Chapter 15: The Phone
The essay competition put a lot of pressure on Xiang Yang, so much so that whenever she had free time, all she could think about was how to write her essay better.
Therefore, she completely forgot that she had brought her phone to school.
But after calling Fu Guanxian in the morning, she turned off her phone just in case.
What she didn't understand was why, after school, as she was preparing to pack her bag and go to the essay tutoring class, a classmate told her, “Xiang Yang, the teacher wants you to go to the teacher's office now. Remember to bring your backpack.”
The girl had a slight smile on her face, and Xiang Yang didn't think much of it. It wasn't until she reached the office that she realized the situation was not optimistic.
One of the mischievous boys in the class was standing in front of the homeroom teacher with his hands behind his back, looking down.
The homeroom teacher, on the other hand, had a serious expression, looking as if she had just gotten angry.
So, when Xiang Yang heard the teacher's stern voice asking her, she was truly startled.
“Xiang Yang, some students said you brought your phone to school too?”
Xiang Yang's heart skipped a beat, and her face immediately turned pale.
The homeroom teacher, who had initially held some hope, now looked even more displeased. She reached out and said, “Hand over your phone!”
Xiang Yang didn't understand. Besides calling Fu Guanxian at the school gate, she had put her phone in her backpack and hadn't taken it out since. Moreover, she had turned it off, so there was no way it could have made a sound. Why did the teacher know she had brought her phone?
Xiang Yang realized that besides her own phone, there was another black, semi-old phone on the teacher's desk. Was it the boy's?
Xiang Yang thought that the boy's phone had been confiscated by the teacher, and he had implicated her as well. But Xiang Yang still couldn't figure out why he knew she had brought her phone.
Seeing that Xiang Yang remained silent and motionless, the homeroom teacher's demeanor turned even more severe, “Xiang Yang, I have always regarded you as a diligent student, but your current behavior sets a poor precedent for the class monitor. I distinctly recall emphasizing in our first class at the beginning of the school year that mobile devices are strictly prohibited within the school premises. Did you listen at that time?”
Xiang Yang buried her head even lower and weakly replied, “Yes.”
“Yes? If you have, how dare you do something like this! Xiang Yang, as a class officer and vice monitor, your failure to assist Wanjun in upholding class discipline and instead influencing other students negatively is unacceptable. Xiang Yang, the teacher expresses profound disappointment in your actions! Kindly surrender your phone and take time to reflect on your behavior.”
Xiang Yang parted her lips, and tears inexplicably welled up, cascading down one by one onto the sleek surface below.
At the threshold of the teacher's office, numerous students were intrigued as the homeroom teacher admonished both the troublemaker and the top academic achiever in the class simultaneously.
Xiang Yang held back her tears as she tried to take her phone out of her backpack to hand it to the teacher, but she found that every time she wiped her eyes, they fell even more. One drop after another, as if they didn't need any brewing.
After watching half of the drama, Lian Rui hurriedly ran back to the classroom to find Fu Guanxian.
“Hey, hey, hey! Guanxian! Something's happened!”
During lunch, Lian Rui had hinted several times about how Xiang Yang and he knew each other. Seeing Lian Rui's strong curiosity, Fu Guanxian didn't want to tell him, so he asked, “Do you know that curiosity killed the cat?”
“What do you mean?”
Fu Guanxian continued eating with his head down, “It means don't be so nosy.”
“Hey, are we not brothers anymore? Who was it that said they would go through fire and water for each other? I'm just asking out of curiosity, and you won't tell me. Don't worry, if you're afraid a third person will find out, I, Lian Rui, guarantee I'll keep it a secret!”
Fu Guanxian glanced at him thoughtfully.
Lian Rui continued to assure, “I absolutely won't tell anyone.”
Fu Guanxian thought for a moment and then said, “We grew up together.”
“Pfft…” Lian Rui exaggeratedly said, “Really? You have a childhood friend who you've played with since you were little?”
Fu Guanxian smirked, “Hehe, why don't you tell me why I don't have one?”
“Haha, isn't it because you rarely initiate conversations with girls?”
“Cut it out!” Fu Guanxian replied, “Why would I initiate conversations with them?”
“Who knows…” Lian Rui dropped the topic and curiously asked, “So you grew up together, which makes you childhood sweethearts? Hey, Fu Guanxian, aren’t you two like ‘the boy rides the bamboo horse, circling the bed to play with the plums. Living together, they have no suspicions of each other’?”
Seeing Lian Rui’s excited expression, Fu Guanxian laughed, “Oh, Lian Rui, you know that line from Li Bai's poem, impressive!”
Lian Rui scratched his head, feeling embarrassed, “A few days ago, I was bored and watched a program about ancient poetry. I thought it sounded nice, so I remembered it.”
Now, Lian Rui was helping Fu Guanxian's childhood sweetheart call for reinforcements.
Fu Guanxian was tossing the practice book he needed for the evening into his backpack. If he hadn't thought that Xiang Yang would also go to tutoring later, he really wouldn't want to go at all. Because it was just too boring!
