As Long as They Are Not Together Yet, There Is Still a Chance

The atmosphere in the office was somewhat heavy.

Chen Zhi and Lin Wanwan stood side by side.

On the other side of the desk, Pei Ningxue had already arrived and was standing quietly next to their homeroom teacher.

Wang Qian looked at the very well-matched pair and let out a long sigh.

"Let's hear it."

Wang Qian put down her cup, her gaze sweeping across the three faces before finally settling on Chen Zhi.

"Although I've always emphasized to you that since your parents support you in these matters, as long as it doesn't affect your studies, I can turn a blind eye to some things. But I never told you to treat the classroom like a filming set for a teen idol drama, did I?"

Chen Zhi looked innocent and blinked.

"Teacher, I'm wrongly accused."

He spread his hands, his tone extremely sincere.

"We were just purely sharing some food to enhance the friendship between classmates."

"Save the glib talk."

Wang Qian shot him an annoyed glare, casually pulled a slip of paper from under a stack of exercise books, and slapped it on the desk.

"Look, what is this?"

Chen Zhi leaned in to take a look.

A line of crooked handwriting was written on the note: Report! Chen Zhi and Lin Wanwan were openly feeding each other in the classroom, seriously harming the class's learning atmosphere. I suggest a severe punishment!

"Someone actually reported this to me."

Wang Qian pointed at the note, speaking with a tone of frustrated disappointment.

"You two were flirting in front of so many people at school, and so many classmates saw it. This whole morning, the number of students from other classes walking past our door has doubled compared to usual, all coming to watch the spectacle."

Chen Zhi glanced at Lin Wanwan beside him.

The girl had her head down, her hands behind her back, twisting her fingers together. Her fair little face was flushed red right down to the roots of her ears.

Despite her shyness, she just couldn't suppress the slight upward curve of her lips.

Clearly, she was a hundred percent happy with the characterization of flirting.

"Teacher, we really aren't dating."

Chen Zhi defended himself again, his tone firm.

"We grew up together since we were little. I just take care of Lin Wanwan like a younger sister."

Wang Qian laughed out of sheer anger.

She pointed at Chen Zhi, then at Lin Wanwan.

"Normal? What kind of siblings flirt in broad daylight? What kind of siblings make eating a meal look like a palace drama?"

She paused, her tone turning a bit more serious.

"Chen Zhi, Lin Wanwan, your grades are both very stable right now, and I don't want you to get distracted by this messy stuff. Especially you, Lin Wanwan. Your grades aren't quite as good as Chen Zhi's, so don't let these things affect your academic performance."

Lin Wanwan nodded obediently, her voice as quiet as a mosquito.

"I understand, Teacher."

Seeing the two of them like this, Wang Qian couldn't bring herself to say anything too harsh.

After all, although these two kids were rowdy, they were usually quite obedient, except for the part where they shoved their public displays of affection in their classmates' faces every day at school.

Moreover, the indulgent attitude of both sets of parents made things very difficult for her as a homeroom teacher.

"You must tone it down next time."

Wang Qian rubbed her temples and issued an ultimatum.

"If I receive another report letter like this, or if I see you two pulling these big stunts in the classroom again, I'll have to separate you. Don't blame me for being ruthless and transferring you to different classes when that happens."

Hearing the words transfer classes, Lin Wanwan suddenly lifted her head, a trace of panic flashing in her almond-shaped eyes.

Wang Qian waved her hand helplessly.

"Alright, go back for now."

Feeling as if he had been granted amnesty, Chen Zhi grabbed Lin Wanwan's wrist and pulled her outside.

"Goodbye Teacher, thank you for your hard work Teacher, drink plenty of hot water Teacher."

The two of them slipped out of the office in a flash.

With a click, the door closed, and the office returned to silence.

Wang Qian picked up her thermos cup again and turned her gaze to Pei Ningxue, who hadn't spoken the entire time.

