Tian Shiba

"A white-eyed wolf outside the Fan Mansion, a Zhongshan wolf in the zoo; one who is successful for a time should not be arrogant, for three wolves behind him are trembling with fear."

Children playing games in the alley sang popular nursery rhymes. Qingcheng walked past them with satisfaction. In the morning, Sister Zhao informed her that Ms. Ai had missed another deadline for her manuscript. As the editor, she had no choice but to go to Ms. Ai's house to urge her to finish the manuscript.

Passing through the shikumen (stone gate), Qingcheng skillfully knocked on the black wooden door. Tap, tap, tap, three times in the same rhythm, the door creaked open, but no one came to greet her. Qingcheng was not surprised and walked inside, carefully closing the door behind her.

Upon entering the room, one is greeted by several beautiful stained-glass windows. A radio broadcasts today's ship arrival information, with a long string of numbers that can be overwhelming. Ms. Ai has already prepared hot tea and placed it on the coffee table, as if she were welcoming guests for afternoon tea.

In reality, Ms. Ai seemed lost in her own world as she sat at the table, her pen constantly drawing lines on the paper, writing Chinese characters one by one. Qingcheng didn't dare to disturb her, and with a forced smile, tiptoed to the sofa to begin enjoying her afternoon tea.

After a while, Ms. Ai looked up from her desk, held up the paper in her hand, and said to Qingcheng, "I just received a notice. The workers' movement in North China is going very well, but several leading comrades need to be transferred, one of whom will be received by our Shanghai station."

"Okay, then. Tell me about that person's basic characteristics and age, and I'll get you a blank residence permit." Qingcheng replied calmly. Anyway, it wasn't the first time she had done this. Last time, she got five in one go.

"Well, but this time the level of secrecy is quite high. I need to personally go to another location to meet you. You can choose to rest or..." Ms. Ai said expressionlessly.

Qingcheng interrupted directly: "We can't rest. Whoever controls the media controls the final discourse. Recently, the Nationalist government's information blockade has become increasingly severe. The influence of the few print media we print ourselves is really limited. We need a more powerful channel for the dissemination of ideas. That's why I gave up my original major and chose a major newspaper."

“You don’t have to rest. While I’m not in Shanghai, Wu’s Auto Shop will be your final point of contact. If you have any questions, just go directly to the ‘messenger.’ If he happens to be unavailable, take this 12% discount advertisement to the head manager of the auto shop,” Ms. Ai explained carefully.

"It's alright, the shopkeeper knows me." Qingcheng thought of the middle-aged man in the blue robe.

“It’s not the one who usually stands behind the counter, it’s the big manager behind the scenes.” Ms. Ai rubbed her head, looking troubled. “Sigh, I really don’t want to introduce you to him.”

"We'll see when the time comes. We might not even need it. Also, could you please prepare a month's worth of manuscripts? I'm too busy running the free school and don't have time to write for you lately. If you can recommend a few ghostwriters, I'll sign them all. I desperately need more writing material." Qingcheng picked up her teacup, took a sip, and glanced at Ms. Ai, noticing that her stern expression had softened considerably.

"Well, I've only had this manuscript saved for half a month. Let me think about who the ghostwriter is. I'll let you know later." Ms. Ai took out a stack of manuscripts from the drawer and asked, "And what about your cousin? Why haven't we heard anything? Wasn't she supposed to introduce me to Xu Xi at Tang Bang's year-end banquet?"

“I don’t know either. She hasn’t come to see me recently, and no one answers the phone at her home. She’s probably out on a field job,” Qingcheng said seriously. Seemingly sensing Emerald’s distrust, Qingcheng quickly added, “Cousin, don’t worry. I’ll handle it.”

"I'll trust you for now. Let you get some experience at the grassroots level. You need to change some of your bourgeois habits, like always hanging out with officers and their families, especially that officer surnamed Gao. Cut ties with him as soon as possible. I hope that when I come back, you'll be a true Bolshevik fighter," Ms. Ai said seriously.

