A delicate beauty takes a place in a marriage, while a cold, rough man seduces her every night.

Qingyan woke up in the morning with an incredibly sore back.

In a hazy state, I felt someone kiss my forehead. When I opened my eyes, Xiao Jingye had already left.

On my way to work, as I cycled past the chrysanthemum patch by the riverbank, I heard several women washing clothes chatting loudly.

"Tsk tsk, I wonder which pair of adulterous lovers were messing around here last night, they trampled a whole bunch of chrysanthemums."

Wild chrysanthemums grow luxuriantly along the riverbank, with clusters of white, pink, and light yellow flowers layered upon each other. A gentle breeze blows, causing the branches to sway softly and releasing a subtle fragrance.

Qiao Qingyan's cheeks instantly turned bright red.

The image of the man's rough palms gripping her slender white ankles and dragging her into his arms last night flooded her mind uncontrollably.

My mind was in turmoil, and I became increasingly unsteady on my bike, which bounced and swayed from side to side on the dirt road.

Duoduo clung tightly to her waist in the back seat, afraid of falling.

She knew that her sister-in-law was not a steady or reliable cyclist, and the two of them had almost fallen several times.

"Teacher Qiao, off to work?" A familiar face washing clothes by the river looked up and greeted Qingyan.

Qingyan gave an awkward smile, pedaled quickly, and the bicycle soon disappeared from sight.

When I arrived at the office, I saw Teacher Zhang and a few others chatting together.

Qingyan greeted them, picked up her bag, and walked to her workstation. Glancing around, she noticed that Teacher Yu's seat was empty.

She casually asked, "Didn't Teacher Yu come today?"

Holding a thermos, Teacher Zhang replied, "Teacher Qiao, you don't know yet, but something happened to Teacher Yu's family."

"What is it?"

"Her mother passed away a while ago, and she's going back to visit her grave today." Teacher Zhang sighed softly, her tone regretful. "I heard her mother died of cancer. Teacher Yu was constantly running between the school and the hospital, working herself to the bone. Then, the day after your exams, her mother passed away. It's so pitiful, not even fifty years old..."

Qiao Qingyan was stunned for a few seconds.

No wonder Teacher Yu has been looking tired and listless all this time; it turns out that something terrible happened at home.

-

During the break between the second and third periods in the morning, a little boy walked into the teachers' office with his head down and dawdling.

He clutched the hem of his clothes, his head bowed low, standing in front of Qiao Qingyan's desk, his voice barely audible: "Teacher Qiao."

As soon as he finished speaking, his face flushed red, and he whispered, "I'm sorry."

Qiao Qingyan stopped writing and looked up: "What's wrong?"

"Last time, Zhang Xiaohua said she wrote down the names of those who hadn't handed in their homework and gave them to you. I was afraid you'd see it, so I came to your desk to find the list and cross my name off. And then I..."

His nose turned red, tears welled up, and he nervously clutched the hem of his clothes: "Then I accidentally knocked over your water glass and got your books wet."

"Is it the day of the open class?" Qiao Qingyan asked softly to confirm.

"Yes." The little boy nodded vigorously, wiping away his tears haphazardly with the back of his dirty hand. "My mom said a real man should admit his mistakes. Teacher Qiao, please don't be angry with me, okay?"

Qiao Qingyan's heart softened. She raised her hand to pat his head and said in a gentle and patient tone, "It's good that you know you're wrong. Just finish your homework on time and listen attentively in class from now on. I won't blame you."

The little boy's eyes lit up, and he nodded emphatically: "I understand, thank you, Teacher Qiao."

After lunch break, Ms. Yu came to school. She had only taken half a day off and was going to continue teaching in the afternoon.

Upon seeing Qiao Qingyan, Teacher Yu felt very embarrassed.

She was exhausted and in very poor condition recently, which caused her to underperform in the written test and hastily prepare for the public lecture.

I know in my heart that I definitely won't be able to win a public school position this year.

But the result was unexpected. Qiao Qingyan, who ranked first in the written test, was unexpectedly not selected, and the spot fell to her instead.

She was utterly shocked and had no idea what was going on behind this unexpected turn of events.

"Teacher Yu, you're here." Qiao Qingyan smiled and greeted her.

"Hmm." Teacher Yu put the canvas bag on the chair, took off her coat and sat down, looking listless.

"Is everything settled at home?" Qiao Qingyan asked.

