Chapter 44: If you do it again, you’ll be kneeling at home next time
The security guard looked at Qi Yu. “Which class are you from? Show me your school ID.”
Qi Yu didn’t move, keeping one hand in his pocket, looking as though he was saying, ‘Don’t mess with me.’ “I don’t have it.”
The security guard: “……”
After thinking for a moment, he realized that Qi Yu hadn’t climbed over.
“Go back, all of you. You should be studying, not climbing walls!”
Once they had walked a little distance away from the small shop, Liu An’an let out a sigh of relief. “That scared me to death. I almost thought they were going to call our parents.”
Wen Xia was also startled. Last week, Wen De had just praised her, and this week, her parents might be called in. It seemed like she might be in for some “family education.”
The three of them lost their appetite for milk tea.
Qi Yu had somehow walked over to Wen Xia’s side, and with a tone of disdain, he sneered, “You can’t even climb properly, yet you still tried.” After saying that, he walked off.
Wen Xia: “……”
Qi Yu, please just act like a decent person.
…
During evening study, the students were reciting English when Teacher Cao clapped his hands to get their attention.
He gave a stern look around the room, his gaze stopping on the girls who usually didn’t listen. “I heard our class has three female heroes. Stand up so everyone can see.”
The whole class looked around but no one stood up.
“The three wall-climbing heroines, stand up, and let’s give them a round of applause.”
When she heard the words “female heroes,” Wen Xia’s hand shook, causing the chemical symbols she was writing to wobble. She turned to look at Liu An’an and Jiang Yan, and they had already stood up.
Wen Xia: “……”
Teacher Cao was about to mention one more person, but the next second, he saw Wen Xia standing up in the front row.
Teacher Cao: “……”
He looked at Wen Xia for a moment longer. “I didn’t expect it to be you three. I thought it would be some other students.”
“Alright, very good. Students, take a good look at these three female heroes. In all my years of teaching, this is the first time I’ve seen female students get caught by the security guard for climbing over the wall.”
“Let’s give a round of applause to Wen Xia, Jiang Yan, and Liu An’an, our three female heroes.”
The classroom erupted into applause.
Wen Xia: “……”
Jiang Yan: “……”
Liu An’an: “……”
The three of them lowered their heads.
Teacher Cao continued, “A 1.7-meter wall, and with your short statures, aren’t you afraid of falling?” He was getting a little angry.
“Wen Xia, why don’t you tell your classmates about your experience of climbing the wall?”
Being called on, Wen Xia lowered her head even further, twisting the fabric of her shirt in silence.
Teacher Cao spent a few minutes scolding them in front of the class, then called them to the balcony for a private lecture.
“Why climb out? Couldn’t you just ask for leave?”
“Wen Xia, tell me, why did you climb the wall?”
Wen Xia met his gaze, her face awkward, but she kept silent. She couldn’t exactly say she went out to buy milk tea, could she?
Seeing her silence, Teacher Cao became both angry and helpless. “Wen Xia, I’ve been praising you recently for being more obedient, and this is how you repay me?”
“Teacher Cao, I’m sorry.” Wen Xia sincerely admitted her mistake.
Teacher Cao’s anger softened slightly as he glanced at the three of them. “This situation definitely requires calling your parents. Don’t do this again. Go back to the classroom.”
If anything happened while they were out climbing the wall, it would be his responsibility as their homeroom teacher. He had to take it seriously and be responsible for Wen Xia and the others.
The three of them immediately looked dejected, but didn’t dare say anything. They trudged back into the classroom.
Liu An’an and Jiang Yan’s fathers had already been reached, but Wen De’s phone couldn’t be connected. It had been in an unreachable state. Teacher Cao dialed seven or eight times, checked his watch—it was probably the end of No.1 Middle School’s class—then called Qin Mo.
When the call was answered, his tone was polite. “Is this Qin Mo? I’m Wen Xia’s homeroom teacher.”
“Hello, Teacher Cao.”
Qin Mo stopped writing, placed his pen on the desk, and walked out of the room.
