"When were these students born? The students you teach with are only in high school, right? They're the ones graduating right now?"
She nodded.
"Oh my god!" Qi Yao exclaimed, "Who is this guy? Do I know him? He's quite the character! He dares to tease his own homeroom teacher! And he's so good at disguising himself! How did you find out?"
Shen Qingmang told Qi Yao how Gu Suihan was exposed, omitting his name and the content of the song she heard.
Qi Yao was lost in thought. "Hmm... that's pretty clever. Knowing you wouldn't accept a teacher-student relationship, he pretended to be a junior from college. His status is different from his, but similar, and we're both younger than each other. This way, if you accept the junior, maybe you'll accept him, too."
"How is that possible!" Shen Qingmang raised his voice. "My junior brother, I have to carefully consider whether I am an old cow eating young grass. He is so much younger than me, and I am not an animal. How could I possibly touch him?"
"Well, age is not a problem. It's not uncommon for an old man in his forties to look for a girl in her early twenties. What's there to worry about? But identity is indeed a problem. She's your student. If this gets out, it won't have a good impact. It might even affect your job." Qi Yao's expression was a little conflicted.
"Yeah, I have too many concerns. This kid is staying in Qingchu to go to college for me, even though his grades are good enough for him to go to many universities in the imperial capital."
"He's also a top student. Oh, I see. He's the dark horse in your class, right? His last name is quite unique. What's it? I can't remember it right now, but he's the class monitor!"
Shen Qingmang poured her another glass of beer. "Drink more."
"Ouch—" Qi Yao dragged out his voice. "You want to get me drunk, right? Looks like I guessed right, it's him after all. The boy you mentioned last time, the one who asked you for a love poem in the office, is that him? Look, look, my discerning eyes have long seen through the truth. I thought he liked you from the beginning!"
"If it weren't for your nonsense, I wouldn't pay much attention to him. If I didn't pay much attention to him, he might not care much about me. How could there be such a troublesome situation now?" Shen Qingmang complained.
"Hey, you're still blaming me! I was just reminding you that he already liked you back then, but it wasn't me who caused that. Besides, you're starting to care about him just because of what I said. Don't you have something to hide?"
"I didn't! I don't like that guy at all!" Shen Qingmang regretted it as soon as he finished speaking, but it was too late. Qi Yao's eyes lit up.
"Admit it! You have feelings for him, too. You like him because he's either a student or a junior. So, has he ever sent you a photo?"
Shen Qingmang shook his head.
"You like her without even meeting her face?" Qi Yao hesitated again. "Does that count as true love? You don't even fully understand her."
“I don’t think appearance is that important.”
"Then you've never been curious? Haven't you asked indirectly?"
"I asked him once, but he changed the subject for some reason. I didn't feel comfortable asking again after that."
"You're such a rookie in love. So what's going on now? Isn't it great that he wants to stay for your sake? Why are you so depressed? Don't you want him to stay?"
"He could have gone to a better university, why did he choose..."
Qi Yao interrupted her: "I didn't ask where he should go, I just asked your heart, do you want him to stay and see him often?"
Shen Qingmang was silent for a moment, a bitter look on his face. "I can't think about it, Yao. From the moment my identity was revealed, there was no possibility for the two of us."
"Your morals are too high." Qi Yao sighed and rubbed his temple. "But...even if I were in this situation, I would probably cut off this relationship. Young love is precious, but it's also too fragile. This kind of sacrifice that gambles the future is really a headache. If he wakes up one day, it's hard to say whether his love will turn to hate."
"Isn't that right?" Shen Qingmang finally found a way to agree. "That's why I'm having a headache. No matter how much I try to persuade him, he won't budge. His parents don't know about this and think it's a good idea for him to stay in the local area and go to college. But, when there are clearly better options, they gave it up abruptly. It's really..."
The two drank in silence. When Qi Xiao walked into the restaurant, he saw the two women with red faces and asked in surprise, "What's wrong with you? You drank so much! Shen Qingmang, you're not the type to be greedy for alcohol."
Qi Yao saw that it was him and grabbed his arm. "Brother, you're here just in time. Please help us analyze this."
"You actually called me brother. It seems you were really drunk. What are you analyzing?"
Qi Yao glanced at Shen Qingmang, who nodded. She then briefly explained the situation, omitting Gu Suihan's name.
Qi Xiao thought for half a minute and looked at Shen Qingmang: "Why do you care so much?"
"Hmm?" Shen Qingmang looked at him with drunken eyes.
"He's already graduated from high school, so he's 18, right? He's an adult now. He made his own choices, so he has to bear the consequences. Why are you interfering so much?"
"Just because he's an adult physically doesn't mean he's an adult mentally. Besides, he's my student, so isn't it only natural for me to take care of him?" Shen Qingmang retorted.
"Let alone a student, even if you're a parent, you can't always control your child, right? He has his own ideas and is very persistent, so just let him be." Qi Xiao said, "Don't overthink it. Whether he regrets it later is his own business. He made the choice and should bear the consequences. Besides, haven't you ever done anything in your life that you regret? Aren't you alive and well now?"
"I..." Shen Qingmang clenched the wine glass.
Regrets? She's done a lot. She's a perfectionist. If things don't go as she expected, she'll regret it. But these regrets are short-lived. She never dwells on disappointment, but focuses on the present, thinking about how to get out of the predicament.
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