Chapter 598
This is a good role model for students!
In winter, darkness falls early; by five o'clock in the afternoon, the sky is already tinged with dark gold by the setting sun.
The babbling brook shimmered with golden light in the afterglow of the setting sun, like countless fragments of amber flowing across its surface.
Although the winter mountain wind was biting, its sharpness was now filtered out, leaving only a gentle coolness. The distant mountain ridge was tinged with a dark golden silhouette by the setting sun, while the nearby forest stretched its branches against the light, as if embracing the last bit of warmth.
But winter is winter after all. Even though the stream was covered with the golden glow of the setting sun, it was still icy cold to the touch.
Han Zhou almost gasped.
While washing his hands, he glanced at Zhong Ling's profile and met her gaze.
Their eyes met, and the latter immediately looked away in a fluster, but Han Zhou showed no embarrassment and calmly said, "If you feel too cold, you can go back and heat up the water before washing your face."
Zhong Ling was already shy, and it was already embarrassing enough for her junior to see her looking so disheveled. How could she let Gu Zheng and Wang Lengqiu see her too? So she quickly shook her head, took a deep breath, closed her eyes, scooped up a handful of water, and forced herself to wash her face haphazardly, enduring the cold.
When she opened her eyes, she met Han Zhou's slightly surprised gaze. In an instant, a blush spread across her fair cheeks, whether from the cold or from embarrassment, she couldn't tell.
There's no need to wash it with water; just wipe it with a damp paper towel.
Han Zhou was holding a pack of dry tissues. He had intended to say this, but fearing that the other person would plunge into the stream after hearing it, he simply handed the dry tissues to the girl.
"Wipe it."
Zhong Ling moved her lips, took the tissue, wiped her damp cheeks and a few strands of hair sticking to her forehead, and then looked over with a faint smile.
If she hadn't suddenly lost her voice completely, she would have looked much the same as usual.
After washing their hands, the two did not linger and headed towards their encampment together.
What should I do? Since I really can't figure it out, should I take advantage of this opportunity to be alone with my senior and ask her directly how she feels?
On the way back, Han Zhou was struggling with whether or not to get straight to the point when his phone suddenly beeped.
It was a message from Mo Yixia.
"Since Senior Zhong Ling only had a problem after asking you if you were feeling unwell, you might as well just pretend you're not feeling well this time."
Upon seeing the reply, Han Zhou's first reaction was to breathe a sigh of relief—since Yi Xia would still answer his questions seriously, it meant that even if she was angry, it wasn't to the point of no return.
"Are you thinking, 'Lady Yixia is so magnanimous; even though I'm seeing three men at the same time, she hasn't ignored me'?"
As if guessing what he was thinking, Mo Yixia sent another message.
Han Zhou had already adopted a "take the beating and stand at attention" posture, and did not argue at all, honestly replying: "I will explain the matter between me and Senior Wang Lengqiu to you in person."
"Should we also talk about the details of your stay at the hotel?"
Han Zhou froze as he typed: "That's unnecessary..."
"It seems you really have done something shameful."
Although Han Zhou couldn't see Mo Yixia's face through the screen, he could roughly imagine what kind of expression she was making.
He was speechless, typing and deleting several times in the input box, unsure how to respond.
He owed Yixia an apology for this matter, but he knew that what Yixia needed was never an apology.
After a long while, a notification sound rang, and finally a new reply appeared on the screen:
"Since you know me fairly well, I can give you a chance to turn over a new leaf."
"What opportunity?" Han Zhou quickly asked.
"Do to me what she did to you."
"?"
"That phrase 'shady business' was just a guess I made."
In the office, Mo Yixia leaned back in her chair, typing slowly and deliberately. "Now, I need to find out exactly what you did in the hotel."
On the screen, the words "The other party is typing" kept flashing below Han Zhou's avatar, clearly indicating that he was in a state of panic and didn't know how to answer the question.
Mo Yixia didn't give him much time to think and typed another message: "Okay, I'm busy now. When you come to see me next week, remember to bring your ID card—I'm serious."
The message "The other party is typing" kept flashing on the screen. Clearly, Han Zhou was still struggling with how to respond to the previous message. However, perhaps sensing that Mo Yixia was running out of time, he had to temporarily avoid the question and instead asked:
"What do you mean by coming to see you next week?"
Don't you want to see me?
Mo Yixia didn't answer but asked a question instead.
"Of course I want to, but what does 'just be really uncomfortable this once' mean?" "It means you're not allowed to be 'comfortable' again until you see me."
"?"
"You can pretend to be sick tonight."
After sending the message, Mo Yixia promptly locked the screen and put away her phone.
