You're my wife, don't doubt it!

Xiao Yao stood there listlessly for ten minutes, finally unable to hold back any longer: "Teacher Yao."

……

"Teacher Yao?!"

"What is it?" the short, bronze-skinned man replied in a deep voice.

"Didn't you ask me to come?" Xiao Yao sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"Are you wrong?" Teacher Yao still didn't look up.

"Wrong, wrong," Xiao Yao replied crisply.

"What's wrong?"

"I overslept this morning," Xiao Yao said.

"Anything else?" Clearly, it wasn't going to be that easy to get away with it.

"I left a little early Friday morning," Xiao Yao asked tentatively.

"anything else?"

"And...did you forget to do your homework this weekend?"

Teacher Yao slammed her pen on the table with a "bang": "Did you forget to do it this weekend? How many days has it been since you handed in your homework?"

"How many days?" Xiao Yao scratched his head, genuinely unsure.

"Twenty days! You last handed in your homework twenty days ago!" Teacher Yao said with great distress.

"Uh, I'll go fix it, I'll go fix it here."

"After you finish your homework, will you treat me to a full moon drink?" Teacher Yao sighed and pushed a piece of paper over: "Fill it out."

"Oh no, another disciplinary form to fill out?"

"Don't worry," Teacher Yao comforted gently, "Disciplinary slips don't go into your file. This is your second disciplinary slip. When you fill out the third one, the school will take disciplinary action against you."

"I really know I was wrong," Xiao Yao pleaded. "I'll make sure to fix everything, just... don't fill it in."

"No! No way!" Teacher Yao's tone left no room for compromise: "Besides, the final exams are next month, do you know that?"

"know."

"Do you know this is the second semester?"

"……know."

"If you fail more than three subjects, you have to repeat the year, understand?"

"I know...I don't know!"

Who are you trying to scare? I've never heard of anyone repeating a grade in the first year of high school.

“You really didn’t listen at the grade-level assembly,” Teacher Yao sighed. “The school just decided this last week.”

You guys are all here for me, aren't you?!

“Three, three gates?” Xiao Yao protested, “That’s too outrageous.”

Of the nine subjects—Chinese, Math, English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Geography, and Politics—Xiao Yao consistently scores high in Chinese, History, Geography, and Politics. As for English, Xiao Yao had a solid foundation in junior high, but unfortunately, he fell behind after coming to Shanghai and could only barely pass.

As for math, physics, chemistry, and biology, those are all failing grades and cannot be caught up in a few weeks of cramming.

He cannot take more than three subjects; that is, he must ensure that he passes one of the four science subjects, provided that he passes English.

As Xiao Yao was pondering this, Teacher Yao changed to a worried expression: "By the way, you and Yu Luying... broke up?"

"?" Xiao Yao waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no."

"Oh~" Teacher Yao nodded thoughtfully.

"No, no, we never talked about breaking up," Xiao Yao corrected.

"Oh, that explains why I haven't seen you two together for the past few months," Teacher Yao said. "Did you have a fight?"

"Uh……"

"If you have any emotional issues, you should talk to your teacher. I'm not a rigid or old-fashioned person," Teacher Yao said earnestly.

"Oh……"

"Actually, I really like Yu Luying," Teacher Yao said, leaning back strategically.

ha?

"You're such a good-for-nothing, if you ever manage to win over that girl, I, as her teacher, won't even have the face to attend her wedding, will I?" Teacher Yao looked around at the other teachers in the office: "Isn't that right?"

"That's right, that's right, a gift is enough." The other teachers chimed in.

In the cheerful atmosphere, Xiao Yao blushed and scratched his head.

"Let Yu Luying help you catch up on your studies during this time," Teacher Yao announced.

"Oh, really? Thank you, Teacher Yao!" Xiao Yao thought Teacher Yao looked beautiful and full of compassion and love. "But, is she willing?"

"She told me she was willing to tutor you," Teacher Yao replied, enunciating each word clearly. "Do you understand, little whiz of Chinese?"

