Startled by the shouting, Chen Yuan remained quite calm, just a bit dazed, whereas Xia Xinyu was so scared that she wanted to run on the spot.
Getting caught for early romance at No.4 High School meant criticism before the entire school!
"What's wrong?" Chen Yuan looked puzzled at Lao Mo.
"You're asking me what's wrong? What were you just doing?"
Lao Mo was not buying it, having nabbed some couples in the school who tried the same act, but with a little interrogation from him, he could always get them to spill the beans. This Chen Yuan, whose scores were already poor, not even enough for a First-tier University, was now engaging in early romance and even feeding a girl, how outrageous!
This student wasn't that bad; if his English improved, he still had a chance. But that didn't mean he could let his guard down and do whatever he wanted!
"Oh... Teacher, it's not what you think," Chen Yuan explained upon seeing this, "This is Xia Xinyu, my cousin, my maternal aunt's daughter. She's come to Xiahai to transfer schools, hasn't enrolled yet, so she didn't have class today. She's here to bring me food, as well."
As for the matter of feeding her just now...
Give me some face, forget about it.
"Which school is she transferring to?" Lao Mo continued to stare at Xia Xinyu and asked sternly.
What a joke, as if you could fool me.
She could be anyone, but she's definitely not your cousin.
However, if her grades were very good...
"No.4 High School." Now in familiar territory, Xia Xinyu promptly answered.
"Who is the principal of No.4 High School?"
"Zhang Jianjun!"
With each answer, Xia Xinyu's confidence grew stronger.
After hearing this name and confirming her identity, Lao Mo's expression relaxed a bit; he started to feel somewhat better about this girl, and also didn't think Chen Yuan was completely hopeless.
Early romance cannot be controlled.
But the saying 'One takes on the attributes of one's associates' is always true.
In reality, Lao Mo was an extreme elitist when it came to educational background, even once making the outrageous statement, "If someone's studies are that good, could they possibly be wrong?"
To put it more dramatically, in his eyes, students who couldn't get into a key university were rubbish, unworthy of existence!
And Xiahai No. 4 High School happens to be one of the top two schools in the city, top five in the province.
Students from No.4 High School?
Ah, such good children.
Students from No.11 High School?
From Class 18?
Almost illiterate!
"Despite that, when bringing food, you may sit across from each other in the canteen to eat, but not like this, it sets a poor example."
Two people sitting together like that, it looks like they're dating. If other students see it and follow suit, wouldn't the school atmosphere become a complete mess?
"..." Chen Yuan was left speechless; even eating a meal and feeding his cousin a bite had to be criticized by a teacher, where's the joy in youth.
No wonder those novelists enjoy writing about time-traveling to a Tokyo high school and dating a Sakura Girl.
I thought they were rare breeds, but I was wrong, my apologies.
"Teacher, I'll go back once I've finished eating," Chen Yuan said, trying to look obedient.
"Hmm."
Lao Mo responded coldly with a stern face, as if Chen Yuan owed him twenty points he hadn't given back, not a trace of amiability.
[13332]
With such a temper, it's incredible that Lao Mo has lived into his seventies. He really is lucky.
"Daddy!"
Just at that moment, a girl holding a fluffy white doggie ran over. And Lao Mo's face suddenly became as soft and loving as a steamed bun, albeit with a hint of sleaziness in the wrinkles of his smile.
It was a look I had never seen before.
Moreover, at that time, the numbers above his head changed.
[13334]
Wait, his lifespan increased by two days just by saying 'Daddy'?
What is this!
Seeing the man who, at this moment, would likely abandon his title as a senior teacher for his daughter, Chen Yuan made up his mind—he had to find a girlfriend who would call him Daddy.
"Daddy, have you eaten yet? You should eat while it's hot, you can't go hungry."
"Yes, yes, Daddy knows how to eat, he won't go hungry."
Disgusting old man, actually using baby talk!
"Why did you bring Xiao Bai here?"
