thick stack of homework in her hands and closed her eyes. Fine, I’ll take it as a contribution to the growth of my CP’s feelings.

Qin Mian rushed home, his heart carrying an anticipation he hadn’t even noticed. Passing the old street, Auntie Cao spotted him and called out:

“Mianmian, what’s the hurry?”

“Slow down! Chen Miao is coming back today—”

Qin Mian waved as a response but didn’t hear the last part.

“What’s that boy in such a rush for?” Auntie Cao wondered. The phone in her apron vibrated, and she picked it up: “Hello? Where are you?”

“Almost there, just got off the high-speed rail.”

Chen Miao was drenched in sweat, holding the phone between his shoulder and ear, carrying bags as if he were a refugee. He wiped his brow, switched the bags to one hand, and said excitedly:

“Haven’t seen Mian for ages. I’m going to give him a huge surprise in a bit!”

“Alright, stay safe. I just saw Mianmian head home.”

Chen Miao: “I’ll be careful!”

On the other side, Qin Mian stood at his front door, his hand with the key pausing at the lock. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly to calm his nerves.

While turning the key, he scolded himself internally.

Qin Mian, oh Qin Mian, isn’t this your own house? This is the first time you’ve been this nervous coming home. Where’s your dignity?

He straightened his back, stood tall, and tried to look as composed as possible.

Screeeak—

The door opened. Instantly, the aroma of food wafted over, and a meal of three dishes and a soup came into view.

Song Ying was wearing an apron, holding a bowl of steaming rice he had just scooped out.

“You’re back? Perfect timing. Wash your hands and let’s eat.”

In Qin Mian’s view, the boy looked handsome and gentle, his tone soft and natural. Under the warm yellow light, it looked as if he had been waiting for Qin Mian all along; the moment the person he was waiting for appeared, all his tenderness poured out.

Once upon a time, Qin Mian had experienced these warm, daily scenes. But with the ruthless passage of time, they had been discarded into the depths of his memory.

Seeing Song Ying now, Qin Mian actually felt a little dazed.