Chapter 642
Dating
It has to be said that there's a reason why the people of Lincheng are so eager for a heavy snowfall.
The snow tonight is beautiful.
Fine snowflakes swirled in the air like shattered diamonds, softening the neon lights of the entire street into hazy patches of color.
They land on rooftops, on the ground, and on clusters of withered branches. From a distance, they look like countless white butterflies at rest. Occasionally, when a breeze blows, the swarms of butterflies scatter in fright and gently land on the shoulders of passersby.
"Teacher Ouyang, do you believe in Santa Claus?"
Han Zhou brushed the snow off his shoulders, his breath dissipating in the cold air. He turned his gaze from the sky to the brightly lit shopping mall in the distance. "Or rather, do you believe in the supernatural?"
The Christmas tree at the entrance of the shopping mall was covered with colorful lights. The red, green and gold light spread out in the snow, like spilled paint splashed on the faces of couples on the street.
Ouyang Lianyu did not answer.
Those eyes, always brimming with tenderness, flickered under the light, and she was still immersed in some complex emotions.
This is absolutely absurd...
I actually had a "date" with one of my students on Christmas Eve.
Ouyang Lianyu was somewhat dazed. She hadn't actually agreed to Han Zhou's date request; he had dragged her out of the room.
But that's not quite right either, since the other party neither pleaded nor made any advances; they just stood at the office door looking at her with a strange expression, as if she were the one who had broken their promise.
By the time she snapped out of that look, she was already standing outside the school gate.
Christmas Eve is not a traditional Eastern festival, but it has long since become another kind of Valentine's Day. Christmas-related music is played everywhere, and the sound travels far in the cold wind. However, there are no believers on the streets, only men and women walking side by side.
Passing by the coffee shop, the glass walls were covered with a thick layer of condensation, and shadowy figures moved inside. Snowflakes pattered against the glass.
Ouyang Lianyu turned her head, and her reflection in the glass showed her current appearance: a baseball cap, a mask, a plaid scarf, and even her coat was a style she rarely wore. Unless someone was very familiar with her, there was absolutely no way they would recognize her.
This relieved her.
They were teacher and student after all, so even if they were to go on a date, they could not choose a place near the school. Therefore, she went home specifically and dressed up as she is now.
No, no—
Ouyang Lianyu, what are you thinking?
This could never be a real date. Han Zhou probably wants to ask her for help with something, but he's afraid of upsetting her, so he has no choice but to be attentive and accompany her shopping.
Even knowing this, she still risked going out to see what tricks this guy was up to this time.
Gu Zheng, Wang Lengqiu, and Mo Yixia are all unavailable tonight. Rather than letting Han Zhou run off to flirt with other women again, it's better for them to keep a close eye on him.
Pulling her jumbled thoughts back, Ouyang Lianyu subconsciously reached for her glasses, but then suddenly remembered that she had changed into contact lenses when she got home. So she changed her action to brushing a stray hair behind her ear and sighed softly: "If the teacher says she doesn't believe me, are you going to say I'm being unreasonable again?"
"I never said that..." Han Zhou coughed lightly.
I never expected that Teacher Ouyang would be so petty, still remembering what happened in the office.
Ouyang Lianyu had no idea what he was thinking, and said helplessly, "Also, didn't I tell you? Tonight the streets are full of students from the school, so don't call me Teacher Ouyang."
Han Zhou was both amused and exasperated: "But you yourself still call yourself a teacher, don't you?"
Ouyang Lianyu was taken aback: "Really?"
"Yes, I have."
This time it was Han Zhou's turn to sigh. "I told you before that you need to get rid of your bad habit of calling yourself 'teacher.' I remember you clearly got rid of it a while ago, so why did you change it back?"
"This is hardly a bad habit..."
Ouyang Lianyu spoke up in rebuttal, but then stopped midway through her sentence, "Besides, the reason you asked me to change how I addressed you was because, because..."
"Because we're pretending to be a couple?" Han Zhou continued her question.
"……Um."
“But we’re on a date now, so aren’t we pretending to be a couple?” Han Zhou said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"You..."
Ouyang Lianyu had a headache and really didn't know what to say. "Teacher...didn't I also tell you that you need to learn to respect your teachers and stop making fun of me all the time?"
"I'm not joking with you."
Han Zhou stopped and casually pulled two strings of candied hawthorns from the old man's straw-shaking target by the roadside. He handed the old man a ten-yuan bill, then turned around and handed one of the strings to Ouyang Lianyu.
"You still say you didn't..."
Ouyang Lianyu was about to display her teacher's authority when she suddenly stopped when she saw the candied hawthorn being handed to her.
