Fan Mingyu didn't want to pay any attention to Su Xiaoyue, but she was just too good-tempered, never getting angry no matter what he did or said, leaving him feeling a bit embarrassed to defy her. So he pursed his lips and turned his head aside, not looking at Su Xiaoyue—a concession on his part. Even in conceding, he showed reluctance.
Seeing that Fan Mingyu was no longer causing trouble, Su Xiaoyue put on the glasses and found they were non-prescription lenses, which were of no use for her with over eight hundred degrees of nearsightedness. Still, she wore them and didn't let Fan Mingyu know that the glasses he had bought were useless to her. She didn't want to brush aside the little bit of thought he had put into them.
As for those boxes of glasses, she would take them with her and leave them for Shaoming to deal with during her home visit in the evening.
When Su Xiaoyue sat back down in front of the piano to play, Fan Mingyu quickly took out his slingshot, aiming at the other children who started dodging and screaming in fear, making it impossible to listen to Su Xiaoyue play the piano. The two homeroom teachers had already gone to the school cafeteria to help the kids with their meals. Hearing the commotion, Su Xiaoyue turned her head to see the classroom once again thrown into chaos by Fan Mingyu's mischief, forcing her to stop playing the piano again.
"Fan Mingyu!"
Facing such a mischievous student, Su Xiaoyue felt a headache coming on. she really wanted to call Shaoming in anger, to have him see for himself how his son behaved at school, but she ultimately restrained herself. As a teacher, she was responsible for her students at school. Calling parents to complain about any little thing would make them think she was an incompetent teacher.
The arrogant man was not easy to deal with either. She was sure if she called to complain, he would surely ask her coldly, "How do you even teach?"
Fan Mingyu stuck out his tongue at Su Xiaoyue, pulling faces and wielding his slingshot; without warning, he shot his little "bullet" at Su Xiaoyue.
Upset by his action, Su Xiaoyue, on instinct, caught the "bullet" shot by Fan Mingyu with her hand and casually threw it into a nearby trash can in one smooth motion, leaving Fan Mingyu stunned.
Approaching, Su Xiaoyue suppressed the rage burgeoning within her and spoke gently, "Mingyu, your teacher told you not to play with the slingshot. Will you give it to your teacher for safekeeping? On Sunday, I can accompany you to play with the slingshot, okay?"
"Do you know how to play?"
Su Xiaoyue smiled, "Your teacher had a childhood too, of course, I know how to play. If you promise me that you will not make trouble from now on, then this weekend, your teacher will play slingshot with you."
"You're not lying to me?" Fan Mingyu was tempted. His material needs were well met, but he lacked playmates.
Su Xiaoyue smiled, "Teachers don't lie."
"Let's pinky promise, if someone lies, they are a puppy."
Fan Mingyu stretched out his little finger towards Su Xiaoyue.
Su Xiaoyue pinky promised with him.
"Mingyu, can you give your slingshot to your teacher to keep for now?"
Fan Mingyu hesitated, but wanting Su Xiaoyue to accompany him to play, he handed over the slingshot to Su Xiaoyue. It was the first time he had entrusted his toy to a teacher.
"What a good boy," Su Xiaoyue said, smiling at Fan Mingyu's praise.
Fan Mingyu's handsome little face flushed with embarrassment.
For a child like him to be praised by a teacher...
Seeing that it was time for the children to have lunch, Su Xiaoyue stopped playing the piano, had all the children stand up, and line up in two rows by gender. She headed out with one of the homeroom teachers to take the children to wash their hands, while the other arranged the tables, letting the children who had washed their hands sit down and wait to eat.
Only after all the children had started eating did Su Xiaoyue finally breathe a long sigh of relief. Thankfully, Fan Mingyu had not caused any more trouble.
Just one morning had left Su Xiaoyue feeling utterly drained. With a student like Fan Mingyu, without immense patience, anyone could be driven to a heart attack.
Glancing out of the window inadvertently, she saw a tall man standing outside. The man was dressed in a suit, wearing a red tie, his features indistinct to her.
The man stared intently at her through the window.
"Who is outside?" Su Xiaoyue asked one of the homeroom teachers in a low voice.
"Daddy!"
Before Su Xiaoyue's question settled, Fan Mingyu burst out in excitement, stood up, and ran out of the classroom quickly.
Daddy?
Isn't that Shaoming?
Why is he here again? When did he arrive? How long has he been standing outside the window?
Shaoming had arrived shortly after Fan Mingyu returned. Back at his company, he couldn't stop thinking about Su Xiaoyue's criticism; this was the first time in his thirty-one years that someone had scolded him. He wasn't sure whether he was angry or simply couldn't accept it. So he left his work and came back to the school again, instructing the security not to alert anyone, and just stood by the window outside Class (1), watching.
He had witnessed everything: his son's mischief, Su Xiaoyue's patience.
"Daddy." Fan Mingyu ran up to Shaoming with a joyful laugh, and as Shaoming bent down, he plunged into his father's arms, wrapping his hands around Shaoming's neck and smiling, "Daddy, why are you here?"
Shaoming's stern face softened for a moment as he hugged his son, but then he pushed him away and his gaze hardened as he asked, "Mingyu, what have you done? Daddy didn't see you at school when I came; where did you go?"
Fan Mingyu's dark eyes flitted about as he lifted a hand to touch his head, grinning cheekily at his father—a habit he had when he wanted to dodge a question.
Su Xiaoyue came out.
She did not approach the father and son but stood at a distance watching them.
Feeling Su Xiaoyue's presence, Shaoming's expression returned to its usual sternness, and he grabbed his son's small hand and walked briskly to Su Xiaoyue. Handing his son over to her, his dark eyes bore into Su Xiaoyue. With glasses on, she looked even more attractive than without, exuding an air of scholarly charm.
"Mr. Fan."
Su Xiaoyue greeted Shaoming politely.
Shaoming just nodded coldly, without uttering a word.