Pei Ningxue still maintained her elegant standing posture, her expression cold and detached, as if everything that had just happened had nothing to do with her.

"Did you see that?"

Wang Qian pointed toward the door, her tone becoming earnest.

"Those two are childhood sweethearts who grew up together. That kind of bond isn't something an outsider can easily insert themselves into."

As a homeroom teacher, even though Wang Qian was young, she had a very sharp eye for reading people.

She had long since noticed Pei Ningxue's special treatment of Chen Zhi.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see the smell of gunpowder in today's palace drama incident.

"Pei Ningxue, you are a smart girl. You come from a good family, you are beautiful, and your grades are top-notch."

Wang Qian softened her voice, acting like a caring older sister.

"You will meet many excellent boys in the future, whether in college or in broader social circles. There's no need to hang yourself on this one tree, especially when someone is already hanging on it."

Her words were already very straightforward.

In her view, why should a proud and favored girl like Pei Ningxue wade into such muddy waters? In the end, the only one getting hurt would be herself.

Pei Ningxue slightly lowered her eyelids, her long eyelashes trembling gently.

She remained silent for a moment.

Just when Wang Qian thought she had listened to her advice, Pei Ningxue suddenly looked up.

In those cold, clear eyes, there was no retreat or disappointment; instead, they burned with a persistent light.

"But Teacher."

Pei Ningxue's voice was very soft, yet every word was clear.

"Didn't Chen Zhi just say that they aren't dating yet?"

The hand Wang Qian used to hold her thermos froze in mid-air.

She opened her mouth, finding herself momentarily at a loss for words.

"Well..."

Wang Qian tried to explain.

"That's just because they haven't poked through that thin layer of window paper yet. In reality..."

"Since they aren't dating, then he is single."

Pei Ningxue interrupted Wang Qian, her tone calm.

"As long as he is single, everyone has a chance."

Wang Qian was speechless.

She suddenly felt a headache coming on.

Why was every single student in this batch so hard to manage?

Pei Ningxue bowed slightly, giving a polite greeting.

"Teacher, if there is nothing else, I will head back first. I still need to preview the material for the next class."

After saying that, she turned and walked toward the door.

Wang Qian looked at the closed door and heavily slammed her thermos onto the desk.

"What is all this!"

...

In the hallway.

Chen Zhi had his hands in his pockets, and Lin Wanwan was following by his side.

A figure suddenly darted out from the nearby storage room.

"Halt!"

Li Jiahao suddenly sprang from the corner, spreading his arms wide and firmly blocking their path.

"Come with me!"

Li Jiahao gritted his teeth, squeezing out a few words from between them.

Without any explanation, he rushed up, grabbed Chen Zhi's arm, and used all his strength to forcibly drag the two of them toward the dead-end corner at the end of the hallway.

Holy crap, does he want to fight?

"Hey, hey, hey, let's talk this out nicely. Don't get physical!"

The three of them pushed and pulled their way into the old classroom that was usually used to store discarded desks and chairs.

The lighting here was dim. It really was a great place for murder and robbery, oh wait, no, for talking things over.

Li Jiahao let go, leaned his back against the wall, and panted heavily.

"I say..."

Chen Zhi spoke tentatively, trying to persuade Jiahao to turn back from the wrong path.

Before he could finish his sentence.

He saw Li Jiahao's knees give way.

With a thud.

Under the shocked gazes of Chen Zhi and Lin Wanwan, he dropped straight to his knees.

His knees slammed into the concrete floor with a heavy, dull thud.

It made you wince just hearing it.

"What the hell?"

Chen Zhi was completely thrown off by this sudden stunt, instinctively taking a half-step backward.

Kneeling on the ground, Li Jiahao clasped his hands together in respect. He tilted his head up, his eyes burning with intensity and his face full of absolute devotion.

"Class President!"

Li Jiahao bellowed, his voice brimming with utmost sincerity.

"I heard you don't have any kids, so I want to take care of you in your old age!"