"Okay." Qingcheng nodded awkwardly. Emerald was good in every way, but sometimes she was too serious and too extreme. Qingcheng knew that Emerald looked down on her from the bottom of her heart. Emerald demanded that everyone live a secluded life, but if she did not socialize or participate in any activities, how could she complete the task?

She treats others' social interactions, which are like dealing with tigers for their own benefit, as a source of enjoyment and a chance to show off. She has no sense of flexibility whatsoever. I really don't know why the organization would let her guide the work behind enemy lines.

As for Gao Junxiao, that was He Qingcheng's personal matter. She still missed the days when she worked with Sister Cai in France. She and Emerald didn't get along very well, but unfortunately, as a grassroots employee, she couldn't choose her own leader.

Before leaving, Ms. Ai extended her hand and said, "If I don't come back, your organizational affiliation will automatically be transferred to Wu's Company, and the head manager will reassign you a superior."

Qingcheng didn't know how to respond to this, so she could only shake hands with her. But to be honest, Emerald is a good comrade with firm beliefs, so let's work things out a bit more.

Feeling depressed, Qingcheng returned to the newspaper office. Before she could even catch her breath, Gao Junxiao called again, asking to switch classes with her. His tone was very anxious, and it was noisy around him, as if there were many people around him.

Qingcheng readily agreed to such a small matter. Luckily, Gao Junxiao used a pseudonym at the time, otherwise Fei Cui would have gone crazy if she knew.

As dusk settles, the city's skyscrapers are shrouded in a misty fog, their faint lights resembling fireflies dancing on a pond. There, the most important part of the city resides—its people. It is with people that the city comes alive.

The most vibrant place was undoubtedly the school. After class, Qingcheng didn't see Gao Junxiao, and her uneasy feelings were like ripples spreading across the water. Was he going out to suppress bandits? She wondered if she would ever see him again.

Just then, a strange noise came from the doorway. Gao Junxiao got off the rickshaw and almost tripped, but was fortunately caught by Principal Wu who was passing by.

“If you have a social engagement, just take a day off. It’s no problem.” Principal Wu had to carry the books and support the man, his thin body gradually bending under the weight.

"It's alright, just let me rest for a bit." Gao Junxiao seemed to sense that Principal Wu was struggling, and consciously reduced his strength.

Just as Qingcheng was pursing her lips, hesitating whether to step forward to help, Principal Wu saw her and hurriedly called for her assistance. The students were still waiting for him to start class. Before Qingcheng even got close, she smelled a strong odor of alcohol, glanced at the man, and asked, "Take a step and try."

"I can walk by myself." Gao Junxiao had clearly drunk quite a bit of alcohol, but he seemed to be walking quite well. However, he wobbled to one side after only a couple of steps.

Qingcheng quickly braced herself with her shoulder and scolded irritably, "Have some self-awareness, okay? You're so tall and strong, if you fall, no one can pull you up."

"I think you can do it." Gao Junxiao smiled and pinched Qingcheng's cheek.

Hey! You've got guts now and you still dare to hit me. Qingcheng gritted her teeth, suppressing the urge to slap him, and said coldly, "Thanks, but my skinny arms and legs can't take it."

Gao Junxiao still wanted to argue, but Principal Wu, seeing that things were not going well, quickly grabbed Gao Junxiao's hand and advised, "Alas, a gentleman uses words, not fists. You are wrong. Teacher He is a young lady and is naturally not strong."

As soon as Principal Wu finished speaking, Gao Junxiao burst into laughter, unable to catch his breath: "Thin arms and thin legs that can carry a child weighing dozens of kilograms while running, hahaha."

How long does it take to drive someone crazy? Qingcheng thinks it takes no more than 0.1 seconds. She's currently teetering on the edge of madness: "Gao Junxiao, you're faking being drunk, aren't you?"