The bright red hawthorns, coated in a glistening sugar shell, gleamed amber under the streetlights. This wasn't a taste she should have at her age, but she still instinctively reached out and caught one, a strange, indescribable feeling stirring within her.
"You...you don't actually want to go on a date with the teacher, do you?"
“Not with ‘teacher’,” Han Zhou corrected earnestly, “It’s with ‘you’.”
"Really? It's not because you want something from me?"
"Of course it's true."
Han Zhou chuckled, his eyes reflecting the snow. "I've been trying to get rid of my bad habit of lying lately, and I've made some progress. Please believe me this once."
Ouyang Lianyu was stunned for a moment, her gaze still fixed on the candied hawthorn in her hand: "Why?"
"Because I don't want to keep lying to Guzheng anymore, even though the consequences might be severe, but..."
“What I want to ask is, why do you want to go on a date with me?” Ouyang Lianyu interrupted him.
Han Zhou was taken aback. He thought Teacher Ouyang would praise his awareness, but instead, he was concerned about this first: "Because I can tell that you don't really want to stay home alone tonight, and it's a bit pitiful that you haven't spent Christmas Eve with anyone for so many years."
Pitiful……
Ouyang Lianyu felt as if she had been stabbed in the chest, her chest heaving slightly: "Is this the truth?"
"That's the truth, but not all of it," Han Zhou said honestly.
"What is all of that?"
"There are two reasons. One of them is that I want to be Santa Claus this year and fulfill everyone's wishes as much as possible, including you."
Ouyang Lianyu's heart skipped a beat: "What's another reason?"
"I can't say for now."
"why?"
"Teacher Ouyang, you are too curious."
Han Zhou sighed helplessly, "It's better not to tell than to lie, so please don't ask anymore."
"All right……"
Curiosity aside, Ouyang Lianyu wasn't one to force others, so she didn't press the matter further. Instead, she lowered her hat brim, pulled her mask up a bit, and whispered, "I already told you not to call me Teacher Ouyang. What if the students hear you?"
"Sorry, some habits are hard to break in a short time."
Han Zhou looked embarrassed. "Then what should I call you?"
Ouyang Lianyu wanted to try the candied hawthorn in her hand, but she was worried that people would see her if she took off her mask on the street, so she could only look at it longingly and said absentmindedly, "Shouldn't you be the one to think about this?"
Are you sure you want me to think of it?
Han Zhou pondered for a long time, then asked, "How is Xiaoyu?"
"Absolutely not!" Ouyang Lianyu blushed slightly and gave him a reproachful look. "You're not allowed to take advantage of me... take advantage of me."
"This shouldn't be considered taking advantage, right?" Han Zhou said with a smile.
Ouyang Lianyu ignored him and turned her head slightly: "I'm not much older than Zhong Yin. Just call me whatever you call Zhong Yin."
Han Zhou immediately realized: "Sister Lianyu?"
"Ouyang Lianyu is such a famous name, what's the difference between calling me 'Sister Lianyu' and calling me directly?"
"So now you're willing to admit you're famous..."
Han Zhou muttered something to himself, feeling extremely uncomfortable. After a long while, he reluctantly said, "Then... Sister?"
Upon hearing this address, Ouyang Lianyu felt a strange sensation rise within her. Her face flushed slightly, and even her breathing became erratic. However, she quickly sensed the other party's resistance and hesitated before asking, "Don't you like this address?"
"It's not that I don't like it, it's just that something feels off..." Han Zhou said tactfully.
Ouyang Lianyu nodded slightly and smiled happily: "Then let's use this name."
Han Zhou's expression stiffened, and he still tried to struggle: "Actually, I really don't like it..."
"There's nothing I can do if I don't like it."
Ouyang Lianyu rolled her eyes at him, "I agreed when you forced me to do it before."
When have I ever forced you to do anything?
“You just said you wanted to get rid of your lying habit,” she reminded him.
"Okay, there were a few times, but didn't I just beg and plead with them?"
That self-righteous look almost made Ouyang Lianyu laugh. After knowing her for so long, she finally felt a sense of triumph. She straightened her back slightly and said, "Only children need to be coaxed and pleaded. I'm just an ignorant old woman."
The moment she was called "sister," age seemed to become irrelevant. Although she called herself an "old woman," she felt as if her mindset had suddenly become younger.
Just like when you're eighteen or nineteen, you can single-mindedly pursue what interests you, and you don't care at all even if you get hurt.
Han Zhou's lips twitched. He wondered if masks and baseball caps were some kind of mysterious magical artifacts, causing everyone who wore them to become more wicked, even Teacher Ouyang...
