Chapter 4

Lu Dachuan was still chuckling, but when he saw Ren He get bumped, he immediately stopped laughing.

He took a step forward and said to Tie Shengnan with a half-smile, "Jokes aside, Teacher Tie, please don't lay a hand on me. We still have to set a good example for our students."

Seeing Lu Dachuan's protective attitude, Tie Shengnan scoffed, "Oh, Teacher Ren is such a grown man, does he need your help? With your outfit, who would believe you're setting a good example for the students?"

When Lu Dachuan heard Tie Shengnan mocking his clothes, he immediately became displeased, "What's wrong with what I'm wearing? It's none of your business!"

"Heh." Tie Shengnan sneered.

"What do you mean 'heh heh'? Explain yourself!" Lu Dachuan said defiantly, his voice rising involuntarily, drawing frequent stares from nearby students.

Seeing this, Jiang Wanwan quickly stopped Lu Dachuan from continuing his outburst, "Alright, alright! Calm down, it's almost time to go on stage."

Then she said to Tie Shengnan, "Teacher Tie, I'm sorry, that's just his personality, please be understanding."

Lu Dachuan was a troublemaker in school, causing his teachers a lot of headaches, but he wasn't a bad person at all. He was righteous and always stood up for others and took the blame for them.

Tie Shengnan looked at Jiang Wanwan, who was speaking softly in front of her. Although she was also a woman, she still felt her heart soften and even her tone unconsciously softened.

"I've always been quite blunt, and I'm sorry that Teacher Jiang found me a laughing stock."

"No, no, Teacher Tie has a straightforward personality, which I like very much."

Jiang Wanwan smiled brightly; she was telling the truth.

Most people in the world are hypocritical and pretentious for their own benefit, while truly honest and straightforward people are becoming increasingly rare. Therefore, Jiang Wanwan genuinely likes Tie Shengnan's personality.

Hearing the beautiful teacher's praise, Tie Shengnan felt very pleased and found Jiang Wanwan even more pleasing to the eye.

She didn't think much of either of the male teachers; one was like a young girl who blushed easily, and the other was like a complete idiot who had no brains.

She clicked her tongue twice and turned her head, wanting to talk to Jiang Wanwan more.

The leader who was speaking on the podium had already come down, and Lu Meng, who was not far away, was whispering something in Hu Lingling's ear.

A short while later, Hu Lingling walked towards the shade of the tree.

"Get ready, your turn is next."

Upon hearing this, the four immediately changed their relaxed demeanor and stood at attention.

Lu Dachuan straightened his collar and asked Ren He, "Is my hair messy?"

Before Ren He could answer, Hu Lingling said sternly, "Lu Dachuan, you'd better change these clothes tomorrow. What kind of look is this?"

"Yes, Master!"

Lu Dachuan's expression immediately turned serious, and he stood at attention in a second, almost bowing deeply to Hu Lingling.

After Hu Lingling left, Tie Shengnan deliberately clicked her tongue, her eyes filled with schadenfreude.

Lu Dachuan glared at her without saying a word, but his eyes seemed to say that a good man doesn't argue with a woman.

"Now, please welcome our four new teachers to Yanyuan No.1 Middle School!"

Jiang Wanwan and the others stood in a row on the platform, and enthusiastic applause rang out from below.

"Click!" A photo was taken by the photographer, capturing the beautiful moment, and the new journey of the four young people officially began at this moment.

After the opening ceremony, it was lunchtime.

Since they were all new teachers, the four of them felt a certain mutual respect and appreciation for each other.

They went to the teachers' canteen together, got their food, and sat down at a table to eat.

Jiang Wanwan and Tie Shengnan sat on one side, with Lu Dachuan opposite them.

Ren He is introverted, and Lu Dachuan doesn't get along with Tie Shengnan, so the responsibility of livening up the atmosphere falls on Jiang Wanwan.

I thought Tie Shengnan would at least give Lu Dachuan a cold shoulder, but to my surprise, she seemed to have forgotten the unpleasantness from before and chatted very happily with everyone.

Even Lu Dachuan felt embarrassed to make a fuss anymore, otherwise he would seem too petty.

"By the way, where are you all staying now?" Ren He put down his half-eaten steamed bun and suddenly asked.

Tie Shengnan, always outspoken, asked directly, "You don't still have nowhere to stay, do you?"

"No... I'm staying with relatives right now, but I'd like to rent a cheap place so I don't want to keep bothering them."

Tie Shengnan lives in the city, which makes it even more inconvenient for her to travel back and forth. However, her family is not short of money, so she has been staying in a hotel for the time being, and will move in once the rental procedures are completed.

She put down her chopsticks and said, "Why don't you apply for public rental housing too? It's a two-bedroom apartment right next to our school, only a ten-minute walk away."

Lu Dachuan pretended to think, then interjected, "That makes sense. Jiang Wanwan, why don't you apply for one?" He looked at the woman opposite him, his eyes lighting up.

Even though it was his own idea to apply, he still had to ask her first. Jiang Wanwan thought for a moment and slowly said, "I have to go home and ask my parents."

Both she and Lu Dachuan lived in the same district, but their homes were quite far from the school, one in the south and the other in the north.

Upon hearing this, Lu Dachuan did not say whether he wanted to apply or not.

Instead, he said with an arrogant look, "Please—you're such a grown-up, are you still planning to have your uncle drive you to work every day?"

Lu Dachuan is still as annoying as ever!

Jiang Wanwan gritted her teeth and stabbed the rice hard with her chopsticks. "Mind your own business!"

