Wang Wen sat on a stool at the side. He had his elbows on his knees as he interlaced his fingers, and he sounded genuine when he said, “I fell for her ever since I met her. I later learn about how she came all the way to the village to be a teacher for free and realize that she uses her own money to buy study materials for the kids. That’s when I know that she is a kind and sweet woman. After spending some time with her, I confirmed that it isn’t an act. She is truly nice and has a kind soul.”
Wang Wen paused when he reached that part of the story. He took a deep breath before continuing, “She doesn’t really talk about her past, but I really want to get to know her. I also want to be there for her and become a man who can protect her and be her family.”
Despite hearing all that, Shen Peichuan was only focused on one point, “A-are the two of you dating?”
“To be specific, I am pursuing her. You’re her friend, and I’m sure you want her to be happy too, don’t you?” asked Wang Wen, who was examining Shen Peichuan’s expression closely.
Wang Wen was a pretty decent guy, and he was smart, but it would take a lot more than that to see through Shen Peichuan’s poker face.
For some reason, Shen Peichuan found himself relaxing when he heard about how Wang Wen was still courting Sang Yu. So they’re not in a relationship!
Shen Peichuan might be feeling better, but he had no intention of showing Wang Wen any mercy. The former dissed, “Of course I want her to be happy, but you are just a college student. Can you even afford to support yourself financially? How do you plan on taking care of her?”
“I will graduate in a year and find a job…”
“Talk to me after you have actually graduated and landed a job,” interrupted Shen Peichuan heartlessly.
“As a friend, you shouldn’t say something like that. You really should give her your blessings and be happy about her finding a partner…”
Just then, Sang Yu had dealt with the paperwork and returned at that moment. She asked, “What are you boys talking about?”
Shen Peichuan put on a crooked grin and replied, “It’s nothing. Can we leave now?”
“Yeah,” answered Sang Yu with a smile.
Wang Wen got up and stood beside Sang Yu. The former grinned at Shen Peichuan and said, “You’re a guest, and we should lead the way as the host. This way.”
Wang Wen held Sang Yu’s hand and led the way with her.
Sang Yu was taken aback. She stared at Wang Wen and blurted, “You…”
Wang Wen hushed as he inched closer and whispered, “You held my hand without permission earlier, so I’m returning the favors.”
Sang Yu was a little uncomfortable about it. She explained, “I was just… I mean, the situation was…”
“Regardless of the situation, you still held my hand. You must return this favor and put on an act for me as well,” said Wang Wen with a smile.
Shen Peichuan’s heart felt heavy when he glared at the way Wang Wen held Sang Yu’s hand. Shen Peichuan kept wondering, Why isn’t Sang Yu pushing the guy away? Does she have feelings for that man? What’s so good about a youngster like him? And what’s with that expression on her face?
The more Shen Peichuan thought about it, the more upset he became.
He rushed forward and pried both hands away from each other. Sang Yu stared curiously. “You…”
Shen Peichuan forced himself to put on a calm expression before complaining, “Just walk like normal people, will you? The two of you keep blocking the entire path when you hold hands like that.”
After that, Shen Peichuan walked ahead.
Wang Wen clenched his fist. He suspected that Shen Peichuan had feelings for Sang Yu when Shen Peichuan verbally opposed Wang Wen courting Sang Yu. Shen Peichuan’s reaction just proved that he indeed was in love with Sang Yu as well.
Still, he is so much older than Sang Yu. If I am not good enough for her, then he is definitely a poor suitor. Does he not realize that at all?
“Well, come on,” urged Shen Peichuan when he realized that the two of them weren’t following him.
Sang Yu blinked. Her long, beautiful eyelashes fluttered before she shifted her gaze downwards and walked over to Shen Peichuan’s side.
Wang Wen refused to admit defeat, so he hurried to Sang Yu’s side as well. The corridor was narrow, to begin with. Hence, when the two men acted up, it became ridiculously cramped.
When they reached the entrance, Sang Yu walked ahead to get a cab. There were a lot parked by the door, so it was easy to get one. Wang Wen wanted to show that he was a capable man, so he led Sang Yu aside and said, “Let me handle that.”
“It’s fine,” replied Sang Yu, who didn’t want to trouble anyone.
“Nice ladies like you shouldn’t stand under the sun like that. Besides, I told you. You don’t have to be that polite to me. We’ve known each other for a while now, after all,” reminded Wang Wen before flashing his beautiful smile.
Sang Yu would seem pretentious if she continued rejecting his offer, so she nodded and said, “Alright then. Thank you.”
“It’s nothing,” said Wang Wen. He later went out to hail a cab and haggled over the price before gesturing for Sang Yu and Shen Peichuan to head over. Wang Wen opened the door for Sang Yu like a gentleman while saying, “Let’s leave the front seat for your friend. He’s injured and his wound might open if we accidentally knock on him while we’re traveling down the bumpy road.”