"I finished visiting my mother's grave this morning, and that's all for now. I'll go back to add soil and burn paper money on the fifteenth of the lunar calendar," Teacher Yu said, her voice bitter and weary.

"Have you had lunch yet?"

Teacher Yu shook her head: "I rushed over from my parents' home and didn't have time to eat."

Qingyan rummaged through her bag and pulled out a few milk candies, handing them to her: "I don't have anything else, have this to tide you over."

"No need, I'm not hungry," the other person said instinctively.

"I have to give a lecture this afternoon, and going on an empty stomach can easily cause low blood sugar and dizziness, so take this."

Teacher Yu paused slightly, took the candy, a warm feeling rising in her heart, and whispered, "Thank you, Qingyan."

Qingyan smiled warmly, her eyes crinkling, and said, "You're too kind."

-

Before dawn, while Qingyan was still fast asleep, Xiao Jingye had already quietly gotten up.

He put on a shirt and jeans, looking neat and clean. He rode his bike straight to the Education Bureau.

I saw a fresh milk vendor near the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative and bought two bottles.

The fresh milk comes in glass bottles with straws and brown paper bags, which are neither too formal nor too conspicuous, nor do they look cheap or crude.

Upon entering the office lobby, the security guard approached and inquired about our purpose.

Xiao Jingye asked politely, "Hello, sir. Where can I check the results of this year's public school teacher evaluations?"

"Go that way." The middle-aged man pointed to the office at the far end of the corridor. "Personnel section, find Officer Li, she knows this stuff."

Xiao Jingye thanked him, picked up the bag of fresh milk, and slowly walked towards the office.

He knocked on the door, and a woman's voice came from inside the office: "Come in."

Xiao Jingye pushed open the door and entered, nodding in greeting: "Hello."

A middle-aged woman sat behind the desk. Hearing this, she slowly opened her eyes, her expression nonchalant and aloof: "Who are you looking for?"

"Are you Officer Li?"

"It's me. Speak your mind." The woman's tone was flat and indifferent, carrying the aloofness and bureaucratic air that was typical of government employees.

Xiao Jingye walked calmly to the desk and said in a frank tone, "I came here on behalf of my wife to check the results of the staffing assessment. She is not feeling well and it is inconvenient for her to come in person."

Xiao Jingye had been navigating the social world for many years and was adept at lying.

He was afraid that if someone other than himself came to investigate, he would be unable to verify the information, so he could only make up a lie first.

This isn't exactly a prophecy; Qingyan did indeed have a fever a few days ago.

Officer Li scoffed lightly, curled his lip, and glanced at the clock on the wall: "It's not official work time yet, wait outside for a while."

Xiao Jingye remained humble and polite: "It's alright, no rush, we'll talk about it after you get to work."

"Oh, right, you haven't had breakfast yet, have you? I brought you two bottles of fresh milk on the way here." He walked to the desk and put the bag he was carrying on it.

"There's no need for such formalities," Officer Li said casually.

Xiao Jingye smiled faintly, his tone neither humble nor arrogant:

"I just brought it along the way, nothing more. It's so dry today, a little fresh milk will soothe your throat, don't feel bad about it. I won't rush you, I'll go out and wait, and when it's time to start work, could you please check the score for me?"

After saying that, he turned around and was about to walk out.

"Wait a minute." Officer Li suddenly called out to him, his previously cold expression softening slightly. "What's your wife's name?"

Xiao Jingye turned around: "Qiao Qingyan, she got first place in the written test."

The other person's gaze suddenly paused, and after a few seconds of silence, they said, "Her score is invalid."

Xiao Jingye's heart skipped a beat, and he urgently asked, "Why?"

"Someone reported her for misconduct, lack of professional ethics, and poor character, and wrote a letter of complaint to the education bureau. As a result, her scores were invalidated."

Officer Li, speaking in a businesslike tone, continued, "From now on, she will be permanently barred from applying for public school teacher positions. The bureau is also currently assessing her status as a private school teacher, and it's highly likely her position will be revoked."

In an instant, Xiao Jingye's mind went blank, his ears rang, and his blood rushed to the top of his head.

Fortunately, it was him who asked. If it had been his beloved wife who asked, she would have been heartbroken and cried upon hearing these words.

She is passionate about teaching and nurturing students, and treats each student with kindness.

How can I be barred from taking civil service exams because of some stupid whistleblower letter? What kind of logic is that?