The Ice Queen had returned to her "standby" mode after breaking her silence with a few words. Yang Chen wisely left the hospital room. Feeling a bit hungry since he hadn't eaten lunch, he drove to a small restaurant to grab a quick meal. Instead of returning to the office, he decided to ask for directions and headed to Zhonghai No.1 High School to find Li Jingjing.
Yang Chen had always been troubled about how to handle the relationship between him and the innocent girl. He didn't want to hurt her, yet he didn't want to see her suffer either. But deep down, Yang Chen knew that he hadn't completely considered giving up on Li Jingjing. Men often find noble excuses for their desires, after all...
Zhonghai No.1 High School was one of the top schools in Zhonghai, so it was easy to find with just a simple inquiry for directions. Yang Chen parked his car in the spacious open-air parking lot outside the school. As he stepped out of the car, he realized that he had forgotten to ask for the exact meeting location with Li Jingjing. However, he didn't rush to call and inquire. After all, it was better to keep some surprises.
Perhaps because the security guard saw Yang Chen arriving in a BMW, he didn't stop him for long and just smiled friendly before letting him pass. The campus of Zhonghai No.1 High School seemed quite novel to Yang Chen. In fact, he had rarely visited a school before. The well-organized layout of the school, the wooden signs with inspirational quotes scattered around, and the occasional sight of students and teachers walking with their books gave Yang Chen a refreshing sense of novelty.
After asking an elderly teacher for directions, Yang Chen found the building housing the faculty offices. He remembered that Li Jingjing taught English, so he followed the clues and quickly found the office with "Li Jingjing" written on the door, along with a cheerful photo of a girl in her school uniform, radiating youthful energy.
After knocking on the door three times, a familiar voice from inside said, "Please come in." Yang Chen opened the door and saw two people inside. One of them was Li Jingjing herself, with her long ponytail tied up, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and denim shorts that reached mid-thigh, looking fresh and beautiful.
The appearance of the other person surprised Yang Chen. It turned out to be the "Land Rover Girl" he had encountered that night. She had sexy wavy hair and wore a black dress with a layered design, highlighting her curves like a meticulously crafted artwork. Her fair and radiant feet were adorned with a pair of crystal-like silver high heels. The two captivating women sat face to face, their expressions upon seeing Yang Chen completely different.
Li Jingjing's joy was evident as she stood up and exclaimed, "Yang Chen!" She happily pulled Yang Chen into the office, took a chair, and said, "Why did you come all of a sudden without giving me a call?"
Yang Chen chuckled awkwardly and said, "Surprise. It's better to have surprises." Then, he glanced at the woman beside Li Jingjing, who had a look of realization on her face, and said, "What a coincidence, we meet again."
"Yes," Tang Wan looked at Yang Chen, then glanced at Li Jingjing, who had a satisfied expression on her face. She wore a strange and ambiguous smile, saying, "So, you know each other, Mr. Yang and Miss Li."
Curiously, Li Jingjing asked, "Miss Tang knows Yang Chen?"
"It was a chance encounter," Tang Wan said and added, "We're not familiar."
Li Jingjing didn't think much of it and nodded, saying, "I didn't expect Yang Chen to come so suddenly, but since everyone knows each other, it's fine. If Miss Tang has any questions or needs assistance, feel free to let me know. I'm happy to help."
Shaking her head with a smile, Tang Wan said, "I've already troubled Miss Li a lot today. We've talked for a long time, and I should go back to the company. Besides, Mr. Yang is here now. If I were to linger and not leave, that would be impolite." She glanced meaningfully at Yang Chen.
Yang Chen dared not meet her gaze. After all, it was clear that he had pursued her that night but failed to succeed. And now, in front of her, he was with Li Jingjing, making his mind wander elsewhere. He looked around, avoiding prolonged interaction with Tang Wan.
Li Jingjing blushed at the remark but felt a hint of sweetness in her heart. "Miss Tang, you're overthinking. We don't have the kind of relationship you're imagining."
"Then let's just leave it at that," Tang Wan didn't delve further, gracefully stood up and picked up her white Chanel clutch. "I'll trouble Miss Li in the future regarding my daughter's matters. I'll take my leave now. Thank you, Miss Li."
"You're welcome, Ms. Tang. Take care."
After seeing Ms. Tang off, Yang Chen let out a sigh of relief and remembered their conversation. He asked curiously, "Jingjing, did Ms. Tang ask you to take care of her daughter?"
Li Jingjing nodded and smiled, "Yes, Ms. Tang's daughter is in our class. I'm the new homeroom teacher, so she talked to me about her daughter. Actually, her daughter is quite smart and has good grades, but she's also very mischievous. Previous teachers had a hard time with her, and she has changed classes several times. Ms. Tang was worried that I might have some ideas, so she talked to me for a long time."
"Oh..." Yang Chen was somewhat surprised. He didn't expect Ms. Tang to have a daughter already. She appeared so young, yet she was a mother. No wonder he couldn't make a move that night.
However, Li Jingjing was unaware of Yang Chen's thoughts. She continued, "Parents' hearts are full of compassion. I think educating children requires patience. I plan to find some time to talk to that child too. I believe a clever girl like her can understand her parents' intentions."
Yang Chen nodded in agreement, "Exactly, having a caring mother is something to be grateful for. As for me, growing up without parents, it's hard to say."
"Don't bring up those things, Yang Chen. It's sad," Li Jingjing comforted.
"I, your Yang Chen, have long gotten used to it," Yang Chen smiled and stood up from the chair. He looked around the elegant office and said, "No wonder it's a prestigious school. The office is so pleasing to the eye."
Li Jingjing felt a sense of joy and responded with a smile, "This office is used by only me and another female teacher. Sometimes, I even feel it's a bit extravagant."
"With our little sister Li Jingjing's ten years of hard work, having such an office is nothing special," Yang Chen teased.
Li Jingjing pouted and said, "Yang Chen, I'm not little... I'm not some little sister... In terms of age, I'm the same age as you..."
Yang Chen was taken aback, and he saw Li Jingjing looking at him with innocent eyes, as if she wanted to convey something. He felt somewhat embarrassed but didn't know what to say.
Just then, the phone in the office rang.
Li Jingjing glanced at Yang Chen with a hint of resentment before picking up the phone. After listening for a moment, she said, "Thank you, I understand," and hung up.
"What's wrong? Is there something urgent?" Yang Chen quickly changed the subject and asked.
Li Jingjing shyly pursed her lips and looked at Yang Chen with anticipation. "Yang Chen, could you accompany me somewhere tonight?" she asked.