"Haha, I wasn't drunk at all. I was perfectly sober. I just drank too fast and I'm a little bit tipsy." Gao Junxiao squinted and gave an OK sign, leaning his body towards Qingcheng.

Before Qingcheng could react, Principal Wu considerately pulled Gao Junxiao to his side and handed the book in his hand to Qingcheng. He supported the strong man with his own thin body, which made Qingcheng feel embarrassed and consciously helped Principal Wu share some of the pressure.

After finally getting him to the backyard to rest, Principal Wu gave him a few instructions and left. Now only the two of them were left in the house. As soon as Gao Junxiao returned to the house, he lay down on the table, looking like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.

Qingcheng sat down next to him and poked the man, but he didn't react. He was actually quite well-behaved. Qingcheng had seen many people lose control after drinking, and violent madmen were the most annoying.

Perhaps because Gao Junxiao didn't react, Qingcheng suddenly became playful and poked him several times in a row. Hehe, aren't you usually quite arrogant? You're still so arrogant, always expecting others to do things your way. Thinking about it, she couldn't help but poke the man's head again.

Suddenly Gao Junxiao moved, and Qingcheng immediately sat up straight, turning her face away and pretending to look at the scenery outside the window.

"Just a little while, just a little while," Gao Junxiao said in a muffled voice, slumped over the table.

When she heard no more noise, she turned her head and glanced at Gao Junxiao out of the corner of her eye. She found that he had hardly moved. Qingcheng breathed a sigh of relief and whispered in his ear, teasingly, "You can't even open your eyes, and you're still in class, you big idiot."

Forget it, this man's original intentions were good. I'm too lazy to argue with a drunkard. Qingcheng got up, opened the cupboard, glanced at the bottles of seasonings, picked up a bottle of frozen honey, scooped a spoonful into a bowl, and then poured hot water over it, adding a little cold water to prevent him from getting burned.

"Get up." Qingcheng pushed the man a few times until he slowly woke up, then placed the steaming bowl in his hands and watched him drink it all down instinctively, a smile unconsciously creeping onto her lips.

"Hmm~~" Gao Junxiao's face instantly wrinkled more than a bitter gourd. "I can tolerate you putting sugar in your dishes, but why are you putting sugar in the water too?"

"Honey water, it helps with hangovers." After explaining, Kiyosumi tossed him a hot towel. "And this, put it on your forehead."

"You know a lot, huh? Do you often get drunk?" Gao Junxiao weakly propped himself up, almost dropping the towel, but Qingcheng caught it quickly and smeared it on his face.

"How could that be? Someone as self-controlled as me wouldn't let myself get so drunk that I couldn't walk," Kiyosumi said proudly.

"That's because the people you drink with are all cultured, they know when to stop. My group is a bunch of brutes, drinking is like fighting a war, it's either you die or I die, I can't get away if I don't take them all down," Gao Junxiao explained while wiping his face.

"All cultured people are just pretending," Qingcheng thought disdainfully. "They're all the same when they're drunk. It's kind of cute that he can still be rational when he's drunk." She then praised the man, "You have a good alcohol tolerance. Why don't you just 'die together' with them? Then you can go back to sleep with a legitimate reason."

"No, I promised you and the kids I'd come, so I have to. And pour me another glass of water, but no sugar." Gao Junxiao instructed, resting his chin on his hand.

"Tch, you're really not being polite," Qingcheng deliberately made a curtsy and said in a sweet, affected voice, "Yes, young master."

"Don't do that, it makes my chest feel tight." Gao Junxiao's voice sounded aggrieved, and he rubbed his chest as if he really felt uncomfortable.

"Is your chest tight?" Qingcheng asked worriedly, putting down the teapot and gently pulling the man's wrist as if to take his pulse.

"Wow, you can even take a pulse..." Gao Junxiao was a little surprised, but he was interrupted by Qingcheng's shushing gesture and could only obediently shut his mouth. Qingcheng was very pleased with his defeated look.

