The pushover offended a top-tier boss

"I didn't investigate you, but you're investigating me?" Zhou Huaijin laughed at her.

"Every day I just teach and prepare lessons. My colleagues are all older women, and they're all cunning."

Ye Zhenzhen shoved the phone into his hand with a nonchalant expression.

"To be fair, I'll show you my phone."

Zhou Huaijin took it and casually opened it. His finger hovered over the WeChat interface, slowly scrolling down, but his brows gradually furrowed. At first, it was just a slight frown, but the more he read, the more tightly they tightened.

The screen displays a WeChat account belonging to a student named Song Jing:

Teacher, your voice is hoarse from listening to your lecture today. I left a packet of honeysuckle on your desk; please remember to brew it into tea.

Teacher, it will be colder tomorrow, remember to wear more clothes.

[Teacher, I brought some local specialties from my hometown and left them in your office.]

Teacher, are you free this afternoon? I have a few questions I'd like to ask you.

Each message was warmer and more considerate than the last, popping up every few days to ask about the weather, health, and to offer words of comfort, their tone excessively attentive.

Zhou Huaijin was furious.

"Why does this student keep bothering you all the time?"

His tone was unfriendly, as if he had already condemned the boy he had never met.

What constitutes harassment?

Ye Zhenzhen was at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"She's the class monitor, gets good grades, and is responsible. She's just trying to maintain a good relationship with the teachers. Is it really that big of a deal?"

"I think he has ulterior motives," Zhou Huaijin sneered.

Ye Zhenzhen was almost laughing in exasperation at him.

How can your heart be so dark?

"He's my student, and he's ten years younger than me."

"My teaching certificate is watching over me from heaven."

She was speechless. How could he be jealous of even a student? She was the one who wanted to investigate him, so how did it turn into him interrogating her?

Song Jing came from a remote area and his family was not well-off. His parents were farmers in the countryside. However, he studied very hard and his grades were always among the top three in his grade. He was also meticulous and diligent in his work.

Ye Zhenzhen usually helps him a lot at school. Since the cost of living in Beijing is high, she has introduced him to several part-time jobs and sometimes uses her faculty card to bring him an extra lunch.

Song Jing always kept it in mind, sending greetings during holidays and quietly placing local specialties from his hometown on her desk. Ye Zhenzhen didn't think much of it, taking it as a thoughtful gesture from her student.

I thought this little incident would be over.

On Mid-Autumn Festival, Song Jing did not go home. Ye Zhenzhen thought he was lonely at school, so she invited him to her house for dinner, and also invited Qi Lian, another girl from her class who did not go home.

Both of them came from small towns, and when they first stepped into this courtyard, they were stunned and hesitated to take a step at the door.

Qi Lian looked at the screen wall with its green bricks and red tiles, and the covered corridors. This kind of location and this kind of architecture were something that money couldn't buy.

She had only heard from her classmates that Teacher Ye's husband had a powerful background, and some people even said behind her back that she was some kind of "old princess" and that she only got into the school because of her family's connections.

Now that I've seen it with my own eyes, I understand what those words meant.

"Come in, you two!"

Ye Zhenzhen came out to greet them, wearing a cream-colored loungewear set, her hair casually tied back, a light green apron tied around her neck, and a bunch of scallions in her hand. She looked a few years younger than she did at school.

"You guys play for a while, wander around as you like. The meat still needs to stew for a bit longer, so don't be shy."

The yard was full of flowers, and there were several kinds of vegetables climbing the trellis. A big, fat white cat was sleeping on a rocking chair, snoring with its eyes half-closed.

Two children were chasing each other in the yard, chattering away, while a nanny followed behind, calling out, "Slow down, slow down."

The atmosphere was lively and bustling, not at all like the desolate atmosphere of a grand mansion that I had imagined.

Qi Lian smiled and said, "Okay."

Song Jing simply rolled up his sleeves: "Teacher, let me help you."

Ye Zhenzhen was somewhat surprised: "You can cook?"

"Yes, when I was little, my parents worked in the fields, and I often cooked for them." Song Jing took the kitchen knife from her hand, bent down and began to chop scallions, his knife skills were clean and neat.

Watching from the side, Ye Zhenzhen couldn't help but praise, "That's great! There aren't many boys who can cook these days. This will be a big plus when you're looking for a girlfriend."

Song Jing's ears turned slightly red, and she lowered her head without saying a word, as if afraid that she would see the slight discomfort on her face.

Sunlight streamed in through the kitchen window, falling on two shadows, one tall and one short.

Song Jing felt that Teacher Ye was very special today. She was not as distant and dignified as she was at school. She was wearing very casual clothes, her hair was simply tied up, and her eyes curved when she smiled.

He always felt that Teacher Ye had a particularly clean and pure aura, and she looked very young, not at all like a mother of two.

Like a gentle older sister.

Ye Zhenzhen stood beside him peeling garlic, chatting with him casually, asking him if his studies were demanding, if his part-time job was tiring, and if he had any difficulties.

Song Jing answered them one by one, displaying the somewhat awkward and obedient manner of a young person in front of an elder.

Ye Zhenzhen took out her phone, glanced at the time, and called Zhou Huaijin: "Old Zhou, when are you coming back? You still have to work overtime during the Mid-Autumn Festival."

"I've almost finished cooking. Oh, by the way, I invited two students who weren't home yet to come over for dinner." She paused, then added with a smile, "I made lots of your favorite dishes."

Not long after I hung up the phone, the gate to the courtyard opened.

The two children ran over laughing, shouting:

"Daddy! Daddy's home from get off work!"

"Daddy, I miss you so much~"

Zhou Huaijin bent down and picked up the children, one in each arm. The coldness that had been building up in his eyes all day finally melted away when he saw the two little ones.

Qi Lian stood under the tree, turned around, and saw this scene, remaining stunned for a long time.

The man was handsome, but his expression was cold and his aura was so powerful that people dared not approach him.

"Where's Mom?" He put the child down.

"Mom is cooking." Jinshu pulled his finger toward the kitchen.

He raised his head, his gaze passing over the child's head and landing on Qi Lian.

Qi Lian's heart skipped a beat.

"Hello... hello..."

The nanny explained from the side, "Sir, this is the lady's student."

Zhou Huaijin simply hummed in agreement and walked towards the kitchen.