A Young Woman's Heart

Although it had just rained and the ground was still a bit slippery, it didn't stop the students from playing various ball sports.

Even though the boys' basketballs would get covered in mud after just a few bounces on the ground, and their clothes would be stained black from a bump on their shoulders, they didn't seem to care at all.

In comparison, table tennis is much more elegant.

"Could you lift your foot a little?" Liu Xiaowei quickly came over to her with a broom. He used to sweep casually in empty spots, but here he became serious.

"Oh." Mo Xueyao's attention returned to the building blocks. She casually lifted her foot, and Liu Xiaowei skillfully stretched the broom to the empty space under her seat. He even deliberately lowered his body, as if he could already smell the mixed scent of milk, fruit, and flowers on her body.

"Damn." Gao Yuan realized the kid's intention and couldn't help but curse under his breath. But when he saw the kid turn around, he couldn't help but give him a thumbs up.

Sitting in the back row, Duanmu Ji scratched his head, then suddenly stood up and said to Liu Xiaowei, "I have a few scraps of paper here, could you help me sweep them up?"

"Damn it, can't you throw the trash in the bin yourself?" Liu Xiaowei said irritably after being interrupted, but he still came over to help sweep up the trash. Mo Xueyao had already swept it once today, so he naturally couldn't go again, otherwise he would definitely be noticed.

This guy, all lust and no guts, is probably capable of the most despicable things he can do.

"Xiaoyao, aren't you going to the band room today?" Lu Chengyuan, who was also in charge of sweeping today, emptied the trash from the dustpan into the large trash can and turned around to ask in confusion.

"Hmm, no, I didn't bring any instruments, and neither did Youyou, so let's cancel today and start tomorrow."

"Hey, that's perfect! Shall the three of us go home together today?"

"Okay." Mo Xueyao pressed the last piece in, and the coffee shop model made of building blocks was completed.

Pairing it with some proportionally scaled toys... like Ultraman models or something, might actually be quite nice!

They can all be used as backdrops for photography.

As the cleaning progressed, students gradually left the school. Duanmu Ji dawdled for a long time before finally leaving, scratching his head.

He wasn't doing his homework or packing his bag; he was just standing there in a daze.

Lu Chengyuan watched his departing figure, her eyes darting around. She walked to Mo Xueyao's side and said casually, "Xiaoyao, isn't the 14th, which is the day after tomorrow, Valentine's Day?"

"Oh, you want to confess your feelings to him? Buy him chocolates or something?"

"Ahem!" Lu Chengyuan coughed loudly, then sat down next to her and whispered, "Xiaoyao, don't be so loud!"

"Hmm, others might have already guessed it."

"That's not necessarily true." Lu Chengyuan had already forgotten what she had wanted to tease Mo Xueyao about earlier. "Xiaoyao, Xiaoyao, what do you think would be a good gift?"

"Oh, are you really going to pay up for her? If you pay up for her, she might not be appreciated..." Mo Xueyao's idea came from her mother. Even in the past, she would always tell others that women should be a little hard to pursue so that men will cherish them.

"But, but..."

"Okay, okay, I got it, ah... I've got it! Let's issue him a challenge! Let's ask him to come out and fight!"

"What does this have to do with anything?!"

"Then how about we surprise him?"

"what……"

"In TV dramas, when men receive love letters, they sometimes think it's a declaration of war, right? So, wouldn't it be brilliant to do the opposite?"

"Mostly...surprise, right?"

"Yes, that's more surprising than any gift!"

"Hmm... I... let me think... but who should write the words?"

"I'll do it! I guarantee he won't be able to tell it's a girl's handwriting!" Mo Xueyao cleverly turned her bad handwriting into an advantage in this situation.

"Thump!" Chen Cheng returned carrying an empty trash can, casually tossing it at the back of the classroom. "Alright? Can I leave now?"

"Ye Banxia, ​​check it again."

"Hmm... everyone seems to have cleaned it quite well today..."

"Damn, I can finally go home..." Gao Yuan immediately rushed out of the classroom. "I'm off!"

"Gao Yuan, wait for me!" Liu Xiaowei also rushed out.

Mo Xueyao quickly slung her backpack over her shoulder, picked up the assembled 'coffee shop' and walked out of the classroom. She planned to put it on the table as a decoration.

It was time to lock the door again. The classroom had been cleaned up, and Li Wanyan had already put the key in the lock.

A familiar feeling welled up inside me; spending the whole day at school, I felt like my life was back on track.

"Hey, whose coat is that on the back seat?" Lu Chengyuan asked, blinking in confusion as she looked out the window.

"Where?" The setting sun shone on the glass, making it slightly reflective, and Mo Xueyao couldn't see clearly. "Isn't it where Yue Tingfeng is?"

"Wait a minute, something's not right!" Ye Banxia rubbed her eyes. "It seems... it's not a coat, is it? A coat is being draped over someone?"

"Huh?" Mo Xueyao brushed her bangs aside and ran quickly into the classroom. "Le Tingfeng—?"

The latter shuddered slightly, wearily raised its head, and opened its bewildered eyes—this guy drooled in his sleep, and his face was completely covered in drool…

"You, you almost got locked up in the classroom overnight, you know that?" Mo Xueyao leaned helplessly against the desk in the cold wind. "School's out!"

"Huh? School's over?"

"Are you the god of sleep...?" Lu Chengyuan, who followed her in, couldn't help but sigh.