"Xiao Bai was in a bad mood today, Mom and I took him for a walk."
It wasn't that his mood was bad.
It should be his health that's bad.
Seeing the [7] atop Xiao Bai's head, Chen Yuan had already foreseen the grief the head teacher would feel at the loss of his beloved dog, and the years Teacher Mo would shave off his life in sorrow.
"Teacher's wife, did you bring Dou Dou to school to deliver food to Lao Mo?"
When that woman, who was gentle, intelligent-looking, around forty years old and possessed a temperament that was nothing like Lao Mo's, appeared, Chen Yuan took the initiative to stand up and greet her.
Teacher's wife...
Hearing this, Lao Mo's headache began to loom.
You cheeky brat, why are you being so familiar? Don't think you can cozy up to me like this.
Your score of just over a hundred is far from enough.
The teacher's wife smiled and responded gently, "Yes, I brought food for him, but he usually doesn't let me enter the school, saying it's not good if the students see ..."
"Why are you telling him this?"
"Alright, alright, I'll stop talking." The teacher's wife made an apologetic gesture and then whispered to Chen Yuan, "If it wasn't for his precious daughter Dou Dou today, he would never have let me into the school."
"Don't talk about such things," Lao Mo's authority seemed to be eroding at the hands of his wife, and he glared at Chen Yuan, "Hurry back to the classroom."
"Yes, Teacher, I'll go immediately ..."
Chen Yuan immediately nodded in agreement, but his gaze lingered on the dog in Dou Dou's arms, and he said slowly, "Teacher's wife, my second uncle is a veterinarian, I spent some time at his place, and this doggie seems like ..."
"Seems like what?"
As the teacher's wife asked this, Dou Dou, now anxious because her own little doggie was being discussed, widened her eyes nervously.
"I'm not a professional, I should state that first, haha ... but it might be best to get this doggie checked out, it doesn't seem to be in good health. Of course, this is just my guess, after all, I'm not a professional."
Chen Yuan stacked so many buffs before speaking, and yet he was still dismissed by Lao Mo, "Alright, go back to the classroom, now you even know how to treat dogs."
"Big brother, is the dog really sick? Is it going to die?!" Dou Dou was so scared that she started to cry.
"No, no." Unwilling to see even a hint of sadness in his daughter, Lao Mo quickly cooed reassuringly, "Doggie is just a little upset, he'll be fine in a few days."
Indeed, in a few days, a new 'Doggie' could be acquired.
"Classmate, have you encountered this kind of dog before?" the teacher's wife asked gently.
"Yeah, I've forgotten the name of the disease. But animals who contract this have a high chance of not surviving ..."
"Is Doggie really going to die? Will it die soon?" With a heart-tearing cry, Little Mo burst into tears, clutching the listless dog in her arms, stubbornly unwilling to let go and surrender it to the grim reaper.
"Alright, I told you not to scare her, she ..."
"Teacher Mo." Speaking with a sudden seriousness, the teacher's wife cut off Lao Mo, then issued a stern 'warning', "All you think about is not wanting your precious daughter to cry, but have you considered how much worse it will be if the dog dies? How many times will she have to cry then?"
With that question, Lao Mo pictured his daughter's heart-tearing sobs in his mind, feeling so pained that his heart constricted and he lost a few days off his life. Finally, he conceded, "Then find a time to take Doggie to the hospital ..."
"It's best within a week, this disease can't be delayed," Chen Yuan asserted firmly.
"Alright, then I'll go to the hospital with Dou Dou right now."
Holding Little Mo's hand, the teacher's wife immediately sprang into action.
But before she left, she suddenly stopped, turned towards the tall and handsome young man, and asked with that gentle and affectionate voice that rippled softly as autumn waters, "Classmate, what's your name?"
"Why do you want to remember his name, he can't even make it to the top hundred on the honor roll ..."
"Teacher's wife, my name is Chen Yuan!"
If he couldn't win over Lao Mo, he'd start with Little Mo and the teacher's wife!