"Teacher Ouyang..."
"Hmm?" Ouyang Lianyu made a confused nasal sound.
"Sister, older sister..."
Han Zhou hesitated for a few seconds before finally managing to utter that embarrassing nickname, saying with a headache, "You were really troublesome tonight..."
This is the second time he has said this today.
Ouyang Lianyu still did not deny it.
She simply bent down slightly, turned her head to look at them, tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear with her fingertips, and smiled gently:
"Are you still going on a date with your sister?"
Han Zhou was momentarily stunned, but quickly recovered and said with a smile, "If this is your Christmas wish."
“What if it isn’t?” Ouyang Lianyu asked.
"Then this is my Christmas wish," Han Zhou said seriously.
Ouyang Lianyu was taken aback for a moment, then smiled helplessly: "Your Christmas wish must be more than just this, right?"
"Hmm." Han Zhou took a bite of the candied hawthorn and said frankly, "I'm a very greedy person."
After a pause, he couldn't help but ask, "Teacher Ouyang, do you think this is a bad habit?"
Ouyang Lianyu looked down at the candied hawthorn in her hand, seemingly not having heard.
I've never heard of wearing a baseball cap causing hearing loss... Han Zhou sighed helplessly, and after another intense internal struggle, he shamefully uttered those two words again:
"elder sister……"
Ouyang Lianyu finally reacted, but did not answer his question. She just chuckled and said, "I'm starting to believe that Santa Claus exists in this world."
Han Zhou was taken aback, then chuckled: "Then remember to hang a stocking by your bed tonight, Santa Claus will climb into your house and bring you presents."
"But my house doesn't have a chimney."
"Times are changing, Santa Claus doesn't necessarily have to climb chimneys anymore, you can just hang your stockings up."
"..."
The two wandered aimlessly through the streets on a winter night, chatting about random things, measuring the distance between them with their shadows. Gradually, they forgot their identities, their ages, and even their initial purpose, seemingly becoming one of those lovers walking side by side.
Ouyang Lianyu had watched many TV dramas and occasionally read some romance novels, but she was still not quite sure if a date was like theirs, walking on the streets on Christmas Eve.
"Are you going to see a movie later?" Han Zhou suddenly asked.
"no need."
Ouyang Lianyu gently shook her head and said softly, "You probably have other people's Christmas wishes to fulfill tonight, there's no need to spend all your time on me."
"How did you know?" Han Zhou was taken aback.
"I'm your teacher, I can tell these things."
Ouyang Lianyu chuckled, "You asked me to drive you somewhere this afternoon, it must be about this, right?"
"Since you already know, then why..."
"That's your Christmas wish, not mine."
Ouyang Lianyu interrupted him, "Besides, I already gave you the key, but you didn't go."
She seemed tired from walking, looked around, and headed towards the massage chairs outside the mall.
"All right……"
Han Zhou gave a wry smile and followed, then suddenly remembered something and asked curiously, "Speaking of which... Sister, have you really never gone on a date before?"
Ouyang Lianyu sat down in the massage chair, placed her bag on her lap, and said with a rather calm expression: "What, is this something so shameful?"
"Of course not. What I mean is, you're pretty and have a great personality. It's impossible that no one would have pursued you when you were in school, right?"
Han Zhou sat down next to her, stroked his chin, and said thoughtfully, "Could it be that your classmates have even higher prescriptions than you, and are all blind?"
Are you praising me or insulting me?
Ouyang Lianyu was both amused and exasperated, and said helplessly, "Just because someone is pursuing me doesn't mean I have to agree to it, right?"
"Your standards for choosing a partner are really high," Han Zhou remarked.
"If you have such high standards for choosing a partner, would you even choose me?" Ouyang Lianyu rolled her eyes at him.
Han Zhou was taken aback.
Ouyang Lianyu was also taken aback, but quickly realized that she had said the wrong thing and hurriedly explained, "What I meant was, if my standards for choosing a partner were really high, I wouldn't have asked you to pretend to be my boyfriend in the first place."
Han Zhou finally breathed a sigh of relief, and shamelessly protested, "Look at what you're saying, a good man like me isn't that rare, is it? Except for being a little bit of a womanizer..."
It's unclear which remark struck a nerve with Ouyang Lianyu, but she suddenly chuckled softly, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably. It took her a while to suppress her laughter, and she stared blankly at the billboard at the mall entrance.
A few seconds later, Han Zhou heard Ouyang Lianyu's slightly flustered voice:
"Han Zhou, what's your glasses prescription?" (End of Chapter)