She hasn't received her driver's license yet, so she can't drive to and from work by herself, and taking the bus takes too long.

She kicked the man opposite her hard under the table, and Lu Dachuan, who was beaming with pride, was instantly put down, his face contorted in grievance.

Tie Shengnan found the interaction between the two quite novel and said, "You two don't seem like childhood sweethearts, but rather like enemies."

Through a brief chat, the four of them had already learned some basic information and knew that Lu Dachuan and Jiang Wanwan had been classmates and neighbors since childhood.

"Who said he was her childhood sweetheart!"

"Who said she was her childhood sweetheart!"

The two spoke in unison, their perfect understanding causing Ren He to burst out laughing.

This commotion made the atmosphere at the dinner table even more harmonious and relaxed.

Afterwards, Ren He asked Tie Shengnan many questions about public rental housing, and Tie Shengnan answered them all without reservation.

After finishing their meal, the two girls walked ahead, while Ren He and Lu Dachuan walked behind.

Suddenly, Ren He stopped and tugged at Lu Dachuan's arm.

"Da Chuan, are you planning to rent a place?"

Seeing Ren He's hesitant expression, Lu Dachuan was a little confused. "What's wrong?"

Ren He paused for two seconds, then said somewhat embarrassedly, "If you're looking to rent a place, I'd like to ask if you'd be willing to share with me?"

His family is not well-off, and he has younger siblings who need money to go to school, so he wants to save as much money as possible.

Although Lu Dachuan may seem foolish, he is actually quite shrewd and has a high EQ.

"Of course I'd like to! But I haven't decided whether to rent it or not yet. I'll get back to you in a couple of days. Hope that doesn't take up too much of your time?"

Although he was talking to Ren He, his eyes were unconsciously looking at Jiang Wanwan's back in front of him.

Seeing Lu Dachuan's quick agreement, Ren He immediately raised his eyebrows, "No problem, no problem, there's still some time before the application deadline."

After a long day of work, Jiang Wanwan was exhausted.

As the teachers in the office gradually left for home, Lu Meng asked before leaving, "Wanwan, how are you getting off work?"

Jiang Wanwan was still organizing the students' materials when she looked up from a pile of papers. "Lu Dachuan, could you give me a ride home later? You can go ahead, Master."

"Okay! Be careful, I'm going now."

The huge office was now empty, with only Jiang Wanwan and Lu Dachuan remaining.

Seeing that everyone had left, Lu Dachuan slid down his chair to sit next to Jiang Wanwan and asked, tilting his head, "You really don't plan to rent a place?"

Jiang Wanwan didn't even look up, and said indifferently, "I didn't say I wouldn't rent it."

Lu Dachuan pursed his lips, "Fine, if you rent it, I'll rent it too; if you don't rent it, I won't rent it either."

Seeing the man's shameless behavior, Jiang Wanwan lightly tapped his head with her pen, "Lu Dachuan, how childish are you!"

When they got home, Jiang's father was cooking in the kitchen.

As soon as Jiang Wanwan entered the room, she immediately kicked off her high heels and rushed to the soft sofa, where she lazily sprawled out.

"Look at you like this, the food will be ready soon, hurry up and wash your hands." Jiang's mother said with disdain as she looked at her daughter's unseemly appearance, but her eyes were full of heartache.

Jiang Wanwan knew her mother had a sharp tongue but a soft heart, so she lazily said in a coquettish tone, "Your daughter is exhausted, let me rest for a while."

Jiang's mother gave a soft snort and didn't urge her anymore. Instead, she changed the subject, "Since Xiao Lu brought you back, why don't you invite him over for a meal?"

"I invited him, but he's not coming."

"Then you should find a chance to thank him properly later. It's a favor that he didn't want the gas money, so don't take advantage of him without feeling at ease."

?

What is her mother saying? It's not like she's going to keep hitching rides with Lu Dachuan.

But looking at Jiang's mother's serious expression, and recalling Lu Dachuan's words in the office, she suddenly seemed to be awakened.

Could it be that Lu Dachuan didn't rent a place so he could give her a ride on his way?

No! She must talk to him about it tomorrow.

Even if her dad doesn't take her, she can still take the bus to and from get off work; it just means she has to get up a little earlier in the morning.

She decided to take the bus tomorrow morning. After Lu Dachuan mentioned it to her at lunch today, she felt a little embarrassed to have her father take her again.

The sumptuous meal was laid out on the table, looking even more tempting against the orange tablecloth.

"My dear daughter, you must have had a hard day at work." Mr. Jiang placed a large piece of braised pork on Jiang Wanwan's plate, his face full of concern.

Jiang Wanwan looked at the gray hair at her father's temples and felt a pang of sadness. "It's alright. My master and everyone else have been very kind to me."

Upon hearing this, Jiang's mother pursed her lips and said matter-of-factly, "If they dare not take care of you, then haven't I been working for nothing all these decades at Yan Yuan No. 1 Middle School?"

The Jiang family father and daughter were already used to Jiang's mother's personality, a typical teacher's demeanor, worldly yet with a touch of aloofness.

"Yes, my wife is the most capable!" Mr. Jiang chimed in, smiling as he also placed a piece of meat on Mrs. Jiang's plate.

Halfway through the meal, Jiang Wanwan suddenly remembered her plan.

"By the way, Dad, you don't need to drive me to and from get off work anymore."

"Why? Is it because Xiao Lu wants to give you a ride?"

Upon hearing Lu Dachuan's name again, Jiang Wanwan almost choked.

His parents both assumed that Lu Dachuan was going to give her a ride!