A moment later, Qingcheng pulled up the man's sleeve and made her final diagnosis: "Your heart rate is 106, which is a bit fast. I suggest you go back and rest. Don't worry about class."

"Actually... it's you. You're too close to me," Gao Junxiao stammered, a rare hint of embarrassment on his face. "I get nervous when I'm alone with you, please don't mind."

The north wind outside rustled the leaves, and time seemed to stand still. Qingcheng clutched the hem of her clothes, not daring to look up. Usually, she never seemed nervous at all. She was like a bandit, impossible to beat or drive away no matter how much you scolded her. She was the one who should be nervous.

It seemed she had no choice but to flee. Qingcheng took a deep breath and found her voice: "Go get ready now that you're awake. I'm leaving first."

"Wait a minute, could you please help me, Teacher He?" Gao Junxiao stood up and blocked Qingcheng's way, his eyes reflecting her face—a delicate face with a hint of restraint and shyness.

Kiyosumi hesitated for a moment before silently nodding at his inexplicable request...

“When you look at a painting, you don’t need to understand what it’s about. You just need to feel the impact of the colors on your vision. Can you feel it?” Gao Junxiao held up the painting for Qingcheng to examine.

"No, my eyes just feel a little itchy," Kiyosumi shook her head and told the truth.

“Then stare at it for another 30 seconds, and feel the artist’s intention with your heart.” Gao Junxiao drew a heart shape on the paper with his finger.

“I understand the logic, but why is the face painted in blue?” Kiyosumi turned her head and saw Ishigaki’s expectant face, then looked back at the paper. “Okay, okay, I’ll assume he learned it from Picasso, but why is there pink blush on the blue face?”

“This is a common color scheme used by people in the martial arts world. This kid has talent,” Gao Junxiao replied seriously.

"Then why wear red wedding clothes? It looks like a ghost marriage, which is a bit unlucky." Qingcheng squinted and examined it carefully again, but the more she looked, the more frightened she became.

"Good works of art are usually down-to-earth." Gao Junxiao was talking nonsense this time, and he laughed after he finished speaking.

"Down-to-earth, not down-to-earth. So it's not about painting you, you don't care, do you?" Qingcheng pinched Gao Junxiao in annoyance. She knew that coming to her would not bring good things. She must be blinded by greed to be a model for children.

"Stone, why did you draw Teacher He wearing a wedding dress?" Gao Junxiao squatted down and asked Stone.

"Because Teacher He looks good in red, so Teacher Tian will be able to see me when I get married to Teacher He," Shi Tou said innocently.

"Oh, Shi Tou wants to marry Teacher He, and Teacher Tian wants to marry her too. What should we do?" Gao Junxiao didn't know if he was trying to tease Shi Tou or if he was taking the opportunity to express his feelings again.

Shi Tou scratched his head awkwardly, then wrote the number eighteen on the back of the painting and handed it back to Gao Junxiao: "Okay, you can take a number first. All seventeen boys in our class want to marry Teacher He, so you can be number eighteen. Teacher Tian, ​​you also have to follow the first-come, first-served rule."

Haha, Qingcheng happily pinched Shitou's little face. Shitou truly lived up to his reputation as her most beloved student, leaving Gao Junxiao speechless.

When they arrived at the bike shed, He Qingcheng was still laughing, patting Gao Junxiao's shoulder and calling him "Tian Shiba". Gao Junxiao just smiled and pretended not to understand without saying a word of rebuttal, and even thoughtfully helped her unlock the bike.

"Get in the car, Teacher He, stop laughing." Gao Junxiao jumped into the car without saying anything to himself. His previous obedience seemed to be just a flash in the pan, and in the blink of an eye, he was back to being a dead pig that didn't care about boiling water.

"Hey! This is my bicycle." Kiyosumi declared, hands on her hips.

"I know, but it's so late and I can't get a taxi. You can't expect me to walk back on foot, can you?" Gao Junxiao said with a smile to Qingcheng.