From the photo sent by the girl with the flat chest, she gleaned a lot of information, the most crucial point being that there were only two tent storage bags in the picture.
There were clearly four people, but only two tents were prepared, which is obviously problematic.
That flat-chested girl might be plotting something, but she's too naive. She seems to treat love as a fair and open competition, unaware that the essence of love is war, which means she can't stir up any trouble.
...But that senior, Wang Lengqiu, is a different story.
As long as Han Zhou pretends to be sick tonight, no matter what these two are planning, they are destined to fail.
As for Senior Sister Zhong Ling, perhaps there will be some gains as well.
Gathering her thoughts, Mo Yixia stood up, placed her phone on the desk with both hands, and said sincerely, "Teacher, I know I was wrong. I've already contacted my parents, and they will come next week to confess on my behalf."
"I already told you it's not that serious."
Across the desk, the homeroom teacher smiled wryly and waved his hand, "I've already heard from Zhang Meng that you brought your phone to practice online and use your spare time to fill in any gaps in your knowledge."
"You've worked your way up from the middle to lower ranks of your class to the top ten in your grade. Everyone has seen your hard work, and I have too. I believe you brought your phone to school to study, not to break the rules on purpose."
That's how the world is. When you're a loser, everything you do is wrong, and the more you try to explain, the more futile it becomes. But when you become a success, great scholars will defend you, and even your mistakes can be interpreted as a testament to your diligence.
"Do not."
Mo Yixia shook her head slightly. Although her face was obscured by a mask, her stubborn tone was enough to show her serious attitude in admitting her mistake. "A mistake is a mistake, and it must be dealt with seriously. Many classmates saw me playing on my phone today. If I am not punished, it will be difficult for the teacher to gain the respect of the students in the future. I don't want to put you in a difficult position."
Upon hearing this, the homeroom teacher was taken aback at first, and then a wave of emotion welled up in his heart. He had never expected that Mo Yixia, who was usually quiet and reserved, would be so sensitive. Having taught so many classes, this was the first time he had encountered a student who could think from the teacher's perspective.
But the more he did this, the less he could bear to punish the other party.
To put it bluntly, what's the big deal about bringing a cell phone? It's like him slacking off at work. As long as the classes he teaches consistently achieve top grades, even if the principal comes, he'll only praise him by saying, "A balance between work and rest is a good thing."
Besides, he had dealt with Mo Yixia's mother before; she was a rather troublesome woman, and he would never want to listen to her talk about her teaching philosophy unless absolutely necessary.
No matter how much he pleaded, Mo Yixia, this honest girl, still felt uneasy about her conscience. After a long silence, she suddenly lowered her head and said hesitantly, "If the teacher really thinks it's unnecessary to call my mother over, I won't insist. But in order for you to be able to convince others in the future, I want my cousin to apologize on my behalf..."
Her voice trailed off, as if she had mentioned something she felt guilty about.
"cousin?"
The homeroom teacher paused slightly, adjusted her glasses, and recalled briefly, "Is that the boy who came to the parent-teacher conference in your place last time?"
"Correct."
Mo Yixia nodded obediently, looking honest and simple. "When I was little, I was quite naughty, and the teachers often asked me to bring my parents to school. I was afraid of being scolded by my parents, so I would ask my cousin to go to school for me..."
At the end, she seemed a little embarrassed and raised her hand to lower the brim of her baseball cap.
The homeroom teacher was taken aback: "But if I remember correctly, your cousin doesn't look much older than you, right? Was he able to attend parent-teacher conferences in your place when he was a child?"
“My cousin looks older than his age. Don’t let his youth fool you, he’s actually looked like this for a long time.”
"I see..."
The homeroom teacher didn't comment much, just nodded slightly, unscrewed the lid of the thermos, and suddenly smiled knowingly: "You're actually very worried that your mother will find out about this, aren't you?"
"Yes."
Mo Yixia lowered her eyes, her voice a few decibels lower, her acting skills were superb, "After all, as you know, teacher, my mother is very strict with me, especially when it comes to discipline."
Poor child...
The homeroom teacher sighed inwardly, her tone softening slightly: "Then have your cousin come over next week. He just needs to go through the motions in my office. As for your mother, I'll keep it a secret. As for your phone... you should take it back. Just make sure no one sees it."
"Thank you, teacher. I will write a self-criticism and hand it in to you before school ends this afternoon."
Mo Yixia bowed respectfully, picked up her phone from her desk, and turned to leave the office.
Watching that obedient departing figure, the homeroom teacher picked up the thermos, gently blew away the tea foam floating on the surface, and uttered a heartfelt praise.
"This is a good role model for students..." (End of Chapter)