"Okay, I'll definitely do my best this time." Xiao Yao clenched his fist, turned around and left.

"Where are you going? You haven't filled out the disciplinary form yet!" Teacher Yao's roar came from behind.

Chapter 9 Shura

2023-07-31

Xiao Yao's efforts to study hard and make progress every day only lasted for half a morning before they were abandoned.

It must be acknowledged that there was indeed a factor of his own weak willpower involved, but it should also be recognized that mathematics is a harsh subject where even if you put in 99% effort, if you still can't grasp the basics, you'll only get zero points.

We can only hope that Yu Luying can help open this door, or a window, or even make a key if that doesn't work.

At lunchtime, Xiao Yao handed a torn piece of grid paper to Xiao Xiong.

"What?" Little Bear rolled his eyes.

"I saw it in an essay collection yesterday, thought it was good, so I copied it down," actually he was just copying it from memory: "I wanted to show it to you."

"You call this good? How old are you? Did you graduate from primary school?" Little Bear glanced at it casually and handed it back.

"A collection of elementary school students' essays, let me show you what's going on with this kid's father."

“I hate reading comprehension the most,” Little Bear unfolded the graph paper again and looked at it carefully: “Isn’t it obvious? His father is dead.”

"Is he dead?" Xiao Yao's lips twitched uncontrollably.

“It must be,” Xiao Xiong said with a hint of melancholy as he handed the composition paper back to Xiao Yao. “When I was in elementary school, my maternal grandmother passed away, and my mother kept it from me for a long time. Although I can understand it now, I still feel a little resentful towards her.”

"I'm sorry, I haven't heard you mention it." Xiao Yao saw that Xiao Xiong was a little lost in thought, so he quickly apologized and buried his head in his food.

If I died when Shen Tianyun was around ten years old, then everything makes sense.

She was unwilling to tell herself the truth because she was afraid that she would worry too much.

She always clung to me because she missed her father very much.

She said that "your mother wants you to go find her from the past" because the future Shen Jie misses her, so she wants to start her relationship with her "early".

If we calculate based on Shen Tianyun being ten years old, then... he himself is probably around 40 years old?

The thought of dying young made Xiao Yao lose all taste for the braised pork in his mouth.

That sense of emptiness and fear...

"Hey, are you listening?" Xiao Yao was then slapped awake by the little bear: "What are you daydreaming about?"

"Do you think the future can be changed?" Xiao Yao blurted out.

"You're crazy," the little bear scoffed. "What can't be changed is the past, but the future can be changed."

"Yes, it's definitely possible." Xiao Yao clenched his fist tightly.

--split line--

After school, Xiao Yao lingered in the classroom, unwilling to leave.

“I’m not going,” he said, shaking his head at the little bear holding the basketball as he stood at the classroom door. “You guys go ahead.”

Xiao Xiong turned slightly to the side, his gaze passing over Xiao Yao's shoulder and landing on Yu Luying, who was writing furiously at her desk. He gave her a knowing look and winked at Xiao Yao.

As the last rays of the setting sun shone on Xiao Yao's desk, the students on duty left in twos and threes, while only the entertainment committee member was still diligently working on the blackboard newspaper.

Suddenly, a crumpled piece of paper landed on his desk, startling Xiao Yao.

"You go back first, don't wait for me, I have orchestra rehearsals."

Reading the neat handwriting, Xiao Yao suddenly remembered that Mondays and Thursdays were the days for the school band activities.

Xiao Yao stuffed the crumpled paper into his school uniform pocket and left the teaching building with unsteady steps, walking along the red plastic track on the playground towards the school gate.

The flowers planted in the flower bed were in full bloom, their fragrance refreshing and delightful.

Passing through the long stretch of shaded trees, he walked out of the school gate, crossed the road diagonally, and entered the small shop next to the church.

"The lottery numbers are out?" Xiao Yao tried to keep his voice calm.