Ugh, this man deliberately kept her in class just to hoard her bicycle. He Qingcheng offered another option: "You can call your adjutant to pick you up."

"Hehe, he probably doesn't even know his own surname now." Gao Junxiao spread his hands in helplessness, and perhaps sensing Qingcheng's hesitation, he added a condition, "I'll take you to Fuxing Park, and then return it to its rightful owner."

"Uh—are you sure you can handle this?" Kiyosumi wouldn't normally raise such a question, but he had drunk quite a bit earlier. Would that count as drunk driving?

"He Qingcheng, you have to take responsibility for what you said. Come up here! Otherwise, you can walk back yourself," Gao Junxiao threatened without any room for argument.

"Hey, why are you still angry?" Qingcheng reluctantly sat in the back seat. She was tired today and didn't want to make a scene. It wasn't because she was being coerced by a man.

The streetlights cast a warm orange glow. Sitting on the swaying back seat, drowsiness constantly eroded the last vestiges of my clear-headedness. The moment my head touched someone's hard back, I was immediately jolted awake.

"If you want to sleep, just take a nap," came Gao Junxiao's words of advice from ahead.

"No, you'll fall." Kiyosumi yawned wearily.

"Hold me tight and you won't feel it." Gao Junxiao had just finished speaking when the car jolted, and Qingcheng instinctively grabbed his side waist.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Kiyosumi angrily punched the man's back.

"Haha, you think I did it on purpose? Then I did it on purpose. After all, I've wanted to do this since I was in school, but unfortunately, I never had the right person." Gao Junxiao's tone revealed his pleasure.

From Gao Junxiao's words, Qingcheng deduced: "This isn't your first time driving an adult, is it?"

"Oh, you found out! I've been itching to do this for a long time, so I have to thank you for making my dream come true." Qingcheng could feel Gao Junxiao's sincerity from his words.

"You're welcome." Kiyosumi couldn't contain her secret joy and said coyly, clutching her collar.

"I'm really not going to be polite." Gao Junxiao pulled Qingcheng's soft panties with one hand and wrapped them around his waist. "That's more like it."

Qingcheng blushed instantly, silently cursing him as a bandit, but her head involuntarily leaned against Gao Junxiao's strong back. She actually wanted to try what it felt like to lean against him.

Even through the thick coat, Qingcheng could still feel his warm body temperature. Listening to the man's strong heartbeat, Qingcheng gradually closed her eyes. Now she knew why she always felt sleepy when he was around; this was the feeling of peace of mind.

Jade's warning suddenly flashed through her mind. Perhaps it was her rebellious streak, but Qingcheng swallowed hard and cautiously asked a question she had always wanted to know: "Why do you want to marry me?"

"If I just say I like you, you might think I'm flirting with you again," Gao Junxiao said helplessly.

"Go away, stop talking nonsense." Kiyosumi spat at him.

"Just because it has always been this way, does that mean it's right?" Gao Junxiao countered. "It's not that men in our country don't know how to say 'I love you,' they prefer to show their loved ones how they feel loved through their actions throughout their lives."

"You don't represent all men." Kiyosumi knows quite a few stories of hypocrites.

"Yes, I can only speak for myself. Before I met you, I just wanted to be a wildfire, burning wherever it went. After I met you, I just wanted to be an ordinary man, warm and passionate." Gao Junxiao's sincere words made Qingcheng even more flustered.

She dared not respond, and upon reaching her destination, she fled as if escaping. Back inside, she leaned against the door, breathing in deep breaths of fresh air; she had almost lost control.

If confessing one's true feelings is illegal, He Qingcheng thinks Gao Junxiao should be arrested and executed for ten minutes. Those who disturb my heart must not be allowed to live!

Just then, a rusty smell wafted into her nostrils, and Qingcheng immediately looked around alertly. Where the rat poison had been scattered, a clear footprint was now visible.

Haha, we have guests at home!