“It’s like this,” Teacher Cao said. “Wen Xia climbed the wall with her classmates today, and someone saw her. I’ve tried calling her father, but I couldn’t get through. Qin Mo, could you please help and let her family know to come to the school tomorrow at noon?”
“Climb the wall?” Qin Mo frowned. “Teacher Cao, can I come instead? They have something going on.”
Teacher Cao hesitated for a moment. Since Qin Mo was like a family member, he agreed. “Alright, but is it convenient for you, Qin Mo?”
A few years from now, he would think back on this and laugh through tears.
Boyfriend attending his girlfriend’s parent-teacher meeting!
“It’s fine.” Qin Mo tugged at his sweater collar with one hand.
After hanging up the phone, he sent Wen Xia a few messages. By the time class started, she hadn’t replied. He waited until he got home, but still no response.
She must have run out of battery.
He tossed his phone onto the bed and went to take a shower, holding his clothes in his hands.
…
After the lights went out, Wen Xia pulled out her phone and found it turned off. No wonder Wen De hadn’t called her.
Liu An’an and Jiang Yan had both received calls from their dads, and they were heavily scolded for a few minutes.
…
Noon.
Two parents in their thirties or forties and a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy sat together at the parent-teacher meeting.
Teacher Cao was worried that other teachers might find out about Wen Xia and the others climbing the wall, so he had arranged the meeting for noon when the other teachers were at lunch. He closed the office door and seriously talked about the severity of climbing walls.
He didn’t want the kids to go home and get punished, so he said some kind words. “These three students are usually very obedient and work hard in class.”
Jiang Yan’s father had rushed over from the police station, not even changing his clothes. He looked very serious as he said, “Teacher Cao, don’t worry. I’ll make sure to properly educate her when we get home.”
Liu An’an’s father nodded in agreement.
Teacher Cao looked at Qin Mo, who nodded, saying, “I’ll educate her when we get home.”
With their assurances, Teacher Cao didn’t want to keep them any longer and saw them out of the office.
Liu An’an and Jiang Yan’s dads had to get back to work, so they hurried out of the school gate.
When Wen Xia returned after lunch, she saw Qin Mo leaning against the balcony, his hands propped up. His hair had grown a bit long and was tousled, slightly hanging over his eyebrows.
He wore a black hoodie, black pants, and white sneakers—simple, but he looked much cooler than the other boys in her class, probably because of his face.
The girls from the neighboring class were glancing at him, some walking past him and then turning back to look again.
She handed her lunchbox to Liu An’an and then walked over to him, poking his waist with a finger. “What are you doing here?” she whispered.
Qin Mo turned around. Wen Xia was wearing a white cotton coat, with a red scarf covering her chin, her round face a bit more chubby, looking quite cute.
He reached out and lightly tapped her forehead, his voice soft, “Came to attend my wife’s parent-teacher meeting.”
“Why did you climb the wall?”
Wen Xia stuck out her tongue awkwardly, mumbling weakly, “To drink milk tea.”
She sighed in relief. At least it wasn’t Wen De coming to the meeting.
Qin Mo: “…”
He was so amused he almost laughed, switching from tapping her head to pinching her cheek. “You’ve got some nerve! Climbing a wall for a cup of milk tea.”
Wen Xia: “…”
She pouted in protest, looking a bit cute.
Her red pout was rather endearing.
Qin Mo looked at her for a few seconds before shifting his gaze. If he kept staring, he might end up kissing a minor. “Later, I’ll order a month’s worth of milk tea at the shop. You and your friends can pick it up at the school gate at noon.”
“Thank you, Husband.” Wen Xia habitually tugged at his clothes, giving a little shake, and whispered, acting cute.
Seeing her like this, Qin Mo couldn’t help but reach out to rub her head. Just then, he noticed Teacher Cao appearing at the stairs, and calmly withdrew his hand.
He raised his voice back to normal. “As long as you know you were wrong. If you do it again, you’ll be kneeling at home next time.”
Wen Xia: “…”