Fu Guanxian thought the only fun in that teacher's class was watching the eighth-grade brothers write desperately and watching Xiang Yang pretend to be a good student.
“Guanxian! Guanxian! Something’s happened!” Lian Rui rushed in, almost unable to stop himself due to inertia.
Seeing this, Fu Guanxian complained, “Lian Rui, what are you doing? You're not this urgent even when putting out a fire.”
“Right! It's putting out a fire!” Lian Rui grabbed his hand, “Hurry up, or if we're late, it'll be a big deal.”
Although Lian Rui also felt that rushing over might lead to a big issue.
Fu Guanxian frowned and said, “What big deal could happen? Is the sky falling?”
Lian Rui looked around and leaned closer to his ear, “Your childhood sweetheart is in the teacher's office. I heard she brought a phone and is being criticized and interrogated by the teacher. There are too many onlookers, and many people will probably know about it soon. Isn't your childhood sweetheart the top student in the grade? She… Hey! Guanxian, wait for me! Don't run so fast!”
Fu Guanxian didn’t care about him anymore and quickly ran toward the office, squeezing through the crowd and bursting in, “Teacher!”
Seeing the evidence and witnesses present, the homeroom teacher's heart sank halfway as she looked at Xiang Yang, who was crying heavily. She felt at a loss for words.
With so many students watching, she had to handle the situation fairly.
“Xiang Yang…” Just as she called Xiang Yang’s name, she heard a male voice shout, “Teacher!”
Following the voice, she saw Fu Guanxian from the second year standing next to Xiang Yang, panting and looking anxious.
“Fu Guanxian?”
“Teacher.” Fu Guanxian suppressed the urge to look at the crying Xiang Yang and said, “Teacher, Xiang Yang didn’t bring her phone; that phone is mine.”
Xiang Yang, who was softly crying, looked up at him in surprise.
Fu Guanxian ignored her gaze and continued to look at the homeroom teacher, speaking sincerely, “Teacher, I left my phone with Xiang Yang.”
The homeroom teacher was surprised, “How did your phone end up with her?”
“Because yesterday I left my phone in the classroom on the sixth floor, and she helped me pick it up. This morning, she told me the teacher was looking for me, and since we were going to the essay tutoring class in the afternoon, I didn't take it back from her and left it with her.”
After listening, the homeroom teacher pondered for a moment and then asked Xiang Yang, “Xiang Yang, is what he said true?”
Xiang Yang sobbed, wanting to speak, but she found she couldn’t make a sound.
Fu Guanxian immediately said, “Teacher, of course, I'm telling the truth. If it weren’t true, why would I take this risk? Teacher, can you give the phone back to me? Xiang Yang really didn't bring a phone; she just helped me out of necessity. Teacher, please don't criticize her anymore.”
The homeroom teacher was silent for a moment and then asked him, “How can you prove this phone is yours?”
“Teacher, I know the lock screen password; if you don't believe me, you can try it.”
The teacher was skeptical.
Fu Guanxian casually recited a six-digit number.
After hearing it, the teacher entered the numbers in order and successfully unlocked it.
“Fu Guanxian, since this is your phone, I can return it to you. After all, you’re not a student in our class, and I have no authority to educate you on your wrongdoing in this matter. However, I will inform your homeroom teacher how to handle you, and I won't ask further.”
“Okay, thank you, teacher.”
“As for Xiang Yang…”
“Teacher, we still have to go to tutoring; the eighth-grade students just came to urge us, so can we leave first?”
The homeroom teacher knew that the school placed great importance on the essay competition, so she kept it brief: “Xiang Yang, this time the teacher misunderstood you. You're a good student; you didn't knowingly break the rules. Do well and don't cry anymore.” After saying that, she even handed her a tissue.
“Thank you, teacher.” Xiang Yang murmured as she took the tissue.
As Fu Guanxian walked out of the office, he noticed everyone at the entrance staring at the two of them with burning eyes. His long-suppressed anger surged up, and he shouted, “What are you looking at? Never seen a handsome guy before? Hurry up and scram!”
Xiang Yang followed behind him, looking up at his back, suddenly feeling warm inside. It was Fu Guanxian who took the blame for her, helping her bear the weight of the collapsing sky.
When Lian Rui saw him come out, he hurried over and asked, “Are you okay?”
“What could possibly be wrong with me!” Fu Guanxian said in a bad mood.
Lian Rui looked at him and could only say, “It's good if you're fine! Good if you're fine!”
Others might not know, but Lian Rui understood that Fu Guanxian’s phone was not this one.
He glanced back at Xiang Yang behind Fu Guanxian and waved at her with a smile.
Xiang Yang had just wiped her tears, but she still felt very embarrassed.
Wasn't her performance just now utterly terrible?
~~~~~
Translator's Notes:
I'll aim to update on MWF. I'll do my best to stick to this schedule.
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