……

Chapter Twelve: I'm just a math teacher passing by, remember that.

Dark and damp alleyways always hold a sense of chaotic and unknown mystery for children.

"Jiang Ting, what are you doing? Why did you drag me in here? I heard there are gangsters around here... Aren't you afraid?" A fair-skinned, slightly chubby boy with a mushroom haircut asked nervously in a low voice.

"What gangsters? They're just petty thugs, the kind of idiots who can't get into high school or college."

"Shh—keep your voice down... they'll beat you up if they hear you."

"Don't worry, this alley isn't frequented by many people." Jiang Ting stood up straight with pride. Because he started developing earlier, he looked much taller than Bai Hao at this moment.

"Th-what are we going to do..."

"Shh—" Jiang Ting, who was a full head taller than Bai Hao, put his index finger to his lips and raised his handsome eyebrows. "Do you know there's a bunch of low houses in here? The kind that look like they're about to be demolished?"

"It seems...it seems there are some? I heard they're all very short and dilapidated houses, but there's no word that they'll be demolished, because they don't seem to be blocking any major roads?"

Jiang Ting winked smugly: "I heard there's a drug addict inside. If we catch him and send him to the police station, we'll get a huge reward!"

Bai Hao's voice trembled slightly: "But...but...but...can we...can we beat...those drug addicts?"

"Don't worry, we'll find a crowbar later. Then we'll see that guy smoking, and the guy next to him smells really awful and seems a bit mentally unstable. He's definitely on drugs!"

"Jiang Ting, how do you know so much...?"

"Hmph, after all, I watch a lot of TV!" Jiang Ting felt as if he had transformed into a detective in a Hong Kong drama. He imagined his school uniform as a cool trench coat. He flicked his wrist, picked up a rusty crowbar from the ground, and held it in his hand as if it were a high-tech lightsaber.

"You want me to stay behind and call the police later when we find them?"

"What's there to be afraid of? We can't even beat an adult, can we? If they make a move, just use that move—Monkey Steals Peaches!"

"...You're more comfortable with this trick, aren't you? You always steal mine..." Bai Hao frowned his cute little face and muttered.

"Stop talking nonsense and come inside with me. Keep your voice down so you don't attract attention!"

Bai Hao didn't answer, but instead nodded silently to show how cooperative he was.

Two daring little ones, fresh out of junior high school, ventured inside with the fearless spirit of newborn calves.

Walking through the alley, what comes into view is a row of dilapidated mud-brick houses, which look like a pile of abandoned construction waste.

Everywhere was in chaos, and there was no idea where to put down a foothold.

This place has become a refuge for some homeless people, but it seems there are hardly any people here now.

Smoke curled from the chimneys of a few half-collapsed dilapidated houses, and occasionally a few men and women dressed in patched clothes hurried by.

Calling it an urban village is an understatement; it's more like a garbage dump.

The pervasive stench made Jiang Ting and Bai Hao hold their breath as they walked around the black, foul-smelling stream outside.

This place is nestled against a low mountain, so it can be considered a 'village' at the foot of the mountain. Outside is a factory that has been shut down for more than half a year. A few steps further, you can reach the relatively bustling street.

In reality, this place is not far from the bustling world outside.

Jiang Ting, the boldest little guy, was walking ahead when he suddenly stopped and silently pointed to the collapsed telephone pole in the distance. Beside it stood two men who reeked of foul odors.

These two best friends were quite in sync; they exchanged a glance and then quietly slipped away from opposite directions, hiding under the dilapidated streetlights on either side.

The streetlight didn't seem to have been originally installed here; it was brought from elsewhere. Next to it, seventeen or eighteen old manhole covers were neatly stacked.

The sunset is long gone here; all you can see is a faint, crimson glow in the sky.

At that moment, no one noticed that a young woman dressed in casual clothes quietly walked out of the alley where the two children had come from.

She moved along the shadows, like a black cat lurking in the dark.

"Teacher Jingdie—are you really okay?" At the corner, Mo Xueyao was not seen, but her hushed voice could be heard.

However, the shouts did not travel far before they were swallowed up by a sudden clap of thunder in the sky.

"Don't come out."

"Won't there be any danger?" Mo Xueyao peeked out with half her face showing.

Just after school, she saw the two little brats walking into the alley. Her instincts told her that there might be danger. She was hesitating whether to follow them or call for security when Jingdie followed them directly from across the street.

The main reason for her hesitation was that she didn't know what was behind that alley; she only knew it seemed rather chaotic. But calling the police or the security guards from the nearby residential complex before anything had happened didn't seem like a good idea...

At that moment, seeing Jingdie go inside, she rushed in after her. Although they didn't exchange many words along the way, it was clear that she was also there to see what was going on, so that if the two little brats were really in danger, she could quickly think of a solution.

Mo Xueyao knew that Jing Die was quite capable in combat, but only in one-on-one situations. If the opponent had more people, she definitely wouldn't be able to win.

So he set a role for himself—to be the rearguard, so that if anything happened, he could immediately call the police.

This is already in the suburbs beyond the Hangzhou Steel Factory. If it weren't for helping her deliver a bowl of noodles, she probably wouldn't have passed by here.

"You're behind me," Jingdie said calmly, without a trace of tension or fear on her face, as if she were simply going to the classroom to teach her students.

Meanwhile, the two little ones were exchanging glances, contemplating how to make their move.

"Is this the correct item?"

"Absolutely no problem."