Sang Yu thought that it made sense, and she was about to agree to it when Shen Peichuan cut in, “I’m not a spoiled princess, and minor injuries like these mean nothing to me.”
After saying his piece, Shen Peichuan dragged Sang Yu and got into the backseat.
Wang Wen was speechless.
Shen Peichuan and Sang Yu were already in the backseat, so it would be ridiculously cramped if Wang Wen got into the backseat as well. Hence, Wang Wen had no choice but to take the front seat.
During the entire journey, Wang Wen would repeatedly check the backseat, whereas Shen Peichuan remained quiet. The latter only stared out the window.
They had traveled for a while when Shen Peichuan suddenly asked, “Is the village from B City?”
“Not really, it’s only about a hundred kilometers away,” answered Sang Yu.
Shen Peichuan nodded.
About half an hour later, the car stopped at the entrance of the village. Sang Yu wanted to pay for the cab, but Wang Wen refused to let her do so. “I’ll get it,” offered Wang Wen.
Sang Yu rejected immediately, “You don’t have much spare cash with you, and you’ll have to go back to school in a couple of days. You’ll need to spend a lot of money then. I taught many online classes last week and have some extra money with me.”
Sang Yu paid for the ride as she spoke.
Shen Peichuan, on the other hand, couldn’t say anything. The only thing he had with him was a dirty outfit, so he could only watch as the two of them argued about paying the fares.
He was the eldest among the three, but he was also the poorest at that moment. That made it so that he had zero say in the matter.
“Let’s go,” said Sang Yu to Shen Peichuan.
Shen Peichuan nodded.
The roads in the village had never been constructed, so it really was just a trail of dirt. That being said, the path wouldn’t cause any fuss as long as it didn’t rain.
Sang Yu pointed at the school up ahead and shared, “That is the village’s school. I teach classes over there.”
Shen Peichuan traced Sang Yu’s finger and saw a building with about six or seven classrooms. A multipurpose field stood behind the entrance.
It’s probably break-time since many children are playing on that field.
“Ms. Sang, Mr. Wang!” greeted an observant kid loudly when he saw them. A number of kids hurried over upon hearing those names.
Sang Yu pointed at Wang Haonan and informed Shen Peichuan, “That’s the boy who discovered you.”
Wang Haonan scratched his tiny head before giggling shyly and saying, “I thought you died.”
“The tv showed that we should touch a guy’s nose to see if they’re really dead. You must’ve never touched his nose,” said another student.
Wang Haonan’s face lit up instantly. He blurted, “Oh yeah! Next time, I will touch the nose to check if the body is breathing.”
“You silly goose. You’re not likely to see another unconscious man, so you won’t need to touch anybody’s nose. C’mon, let’s head to class,” said Sang Yu while helping the kids wipe their sweat off.
“We want to take Ms. Sang’s class. Ms. Sang, will you teach us today?” asked Wang Haonan. Two other students stared at Sang Yu with big, round eyes as well.
Sang Yu deliberated. “Maybe later, okay? I’ll head over if I’m free. Mr. Wang will take the class for now,” said Sang Yu.
Wang Wen wasn’t happy to hear that. If he went to teach the kids, then Shen Peichuan and Sang Yu would end up spending time alone.
That man seems to be into Sang Yu, but there are times when he acted like a gentleman as well… Wang Wen couldn’t figure out what Shen Peichuan had in mind, nor could he be certain if Shen Peichuan liked Sang Yu.
The one thing Wang Wen was sure of was that he didn’t like the idea of the two of them spending time alone.
“It’s better if we leave the class to the principal. Your friend is still wearing his dirty clothes. I’ll go get him some of my clean clothes since we’re both almost the same height.”
Sang Yu nodded in agreement and said, “Thank you.”
Ah, I forgot that Shen Peichuan is still wearing his dirty clothes. He must be really uncomfortable now.
“We’ll head back to my place while you get a clean outfit. We’ll meet at my place?” suggested Sang Yu.
Wang Wen nodded.
The bell rang up at that moment, so the kids returned to their classroom.
After that, Sang Yu led Shen Peichuan back to her own place. It was just a simple building split into two areas. The one indoors had a cement floor, a foldable table, two stools, and a bookcase which was placed in the corner. The area outdoors, on the other hand, had a gas stove, and that was sufficient for Sang Yu because she could cook. She didn’t have much, and her living condition wasn’t ideal, but she kept the place clean and tidy.
A bed was placed inside the bedroom where a study desk and a computer were set up near the window. Further into the room was a curtain that separated the washroom and the bedroom. That was where Sang Yu would shower.
“It may not look much, but I am content with my life here,” said Sang Yu as she stood by the door.
Her place had two areas, but one could still examine the entire place with one look.
Shen Peichuan’s lips curved downwards. The place was terrible, and he believed that Sang Yu could have a better future if she continued her studies and graduated.
Hence, Shen Peichuan turned to Sang Yu and encouraged, “Sang Yu, you’re young, and you can have a better future. You don’t belong here.”
